The job hunt is really frustrating me right now.

[Foxhound3857]

Trust me, those of us in the late 50s and early 60s are not getting hired either . . .

Well my sympathies to you. At least I know now that it's (most likely) not just me and that I'm not going through it alone.

I'm not giving up. I'm trying to maintain hope that if I keep trying and cast my net out wide enough, eventually someone will be willing to take a chance on me. So I'll just keep applying and hope for the best.

 

[HannaBelle]

Are you interviewing in person or are you getting the "no" as an automated response?

I own a small business and we just got over 200 applications for our receptionist / administrative assistant position. My business partner closed the posting in less than a week. We interviewed 6 of those candidates after reviewing resumes and conducting a brief telephone interview.

Here is what I am looking for that has nothing to do with their job experience:
Eye contact
Clean and neat appearance
Punctuality
Positive attitude
Confidence, not arrogance

I am NOT saying this has anything to do with you, but it can be disheartening for employers too.

If you cannot wash your hair and wear a clean shirt, you are not a good fit for my company. I don't care if your hair is rainbow-colored if you have tattoos or piercings. Please shower and brush your teeth for heaven's sake!

We had one guy roll in with flip flops, swim trunks, and smelling like alcohol.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Are you interviewing in person or are you getting the "no" as an automated response?

I own a small business and we just got over 200 applications for our receptionist / administrative assistant position. My business partner closed the posting in less than a week. We interviewed 6 of those candidates after reviewing resumes and conducting a brief telephone interview.

Here is what I am looking for that has nothing to do with their job experience:
Eye contact
Clean and neat appearance
Punctuality
Positive attitude
Confidence, not arrogance

I am NOT saying this has anything to do with you, but it can be disheartening for employers too.

If you cannot wash your hair and wear a clean shirt, you are not a good fit for my company. I don't care if your hair is rainbow-colored if you have tattoos or piercings. Please shower and brush your teeth for heaven's sake!

We had one guy roll in with flip flops, swim trunks, and smelling like alcohol.

I'm always clean and well groomed for my interviews, with slacks and a good-fitting polo. Probably my only questionable wardrobe choice is my shoes, wearing my Converse Chuck Taylor Hi-Tops. They're in good condition though.

I'm always upbeat and always arrive 20 minutes early, leaving myself extra time just incase I get lost or don't know where to go.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

once your unemployment benefits are exhausted (or your claim is denied) you are no longer counted as unemployed for statistical purposes. we used the same technique in dshs-we would say that the number of people on 'welfare' had decreased when in reality we had the same number of people (actualy more) receiving it under a differently named program

So from what I know unemployment only counts people who are collecting unemployment benefits.
Once you fall off the end you are no longer unemployed - this was always been the way - so its not like its something new.
I wont go further into this as it starts to get into controversial territory

Its probably more nuanced than what I said above - but I am no expert.

The unemployment rate is calculated via a household survey of about 60,000 people conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Whether someone is drawing unemployment benefits or not does not matter. The only criteria for U3 (the unemployment rate the news publishes are these. If you did not work for pay or profit during the survey period and were actively seeking such, you are unemployed. If you worked for pay or profit during the period you are employed. And finally if you did not work for pay or profit during the survey period and were not actively seeking employment you are out of the labor force. Whether someone is collecting unemployment insurance benefits does not matter. U5 adds in those marginally attached and discouraged job seekers to U3. U6 adds part time workers that want full time work to U5.

Do not put ANY stock in the jobs numbers. They are published, hailed and then revised, revised, revised for up to 18 months. And recently the trend has been revised down, by a lot. You think Powell dropped the interest rate because it’s rainbows and unicorns out here? Even he knows the employment picture is not as it appears on paper.

Ok what are the right numbers then? Show me your calculations. Show me your data. And show me your survey methods. Ohhh that's right, you don't have them. And bear in mind that data is not the plural of anecdote. We revise the numbers as more and more data come in. Sometimes they are revised up. Sometimes down. That is what we do in science. As we get more and more data in, we revise numbers. There's nothing nefarious going on. furthermore, Powell didn't drop the interest rate. It is not his decision alone to make. And the Fed did it because inflation is well under control. If it were not, they wouldn't have lowered them regardless of what the employment picture looks like. I think I'm quite capable of judging what numbers to put stock in and who not to for myself thank you very much.

I feel bad for my sister too. She has a bachelors in human resources and can't find a job anywhere either. Fortunately her husband is a supervisor for Aflack, so he does more than well enough for both of them, but even just to occupy her time and give her some secondary income she can't find anything.

I don't understand how our unemployment rate is at an all-time low, only 4%, when so many people who want to work can't find anything...

