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RHONDA MCDOUGALL

Currently looking for new opportunities!

10/29/20 at 11:42PM UTC

Career

Job Search Exhaustion

A short background: I left my dream job in the UK to move to the USA for my spouses career. I assumed my multiple skills and varied experience would make it easy for me to secure another role in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It took me a year to find a new role, and that lasted 6 months and COVID impact saw me without a job again. I have applied non stop for the roles that interest me, for the roles that excite and even for roles that is not really my passion but I believe I can grow and develop. I have had NO response from ANY recruiters other than the standard rejection email. Some of these roles is a PERFECT match for my resume - almost word for word. But still only rejection. I am really struggling to understand the employment market in the USA as on face value it does not appear to be similar to my experiences in the UK, Canada or South Africa (all countries I have lived and worked in.) I am hopeful someone on here could offer guidance, advice or a new approach for me.

6 Comments

Maree Frakes

Program Management Professional in NYC

10/29/20 at 11:52PM UTC

Hi Rhonda - I'm so sorry to hear you're having a frustrating time with the move to the USA and your job search. As an expat myself (relocated to the USA in 2014) a couple of recommendations: (1) make sure your resume is in the acceptable US format (you can look at examples online or engage a professional resume writer); (2) network; a lot of jobs here are through who you know or who refers you to the role. I know networking can feel tough in covid, but consider joining a local meetup in your field that is hosting remote meetups; (3) try to be kind to yourself - this is a really tough time for anyone to find a new role in such unprecedented times.

SUSAN KAHAN

Fundraiser, strategy, customer success

11/06/20 at 2:38AM UTC

I'm so sorry this is not going your way! I would definitely encourage you to network, which I know is harder now but people are usually helpful when asked. Use LinkedIn to your advantage. Search for people who have job titles you want, work for organizations you want to work for, are in the sector you hope to be, etc -and just send them a message asking for 15 minutes of their time to ask them some advice. You never know who may be open to a conversation and know of an opening. Good luck!

Krystin

141

Recruiting Leader & Résumé Writer in Seattle

11/10/20 at 5:51PM UTC

I wonder if your resume follows typically US resume formatting - if not, that could be the cause of some of the rejections. I'd also encourage you to hang in there - covid has hit the US harder than most places, which has definitely affected the job market. That's unfortunate for job seekers, but it doesn't necessarily mean you're doing anything wrong! It just means a little more patience - and networking - than usual might be required.

Kathleen Q Adams

Personalized medicine specialist

11/13/20 at 7:16PM UTC

Hi Rhonda, I know just how frustrating this can be -- I have had long, unfruitful job searches much like you describe, even without changing countries! One of the insights shared with me by fellow searchers is that for most applications you make, your materials will never be read by a human being. Maree and Krystin are asking about formatting, and they're right, but if you haven't experienced the automated screening process yourself you may not realize this means that without a VERY specific format most of your hard work in crafting your career summaries will be lost. So what to do? Connect with people on LinkedIn, as advised, to learn more about companies and hiring managers. Your ultimate goal (not always achievable) is to get a current employee to pass on your credentials directly to that hiring manager. Short of that, however, you can find ways to get your materials to the hiring manager yourself, rather than just using the LinkedIn application process or the company portal. One more thing: months-long 'failures' to get interviews or even feedback can be very depressing and may affect your ability to summon up the energy to keep going. A helpful approach is to capture your internal assumptions, maybe once a week, and just run them by a friend, former colleague, your spouse, etc. This will help you avoid spiraling down into negative thinking ("I can't...", "I'll never...") and gives you a chance to think differently about your approach for the next week.

Mary Addison

HRBP in Houston

11/13/20 at 8:31PM UTC

Hi Rhonda, I'm sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. Some thoughts I have that will hopefully be helpful to you: Do any of your previous employers have locations / branches in the US? If so, could you reach out to them about opportunities? Even if they aren't in Minneapolis it may be remote work at this point due to COVID. I would suggest you ask your husband to check with his employer because if he is there as an expat many companies offer benefits and assistance for spouses trying to find work. Finally, a possible reason for the many rejections without contact could be around your authorization to work in the US without employer sponsorship. Unfortunately many companies have application questions around this and if you are not authorized to work without sponsorship they automatically screen you out. If you do have work authorization you may consider stating it very clearly on your resume because even though they shouldn't, some employers may assume you don't based on your extensive international experience. Best luck with your job search! Be patient with yourself as it is a tough market and applying cold for roles is tough even without everything else going on.

Kelly Venable

Recruiting | Strategic Hiring | Career Coach ⏱

11/13/20 at 10:22PM UTC

I agree with so many of the comments above. In an effort to provide some value in regards to your resume since you are getting rejected, here is some tactical advice you might consider: ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?????! ??????? ???? ? ?????????'? ????? ?? ????: Most resumes reflect a candidate's past experience over the history of their career. It’s a documentary about what they did in their past positions. Rarely do these words translate clearly and quickly to the resume reader. ??? ????????? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ? ????????? ????????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????????? ???.The burden is put on the resume reader to figure out if a candidate is a good fit for their role. ???? ?? ? ????????? ???????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? Most often, candidates send out a generic resume to 100’s of jobs. They do not take the time to “tee it up” for the recruiter or hiring manager. Imagine if YOU, the job seeker actually took the time to identify key initiatives in the company’s job description and SHOWED the recruiter WHY you are the right fit for the job? ???? ?? ??? ????????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? When you are job-seeking, make it your full-time job to apply for positions in a more strategic way. Have you ever thought that taking the time to be specific on your resume might just show the hiring manager that you cared enough to do so? That you want their job that much? That you aren’t just sending them the same resume you send everyone else? That you sought to understand what their needs are and how you fit in? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???:? ? 1—Pick out 3-4 key initiatives the company is looking for in the job description ? 2—Showcase how you have accomplished these specific initiatives in your past work history ? 3—Make sure you use their specific language on your resume You might be asking….. Won’t the resume reader see that I’ve copied some of their verbiage on my resume? YES! Yes, they will….and they will appreciate the fact that you actually took the time to thoroughly understand, read, and translate HOW you can help them understand WHY you are a great fit for the job! Do YOUR part to showcase your skills. ? Take charge of your career and how you show up. Don’t leave it up to the interpretation of the resume reader!