musicalsteve82 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I'm only getting them once or twice a month. Is that normal? Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 It really depends on your area and profession. We used to live in a highly populated and highly educated area, so when my husband applied for administrative jobs there he would hear back even less than a few times per month since they were getting so many applications. Since we've moved to a more rural area, he gets interviews much more frequently, because there is less competition for jobs. You also need to evaluate how in demand your field of work is when taking this into consideration. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Eternal Sunshine Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 How many interviews do you get per number of applications? Link to post Share on other sites
applej4 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Hate to tell you this, but I’ve read/heard about and even know of people who get maybe 3 or 4 interviews a year even though they applied for over a hundred jobs.Are you tailoring your resume to the actual job? (or do you use one resume for everything?)Do you do your homework about the position and the organization? Does you cover letter pique their interest and make you stand out?Do you get the name of and address your cover letter to the actual hiring authority? (A generic cover letter to Human Resources usually won’t get you very far.) Link to post Share on other sites
nomadic_butterfly Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I'm only getting them once or twice a month. Is that normal? Averaging 1 out of every 8-10 applications. Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Averaging 1 out of every 8-10 applications. That is actually pretty good odds considering there could be a hundred applicants per job opening. It sounds like you might need to send out more resumes though. If you're only getting 1 interview each month, then you're only sending out 8-10 applications per month. You need to send out that many each day if you can. It can take several interviews before landing a job...so your goal should be to get as many as possible. Link to post Share on other sites
nomadic_butterfly Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 That is actually pretty good odds considering there could be a hundred applicants per job opening. It sounds like you might need to send out more resumes though. If you're only getting 1 interview each month, then you're only sending out 8-10 applications per month. You need to send out that many each day if you can. It can take several interviews before landing a job...so your goal should be to get as many as possible. I just saw this. I was sending out quite a few..then I started to send out less and the interviews kept coming in and I am moving back East so I had to do them before work, so it would be exhausting to have 1-2hr interviews, sometimes another at lunch, and work a full day. This past month I had at least 3-4 per a week (some were 2nd round, 3rd, etc.) but one has finally stuck. Thank goodness b/c I was getting burnt out studying all these companies, memorizing the job description, coming up with questions, etc. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 I just saw this. I was sending out quite a few..then I started to send out less and the interviews kept coming in and I am moving back East so I had to do them before work, so it would be exhausting to have 1-2hr interviews, sometimes another at lunch, and work a full day. This past month I had at least 3-4 per a week (some were 2nd round, 3rd, etc.) but one has finally stuck. Thank goodness b/c I was getting burnt out studying all these companies, memorizing the job description, coming up with questions, etc. I hear you, I was job searching quite a bit within these last 2 years. I would like to find another position better than what I have now, but I don't want to jump around again for awhile. Several of my positions were either temp, freelance, part time or letting me go due to financial problems. Plus where I am now is giving me some really good experience and I plan to return to grad school next year, so I will probably look for another opportunity as I get closer to getting my MBA. Link to post Share on other sites
Phoe Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 In 4 years and out of hundreds of applications, I got 1 interview. I got the job, but am very frustrated at how much I am struggling to progress anywhere. Link to post Share on other sites
nomadic_butterfly Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I hear you, I was job searching quite a bit within these last 2 years. I would like to find another position better than what I have now, but I don't want to jump around again for awhile. Several of my positions were either temp, freelance, part time or letting me go due to financial problems. Plus where I am now is giving me some really good experience and I plan to return to grad school next year, so I will probably look for another opportunity as I get closer to getting my MBA. Good for you! Grad school was one of the best decisions I could have made, only thing I would have changed is having more than just a meager two years of experience before going. I've just started to reap the fruits of it, while others who had more experience than I did going in did so right after graduation but everything happens for a reason. Jumping around, kinda depends on your field of how people will look at it. I've always been in the creative fields for the most part, so no biggie to "hop" and in London, it was the norm for people even in more "serious" fields. I was doing marketing for a finance firm over there and even ivy leaguers/director level people hopped. I'm going back into finance doing marketing once more after just over two years at a marketing agency. All the best! Link to post Share on other sites
