As part of my continuing job search several questions have haunted me. Uppermost being of resumes going down the black hole called careers@compay.com or hr@company.com or jobs@company.com. There is no guarantee that my toiled after resume will ever be seen by a human eye.
While I pondered the effect of this sci-fi phenomenon on my career well being I realized I wasn't the only one to be affected by it. At a career related Q&A series run by NYT I came across this question of black holes. Some also raised the relevance of MBAs.
Here are some questions I felt relevant to my present condition:
Q: It seems that when I send out résumés, I’m sending them into a black hole. Especially, since these days, there isn’t a human resources person to speak to. It’s all done over the Internet. My feeling is that one’s résumé doesn’t get out of the slush pile unless someone calls on your behalf. Am I wasting my time sending out résumés if I don’t know anyone to call for me at a particular company?
Q: I am in my late 20s and was just laid off from my job. I have a pretty solid résumé with Big Four management consulting experience that usually lands me a “first” interview. I would like to think I’m a good interviewer, but I’ve found that over the past few months I am not getting any offers. I tend to get interviews that require more experience than I actually have and also require an M.B.A., even though I don’t have one. Then, once I get into the interview, I think people see me as young and inexperienced and from a state school in Ohio. How can I differentiate to land a second interview? Also, is an M.B.A. absolutely necessary in today’s marketplace? It seems to be trending this way.
Q: I worked for 15 years in the IT industry, being the last 8 of those mostly in project management and presales. I was laid off, went back to school to get my M.B.A., and now nobody seems to be interested in my resume. I thought my M.B.A. would give me a broader view and would be able to switch careers or at least focus on those fields I am more attracted to. However, the more time I spend on the bench the harder it seems to be to get an interview.
These and many other questions have been answered by Bettina Seidman, an experienced career management coach and outplacement consultant. NY Times has run the Q&S as a 3-part series.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/answers-about-changing-careers-in-new-york/
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/answers-about-changing-careers-in-new-york-part-3/
5 months ago
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