Why Can’t I Find a Job? The Job Market Has Changed – And So Should You
After submitting countless online job applications, you may find yourself asking “why can’t I find a job?”. The job market has changed drastically over the years. If you have been one of the many people searching for a new career within the last year, you have certainly come across job posting websites such as: Monster, Careerbuilder, Indeed, Snagajob, etc. There seems to be a career for everyone on these websites. Software Engineer? No problem – there were 3,000 results for my local area. Now you can begin rummaging through these listings, picking out the ones most suitable for you – best commute, best salary, and of course matching experience. You apply for five positions as a Mid-Level Software Engineer with a requirement of 5 years experience, when you have 10 years of experience. You do not receive a single call back.
More Job Postings, Less Jobs
You may be on to what I’m trying to explain now, but I’ll tell you my theory anyway. Companies are posting countless career opportunities online simply for advertising. You search for Software Engineering in your area, click on the job listing, and now you are on their corporate website. Easy advertising and easy money. These websites can of course be incredibly useful if you find honest job listings. My point to this story is that online job listing websites should not be your number one source for finding a job.
How to Career Network
Roughly two years ago my friend lost his career as an acting Health Services Coordinator within a large hospital. He immediately began applying to every relevant position he saw, including a few which were half way across the country. After 4 months and roughly 80 applications, he received his first call back – only to be shot down on the spot because they were looking for 5+ years of experience when it clearly stated 2 on the job position. Another 10 months go by and he started to hit rock bottom and losing hope. I realized there was something wrong with his process, and needed to try a new approach. All of the career advice blogs and websites said networking is key to finding your career. Yes, of course networking is important… but how do you begin to career network when you don’t know anyone in your career field? He started by telling everyone that he was looking for a job. Everyone. Every family member, friend, cashier, bar tender, and waitress he encountered found out that he was looking for a job. It started to surprise me how often someone would say that they know someone with a relevant career as to which he was searching for.
A cashier at our local grocery store had a cousin which worked as a hiring manager for a regional hospital. The cashier gave him their contact information, and was once again employed 2 weeks after that. Let me clarify that we are certainly not professionals at job searching. He simply changed his approach. He originally started by scouring Monster, Careerbuilder, Indeed, etc for new listings and sending resumes and realized that didn’t work, so he went on to networking. Network by telling EVERYONE you are looking for a job, perfect your resume, and don’t get discouraged. You will find one…
