[The Godfather]

My buddy has been trying to find a job in anticipation of his graduation. Excellent grades, good resume, but all potential employers have rejected him stating "We are not hiring at the moment". However, one of those companies just made an offering to a girl in his class (who is definitely not smarter than my friend).
Besides suggestions of "hang in there", there must be something to be done to put the proverbial foot in the door, salesman-style, despite getting stomped repeteadly. Would sending a flood of resumes, one per every known manager, seem a tad tacky?
Sharing of experiences with stubborn employers are very welcome.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

1. When grades are about equal, it all comes down to personality. "We're not hiring right now" could mean "you're plenty smart, but you don't interview well and come across as a dick."

2. It may not be exactly the best time to be job-hunting. At the very least, companies might be cutting back on their offers.

Hang in there.

greg

[KeriVit]

It's my understanding that a flood of resumes is pointless. Networking is key. Get out there and be where potential employers and employees are. Join organizations. Be the mosquito. It's a tough job market out there. Tell him to find a way to stand out and be seen.

Trust me, I'm in the same boat.

[imitchellg5]

This has been happening to me all year. It is so frustrating! I have a 3.2 GPA, and a ton of non-profit experience. I need a job so bad too, I can barely fill up my tank every week with gas. The only difference is that I have been told that they are hiring, only to never get a call or anything. I'll go in and ask about the job a week or two later and find it's been filled. I don't understand. Am I not qualified to work at Gamestop or put groceries in bags at Safeway?

[brassplayersrock²]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

This has been happening to me all year. It is so frustrating! I have a 3.2 GPA, and a ton of non-profit experience. I need a job so bad too, I can barely fill up my tank every week with gas. The only difference is that I have been told that they are hiring, only to never get a call or anything. I'll go in and ask about the job a week or two later and find it's been filled. I don't understand. Am I not qualified to work at Gamestop or put groceries in bags at Safeway?

re: gamestop

the place has a semi strict "this is what we look for as far as looks go" policy while interviewing.

a real video game nerd (i say that with love) friend of mine went in and interviewed and the girl before him was really hot, and well, he's average (again saying that with love) i get talking with her. she was a complete dunce when it came to games. 5 minutes later my friend came back, and the girl remarked, oh that was quick, i was in there for like 20 minutes. the next week we went in and she was working there, she was having difficulty with the check out register, couldn't answer simple questions. my friend actually started to answer the questions in line, and the guy who had interviewed my friend was actually there, and asked him if he came in for an interview last week. yeah, i did, so did she. *he pointed* oh, well, you want the job still? of course he took it, and the bimbo was let go. that was 7 months ago and he's still working there, and getting paid (according to him) well.

[Big-C]

I'm inclined to agree with ShortcutToMoncton's point of view. Personality and communication is a HUGE piece of whether or not I hire someone. Honestly, it matters so much to me that I barely breeze through the resume at all, and only look to see if they have the degree or experience they said they have.

Eagerness, poise in the face of adversity, ability to get along with others - these are things people have to deal with day to day.

Certainly there is a lot of variation to what's important (obviously a programmer needs to know how to program & I want samples), but again, if the person comes across as a dick, I don't care how good a programmer (or whatever) they are. I want someone easy going that will get along with other workers.

[SSharon]

Speaking of hard times finding a job, does anyone know of a position for an attorney in NYC or North NJ?
MacNN counts as networking, right?

Given the current market, all I can say is good luck to all of us looking for jobs.

[turtle777]

The job market is f**ked up right now.

Nobody wants to make a move, because everybody's scared about what will happen next.

-t

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

My buddy has been trying to find a job in anticipation of his graduation. Excellent grades, good resume, but all potential employers have rejected him stating "We are not hiring you at the moment". However, one of those companies just made an offering to a girl in his class (who is definitely not smarter than my friend).

Fixed (in bold).

[Dork.]

Be careful when looking at big companies. One division might be hiring while another might be shrinking.
Even smaller companies might only be looking for folks with a narrow range of skills, which might disqualify some people but not others.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

The job market is f**ked up right now.

Nobody wants to make a move, because everybody's scared about what will happen next.

So, so true.

What Dork says is true as well, I just got hired and they laid off people in another dept. Dunno what its like in the US, but I found that once I had put my CV onto a few sites, people were calling me. Before that I had applied for jobs directly. Try Monster?

[turtle777]

I have been looking for new opportunities for quite a while. While there was significant interest summer last year, it has considerably died down now.

Plus, for anyone who is currently in a halfway stable job. it would take a much higher "risk premium" to make a change. But on the employers side, they offer even less than before.

Right now, the risk/reward ratio of changing is just too bad if you are employed.

-t