job-seeker contacts/advice

[nodakfan17]

I really appreciate this feedback on Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn. I would have started by combing through company websites one at a time.

[OldHeidelberg]

I really appreciate this feedback on Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn. I would have started by combing through company websites one at a time.

 

I had read about it but didn't realize it until becoming unemployed again, there has been a shift from employees being made to feel like they are lucky to have a job to employers being lucky to have employees. I can't say this exist in all professions but it is definitely happening in the service sector as well as IT. In my view this is a good side effect of COVID.

[umphrey]

Between inflation, record sales, and the great resignation, companies are having a hard time filling jobs. Ask for a good salary.

[jerichoholicninja]

I've been doing a semi-serious job search since about October. I'm seeing lots of openings but I'd say 75% of them are manufacturing, retail/service, and health care - things I'm either not qualified for or not interested in. I do most of my searching on Indeed but our Chamber of Commerce website does have a good number of listings and I've found other chambers do a good job of that too. I look at the Wisconsin Job Center website every now and then but so much of what they have are postings from employment agencies that it's not worth my time. I've tried looking at jobs on LinkedIn but all I find are manager postings for retail and fast food places and then high level jobs for national corporations which I'll never get nor am I even qualified for.

 

I'll confirm that Indeed is the best I've found.

[nodakfan17]

Does anyone have suggestions for contacting a career counselor? It’s been 11 years since my last job search and I’m feeling a bit lost. I wonder if someone could help me turn my raw thoughts into productive dialogue.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't, but there's nothing they're going to tell you that isn't on Google or YouTube. All I will say is that today vs even 10 years ago, resumes need actionable things. A list of duties will not tell anyone anything. It's impossible to get specific without any kind of knowledge of position or field but for example:

 

-Stocked shelves

 

vs.

 

-Managed inventory for grocery chain location that saw 25% reduction in food waste and top 3 net sales in market

 

When you are specific about value added it is always better than just rambling about tasks. Shifting careers is easier if you can easily promote yourself as useful. Again, without line of work it is impossible, but sometimes it is as simple as YouTubing a new program, grasping a basic knowledge of it, then, well, lying on a resume and knowing enough to pass an interview, and learning it on the job.

 

A ton of analyst/software positions basically end up with you Googling how to do things anyway. I'm not suggesting you fake being a software engineer, but things like SalesForce, yeah, you can totally lie about and learn as you go.

[ewitkows]

I switched Mid pandemic from a company that I worked at for 6 years. They treated people like **** and over 60% of the company has turned over in the last 18 months. I'm in aerospace so I'm limited to the amount of jobs here in the MKE area but I found a fully remote position with a significant raise. I've always been loyal to my employers but I've totally changed my tune in the last couple of years. They fired people for minor infractions and worked people to burnout. If I find something better, I'll jump again. It's really the only way to get ahead. 3% raises really don't cover cost of living increases.

[nodakfan17]

Do people really put a bulleted list of skills on top of their resumes now? I don’t think this was in vogue during my last job search in 2011.

[nate82]

Do people really put a bulleted list of skills on top of their resumes now? I don’t think this was in vogue during my last job search in 2011.

 

Depends on the job. For IT jobs it is a must as you need to list out certificates and other things. It is also easier to list out what systems you have experience with like JAVA, JAVASCRIPT, C+, C, C#, Python, etc. Even IT Business Analyst positions you need to do this as there are a bunch of things you need to list out and it is far easier to do it in bullet points. For example I have listed on my resume Teradata, NOSQL, SQL, Oracle, Postgresql, Alteryx, Tableau, Python, SAS, R, COGNOS, VBA and a few others. My friend who is more into the trading side of finance lists out the trading platforms that he uses.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Do people really put a bulleted list of skills on top of their resumes now? I don’t think this was in vogue during my last job search in 2011.

 

Let's say you're a generic business analyst. My main point was more that instead of putting something like "assisted in building new marketing campaigns," you want something like "led campaign that increased year over year shoe sales 45%". Many, many people do the former, but the latter shows clear value and lends itself to discussion in an interview.

[nodakfan17]

I put together a resume and cover letter this weekend (first time in years). I thought it was a solid draft, but am looking for some feedback. I wound up going to Fiverr to find a career coach who could spend 30 minutes reviewing my application material and providing feedback for $20. I assume this is some low level HR employee who moonlights as a ‘career coach,’ to earn some pocket money, but for $20, I see no downside.

