We get dozens of e-mails asking for career advice each week. We actually try to answer every one. Sometimes, it's easy to make suggestions and provide resources. Other times, it's pretty difficult. Below is an e-mail we received from a reader. I challenge you to give him some advice in the comment section below. I warn you - this one isn't easy...and borderline controversial.
What do you think he should do?
"I'm 55 years old. I started working when I was 13 and have worked all my life. Most of the time I had 2 jobs at a time. In July, I lost my job. I have put out over 100 resumes out either by hand or by Internet. I am listed with 4 temp services. I have only had one reply.
At the age of 40 years old, I did something stupid. I turned my back and let the store manager and his assistant manager walk out with something. Because they were good friends with the judge, I was the only one that was charged. I served 180 days and 3 years probation and paid the company back for something I did not do.
I has been over 13 years since this happened and I have not gotten into any more trouble. My history shows that I am not a bad person. Why is it employers do a background check on me they don't look at the time when it happened and how long it has been? But, they hire people that they can't run a background check on, they don't know their history but they still get hired. How can you justify that?
They don't have a history to go on, they don't have a social security number, and they are not even U.S. citizens. How is this right? I am going to lose everything because of this and the government does not care. What happened to the U.S.A. when we don't care about our people and when only care about illegal immigrates? They can get loans to start a business with no history, no work record, and no credit history.
How can we justify this? You can't. If this is the way it is going to be done, we should change the country's name to Mexico, India, or whatever because you don't care about the Americans. I live where there are about 500 people and over 400 of them are non U.S. citizens. I have to watch them go to work everyday. I have worked for over 40 years, I can't even get unemployment because the last 2 years where I worked didn't take out taxes. But, I pay my taxes every year, and that seems to not count for anything. I have only drawn unemployment once in my lifetime, what happens to all the money that was paid in that? I have not gotten it. It was paid in my name and social security number, it should be mine with interest.
No, our government got it and used it and now I have nothing to show but a get-out notice. Are they going to help me out now that I need help? No, they are not. How many homeless people are non U.S. citizens? None. They have our government, or should I say their government. This is sad. It's not run by the people because they lie and don't care. The jobs that I have applied for I have over 5 to 20 years experience at them. I can do the job but I don't get the chance to. All I want to do is work and take care of my family. Tell me what I need to do or who I need to talk to."
Pretty intense, right? So, how would you respond to this person?Photo credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
We get dozens of e-mails asking for career advice each week. We actually try to answer every one. Sometimes, it's easy to make suggestions and provide resources. Other times, it's pretty difficult. Below is an e-mail we received from a reader. I challenge you to give him some advice in the comment section below. I warn you - this one isn't easy...and borderline controversial.
What do you think he should do?
Bigstock
Bigstock
Bigstock
