Link to: Employers Won’t Hire The Jobless Because Of The ‘Desperate Vibe’.

Interesting article. Suggests that those who have been unemployed for a while emit this desperation, this hungry look, like starving dogs salivating for a handout of wilted french fries.

I guess there’s some truth to that. At the same time, extraordinary times like these require extraordinary measures. Thus, for the purposes of securing a job interview, maybe nobody has to be unemployed who doesn’t want to be.

Please explain!

Job counselors always suggest that the main purpose of a resume is to secure that all-important face-to-face interview. Substance, be damned! We’re encouraged by those who are supposed to know about such things, to tailor our resumes individually for each and every job opening, borrowing and parroting key words and phrases used in the job description so that Company XYZ’s scanners spit out our CV indicating “YES! This one looks like a fit!”

It’s not so much that you actually have any knowledge or experience in what they are looking for as it is that you can convince them that you do in person. I can tell you, from being on the hiring end of such things, rarely does the mid-size company have the wherewithal to check every little thing – especially one or two jobs back – especially colleges you might or might not have attended – especially awards, volunteer positions, board memberships, and – you get the message. Continue reading →