I had a job. The company didn’t realize that they actually had to sell product to stay in business. Almost all of the workforce was let go or furloughed. I’ve been unemployed for over a month now.
I’ve filled out dozens upon dozens of job apps, starting even before I lost my job. I have my resume public on job listings sites for employers and hiring agencies to find, and I’ve sent my resume to employers and hiring agencies directly. I look through the listings on job boards for each day, mostly limiting my search to a wage that would allow me to make ends meet at home. I’ve solicited and implemented advice from resume design experts. I’ve had one in-person interview, a few preliminary phone interviews, and a couple of message conversations between recruiters and myself. The one in-person interview I had would not have paid enough for my monthly expenses and I was overqualified for the position; they decided against hiring me. I had another interview scheduled and confirmed via a hiring agency’s AI text bot and a human agent’s text; I drove to the scheduled interview place and time and they had no idea that I was supposed to be interviewed. All other communication has either been flat-out rejection or just left me hanging.
I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree from a top 25 ranked university in the US. I have no criminal record. I do have multiple disabilities but they are generally mitigable enough to not affect my work. I have references of my (now) former boss and a (now) former coworker who both praise my impact and aptitude in the factory and office workplace. I’m evidently overqualified for positions that don’t require higher experiences and I’m underqualified for nearly everything else; I can’t get experience in most niche or broad fields because nearly every position requires these experiences to have already been met. I try to follow all the invisible rules of applying and social etiquette. I am too physically ugly to sell my body. It feels like there’s always been a magical aura about me that makes people dislike me no matter how much I try to do the ethically or socially right thing. How am I supposed to get an income to survive?
I love how everyones advice here is pretty much “just lie”. Really says somthing about our society hey.
Corruption is the standard. If you aren’t playing it, you aren’t playing.
Not a content pirate, by chance?..
I would never engage in illegal or immoral activity especially something as disgusting as piracy. Do u know how much caviar the shairholders wont be able to afford if u download a car. They will starve. Think of the shairholders.
king…
Corpos set the rules, pedons got to pay the bills.
In persona dealings lying is bad, having to deal with corpos, you aint playing if you aint lying.
Treat employment relationship as if you are managing cancer… they operate about the same.
People are corporations now
Yeah. It says that the game is rigged and you have no choice.
This year in particular has just been a fucking awful job market. I lost my job in January and had severance last a couple months, but even after spending every day reading job boards and filing job applications until I was emotionally exhausted, I had zero callbacks for seven months. It was only a few months ago that I got two interviews, and I got offers from both. As soon as I accepted, I had some other companies suddenly crawling to me with offers. I’m still recovering from my debts accrued in that time, but I’m finally in a much better place now. Keep going at it, and I promise something will crack.
Acquire a trade
Like reading? OP has employable skills.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Network
For every 200 applications you submit, you’re putting in as much energy as you could with one quality lead where you know someone. You gotta leverage connections, do informational interviews, etc. The reality is that a lot of job postings for skilled positions are put out there because the employer has to do it. They already know who they want.
This right here is why i am inherently incompatible with the modern job market.
My brain is wired to solve complex abstract problems not having to deal with subjective social intrigue in which i’ll always be perceived as some weird idiot because people don’t know what i am talking about half the time.
The only way someone can be convinced i am neither dumb or to disabled to work is because they objectively looked at my work ethic and results so the look on their face shifts from uncanny disturbed to uncanny impressed.
I did land a good job in a non profit sector where people around me do respect me. I am never changing. If i ever lose this job i am not sure i will ever find something else.
It seems like networking would be even more important for you. You’d have people who could vouch for you: “Yeah they’re kind of weird in an interview, but they do amazing work.”
In many ways, I feel similarly. However, “this one weird trick” got me out of it. Think of networking as something you do to find like-minded complex-abstract-problem-solvers. You’re just finding friends. If one of those friends has a particularly tough problem and they’re willing to pay you, then, congrats! You now have a job offer!
The algorithm is simple: ask people what they do, why they do it, and, crucially, who they know. Then contact each of those people, name-drop their friend, mention interests you might have in common, and ask to meet you talk about fun stuff. Repeat. Follow up with people to let them know you appreciated meeting with them (or not…if you didn’t really appreciate meeting with them). If you get the sense that someone is looking for help and you’re interested in what they’re doing, offer your help. The worst thing that can happen is they say no.
I agree that some people like you may not be fit for the current way of doing things in terms of job research. But you have to remember that being socially able is also a very important part of the job at most companies, because very rare are the cases where you don’t work as part of a team. I would even say communication is a bigger part of the job compared to the actual brute skill for most companies. You can always learn or perfect a new programming language or platform, it’s a matter of reading. Soft skills like social abilities cant really be learned, and so this is why a lot of companies actually choose people who they think will fit in a team rather that who will close the most issues
You would have references from your current job, even if you’re cartoonishly unlikeable. Keep light contact with people you get on with even (probably especially) after they part ways with the organization you work for. If/when you need a job, ask those people if they know any leads you might follow.
