Six Months Out of Work and Only Two Interviews — I am Officially Nervous

32 Comments

1. AnonymousApril 22,2024 at 6:14PM UTC

   Right now the market is bleak. So, anything you can do will help keep you afloat.

2. Jessica FerlandApril 22,2024 at 6:26PM UTC

   There is a happy medium between a role outside of your field and a role at a pub. If you're interested in working at a pub, go for it. I get the nervousness and perhaps there are other types of roles where you have transferrable skills? Keep an open mind.

3. AnonymousApril 25,2024 at 3:16PM UTC

   Employers don't care about transferable skills; they see it as exaggerating or resume padding. Meanwhile, it comes across as you begging "I may not have ---, but I did ----, isn't that close enough??" No, to them it isn't. You have to know how to do exactly what they want you to do and how they want you to do it. Anything else is seen as wasting their time.

   This is why people lie or are tempted to lie on their resumes.

4. AnonymousApril 22,2024 at 6:31PM UTC

   You do what you have to do to survive. Once upon a time (2008-2010), I got my degree in spring of 2008, working for not much money in a field that was not what my degree was in. In 2009 I was laid off (and that office eventually shut down). I went to work part time for a previous employer, started bartending nights and weekends, plus working a third job...still not in my field. It was a struggle, I had to skip some things, but I eventually found myself in a new position. And stayed with that company for 10 years before making the decision myself to move on.

5. AnonymousApril 22,2024 at 6:54PM UTC

   Continue looking for jobs in your field, but you may need a part time job on the side. Everyone is saying that the market is bleak, but at the same time employers complain they cannot find quality workers. Something is not working. But continue looking. When my husband was without work it took him about 9 months to find a job at his level with a slight pay cut, but better environment. At least he is happy now.

6. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 12:49PM UTC

   You’re correct.
   Something isn’t working. What’s not working is hiring managers’ outrageous hiring demands.

   It’s not that employers can’t find qualified candidates. There’re tons of recent college graduates with zero work experience who want to work. There’re plenty of lay-off refugees who need work, too. There’re also hundreds of thousands candidates who are attempting to complete a career switch. A lot of them don’t require VISA sponsorship, either.

   Qualified candidates are all over the place, but:

   -Are employers willing to TRAIN new grads with zero work experience to do the job and learn new skills as a result?

   -Will employers give someone who has all the work experience and skills they’re looking for a chance, despite that candidate coming from a different industry?

   -Will employers offer reasonable pay to experienced candidates that matches up with their experience, especially in light of rising inflation rates?

   -Will employers save time and use a logical hiring process that doesn’t involve one-way video auditions, case studies, take-home assignments, and 4+ interviews with people that the candidate won’t even WORK with?

   The answer to each question is often no. As a result, candidates will often get rejected from jobs they can easily do or learn how to do, and employers will continue struggling to “find qualified candidates”.

   TL;DR Employers can find qualified candidates, but they’re so busy looking for unicorns/purple squirrels who’ll accept bargain-basement pay that they end up making it harder on themselves to hire.

7. AnonymousApril 24,2024 at 1:33PM UTC

   I'm definitely seeing that, especially what I call "shopping list" postings, expecting jobseekers/candidates to be Jack and Jill of All Trades but pay unrealistic salaries. I left a job that expected me to do the work of 3 people for the salary and title of one. This is what the majority of employers want and it won't stop until they finally realize no sane person will work for them, at least those who they would want to hire.

8. AnonymousApril 22,2024 at 7:13PM UTC

   if you can freelance or consult then go for it. Self employment can also bridge that resume gap and keep you fresh and attractive to employers. If there aren't opportunities there, don't beat yourself up about taking on a part time role elsewhere to make ends meet. There's no shame in work.

   Part time work can help you stay strong and take an opportunity that best fits your needs vs taking a terrible role and needing to dig yourself out of that hole.

   jobs WILL come your way. To find a good next role, it usually takes 6-18 months.

9. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 12:33PM UTC

   There’s always customer service. Yeah, call center jobs are horrible and toxic, but they tend to be far more desperate to hire. You could try that. You might get such a job quickly, especially if you have customer service experience.

   Starting a small business is another option, especially if you have the savings needed for startup capital. It’s ultimately dependent on how quickly you can build a customer base and what product you’ll sell to your target audience. If you’re really good at a particular task such as painting or sewing, you could turn that into a full-time business.

   By the way, I see you have marketing-related experience, so I feel your pain. For some reason (possibly due to the never ending layoffs of other marketing professionals), it’s become incredibly difficult to get even an entry-level marketing job. It’s unbelievable. I’m leaving the profession and retraining in something else because of how hard it is to get a marketing job right now.

10. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 12:46PM UTC

    All the other answers given were 100% accurate and sound advice, I have nothing further to add. Good luck to you, you sound incredibly intelligent which ironically makes it harder to find a good job, you deserve something great. But I agree with what everyone else has said, any job to bring in money right now helps our finances and our sanity!

11. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 1:19PM UTC

    I'm a senior marketer in her mid 50s who got laid off last year, so I certainly sympathize! Based on my experience, employers have been very tentative about hiring senior marketers who can end up viewed as a "nice to have" in an uncertain market. I'm seeing things pick up a bit in the last month or so but have a few tips to share:

    -Do not rely on applying to job listings alone. Networking is key: Over the past year folks in my network have generously referred me to jobs that weren't even posted and also gotten me interviews for jobs that were.

    -Networking needs to be along two prongs - in-person and virtual. Reach out to the close contacts you've made throughout your career and set up coffees and drinks (they will invariably pay even if you're asking for a favor!) and stay active on LinkedIn (making sure to be positive and helpful - posting articles relevant to your industry will work far better than repeatedly asking for referrals)

    -Open yourself up to consulting work in your field and state that you'll be happy to work on a part-time/project basis when you network. I was able to get enough consulting work solely through my network to make up more than half of my salary, which has been mostly enough to live on so far. Spend some time thinking about the kinds of projects you could do and what you would charge before you ask - and don't hesitate to reach out to anyone else you know who might be working this way for advice in the process.

    -And yes, consider taking other types of work, although it doesn't have to mean giving up on your search. There's a Reddit thread called BeerMoney that is a good source for task work you can do at home (taking surveys, AI training, etc.). Or gig work like walking dogs, etc. might help you make a little money while retaining flexibility.

    Although I've been able to hold my own thus far, I know it was still a blow when my own unemployment benefits ran out, so I do really feel for you. GOOD LUCK and hope this helps.

12. Laurie Hollister, Career Coach, The MuseApril 23,2024 at 1:34PM UTC

    So much good advice in response to your question. I’ll add, as you consider starting your own business or freelancing, research and read about ‘creating multiple revenue streams.’ You can layer a part time job, some freelance assignments, while working on your new business model.

13. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 1:40PM UTC

    HI all, this maybe helpful, I did not know anything about how to unlock the hidden job markets (aside from contacting a few good friends), there is a whole systematic way of how to do this with various tools, positioning, outreach, the right branding and messages - I joined The Ambitions Exec (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshwhittaker/), it is super good and helpful, it has costs but so worthwhile compare to other coaches resume writers, they do the whole chain for you, and it was very refreshing I learned so much within first 2 weeks, they also have a network that gives you confidence from sharing experiences, I am a job seeker not their referral, I thought I should share my good experience with you, here is the contact person I spoke with first, you can reach out to him if interested.

    Cody Werho <cody.werho@theambitiousexec.com> here is the founder talking about how to unlock hidden market

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUWDmA1nb6w

14. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 2:05PM UTC

    This is the 2024 job market, most don't see it changing until 2025, that's the bad news, yet there are still jobs open out there, just less with more candidates. I'm a firm believer in staying positive and know that one day, one of those roles will be yours. I've been out of work for 14 mos., never did I ever think this would happen to me. I have begun to apply outside of my industry and are now getting more interviews. My advice is to not give up, apply inside and outside of your industry. Plan B is to take a job to generate income to pay the bills. Good luck, it will get better.

15. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 4:34PM UTC

    Love this! I agree 100%! The smarter you are, the harder it is to find a job. People are hiring based off of personal biases and smart people are often shunned due to how brilliant they are. I love your mindset and I'm at a point where any job that brings income is attractive to me, it's a matter of survival

16. AnonymousApril 24,2024 at 12:18PM UTC

    This is great advice, I’m staffing you are on point!

17. AnonymousApril 24,2024 at 1:11PM UTC

    I agree with you! Sometimes you have to go with Plan B and take a job just to have an income. I've had to explain to both my hubby and our sons that sometimes a job is just a means to an end, the end being having money in their pockets. Doesn't mean they have to do that job their whole life.

18. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 4:58PM UTC

    Yes, do some consulting if possible to fill in the gap if starting your own company seems like too much.

19. Cyndi NagelApril 23,2024 at 10:42PM UTC

    Where are you looking for your job listing? Often I find that people are only looking in one place for example LinkedIn, but there are many other places to look.

20. AnonymousApril 24,2024 at 11:16PM UTC

    What are the other places we can look? Thanks!!

21. Cyndi NagelApril 27,2024 at 3:55AM UTC

    Indeed

    remotejobs.io

    otta

    monster.com

    careerbuilder

22. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 10:42PM UTC

    Do you have to have a membership with

    AARP to utilize the service?

