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Job search frustration

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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
Anyone else been suffering through this with me the past few months?

I do several job applications a day. I spend an hour+ tailoring my resume, cover letter, and jumping through their hoops for each app only to never hear back from them. 95 % of the time an actual person never sees your resume.

I'm not the type to get frustrated by this but hard work really seemingly gets you nowhere. I have a solid resume a lot of experience and I interview well. I'm about ready to throw in the towel and move to calgary like everyone else.
Jul 2 2013 12:25PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
have you been getting interviews? if not, there's something wrong with your cover letter/resume
Jul 2 2013 12:30PM
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90053
Posts: 2565 - Karma: 3,728
you'll probably hear this a lot but stick at it something will come through, just ask around as much as possible
Jul 2 2013 12:38PM
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SteezyMagee
Posts: 382 - Karma: 828
ive been job hunting for the past several months as well, just got a job at a grocery store yesterday. it took some perseverance though
Jul 2 2013 12:39PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
If you're looking for a career type job, I'd suggest working with a head hunter. I've used head hunters several times and it's actually how I landed my current job. A lot of times a head hunter can at least get you in the door for an interview instead of you just being another resume in the pile.

I don't know what kind of work you're looking for, but it wouldn't kill ya to look in to it. Food for thought.
Jul 2 2013 12:56PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
I am looking for a career job. I've got my degree in marketing. I've gone through some employment services but haven't found anything I want to stick with. I haven't tried a head hunter yet. For some reason the concept makes me a bit nervous. I'm not sure why.
Jul 2 2013 1:04PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
in the marketing biz it's almost always who you know not what you know...hang in there the most stressful time in my life was finding a job after college
Jul 2 2013 1:15PM
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,055
sanscrit.. you majored in a 5000 year old dead language... latin, best i can do
Jul 2 2013 1:18PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
Yeah I hear ya. I have put a ton of effort into trying to create a network. I went to University overseas and what I didn't take into account is that once I graduated I had absolutely no business network.

I have come up with a few contacts that I'm working on trying to get some help from but these are really just people I've met randomly.

Jul 2 2013 1:19PM
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,055
get yourself a part time job at a ski shop. and besides.. marketing is for women.
Jul 2 2013 1:21PM
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dbchili
Posts: 2555 - Karma: 1,657
Yeah man marketing can be tough, I don't work in it but a few of my friends do. If its your initial job those are for sure the hardest to come by. You're looking in Toronto I'm assuming? I work downtown and so do my friends and in southern Ontario there isn't much for advertising outside of downtown/midtown. My friend who works in it landed his first job with a real agency after probably 6 months of looking and over 1000 applications, so it takes time. Once you get that first job though it's definitely less difficult from there. My best advice from watching him do it is to network like mad, marketing jobs are literally 100% about having the right connections and hardly at all to do with your grades or education unfortunately. Ask anyone you know that is even remotely involved in the industry to meet up for coffee and chat, go to recruiting events, add people on LinkedIn, whatever it takes. Like everyone said it just takes perseverance, but it'll come if you want it bad enough
Jul 2 2013 1:24PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298
I'm in the same boad, been looking for a year. Even got the province to pay for some extra training...... still nothing. Ontario is just a dead province for work, just an aging work force that woun't/can't retire.

Just did some applications for work in Alberta for fun and I've already had phone calls for interviews. All I can say is fuck Ontario..... the work is gonna suck, but money is incredible, and being that close to the mountains can't be beat.
Jul 2 2013 1:32PM
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EricCartman
Posts: 268 - Karma: 410
Same boat in denver.. Lots of interviews, no jobs... Shit fucking sucks man, its depressing
Jul 2 2013 1:35PM
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JakeAssBeatClap
Posts: 6673 - Karma: 2,537
You're a fucking nimrod.

