(Untitled)

[ibid32]

So, in the job application process -- do places usually tell you if they're not considering you? Like, do you ever find out conclusively that you're *not* getting the job? Or do your coverletter and resume just drift pleasantly into the ether while you graduate from college, still feeling pathetically hopeful?

Comments

[darkdisciple]

Of the first 200 jobs to which I applied (no joke), I heard back from about 14% of them. That's 28 negative replies and 172 resumes just kind of lost in cyberspace.

[margho]

Yeah ... I found that generally places will contact you only if they are interested. As soon as they decide you are not the applicant for them, they stop calling/e-mailing/whatever. If you want a conclusive yes/no or if you just want to make sure your resume doesn't get lost in the shuffle, calling them about a week after you applied and asking for a status update is not a bad idea.

[jspencer91]

Most won't get back to you if you've just sent in a resume. Usually, you only hear back if you've had an interview or two, and not even always then. (says he who has been unemplyed and job-seeking for the last 3 1/2 months)

[sgtpoliteness]

A hint, in case you're interested:

Go be a paralegal.

You get $35,000 a year, starting salary, to sort and index files. Good, steady work that'll help you make rent and meet interesting lawyers should you ever need them.

Send me an email to find out more!

[ibid32]

::runs away to email you::

[shmike95]

No. They will rarely if ever reply. You should consider yourself lucky if they read anything you send them. Generally, resumes and cover letters are wastes of time.

[ibid32]

Generally, resumes and cover letters are wastes of time.

but... really? What do you mean?

I mean, if they solicit cover letters and resumes isn't that what one ought send? What's a better use of time?

[margho]

I think shmike95 means that networking is what gets one a job, not a resume or a cover letter. Unfortunately, I've found that to be rather true ... at least in academia.

[shmike95]

Margho is correct. It's about networking. Resumes and cover letters are so useless for lots of reasons. Usually there's a recruiter who will be the one to receive it. She'll get hundreds of resumes and screen them according to buzzwords and will have little or no understanding whatsoever of the position she's trying to fill. She'll send over the resumes with the correct buzzwords and the hiring manager will ignore most of them because she's too busy. She certainly won't bother with your cover letter. If your resume happens to be a perfect match for the position, you will probably get a call for a phone screen. At the end of the day though, the hiring manager will be risk averse and hire the person she feels she can most trust which will be the person who came with a recommendation from someone she knows. That recommended person will not have had to bother with the whole screening process in the first place