I'm exhausted of thinking about the process involved in applying to government job, so I'm going to let it go unless anyone ever comes across this wanting, needing, craving more I'll go into it.
Since the last post I've sent in 2 apps to organizations in D.C. so we'll see, at the very least I got the auto reply message saying the same generic gobbledygook like "Thanks so much for your interest in _____ foundation/organization but due to the astronomical amount of applications we just can't possibly send another generic follow up auto-email to all those who didn't meet every single one of our 416 skill requirements after we finally chose the ideal candidate 8 months after the deadline" I mean really? someone can't take the 3 minutes and create another one of those auto-responses? That's too much to send a bulk message to let the applicants know when the position has been filled and every member of the staff is much too busy to do that? Come on now.
Well I am grateful for the auto response after I submit because at the very very very least I know that the email went to the right place and didn't vanish into thin cyber space air. But some don't even provide that...there's just nothing, a complete lack of information...you put all of that effort into the cover letter and resume and and get nothing in response so you're just left to wonder. Of course, if you typed the email address correctly it's almost a sure thing that the app is going to end up at the proper destination. ALMOST is the key word, the first application I completed was through the organization's website with it's own system, got the "successfully submitted" email so I just sat back and waited for the phone call that never came, but the point is that a few weeks later I had a concern that I didn't fill in something right, I don't know why I thought of it weeks after, but anyway they actually have a contact email address you can ask questions, so a week after I sent the question the response was that they never even received my application...SIGH, so you see you just never know. This is a very give and get nothing back relationship I have with the job hunt. I can't wait to take, take, take with wild abandon I'll tell you that much.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Automated Rejection
So the job hunt saga continues with an automated email from the Department of the Secretary of the Interior that said "you are not among the best qualified candidates." Hmm...my only thoughts as I skimmed through the robotic message of rejection were just disjointed fragments like "but...but I have a B.A." "2...2 years as...Peace Corps" "few years experience in office setting, clerical...can make copies and type...but..eh.." Oh right...I forgot to mention what position I applied for....wait for it..."Information Receptionist." All I want is a job that's respectable and will pay me enough to start living in D.C. that's it. So I figured getting into the government was natural, not my first love which is International Development, but I haven't had much luck in that area either so I'm looking at anything you don't need a master's degree for or 76 years experience before they even look at my resume. To be a little less harsh on myself this particular job inquired about experience dealing with Native American tribal leaders, of which I have zero. However, I'm culturally aware, culturally sensitive, and politically correct, these three things I wear like a badge of honor, I pride myself on these things and take them very seriously...I was a PEACE CORPS volunteer for JEEPERS sake!! When these rejections come in you just want to scream at the thing that sends them..."what...and I can't learn in about 5 minutes to manage calls on a multi-line phone system???" And for some postings I've seen it's actually one of the required skills listed. Not that I'm knocking the receptionist position by any means, I would totally dig that job right now. Has anyone noticed the b.s. that employers use to puff up these job vacancies to make them sound like the most important position in all the universe? I've seen a lot of it and it's getting old real quick. Since when do you have to have been an astronaut to be considered for a receptionist position??
"Incumbent must manage complex multi-line phone transmission communication space station fiber optic networking device" A.K.A...answer the damn phones.
Now, for those of you job seekers who have not experienced the delight that is applying for a government job I'll just fill you all in. First, by the word delight I mean chore and by "fill in" I mean rant until I'm purged of frustrations. Just going to the government website to browse the job vacancies for the first time is quite the effort. You have to be familiar with the government's language first of all, if not it's like reading pages of alien language where up means down and 2+2=5. For example, if you're just browsing casually and you come across a position that is of interest you click on the link, easy enough, so it brings you to a page with a bunch of tabs such as "general info" "duties" "qualifications" and so on. Typically I jump right into the qualifications part first because there's no point in reading through everything I'd have to do if I don't have the skills. So you click "qualifications" and that's where things can get scary because you might see something like "in order to qualify incumbent must have at least 1 year of experience at the GS-06 level of federal employment or a combination of education and experience to qualify for the GS-07 level" The first time I saw that I felt unnerved and agitated (2 of my least favorite feelings) because I had no idea what that meant and the amount of information that goes along with each posted vacancy is crushing. So you have to learn the special language if you're even remotely serious about the government, it's not quite as intense as say the "DaVinci" Code but be prepared to put in a little effort.
So if and when you're ready to make the commitment to apply for a job with the government you have to then learn the special process. And if you're craving a more bloated, bureaucratic, time consuming, redundant, and lengthy application process then the government is not just for me, but for you too...don't worry I'm not done describing this yet..will continue on..
"Incumbent must manage complex multi-line phone transmission communication space station fiber optic networking device" A.K.A...answer the damn phones.
Now, for those of you job seekers who have not experienced the delight that is applying for a government job I'll just fill you all in. First, by the word delight I mean chore and by "fill in" I mean rant until I'm purged of frustrations. Just going to the government website to browse the job vacancies for the first time is quite the effort. You have to be familiar with the government's language first of all, if not it's like reading pages of alien language where up means down and 2+2=5. For example, if you're just browsing casually and you come across a position that is of interest you click on the link, easy enough, so it brings you to a page with a bunch of tabs such as "general info" "duties" "qualifications" and so on. Typically I jump right into the qualifications part first because there's no point in reading through everything I'd have to do if I don't have the skills. So you click "qualifications" and that's where things can get scary because you might see something like "in order to qualify incumbent must have at least 1 year of experience at the GS-06 level of federal employment or a combination of education and experience to qualify for the GS-07 level" The first time I saw that I felt unnerved and agitated (2 of my least favorite feelings) because I had no idea what that meant and the amount of information that goes along with each posted vacancy is crushing. So you have to learn the special language if you're even remotely serious about the government, it's not quite as intense as say the "DaVinci" Code but be prepared to put in a little effort.
