I've seen 100's of posts from applicants wondering the following and wanted to add a viewpoint from the Employer's perspective. Don't shoot the messenger!

1. Why does it take so long to hear back? Employers typically run a job posting and then collect resumes for the next 1-2 weeks. Initial interviews (usually by phone), are schedule to make sure the candidate is a good fit for the position, the organization, has the appropriate skills and falls within the pre-determined salary range for the position. Sometimes, the best candidate applies in the middle or the end of the process. Hiring an employee is one of the most important decisions that a company can make...so it stands to reason that they are going to take their time to minimize potential mistakes, right?

2. What should I do to let them know I'm interested in the position.
   Here's a novel idea, when you are done with the interview, take a brief seat in the lobby and complete a "Thank You" card that you brought with you, highlighting some of the key points that were discussed during the meeting. Canned thank you's with general comments should not be used. At the least, you should follow up with a "Thank You" email the same day of the interview. You'd be surprised how few candidates even do this!

3. I've left them messages, should I physically go down to their offices?

No. Not unless you'd like to meet my Security personnel. Showing up for the interview tells me you are interested. Getting your "thank you" card, confirms it. Recruiting for the position you interviewed for is not even 1/10 th of the things the HR professionals are working on. Besides, they are also behind the scenes collecting the feedback from the other interviewers before making any decision. If you leave more than one message or email, you'll "stand out" alright, just not the way you'd hoped.

4. I didn't get the position. It must be my "Age, gender, race, ethnicity....fill in the blanks here."

First, you generally have no idea how many applicants they are considering. Depending on the level of position, I'd assume 5-10 candidates. Therefore, mathematically speaking, you have a 10-20% chance of being their best candidate...but that doesn't mean they'll even hire the top applicant if they don't fit the culture or have the necessary skill sets required. Often times employers are trying to ensure that they do not repeat mistakes, so unless you know why the previous person has left this position, you often have little insight as to which 2-3 characteristics of your background are most important to them.

Assuming that you'll get an offer from every job you interview for is like expecting to get on base at every at bat in baseball. Batting 300+ gets you into the "Hall of Fame," so expecting better odds as a candidate is illogical.

My best advice: If you see a position you want, network your way in through contacts, family, friends and previous co-workers. Don't blindly send in resumes without doing your homework and expect to make it to the "Hall of Fame." Good luck!

I mean your relationship with the company you work for.

Some of the conversations people engage with here are constructive about what employers are doing - or should be doing and aren't - for us as workers. But what about what we should be doing for them?

If you are in any relationship - romantic, friendship, family, etc - you have expectations of how you expect to be treated and so does the other person. We know that these are dependent relationships. I mean, if a brother treats you poorly, you are unlikely to do him any favors. If a husband never helps a wife around the house (or vice versa) then the wife is prob unlikely to be in a good mood around the husband. So we all kinda know that if we want our expectations to be met in a relationship, that we need to meet the expectations of the other party too. So. Again. Hows your relationship with your company?

Are you working with purpose and intention? Are you rallying with extra effort when they are hitting headwinds? Are you trying to help and bolster people around you? Are you giving feedback to any perceived wrong actions by people in authority so they can get better with your feedback? We have so much control that we often don't see. If you find yourself wishing you were treated better at work, or happier in your duties, maybe you start by thinking what you can do first. When a relationship gets into trouble, someone needs to take a first step towards changing mutual behavior (even when they know they are in the right, sometimes you take the first step anyways). Then, if the good-will and dedication is not reciprocated - by all means find another job. Life is too short to work where you are not happy. But, lets all consider a riff on the JFK quote - Before you ask what your company can do for you, lets first ask what we can do for our company.

#relationship. #careergrowth #whadayathink #effort #culture

I admire Bill Gates greatly. He has achieved extraordinary success and, more importantly, he leverages his fame/fortune/access to help millions of people through the Gates foundation. I think it provides him a unique perspective.

http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-what-college-freshman-should-study-2017-5