23. AnonymousApril 23,2024 at 11:07PM UTC

    I'm unfortunately going through the same thing, I've been unemployed for around 1.5 years. I recommend you go to ADPList and have a mentor look at your resume to give you feedback. It's been very helpful for me, and best thing is that the sessions are virtual and free!

24. Diane Frances Lesley-NeumanApril 24,2024 at 2:16PM UTC

    Start your own business

25. AnonymousApril 25,2024 at 3:06PM UTC

    It's definitely worth trying. When you have your own business only you can fire you.

26. AnonymousApril 24,2024 at 5:54PM UTC

    Same here! I ended up working part-time doing some work in my field and some work outside of it as a way to test a new area without fully committing . There is a lot of age discrimination out there so it feels better to be bringing some money in while I decide whether to continue chasing a similar job or change job focus entirely. Best of luck!

27. AnonymousApril 24,2024 at 10:06PM UTC

    I'm in a similar situation and my benefits ran out, too. The day we were told we were being laid off, I went back to my desk and start it looking right away. I thought for certain I would find something soon. I've been looking for work for over a year and very diligently. I must have about 30 variations of my resume and still customize it for different jobs. We were provided a professional resume company to help us when we got laid off and that did not help very much. They were also supposed to help us find another job and that didn't help either. I think it was a PR stunt. No one I spoke to found value in it. I have we shot to my networks. I've tried to create new networks. I'm very educated and experienced. I'm also over 50 and suspect this may have something to do with it in addition to the ATS/Workday Matrix. I have solicited help and have done everything.I know how to do. I have two Master's degrees and a Bachelors in Engineering. I keep looking for new strategies, but nothing works. The only thing left is prayer, which one thing I tried first.

28. AnonymousApril 25,2024 at 3:44AM UTC

    I can completely relate to your situation. I'm a global events/marcom professional in the tech industry, 50+ and got laid off on 11/22. I’ve applied for over 500 jobs since 11/22 ranging from manager to SVP in a wide variety of industries. I’ve been working on several consulting projects, and they’ve helped me get through, but they were too few and far between. I've had several interviews, and have even been ghosted after interviews too, more times than I care to count, which is so disheartening. The job market has been the worst it's been in a very long time and there were many times that I wanted to give up, but instead kept applying. I would suggest getting a consulting gig, working with a consulting company, or getting part-time work so you have time to apply for jobs. Applying for jobs is a full-time job! I looked at Indeed.com, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, FlexJobs.com and braintrust.com for marketing jobs. I also used jobsan.co to update my resume for each job that I applied for, used my network at LinkedIn to get my resume passed along internally if I knew anyone there or asked a 1st connection to pass it along for me. After a long jobless drought of 1 year and 5 months, I have finally been extended a job offer at a great organization. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of marketing jobs up at the senior level too (Director, Sr. Dir, VP, etc.). Don’t give up, you’ll find the right thing soon.

29. AnonymousApril 26,2024 at 1:54PM UTC

    Yes - start your own business!
    Do some consultative work and build a portfolio in addition to what you already have. If there are certifications or workshops to attend, do those.

    It may or may not be feasible, but if you launch your own business, you could maybe also work another job full time to bring home additional pay and have benefits - even if it's as a receptionist, in retail, etc.

    Best of luck to you - the job market is insane for everyone these days and unfortunately, there is age discrimination on top of that. If you haven't already, maybe remove earlier career experience and only focus on the last 10 years of work history - if there are things you really want to highlight from that time, you could always have a section on your resume that says "other relevant experience" and do a very condensed version and not include dates. There are several ways this could be done - you can google for templates - I have seen a paragraph summary, bulleted list of job titles only, bulleted list of job titles and one sentence summary of responsibilities and accomplishments.

    Hope you find something soon!

30. AnonymousApril 26,2024 at 7:14PM UTC

    Yes start something, be it a business or pivoting your career. Look at some of your interest or hobbies and figure out if you can change your career. Have you taken any courses for career development? That can also increase your chances especially if you decide to pivot your career.

31. AnonymousApril 29,2024 at 1:15PM UTC

    Take any job that will pay your bills. It isn’t always your dream job, but you can eat! A job where are you? See a lot of people is good because it will give you opportunities to network.

32. AnonymousApril 30,2024 at 12:31AM UTC

    I agree with taking any job that will pay your bills. However, I think there is a misunderstanding that entry level jobs are just available for us to choose from. I'm in the same situation except it has been 13 months. No one is calling. I think I had about six interviews in that whole time period. I have been told I am overqualified. It seems as if the only thing left is fast food in the grocery store.