No one is even given me an interview!

[Fringe]

I am trying to get a job, I fill in my applications to jobs and no matter what I don't even get an interview. I mean the only interview was like a year ago and it was by some guy who really didn't care about his job at all, he even said "I don't really care for this job" and I knew he wasn't taking this interview with me seriously.

 

But anyway, am I doing it wrong? I put in my application over and over to many places and still no response. Sure, I have no experience, I haven't had a job for a while. I was going through a major hard time in my life and after I got better I then on this wild goose chase to try to find a job. Sure, being out of a job for about 3 years doesn't look good, no experience doesn't look good, but people who have done far worse get jobs still.

 

So yeah, we are in the worst economic recession since the great depression, sure, I live in a place that is hard to find a job even in a good economy, but answer me this, just answer me this. If the stoner accross the street can get a job why can't I? I am clean, he is not.

 

Should I go in to every single place I apply to every single day over and over till they hire me? Because a buddy of mine tried that and he is now banned from some of those places.

 

So what, what am I doing wrong? I am even volunteering too, I put that in, but even still, nothing. No interviews.

 

I call the places and no, nothing.

 

I need a job, I am living off hardly nothing, I am just glad I have a friend that is helping me out with a place to stay. No, I can't get a job at where he works, he is a surgeon and I have tried getting a job at the hospital as a janitor or anything, but no, they are letting people go and not hiring anyone lately.

 

But how are other people who do far less getting jobs and I am not?

 

What am I doing wrong? I must be doing something wrong, something that I have not tired before, I am open to entertain any other ideas anyone may have. I have tried many different things, I am out of ideas, out of ideas that are ethical that is, AND NO, I don't back stab or hurt others to get my way. If you even think about that, get off the computer and look in the mirror and re-evaluate your life.

 

How can I get an interview? I want to at least have a chance.

[Mesemene]

What kind of work experience did you have prior to your 3 year hiatus?

[jaysmaury]

Get on link removed and link removed and have daily updates sent to your email with all of the types of job openings that you want to apply for. Would you be willing to work for min wage? Apply at fast food joints or places with high turnover rates, like some type of sales positions.

[Fringe]

What kind of work experience did you have prior to your 3 year hiatus?

 

Fast food, flipping burgers and cash register. I can count money, settle my drawer, I put those in the applications and stuff, nothing though. No responses. I pretty much have zero experience basically. I thought that would mean on the plus side I have not learned any bad working habits, but no one notices me. I look for a job every single day, I am out by morning and I come back by evening. Nothing. I even explain that I do this

[Mesemene]

If you use those, go ahead and make a nice cover letter and resume - they DO get searched.

 

We're coming up on fall/winter and holiday hiring, so retail should be picking up some seasonal help, same with phone order taking for catalog sales.

 

Not glamorous - but it'd get something current on your resume and application.

[Fringe]

Get on link removed and link removed and have daily updates sent to your email with all of the types of job openings that you want to apply for. Would you be willing to work for min wage? Apply at fast food joints or places with high turnover rates, like some type of sales positions.

 

I already use that. I have tried places that have been looking for work right on the very day they are looking for people and nothing. I have no criminal record, I have no bad marks. I think its the 3 years on empty that people see and go "Well, we wont even acknowledge him."

[jaysmaury]

I look for a job every single day, I am out by morning and I come back by evening. Nothing. I even explain that I do this

 

Next application, walk in confident and mention something about having another interview. Mention that you got an offer from some place but it was less than you were willing to take. When they ask what that is, tell them minimum wage. They will get the sense that you are worth more simply because you told them you are. If there is a place on the application for hourly rate you are requesting, put it at a dollar or two above minimum wage. It will show initiative and employers like that. And come up with something to explain your 3 year hiatus. Make it something reasonable and concise - don't go into too much detail.

