I've been job hunting for a month now and still no luck. I work as a quality manager in tech and even though I think my credentials are good, it's really tough to get an interview. I tried networking but no luck either. All of my other colleagues are at least getting an interview in good companies. Does that mean my resume is not getting through?

10 Comments

1. Tami NowaskiJune 15,2024 at 6:15PM UTC

   Maybe your resume needs some work. Have you had it looked at?

2. AnonymousJune 16,2024 at 6:09AM UTC

   By looked at, do you mean I should consider a resume writer? I have ready a few bad reviews about it so I am not certain... :(

3. AnonymousJune 15,2024 at 6:20PM UTC

   As I just posted and always post network! Make sure that people know you’re looking.

   15 years ago I got laid off and a friend referred me to a mutual acquaintance in our field. Nothing came of it then but five years later I went to work for her.

4. AnonymousJune 16,2024 at 6:08AM UTC

   When I posted via LinkedIn, I have a few old colleagues asking me for my resume to see if they can refer to their work. It has been almost a month, should I follow up?

5. AnonymousJune 16,2024 at 3:16PM UTC

   Think through this: you have a bunch of people offering to share your resume (doing job search tasks for you) and you’re wondering if you should follow up? Come on, friend! These are busy people and they’re most certainly NOT submitting job applications for you. Do you know of a single organization where you don’t have to submit a formal application on a job portal?!

   Unfortunately, these people in your network have done nothing with your resume because it’s no longer top of mind for them. They’re onto other things because they don’t know if you’re still looking.

   If someone is asking me for help with a job search (creating work for me) they’d better be engaged, checking in and providing updates. Otherwise, I’m onto other things.

   Please figure out a way to get more active with these people.

6. AnonymousJune 15,2024 at 9:47PM UTC

   I'd say do some work on the resume, it could be the AI "resume-weeding" software that is used by employers now so that if your resume doesn't pass through the AI software, it is never seen by a human, saving them the time of going through thousands of CL's and resumes. Google how to ensure your resume is not instantly thrown out by the AI software. That means to make sure your resume might have to change for every position you're applying for because the company has entered into the software they want someone that lists X, Y, and Z on their resume - so tailoring your resume to match the job posting details. There's some resume building websites that have you enter the link for the job posting and then AI magically plugs in those qualifications the company is looking for _ right into your resume. I haven't used it but I just find it pretty amazing... and also sad that humans are barely involved in this process until they've shaved it down to a few candidates all based on some key words and formatting, while people who have so much to offer, like you, get swept into the discard pile.

7. AnonymousJune 16,2024 at 6:07AM UTC

   I do taylor fit my resume to make sure it had the key words in it. Tbh, I'm not sure if it's worth paying the subscription for those websites to AI check it because I havent really done it before. But I think you are right. It might have been the formatting, even though I try to make it simple.

8. AnonymousJune 18,2024 at 3:36PM UTC

   Dial down the desperation. Target companies that align with your work style and interest. Write cover notes, reach out to those in your network and blog about your experience on LI and any other places where the tools you are expert in chat. These days job searches can take up to 6 months. Try to balance the search with some training to keep your skills up. In the QA/QE space women are a rarity in leadership, show up in person to places where tech events are and also the specific tech tools you use have user groups to add yourself to and the forums are great places to make connections. Don't give up.

9. AnonymousJune 18,2024 at 11:26PM UTC

   Thanks! I am trying to network via LinkedIn too. Instead of mass-applying for jobs, I will be focusing on quality instead if quantity. I have also started looking for networking groups. ??

10. AnonymousJune 20,2024 at 4:31PM UTC

    Yes, networking is great. Any new real contacts you can make or reach outs to folks who might be at companies of interest or have recently left those places could offer details on the who/what/how for that company. Think of your job search as taking the bus, if you miss one bus the next one will come along soon. Do some mentoring of those more junior to you since you have strong experience, then they might leg you in as well. Worst case you have another reference to use when needed which shows your expert ability to teach and train others on excellence in QA/QE. It's a role IMHO that is even more important that SWE or DEv because you fix what they don't get right...you got this sister!