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Topic: Why can't I find my dream job?
| Author | Message |
| foodlit | Posted – 5/16/2008 2:43:51 PM | show profile You really don't have to worry about senior staffers applying for entry-level jobs. They generally are not seriously considered because they are overqualified. That's usually not seen as a plus for a junior job because the ideal is to have someone who will be really excited and challenged in the role, not someone who has a foot half out the door the minute a better-paying job comes along, which happens regularly. I agree with the others who stressed the importance of networking. Also, ask for informational interviews, get in front of hiring managers so that they'll think of you when something opens up...or push to create a job for you, or find a place for you somewhere...this happens all the time too if they like you. Make a good impression with the right people and they'll think of you and try to get you in. Tell everyone you know that you're open to a new opportunity, get the word out and be very aggressive, in addition to applying for openings, which doesn't seem to be working for some reason. I wonder if your cover letter is too formal as someone else said? Or maybe you are attaching it rather than just writing it in the email and attaching the resume. Keep the cover letter short and sweet, remember it's a sales piece, so stress how you fit the job and have any specific criteria they're looking for. The goal of that email is to have us immediately open your resume, excited to see it. I have a tips sheet am happy to send you if you shoot me an email, pam@customsearchgroup.com It's a handout I give on interviewing/resumes/networking. Might be an idea or two that could help. Good luck, Pam |
| WordyBird | Posted – 5/17/2008 7:21:43 PM | show profile "WordyBird, would you also think that the competition is rough because it's the season of layoffs, so senior staffers are applying for fairly beginner positions?" Not sure, Bruise. As someone who would be considered "senior," I wouldn't look for beginner positions not only because, well, hey, I'm done with that, but also because I know they aren't going to pay. I'd imagine other senior staff types would think the same way. Then again, this is a recession, so maybe there are folks who got laid off who are looking at lower positions. Recruiters have contacted me for low-paying, beginner positions, as well--thinking to get the most experience for the lowest salary, I guess. |
| jseconds77 | Posted – 5/17/2008 7:45:04 PM | show profile journalism is dead hello, sorry to hear, we have the same problem. made front page, above the fold many times a week as a crime and courts newspaper reporter; fired! editor has lost 8-10 people since becoming editor and she has only been there one year. paper has a lousy rep, too. So, no callbacks for me. I even got my work published in NY Daily News; which won an award, continue to work with national and internationally recognized music artists for a music mag with a circ. of over 300,000. no writing gigs for me. forget journalism, for now. why? smaller papers have big egos, bigger papers don't care about smaller ones, so don't matter if you work hard at a small, no-name paper...bigger papers scoff. and correct me if I'm wrong, but all I see the industry doing is using people like day laborers: UNPAID Internships, UNPAID paper gigs, unpaid my ass.... commuter train ticket passes to NYC cost like 250/month. |
| jobhunter08 | Posted – 5/27/2008 8:38:28 PM | show profile I graduated last year, worked abroad, and returned after my visa expired. 50 jobs is absolutely nothing compared to the amount of jobs I've applied for. At least you're employed, think of it that way, because some of us aren't. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 5/27/2008 9:41:00 PM | show profile The difficulty with NYC is ... ...you either need a ton of kick-ass experience, or you need to be connected ... or BOTH. As I've said many times before, New York City is a brutal place for beginners. It's a DESTINATION market, not a starter market. If you have less than 7 years of rock-solid experience, stay wherever you are and keep doing what you're doing to get the experience you need to eventually move here. And as for the entry-level gigs, even with a bit of experience, the people you're REALLY competing with are the sons/daughters/nephews/nieces of existing media and industry bigshots, who already have a golden "in" and who are still living off of Mummy and Daddy, so they don't really care about the low salary. |
