#job-search

#job-search

The whole thing works like this: exhausted job seekers upload their résumé and format their personal info. Once up and running, they're presented with various gigs one by one, which they can swipe left to reject, or right to apply - just like a dating app. When a user swipes right, Sorce's "AI agent" navigates to the company's website and applies on their behalf.

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.

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."

The anonymous job seeker's journey turned around with a single piece of advice from a recruiter on the subreddit: companies often shortlist candidates from the first five to 10 resumes they see. Armed with the insight, they transformed their job application strategy using a variation on former Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) COO Sheryl Sandberg's advice of "done is better than perfect," and opted to be speed-centric over quality-focused.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michele Wilke, a 63-year-old job seeker in Chicago. It has been edited for length and clarity. Over the past eight months, I applied to dozens of jobs and landed some interviews, but I struggled to find work. To stay afloat, I relied on loans from well-off friends and launched a GoFundMe to help me pay my rent.

In May 2023, I got called into a meeting with a HR representative who told me I was losing my data scientist job at the company where I'd worked since February 2022. I couldn't stop myself from crying. I was five months pregnant, so felt I couldn't immediately get back into the job market. When I started looking for jobs again a month after giving birth, joining a job-seekers' group helped me feel supported.

I joined my last company as a director of product, and within a couple of months, I had been promoted to the VP of product. Then, a couple of months later, that company almost went out of business. They had to downsize and kept me and one other person on. I was very thankful, as they laid off the rest of the company and tried to restart. We really gave it the old college try, but we weren't getting the traction we needed.

The U.S. job market continues on a downhill skid, and unemployment is hitting young workers the hardest. Unemployment for 16-24-year-olds just jumped to 10.5%, the first time over 10% since the pandemic. Google searches for "how to get a job interview" spiked 629% last month in the U.S., leaving job seekers anxious. Despite the sluggish market, career experts have tips up their sleeves on landing a job interview in 24 hours.

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?"

Sending a thank-you note can help you stand out, as few people do it, said recruiter Laura Lazewski. Expressing appreciation is also a way to correct missteps and show you're resourceful, she said. A well-crafted thank-you can also pay off down the road. Of the thousands of job candidates I've interviewed over my 11-year recruiting career, only a fraction have sent a thank-you note to me or the hiring manager afterward. That's a mistake.

Job search fatigue is real. The average U.S. job search now lasts nearly 20 weeks, and most resumes never even reach a real person. Even if you make it past the filters, hiring managers spend just 7.4 seconds reviewing each resume, according to ConsumerAffairs. These seven ChatGPT prompts, including a mega prompt sprint plan, can help you beat the 20-week job search and land your next role faster.

Graduating into a tight job market can feel daunting after investing years in education and training. It is common to feel discouraged without job offers.

Stephanie Wandell applied to hundreds of jobs since getting laid off from a tech marketing role last November. She'd been ghosted by recruiters and hadn't received any offers.

Selecting the best job search sites is crucial as the industry evolves; relying on multiple platforms can enhance a job seeker's outreach for opportunities.