Unemployed Over One Year - What Can I Do To Help Me Get Employed

[MechEng281]

I am presently unemployed for just over 13 months. In addition to this red flag I have other negatives in my work history. I have been out of school for six years. I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. My industry experience is in Design, Product Development, and Manufacturing Engineering. For the first four years out of school I had constant employment. I had one job for three years and one job for one year. However, after this four year mark my employment has been inconsistent. I had 6 months of unemployment (second half 2007), then found a contract job for 6 months (first half 2008), then another 3 months of unemployment, then I found a job that lasted one month (Fall 08), and now 13 months of unemployment. All my positions were at Fortune 500 companies and I am located in WI.

During the last 13 months I have gone over my resume many times and consulted with professional resume writers. I think my resume is as good as I can get it. I have it posted in my LinkedIn profile and several job boards. However, I have not had an interview in months. I go to local networking events three times per week, but I can't find leads.

Obviously, as time passes it will become more difficult to find a job. I am writing to ask for strategies that will help me break out of this rut and find employment. I don't want to be in this position next year at this time. How can I stand out to employers given the long period of unemployment and other negatives in my work history?

Do I need to consider going back to school at this point? Do I completely start over?

Are there any cities in the US I should be focusing my search on. My Indeed.com job alert shows many jobs in California. Can I even consider searching in other cities given my long period of unemployment?

Do I just hang tight and keep applying and hope things will get better in 2010.

Please help!

 

[Japher]

I just got of the phone with a recruiter, and the convinced my to go back to my chronological resume as opposed to my skills based/functional resume. Here's why:

Recruiters are spreading themselves over more industries than what they are used to. Thus, they don't care about your skills so much as can, or rather have, you done what the job description is looking for.

Also, they have no idea what the industries they aren't familiar with are looking for, exactly. So, while the job description may say "familiarity with pumps" and you have "liquid processing expert" they can't draw the line between the two.

Another thing is that in a skill based or functional resume work history generally comes last. So, if I am applying within the same industry they are more likely to read the resume further if they see other companies that are within the same industry.

I was told that the screeners have cut down the time they look at resumes from 15-20 seconds to about 8. So, make sure the right things are highlighted. I've been sending out about 20-30 resumes a week and get 2-3 calls per week. I shoot for a 10% return and generally do better, this time around I have not, and I have been using the functional resume. We'll see if changing helps.

 

[KENAT]

There have been a lot of relevant threads, especially of late, for instance thread731-254534 seems very relevant.

Most folks decry online applications of the various sorts, and certainly they seem shall we say inefficient. However, I got my current job from having my resume on monster or career builder or one of those, it got spotted by a job-shop recruiter and I started as a contract employee then went permanent.

I tried the face to face application at several places locally and mot refused to even accept my resume telling me to apply online.

Networking is great, until you realize your most promising lead seems to be a swinger and all that entails.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[corus]

Looking at your previous history it's clear you're not unemployable, but may rapidly become so as the months go by. Try and fill in the 'gap' year by saying you were 'actively' unemployed building day-care nurseries along the Amazon basin or teaching the finer points of baseball to the Hai-Ung-KaKaKa tribe of Central Borneo. It'll make your CV stand out from the crowd, but be prepared to have a good story ready, and maybe a set of monkey teeth to show them at the interview.

As others have said, networking is the best way of finding new employment and of getting round the robo-droids of the HR department. If you've worked with others in the past then give them a call and find out where they're working now and if there is anything possible in the near future. They may suggest you to the manager there. Failing that, find out the manager's name and write to them personally with a few lines about yourself, and suggesting you'll call them in a few days. After you've called them then send them a copy of your cv. It might work, but it's certainly better than paddling up the Congo every day to work.

corus

 

[HEHurst]

MechEng281,
Since you're in Milwaukee, have you been looking much at Chicago-area jobs? You said that you're finding that many companies are looking for "local-only" candidates, but I'd stretch your definition of local to include Chicago if it helps you. And it's a huge market (not sure what the industry / hiring situation is like now though)
Depending on where the position is in the Chicago area, some locations are even doable as a long daily commute from Milwaukee.
Even if you're reluctant or not having much success with most out-of-state openings/companies, I'd look closely at Chicago if you're not already doing so.

 

[PeterStock]

I would not worry so much about "local-only" in a job posting, just be aware that they would probably not pay for relocation or if the job is temporary per-diem. If you match what they need better than a local candidate, the may go for you. In any case if they that the local pool does not give them what they need and look outside the area, your resume is there ready for them to review.

Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services

http://www.infotechpr.net

 

[ARenko]

i rarely send resumes to recruiters. normally, it's directly to the company.

Unfortunately while your resume is in the inbox of the HR person along with 2000 other resumes for the same job the recruiter is taking his prospects' resumes directly to the hiring managers. Or he's going to the HR person who finds it much easier to use the recruiter as a filter instead of doing his own job.

Recruiters can be a pain - I've had more bad experiences than good - but if you can find a good recruiter he can really help you get in for the interview. The best recruiters I've found are the ones who made me interview with them to see if they want to work with me. Obviously it is also an opportunity for you to interview them.

 

[ARenko]

Recruiters are spreading themselves over more industries than what they are used to. Thus, they don't care about your skills so much as can, or rather have, you done what the job description is looking for.

Also, they have no idea what the industries they aren't familiar with are looking for, exactly. So, while the job description may say "familiarity with pumps" and you have "liquid processing expert" they can't draw the line between the two.

If your recruiter doesn't care about your skills and can't draw the line between job descriptions and your experiences he's probably not a very good recruiter.

 

[HSNIC]

2009 was a real shit year! I am going to try hard to delete it from whatever calender I see. I feel terribly for you. I hope things get better.

 

[TDAA]

You said it HSNIC. That is just how I feel.

Luckily my layoff was short (~1.5 months, with "negotiations" happening within a week). Only work problem is that I now live in a place I, and my wife, do not want to live, to be employed. That, and it ruined my summer of fun, that has been many years coming.

I will hold out a while here, but I am hoping my house does not sell, and I can get a job and move back. I am a bit obligated to my boss though. He has done me a huge favor.

To try and get through the last couple days of this year, I hope no one else gets cancer soon, that my health stays good, etc. I do hope on the other hand, my third and final dog dies by tomorrow. Yes, it sounds bad, but he is old and close to it. I would rather hate this year more, than taint 2010.

 

[HSNIC]

Another year means you get older, but it really does not matter at this point. So what, I turned 30. I am ready for something new. I will wait until my unemployment runs out before thinking about moving to better markets. I hear Brazil is relatively unaffected, but I do not know any companies down there.

Get through it TDAA

 

[Japher]

If your recruiter doesn't care about your skills and can't draw the line between job descriptions and your experiences he's probably not a very good recruiter.

You are correct. Unfortunately recruiters stand between you and HR, recruiters become HR and then stand between you and the hiring manager. The ignorance of these people is sometimes astounding. The best HR/recruiters I have worked with have been ex-engineers. However, even their ability to get you past an idiot HR person is limited.