4 Words that Strike Terror: Apply on Company Website

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.  Napoleon Hill

One huge drawback to automation is that each company doing its own recruiting wants you to enter your information into their system.  I don't mind giving them my info, of course, but it really gripes me that I spent hours and hours on my resume only to have to hand enter all the information again into each company's HR system.  OK, not hand enter entirely, because I can cut and paste huge swaths of data from my resume which already has the information, but still.  It can easily take 20 minutes to go through 1 company's HR software, repeating information that is already available in my resume.

All of this BEFORE the possibility of an interview!  It's ridiculous!  I wouldn't mind this tedious task AFTER an interview, when there is an actual possibility of a job, but before the interview is just too tedious for words.  I've gotten to the point where I almost never apply when I see a company website because there are so many jobs on Dice and LinkedIn that do not require going through all those hoops again and again and again.  It's just because the HR team is lazy and doesn't want to have to follow up.  There is no reason that I should give anyone my references until I've had a 1st interview.  There's also no reason to re-create my resume in 5 or 6 different formats every day.


And as long as I'm ranting, those extraction programs need a lot of work.  Maybe I should find the company that sells that POC and offer to upgrade their system.  I give them my resume and they put the information in odd places and I have to just cut and paste it all again anyway into the correct fields.  I keep using it on the off chance that the system may actually work at some time.


What this does is quash creativity.  Your resume must be created in their format, or it causes you no end of trouble.  If your work history is slightly interesting or, in my case, you took a couple of years off for personal reasons, watch out!  Those systems have no way of processing anything other than strict conformity.   What used to set me apart, an interesting, creative resume, is now a liability because I have to enter it into so many HR systems it is turning into a time drain.


*Sigh*  Now that that's out of my system, time to go apply!

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it." Confucius

This has been a momentous week!  I have not one, but TWO second interviews scheduled!! After 5 months of creating resumes and cover letters, revising resumes and cover letters, applying, applying, applying, talking to recruiters, revising resumes, talking to recruiters, rethinking my strategy, asking for advice on what to change, taking the advice, changing things up, revising my resume and cover letter, applying, applying, applying, talking to recruiters, and never hearing back -- this is the week that forward movement was achieved!

I know interviews are not jobs but I am confident in my interview skills.  Even if neither of these positions is a good fit, just the fact that I'm moving forward is tremendously exciting and a clear indication that I'm on the right path.  I'm taking today off the job search -- sending out resumes and spending 30 minutes after pressing the button with those dreaded words "Apply on Company Website."  I am not suspending the search by any means.  I learned early on in my career to follow the old adage, "You never stop looking for a job until your first day of work."  But after five months, I believe I deserve this day of celebration.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. MLK

A brief moment on this Martin Luther King, Jr. day to pause and reflect on the joys of living in a democracy and a moment of silence for those who died for the right to vote -- the Freedom Fighters of 1775-1776, all the way down to the Civil Rights activists.  Even the Occupy forces are an offshoot of this.  And shame on you if you do not vote.  It is more than a right, it is a responsibility.  People DIED to have this opportunity and we take it too lightly in this country.  Left, Right, Green, Tea, I don't care.  Although I have very strong personal opinions, it is the fundamental right.

In Australia, they have voter turnout of over 90% because you get fined if you don't vote.  It would be really interesting to see how the country would change if Everyone voted (or if it would change).

So on this day of remembrance,  make sure you're registered to vote and contemplate the men and women who dedicated (and gave) their lives for this right.  Interesting fact -- the 100 year anniversary of women's right to vote was just last year.  It hasn't been all that long, folks.

Stop Digging - Kaiser this means you.

“When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” – Will Rogers

I've decided to stop sending resumes to Kaiser.  I've applied for around 20 jobs of various kinds and have heard NOTHING.  There's only one recruiter who even had the courtesy to call me to tell me I wasn't selected (Shira, you Rock!).  It's enticing, wanting to work for one of the largest employers in the Bay Area.  There's the theory that if you get your foot in the consulting door, you could work for them for a long time.  There's the stability (most of their jobs are 1-2 year gigs).

Then, there's the downsides.  Their jobs are only available through recruiters.  For every, single job, the recruiter wants me to re-work my resume to tailor it to the specific language of the job posting.  Most of the recruiters claim to have exclusive claim to the position, but then I get calls from other recruiters who've found my resume on Dice and pitch the same job.  For every single requisition number, you have to fill out an exclusive permission form and fax it back to the recruiter (which I have to do at work because I no longer have a fax machine at home since I gave up my landline).  They pay $5-10/hr less than other companies for similar positions.

