Diary of a Book Loving Busy Mom

June 15, 2012

I can’t believe I’m doing this. I am leaving behind the job I’ve had for the past five years and stepping into the unknown. I’m scared out of my mind. The job market is horrible.

What if I can’t find anything?

The hubby has been harping on me for months to find a less time-consuming job. I figured with us leaving on vacation at the end of the month, now is the best time to make a break. My job had always hampered my ability to seriously pursue alternatives. But, it’s comfortable. I know my job left and right, backwards and forwards. Now, I’ll be starting all over again in the most competitive job market since I was legally old enough to work.

I’m reading résumé books. I need to stand out. I’ve had a few interviews in the past couple of months, but nothing that’s turned into an offer. When I used to sift through résumés to hire for an open position in my office, you could always tells when it was someone older looking for a job. The old format of the résumé that was cutting edge decades ago was never updated. I don’t want that to be me. And yet, I feel like that is me. I’m over 40 and have been self-employed for the past eight years. Who the heck is going to hire me?

Hubby says not to worry about it. I underestimate my abilities. Maybe he’s right, but still, I don’t know how to search for a job in this market where college graduates struggle to find employment.

I want to go back to the 80s, where jobs were plentiful, and if you didn’t like what you were doing you applied at five new places and ended up with three job offers.

Sigh! Time to crack another book on finding a job in this new market. 

WSJ Wednesdays - Second Edition

In this second edition of WSJ Wednesday, I read an article that concerns America's workforce. Found on the front page of the Marketplace section and continued on page B6, "Your Résumé vs. Oblivion," by Lauren Weber discusses companies using software to sift through job applications.

Applicant tracking systems seem to be norm these days. According to the article, Ed Struzik, an International Business Machines Corp. expert on the systems, says it would be hard to find a Fortune 500 not using one. Knowing that an application is being scanned for "keywords, former employers, years of experience and schools attended," and ranking qualifications solely upon that information, means a potential applicant might not even get a call for a job she could be qualified for if she doesn't craft her résumé in a way that has knowledge of how these tracking systems work. The article also mentions other flaws of these systems, though it also mentions they are not wiping out human screeners entirely, only narrowing a field that is flooded with people eager for work in a weak market.

I have two books here that I plan to review hopefully next month at The Book Connection:  Unbeatable Résumés by Tony Beshara and Cracking the New Job Market by R. William Holland. Scanning the table of contents on each, Beshara's book contains information on these tracking systems and keywords, and Holland's book mentions keywords. Now that I am looking for a job outside my home, I better brush up on how to attract a potential employer in this technology driven market.

How do you feel about the use of applicant tracking systems? How long has it been since you crafted a résumé? Are you afraid your qualifications could be overlooked if you submit an online résumé without knowing how these tracking systems work?