Because 4% of 170 million is still 6.8 million. That's a lot of people actively seeking work that didn't get any even in the best of times isn't it? No matter how good our economy is cyclically speaking there will always be people that lose. Of course there are those that would claim it's their own fault and that they're lazy and the only way to get them to work is to let their kids starve. Rubbish. The reality is people losing out is part of the capitalist system itself and we need a social safety net that serves to stabilize the system. Without them, recessions and depressions would be more frequent, and worse. To me, areas that lose out are no different for suffering economic losses than say if a hurricane had come through. Unfortunately, many states have been busy dismantling their social safety nets. And many areas of them resemble third world countries as a result.

 

[HannaBelle]

I'm always clean and well groomed for my interviews, with slacks and a good-fitting polo. Probably my only questionable wardrobe choice is my shoes, wearing my Converse Chuck Taylor Hi-Tops. They're in good condition though.

I'm always upbeat and always arrive 20 minutes early, leaving myself extra time just incase I get lost or don't know where to go.

I am so sorry you are struggling, it has to be absolutely frustrating. It sounds like you are doing everything right.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I am so sorry you are struggling, it has to be absolutely frustrating. It sounds like you are doing everything right.

Admittedly I am a bit socially awkward. I maintain eye contact but I do fumble my words and stutter/pause from time to time. To try and remedy that I've made a list on notepad of the most common questions I've been asked at interviews and put my answers into text to rehearse them, so I'm quicker to respond to familiar questions and better spoken with them.

I don't think that would be what is holding me back, but who knows what kind of criteria hiring managers will use to disqualify someone from an open position.

 

[DCLMP]

Admittedly I am a bit socially awkward. I maintain eye contact but I do fumble my words and stutter/pause from time to time. To try and remedy that I've made a list on notepad of the most common questions I've been asked at interviews and put my answers into text to rehearse them, so I'm quicker to respond to familiar questions and better spoken with them.

I don't think that would be what is holding me back, but who knows what kind of criteria hiring managers will use to disqualify someone from an open position.

If you don't mind me asking what state are you in?

 

[Foxhound3857]

If you don't mind me asking what state are you in?

California. Specifically the High Desert, Hesperia.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Ok what are the right numbers then? Show me your calculations. Show me your data. And show me your survey methods. Ohhh that's right, you don't have them...

Ummm.... the revised data showing how very inaccurate initially touted jobs numbers have been lately comes from the US gov't...
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/21/economy/bls-jobs-revisions/index.html

My point stands that nobody should look at gov't jobs numbers and be hard on themselves, it's a ridiculous stat.

And obviously Powell is just the head of the dozen (relevant) economic nerds that make up the FOMC, but to help you out- in finance speak "what will Powell do next?" is the equivalent to "what will the Fed do next?" This is how every head of the Fed is treated.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Ummm.... the revised data showing how very inaccurate initially touted jobs numbers have been lately comes from the US gov't...
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/21/economy/bls-jobs-revisions/index.html

My point stands that nobody should look at gov't jobs numbers and be hard on themselves, it's a ridiculous stat.

First of all, the article doesn't match its headline. The money quote from the very article you posted. "However, job growth was still historically strong." Let me repeat it for you. "However, job growth was still historically strong." So Job growth was historically strong, though not as strong as initially thought and your conclusion was.... Don't put ANY stock in jobs numbers. Clearly then, from the very article you quoted, your conclusion is wrong.

Furthermore, the post you answered was this one.

I don't understand how our unemployment rate is at an all-time low, only 4%, when so many people who want to work can't find anything...

She used unemployment numbers. Those are generated completely differently than the jobs numbers you answered with and are completely unaffected by revisions in jobs numbers from last fiscal year. We didn't lose those jobs. We simply didn't have them to begin with. And thus, the unemployment rate is still what it is.

As for your point, generally, people put the point they want to make in their post.

Do not put ANY stock in the jobs numbers. They are published, hailed and then revised, revised, revised for up to 18 months. And recently the trend has been revised down, by a lot. You think Powell dropped the interest rate because it’s rainbows and unicorns out here? Even he knows the employment picture is not as it appears on paper.

Nowhere in this posts is your so-called point even mentioned other than don't put stock in the jobs numbers.

P.S. I don't need any help from you on how the fed works nor any innuendo about what Powell is thinking. I can simply read their statement.

Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace. Job gains have slowed, and the unemployment rate has moved up but remains low. Inflation has made further progress toward the Committee's 2 percent objective but remains somewhat elevated. The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance.

So with every single solitary milligram of respect due, again, I can decide form myself what and who to put stock in thank you very much.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm always clean and well groomed for my interviews, with slacks and a good-fitting polo. Probably my only questionable wardrobe choice is my shoes, wearing my Converse Chuck Taylor Hi-Tops. They're in good condition though.

