Job Search By The Numbers - 1.5 year update

When I reached the one-year mark of job search (December 2022-November 2023) I put together a summary and published it here on LinkedIn. It turned out to be one of the most "impressioned" articles I’ve written. As “impressions” go on these articles I’m usually good for a reliable 1k. When I write about job search-related topics that number can run anywhere from 2-4k in impressions. That particular post from December 2023 is up to 8,000+ impressions!

This week's article is really an extension of what I shared last December. I'd have preferred not to have had the opportunity to write it, but I thought it was time to bring this job search (as it is currently operating) to closure. No. I did not get an offer and am not going back to work immediately. But, I have reached a point where what I have been doing has not delivered the results (a reasonable job offer) in what I had been pursuing (marketing management or product management) so it's time to reconsider what it is I’m going to pursue and what my motivations are at this stage of my life/career.

Some disclaimers and background details before I provide the update

Like you, I’ve seen a number of people post updates about their job searches. Huge numbers of resumes being sent out; ghosting by the company following interviews; some people in dire financial situations. I’ve even seen pleas for money to be Venmo’d to their accounts. I’ve seen people that are emotional wrecks, and those that have been worn out mentally by the process. The rejection, apathy, lack of compassion (actually sounds like the script for the Seinfeld finale about the Good Samaritan law) has a way of wearing people down. I am only an “N” of one, but here’s a general overview of how I might have spent my time on any given week during this long stretch.

1. I treated this job search as a full-time job. I started many of my days with a 30 mile bike ride (striving to leave between 4:45-5:00am so I could be back by 7:30). I kept track of my activities, which I’ll report on later.
2. I kept a journal/log of my daily activities.
3. I put certain job search networking groups and training sessions on my calendar each week.
4. I scheduled phone or video chats with others in job search as a means of expanding my contacts.
5. I worked Monday through Friday, generally eight hours, but would flex as needed – attending evening calls, mowing the lawn on a Friday afternoon, taking a day to help my mom in upstate NY.

Let’s get down to business – the business of job search

I'm not super geeky, but geeky enough that I enjoy keeping track of certain metrics that I thought were useful. In addition to providing a historical perspective on what actions I took and what I did with my time, the metrics have also served to keep me on track. We've all had days (employed or not) where we felt we could have been more productive. Job search is no exception. Minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days, etc. etc. I've found it useful to look at my own performance as a means of getting back on track if I felt like I was slacking off.

The information I captured required one criterion - I needed to be able to have control over it. Here are the nine categories that I chose to track and compile:

1. Calls & call attempts

2. Text messages sent

3. Emails sent out

4. LinkedIn connections and communications

5. Jobs applied to

6. Individual meetings

7. Networking meetings

8. Interviews

9. Articles published

I used an Excel sheet to keep track of everything (I'm aware there are other tools out there, but I was comfortable with Excel). I used a separate tab for each month, and an extra tab to keep track of every company that I applied to. In that tab I kept track of the company name, the job title, the date I applied, the date I was contacted - whether that was from a rejection email or I was contacted for an interview. I also calculated the number of days from the time I applied to when I heard back from a company (if I heard back...).

After a full year and a half of job search this is what I can report (the 6 month, 1 year and 1.5 year numbers appear on the chart below) :

• 3,367 LinkedIn communications (invitations and messages).
• 848 emails sent (related to job search activities).
• 909 resumes sent (this number is primarily to job postings. This includes EasyApply, 1-Click, full applications, etc.).
• 466 calls made.
• 461 Networking Group meetings attended (organized standard meetings).
• 379 working days of job search (counting the days available to work - that doesn't mean I worked all of them).
• 264 Individual meetings (meetings scheduled with other job seekers, networking contacts).
• 173 text messages.
• 57 Job Interviews (includes multiple interviews with the same companies).
• 8 companies where I went through multiple rounds of interviews.
• And a 1 job offer that (at the time) didn't seem to make sense to accept.

It's fine to be able to have numbers to report, and keeping track of everything gives it a tangible feel. Every job seeker's journey is unique, and as such each job seeker needs to determine their own path, their own activity objectives, and establish their own benchmarks.

Those numbers are a window into the activity. What about the results? I also tried to keep track of things like rejection emails and the timing of such things. As you would expect some companies would provide a rejection immediately (Saturday and Sunday seem like popular days to send out rejection notes through LinkedIn). Some companies might wait until the role had been filled before sending out a rejection so I might see rejection notes three months later. By far the biggest number were the companies that didn't provide any response or acknowledgement.

Writing Articles / Posting on LinkedIn

I decided in late December of 2022 that I was going to start writing again on LinkedIn. I had done it eight years earlier during a prior job search, and I found it to be therapeutic. It's allowed me to use my mind, be a little creative, and it was a nice counter-balance to the day-to-day grind of the job search. While I'm not being compensated, it's provided a good way to share thoughts on a number of different topics. Since LinkedIn seems to like when I write about job-search related topics I've angled much of my writing in that direction. It feels good when you see the number of impressions increase. It feels better when you see people engaging and commenting on an article you've written. But, it does feel the best when people (that you do not know) see something of value and think enough of it to share it within their own network.

Why Haven't You Gotten a Job Yet?

Of course that's the question that every job seeker would like to be able to provide a definitive answer for. Especially, if they have been searching over an extended period of time. The reasons for job search struggles can range from candidate issues: experience; other candidates; interviewing skills; personality; age (too young, too old); as well as a host of other limiting factors. Hiring companies also have their issues: they can't decide what they want; position not well defined; poor interviewing; changing priorities; as well as other factors. I'm sure in my own situation I check off a few boxes of things that were not done well, but getting truthful feedback is a challenge, so it's best to move forward.

Is being hired a function of Luck, Skill, Experience, Networking, Right Place/Right Time or all of the above?

It's probably a combination of all of those since each day you walk among people imminently qualified for multiple roles, but for various reasons the ball hasn't bounced in their direction. The search for a position can feel a bit like a game of musical chairs. Some of this goes for the hiring company as well, as they seem to be holding out for the "perfect" candidate - I've seen some roles open just about the entire time I've been in job search mode. I really can't believe that a company cannot find a qualified candidate, yet here they are advertising a role that seems to have no urgency and no expiration date.

What's Ahead?

A lot has changed over a year and a half. What was once an urgent desire to be chasing after a final hurrah of a job has been replaced by seeking work closer to home in a role where I can be a good supporting cast member. Money is important to all of us, but so is our physical health and mental well-being. Sadly, job search, and especially an extended job search is not helpful for one's mental health. Last week I wrote about that "in-between period" - somewhat of a no man's land of job search. That's going to become a bigger issue as we see more of the "Boomer" generation moving into their 60's, but still wanting to work in a professional capacity.

All Is Not Lost

Getting to know some people along the way might be one of the really bright spots of this year and a half period of time. I've also gotten connected to some really good networking groups. I've seen some really excellent presentations delivered by some very skilled job search professionals.

I'm continuing to seek out new opportunities, and I will work again - I just need to be able to tell my wife when!

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

For the lion's share of my career I have been a B2B marketing and product management professional. Currently I am redirecting my efforts towards opportunities that will allow me to provide experience in marketing, product management, customer service, inside sales, content writing, office administration or whatever else an organization may have a need for.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (or other states), as well as trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day.

Photo(s) of the week.

Last Thursday, Jon Anderson (formerly of Yes) was in New Brunswick for the opening night of his concert tour. I went in for the show and I'm glad I did. 45 years ago I first saw Yes in 1979 in Montreal when we were there for our high school senior class trip. Yes happened to be performing at the Forum and a few of us were able to get Standing Room Only tickets.