Job Applications

[cronker]

Hello fellow TBers

So, after many years of management in my industry, like many people I have found myself suddenly unemployed.
The entire rigmarole of gaining benefits from our government services is tiring and soul destroying.
I have spent almost 30 years paying my taxes so those less fortunate can access help, yet I am treated like a leper now that i need some.
I have been told that whenever I apply for a job, I should immediately ring the potential employer and ask if rye have recieved my resume and what are my chances!
I see this as invasive toward the employer and (having been on charge of employing people myself) think it is a sure sign NOT to consider that person.
What say you?

And yes. I can't change the title: Application.

 

[Gorn]

Losing your job sucks.

Yes you can change the title.

Thread tools --> edit title.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I'm right there with you @cronker .
Got laid off couple weeks ago.
50 and hunting for work in IT plain sucks.
I don't think calling and asking your chances us a good move, it smacks of desperation and temerity.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Asking what are your chances is a bad move, but calling to inquire more about the position and to introduce yourself isn't a horrible thing. That's part of what landed me my current job - it showed initiative and a desire.

 

[Oneirogenic]

If you aren't hand delivering your resume and application to the person potentially hiring you calling to introduce yourself never hurts. Maybe even ask questions about the job.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

That's a really tough position. Some hiring managers will find follow-up calls annoying, and others will view it as a positive step to take. Personally, I would follow up with an email, as (IMO), that is probably the easiest way to communicate directly with who you need to talk to (plus, I hate talking on the phone with people I don't know).

Sorry to hear about your sudden unemployment, I went through it a few years ago and it was by far the most stressful period of my life.

 

[One Drop]

I've only been unemployed once, though I have taken breaks and changed careers and jobs many times.

I cannot describe how grateful I am to the country of my adoption for having an unemployment insurance system that not only pays 70% of your previous salary (80% if you have kids, both calculated on the highest wages over two concurrent months if you were in constant employment for at least two years), paid for two whole years or until you get work. It includes counseling, courses if you can prove they will help you get a job, and you are not forced or even enouraged to take a job below your competencies or far below your previous salary level.

The end result costs the state and economy LESS than dealing with the hidden costs of healthcare, welfare, crime, loss of wages (and resultant lower taxes going back to the state) etc. etc.

We can afford it because corporations and the very wealthy still pay their share of taxes, which are not nominally much higher than the US, just less exemptions and such.

Is there abuse? Sure, but in the end I'd rather have 90% of a good thing than 100% of nothing for worrying that someone else got 10% for nothing.

Sorry for your situation, it makes my blood boil to think in this day and age you can lose everything you have built up and saved because of a bump in the road.

Best of luck, stay out there and make your job getting a job and you will land on your feet. The hardest part for me was to stay motivated and not lose self respect.

 

[Sav'nBass]

I feel your pain.. I got laid off in June after 31 years... I got a decent severance package.. but that has another 2 months... add to that I got an email from the managing agent of where I live saying the homeowner is moving back to the states and they want their house back so we have to be gone in 45 days.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Are you responding to employment ads or are you cold contacting companies?

 

[Downunderwonder]

Receive more positive responses with correct speeling.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

Calling to follow-up that the employer has received your resume and application is good, but I wouldn't suggest asking about your chances at that juncture. If you are called for an interview, then it is totally appropriate - at least in most Western cultures - at the end of the interview to inquire how many other applicants are seriously being considered for the position.

 

[Icemanaroonie]

That's a really tough position. Some hiring managers will find follow-up calls annoying, and others will view it as a positive step to take. Personally, I would follow up with an email, as (IMO), that is probably the easiest way to communicate directly with who you need to talk to (plus, I hate talking on the phone with people I don't know).