I'm always upbeat and always arrive 20 minutes early, leaving myself extra time just incase I get lost or don't know where to go.

It sounds to me to be very appropriate attire while interviewing for warehouse work. It's never a total deal-breaker, but I really don't like it when construction field guys turn up for their interviews in jacket and tie. It just vibes weird some how.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Well, I have interview tomorrow morning with The Salvation Army. Time to get my game face on again.

This one is concerning to me because the store that called me for an interview actually is temporarily closed because of a fire they had about a month prior, so I don't know if they're reopening and looking to hire new staff for holiday season or if this is just another red herring. But I'm going to try my best regardless.

Edit: From what I could find, the store is scheduled to reopen on October 24th.

Edit 2: I updated my Resume to include references from former coworkers who said they'd all give me a good recommendation. It prints pretty neatly now, four pages in total. I also added Stocking and Receiving as an emphasized skill.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Well, I have interview tomorrow morning with The Salvation Army. Time to get my game face on again.

This one is concerning to me because the store that called me for an interview actually is temporarily closed because of a fire they had about a month prior, so I don't know if they're reopening and looking to hire new staff for holiday season or if this is just another red herring. But I'm going to try my best regardless.

Edit: From what I could find, the store is scheduled to reopen on October 24th.

Edit 2: I updated my Resume to include references from former coworkers who said they'd all give me a good recommendation. It prints pretty neatly now, four pages in total. I also added Stocking and Receiving as an emphasized skill.

Best of luck. But definitely cut that resume down to a page. Two at the very most if you are at CEO level. That might be why you aren't getting through the filters.

 

[focusondisney]

Best of luck. But definitely cut that resume down to a page. Two at the very most if you are at CEO level. That might be why you aren't getting through the filters.

I agree. My daughter is a financial professional with an MBA & almost 20 years of experience. She had her resume professionally revised a few years ago, which helped her land an excellent position with an international company. It’s about a page & 1/2 . Also, references available, not listed on the resume.

Good luck tomorrow @Foxhound3857. If this one doesn’t work out, maybe consider a service to help with your resume. Also, someone upthread mentioned going thru temporary agencies. That is an excellent idea. My husband managed a food production factory for 20 years & was a dept. manager at a different food company before that. Both companies used temporary agencies for factory workers. Employees would start as temporary workers but could go to permanent from there if things went well. Both those companies had extensive warehouses for raw materials & finished products as well. Even if they did use temp workers there, permanent employees could bid into those jobs.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Best of luck. But definitely cut that resume down to a page. Two at the very most if you are at CEO level. That might be why you aren't getting through the filters.

Really? What should I condense? It's at four pages total right now.

 

[kymom99]

Really? What should I condense? It's at four pages total right now.

Your intro is too wordy. Also, the certifications that don’t apply to the position aren’t relevant.

I have a question though. You only list 2 jobs. What other jobs have you had? It makes it look to me like you are leaving parts of your work history out.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Your intro is too wordy. Also, the certifications that don’t apply to the position aren’t relevant.

I have a question though. You only list 2 jobs. What other jobs have you had? It makes it look to me like you are leaving parts of your work history out.

I...don't really have much of a work history before Nordstrom, apart from two dead end warehouse jobs that barely lasted a month. Quite a few of the applications I've filled out don't even ask for a work history.

I'll see what I can narrow down from my Resume. Since I don't have a lot of skills outside of warehouse and some receptionist work I try to emphasize soft skills.

 

[kymom99]

I...don't really have much of a work history before Nordstrom, apart from two dead end warehouse jobs that barely lasted a month. Quite a few of the applications I've filled out don't even ask for a work history.

I'll see what I can narrow down from my Resume. Since I don't have a lot of skills outside of warehouse and some receptionist work I try to emphasize soft skills.

I hope you didn’t take offense. I was just trying to critique it a bit.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I hope you didn’t take offense. I was just trying to critique it a bit.

Critique is meant to help someone improve. I welcome it.

I think I can condense it down to three pages, remove the CPT information since I'm not currently applying for Phlebotomy positions (none available in my area, haven't been for months sadly) and align the references side by side.

 

[DCLMP]

Ummm.... the revised data showing how very inaccurate initially touted jobs numbers have been lately comes from the US gov't...
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/21/economy/bls-jobs-revisions/index.html

My point stands that nobody should look at gov't jobs numbers and be hard on themselves, it's a ridiculous stat.

And obviously Powell is just the head of the dozen (relevant) economic nerds that make up the FOMC, but to help you out- in finance speak "what will Powell do next?" is the equivalent to "what will the Fed do next?" This is how every head of the Fed is treated.

Totally agree. That being said it varies a lot from city to city.