I have 17 years experience of doing a thing. I have been trying for 17 years to get a job doing that thing. I have been told over and over I don't have the experience because it's not "professional".
17 years. How much more experience do I need? What else can I learn after almost 2 decades?
Someone who hires people, please help answer this, why won't anybody give me a chance and hire me so I CAN get this experience I need that somehow is better than doing it for 17 years on my own.
@amarand the sad thing is I can answer all those, but it doesn't matter. I've been in corporate environments for all these years, on teams, working right next to the field I want to be in. I've gotten certifications and a degree in this field. Still no. All my certs expired because nobody cared that I got them.
I'm being vague in case they're here and reading this and I don't want to seem like I'm complaining, I'm just furiously curious.
You want a promotion within a specific company? You do not want to leave that company to get a new job? Initially, your post read (to me) that you were unemployed and doing the work outside of a paid environment. If your communications are coming across that ambiguous, makes me wonder what your resume looks like.
My suggestions:
1) Full resume review. Find someone else to look at it for you. You may be too close.
2) Find a job elsewhere. Better position, better fit, better money.
@amarand yeah, I'm unemployed right now. I did #1 like 4 times and #2 is what I'm trying to do. I even got a new cover letter from scratch.
Cover letters should be written and tailored to each specific job opportunity. Do people still use generic cover letters?
Do you have access to LinkedIn learning? Here in Ohio, our library systems offer it for free. If you were in Ohio, I could help you get that for free and start digging in on modern/current resume and job stuff.
@amarand I tailor it as much as I can, it just includes more details about my skills and whatnot so I enter the company's name and stuff. It's not generic, per se, it's specific to me and my abilities. I just change who I'm addressing it to when I submit it.
My gut feeling is, you’re getting filtered out at the resume level. If I’m wrong, and you’re getting callbacks, focus on your post-interview process. Do you have an inkling of where you’re getting filtered out in the search process?
@amarand I get a few callbacks and then I get ghosted. It was at the resume level, but now I'm getting rejected by humans. 😜
That’s good news! Just means you need to fix your personality now. 😹
@amarand aww shit, I'm screwed. 🤣
@amarand I'm also going to get my new resume reviewed and see what they say. The last place that did it gave me a score of 75% for the field in I'm, so that's hopeful.
I like a resume that is tailored to a specific job/company if I’m in an underemployed situation. You have the time to make that resume fit the job perfectly. We aren’t typing these on typewriters. Word processors can make custom resumes a snap. And there’s -tons- of info online for specific jobs.
@amarand my resume just has my work history and experience on it and some interests at the bottom. I'm gonna look up how to tailor it to a specific job, I thought that's what the cover letter was for.
The cover letter is from a bygone era when we typed our resumes out, and tailoring a resume to a specific job/position was nearly impossible. It’s like saying “this is my resume, take it or leave it, but just in case it’s not clear, here are the reasons why you should hire me, because my resume doesn’t really say it.” Cover letters are not necessary if you do the resume right.
If you do the resume right, you can post it on the four or five standard job sites and recruiters will find -you-. I get several jobs emailed to me per day, and a call or two a week. For a resume I haven’t updated on-line in 10 years.
@amarand okay, see, that's what I'm looking for. A recruiter would be way better at selling me to companies than I would, I'm a terrible sales person.
This has been an invaluable conversation and I greatly appreciate it. I'm going to take everything you said and apply it.
Plus it’s public, so other people can learn and/or throw their two cents in!
@amarand ooooookay now I see what you're talking about. I'll try to tailor 3 different resumes since I'm trying to go for 3 different jobs.
@amarand a resume service redesigned it and I love the look of it, but you're right, this could use some massaging.
@amarand do people still send out thank you followup emails? Is that outdated?
I always send a thank you email to someone I’ve met with. But I write a custom one for each person. Brief, on-time, shows you were listening during the interview and got their contact information. I usually just try to grab their card if I can, or their email usually has all that. Sometimes. Corporate directory. Assistant might have it.
A cover letter should be brief and to the point. It should help match up any non-obvious experience you have, to the position. It should lead the reader to key points in your resume and the job description, and show -quickly- how you can help them fill the requirement with your skills. That’s it. It’s not a thank you letter.
When I do cover letters, they are 100% new except for header and footer information. The “guts” help you match up your resume to the specific job req.
Honestly, a lot of people do without cover letters these days, and simply have a resume adjusted/tailored to the position.
The “cover letter” stuff is usually handled by whatever initial contact method you’re using. Email? Phone? You need your elevator pitch (phone) or your good email introduction. Who are you (one sentence), what can you bring to the position (specific to the company and position), why you’re the best choice. That’s one paragraph and a sign off.
@amarand I think I'll just use this as my villain arc and start doing the thing in a destructive way. Then I'll have more experience they can ignore.
That’s always an option.
I suspect you’re a cog in your current environment. It’s probably too much work to make a position for you that gives you what you want. Seek elsewhere, quietly, and leave once you find what you’re looking for.
Don’t assume your resume is awesome. I assumed - from your initial post - that it was not.
@amarand I've had my resume done and redone by professional resume builders and reviewers. I've had it modified to pass through ATS systems and it's got those buzz words and corporate lingo. I don't know what else I need to do with my resume to make it awesome.
Have you had your resume reviewed by a friend? Someone who knows you well?
@dr_zooks Because of your experience they might think it would be too difficult to de-program and then re-train you to adhere to their companys particular methods. It's a pretty common thing.
@JLong aww that sucks, I'm more than willing to relearn whatever they want me to. I always tell them I love learning new things. Anyway, thanks for that answer. It's disheartening but I guess it is what it is. 😕
@dr_zooks Imo downplay your experience into something akin to "practice" and love-of-the-game. In an interview, "working for company x is a chance to learn the thing properly, from professionals."
It'll sting but job-hunting is an ego-killer anyways 😂
@JLong that's how I frame it. And I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just showing that I've done everything that's been suggested.
@dr_zooks I don't doubt it. Its a conundrum for sure, ive been there too.
@JLong thanks for all the feedback, though, I really appreciate it. I guess I'll just keep trying.
@dr_zooks No worries. Hope you get an offer soon, fingers crossed.
@dr_zooks
Have you been making money? If not, it’s not considered “professional” experience.
They want references. Proof you can work well with people. Can work within a corporate or military structure.
Although having worked on something for 17 years, why not start your own business doing that thing and pocketing -all- the profit?
What type of work have you been doing during those 17 years?
Hiring managers are probably asking themselves these and many other questions.