Help!

15 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 8:46PM UTC

   Have you thought about getting a formal resume writing service to help you develop your resume? They can really help focus your message.

2. AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 8:55PM UTC

   What is your background and what kind of roles are you seeking? Diverse background and skills are great but that may be hard to decipher if recruiter or employer is looking for something specific. Startups want scrappy people, it's in almost all of their job descriptions so your diverse background and skills may attract them. Maybe you can hone in on a few roles of interest and tailor your LI and resume to reflect those.

3. AnonymousAugust 18,2023 at 1:58AM UTC

   It sounds to me like you need more focus and roles that fit your key strengths.

   You might want to embark on some aptitude testing or career counseling, or least read some books that teach you to self-assess. See if there are some low-cost programs in your community that you can attend.

   That you have had diverse roles but are not making progress, suggests to me that you need a better match between your talents and the jobs you take.

   An upside: you’ve been hired and have filled many roles, which should help you determine where you fit best.

4. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 18,2023 at 3:02AM UTC

   If you're not getting responses to your applications, it's most likely either your resume or the positions you're applying to or both.

   A "diverse background and many, many skills" are nice to have but that's not what we recruiters are looking for when we're looking at applicants for a specific position.

   I need to be able to clearly see on your resume how you have the experience the hiring manager for that particular position is looking for.

   My guess is if you're applying to many different types of positions, you'll need to have several different versions of your resume focused specifically on different skillsets. I rarely recommend this as your experience is your experience.

   Please let me know if you have any questions. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH!

5. Sarah BordersAugust 18,2023 at 1:30PM UTC

   Are you open to work on LinkedIn, not just to recruiters, but so everyone can see with the green badge on your profile picture? One of the great things about LinkedIn is the ability to network, and posting content or commenting on it where everyone can see at a glance that you’re looking for your next role, especially when that content is relevant for the profession or industry you’re interested in, is major, not just for the added visibility in your network, but for the improved rankings when recruiters are searching for people like you.

   Is your profile missing anything? If LinkedIn has no suggestions on anything you should add, that’s a good place to start. The other thing everyone can work on is expanding their network. I don’t know how big yours is, but if it’s under 500, I would make 500 a goal.

   You’ve added keywords, but are they the right keywords for the role? Those of us with diverse backgrounds (me: waitress, dance teacher, classical studies major, bookseller, library specialist, library science grad student, librarian, web developer, IT project manager, computer science post bacc student, mobile product manager, CX program manager, and senior IT project manager) eventually have to settle on a few values, abilities, and hard skills that define the kind of work and work environment we’re looking for. We have to hook potential employers in by matching *exactly* what they’re looking for, and then we have the opportunity to wow them with our unique backgrounds and how that adds value.

   You can do this! Good luck!

6. AnonymousAugust 18,2023 at 9:04PM UTC

   Thank you!!! The “settle” part really clicked

7. Angela MasonAugust 19,2023 at 7:13PM UTC

   Sometimes people exaggerate contacts made by recruiters.
   Most recruiters do not have the time to contact candidates in the manner at which your friends conveyed.

   Trust your gut and keep applying! It took me over 200 applications in just about a year before I landed my new job. Mind you, I am still working. Please do not get discouraged.

8. AnonymousAugust 20,2023 at 12:31PM UTC

   Sketchy start-ups don’t use the expensive resume weed-out bots. It may be that your resume isn’t getting past the robots to land in front of a human.

   I’m currently at a sketchy start-up now and just now realizing why that’s the only job I got. I’m fairly happy because I’m learning a ton, but when I do look again, I’ll work harder to make my resume robot-friendly.

9. GirlBossanova934974August 20,2023 at 1:03PM UTC

   Here is what I have recently found. I have used Linkedin to get a few jobs in the last 10 years. 1) Linkedin has become overrun with job seekers and not enough jobs especially if you are 2-10 years into your career. Your chances are much slimmer than just 2 years ago. 2) The best job search on LinkedIn is a job search which does NOT list the salary. Most people disregard those jobs and that's where the least demand is. 3) Many recruiters have been let go by outside staffing companies and inside companies as well. So the supply of recruiters searching around on Linkedin is much lower. 4) You are better off doing your job search on INDEED. You can use all the stuff you had on LinkedIN and INDEED has a lot more SMALLER companies on it. INDEED also has a lot more jobs from smaller counties and cities. 5) You should have 2-3 resumes and always have 5 or so .TXT cover letters ready to go which you can simply change out job title and company. 6) LAST BUT NOT LEAST, try to use resumes are FOCUSED on a single thing you have done. When the economy gets tight, companies ALWAYS HIRE the ONE TRICK PONY vs. the GENERALIST. In today's world, most management teams are ONE TRICK PONY types themselves. The smaller companies are the exception to that rule. Good luck!

10. AnonymousAugust 20,2023 at 1:41PM UTC

    You may need to have your resume professionally done. There are a lot of good services out there. I used Lisa Rangel w ChameleonResumes.Com. they will coach you along the way of the interview and salary negotiations. Worth every penny.

11. AnonymousAugust 21,2023 at 12:38PM UTC

    I have experienced this problem before, at least in the past. Sometimes, it helps if you know someone or have professional references. Try to do the best you can get to find whatever work you and get a reference.

12. AnonymousAugust 21,2023 at 1:56PM UTC

    I agreed with the below post that it's time to hire someone on an hourly basis to help you review your resume.

    LinkedIn is not just for applying resume, but a good way to reach out to individuals. Try contacting a few people who are hiring managers and share with them your CV. Be respectful of their time, but slowly build network that way.

    Reach out to your inner network, former managers and colleagues to ask them if they know of any job opening. You can also reach out to recruiters and share with them your resume.

    Also, apply to the company site directly. There are many articles that mentioned applying directly on LinkedIn won't get you anywhere.

    Lastly, be even more proactive on job searching than you are now. There are many negative voices out there about the current economy. I graduated the year after 9/11 and have been through the financial crisis. The jobs are still out there, just require you to keep trying.

    Start ups aren't all bad either, it might be good opportunity for you to negotiate a higher position/title while you look for other jobs. Best of luck.

13. AnonymousAugust 21,2023 at 3:58PM UTC

    Thank you all for your input! I have sat my ego of "I can do it all by myself" to the side and started searching for a career coach. I have a few ones I liked so far.

    I am also looking at and polishing my resume on a daily, but as one of you mentioned... I have no idea which one will please the robots. I have tried AI to help with keywords and etc, but no luck so far. I am determined to fox this because I know I am a great candidate and can't wait to use all my skills and talents and my drive, just a matter of time.

    Thank you all again, reading your comments has been inspiring!

14. AnonymousAugust 21,2023 at 7:23PM UTC

    Good luck on your search. Continue to look for different ways to share your resume and not so much "pleasing the robot". There are many ways to network and put yourself out there. Keep pushing and don't stop until you find what you are looking for.

15. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 21,2023 at 9:56PM UTC

    YOU SAID: "I have no idea which one will please the robots."

    Please do not spend time trying to outsmart an electronic filing cabinet. Mostly because humans are looking at your resume.