[jaysmaury]

Also, link removed is probably the best site for the type of work you're looking for. link removed really caters to the new and relatively inexperienced hourly workforce. Careerbuilder and Monster are better for experienced salary positions.

[Mesemene]

Sometimes it's just right/wrong place and time.

 

Believe me, I can relate. My husband recently went 9 months on unemployment after cutbacks at the company he'd worked for for 5 years - and he's a computer tech (and a good one). The problem? For every job opening, there were 10+ applicants, including people with college degrees looking for ANYTHING because the economy is so bad.

 

So don't give up. He finally found a legitimate work from home position as a tech, but it took a lot of interviews and being told "if our first choice hadn't accepted, the job would've been yours!" Which was about as nice to hear as hearing your SO wants to be just friends

 

But definitely keep at it - college and high school haven't been in session that long, and with the holidays looming, there may be multiple positions open with the potential for perm hire if you impress them

[Perrin83]

Get on link removed and link removed and have daily updates sent to your email with all of the types of job openings that you want to apply for. Would you be willing to work for min wage? Apply at fast food joints or places with high turnover rates, like some type of sales positions.

 

Those websites are garbage. I told Monster that I would not be willing to locate and that I was looking for jobs in electronics. What does it do? Suggests I flip burgers in a state 2000 miles away. Horrible.

[Fringe]

Next application, walk in confident and mention something about having another interview. Mention that you got an offer from some place but it was less than you were willing to take. When they ask what that is, tell them minimum wage. They will get the sense that you are worth more simply because you told them you are. If there is a place on the application for hourly rate you are requesting, put it at a dollar or two above minimum wage. It will show initiative and employers like that. And come up with something to explain your 3 year hiatus. Make it something reasonable and concise - don't go into too much detail.

 

Lying is not my strong suit. I mean if I become desperate enough, lying might not be the only thing I might do, but while my sanity is still intact I will stick with more ethical methods without resorting to cowardly tactics.

[quantumst8]

I'm reminded of an old song...

 

And the sign says "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"

So I put my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why

He said you look like a fine outstanding young man, I think you'll do

So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that, huh, me working for you"

 

The system isn't fair, nor is it honest. Companies often ask a level of morality that they're unwilling to live up to themselves. Now, I'm not saying you should go against your personal beliefs, but I will say that having beliefs costs. And it may continue to cost you work. So just be prepared to keep paying that cost.

[Polis]

Having a large gap of unemployment is unsettling for an employer, especially with the huge surge of applications coming in. Right now an major issue with finding an unskilled job is that EVERYONE is applying for it, even people with specialized experience. Standing out from the masses is difficult to do and, more often than not, it's a crap shoot if ayone sees your resume. The stoner's resume was probably seen while yours may have been pushed into the paper shredder without even being read.

 

How many applications have you submitted? I'm always looking for new positions and I probably applied to 30-40 positions before I was interviewed. These are resumes that require a written response to questions as well as cover letters and sometimes something from my portfolio. So it's not always so easy. I would recommend ALWAYS submitting a cover letter, with a few sentences on why you have a 3 year gap buried within the body. Unfortunately you need to explain yourself somehow to people you will never meet.

 

What does your resume look like?

Have you done any volunteer work or anything during those 3 years of unemployment?

[TheVP]

Fringe,

I interview job applicants all the time. What type of job are you looking for? What approach have you been using to get an interview?

[Fringe]

Fringe,

I interview job applicants all the time. What type of job are you looking for? What approach have you been using to get an interview?

 

What type of job am I looking for? Why do you think I am looking for any particular job, I don't have that luxury. Any job that pays is what I am looking for.

 

My approach is I turn in the application, I often fill out more than one for each place, then I check in and call all those places I went to enough to not be too little but not be too much. I tried doing it on a daily basis and needless to say I am not allowed to call those places any more ever.

[jaysmaury]

Lying is not my strong suit. I mean if I become desperate enough, lying might not be the only thing I might do, but while my sanity is still intact I will stick with more ethical methods without resorting to cowardly tactics.