So if and when you're ready to make the commitment to apply for a job with the government you have to then learn the special process. And if you're craving a more bloated, bureaucratic, time consuming, redundant, and lengthy application process then the government is not just for me, but for you too...don't worry I'm not done describing this yet..will continue on..
Monday, March 22, 2010
the job search grumbles
New to blogging...give me a break if I'm boring or whatever else.
But my frustration with the job search has actually catapulted me into action...well if you call blogging action. Perhaps unleashing my grumblies out into the netherworld of the Internet would be more accurate.
I'm still in my mid 20's, I have a B.A. and I worked abroad for a while, once my term of service was up I thought "I have a B.A. and I worked abroad, it'll be no problem for ME to find a job back home." Well 20 some applications later and nothing yet..is that a lot? It feels like a lot. Being abroad during the high point of the economic crisis allowed for a diminished view of how bad things are and also I was probably just really naive.
It's been about 4 months since I seriously got into the search, maybe in the grand scheme of things that's not long, but 20 different applications, some for the US government and some for independent organizations, seems painful in return for zero phone calls. Especially since it's not just resumes anymore, it's cover letters too. And a cover letter isn't just an introduction or little clip about you, it's about selling yourself, creating something that shines brighter and louder than the 787 other typical drab cover letters received. It's about going to the websites of various orgs or companies and getting a sense of them and incorporating that language into a little letter that's supposed to be no more than half a page...half a page to sell years of experience, the more you've done the harder it is. If you don't set off fire works and laser beams in the first few sentences your efforts of crafting a cover letter and tweaking that resume will be tossed into the bottomless pit known as the trash bin of that HR email address you and 498 other applicants sent their sales pitches to.
And there's the "waiting for the phone to ring" game, it generally goes like this: turn the cell phone on in the morning, wait pensively for the first minute to see if I have a voice mail message (I'm currently in the western half of the country applying for jobs in the east so there's a time difference you see), then comes the lack of beeps, chimes, and whistles...just silence, no message...ok moving along...then comes the willing the phone to ring with thoughts like "this has to be a sure thing," "this job is perfect for me," "how could they not have loved my resume and everything I put down on paper?" Late afternoon crawls along: "guess nothing will happen today." So mildly or quite dejected, depending on how long it's been since I've sent in the application I relent and decide I can have the rest of the day off and will pick it up where I left off in the morning, trolling job sites for anything resembling my "skill set," knowledge, and abilities then cringe when I see a master's degree is required to become a secretary...well that's what it seems like nowadays. Then the crafting and tweaking happens all over again and the same initial feelings of hope, accomplishment, and persistence fill me with a sense of peace like I've just opened another door to say "Hey...look! look at me! look at what I can do!" Ha, then the "imagining what the interview would be like" game unfolds...you're in for a real treat on that one...
But my frustration with the job search has actually catapulted me into action...well if you call blogging action. Perhaps unleashing my grumblies out into the netherworld of the Internet would be more accurate.
I'm still in my mid 20's, I have a B.A. and I worked abroad for a while, once my term of service was up I thought "I have a B.A. and I worked abroad, it'll be no problem for ME to find a job back home." Well 20 some applications later and nothing yet..is that a lot? It feels like a lot. Being abroad during the high point of the economic crisis allowed for a diminished view of how bad things are and also I was probably just really naive.
It's been about 4 months since I seriously got into the search, maybe in the grand scheme of things that's not long, but 20 different applications, some for the US government and some for independent organizations, seems painful in return for zero phone calls. Especially since it's not just resumes anymore, it's cover letters too. And a cover letter isn't just an introduction or little clip about you, it's about selling yourself, creating something that shines brighter and louder than the 787 other typical drab cover letters received. It's about going to the websites of various orgs or companies and getting a sense of them and incorporating that language into a little letter that's supposed to be no more than half a page...half a page to sell years of experience, the more you've done the harder it is. If you don't set off fire works and laser beams in the first few sentences your efforts of crafting a cover letter and tweaking that resume will be tossed into the bottomless pit known as the trash bin of that HR email address you and 498 other applicants sent their sales pitches to.
And there's the "waiting for the phone to ring" game, it generally goes like this: turn the cell phone on in the morning, wait pensively for the first minute to see if I have a voice mail message (I'm currently in the western half of the country applying for jobs in the east so there's a time difference you see), then comes the lack of beeps, chimes, and whistles...just silence, no message...ok moving along...then comes the willing the phone to ring with thoughts like "this has to be a sure thing," "this job is perfect for me," "how could they not have loved my resume and everything I put down on paper?" Late afternoon crawls along: "guess nothing will happen today." So mildly or quite dejected, depending on how long it's been since I've sent in the application I relent and decide I can have the rest of the day off and will pick it up where I left off in the morning, trolling job sites for anything resembling my "skill set," knowledge, and abilities then cringe when I see a master's degree is required to become a secretary...well that's what it seems like nowadays. Then the crafting and tweaking happens all over again and the same initial feelings of hope, accomplishment, and persistence fill me with a sense of peace like I've just opened another door to say "Hey...look! look at me! look at what I can do!" Ha, then the "imagining what the interview would be like" game unfolds...you're in for a real treat on that one...
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