- Jobseeking is Hard
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- #69 - Job Search Fatigue
Hey There!
Welcome to Issue #69 of Jobseeking is Hard!
A quick announcement! So many people send me screenshots of job search ridiculousness, so I’ve started an Instagram account to share all the best (worst?) ones! The focus will be on bad job postings and other stuff that makes looking for a job way harder than it has to be, as well as advice.
It’s going to have a bit of a different focus than my LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, so if you’re on IG, check it out and give me a follow!
This week we’re talking about:
A jobseeking horror story about being rejected on a technicality.
A job board for recruiters & HR professionals.
Difficulty highlighting value on resumes for career pivots.
A scam involving a recruiter’s hacked email account.
And for Premium subscribers I’m:
Debunking a post involving AI and a resume rejection.
Giving you a tip on preparing for calls from companies regarding roles.
Telling you a trick to optimize the keywords on your resume (and no, it’s not white font).
And I'm answering a premium subscriber's question about how to avoid fatigue and burnout in your job search.
Let’s get to it! But first…
STUPID INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
During an interview for a social media assistant position at an independent publishing agency, I was asked, out of the blue, “Did you ever play any sports?”
When I answered yes, I had played varsity tennis, his follow-up: “Yeah, but were you any good? Who’d you play for?”
Fully wanted to know the caliber of my high school tennis team. I was 6 years out of high school.
The interviewer also told me I was insecure several times. I’m not sure why I didn’t just walk out.
The interviewer:
I was asked, "How many ping pong balls can fill a bus?"
So I asked some questions to see how they were able to think on their feet:
1) What type of bus is it? How many seats are on the bus? Does the bus have a restroom?
2) Do you have the volume of a ping pong ball? If not, can I use the internet for an approximate volume?
The interviewer said, "Look, we're just looking to see how you would logically figure out how many could fill the bus."
This is outstanding. I’m confused by their response though…your questions demonstrate the logic you’d use to fill the bus. I think it’s hilarious that they obviously googled “interview questions” and then didn’t know what to do with your response.
"Let's say you end up hating me as your boss. Would you admit this to me and hope we could repair our relationship, or would you just quit?"
My arm is exhausted from waving that red flag 😅
I’m willing to bet that there’s been quite a bit of turnover under that boss.
Now I’m curious…
If you hated your boss, would you admit it to them? |
Want to share your stupid interview questions? Reply or email [email protected]
SPEAKING OF POLLS
Last week I asked you, “Will you have a problem working with a boss who is younger than you?” 48% of you said you wouldn’t have an issue, and I appreciated your insights:
"Generally speaking, younger individuals often bring a fresh perspective to the table, thanks partly to their recent educational experiences and familiarity with new skills that might be unfamiliar to me."
"Once, a 30-year-old fired me 8 months in for not knowing what I was doing. Meanwhile, I had 25 years of experience, and he had 2. TWO."
"I'm at the age where everyone in marketing is younger than I am lol!"
But my favorite was:
"The real question is, would they have a problem working with someone older than them. I'm confident in where I'm at, but are they confident in leading a person who is happy in their own skin?"
Love that POV!
COMMUNITY CATHARSIS
I put a lot of time and effort into applying for a role I was really excited about.
Then, I attended a virtual career fair to connect with the organization's recruiter. Later, I sent her a follow-up note, re-attaching all my application materials and a summarized paragraph enthusiastically expressing my interest. We had a back-and-forth, and I felt there was enthusiasm on both sides.
Yesterday I got an abrupt rejection.
"Because you didn't include a cover letter, you were not included in the candidate interview pool."
The thing is, I DID include a cover letter. One that I spent a long time on. Clearly, the system didn't attach it, unbeknownst to me. BUT, the recruiter had my cover letter and resume well before the deadline.
You could say this is my fault, and I should have triple-checked that all my docs were received by the system. BUT, I'm flabbergasted that, despite the extra effort I made (above), they would reject me on a minor technicality. I guess the market is so competitive that they don't care, but this kind of thing gives recruiters and hiring organizations a bad reputation. I'm not a student applying for my first job, and as indicated, I went to great lengths to connect with the recruiter and followed up multiple times.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. It takes so much time and effort to tweak your resume and write a focused cover letter…not to mention how time-consuming it is to complete online applications.