 

It's not really lying or acting cowardly to mention that another employer somewhere along the line actually found some value in you... Don't lie - come up with something real from your past! An employer would much rather hear that someone actually considered you rather than you telling them how desperate you are and how no one will take you. How bad do you want to get a job? This is what people do... Learn to play the game or starve. Stick to your ethical methods all you want - that doesn't translate into experience or employability.

[Fringe]

I don't know how many applications I have turned in, at least 8 per place if not more, and all together probably near 100. I have filled out tons of those things.

 

My resumes are normal looking I guess. I usually just google search how to write a resume but there are so many types that it gets confusing. Most are for like big businesses, and not much for like if you want a job at the local gas station or something.

 

During the 3 years of unemployment I did not do any volunteer work or anything of that sort. I was in a deep deep depression and could hardly function. I am still getting through it, but I am a lot better than before. Don't ask me the details of what caused the depression, I do not like to discuss them. I will only say that someone took away a few close people in my life. Please leave it at that.

[Fringe]

It's not really lying or acting cowardly to mention that another employer somewhere along the line actually found some value in you... Don't lie - come up with something real from your past! An employer would much rather hear that someone actually considered you rather than you telling them how desperate you are and how no one will take you. How bad do you want to get a job? This is what people do... Learn to play the game or starve. Stick to your ethical methods all you want - that doesn't translate into experience or employability.

 

I don't remember any of the name of the people I worked with in that old job and none of them are there anymore. So saying that the employer I had saw value in me is meaningless unless I can show proof that the person actually saw meaning. Maybe it is just me, but if someone says an employer saw value in the person, I would want to talk with that employer to make sure that person isn't making things up, because for all I know he could of been the laziest person on the job.

 

Anything real from my past is not much, I basically am starting fresh in a sense.

[Polis]

My resumes are normal looking I guess. I usually just google search how to write a resume but there are so many types that it gets confusing. Most are for like big businesses, and not much for like if you want a job at the local gas station or something.

 

I would recommend including cover letters with all your resumes explaining your lapse in employment due to medical reasons that have been resolved (I hope). Obviously the cover letter should include more than that but include a setence or two explaining the lapse.

 

Also do you use the same resume to apply to all those places? Tailoring a resume is important, if you want send me an email and we can arrange a way to review your resume. Most low wage positions don't require resumes or cover letters, however on an application you can write "Please contact me for further details regarding my lapse in employment." or something to that effect. You just have to be willing to explain yourself.

 

I won't ask you about your medical issues, but if you went to a doctor of some sort during that time for your issues then I would also have a statement from the office.

 

What skill sets do you have? Software? Amature mechanic?

[Fringe]

If they ask me what caused my depression, will it be ok if I choose not to say why. It isn't because the reason would make me look bad, it is just very hard for me to talk about it or think about it and when ever I do I start feeling cold and lifeless again.

 

My skills are I can work on a cash register and I have people skills, and not much else that is useful or that I can think of. I have zero software skills, and I don't have any skills at all in any mechanics.

[annony]

I used to work in a position where I would interview people for work in a restaurant.

Honestly, in that type of work, experience wasn't the first thing we looked at. We didn't even background check our hires, we just called a couple references from their resume.

The actually experience on their resume was probably the least important thing. We tried to hire people we thought would be easy to train, and that we'd enjoy working with.

Here are some harsh, but true things about how we decided who to interview...

-People that came in to apply in street clothes, never got an interview. Only those who came dressed up in nice clothes did. Jeans and t-shirt didn't fly.

-Cover letters were a must. Take the time to write a letter about why you'd like to work there. Doesn't have to be long, but it shows you took the time, and that you care about that job vs another one.

-People with sloppy hand writing didn't usually get their applications read. If it looks like it was filled out by a 13 year old boy, with short answers that are hard to read, or comically large print didn't usually get called back.

