How much of a numbers game is getting a regular job?

[Hardkill]

Guys, I've been trying to get another job lately, but I've already been rejected by about 30 jobs that I applied to. I only got one part time job at Macy's which pays minimum wage. I was close to getting a job at Wells Fargo as a teller and a job at a really fancy hotel, but I got turned down by both of them after my interview for each of them. It's so frustrating and I feel very hopeless. How much of a numbers game is it? How much luck is really involved in finding a regular decent job?

[Sahil Pandit]

@Hardkill You need a mindset shift in order to make something like this happen.

Every "NO" is one step closer to a "YES". 

Does it require emotional labor? Yes. But what's the alternative? To dwell on not getting the job?

You got this.

[Average Investor]

Luck is really defined by the amount of opportunities that you take. The more you increase them, then you will likely get better results. I would recommend working on your speaking skills, attire, and resume. Also, start to follow up on your applications as well. By that I mean by actually going in and talking to the manager about you application a few times, even if they just blow you off. I should also mention that a lot of stuff is probably not going to be hiring as much during the pandemic aside from stuff like Amazon, grocery stores, etc. 

[Hardkill]

On 3/27/2020 at 6:43 PM, Average Investor said:

Luck is really defined by the amount of opportunities that you take. The more you increase them, then you will likely get better results. I would recommend working on your speaking skills, attire, and resume. Also, start to follow up on your applications as well. By that I mean by actually going in and talking to the manager about you application a few times, even if they just blow you off. I should also mention that a lot of stuff is probably not going to be hiring as much during the pandemic aside from stuff like Amazon, grocery stores, etc. 

How can I talk to the managers who declined to hire me? They can't or won't tell me why they didn't hire me?

Edited March 30, 2020 by Hardkill

[supremeyingyang]

@Hardkill

What is your qualification?

10 hours ago, Hardkill said:

How can I talk to the managers who declined to hire me? They can't or won't tell me why they didn't hire me?

You need no special Oneliner or so, just go and ask them. Go to new stores and ask no matter if they said they search employees.  Maybe you think about why you need that job and tell them that. Sometimes you need to be very persistent (like waiting 1 hour to get to the manager or apply for 15 more jobs).

With Corona it is unlikely to get a job, but after that it's, like someone here said, just a mindset issues. You can do it!

Edited March 31, 2020 by supremeyingyang

[Hardkill]

On 3/30/2020 at 11:23 PM, supremeyingyang said:

@Hardkill

What is your qualification?

You need no special Oneliner or so, just go and ask them. Go to new stores and ask no matter if they said they search employees.  Maybe you think about why you need that job and tell them that. Sometimes you need to be very persistent (like waiting 1 hour to get to the manager or apply for 15 more jobs).

With Corona it is unlikely to get a job, but after that it's, like someone here said, just a mindset issues. You can do it!

What if I get rejected by 100+ more jobs I applied to? How do you know that I can do it?

[Leo Gura]

@Hardkill It's not so much as numbers game as a skills and presentation game.

If you had the proper skills, resume, interview process, and presentation -- you'd get the job.

Think of it from the employer's POV: as an employer you would NEVER hire a person based on random draw or luck. Why would you play dice with your business? That'd be foolish. You're always looking to hire the best person that is available at a reasonable price. You are screening out people who aren't the best fit.

Employers NEVER pick candidates by throwing around darts. Employers are looking for every specific markers, so getting hired is about knowing those markers and nail them. Each job has different markers, requiring a customized approach.

[Leo Gura]

On 3/30/2020 at 1:06 PM, Hardkill said:

How can I talk to the managers who declined to hire me? They can't or won't tell me why they didn't hire me?

You can always ask directly: "What would your ideal candidate look like?" Then try to actually fit that.

You can also ask, "Do you have any hesitations hiring me? What are they? Let me address them and show you why I'm the best you'll find for this position."

[Hello from Russia]

I agree with Leo, but I'd add from my experience that if you don't have very unique skillset yet, it often helps to play numbers and send out as many applications as you can. I see many people send like 10-15 applications and then they get frustrated when no or very small opportunities come.

When I was starting in design and wanted to get the job (i am self-employed now), I've sent about 150-200 applications total. I"ve been on a bunch of interviews then, some companies I decided to reject right away  (Because they did very whack stuff)  and then, eventually, one company hired me. It took like 2-3 weeks of going to interviews and sending new waves of applications, I think.

