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Resume Black Hole
SF Examiner ^ | Today | Adam Geller

Posted on 12/28/2002 1:15:10 PM PST by Rodney King

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Well, if you interview with someone and send them a thank you note, then they ought to respond to you.

However, I have news for the guy who sent off 1,000 emails: Email is not the way to apply for a job. Sure, it has worked for some, but you need to get off you butt, buy some resume paper, write a decent cover letter, and send via US MAIL.

1 posted on 12/28/2002 1:15:10 PM PST by Rodney King
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To: Rodney King
Who's to blame?

Why does their have to be someone to blame?...guy picked a field that is saturated with talent, his does not meet the standard for whatever reason...He has no right to a job...to damn bad...learn a new trade...or maybe trying knocking on doors instead sitting on your butt sending out emails...what a joke...

I will bet you if this guy picked the one company he wanted to work for and went their everyday (ala Bud Fox)...he would get his job...Having run several business...persaverance of this type always won me over...

2 posted on 12/28/2002 1:19:23 PM PST by antaresequity
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To: antaresequity
I will bet you if this guy picked the one company he wanted to work for and went their everyday (ala Bud Fox)...he would get his job...Having run several business...persaverance of this type always won me over...

Really? I always thought that would be annoying. However, at the very least he needs to mail a letter, follow-up with a call, etc. You can't just blast out 1,000 emails and hope that somebody cares.

3 posted on 12/28/2002 1:21:42 PM PST by Rodney King
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To: Rodney King
Well, if you interview with someone and send them a thank you note, then they ought to respond to you.

Pure nonsense. I wouldnt give a rats Arse if some guy sent me a thank you...I would evaluate the field of candidates based on merit and my own instinct, narrow it down...ask myself can I do better then this?...if not select one...if so...re-canvas for recruits...

4 posted on 12/28/2002 1:22:04 PM PST by antaresequity
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To: antaresequity
I didn't say they should select you, I said they should have the courtesy to tell you if you got the job or not.
5 posted on 12/28/2002 1:26:40 PM PST by Rodney King
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To: Rodney King
Even if you send paper cover letters with first class postage for a known vacancy for which you are perfectly qualified, if you are over age 50, you will not get a response.

There is no more widely spread discrimination in this country than the discrimination against older job applicants. At the same time, no discrimination violation is more widely disregarded.

Do a Lexis/Nexis search an you'll find lots of cases of age discrimination suits involving the TERMINATION of older workers but few, if any, involving an employers failure to hire an older worker.

Once an HR weanie has decidied that a candidate or a stack of candidates or a file cabinet of candidates will not be hired, there is no reason to waste on time on them, there is no profit in it, no return on effort. And, it doesn't count against the oufit in a competition like the Baldwin Awards.

6 posted on 12/28/2002 1:27:22 PM PST by Tacis
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To: antaresequity; Rodney King
We recently interviewed 11 finalists for a permission (group interview). Only ONE sent a thank you note. That note impressed the whole team. The person who sent the note ended up as the 2nd choice out of 11 and the note did give them a boost.
7 posted on 12/28/2002 1:39:15 PM PST by Arkinsaw
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To: antaresequity
...guy picked a field that is saturated with talent,

2.3 million in the "Systems Analysts and Programmers" category are being replaced by H1B workers

You can't have it both ways. Either there is a real shortage of Programmer/Analysts and the 2.3 million H1B imports are justified -- or an excess in this category has been artificially created to drive down the cost of this type of resource and/or eliminate the jobs of 2.3 million Americans.

I can't wait until managers and lawyers get replaced with illiterate foreigners; then the real squealing will start.

8 posted on 12/28/2002 1:41:19 PM PST by meadsjn
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To: Rodney King
These guys need to either got to where the jobs are or retrain for a field more in demand.
9 posted on 12/28/2002 1:44:43 PM PST by templar
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To: Tacis
Two people who are equal in all regards except age come looking for a job: I would hire the younger one. I would do so based on my ability to intercept habits before they form...and install my own workstyle/ethic into the individual to the extent its profitable for me...Is that discrimination?

I dont think so.

Everybody who has ever worked for me, came to work each day knowing that they had to earn their right to come back the next day...and as a team...they would have it no other way...believe me you...If you might think I am tough...their co-workers were ruthless...and the last thing I would ever do is let the team down, by hiring somone who thought they were entitled to a job...

Nearly 60% of the people I hired over the years, went on to form their own business, or partnerships with other former employees of mine...I used to tell my people: "If I am not bidding against you in 5 years, I will fire you anyway...so you have two choices...be the best...or take a hike..."