Timmi, i'm right there with you man I have been struggling SO fucking hard even finding menial labor positions. It's bullshit. I don't know what to do. I'm truly at a loss.
Jul 2 2013 1:41PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
Just a heads up for some people that companies will actually post fake job postings to appear they are doing well. I get job postings from Pepsico twice a week and apparently a lot of them aren't real jobs.
Jul 2 2013 1:42PM
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90053
Posts: 2565 - Karma: 3,728
.
Jul 2 2013 2:10PM
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bfulmer
Posts: 3053 - Karma: 1,975
unfortunately it really is all about connections these days
Jul 2 2013 2:11PM
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
Welp, I found your problem.
Jul 2 2013 2:15PM
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sirskizalot
Posts: 4370 - Karma: 161
Network network network. And also, are they online applications? If you are applying online, make sure your resume etc has key words and such from the job posting, because lots of them get initially filtered like that. Good luck!
Jul 2 2013 2:36PM
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,055
yep. i agree.. its a major for women who are not good at anything else.. its like a BA degree or a history degree.. the escape from doing real work
Jul 2 2013 2:36PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
Click for larger image

Jul 2 2013 2:45PM
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
eat a dick and go to your local museum/art gallery/library/courthouse
Jul 2 2013 2:48PM
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2_fadez
Posts: 7780 - Karma: 4,183
Do the headhunter thing. Its worth it.
The problem is the mass of resumes going in, and the headhunter connection skips that process with the employer for you - they get you in the door for real businesses that need someone good.
Its scary but if you want to get the job you gotta take the dive.
Jul 2 2013 2:58PM
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act.resist
Posts: 8875 - Karma: 513
Are you like twelve 12 or something? You sound like a dick melon
Jul 2 2013 3:18PM
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Fun_dip
Posts: 2623 - Karma: 913
timmi, you are a wizard, i would hire you
Jul 2 2013 3:23PM
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Dingo69
Posts: 1330 - Karma: -171
I gotta admit it will be hard getting a job with a marketing degree. Interships should help
Jul 2 2013 3:37PM
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nagger
Posts: 1576 - Karma: 883
right
Jul 2 2013 3:47PM
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act.resist
Posts: 8875 - Karma: 513
Im on mobile you stupid nagger
Jul 2 2013 3:57PM
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EastShoreDrive
Posts: 188 - Karma: 862
If what you are doing isn't working it is time to switch it up. Approach the jobs you are applying for in a completely different way than you are now. Switch up your resume because the one you have is not getting traction. Get creative. I would also work with the career center of the school you graduated from. Nothing makes them look worse than their graduates not getting jobs upon graduation. They typically work pretty hard to find you employment.

Marketing is a pretty broad spectrum. Do you have a specialty? Digital, experiential, brand, B2B, etc. Do you have a portfolio? Hiring managers don't care what you tell them you can do, they want to see what you have done. Either way just hang in there and keep changing your process until something works.
Jul 2 2013 4:35PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
Yeah I have a creative resume but the problem is I can't use it unless I know my application is going directly to an HR person. Anything but plain text won't work well with their filtering systems.

Almost all of my experience is in Experiential and that's what I would love to do, the problem there is that it is taking too long to move up the ladder and I can't afford to support myself with it much longer and need to find more stable work.

I'm trying out a head hunter to see where that gets me.
Jul 2 2013 4:41PM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
Yea, an unpaid internship might be the best thing you can do to get a foot in the door.

Go bang on some doors, tell them you're looking for experience and are willing to dedicate some time.

Worst case: They take advantage of you, you work long hours, but you still get experience and contacts.

Best case: They really like you and hire you after a few weeks/months or they refer you to someone looking for a good candidate. Good help is really, really hard to find. I'm presently interviewing people to take my position and the stream of losers we've interviewed in astonishing. We're probably going to end up settling for the best of the worst granted our time constraint.

Unfortunately, I don't think a head hunter is viable for someone right out of university. Head hunters are mostly for management positions. They get a percentage of the salary, so they'd rather spend their time on the $100k+ deals, not the $35k/year starting salary jobs.
Jul 2 2013 4:52PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
Hah. What's your job? I'll take over.