It’s really odd that the recruiter had all your info but dinged you for something as arbitrary as attaching the cover letter to the application.
I’m starting to sound like a broken record with these horror stories, but it’s true…you’re better off and probably avoided a workplace with some issues.
**Premium Subscribers! Below I’ll tell you a little trick to avoid issues like this!**
If there's a jobseeking horror story *you’d* like to share, reply or email [email protected]
HR & RECRUITING JOBS!
Attention HR and Recruiting Jobseekers!
Here’s a job board from iCIMS with >2,000 available HR and Talent roles with their customers, including 300+ remote roles! You can find the list here:
SHAMELESS PLUG
If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.
Who knows…maybe it’ll help you pivot into the career you’re looking for 🤷♂️
Sometimes, I'm asked about the testimonials I share, like how the service helped them, so I want to share more details about how I helped this particular client.
His experience was amazing, but it isn't easy to highlight relevant knowledge and skills when looking to transition industries. When pivoting, you always want to focus on skill, not industry. That's always difficult to do, especially when the resume is difficult to read with clunky formatting and lack of flow.
Formatting is always a concern, not because of an ATS rejection but because formatted resumes are difficult for recruiters to easily read.
JOB SCAMS!
I was contacted by a recruiter about a Sales Management position with their company. They said they saw my resume and offered me the job without much discussion. All I needed to do was sign the attached affidavit to be ready to work by the first of the month.
I was racking my brain about this company because I didn't think I had applied to any jobs with them.
To be safe, I did not open the attachment.
So, I went to LinkedIn and found the person and company. Then I looked for the recruiter's supervisor and sent her a message inquiring about the job offer her recruiter sent me.
She confirmed that it was a scam. She said the recruiter's email had been hacked and I should disregard the email.
Then, she looked at my profile and got back to me to set up an actual discussion about possible opportunities down the road. It was a good conversation, nothing concrete yet, but at least I got to talk to a decision-maker and get in front of them. That's half the battle, and it came from checking out a job scam.
Great job doing your due diligence! Your gut told you something was wrong, so you went to LinkedIn, researched the company, and inquired about the job’s legitimacy. And trust me, no company will be offended or annoyed if you ask about a possible job scam. They want to know that information. They might not know their recruiter has been hacked or their company is being impersonated.
Organization is so important in your job search. A simple spreadsheet listing the company, position, date, and job board can help your job search. When someone reaches out to you regarding your application, all you have to do is search the company name, and you can find the job posting, which is vital to preparing for your initial screening/interview.
And that’s so awesome that it turned into a networking session! Hopefully something comes from it!
**Premium Subscribers! Below I’ll tell you a tip for preparing for calls from companies regarding roles!**
If you come across a potential scam, send it to [email protected], and I’ll warn the community. And if you’ve been a victim of a job scam, the FTC has job scam reporting resources listed here.
This week, I'm answering a Premium subscriber's question about how to avoid fatigue and burnout in your job search.
AFFILIATES
NOTE: As an affiliate to these services, we will receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
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PLURALSIGHT: FREE STANDARD OR PREMIUM 10-DAY TRIAL
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HUNTER: FREE TRIAL FOR EMAIL ADDRESS FINDER
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NOTE - If you don't have a corporate email, choose the "Sign up with Google"option and use a Google account!
Try it for free here!
https://hunter.io/?via=jobseekingishard
Want to learn some new skills? Looking for a few new keywords to add to your resume or LinkedIn profile? Want to sharpen your expertise in Excel or Tableau? Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes on topics including illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, marketing, and more.
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Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!
-Adam
PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!
About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.
Hey all! Thanks for being a premium member! I hope you find the additional info helpful as you navigate your job search.
DEBUNKING CAREER CLICKBAIT
This week, I read an article online from a jobseeker who blamed AI for sending a rejection email within a couple of hours of applying.
Their argument was that, in this market and with this many applicants, there’s no way they would have been rejected so quickly if AI hadn’t been involved.
As someone who has been recruiting for more than 20 years, it’s totally plausible that the candidate was reviewed and quickly rejected. And here’s why:
1) A LOT of people don’t understand how AI is used in the hiring process. At this stage of development, AI is used to automate/streamline things, including initial candidate screening (think chatbots gathering info). If AI made the acceptance/rejection decision, it would do it quicker than 1-2 hours.