In today’s market, regardless of what role you’re interviewing for or what industry, you’re always going to be facing competition when interviewing. So how do you separate yourself and walk out of the interview knowing that you have shared with the employer how you are different from the other candidates they’re interviewing, and why they should pick you? Here are a few quick things that you can do and/or say that can help to make this happen: The interview starts the moment you walk through the door, so always make sure that you lead with professionalism and preparation with the first person you speak to, whether it is someone at a front desk or the CEO of the company. Be enthusiastic! You want to ensure that you’re displaying your excitement for the role and about the company with each person you speak to. You want to show them that not only are you qualified for the role, but you’re also really excited about it. Make sure you have your resume ready, and can seamlessly walk through it to the interviewer. You want to come across as prepared and poised. Make eye contact and smile! Employers are looking for candidates that are engaging, can connect with all types of people, and are friendly :-) Be careful of showing any nervous habits. You’ll want to stay away from things like shaking your feet, or twirling/touching your hair, clicking or tapping a pen, etc. These things can come across as disinterest. And finally… ASK QUESTIONS! This is a huge point of frustration for hiring managers, recruiters, employers. They want you to come prepared to ask for more info on the job, the company, the people, the expectations, the culture, goals of the company, and even their own stories of how they made it to the company themselves. They just want to see that you’ve done your homework and have come prepared with a desire to learn more! So, as always, I hope this helps and please feel free to send me any others that you’ve had success with! Good luck with your interviews!

It seems as if job boards are getting more and more nefarious. To date, I've never had a legitimate recruiter contact me based on having my resume posted online. I have, however, received an abundance of nonsense scam emails.

A relatively new scam asks you to set-up Google Hangouts and contact the HR agent/manager, etc. I've posted a transcript of a recent email below. If we look at it carefully, you will see a variety of red-flags to run from.

• We'll start with the email. A legitimate recruiter will be associated with a reputable company. He or she will not be using a Gmail, yahoo or other free email address. A quality recruiter will take pride in his or her work and will flaunt that email address like a badge of honor. ~Remember to click on the address to see the real "from" address. ~Also notice the contact address does not match the "from" address. No assistant is going to reach out to you, then leave his or her boss out to dry by revealing the boss's address. ~Now about the "do not reply" instruction. What recruiter sends an email from a phantom email address, then asks you to contact him or her at a different address.
• The invitation to an online interview, set up by you, at a date and time set-up by them? Do you really think a hiring manager is going go to the trouble of setting an appointment for an interview, then sit around and wait for you to invite him or her to your Google Hangout?
• Watch for misspellings and grammar errors. Note that ZipRecruiter is in the email with incorrect capitalization.
• Also, the subject line of this email was "Resume Approved." When was the last time you submitted your resume for "approval"? Never? Safe bet this is nonsense.
• Job titles should be pretty specific and include a job description. What we have here is a bunch of keywords: "Administrative Executive/Administrative Assistant/Data Entry/Customer Service" *Google the company. Here the company is an Australian Firm. No Austrailian firm is going to recruit administrative staff in the U.S. *The final line makes it clear that this email originated from outside of the U.S. "Respond promptly if you choose to accept this proposition." ~First, there was no proposition ~Second, who talks like this? Nobody you know? So...Delete and block.

Personally, I removed the ability to view my resume from all of the job boards. Anyone who contacts me in this manner is up to no-good. If you want a quality job, you are going to have to go after it. No legitimate employment will fall in your lap by uploading your resume and waiting for the offers to come in.

Here is a transcript of the email I referenced above: Mastermyne HR

According to the research made in this article nearly half of all US workers are dissatisfied with their jobs and why employers don't care. Go to know stuff on here if you're out there looking for that perfect fit. Enjoy!

https://medium.com/@MetisConsultGrp/how-to-find-an-employer-who-actually-cares-e2132dffbcab

For those people who may be having troubles getting interviews, this is one of several good articles to review as you take a new look at your resume: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/write-a-resume-that-gets-you-hired-6-common-resume-mistakes-to-avoid.html

I was laid off in October 2016 from a job that I had been with the employer for 12 years. It is now 7 months later and I have still not found a job. I have been on interviews, but many times I'm told I'm over qualified for the position and others I am told I'm not qualified enough. To those of you who are in the same boat as I am...stay positive. I believe that God already knows what job I going to be offered. I just haven't found it yet. On days when I am getting down on myself and frustrated, I try to remind myself that I just haven't found that job that God has for me. It is hard, not going to lie. I appreciate all prayers and positive thoughts. I truly believe that attitude is 90% of getting a person through the tough times. Good luck to all of you who are searching for employment. Thank you for being a community that is positive.

Hi.

I came across another good article to this one annoying question, which I found to be helpful. After reading through the responses, personally I like the first positioning. The others are good too, but the first response feels much more organic in my opinion.

https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/05/13/five-good-answers-to-why-should-we-hire-you/amp/

There seems to be a lost of us dealing with the age issue as we try to find a new opportunity. Maybe this article can provide some help: https://www.beyond.com/articles/3-tips-to-get-around-ageism-in-your-job-search-19974-article.html

If the link doesn't work, you can cut and paste it into your browser.