-People that left their resume's with the server instead of asking for the manager didn't get called back. Not because the managers didn't get them either, but because we didn't want to hire someone that was so shy they couldn't shake hands. Dropping off your application is really just a first interview in disguise.

-We wanted to hire people that we'd enjoy working with. We didn't want to make coming in to work miserable for ourselves. Being friendly and likable is the most important trait to project.

-People who brought their friends, or worse, their mothers in with them to drop off the application didn't get called back. Leave your moral support out of sight.

-If you can't print the application online, and have to go in to pick one up, same rules apply as for dropping it off, dress nice, ask for the manager, and if possible, return the application within an hour.

[turnera]

If you're just looking for fast food jobs, go to link removed and link removed. That's where you'll find them.

 

If you're out from morning to night, what exactly are you doing? Are you going down the street, stopping in every business and asking for an application?

[turnera]

Why are you not attending a trade school instead of looking for work?

[Fringe]

I used to work in a position where I would interview people for work in a restaurant.

Honestly, in that type of work, experience wasn't the first thing we looked at. We didn't even background check our hires, we just called a couple references from their resume.

The actually experience on their resume was probably the least important thing. We tried to hire people we thought would be easy to train, and that we'd enjoy working with.

Here are some harsh, but true things about how we decided who to interview...

I actually have no references. The people I worked with back at the first job I do not remember their names at all. Maybe a few first names but no last names, and no numbers either. They do not work at that place anymore and I don't know where the people are now.

 

-People that came in to apply in street clothes, never got an interview. Only those who came dressed up in nice clothes did. Jeans and t-shirt didn't fly.

I always where the best clothes I have. Its has buttons and a collar and is black and I wear very nice jeans and nice shoes.

 

-Cover letters were a must. Take the time to write a letter about why you'd like to work there. Doesn't have to be long, but it shows you took the time, and that you care about that job vs another one.

I will do that, but if they want to know what caused my depression, is there a way to tell them what happened without telling them what happened? Like is it ok to tell them I was in a massive depression caused by a traumatic event but not say what caused the traumatic event? It isn't that I don't want people to know, I just relive the event in my mind when ever I talk or think about it. I have worked hard to keep the memory at bay, locked away.

 

 

-People with sloppy hand writing didn't usually get their applications read. If it looks like it was filled out by a 13 year old boy, with short answers that are hard to read, or comically large print didn't usually get called back.

I have pretty nice handwriting.

 

-People that left their resume's with the server instead of asking for the manager didn't get called back. Not because the managers didn't get them either, but because we didn't want to hire someone that was so shy they couldn't shake hands. Dropping off your application is really just a first interview in disguise.

That is something I haven't done before. Well it does seem pretty important.

 

-We wanted to hire people that we'd enjoy working with. We didn't want to make coming in to work miserable for ourselves. Being friendly and likable is the most important trait to project.

Well anyone that wants someone like that will see that I had a history of depression and instantly move to the next guy. I can be friendly, but I can't be energetic or spunky even if I tried.

 

-People who brought their friends, or worse, their mothers in with them to drop off the application didn't get called back. Leave your moral support out of sight.

I go alone

 

-If you can't print the application online, and have to go in to pick one up, same rules apply as for dropping it off, dress nice, ask for the manager, and if possible, return the application within an hour.

I will do that as well.

 

 

 

Thanks for the info.

[Voguester]

I went through a stage where I would put my resume into a 100 different places and for retail or office jobs, i thought there would be a an abundance of those going around throughout the year but apparently not! It made me so down and I almost gave up but just recently I have 2 jobs right now, both are casual so I thought I'd look for a full time position. I found one that I applied for and I have an interview tomorrow...I have jobs coming out of my ears!

 

Just don't give up, that's my advice. There's certain times of the years like now that employers are looking for people so I would just keep applying to as many places as you can and maybe get some advice on your resume and cover letters.