No. of applications for your first job?

[embe]

Hello, a first-time-poster (but long-time-lurker) here! I'm wondering if anybody on this forum would be willing to share with me how many jobs they applied for before they were successful and were accepted for their first job? I'm curious, as I'm wondering whether a situation I find myself in is normal or not. Thank you!

[freshwala]

This is kind of an odd one for me personally, my first job I was filling in for somebody else, I applied with a personalized text to the agency boss, it was probably the best job I will have ever had.
but im still looking for my second job, i have applied to about 20+ places and had no reply, but I chose a bad time to start job hunting because all xmas temp jobs are gone. Now I've gave up and have fount and in the process of finding other sources of income.
Job hunting is a weird game i know someone who applied to one and got a call back with he was still in the area shopping, other applied everywhere they can think of and still been unsuccessful.
peace

[jdub]

I've never gotten a job based on just an application. Every job I've gotten was because I knew someone. They just throw applications away. Try asking for a manager or an interview when you hand in the application, and try to make a good impression. If they can put a face with an application you have a much better chance.

[Blue Wolf]

I'm just curious. What kind of job are you looking for? Where and how are you looking for a job? If this is your first job, are you A) a teenager or B) recently graduated from college, etc.?

If you give us more information on the type of job you are looking for, skill set, place that you live (not specifics, but large town/small town), we can probably toss out more appropriate ideas.

I think if other posters just throw out numbers, it's not going to really mean anything since...all the parameters listed above can change everything.

[embe]

@Blue Wolf:

I'm not fussy in the jobs I am applying for - if I believe I could perform the job as well as any other applicant, I'm applying for it! However, I would prefer data entry or similar work; I do not regard myself as having any particular skills, but I am comfortable with a lot of accurate keyboard data entry, so it seems the obvious preference...

I daily check job listings on various sites, weekly check job listings in various newspapers, am registered with various employment agencies, have dropped CVs into various businesses, etc.

I have been looking for a job for approximately nine months/I have submitted approximately 250 job applications (I have no idea of whether this is a lot or a little with regards to applying for a first job/the time period); out of this, I have received two interviews.

I'm in my mid-twenties, and have been in education until this point; I have a handful of GCSEs at the minimum pass level, which certifies me as being literate and numerate, but little else; I have an A-Level in computing at the minimum pass level; at present I am approximately a year into a three-year computing-related BSc, but am intermitting my university studies as I do not hold the university I attend in very high esteem, and even if I wanted to continue with my studies my financial situation would disallow it.

I would not say I have any particular skills; my most developed skills are in the field of programming (and am told I was best in my year in that field in university - one of the reasons I do not hold that university in very high esteem...), but I'm on that wonderful bridge between knowledge and ignorance where I am knowledgeable enough to know just how ignorant I am, and I have no illusions that I would be able to perform even an entry level programming job.

I am located in London.

[Blue Wolf]

Embe,

It seems like you have applied to a lot of jobs, but I don't know the job market in the UK. I asked the quesiton initially because a small town would impair the job search. Right before the holidays is probably a difficult time to find jobs.

Here are some ideas if you haven't tried them. Some of them may sound off the wall, but I and others have found jobs this way:

1. Craigslist? wwww.craigslist.org I just did a search now, I don't see many, but in the jobs section, data entry did come up. I would check the site daily and continuously apply for jobs.

2. Temp service. This may fit in nicely with your background. I had former university students (and friends) that used to go to a temp agency, apply for a particular job type (secretary, data entry, etc.) and then they would get call backs for those jobs. Most lasted a week. Several people were offered jobs from those experiences.

3. Can you get someone in the field to look at your resume/CV? Or talk to someone who works in the field?

There may be key terms, skills you should emphasize, etc, that may push your CV to the top of the pile.

4. Apply to very large organizations (a university is one possibility). There are usually several jobs available, with a background of novice to specialist.

You may be able to find this online, look up a large university, employment area, and see what is listed. If you can register and place a CV online, I'd do that.

Even if you don't like your former school, have you thought of stopping by and talking to a prof that you had a good rapport with and asking for suggestions? Someone may have a part time job available.

I think the temp service may work well for you. You can try different types of employment environments and see what you like. If you find a mutual match, voila, you'll have a job.

Jdub's post has some great ideas.

Good luck.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

For data entry type work I would suggest a temp agency. I am assuming they have something like that in the UK. Here in the States I got a job right away by going through a temp agency. All I had to do was make an application and take a few simple tests such as typing and filing tests. For my first job I worked in a movie theater making minimum wage. I got that from the first application I put in, but I wouldn't suggest you try to get a job like that!

[Asmoday]

It is normal, but there is a book:

"Don't Send a Resume".

Buy it. Read it. Apply it.

It will greatly accelerate things for you.

[Meg]

My first job, the employer came to me. I went to a vocational high school and was studying broadcasting (I have a technical degree in it from the school as well as a high school diploma), and Comcast Cable hires students from my school who are studying that field. So I started working there, worked there for about 5 years.

