I find today's job searching cumbersome and impersonal as it all takes place behind e-mails and employment websites. One such website continues to send me insurance jobs even though my resume clearly indicates I am in another profession. I am now starting to knock on my peers doors to network the old fashion way, it seems to be gleaning results. Does anyone out there have the same experience?

Im sure others have thought this or maybe not at all but I’m starting to think that getting a job is based on WHO you know and not your experience. It sucks when nothing comes out of you going the right way about it but the minute you tweak a few things, thats when you get everything you wanted.. Its crazy how things work these days! But to all the people struggling to get their feet in the door, KEEP GOING..Your time is coming!!!

I joined Jobcase today. I'm exploring this community and I like what I see. I'm looking forward to making great connections here!

Currently, i work two part-time CNS positions while looking for a full time position as a medical assistant. I graduated from a 9 month program four years ago. Just recently, i was asked to write a recommendation letter for a coworker for a medical assistant position. I asked for what company and learned that we both were interviewed for the same position on the same day, yet she does not know this. She has been considered to take the next step in the interview process and i am still waiting to h3ar word on this. I applied for this position before she did by the way. I still gave her a glowing recommendation. Im discouraged because she does not have any training for a medical assistant occupation. She just has phemologist training and CNA. I asked for the doctor's name and realize that she does not know how to spell her name correctly. I asked for a business card and job descriptions at my interview. I asked her again which position was she being interviewed for and she had to get back with me later on it and told me medical assistant. I really believe that she is getting the two different positions that they are hiring for confused. I recommended her for the medical receptionist position in my letter. I feel that since speaking Spanish is her first language, this is the reason why she is being considered for the next step of the interview process. I know very little of this language. Im eager now to take Spanish classes again ( last time was back in 1997) any Suggestions??? I know of resorces that teach English as a second language, what about Spanish as a second language?? I have the training and education to perform MA duties and yet employers in the healthcare field seem to be more interested in hiring those who speak Spanish and taking the time to train these candidates on the job. I just need encouragement.

When you do good, Good comes right back at you. People always remember what you said. whether good or bad but in the back of their mind, there are seeds planted of what's been done. I am not necessarily speaking of materialistic things but the little things day by day. It goes a long way! Try not to burn that bridge, you may never know what the future holds.

#ActofKindness #justthelittethings #donotburnbridges

The other day, an HR acquaintance shared some interesting information from her side that I thought would be insightful to jobseekers:

1. HR professionals search online for candidates. So make sure your resume is online.
2. HR professionals look for you on LinkedIn. They look to see if you have any contacts in common. If so, they may even contact your contacts if they know them to find out about you.
3. They Google you and look at what you post online. Sometimes they are shocked by what they see! Definitely keep that in mind.
4. If an HR professional contacts you, contact them back. I was surprised to hear they sometimes don’t hear back and move on. Don’t delay. There are other candidates.
5. Open positions are not always posted. An HR professional may start searching online to find a person who fits rather than posting the job. They look at every source from CareerBuilder to LinkedIn. Be sure your resume is everywhere and set up for recruiters to find you.
6. Certain professions have lots of qualified candidates while other careers are lacking candidates. Keep that in mind when it comes to your job search. If you know it is competitive then think very competitively as to how you can stand out.
7. The same goes for locations. Some locations have many candidates while other locations need qualified professionals.
8. Sometimes an HR professional may have a contract role. Don’t rule it out as it could lead to a full-time role.
9. Be truthful. They do check.
10. An HR recruiter job is not easy. They have or need jobs to fill and the right people to fill them. They open the door for the hiring authority and candidate to meet/greet one another. Treat them well because they can recommend or not recommend you for the job!

Hope this helps!

I have just received this MTA Certificate in Networking Fundamentals; I am currently attending California College of San Diego for an Associates in Networking/Programming with a 5 year plan to gain a Master's degree in Programming.

... and to ALL of you for that matter!! If you are not actively networking with friends, family and other associates you may be missing THE opportunity to land that new job! Let the people in your circle know you are looking for work and ask if they have leads or can introduce you to business owners or hiring managers.

It IS who you know -- and you'd be surprised at the introductions and referrals you can find just by asking. Who should you talk to? Start with your family and close friends. Chat with your neighbors. Message your Facebook friends. Let fellow church or synagogue members know. Call former co-workers who are now in other companies. Think of other associates and contact them. You get the idea.

GET BUSY and reap the rewards of SMARTER job searching. All the best!

I am trying to learn more about Amazon culture. When I read their job descriptions I find a disconnect between my current experience and where I want to go and I'm not sure how to proceed. I was hoping to get some advice from current/former employees.

I have worked in technical support for another tech giant and was very successful. I had high customer service marks and a high issue resolution metric. I was also trained as a team leader and obtained Senior status while employed with them. However, because I worked remote instead of in an office I found it difficult to cross the line from customer support into a more technical role and the only growth path was into leadership and management. I am not opposed to taking on a leadership role, but I still have lots of technical growth I would like to accomplish before moving into leadership. I left seeking opportunities to grow my technical knowledge. I consistently performed in the top 1% of over 30k employees.

I review a lot of remote positions available at Amazon specifically targeting those that are primarily remote. I am always excited about the direction Amazon is heading and have started working to become AWS Certified and to eventually move into the realm of machine learning and IoT technologies. However, the positions I find I do not have the expertise yet in these areas, but would love to get my foot in the proverbial door and grow with the company.

All that said, am I better off obtaining the skills outside and then applying or is the culture at Amazon such that applying for a role that I currently do satisfy the criteria will provide the flexibility to change roles as I expand my skill set in the Amazon domain?

I have applied to many customer service positions, but for some reason telemarketing and similar jobs have rejected me, even though I have over 21 years of retail experience. I wrote a thesis (over 200 pages) which conformed to the Chicago Manual of Style, but writing and editing positions have not found me fit to even be a junior editor. Someone said to me a few days ago since there are more applicants than jobs, employers prefer to hire a friend of one of their current employees (the devil that they know), rather than the devil they do not know.