nomadic_butterfly Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 In 4 years and out of hundreds of applications, I got 1 interview. I got the job, but am very frustrated at how much I am struggling to progress anywhere. Wow. Really? It might be helpful to invest in a career advisor or have someone review/critique your resume/cover letter. When I just graduated I at the peak of the recession, took 300 applications and a year for me to find a "real" job. I did have paid internships in between though and that's what paved the way for the first job. Are you good at networking? If so, reach out to people you know; being referred allows you to skip the line! Did you go to college? I think the market is A LOT better now than say, two years ago when I came back from Europe. It's worth a shot to have another "eye" review your resume b/c I've heard of people interviewing a lot, but not getting a job; if you're not getting any bites as far even interviews are concerned, it has to be your resume or maybe you are not applying to suitable jobs according to your background or maybe it's the cover letters? Link to post Share on other sites
Phoe Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Wow. Really? It might be helpful to invest in a career advisor or have someone review/critique your resume/cover letter. When I just graduated I at the peak of the recession, took 300 applications and a year for me to find a "real" job. I did have paid internships in between though and that's what paved the way for the first job. Are you good at networking? If so, reach out to people you know; being referred allows you to skip the line! Did you go to college? I think the market is A LOT better now than say, two years ago when I came back from Europe. It's worth a shot to have another "eye" review your resume b/c I've heard of people interviewing a lot, but not getting a job; if you're not getting any bites as far even interviews are concerned, it has to be your resume or maybe you are not applying to suitable jobs according to your background or maybe it's the cover letters? My resume is likely not terribly strong. It's not horrible, it's all grammatically correct, well written, informative, but it's just not "strong", you know? I did go to college, got a bachelors. As far as what jobs I'm applying for, it's anything and everything. If I see an opportunity and I can even remotely meet the qualifications, I will apply. I try to cast as large and wide a net as possible. Every interview I've had in my life except for one, did land me the job. I know I'm good with interviews, and my current manager does mock interviews with me to prepare me for future opportunities (He knows I have no business continuing in this minimum wage job for much longer, and will happily help me leave). It doesn't help that I live in a slightly rural and very isolated area, and the job market is notoriously horrible here. It is common knowledge that this is a rough place to try to work in. I do generally just get very frustrated with it all though... *sigh* Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I'm only getting them once or twice a month. Is that normal? Depends on the number of applications and also on whether you apply for jobs on your level or below/above. Link to post Share on other sites
Arabella Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 My resume is likely not terribly strong. It's not horrible, it's all grammatically correct, well written, informative, but it's just not "strong", you know? I did go to college, got a bachelors. As far as what jobs I'm applying for, it's anything and everything. If I see an opportunity and I can even remotely meet the qualifications, I will apply. I try to cast as large and wide a net as possible. Every interview I've had in my life except for one, did land me the job. I know I'm good with interviews, and my current manager does mock interviews with me to prepare me for future opportunities (He knows I have no business continuing in this minimum wage job for much longer, and will happily help me leave). It doesn't help that I live in a slightly rural and very isolated area, and the job market is notoriously horrible here. It is common knowledge that this is a rough place to try to work in. I do generally just get very frustrated with it all though... *sigh* Since you're working minimum wage, chances are you don't have cash to spare, but I'd recommend looking around the net and hiring a good resume writer. Just because your resume is well written and informative, it doesn't mean it's good or strong. The resume writer will be instrumental in helping you stand out from the oodles of people who are applying for those jobs. Also, consider moving. Rural areas and small cities don't have nearly as many opportunities. You may have to be willing to relocate if you want to maximize your chances. Link to post Share on other sites
nomadic_butterfly Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 My resume is likely not terribly strong. It's not horrible, it's all grammatically correct, well written, informative, but it's just not "strong", you know? I did go to college, got a bachelors. As far as what jobs I'm applying for, it's anything and everything. If I see an opportunity and I can even remotely meet the qualifications, I will apply. I try to cast as large and wide a net as possible. Every interview I've had in my life except for one, did land me the job. I know I'm good with interviews, and my current manager does mock interviews with me to prepare me for future opportunities (He knows I have no business continuing in this minimum wage job for much longer, and will happily help me leave). It doesn't help that I live in a slightly rural and very isolated area, and the job market is notoriously horrible here. It is common knowledge that this is a rough place to try to work in. I do generally just get very frustrated with it all though... *sigh* Hmm...I would love to see it, you can omit your contact details if you'd like. It just seems like a strange case. What did you get your bachelors in? What do you feel you do best? Link to post Share on other sites
smg15 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I'm only getting them once or twice a month. Is that normal? Keep in mind a position has to be open for there to be a interview. So it could be a period where lots of places have no one resigning or getting fired or retiring. I averaged about 4 interview calls a month Link to post Share on other sites
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