So my progeeks, we focused on what you hate in the job search last week!
1. What part of the job search do you hate the most?
- Making a Resume – 9.1%
- Making a Cover Letter – 45.5%
- Actually hitting the job boards and the like – 54.5%
- The actual interview – 18.2%
- Submitting/making portfolios and supporting materials – 18.2%
- Networking – 18.2%
- All the paperwork no matter what – 36.4%
- Going through hoops to get the real interview – 63.6%
This was a bit surprising for me- I figured there'd be more hatred of networking and making a resume. So this gave me some food for thought.
We also had some specific comments:
- "Difficulty in staying optimistic"
- "Applying to jobs I know I don't want but I still apply because I need a job."
- "Going through hoops to restate what's already in the resume." – I get this, some job applicaiton processes are really repetitious.
- "Waiting to hear back from applications"
- "actually having to work after getting hired."
- "The wait for a response is what kills me."
2. What elements of the job interview do you think we geeky types can do better than average – due to knowledge, technology, etc.
- Making a Resume – 23.1%
- Making a Cover Letter – 30.8%
- Actually hitting the job boards and the like – 46.2%
- The actual interview – 7.7%
- Submitting/making portfolios and supporting materials – 69.2%
- Networking – 30.8%
- All the paperwork no matter what – 23.1%
- Going through hoops to get the real interview – 7.7%
I really wasn't sure what to expect here, though the high response rate on portfolios and support materials does make sense.
We had one additional comment:
"Research is a big advantage for geeks, and I think it can be leveraged."
Sounds like we might have some specific posts to cover these areas . . . any volunteers?