So, don't overthink it too much but do collect the feedback and iterate on it. You want to find the job position that you like and see what employers generally want to see in you for that position. Then you add these skills\qualifications to match it. It's pretty easy to do so for lower entry positions than for higher, of course.

[Leo Gura]

Yes, most people will need to send out many applications because most jobs are simply not the right fit and you won't know that ahead of time without applying and interviewing.

[Space]

On 3/27/2020 at 11:23 PM, Hardkill said:

Guys, I've been trying to get another job lately, but I've already been rejected by about 30 jobs that I applied to. I only got one part time job at Macy's which pays minimum wage. I was close to getting a job at Wells Fargo as a teller and a job at a really fancy hotel, but I got turned down by both of them after my interview for each of them. It's so frustrating and I feel very hopeless. How much of a numbers game is it? How much luck is really involved in finding a regular decent job?

Yes it can be a very frustrating process. I applied to nearly 100 jobs last year and finally managed to find one in October. I worked with a career coach and the main thing she said is to tailor your CV extremely specifically to each job. You can't be sending out the same CV to every company. You need to write a brief personal statement at the top which is very tailored to the job and its requirements. Adjust work experience, skills and other stuff in the CV to match the job requirements as well.

Another big tip my coach gave me was to apply to jobs through recruitment agencies rather than apply on website like Indeed or LinkedIn where you can be competing against >1000 other people for one job. Tailor your CV for a particular job and then contact (literally phone up) recruitment agencies that are specific to that industry telling them what you're looking for. Remember its a recruitment agents job to find candidates for every job position. 

[Hardkill]

On 4/3/2020 at 0:27 AM, Leo Gura said:

You can always ask directly: "What would your ideal candidate look like?" Then try to actually fit that.

You can also ask, "Do you have any hesitations hiring me? What are they? Let me address them and show you why I'm the best you'll find for this position."

I actually already tried asking a few of the hiring managers who decline to hire me what feedback I can get for why I wasn't hire or what I could do better for possibly the next time I apply for the very same or a similar position to it. Yet, some of them said that they don't give reasons as to why they didn't hire me and other hiring managers simply ignored my request for feedback. Also, I also heard that hiring managers don't tell the candidates whom they declined why they didn't pick them for the job because it could otherwise put their companies at risk of getting into some sort of lawsuit situation.

[Spence94]

Its definitely a bit of a numbers game but you you need to be taking actions and improving your interviewing skills. One mindset that helped me out last summer when I had around 10 interviews for a job was "I am interviewing the employer just as much as they are interviewing me". It worked a charm! Every employer I spoke to seemed very impressed and shocked when they heard me asking them just as many questions as they were giving me and that I was taking notes during the video calls. It flips the script and put the social pressure on them more so you are more in control of the situation rather than appearing as another dude trying his best to answer the questions correctly and hoping they will employ him. I was offered a job by all but one of them. Bare in mind I work in the Asian english teaching industry where I am already in high demand but I think the attitude shift could equally apply to any industry. Confidence is king.

[Nak Khid]

On 3/27/2020 at 7:23 PM, Hardkill said:

Guys, I've been trying to get another job lately, but I've already been rejected by about 30 jobs that I applied to. I only got one part time job at Macy's which pays minimum wage. I was close to getting a job at Wells Fargo as a teller and a job at a really fancy hotel, but I got turned down by both of them after my interview for each of them. It's so frustrating and I feel very hopeless. How much of a numbers game is it? How much luck is really involved in finding a regular decent job?

It is  numbers game and a networking game

You are currently working at Macy's ?

[flowboy]

On 19-4-2020 at 11:45 AM, Spence94 said:

Its definitely a bit of a numbers game but you you need to be taking actions and improving your interviewing skills. One mindset that helped me out last summer when I had around 10 interviews for a job was "I am interviewing the employer just as much as they are interviewing me". It worked a charm! Every employer I spoke to seemed very impressed and shocked when they heard me asking them just as many questions as they were giving me and that I was taking notes during the video calls. It flips the script and put the social pressure on them more so you are more in control of the situation rather than appearing as another dude trying his best to answer the questions correctly and hoping they will employ him.

This is powerful. Same strategy worked for me. Do this.

[Hello from Russia]

@Hardkill

Just collect your "own" feedback and iterate

how much is 100+ actually? Sending just 100-200 might not be enough still, although it is a pretty statistically significant number to analyze your resume and see what you're lacking and then make changes. You need to analyze where your bottleneck is and then fix it