Job help

I've been job hunting for 3 months, I have accounts at Monster and Hotjobs and go through newspapers city by city in the classified applying to jobs. I'm a better programmer than most of the people that I graduated with, but I still can't find a job. I've gotten about ten interviews, but then never hear back from them. Anyone have any advice on getting noticed?

I'm also low on money and starting to get student loan bills, it's also leading me towards depression I'm going to go crawl in a hole for a while.

We shouldn't arm ourself for war, arms are for hugging

Have you given your resume to any employment agencies/head hunters?

"Anyone have any advice on getting noticed?"

Go to your next interview naked. I promise you'll be noticed. Not hired, but....



Where are you located, other than G-spot? Some parts of the country have high unemployment rates and other parts are begging for any warm-blooded body that can pass a drug test. Find the part of the country that needs more programmers and look for work there.

Are you staying in contact with your old classmates? Contact as many as you can, and let them know you're looking for work. If they're working and are valued at their workplace, a good word from them to their employer might land you a job. Get out there and network.

Follow-up any interview with a phone call a week or so later. If they've hired someone else, look for clues as to why the other person was hired instead of you. Tell them you're still looking for the right job and ask if they expect any more openings or if they know of anyone else looking for someone with your skills.

Before your next interview, prepare for it. You should know something about the company before walking through the door. If they've called you for an interview it's because your resume impressed them enough to take that first step. From that point you've just got to convince them that you can handle the job well and be a good "fit" with their company.

Good luck!

Fantastic advice Joe

You need to be able to answer the $6,000,000.00 question:

What can you bring to our corporation.... why should we hire you instead of...joe blow...?

You have this great skill that will make their company flourish. Convince them that they need you! It's a whole new mind-set. They aren't interviewing YOU, .... you need to look at it like YOU are 'interviewing them' for the priviledge of your expertise.

When I was a teenager, we didn't have MTV.
We had to take drugs and go to Rock Concerts!

All good advice here. Everyone is finding it a little tough to break into the job market right now. Headhunters are a great thing in the tech field. They have contracts with big companies for jobs that are not advertised. Also, go to all the major corporate websites of the companies you are interested in and submit your resume online. Networking is also great. Talk to friends of your parents, and parents of your friends..... **HUGS** for the hugger.

Bingo, that is the absolutely correct question to answer. The answer I like to give is "Well, ya know...I'm very highly motivated. I've managed to kick the cocaine habit all by myself. I'm still working on the heroin addiction. But, ya know, dude...it's all like ducks in a row. I'll get there." I get more call-backs than you can imagine.

Seriously, that IS the question you have to answer. If you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and make the person *see* you doing the job, then you will get an offer. You can make the person *see* you doing the job by the questions you ask...imagine yourself doing the job, pretend it's your first day, and that you are trying to figure what the fuck to do rather than hover at the coffee machine. If you can give the hiring manager a mental image of you doing the job, then you will likely get the offer.

HR folks are the most entertaining to interview with, however. They don't make the decision, they just make it happen and validate the hiring manager's decisions. One of those HR questions that I love is "What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?" You sure you want me to answer that? Well, how about sitting on a beach with a laptop pretending I'm working, scuba diving in the mornings, playing volleyball in the afternoons, playing music at night, drinking all the booze I can handle, and fucking your brains out (if female)/fucking your wife's brains out (if male)? Sound like a reasonable goal to you? If so, I'd really like to start by bending you over your desk while I fill out this silly fucking application.

BD

Look for Wicked Truth's release "Into You" on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, Napster, and eMusic.

Grr, I got a call two days ago about wanting to set up an interview, which they said they'd do yesterday, but they didn't

BD, I sent you an email.

We shouldn't arm ourself for war, arms are for hugging

Ahhhhh... the American Dream.