This
And if you don’t know people then call them or show up if possible. Just get ahold of even the receptionist. Taking initiative is a skill and it NEVER looks bad. I hired a guy I wasn’t looking to hire because he walked in, said he needed a job, and why he wanted to work for us. He didn’t waste my time, was succinct and had a great personality and attitude. As a hiring manager of over a decade those are hard skills to find. I set an interview time for him to come back the next day and he showed up 15min early (good) and blew me away in the interview just being honest and having a good attitude.
There are 2 skills most people suck at:
- Reliability
- Good attitude
You hate being late and have reliable transportation (this matters in the US). You’re a life learner and want to grow and develop your skills.
These are dealbreakers for me: 3) Team Player. In many positions, if you like working mostly solo, no one wants to manage that. Being a team player that doesn’t mind helping others and/or asking others for help when needed is essential to a team’s success. 4) Take personal accountability for your actions. If you can’t do this you are poison to a team. I’ve let go technically great people because something that went wrong was always someone else’s fault. Once they’re gone the team thrives and outperforms the technical excellence of one.
Just calling up a company isn’t networking
Hence the “And” at the beginning of what I was saying.
Networking isn’t the only way to get a job. Helps, yes, but if you aren’t in a position to have that luxury there are other ways.
There are usually many layers before your application actually gets to someone who understands the job and can actually evaluate how valuable you are to the role. There are an insane number of applications that are just gone before someone useful can actually read it.
I know personally I would never have gotten my last 3 jobs were it not for networking and knowing people.
Networking really is the way forward. I understand for some people that socialising is insanely difficult, but knowing the right people can get you jobs that you aren’t even qualified for.
What if you don’t know anyone willing to help you get a job?
What if you don’t know anyone willing to help you get a job?
Ask them for who they know. Heck, even if they are willing to help you, still ask them for more contacts.
It legit took me over a decade of work experience to finally realize that “networking” was really just a simple graph-traversal algorithm for finding friends. If those friends need help with something that pays, then offer your help.
Network more until you meet someone who has an opening
There are happy hours / meet n greets, networking dinners, and more, that are specifically for branching out and developing professional connection without having to know anyone.
Well that sounds perfectly horrid.
They’re fine. In fact, out of all the possible professional-life-based events, they’re probably the least anxiety inducing thing to attend.
I would agree with this sentiment, but that doesn’t make this advice less valuable. If we want things to change, we have to be willing to change ourselves. Advice on how to make those changes is bound to make us uncomfortable.
There is still a chance, but it’s just much more of a crapshoot. I have been offered jobs where I didn’t know anyone, but those have been rare compared to other offers. Jobs where I knew someone at least tended to lead to serious interviews.
So I don’t know if you tried looking for state jobs.
I see you are in Michigan so, apply for something that you’re overqualified for and then work the job until you’re past the probation period.
Then, apply for the job you want. They hire internally first for pretty much every position. This is how several people’s experience go about how they got into their current position with the state at DHHS.
A popular position for getting your foot in the door is processing food stamp applications. It’s remote and doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, so having a bachelor’s degree will likely get you an interview.
Also, this applies in general:
Applicant recruiting software usually looks for key words.
Look at the ad & attached position description and highlight the words and phrases used.
Include them in your resume, cover letter, application. You have to tailor your application to each position. It’s a royal pain, but that’s how most recruiting software works.
I would also urge you to call the respective departments/agencies HR departments and ask about the position. A current employee may be able to flag your application depending on whom you speak to.
Either that or try MDOC as some say it is the easiest way into the State. Its not for everyone but its an option. They always look for people.
So to summarize
Use exact words and terms from the job description on your application. The software will search and grade your application by these hits.
Keep it short. Use only one font. The software diagnoses the beginning font and can’t read anything that deviates from the font.
Apply for an entry level position and work your way up to the position you actually want.
Other options
Check the community college job postings near where you live! When they are about to start a new semester, they usually have openings
On that note, The schools are always hiring. It varies depending on the district, but Livonia school for example is looking for the following:
https://www.applitrack.com/livoniapublicschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?all=1
Manufacturing is ALWAYS hiring. Drive by just about any plant in the Metro Detroit area and probably there will be ‘now hiring’ signs all over the place.
No experience will probably start around $15/hr, but if you learn fast & want to advance, there are usually ways to move up pretty quickly.
Check out mml.org’s classifieds if you haven’t already. Again, people often overlook city government jobs but the pay is often decent and have good benefits. Some also tend to browse governmentjobs.com.
Oakland County seems to have lots of different jobs available.
Try contacting an agency like kelly or arrow strategies if you’re in tech.
Remember we are near the end of year. December January February are basically dead time for gigs, they all pick up on march
It has taken me, on average, 6 months to find new work each time I do it and I send hundreds of resumes. So I think you are doing the right things. It just sucks. Sometimes you can get a lead from someone you know and that gets your foot in the door.