This is very true nowadays. When you post a job application online, you can get thousands of responses. An email with a subject line that directly shows your interest in the job is good. A phone call? Not so much. If everyone applying called them, they'd be overwhelmed. This is from my experience working in a small bank with eight or so branches. For a bigger business, I can only imagine how it could be.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Absolutely follow up your resume submission with a phone call to the line manager or HR. If the position is in the public domain, you are in a highly competitive environment. You will need to differentiate yourself from the competition. Most won't follow up with a phone call, they will wait and hope. Those who wait and hope, end up waiting and hoping.
Your follow up call should read similar to this;
Hi, I am calling to follow up on my resume submission for position X. I want to ensure that you have received my resume and also, to answer any questions you may have regarding my background and experience. I have researched your company and have found that your company's goals, match very well with my personal aspirations. (you do have to do the research in case they query you on that statement)
Be prepared to discuss your background during this call. Think of it as a "phone interview" with the goal being an invitation for a face to face meeting. Also, it's within your "rights" to ask when they are expecting to begin the interviewing process; that'll tell you how inclined they are to fill the position, so you can appropriately use your time.
I would not email the company, emails are significantly easier to ignore, than a voice on the phone. The key to success is to separate yourself from the crowd.
A five minute conversation with decision makers at the company is a good start. A follow up email after the phone conversation is a great idea... just be sure to have someone else read the email before you send it... a clean set of eyes will see errors before they are sent. Errors on your resume, cover letter or follow up letter will reflect negatively on you.
Fishheadjoe

PS... I've been in the IT recruitment field for close to 30 years. If you have any other questions, just let us know!

 

[MJ5150]

The applications for public assistance are a little more difficult than they used to be to help weed out the free loaders. That's my opinion.

I think it's the same idea with some employers and their application process. They don't want every person who can put steam on a mirror applying for higher level positions, so it takes a little more effort to apply. Those qualified and those who really want the job may be more inclined to follow the directions and process. The guy working at Burger King may not want to apply for the senior DBA position at another company when he sees it's more than a couple clicks and copy/paste of a resume.

-Mike

 

[Pacman]

And yes. I can't change the title: Application.

Got it for you

 

[slobake]

Sorry to hear about your job loss. I went through some serious career changes at age 55. The internet really changed how we go about looking for jobs. You can send lots of resumes and not get a response.
Networking is good thing. I also read a book called "Don't Send a Resume," That book suggested you pick a potential employer and stalk them. Okay that's an exaggeration. They did suggest you hang out at cafe's and gyms near the job site and try and get to know people.
I tried to send cover letters that stood out. At one site I had sent three resumes with know results so I decided to go for broke. I attached this article I wrote for a college newspaper:


Learning When to be Quiet

BY STEVE MOWLES
Staff Writer


Middle age is not all arthritis and nose hairs, it also comes with the hard-earned knowledge of when to speak up and when to shut up.

As I drag my aged carcass around the campus, I have ample opportunity to practice this wisdom. I see students heading full throttle toward some of the same train wrecks I have crawled away from. Instead of blurting out, “Hey kid, it’s your lucky day because I’m gonna amaze you with some way cool insights,” I quietly pour myself a tall, cool glass of Shut Up Juice.

When I was a strutting bag of hormones the last thing I wanted was advice from some loose-
dentured 53-year-old. I can imagine some wizened elder observing my youthful capers and thinking, “I’d like to tell ya, but you’re just gonna have to learn it the hard way, punk.” Of course, I have never thought such coarse thoughts … at least not in the last 10 minutes.

It’s amazing the things I hear when I close my mouth and listen. City College students are bright, resourceful and opinionated. Never believe that someone 30 years your junior has nothing to teach you. Once you start thinking that, you become a fusty old curmudgeon.

The definition of old is someone who can no longer learn — at least, I think that’s the definition. I tried to look it up in the dictionary but my eyes are failing.

I am not diminishing my experience. There are times when it is good to speak up. I pick my times carefully, mostly when I think the information will be welcomed. Why waste my great wisdom on the ungrateful?


I had an interview within a week.