My second job, I went to a job fair. It wasn't based on the application, but rather the on-the-spot interviews. I went to the job fair at 11am, I was called back 9pm that night telling me when to show up to orientation. The employer told me that I had a great personality, great work attitude, and was enthusiastic, and that was 3/4 of the job (it was for a cocktail serving position at the casino, and I didn't have serving experience at all), and that they could teach me to serve.

My third job came from a customer at the casino. I hadn't been working there 2 weeks, and it was a manager from a bar and grill restaurant at the beach, an hour away. He loved my attitude and personality, thought I would be a great addition to his crew, and since I worked the late morning and afternoon shift at the casino, he offered me night hours at his restaurant if I was interested. So of course, I took the job.

Now that I moved out of state, I've been looking for a job. I don't have the connections or network like I did in my previous state of residence, so i'm filling out applications for my first time (which relates to the OP's position of first job). It took a while to land a job with the applications/resumes because employers don't look at them very long. Of the 30 or so applications that I've filled out, I've only been called back 3 times for interviews.

I bombed my interview for a job I really wanted, but again, I didn't get a chance to chat with the employer (I'm real bubbly and sociable, but didn't get a chance to convey that in the interview). Needless, I didn't get a second interview.

The second job I got called back for an interview went well. I got called back for a second interview that evening, went to the second interview, and signed my contracts right after. Unfortunately, with my current goals and situation, I can't afford to work there (pay based on commission, and office is an hour away, and I'm going back to school full-time).

So I went back to the applications process. Applications everywhere for seasonal work, whatever I can get. I put in an application at Walmart yesterday, and actually got called today for an interview! I have my interview tomorrow, as a matter of fact.

I'll also be working in the college's admissions office part-time. I used to do some volunteer office work for Student Activities because I was president of the campus activity board. The administrative assistant for Student Activities is now the admin. assistant for Admissions, and when I went to talk to her about the re-admission process (I had taken a year off for personal reasons and going back to school now), she offered me a job with her once I got enrolled again.

So yeah, the point of the long-winded story is that you'll fill out a lot of applications and submit a lot of resumes before you land a job. Its much easier to get a job based on who you know and be able to meet with the employer beforehand. The only advice I can give to you about applications to keep the telephone numbers for HR (Human Resources - the people who process your application). After about a week of submitting your application, and if you haven't heard back from them, call them and just say "Hi My name is so-and-so. I put in application about a week ago, and haven't heard anything. I was wondering on its status." If they say, "Your application hasn't been processed yet," then no one has gotten a chance to look at it. If they say "Your application is processing right now," it means someone is looking at it and your resume, calling references, doing background checks, etc. In both cases, call back every day. This makes them aware of your name so it sticks out in application review ("Hey, this guy called about three times. I recognize this name!"), and shows that you're serious about the job.

If you call and they say "Its been processed and reviewed," they'll usually say "We're sorry, you're not exactly what we're looking for at this time blah blah blah" or "A representative will be in contact with you shortly," which is usually a better sign, but beware; sometimes they say that and you get called and they say DENIED! Or not even call you. Why bother wasting time calling people you're not hiring? so thinks the employer.

[GoalSettingCollege]

2. As an accountant by training, I applied for the international auditing firms and there wasn't any news for even an interview. The next application was a local firm. And I was accepted immediately. I guess I could consider myself lucky, especially since the year that I graduated, my country's economy was in the lows. But it also helps that I'm quite focused. I only wanted to join an auditing firm then.

Embee, I'm not sure of the UK job market but given the 2012 London Olympics and stuff, there should be a good boost in the economy. And bluewolf is right. clar

First off, I would suggest that you get clarity on the type of job that you exactly want. The one that commensurates with your qualifications & experience. And as with all the posters' feedback, the temp service industry may well work for you. And if your programming skills is good enough, trying freelancing your services on site such as elance.com, guru.com.

It's easy to lose motivation applying 250 jobs and getting only 2 interviews but it may be good to ask yourself, are you applying for jobs that meets your required job profile or are you just applying any job? Even those that requires more experience?

Secondly, review your resume in detail. If you do not have relevant experience at the moment (I'm assuming you're a fresh graduate), highlight your skillsets (eg, programming) and other soft skills.

Thirdly, use your connections to help you while you're still searching via the newspaper/job sites or listed with the agencies. Ask around if anyone's recruiting. Sometimes, you'll be surprised how some people might just respond well to that!

Good luck. Have faith and you'll definitely succeed!

Cheers,
Ellesse

[Amatrine]

My very first job as a kid was in a pizza place, got the job. Second job still al kid,waitress, got the job... In my 20's I managed a bar, I am now 36, up until my bad health a few months ago, I worked office administration, and shop lead. I have never had a problem getting a job I have applied for. What I do: Present myself as confident, and freindly. Not overpowering, but sure of your abilities. Let the interviewer know how you are the best person for the position. Dress nice no matter what the job, but if shop work, wear sneakers.
When I got my last job, I wore a business suit and sneakers to the interview, because you can not tour the shop in heals It is against code.

