Mine has been horrendous. I honestly can’t remember the last time it was this difficult to even reach the interview stage. I’m completely and utterly demoralized and exhausted. I started my job search last year, mostly as a precaution, but it’s now become a necessity. Given the state of the job market, I’m even more worried about cuts here than I was before. If you’ve had a positive experience, do share – if for no other reason than to lift people’s spirits.
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The job market is absolutely ridiculous. Hundreds of applicants not even getting to an interview stage Lucky if you get a prescreen. I think it is only going to get worse with the government we have now.
It depends on where you are applying. A lot of places have a lot of Cenovus employee names on do not hire lists. They were put there by people who use to work at Cenovus and were layed off. A friend of mine has confirmed this to me when I started looking.
With layoffs looming, is it appropriate to ask our manager for a generic recommendation letter? I’m going to start looking to get out before I am told to get out.
I’ve had two good offers in the last three months. One is just a bit further drive, the other slightly less money. I included good cover letters and attached reference letters from previous employers. I received offers after just one interview. I accepted one of them and will be out soon!
Try some new angles, since the one you've stuck with for the past however many months isn't bringing desired results.
Revamp your resume, reword things to be more updated, add in any new things you've learned recently, show how you've saved the co. $, etc.
Try applying to different industries other than the one you're in now. Apply directly via the company's site, rather than through sites such as indeed.com, but use sites such as indeed.com to poke around and see what's out there for your skills, to find out who's hiring, and then check out those companies' "jobs" sections of their websites.
Use key words from the job ads/descriptions within your resume/cover letter, so the initial screening AI or HR-bot is more likely to choose your application to move forward with. Take graduation/working dates off your resume, unless they're within the past 10 years. Only include the last 10 years of your working history on your resume.
Talk to everyone you know, reach out to people you haven't been in touch with for a while, and let them all know you're actively looking for work. Follow up on all leads. If those leads don't have anything for you, ask them if they know of anyone who may be hiring, and to feel free to forward your resume/contact info. Get leads from leads...be they cold or hot!
Don't be discouraged...persistence pays off!
I’ve had a reasonable experience, I have been offered much more and smaller shops. But to be honest I haven’t even got an interview from the shops I want to get into