Remember, you are reviewing them as an employer too. If they have a shitty applicant experience, that should play into your decision process (easier said than done when you just want to make rent).
Feel free to message me if you would like resume or other search help.
I recently ended my job hunt not too long ago. You need throughput in putting out resumes and cover letters. Use ChatGPT and have it generate cover letters for each job posting. Edit it so it doesn’t obviously read like it was generated from an LLM and get rid of any experiences it hallucinates on your behalf. It works better if your template resume is similar to the job posting in wording.
Generating matching resumes and cover letters used to take up about an hour for me per application before ChatGPT. Now it takes about 15 minutes per application. Use that speed (and decreased mental labor) to your advantage. More jobs applied to means more potential hits.
Applying for jobs is the suck, so use whatever tools you can to lessen the suck.
Use AI to apply, because they use AI to reject applications.
Thanks. My natural verbiage is commonly mistaken for an LLM, whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing for that approach.
I don’t think it’s a very big issue anymore. Most modern companies know that you’re using gpt to help you write you letters. If you manage to sound more authentic, that would probably be helpful. But a gpt letter is better than no letter. Quantity over quality in this case.
Can you get in touch with the other colleagues that were let go alongside yourself and ask what they’re doing? Maybe they’ve found something and will put a good word in for you.
I will say in advance that I’m sorry this won’t help you and it might make you feel worse, so don’t read on… when I was in high school back in the 90s, we had a regular substitute teacher. Dr. Bronk. Dr. Bronk had a PhD in some very obscure area of botany and couldn’t get a job in his field, so he was a substitute teacher. Even back then I felt bad for him.
Sell feet pics on only fans.
How do you know if your feet are sexy enuff?
If you’re a man willing to make gay feet content, then your feet just need to be sweaty or dirty, not sexy. Hairy helps too.
do clicky-length toenails add or detract?
just wondering… uh, academically…
I don’t know. I actually hate feet, but I get the content sometimes in my feeds. Hopefully someone else will come along and answer you.
Ah, Liberal Arts degree. Fun. Might be better to go back into academia for the rest of your life, lol.
Otherwise just keep at it. Sometimes it takes 3 applications or sometimes it takes hundreds. If you can lift then Nursing homes and in-home helpers are always hiring more people, right now.
Wife and I have been unemployed for nearly a year. We’re in a white collar recession so it’s gonna be brutal for a little while. Not much you can do really, it’s really hard right now.
Labouring / trades seem like the ticket tbh.
Does your resume pass an ats import? Try a tool like jobscan.co (don’t pay for it, not worth it)
I’ll check it out, thanks. A resume reviewer had sent me an ATS scan but it was behind a paywall.
This is not legal advice.
Lie.
Don’t put anything on your resume that you’re not prepared to talk about
Don’t leave anything off your resume because you know something about it but aren’t an expert at it.
9 out of 10 times the person picking your resume out of a stack has less subject matter expertise than you do.
If you can fumble your way through it, it goes on the resume. You don’t have to put you’re a god but you also don’t have to put that you only have cursory knowledge.
Multiple folks at my work who have been hired after me lied so hard on their resumes. Their lies? They they have basic computer skills. My supervisor doesn’t have a real computer at home. It’s maddening.
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I thought lying was a requirement for a cabinet position /s
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Who knows, maybe you become the first Lemming to become elected to office
My recently re-elected county clerk is an active Wikipedia editor and Redditor; I wouldn’t be surprised if he has also partially migrated to Lemmy.
Huh…I just realized I know so little about my local county clerk, that I didn’t even know that was a thing, or what they do.
Wait. Are YOU the local county clerk? Are YOU migrating to Lemmy from reddit?
A county clerk does the sort of stuff that a Wikipedia nerd is best equipped to do.
He’s not me; I moved to this district this summer and came across his public accounts while researching the candidates new to me on my ballot this year. And I’ve already comfortably made the move to Lemmy.
Bonus points if you have at least one felony or are a rapist or other kind of predator.
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I prefer to say “stretch the truth”. This is more common than a lot of people realize.
There is always someone getting paid more who doesn’t exactly qualify - or worse, doesn’t even try anymore.
As many people have said in the thread, it’s all about who you know. “Networking” is more important than skills in many industries.
Its liegal advice
Lad liebertum.
Just make sure you have backup lies if anything gets scrutunized more
I’m not sure how to interpret “liegal”
Is that a typo of legal or illegal?
I’m not sure how to interpret “liegal”
Lie + legal
Have you applied for unemployment yet? They’ll usually back pay to when you were laid off too if you get through all the red tape… Might be a state by state thing idk
Have you ever thought about talking to a therapist about the magic aura thing? There might be something you don’t realize that they could help you figure out.
Could you get a job of any kind and reduce your living standard for a little while to match what you make? This is a shitty answer, and really should only ever apply to the 1%… But sadly we do live in a capitalist hellscape… Good luck