2) Recruiters know how to evaluate resumes quickly. And in this market with so many people applying, recruiters (the good ones anyway) like to stay on top of applications. And if they are reviewing resumes in reverse chronological order (reviewing the most recent applications), there’s no reason why rejecting someone within a few hours isn’t plausible.
3) Most people feel their resumes are good and clearly express value, so they blame their rejection on the ATS. As someone who has reviewed 1,000s and 1,000s and 1,000s of resumes as both a recruiter and resume writer, I can tell you that most resumes are bad. And while they might showcase some value, it usually isn’t focused on the specific job posting being applied for. In the past, if your resume looked good overall but maybe not quite a match for the particular job opening, you might get a screening call. But with so many people applying for jobs, only those who look like a dead-on match are getting interviews.
When you read content centered around AI and hiring, take it with a massive grain of salt because the authors usually don’t know how hiring and technology work…they’re just guessing.
I know it’s easier to blame the ATS or AI when you’re rejected for a role, but odds are your resume isn’t matching up, not an algorithm.
Watch or read a questionable piece of career content? Send it along and I’d love to debunk it! [email protected]
A trick to avoid forgetting your cover letter:
Make your cover letter the first page of your resume.
If you’re unsure how to do this, write your cover letter, insert a page break, and paste your resume into the next page.
Not only will you always remember to include it in your applications, but by including it in your resume, you’re adding keywords to help you be found when recruiters search their ATS for future roles. Think of it as boosting your resume’s SEO!
Just remember to tweak your cover letter each time…sending a cover letter addressed to the wrong company is an attention-to-detail red flag and could be cause for elimination.
A tip for preparing for calls from companies regarding roles:
You only have one chance to make a first impression. You want to be prepared when a recruiter/hiring manager calls. One way to prepare? Don’t answer the call. Let them leave a voicemail.
I know your first instinct is to pick up the phone when you’re applying for jobs, but how many times have you spoken to a recruiter and not known what job they were referring to or what the company was?
Instead, let them leave a voicemail. Listen to it, quickly look up the job they are calling about/company they are calling from, and adequately prepare for a discussion.
Would love to know your thoughts about soldiering on in the tech industry with the layoff fatigue many of us are witnessing/affected by.
What do we do when the market is flooded with thousands of candidates so similar to us, especially at the mid-to-senior career level?
It feels bleak. I know 2 new moms on mat leave at Google who were just laid off - one on the day she gave birth last week...
It’s been a brutal couple of years in hiring, no doubt…especially in tech. The hardest thing to swallow in tech is that the layoffs seem purely profit-motivated and not out of necessity. Emotionally, having your life turned upside down to drive record profits is a lot to process.
And you’re right- so many similar backgrounds are available in the candidate pool at the mid-to-senior career level. And since the layoffs weren’t performance-based, A LOT of talented people are available. Competition is fierce, which means the job search will take time.
First, to avoid layoff fatigue, you have to prevent burnout. How can you do that? Structure. You can only control so much in your job search, and burnout can result from 1 of 2 scenarios:
1) Constant rejection. This you can’t control.
2) Constantly searching and applying for roles in an unstructured way. You can control this, and it’s vital to do so.
If your search is unstructured, you constantly feel unsettled and pulled in a million directions, which can quickly exhaust you. I know it sounds cliche, but you must treat your job search as a marathon, not a sprint. Your instinct is to hit the search hard and not let up until you find something, which is understandable…bills are bills. But you’ll burn out quickly that way, and when you’re burnt out, you don’t bring your best self to the job search. Mistakes are made, red flags are ignored, and you spend time on the wrong things.
Your time is finite, and you have to guard it as the precious resource it is. Structuring your job search on a daily and weekly basis, with hard stops and transitions scheduled on an hourly basis, including breaks, helps you feel a sense of accomplishment and control.
And those breaks are vital, even just taking the dog for a walk, getting some exercise, reading a book, or meditating. Your day can’t be 100% job search as you will flame out. You can’t drink from an empty cup. By scheduling out your job search duties as if they were a FT job, that direction and clarity can benefit you in the long run and keep you going.
I hope that helps! Good luck!
That's it for now, and send in those questions! Don't forget to put "Premium" in the subject line so I can stay organized!
Do you have any thoughts or suggestions for the premium membership? Let me know! The premium tier is a work in progress, and I want to create something of real value for subscribers.
Have a good one!
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