I really cannot do an unpaid internship. I've been working for a marketing company for nearly a year and I cannot sustain myself without a wage.
Jul 2 2013 5:21PM
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Backyard.Skier
Posts: 5397 - Karma: 1,497
move to edmonton*

if you want to make money and fast work out of edmonton or base there and go up to fort mac for weeks/months at a time.
Jul 2 2013 5:24PM
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nkmo.
Posts: 3994 - Karma: 285
Can you create a simple chronological resume and overlay it as a transparent layer on your creative resume? It may come out a bit messy on an auto fill box, but it should get all the important keywords and shit there.
Jul 2 2013 5:40PM
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paige.
Posts: 1932 - Karma: 924
Unfortunately you've got the Calgary part right. My roommate has been struggling with this for about a year now. She's had a couple jobs slightly out of her field and only just found a short term one in marketing. Mostly been making her money working part-time baking and bartending.
Jul 2 2013 8:05PM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
For marketing and finance jobs you mostly need to be in hubs. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. More head offices are in these cities, hence more support jobs like marketing, HR, etc. Finance is mostly in Toronto.

Calgary is pretty big as a service economy right now. Construction, energy, etc. It's still a relatively small city, with huge potential. I plan to move there in 3-4 years, permitting I can get a transfer with work.
Jul 2 2013 10:50PM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
Bah, you don't want my old job. Part time accounting manager, shipping manager, inventory manager, and a whole slew of other hats for a pitiful wage. A small company with a boss who loves to micromanage. A great guy, and a good friend however.

I'm not clear on what's going on now...you have a marketing job already?

Or you had one in EU? Or it was an internship...

Regardless, keep pumping out the CVs, just try not to apply for jobs over your head. It's super annoying when we ask for candidates with minimum requirements, i.e. 3-5 years experience, and then we get applications from people who have never worked and are still in university. It's a waste of everybody's time.

Keep your head up, don't get discouraged. My friend searched for 6 months. My girlfriend got lucky and found within 5 weeks.
Jul 2 2013 10:55PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
I have been working with an experiential company (Mosaic) for about 8 or 9 months, and another experiential company for 4 months prior. I'm doing the basic promo brand ambassador stuff. Right now I'm setting up displays in liquor stores and promoting Captain Morgan and Smirnoff. It's work, but I feel pretty underemployed.

I've put a ton of effort into trying to get myself to the program coordinator position, but it's a slow and very uncertain process since it is an insanely sought after job. I actually made it to the final interview out of a few thousand applicants, but unfortunately it didn't play out for me. Live and learn. I've been putting out resumes in other directions

I don't apply to jobs that are out of my league, at least I try not to. But it's tough when people are advertising fairly entry level jobs and wanting 3-5 years experience. I'm sitting at around 2 years direct experience overall right now.

At least I have a job, so I'm not really unemployed, I just really wanted to be further along in my career by this point, hence trying to branch in different directions.
Jul 3 2013 11:30AM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
that's a huge mistake....damn dude aim high
Jul 3 2013 11:33AM
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Lukegnar
Posts: 189 - Karma: 1,239
I quit after my third failed application. Don't try to hard, let the job come to you.
Jul 3 2013 11:40AM
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ndye
Posts: 3756 - Karma: 7,094
Meh, thats a very worldly view assuming we have found all the resources we are going to find. the incredible thing about behavioral evolution is that no one at all can truly know whats coming next, because its behavioral and intellectually developing.

Maybe we will find something at the bottom of the ocean, maybe itll come from space exploration, RIP NASA. But wherever it comes from, human beings will continue to evolve and become more impressive every day.
Jul 3 2013 11:46AM
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ndye
Posts: 3756 - Karma: 7,094
But as advice, apply for some internships, and keep trucking. things always open up
Jul 3 2013 11:48AM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
??? Not at ALL.

Sometimes the "experience required" companies post is fictional. If you think you have the skills for the job, go for it.