 

Wow, is that site ever a rabbit hole. For that same $20, I could also get a personalized acceptance letter to Hogwarts or some NSFW erotic anime. Hmmm, decisions, decisions …

[jerichoholicninja]

You could send your resume and cover letter to 10 hiring mangers and get 10 totally different opinions ranging from "it's horrible" to "when can you start". It's like trying to play a game but you don't know any of the rules.

[nodakfan17]

I’ll track all of my applications and responses and report back. This will be an interesting case study. I have a masters degree in my field with 12 years progressive experience. I’m looking to make a lateral move for less stress, some growth opportunities, and a 10% pay increase. I may apply to a few ‘reach’ jobs, but for the most part, I should be a qualified applicant. I’m curious to know if the tight labor market is real (I’m assuming this is the case) or if employers are just belly-aching because personnel costs have gone up 10% (also plausible).

[GAME05]

There's a section in "How to Win Friends and Influence People" which talks about cover letters, basically what is attractive to hiring managers and which aren't. The whole book is great but that would be a particular section worth looking over.

[reillymcshane]

I’m curious to know if the tight labor market is real (I’m assuming this is the case) or if employers are just belly-aching because personnel costs have gone up 10% (also plausible).

I'm guessing that it's a combination of both of those things. And a lot of companies simply aren't nimble enough or willing enough to do what it takes to keep things running smoothly.

 

The tight labor market is very real - at least in some sectors. Maybe not all of them - but a lot of them.

 

A huge issue that a lot of people don't talk about it is the number of people who have retired in 2022/21. These are - generally - people 55+. Many still had a lot of good years left in them in the job market - but for a variety of reasons, they said 'enough.' As a 57 year old, I know many of these people. And it's contributed to a lot of open jobs, and a great market for job seekers.

[NeedMoreFans]

I'm a teacher. The past few school years have absolutely drained me and I am suffering some pretty significant burnout, so I'm actually looking at a possible career change. I've been in education in some capacity for the past 16 years (13 at my current school) and I have no idea how to start looking for jobs. I have a solid education-field resume, but I have to figure out how to adapt it for non-education jobs if I choose to go that route. I keep hearing that companies love hiring teachers because they bring a lot of skills to the table, but I don't know how to reflect that on a resume.

[TURBO]

I'm a teacher. The past few school years have absolutely drained me and I am suffering some pretty significant burnout, so I'm actually looking at a possible career change. I've been in education in some capacity for the past 16 years (13 at my current school) and I have no idea how to start looking for jobs. I have a solid education-field resume, but I have to figure out how to adapt it for non-education jobs if I choose to go that route. I keep hearing that companies love hiring teachers because they bring a lot of skills to the table, but I don't know how to reflect that on a resume.

 

You want to talk about worker shortage, the teaching profession is in dire need of bodies... So much so, that they will hire almost anyone with a degree. We all knew it was going to happen after ACT 10 was triggered, but I don't think anyone saw it coming to this degree.

 

My school used to have 40-50 applicants for job openings, now we are lucky to get 5.

 

There is no reason for anyone to go into a profession that is high in uncompensated hours, disrespected openly, pays like crap, reduced benefits (depending on what district you work in, benefits are all over the map) and is a tough damn job mentally, especially since the pandemic hit in 2020. Burnout is happening at a severely accelerated rate. It's real, not just stuff you read, it's happening.

 

I don't see what can be done in the near future to correct the problem, but the first step needs to be higher pay. Money always talks.

 

I'm retiring at the end of this school year, thankfully. If I was in my 20's or 30's and was teaching currently, there isn't a chance in hell I would be able to stick with this job until retirement. So many are teaching for 3-5 years, then bailing. It just isn't worth it.

[reillymcshane]

I'm a teacher. The past few school years have absolutely drained me and I am suffering some pretty significant burnout, so I'm actually looking at a possible career change. I've been in education in some capacity for the past 16 years (13 at my current school) and I have no idea how to start looking for jobs. I have a solid education-field resume, but I have to figure out how to adapt it for non-education jobs if I choose to go that route. I keep hearing that companies love hiring teachers because they bring a lot of skills to the table, but I don't know how to reflect that on a resume.

 

You want to talk about worker shortage, the teaching profession is in dire need of bodies... So much so, that they will hire almost anyone with a degree. We all knew it was going to happen after ACT 10 was triggered, but I don't think anyone saw it coming to this degree.

 

My school used to have 40-50 applicants for job openings, now we are lucky to get 5.

 

There is no reason for anyone to go into a profession that is high in uncompensated hours, disrespected openly, pays like crap, reduced benefits (depending on what district you work in, benefits are all over the map) and is a tough damn job mentally, especially since the pandemic hit in 2020. Burnout is happening at a severely accelerated rate. It's real, not just stuff you read, it's happening.

