4 ms·

The biggest issue here in my eyes is 600 submitted resumes and only 3 interviews (2 by phone). Those numbers are astounding, and I'd have to guess that someone

by fecak 13y ago

The biggest issue here in my eyes is 600 submitted resumes and only 3 interviews (2 by phone). Those numbers are astounding, and I'd have to guess that someone with his qualifications must have had some issues to compound any perceived issues with ageism. Ageism is real, but I don't think we can attribute ageism and the down economy to a .5% response rate to a resume for a well-qualified individual. More likely some other reasons (I wrote about this issue last year here http://jobtipsforgeeks.com/2012/08/06/why-you-didnt-get-the-interview/ http://jobtipsforgeeks.com/2012/08/06/why-you-didnt-get-the-...) contributed to the issue. I'd be curious to see those 600 applications - the jobs, the resume, and whatever other material he sent. I find it hard to believe that his applications themselves wouldn't account for much of the lack of response.

jevinskie 13y ago
Shouldn't you change up your strategy after, say, the 100th resume submission? It obviously wasn't working out!
- fecak 13y ago
  To his credit, maybe he did change things around several times. My guess is that he did not, and just shotgun blasted resumes out with little forethought thinking that his qualifications would get people responding quickly. That method died years ago, probably around the time of his previous job search. I've said this to many people, but you are better off investing that time writing targeted resumes and applications to even 20 companies than blasting out generic content to 600. Not sure if he did that, but it would make sense.
saalweachter 13y ago
I'm also curious what his social network looks like. Besides all of the other -isms in play, nepotism is really a huge part of getting your foot in the door in most places in this world. And I'm not even talking about "cushy job for the wastrel nephew" nepotism. While I'd like to think that I've gotten every job I've had because I was a competent, useful person, in almost every case I started the interview through someone I knew who worked there. The same goes for most people I know. Even if you don't get the job based on who you know, just getting the interview based on who you know is a huge, fat advantage, straight-up nepotism. And the great thing about nepotism is that you tend to know people who are like you in one or more ways: same race, same gender, same socio-economic-background, same political views, or in this case, same age. It's all the other -isms wrapped up into one.
- fecak 13y ago
  The more accurate word here is cronyism, indicating a contact and not necessarily a family member, but your point is valid.
  - ghaff 13y ago
    Or simply networking--if we can get away from the isms. And, yes, for better or worse, knowing people matters. Every job I've had after my first ones out out of degree programs--I did something of a career shift through a grad degree early on--have been the direct result of calling someone I knew.

by fecak 13y ago

jevinskie 13y ago

Shouldn't you change up your strategy after, say, the 100th resume submission? It obviously wasn't working out!

fecak 13y ago
To his credit, maybe he did change things around several times. My guess is that he did not, and just shotgun blasted resumes out with little forethought thinking that his qualifications would get people responding quickly. That method died years ago, probably around the time of his previous job search. I've said this to many people, but you are better off investing that time writing targeted resumes and applications to even 20 companies than blasting out generic content to 600. Not sure if he did that, but it would make sense.

saalweachter 13y ago

I'm also curious what his social network looks like. Besides all of the other -isms in play, nepotism is really a huge part of getting your foot in the door in most places in this world. And I'm not even talking about "cushy job for the wastrel nephew" nepotism. While I'd like to think that I've gotten every job I've had because I was a competent, useful person, in almost every case I started the interview through someone I knew who worked there. The same goes for most people I know. Even if you don't get the job based on who you know, just getting the interview based on who you know is a huge, fat advantage, straight-up nepotism. And the great thing about nepotism is that you tend to know people who are like you in one or more ways: same race, same gender, same socio-economic-background, same political views, or in this case, same age. It's all the other -isms wrapped up into one.

fecak 13y ago
The more accurate word here is cronyism, indicating a contact and not necessarily a family member, but your point is valid.
- ghaff 13y ago
  Or simply networking--if we can get away from the isms. And, yes, for better or worse, knowing people matters. Every job I've had after my first ones out out of degree programs--I did something of a career shift through a grad degree early on--have been the direct result of calling someone I knew.