Job hunting vent: Am I broken?

6 Comments

1. AnonymousJune 24,2025 at 4:06AM UTC

   That is very kind of you, thank you! I am currently looking for Administrative Assistant (Senior Level), Executive Assistant, or general coordinator roles. I was working in recruitment for animal health, but I’m flexible to any industry and department.

   I’m also so sorry to hear you’re going through this too. I had the same experience of only applying to a handful of jobs, landing interviews for nearly all, and getting offers to at least one. I’ve never experienced a job market like this- and it’s not my first rodeo with what we thought was a bad market at the time! Add in scam job postings and AI and it gets so much worse. I was thinking of joining tech, but I also had fears that tech is so overrun by AI that they’re the biggest risks for layoffs, especially seeing what Duolingo did. I was hoping to retire at my current company, so being back on the market is crushing.

2. AnonymousJune 24,2025 at 3:13PM UTC

   So what you're doing is waiting for the job online to open and applying. What you can do is a reverse process and you must do research to do this. Look at what kind of company you want to work for, then do research on the company, then CONNECT with people who work there. You have to build your connections. I've been in corporate, higher ed, corporate and higher ed and my connections are in both. ALWAYS connect with people professionally, don't wait until you need a connection. I emphasize this and tell you, as a former recruiter, people paying for resume writers is a joke. I rewrote tons and hired hundreds (and that's modest). Look at industry verticals, make a list: insurance, healthcare, consumer goods products, retail, etc. Then make a list of companies within these verticals. Then go look at their websites, their missions, what interests you about these companies? Then CONNECT with people who work at these companies. I put in ALL CAPs to emphasize the words. Go to LinkedIn and connect with them as well. AI is no different than the old fashioned Control F feature of a document. It's picking up acronyms, not just words and if they don't fit the employer's system, then you're screwed. Move around it, and if the jobs have things your resume doesn't, and you have the skills, add them. Be like a bug on a windshield and stick to this. Trust me, a former IT recruiter here that was in the top 10% of the country, I know it's hard. I'm in higher ed working with employers to hire early talent. Go back to your alma mater and go to their career fairs, and use their recruiting systems. It's everywhere, not just in black and white in job postings.

3. AnonymousJune 24,2025 at 4:21PM UTC

   To clarify, I do research companies I’m interested in whether there is an opening or not and connect with the employees I can find on LinkedIn. When I say I don’t have a network, I meant personal, real life connections. Like 99% of my current team is here because they used to work with someone on my team who brought them on and the chain continued. I currently don’t have those types of personal connections and the process of building the connections purely virtual on LinkedIn is very different from those organic connections I unfortunately don’t have.

4. AnonymousJune 24,2025 at 5:46PM UTC

   Then you build the network which is what we all do. This is a great time to start and to continue and until you find a job then connect with more after that. Do you have your updated resume attached to your LinkedIn profile? Is your profile set for Open to Work? Look at your settings, are they set for being contacted by anyone?
   For now, to find the job, you have to be a detective. And you may have to take something that is not an exact fit but is close enough. Recruiters find those employed are more attractive than those who are not. If you are in technology, then contact an IT recruiter. Do a search in your area of top rated firms. If it's not IT, then look for a staffing firm you can connect with (again, do a search of those rated up there).

5. Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachJune 24,2025 at 3:25PM UTC

   First of all - this is hard, but you are doing it. Give yourself credit for staying in there even when things are not easy.

   Don't let random recruiters have control over your self-esteem. Does rejection suck ? YES. Do random people sitting behind computers get a say in how you FEEL about yourself? only if you let them.

   From what you've said, networking will help you tremendously. Not only for a possible referral but INSIGHT into what certain companies are really looking for. You may be fully qualified and the ideal candidate .. but if you aren't highlighting the specific things they are looking for in that moment in time, it could be why you are being passed over. Also, when you are actively networking .. you can start getting your name mentioned by people who can actually get your resume pulled from the pile - especially when you put the work in to build relationships before the job is posted.

   Message me on LinkedIn, I'm happy to jump on a call to help you out.

6. AnonymousJune 27,2025 at 4:50PM UTC

   my standard two cents is to network like you’re opening a Marvel movie. Make sure that everyone you know is aware that you’re searching. Go back to your Alma mater and use their job resources. Spread the word in your church!

   This is how I’ve gotten my last three jobs.