In the mean time I was contacted by Kelly support services. They asked for my resume (which was supposed to be sent with the mass emailing) I noted that while I was enclosing my resume, I was willing to look at work outside my professional path (translation: I'll take anything for the love of g-d)
I got back just now an email which said (and I kid you not):
We appreciate your interest in Kelly Services, but need to have your resume
in a Word format in order to read it.
I made the mistake of sending the resume in text format. Let me make that statement again, they were unable to read my resume because it was in text format and need to have it in Word format in order to
On the upside, I'm back to prescreen with the 4-coloured pane of wall glass. At least they move quickly in their decisions. So... we'll hope to have more on that by the time the week closes.
I played Poker today. Some online and then some with
jnanacandra for what it's worth... I played really well. The gods of luck have decided that I am their b*%$h at the moment. Never have I had suffered decks that were not merely cold but out and out frigid. I watched my stack whittle down as I threw away 58o 74o K4o. I watched as my calls got eaten on A9s KQs. I watched the table fold to my raises on KK. It was like there was no way that anything was going to work. I played jnanacandra 4 rounds only to watch her have the nuts each time I went all in. The final hand against her with my stack to the breaking point, I went All in with A10s, she had AJs and nothing hit until the river... a J. So, I really feel like the gods of fortune, luck, and chance have basically decided to see what kind of a workout they get for their steel-toed-boots on my karmic groin. Trying to maintain a sense of focus and optimism. Other good news maybe coming in to put off hard times... But it's still scary. About 8 applications out today (not counting the bevy of temp agency stuff).. Something's gotta give soon. And I really don't want it to be me.
i am not sure what use this story is to you, except to say that yes, sometimes places will hire freaky intelligent people with college degrees to do crappy jobs, and that can be better than not working at all.
sadly, the work world for me and my friends has pretty much always been the way you're experiencing it now. my friends have put food in their mouths doing everything from nude modeling to retail to food service. people with post-graduate degrees. i don't know if it's any comfort to know it's not just your problem, but... *shrug*
anyhow, hang in there.
- for gods' sakes stop putting money into search agencies. I have never had any significant help from one, even when their services were retained on a plant closure layoff, with placement bonus from GE for each of us they placed. I have never talked to anyone who had any good of them, at least at our level of corporate dronehood - I understand it is different at the VP+ level.
- pick up newspapers, and call or email likely want ads. Online stuff too, though the signal to noise ratio is awful, to be sure. But 5-10 quick hirs there can't hurt. Do some every day. If you contact someone that turns out to be a job search service, drop the contact. Don't bother following up.
- any job fairs (with employers, not agencies) coming up anywhere? Print a stack of resumes and go.
If all these really have been replaced by the monster.com stuff, okey doke.
Meanwhile - talk to everyone, I mean everyone. Hairdressers, dentists, deliverymen, people at the gallieres, as well as friends and relatives of course, and ask if they know anyone in the lines you are looking for, or even anyone who does the hiring somewhere no matter what. Network until your eyes bleed. Nothing - no thing - is as effective as someone else in a company sending the HR your resume. Not the CEO (unless you have a personal in with the CEO).
If you can, accompany the resume to company A with a cover letter for company A, and always follow up an interview with a phone call AND (a day or two later MAX) a thank you letter. Successful or not, loaded with green lights or dishearteningly red lighted, makes no difference.
Sorry if I am repeating stuff you had at your first HR's knee...these have always been the basis of success in every job hunt I've ever seen (mine or others) so wanted to make sure you were doing the basics in the middle of all the high pressure crap that is foisted on the tech sector these days in lieu of actual job search assistance.
Best of luck - I know this is as disheartening a process as anything on the planet. Job hunting is, according to some studies, more stressful than any other event in our culture (bar one or two, like the death of spouse or child, which I suppose means we have not totally assimilated the values of the corporate state).
I also had good results with a Jupiter talisman on my last job hunt.