How to stay strong while job searching
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Anonymous
| I’m 55 and have been trying to leave my job for over a year. I’m a senior development officer in a small nonprofit and desperate to do something else before I retire. I can’t afford to start over in a new field and the only way out seems to be taking a similar job at another nonprofit, which promises more of the same. I’ve applied to 30+ federal jobs and a dozen foundation jobs, hoping that my age won’t be a liability and even an asset, but so far no luck. I’m really starting to lose faith and I’m pretty miserable at work. Any words of wisdom or encouragement? |
Anonymous
| Keep applying. You only need one yes. Have you put 3x the amount of effort into networking that you have applying for jobs? |
Anonymous
| OP here. I’ve not fully tapped my network because I’m concerned word will get back to my supervisor who knows everyone in my field. And most of my contacts are in my field. I’m feeling pretty stuck. |
Anonymous
| Are you getting referrals for the federal jobs? They move slow, but if you're not getting found eligible, that could mean that there is an issue with your resume. |
Anonymous
| Become a teacher, that is easy to do right now. |
Anonymous
This is tough. I obviously don't know your field or your job situation, but is there any way to thread that needle? Even a smaller group of contacts you could trust? |
Anonymous
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You need more personal contacts. Also, it's a quality x volume game. I would say I got one satisfactory offer out of about as much volume as you report. Then the job was a dud and I had to quit after 8 months and go back to freelancing.
Do you have a grad school network you could tap into? Can you volunteer as a grant writer for some other org where you can meet people? Unfortunately, job searching is like sales. Keep investigating how to make your product appealing and keep contacting prospects. |
Anonymous
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https://www.quora.com/Who-said-the-only-way-out-is-through
Above is my mantra when things suck: "No way out but through" I also like the idea of "an invincible summer" https://wordsfortheyear.com/tag/albert-camus/ |
Anonymous
Agree with this poster. It is worth the $500-1000 to hire a federal resume writer to help ghost write a solid resume for the federal job search. |
Anonymous
What year is it? Stupid advice OP. AI can do better than most resume writers and for free or close to free. |
Anonymous
Federal has their own little rules. If you don't list hours worked per week, for example, your resume is not considered and you would never know. |
Anonymous
| OP here and I’ve been pretty focused on federal jobs due to my age. I think my fed resume is pretty solid after a year of evolution. I’ve been found eligible for all the fed jobs I’ve applied to and referred for 65% with a few still pending. I’ve had two rounds of interviews for one job and feel grateful I didn’t get it (though I was disappointed at the time). I recently hired a writer to further refine my resume, which I used for this last round of applications. |
Anonymous
The editing cost $200 and was worth it for the peace of mind. Results are still pending. I tried AI and it helped but not as much as someone reformatting it to a tested template. |
Anonymous
I love this. Thanks for the reminder. The good things about my current situation: I’m pretty good at my job. I enjoy 60% of the work. The mission is important to me. I have lots of freedom and leave. I like my coworkers and boss personally. The schedule is hybrid. The commute is easy. The bad: I’m bored and ready for a new challenge. I’m underpaid. There’s no opportunity for advancement. I greatly dislike 40% of the work. My boss undervalues my contributions. Maybe more good than bad? Do I just need an attitude adjustment? Is this a mid-life crisis? Maybe. |