 

I don't see what can be done in the near future to correct the problem, but the first step needs to be higher pay. Money always talks.

 

I'm retiring at the end of this school year, thankfully. If I was in my 20's or 30's and was teaching currently, there isn't a chance in hell I would be able to stick with this job until retirement. So many are teaching for 3-5 years, then bailing. It just isn't worth it.

 

I am 57, and have three friends who are teachers who have retired in the last year. Just fed up with it all. My sister-in-law is eligible to retire, but she stayed this year. Still loves the work. But she probably won't last more than another year or two.

[NeedMoreFans]

There are several reasons why I want to leave, but money isn't even in my top 10. I teach four different courses each semester and that requires a lot of planning each day. Students are far more disengaged this year than ever (excluding last year, but that may be part of the problem), chronic cell phone use, the hallways and bathrooms smell like weed all the time, fighting, I could go on and on.

[TURBO]

There are several reasons why I want to leave, but money isn't even in my top 10. I teach four different courses each semester and that requires a lot of planning each day. Students are far more disengaged this year than ever (excluding last year, but that may be part of the problem), chronic cell phone use, the hallways and bathrooms smell like weed all the time, fighting, I could go on and on.

 

Yeah, I didn't even mention the student behavior issues, disengagement, and lack of any direction to head these issues off now or in the future by administration.

 

The past couple of decades of the passive approach to discipline, or complete lack of discipline all together is now starting to creep up and bite everyone in the butt. Those first generations of "feel good about yourself" parents now have kids in the high schools. Those parents raised kids and were there friends, not their parents.

 

Restorative discipline took all accountability and responsibility from the kids, put it on the teachers, and we are seeing the fruits of that farce as well.

 

Talk about a failed social experiment.

 

Like I said, if I were just starting out in this profession, I'd already be looking for a new career option, it's that bad...

 

We are going to see very few people enter the teaching profession and finish their careers as teachers. The days of teaching 30 years are over. no one is going to last that long.

 

We have completely lost all control, and it's very sad.

[nodakfan17]

I’m doing some career soul-searching now and occasionally wonder if I would have been better off (or at least more fulfilled) teaching high school. I appreciate the candid posts from the teachers out there. They help keep me level and remind me the grass is not always greener.

[igor67]

We don't allow cell phones, do have discipline, and focus on academics. In short you are reminding me why I don't mind having left large district school 15 years ago. It cost me money, but I do get to enjoy doing my job and observing students actually learning. On the theme of the thread I have been a key part of a lot of that success over the years, but I find that translating that into resume language is rather challenging for a variety of reasons. I have done a variety of management type functions, but never been a manager as an example. Sat on the school board and reviewed, but never prepared financials... It's not a combination of skills others are expecting. So I have found switching careers (for reasons that have nothing to do with satisfaction or the pandemic) to be difficult at this stage. For example my network is almost entirely other educators or parents whom I can't really use to switch careers.

[nate82]

Sat on the school board and reviewed, but never prepared financials... It's not a combination of skills others are expecting. So I have found switching careers (for reasons that have nothing to do with satisfaction or the pandemic) to be difficult at this stage. For example my network is almost entirely other educators or parents whom I can't really use to switch careers.

 

Not sure what you need references for. I haven't found a job that actually looks up the references. I put Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin and Bender "Bending" Rodriguez on my last application. I asked the person interviewing me and the HR rep if they looked at my references section and they did not. I turned down their offer as they wouldn't budge on the working from home option would have been 100% in the office.

 

The reference section on a resume or even being asked during an application is probably something that is just left over from a bygone era. I can't remember the last time I was contacted as a reference or someone that I have put down in the reference section has been contacted. Just an absolute waste of time and the temp job companies that ask you to put references down usually just uses them to get leads for jobs.

[nodakfan17]

I’ve managed my department’s summer intern program for 7 years and have received 3-4 calls from would-be employers inquiring about the interns’ work ability (or, more likely, validating that they weren’t lying about holding an internship). I’d keep some references in your back pocket to furnish upon request, but would not stress about preparing a long list.

[nate82]

I’ve managed my department’s summer intern program for 7 years and have received 3-4 calls from would-be employers inquiring about the interns’ work ability (or, more likely, validating that they weren’t lying about holding an internship). I’d keep some references in your back pocket to furnish upon request, but would not stress about preparing a long list.

 

Maybe it is still true for entry level or just beyond entry level jobs but everything after that I haven't seen a need to list references. It seems to be mostly ignored the further you go up the experience level.