Have a well written resume with you, even if you already sent one in. Half the time those get lost or deleted. Confidence is the biggest factor. I have got well paying jobs with no experience, but beat out compotiton that did,
because I portray myself with confidence, and I tell my abilities. I tell an employeer how I can and in the past can fix potential problems he/she may have. Smile. Do not be over bearing. As someone that also hires, I look
for people who I will also like to work with . If someone is overbearing, they are not considered. Same with my last boss. I have sat in on many of his interveiws, and sometimes it was the smallest remark that cost someone the hire.

Ama

[embe]

Hi, thanks for all the replies and suggestions!

@Blue Wolf:

Thanks for the link to craigslist.org; I hadn't thought of that site, although I search several similar sites (gumtree.com, etc.) daily.

As I mentioned, I'm already registered with various employment agencies, as this has worked well for people I know; however, I've yet to receive a single contact from any of the agencies; I'd presume a simple analysis tells them that it would be far more rewarding to quickly place multiple qualified candidates than it would be to take the time to place a single unqualified candidate...

I had an employment specialist review my CV before I began my job search last year, which I rewrote to their recommendations, although it is of course difficult to work with such limited material...

Talking to lecturers from my university would unfortunately be a waste of effort; I believe most of my lecturers attitudes towards me to be apathetic at best.



@Asmoday:

I've read a review of the book on Quintessential Careers; from what is mentioned in the review, it doesn't seem that the book would be relevant - it seems that the target reader is somebody already on the career ladder and trying to climb, rather than somebody trying to take their first step on the same - and from the description given, I think I'm already employing a form of the "boomerang letter."



@GoalSettingCollege:

Thanks for the links to elance.com and guru.com, I hadn't heard of either; I'll take a look, but as I mentioned, I don't think much of my programming skills...

As I mentioned, I'm not fussy in the types of jobs I am applying for; my financial situation has progressed from bad to critical, and I do not have the luxury of ignoring a vacancy which I could competently perform but which doesn't hold a deep attraction for me; I just stated a preference for data entry work as I am comfortable with a lot of accurate keyboard data entry from programming, and so it seemed to be the obvious preference...

That doesn't mean that I'm ignoring the job requirements, however; I'm only applying for vacancies which I could competently perform and which don't require experience; my financial situation has a deadline, and I want to waste neither my own time nor the time of whoever would end up reading my application by applying for jobs which I don't fulfill the requirements of.

As I mentioned, I'm not a graduate, and have no worthwhile qualifications aside from a handful of GCSEs at the minimum pass level, which certify me as being literate and numerate.

I also have no network or connections I could call upon.



Thanks for all the replies and suggestions!

[ChaosKiwi]

Its interesting as I have two friends in a similar postition right now.

One dropped out of a computing systems degree, with no work experience. He was absolutely determined to get a job in programming - to the point that he signed up for this thing where he gets the benefit (aka welfare) for 6 weeks and at the end of that period if he hadn't found a job they would just assign him some random job and he would pretty much have to accept it. He sent his cv off to everywhere he could possibly think of with no luck. Eventually he talked to an employed programmer who had similar problems starting out who told him to go in to businesses physically and inquire about work. The first business he walked into hired him on the spot, and he has just been promoted in under 2 months.

My second friend has recently graduated with a degree in engineering majoring in software with work experience at two major companies. He is a genius. His dad is a major player in the local business scene and has numerous contacts. This guy is more vague, he doesnt want to settle for just any job but doesn't know exactly what he wants. He goes to numerous interviews most of which are set up by his dad. He finished his degree around 3 months ago and has yet to find a job.

I'll leave you to draw conclusions from this comparison but the 2 most important things I see are:

A determination to get a specific job seems to be incredibly powerful.

Talk to people who are currently doing the work you want to do. Some jobs have very specific means of entry. Also, if people in the industry have talked to you and know you are looking for a job then your name is more likely to pop up when the vacancies arise.

PS: I once was involved in a Job finding skills class and was told that the employment ads businesses place in the paper outline their "perfect" candidate. We were told that if we met 75% of the critera in the ad, then it would be worthwhile to apply. This might be something to think about.

Good Luck!

[uberinquisitive]

My sister just graduated from a Tier 1 law school. She has sent out at least 100 resumes. Not even 1 job interview.

Other recent law school grads have reported the same.

I'm a college grad with a great resume. I've probably sent out 40 resumes, but most of my job interviews have been through a placement agency. A lot of companies would rather a placement agency vouch for a candidate first.

However, I know a lot of nurses who have no problem whatsoever getting a high-paying job immediately.

It really depends what your industry happens to be.