You know I would bet this fellow who went to the interviews mentioned how "unfair" the job market was....Instant door pass when you hear that kind of crap...

I especially like the guys that would offer to work for two weeks without agreement...so confident were they, they would take a risk like this...I liked risk takers...these guys would come in an kick butt...and end up negotiating from strength...not weakness for their contract...born leaders too most of them...

10 posted on 12/28/2002 1:44:55 PM PST by antaresequity
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To: meadsjn
I can't wait until managers and lawyers get replaced with illiterate foreigners; then the real squealing will start

That won't happen. Illeterate foreigners will not occupy these positions any more than they are occupying the Programmer/Analyst positions.

11 posted on 12/28/2002 1:48:07 PM PST by templar
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To: Tacis
There is no more widely spread discrimination in this country than the discrimination against older job applicants.

Looking around the local Walmarts, you wouldn't believe that.

12 posted on 12/28/2002 1:52:44 PM PST by templar
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To: templar
That won't happen.

Famous last words. The diploma mills in India (or elsewhere) can print up an MBA or JD, or any other degree or certification, just as they have been doing for Computer Science degrees and certifications for the last few years.

Whatever it is that you do, there's someone overseas who will do it cheaper -- either there, or we can import them to do it here. Quality doesn't count. The whole purpose is to relieve you of your income and assets.

13 posted on 12/28/2002 1:58:47 PM PST by meadsjn
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To: antaresequity
Two people who are equal in all regards except age come looking for a job: I would hire the younger one.
Oddly, if I were hiring for a high tech company I would do the opposite, but not for the reason of experience. I would do it as they would be a steady hire that wouldn't jump at the next hot startup (if those will ever come around again).
I can see this being true in the government IT jobs that tend to pay less. The talent gap between them and private companies is shrinking as there aren't that many jobs out there. Who are they going to hire? The person that's going to stick around.

Speaking of resume black holes, Washington Mutual is the worst. Its a joke at the local Java Users Group meeting that they're just collecting resumes. And they keep on advertising more jobs. What's up with that company?

14 posted on 12/28/2002 1:59:19 PM PST by lelio
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To: Rodney King
Well, if you interview with someone and send them a thank you note, then they ought to respond to you.

Send them a thank you note? Hah!

Who has time for that these days?

When I interview people for open positions for the company I work for, I never tell them either way if they got the job or not. That can be an implied verbal agreement.

There are way too many legal land-mines to imply anything because of gender, racial, ethnic, age or disability issues that pond scum lawyers will sue you in a heartbeat over.

Every applicant is given a full interview and thanked for coming in and told they will be considered with all the other applicants.

The ones I like and are qualified, I call back for a second interview.

You would be shocked on how many don't come back because never wanted the job in the first place.

15 posted on 12/28/2002 2:02:36 PM PST by JZoback
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To: Tacis
Even if you send paper cover letters with first class postage for a known vacancy for which you are perfectly qualified, if you are over age 50, you will not get a response.

Maybe it has something to do with the generation that, 35 years ago, was screaming, "Don't trust anybody over 30!"

16 posted on 12/28/2002 2:05:46 PM PST by Polybius
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To: templar
These guys need to either got to where the jobs are or retrain for a field more in demand.

Hard to go when you have a mortage, and hard to retrain when NOBODY can promise you a job at the end of the training, save some medical specialties.

17 posted on 12/28/2002 2:10:10 PM PST by Ace's Dad
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To: Rodney King
I had a resume posted at the state WorkSearch. Pacific Legal, a legal documentation service, called me and asked me to come in for an interview. They are in the IBM building in downtown Seattle. It cost me ten dollars in parking just to go to the interview. The production manager interviewed me and said he would need to consult with the managing partner, but that I would be in a second round of interviews at worst. There was no offer to pick up the parking garage tab and after I left that day, I never heard from them again.
18 posted on 12/28/2002 2:27:22 PM PST by gcruse
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To: Tacis
Anyone over fifty can hang it up. I'm lucky to have gotten within shouting distance of retirement before finding out that age discrimination is the deadliest force at work in unemployment.
19 posted on 12/28/2002 2:29:57 PM PST by gcruse
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To: gcruse
no offer to pick up the parking garage tab and after I left that day, I never heard from them again.

I was asked to come to Los Angeles for an interview (as one of 3 finalists), with an offer to pay for my parking and meal expense. I drove 400 miles, arriving the night before. When I got to the client no one was expecting me, the recruiter hadn't bothered to book an actual interview, the hiring manager was out, and the recruiter had no desire to cover my expenses. I noticed the guy the client finally hired left recently...before a year was up.

20 posted on 12/28/2002 2:51:32 PM PST by no-s
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