It's time for an update! Much has happened over the last few weeks. I started my job working in the Office of the Bursar at Indiana University and just this week I had an interview in New York for a position in the Registrar's Office at the State University of New York (the Purchase campus). As I wait to hear back with fingers crossed, I reflect on the process of job searching.
Job searching or hunting which denotes a struggle for survival, is not for the faint of heart. First, the application process. The process of putting together a resume that is appealing to the eyes in it's format as well as appealing to the brain for its content. It is a gamble deciding what words from the English language you should use. Now a days, most job applications have to be submitted through the Internet. No one wants a paper copy or an email with a resume attached. I have discovered they do this for very specific reasons.
When you submit a resume and cover letter into the company of interest's data system the system performs a simple word association scan. If your resume and cover letter contain a number of keywords that have been entered into the system as desirable then your application is elevated to an observation level and into human hands. So if you aren't careful in choosing your words, your application may be sent right into the cyber recycling bin without a second thought. I think of my resume screaming out as it is being sucked into a giant black hole, never to be found again!
So if you manage to survive the computer scan and make it onto the hands of a living being it doesn't mean you have finally arrived. Humans are critical and can dismiss your application for far less sophisticated reasons. For example, a manager in his/her late 50's may be threatened by a young wo/man with more education and experience and therefore may dismiss the application for his/her own security. Or even more cynical, a wo/man might simply not like the applicants name because of a past event!
I know it may seem silly or improbable to think people are so shallow but unfortunately, we are! So even if you choose all the right words your application can come to a screeching halt due to uncontrollable circumstances. However, if you have a name that doesn't trigger a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) event in your future supervisor and are lucky enough to have a well adjusted person review your application you may just find yourself in line for an interview.
The interview, for me, is the least of my worries. I feel that I am an easy person to get along with and in a short amount of time can let my personality shine through. Maybe it's all those social events in NYC that have brought me into my own as a network-er or maybe it is my confidence that I am a good person and any organization/business would be lucky to have an employee like me . . . cocky? No, confident! My ability to control my nerves and focus on making a good first impression on new people makes me a good interviewer.
Okay, so I passed the computer scan, the human once-over and the live interview. Now comes the hardest part, the waiting. I know I am one of the contenders but the unknown of who I am competing against starts to build anxiety. The candidates could be past employees or employees from another department. Maybe a son or daughter of an employee or a friend of the supervisor. Who knows if the other candidates have more experience or gave a better interview. All one can do at this point is wait, wait for the phone to ring.
The job hunting process is filled with controllable and uncontrollable variables. In this economy where unemployment is near 8%, a number which has gone down due to the number of Americans who have decided to remove their resumes from the job hunt entirely, it is a statistically certain that getting a job will take time and patience and maybe a miracle! Rejection will most likely be the outcome and defeat will devour you if you don't continue the hunt.
I just wish there was a way to get noticed among the sea of electronic applications. Survival instinct, I did something risky today and I tried to call one of the offices I applied for directly. I thought maybe if I spoke to someone in the department that it might tie a red balloon to my hand and make me stand out from the crowd. My optimism and courage helped me push through as the receptionist laughed at me on the phone. "Please transfer me to Human Resources", I said firmly. I would not be rebuffed! But once transferred the department of Human Resources only gave me a serious of prerecorded messages with no offer to speak to a living being.
I though I might take a trip and start walking into the offices I have applied to but envision a bold move like that removing my name from the not only the list of resumes in consideration but black list me from the entire establishment. How does one get a head in this market? How does one stand out? I think it must just be the wait and see approach for now and hope that statistically, the more applications I submit the higher my chances of being plucked from the masses and offered a job.
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