I'm way lower on the food chain and I've figured out that blindly sending resumes won't get you a job anymore unless you are very, very lucky. He should join interest groups, sports clubs anything that will get him to interface with other people.

Anonymous wrote:To keep from getting discouraged, try volunteering his services to some non-profits. That'll get him some more connections and it always looks good on the resume to be working in some fashion.

Agree with this, take a look at Taproot, it tries to connect professionals with nonprofits that need pro bono help.

To keep from getting discouraged, try volunteering his services to some non-profits. That'll get him some more connections and it always looks good on the resume to be working in some fashion.

He won't ever get a job from a blind app. He'll get it through a friend or a former colleague. He can abandon those time consuming application files and really focus on networking. The only reason he needs to even look at the postings in his field is to know who he should be taking to lunch this week.

Agree with PP. At a VP level, it should all be about networking. Sending resumes out is fine and all (and sometime helps psychologically, "at least I am doing something" kind of feeling), but I would not expect a VP level position to come by that way. You might get lucky, but that would be an exception rather than the rule. Market also gets much tighter as you go up the management chain (think about how many staff and mid-management level people are there for every VP, at most companies). Good luck to your DH.

At his level, sending out blind resumes is probably not how he is going to get his next job. How is his network?
He needs to be working the room all the time. No fun, but that is the way almost all professional positions at a senior level are gotten.
Which is not to say that he shouldn't be also applying to positions that he sees advertised.

Headhunters...ehh... They don't work for you, they work for the employer, so while they may occasionally be a good source of jobs, they aren't your advocate.

My DH has been looking for a job for about 8 months now and has had interviews but has not landed anything. He is in the public affairs/communications field, and has been at a VP level in prior jobs.

Is the market out there really this bad or are we doing something wrong? He has a great job history but can't seem to get anything right now. He has sent out tons of resumes, worked with headhunters, etc.

I work and make good money so we are doing fine. We also have a lot of money in the bank so this hasn't affected our lifestyle yet. Nevertheless, he is getting pretty demoralized...

Any thoughts/advice? Also, I am open to some snark if you think I am naïve or clueless and need a kick in the pants on this... And, I understand that there are people in worse positions - I just want some thoughts/advice regarding my specific situation.

Thanks.