Happy Anniversary

Ladies and gentleman, as of today I've been job hunting for two months. So what is the tally you ask? Well.....

Positions Applied to: 53
Interview Invitations: 3
Time Spent Hunting: 61 days!

I don't know if my tallies are good or bad, normal or abnormal. 53 seems like a lot of applications for only 3 interviews. The only new thing to report is that the HR lady at the TV station called to tell me that she would be calling me for an interview sometime next week. I think it's good that she emailed me to see if I was still interested in the job and good that she called to tell me she would be calling in the future, but they relisted the job on the site so who knows how many other people will be applying. I haven't heard from any other prospective employers other than random sales recruiters who found my resume on hotjobs or what not. I am not interested in selling insurance policies. Tomorrow my husband and I are going to a career fair.

Update

Not much new to report. Still looking for a job. No new interview invitations as yet. No news about the PR position. I haven't checked my mail since I've been in Tampa, but I expect to receive a rejection letter from Anheuser Busch soon. I did receive an email today from the HR person at a television station in reference to a job I applied to weeks ago, November 24th to be exact. The position I applied to had been filled but has since reopened and the woman wanted to know if I'm still interested. I am of course interested, so hopefully I'll be able to interview soon. I think it's promising that she remembered me and thought to contact me when the position became available. Hopefully, I can scoop up the job before they relist it and start the hiring process all over again.

Positions Applied to: 41
Interview Invitations: 3
Direct Rejections: 4
Time Spent Hunting: 49 days

Need Job, Will Travel

Positions Applied to: 32

Interview Invitations: 2

Direct Rejections: 4

Indirect Rejections (3 weeks with no response): 9

Resumes Currently Floating in the HR Void: 17

Time Spent Hunting: 28 days

Please forgive that last entry. I'm feeling a bit more positive today. While the ad agency never called, one of the women I spoke to sent an email and told me she'd have feedback for me on Monday (hopefully). So the waiting game is to go on a little longer. I won't be surprised if I don't hear anything by Monday, although I do think I'll hear something early next week. Be it good or bad I couldn't say. After meeting and seeing firsthand that I'm not a degenerate, it seemed that the agency people had decided to hire me without going through all of the usual rigmarole, but if that were true why this delay? My guess is that they have to clear it with the director of the account I'd be working on (he was too busy to speak with me the day of the interview) but I'm afraid they're just going to hire a local person for the sake of convenience. They were all so amazed that I drove down to Ft. Lauderdale just for the interview and I don't think they realize that my husband and I don't have qualms about traveling for interviews or relocating immediately.

At least I have the Wednesday interview in Tampa to distract me, although the women there, herald of local talent, also seems to have reservations about my being from out of state. If for some reason both of these agency jobs fall through, my husband and I are definitely moving to Tampa after the holidays, job or no job. Living in South Carolina is putting me at a disadvantage as none of the employers in Charleston have contacted me and Florida employers may see my current out-of-state residency as a reason not to hire, or even contact me. I certainly see why it would be easier for hiring managers to narrow their search to local candidates.

Wednesday Odds and Ends

Another day, another empty voice mail and inbox. I try to find ways to get out of the house so I don't sit and fret all day. Of all the stages in the job hunting process, I think the Waiting for a Call stage is the worst.

I have a tentative interview in Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, December 11th. After nearly three weeks of searching, the ad agency is my only option right now. The pros of the job are that it's in Ft. Lauderdale and at an agency, the cons are that it's low paying and in an unpleasant environment (if the Internet comments can be trusted). Nevertheless, it's not something I can afford to blow off. We'll see how it goes. I'm afraid I'll accept and settle for a job I don't really want only to have dream employers start calling after it's too late.

I tweaked my resume today as I felt I the previous one minimized my experience. For example:

Responsible for coordination and execution of ten nightly walking tours which included the management of customers, tour guides and staff on location

VS.

Booked and coordinated historic Charleston ghost tours

It's difficult for me to adequately describe my qualifications and experience without going over one page. Usually I copy and paste my cover letter and resume into the main body of the email because I feel I have more room to spare and because I don't want to risk any attachment complications. Is that a no no?

Positions Applied to: 26

Interview Invitations: 1

Direct Rejections: 3

Resumes Currently Floating in the HR Void: 23

Time Spent Hunting: 19 days

Soon I'm going to have to start filing some of the earlier applications under Indirect Rejections as it's been nearly 3 weeks with no word. What is a reasonable time frame for giving up?

Monday

I tried calling the "Talent Acquisition" guy from the Ft. Lauderdale agency four times today but was unable to reach him. I left a message after the fourth attempt but so far I haven't heard back. I'll try again tomorrow.

No word from any other companies.

Current Job Hunting Stats

Positions Applied to: 25
Interview Invitations: 0
Rejections: 3
Resumes Currently Floating in the HR Void: 22
Time Spent Hunting: 17 days