EFM Recruiting

🌟 Job Opportunity 🌟 Seeking a Senior Print Production Manager with expertise in large format graphics in Elk Grove Village, IL. $500 referral bonus available! #printproduction #largeformatgraphics #printingindustry #ChicagoJobs

AEG Presents has an exciting opportunity for college students to gain experience working in the live music space. Our College Connection program offers students the opportunity to work at our Hangout Music Festival in a variety of roles. If you know a college student who would be a great fit for this opportunity, please encourage them to apply at the link below. https://lnkd.in/e8W6Cqd2 #AEGPRESENTS #HangoutMusicFestival #CollegeConnectionProgram #CollegeStudent #Internship #musicindustry #livemusic #festivals #jobs #WeAreAEG

I looked for full time employment for 427 days and thought I’d share some higher level stats for those who are interested. I should preface this with saying, ALL the jobs I’ve had with the exception of one came from personal connections in my network. Up to this point, I’ve had very little experience looking for work or formally interviewing. I thought it would be easy to find work again and I was not prepared for such a long slog. • 200-300 jobs applied to. I stopped counting after 200. I only applied to companies I found interesting who listed jobs that were a close skillset match. • 50(ish) cover letters. I stopped including them after the first 50 because I didn’t get responses and they take a tremendous amount of effort to write. I did include them if they were required. • 2 AI written cover letters. If a job description asked for someone who pushed the envelope creatively I researched the company for insights and used AI to write the CL. I then ended the letter acknowledging it was AI generated. I got a positive response each time. 2 for 2! Thanks Chat GPT. • 200+ resumes. I tailored each resume to the job description. • 9 interviews. All this time and effort resulted in interviews at only 9 companies. I’m a fan of all 9. • 6 second round interviews. • 4 final round interviews. • 2 offers. I accepted the first one, then the second one three weeks after (see my previous post). • 1 final round ghost. Two rounds of panel interviews with C-suite / VP level over 3+ months and multiple Zoom calls and still haven’t heard back. • 1 final round whammy. The hiring manager was working remotely for a second company. That job went away as did the manager. Overall takeaway: if I can make it to a conversation with a human, my hit rate is fairly decent. This feels great considering I have very little real life interview experience. I still don't know if I interview well or not 🤷🏼♂️ Along the way I experienced agism, I was ghosted and mislead and felt completely inadequate and unsuccessful. There were long periods of isolation and I definitely second-guessed my career trajectory. On the flip side, I met some of the most amazing and supportive people who gave me their time and support over Zoom chats, coffees, sending jobs my way and referring me to hiring managers. My network grew and I gained confidence in the value I bring to the table. I’m forever thankful to all of them. I found it to be critical to take breaks, focus on staying mentally healthy and putting effort into disassociating my self worth with my career. At the end of the day, I’m a husband and a father and I’m lucky to have a strong social network. I learned that while I love working, I absolutely loath looking for a job. It may be my least favorite thing to do. Ever. I wouldn't be mad if I never had to interact with Workday again. More to come on tips and best practices. In the mean time, who else has been looking for a while? How has your experience been?