#job search

#job search

When it came time to pack, I slowly deconstructed my apartment over the course of a month. I made endless trips to the thrift store, posted on Facebook Marketplace, and even hosted a move-out party where I made snacks for my friends while they raided my closet. After all that, I still found myself frantically sitting on my suitcase, trying to zip it right up until my ride to the airport arrived.

The job market feels like you're constantly jumping through hoops and ambiguity. Is it a good idea to write a cover letter? Will the hiring manager even read it? Should you share that you have more than 20 years of experience on resume and risk looking overqualified? Or would that be seen as a good thing? Should you send your resume as a Word doc or a PDF? And there are a thousand other questions that no one seems to be able to fully settle on.

When I got hired at Meta in 2020, it was life-changing for me as a single mom. It represented safety and stability - a place to work hard at and retire from. So, when I was let go in February in a round of layoffs aimed at "low-performers," it felt like a punch in the gut. Nine months later, my severance and savings have run dry, I'm struggling to find a tech job, and I feel that the low-performer "label" is part of the reason.

At the start of my job hunt, I reached out to recruiters on LinkedIn, but personalizing each message took a lot of time. I tried using ChatGPT to draft messages, but it kept making mistakes. I realized that, on ChatGPT, I'm not just chatting about my job search; I'm also chatting about recipe ideas, workout plans, budgeting, and travel itineraries. When ChatGPT would give me an answer, it would often get mixed up or provide generic answers that weren't customized to me.

So why can't the same thing be done in reverse-where you can ask past employees to assess the company you're applying to? Sure, there's Glassdoor. But short of salty ex-employees publicly dragging old employers on social media-a relatively uncommon move, considering it's deemed unprofessional and may result in legal retaliation-there are no real formalized processes to run references on a company you're applying to.

Creating a standout résumé or cover letter is your first (and sometimes only) chance to make a strong impression with prospective employers-to really sell yourself. But there's a caveat, HR experts say: don't sound desperate. While we're taught to tailor résumés for the job and really showcase accomplishments, experts argue there's such a thing as going overboard. Employers could find it off-putting. Or worse, they could think you're overrepresenting your credentials.

Based on his research and conversations with friends who'd gone through the process, Kumar said he expected the background check to take no more than 15 days - but day 20 passed, then day 25, with no update. The company doing the background check told him the delay was tied to his lack of prior work experience in the US, which complicated the process.

I've been on the hunt for a new gig for a large chunk of this year, and it feels like I've seen it all. I've watched some appealing job listings be pulled down within hours, while others sit stagnantly for months. I've heard tales of scammers trying to dupe job seekers; legit employers advertising phantom roles to collect talent data and present an illusion of company growth.

The job search company's latest quarterly survey of U.S. workers who started their job within the last six months suggests Americans are getting more comfortable with the uncertainty in today's job market. Also, they are more likely to remain at their current positions (tending toward so-called job hugging), leading new employees to take a "more cautious and strategic approach to their career moves."

I started out in sales at 18, pounding the phone at a mortgage brokerage, and I've been working in sales since, at companies like Tesla, Wells Fargo, and Securitas Technologies. About two weeks short of Christmas last year, I got laid off. Now I haven't been able to get a full-time sales position for nine months. I've been applying for a minimum of 10 to 15 sales positions a day, and I've had about six interviews.

A good resume should tell your story: what you've built, solved, and led. Notion resume templates can help you capture that story in a clean, modern format that feels less rigid than traditional Word docs. But when the job hunt gets serious, you need a system to track roles, applications, and outcomes. That's where ClickUp comes in, giving your career journey structure and momentum.

I often wake up around 3 a.m. with my mind racing - thinking about which roles to apply to or what job search strategy to try next. Instead of trying to fall back asleep, I usually get up and start working on my job search, which includes sending out applications or post-interview thank you letters. Around 6 a.m., I typically might make breakfast, shower, and then start planning out what I want to accomplish that day. It's become a sort of routine.

You feel like you've been on a roller coaster, constantly applying for jobs and searching for the perfect one. You've sent an updated resume and cover letter. You answered all the questions. You were asked to submit video answers to questions. And now you wait. Will you be called for an interview? After the tenth time of checking your email, the uncertainty in your head starts to take over, leading you to question yourself: "Why did I even try? I'm not as good as the other applicants. What makes me think they'd want me?"

Even if you're happy with your current employer, you may be looking to climb the ladder, broaden your experience, or find a role in a new city.