However, why would anybody bother applying for a job out of their league/that they are not qualified for? Assuming a company is stupid enough to hire someone like that, the candidate will not perform well, the company will not be impressed with your performance, and everyone will lose.

I just had this conversation with a buddy the other day. It'd be like me applying to be CEO at a large company in an industry I know nothing about. It'd be a disaster, would ruin whatever reputation I've built for myself, and overall be a SETBACK in my career. One step at a time.
Jul 3 2013 11:59AM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
dude that's a really depressing point of view....don't try for the big things in life cuz you won't make it and fail *sigh* woe is me better start applying for unpaid internships :( :( :( jesus fuck man, believe in yourself


how long does it take to fill out a cover letter/resume?? 15-20 mins?? if you're unemployed your job should be applying for jobs. shit ain't exactly hard.

get your shit OUT THERE...no company is going to hire you for something you're not qualified for...that's ridiculous. what WILL happen is if they like your interview, they'll keep your CL/resume on file and call you when something opens up that better fits you. if nothing else you'll practice interviewing.

Jul 3 2013 12:12PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
well that's what you should have expected with a degree like that...
Jul 3 2013 1:08PM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
But you'll never get as far as an interview.

You'll end up wasting the HR department's time, your time (you should spend at least an hour applying to each job), and so on. I can't speak for every employer, but I know when we get applications for jobs that will never happen for that individual, their CV doesn't go in the database, it gets deleted. Or, as we did last week, if we're feeling especially cocky, we will bring in someone who is seriously under qualified and throw them under the bus, asking them questions and putting them in the scenarios that the position requires. The responses we got were hilarious.

I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. Fucking right I'm going to be a high level executive someday, but I have to take it one step at a time.

Regardless, I know many people have your perspective. Although I don't agree with it, I do understand it. What I've seen first hand isn't convincing though:

My friend, who I mentioned before, followed this mass application strategy and got a job after 6 months. It was by referral in the end, a neighbor's friend or something. In the six month span, she only got one interview for a position above her head. And guess what, they made her feel like an idiot in the interview and really messed with her confidence. The job she eventually got isn't even in her field.

My girlfriend applied for jobs in her field and that she was qualified for. After 5 weeks, she had three solid interviews, and two offers to choose from.

But hey, if you find that pumping out CV's is the best strategy, go for it. I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Jul 3 2013 1:24PM
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MacNsteaze
Posts: 366 - Karma: 310
haha good luck with this...

but to op I know it sucks man but just keep trying and be open to anything, its easier to find a job with a job, i moved back home in the beginning of april, looked for jobs steadily and then finally got a job at a pizza place on june 1st along with 4 other job offers consisting of being a painter, a server at a retirement home, a porter at a ford dealership, and good ol taco bell. it just might be a slow time in your town, not too many people hire in the middle of the summer but keep trying and it will work out
Jul 3 2013 2:01PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
whoa wtf, who do you work for?

if this is true you guys have some serious self-confidence issues.
Jul 3 2013 2:18PM
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,055
that almost makes sense.. I'm currently in a field of work that matters. I work for a software development company as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer.. I do Freelance Graphic Design on the side and work part time as a Ski Tech and Sales person at a local ski/pool shop. In the past i have worked with many marketing teams to develop their collateral for trade shows, email campaigns, brochures and catalogs. All of the companies I worked with had women in the department who couldn't make decisions if their life depended on it and resorted to asking too many people. This lead to missed deadlines and increases costs at the expense of decision making skills of said individuals.


so, before you response and downvote...isee your "proud of you" and "cool story hansel" and counter with "enjoy!"
Jul 5 2013 2:17PM
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Caleb.E
Posts: 3556 - Karma: 1,015
....................
Jul 5 2013 8:01PM
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schism
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 389
Red Mountain was hiring some people for their Marketing department a few months ago. Other than that trying to get a job as pro patrol with out avalanche operations and just your 80 hour first aid course sucks.
Jul 5 2013 8:45PM
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