But the biggest downside is that after all this work, I have not received one interview.  I have come to the conclusion that there is something in my resume that excludes me from Kaiser's wanted list.  There are lots of other jobs out there.  I'm going to quit spending my time digging this hole.

Where, oh Where has my Pedometer Gone?

“Never confuse motion with action.” Benjamin Franklin

So I was really getting into it - tracking my steps.  On goal for 4000 a day with spikes on the days I don't do the 15 Minute Fitness gig.  Writing down the steps every day, walking blocks out of the way to amp up the numbers.  I spent the morning two days ago logging how many steps it takes to go to the bathroom from my new desk at work: short way vs. long way.  If I take the long way every time, and go to the kitchen or bathroom 4 times a day, taking the long way will get me an extra mile by the end of the week!

Tracking, moving forward, making progress.  Then, BAM!  No pedometer.  Honestly, it had come off several times before, but I'd always been able to find it again.  I was lost.  Adrift.  How can I tell how well I'm going?  Goals need specific, actionable items in order to be real (see, I did get something from management training).

So I took Action (thank you, Mr. Franklin).  Enter Amazon and their 24-7 shopping experience.  Not only did I replace the exact model of pedometer, I added a 'leash.'  Evidently, I attach the leash to the pedometer, attach it to my belt as well, then if the pedometer takes a leap, it will be caught by the leash. 

Here's hoping it works!

"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction." Will Rogers

So what's with the guessing game regarding rates for consulting jobs?  During my last job search, rates were  stated up front.  Now, I think there's must be some new incentive to place me at the lowest rate possible.  I've had more than a couple of recruiters balk when I ask what the rate is.  Seriously?  I know the rate is included with the job description, so why are they so reluctant to share that information?  These are consulting jobs, so it's not like a high level of job satisfaction over time will compensate for a lower rate as it might in a permanent position.  The only trade-off in consulting is money for time and expertise.

This rant comes because yesterday I had a recruiter really torf me off.  First she tells me I need to re-vamp my resume before she can submit it. While this is fairly common these days (I seem to have to change my resume for each new recruiter, and sometimes each new job), she had not quoted a rate.   Earlier yesterday I had a long conversation with another recruiter about a job that sounded like a lot of fun, but turned out to be $10/hr under the low end of my scale.  So I'm flinchy about spending time on a job that is going to be nowhere near my range.

I ask the recruiter if the job was within a range, and gave her $15/hr leaway.   This was her response:  "The rate is determined bythe candidate's experience as it pertains to the required skills/needs of the client.  So without having a conversation with you, and going over everything and determining if you are qualified for the position, I could not quote you a rate.  I hope this answers your question."

Seriously???  OK, first, no, that doesn't answer my question.  Second, you contacted me .  Why did you contact me if you hadn't at least glanced at my resume to determine if I was qualified?

Luckily, there are hundreds of other recruiters out there to work with. 

A creative (wo)man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. Any Rand

I am being brave here and taking a stand on something I might not accomplish.  I want to be in the Bay to Breakers race this year.

I have wanted to do this on a conceptual level for many years, but never had the means to make it happen.  After spending last year on establishing healthy habits, I have a solid foundation on which to build the stamina necessary for the race.  I'm walking, not running, but completing the course is my goal.  No, I don't know what I'm going to dress up as yet, that will come later in the stages were I'm walking 8-9 miles each weekend and I need something encouraging to think about.

So last year I got a pedometer for a fitness challenge at work and set my goal at 1500 steps a day.  I made it most days and was thrilled when I got over 2000 a few times.  You have to understand that I was coming from total couch potato status. (A mile is about 2000 steps).

I put the pedometer back on last month and at the end of the month got serious.  I've improved my stamina and my goal is 4000 steps a day.  For the month of January, I am adding walks on the weekends, which were typically sedentary for me, and work on taking some sustained walks.  I can walk to work easily now (it's 3-1/2 blocks).  Don't laugh, when the company moved there in July, it seemed like a really long way, so this is progress!  So anyway, I want to do some more sustained walking so that by the end of the month I can walk for one or two miles at a continuous stretch.

I figure that this will give me a solid foundation on which to move forward to increase the walking steadily over the next 4 months to the 9 miles I will need to be able to walk for the race.  I know, I know, Hayes Street Hill is a factor, so some of the prep will have to include the hill stuff.  I'm hoping that I'll be back home by then and will be able to practice the hard parts of the route in person.

In the past, I've pushed myself too hard too fast and have not succeeded.  I'm going by the bunny's motto (you know, slow and steady....)

I am already winning -- over the last two weeks of pedometer tracking, I've logged over 6000 steps 3 times, and over 5000 steps 3 times.