#job-search

#job-search

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.

Xbox executive producer Matt Turnbull suggested laid-off Microsoft workers turn to AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot to ease their emotional burden and assist in job searching.

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.

In 2022, Davida Padi, now 22, said she got an internship because of a post she saw on TikTok. Now, because of the content she engages with on Instagram, she thinks the platform serves her ads for potential job opportunities.

If you want to try to stick it out, I would make sure that you're keeping track in writing of anything you're asked to do—especially by the CEO.

Starting your programming career can seem daunting, but with dedication, you can secure a job within 6-12 months through proper planning and continuous learning.