What is a reasonable amount of time to expect some kind of response? Or should I even expect a response if I am not chosen for a job? I hate to seem pushy but I am operating on a timeline here :rolleyes: Or maybe I am just anxious.

For the record, job searching sucks.

Travis,
I work as a career counselor at a college here in Houston, TX. I would tell you not to wait, or expect, a response from an on-line application.

It has been my experience, and through listening to our students who have gone this path, that your chances of ever hearing back from them are pretty slim. To date, I have not met a SINGLE person who applied on line ONLY and gotten a job..

I recommend: Choose your target company. Apply on-line if that option exists, then call and make contact with someone within Human Resources-or the hiring manager for the department that you wish to work in. Once you have established contact, get that persons e-mail address or fax #, and send them your resume directly. After sending the resume, call the next day to confirm receipt. Once you have confirmed receipt, wait one week and then call back to inquire on the status.

You CAN'T afford to wait for someone to call you. Even after you have sent your resume to your target company, keep sending it out to other companies as well! Don't stop sending that resume out until you are hired and working at the job you want. You can never have too many offers, but you certainly can have too few jobs right?

If there is a target company/position that you are seeking, call the company and try to speak with someone who is currently working in that position. Once on the phone with that person, tell them that you are interested in working for said company in said position and find out who the hiring manager is, and how you should go about getting into the company. Most people want to be helpful so they will share with you information that you will NEVER get from the companys web site, or from H/R.. I used to be a recruiter and people within the company are your best chance of getting hired on-you simply have to learn how to utilize them as a resource. If you make contact with a "coach" (as we call them) within the company-send them a thank you card! Keep them updated on how you are doing, and where you are at in the process. Someone pulling for you from the inside, or telling you how best to fight the battle can prove invaluable.

The more aggressive you are, and the more contacts you make within the organization, the better your chances. You can use this same job search model for most any company. Now go get 'em!

Thanks!

The only problem is that several of the companies I am looking at going to work for specifically state that they should not be contacted...basically, don't call us, we'll call you. But, with some of the other companies, I will give your approach a shot. I don't guess it could hurt.

FWIW, I haven't stopped sending resume's. I think I have sent abotu 40 out so far and shot another one off today. Definately can't have too many job offers.

Travis,
Those very companies that say do not call-YOU BETTER CALL! There have been several write ups about this recently and all of the "experts" say that it won't hurt your chances to call, and will usually better your chances of getting hired on.

Think of it this way, how many people (like yourself) read the "Don't call!" sign, and then leave it at that? Most probably. So that one aggressive person that takes that extra step to call and introduce themselves is likely to get noticed and that could lead to a job.

Again I recommend that you find a "coach" within the company that can assist you. If you call the hiring manager and say that "John Doe (your coach)" referred you, I would bet a million dollars that they won't say "Hey-you are not supposed to be calling here"... See my point?

Get aggressive man! You REALLY want a job? You better reach down, grab hold tightly, charge forward, and then not let anyone stop you until you reach the person who has authority to hire..

Who has your job? A lowly gate-keeping receptionist? And you are gonna allow that under paid paper pusher to keep you from supporting your family, your car hobby, your beer fund? I hate to say it Travis, but you would not survive long here in the big city.. You want something here-you have to step up to the plate and take it..

Employers can smell confidence, and usually they can sense/smell a lack of it as well.. The jobs are out there, you simply have to want it bad enough.

I am not bagging on you and hope you don't take personal offense. It is just my nature to try and motivate in what ever way I can.

I'm thinking that if a company states specifically on their website not to call, and you call anyway, then the first impression is "this guy doesn't know how to follow instructions...throw this resume in the trash". My company, for example, does not accept calls for jobs...even if you can go thru enough hoops to get ahold of someone in the hiring department. Another company I have been trying to get on with for nearly a year now won't answer their phones, or reply to e-mails. I have spoken with that hiring manager a couple of times...it was obvious that he wasn't going to waste valuable screw off time to help me out any :mad:

I'll see what I can stir up today. And FWIW, you can keep your "big city" jobs tongue.gif

graemlins/beers.gif

FWIW,

The last guy I hired bugged the snot out of me. I picked him because he obviously wanted the job more than the other candidates.

He was a GOOD hire.

Persistance often wins even when the the motivated candidate is LESS qualified.

Bug them !!

Besides, what kind of legitimate company does not want to talk to potential employees? Not so sure I'd want to work for someone that doesn't take calls from applicants. Something seems weird about that - unless they get a lot of whackos calling all the time or something . . . LOL

It seems that a lot of the companies I am looking at require a passing a test to even consider getting hired. Same with my company...3 days worth of testing. Maybe thats why they wouldn't talk to anybody. They just took the applications and tested everybody that applied. Looks like some of these other jobs are the same way.

I guess you are saying that the job transfer internally before you got cut didn't work out??

Sorry to hear it b/c I figured you'd be a dandy in Sales or Customer Tech Services..

Hang in there guy.. Good luck..

pdq67

Funny story there Paul. I was just speaking to one of the few remaining sales guys left in our building just yesterday. The pulled the job add off of our internal website. This sales guy said that they was moving all the jobs to OKC, probably putting the building up for sale, and the company is absolutely NOT letting any employee (management or otherwise) transfer into a different field. What a bunch of crap :mad: Makes me even more glad to get the heck out of dodge.

Heck, I was kind of looking forward to it too graemlins/sad.gif