Re: No job response -- what would you do? (long)

[Joe Malin <jmalin -at- jmalin -dot- com>]

You are not going to get this job.

You will never find out why.

You think you have the best qualifications for it, and you may be right,
and they may still not want you. That happens.

If you are seriously looking for a job, put your resume on Monster,
Dice, and every other job listing you can find. Ask other tech writers
for recommendations for recruiters that specialize in tech writing. Join
the STC and then look through their job database. Join your local
chapter, go to the chapter meeting, and announce that you are looking
for work. Tell everyone you know that you're looking. Make an "elevator"
speech: A 30-second spiel that makes you memorable and communicates who
you are and what you want. Get your own personal business cards;
Vistaprint.com make them for *free* if you allow them to put their logo
on the back. Search through Monster, Dice, and so forth every day. Put
your resume into FM, MS Word, HTML, and text format. Join LinkedIn.com
and build up your network. Get your portfolio ready.

You may be tempted to "fly-fish" for jobs, waiting silently until
exactly the right job surfaces, and then hoping to cast right on top of
it. Even flyfishers know that the trout doesn't always bite. The
flyfisher can afford to go home without a catch, but you can't afford to
go without a job. Instead of fly fishing, get yourself an enormous,
fine-mesh net and drag the sucker from one end of the pond to the other.
That's much more work, of course, and may take longer initially, but
your chances of landing something are much greater.

I have been laid off five times now in the last 13 years. In other
words, since 1982 I have left a company *once* on my own volition, and I
have worked for six companies already and going now for my seventh.
*Every single time* I went looking, I found the "perfect" job, *got the
interview*, and wasn't hired. It is disappointing, to be sure. I have
learned that 1) it's their loss, not mine, and 2) I probably wouldn't
have been happy/successful there anyway.

Joe

Martha Rogers wrote:
> Three weeks ago today, I submitted a cover letter and resume to a
> local software company. The job seemed very well-suited to my work
> experiences and capabilities. Initially, I'd found the posting through
> a little ingenuity and a good memory. I made a mental note about this
> company while reading a newspaper article a few years ago. Sadly, when
> my company started laying off people a few weeks ago, I figured it was
> time to start looking. I did some googling and found the Web site of
> the company I'd read about a few years back, despite their name having
> changed. Their employment page listed several open positions,
> including the one that seemed perfect for me. This isn't a huge
> company; I think they employ about 30 people. When I e-mailed my
> resume and cover letter, I used the company's employment@ e-mail
> address provided on the Web page, marking the message for a read
> receipt. Subsequently, I found the same position advertised on
> Dice.com. After a week without getting a read receipt for my message,
> I used the e-mail address of the POC on the Dice.com listing to send a
> second resume and cover letter. In the second message, I expressed
> concern that my first message might not have been received and offered
> apologies for sending a second message.
>
> While I understand that not receiving a read receipt doesn't
> necessarily mean a message didn't get read (for example, reading via
> the preview pane in Outlook), I am wondering what, if anything, I
> should do now? I would like to call the guy identified as the POC on
> Dice but don't want to seem pesky or pushy. But, Mom taught me that
> followup is important after applying for a job. I'm pretty sure that's
> how I got my job at KFC. Granted, that was high school and about 30
> years ago but a week after I dropped off my application, she drove me
> back to the KFC, waited in the car while I asked to speak to the
> manager, and when I got back in the car, I had a job. But, I digress.
>
> I really think I'd like this job; I'd at least like to get an
> interview. The position no longer shows up on Dice.com. The company's
> employment page lists the same undated positions as when I first
> visited over three weeks ago.  I haven't had to look for work in 12
> and a half years. The whole job search process is oppressive to me.
> Frankly, I'm not very good at it. Would you call the POC? Or do
> *anything* to follow up?
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