CAREER COACH
I’m an administrative assistant and was laid off after 22 years with a financial firm. Despite the current “strong” job market, I have been seeking fulltime and part-time work for over two years without luck in spite of my past hard work, an excellent professional background and resume, plus references. Could you suggest a source for job seekers?
If everything you say is accurate about your work history and references, then the current job market should have been prime for you to land another job in the past two years. Great admins are worth their weight in gold, so I have a few questions. Are your skills current? Are you being reasonable with your compensation expectations? Are you being too picky? Are you sure you are marketing yourself competitively, and that the whole package and presentation screams “hire this person”? I strongly recommend applying to temporary agencies. Particularly for admins, temp work is a great way to stay in the market and get a gauge on how you are presenting yourself, both from the agency and from the personnel where you get assigned. So, canvass the temp agencies and see if that leads to success.
I applied for a position with an Apple retail store and went on several interviews but didn’t get the job. Can I reapply, or is that weird? And if I do, should I tell them I’ve applied before?
Wait, you think that Apple — Apple — doesn’t know that you previously applied? That’s like saying you think Facebook doesn’t know which pictures you post or cereal you like, or what you’re thinking at this moment. I’ve heard stories of people applying for jobs a half-dozen times at Apple before they got hired. I think sometimes it’s part of their recruiting process, just to see how really interested you are in working for them. There is no limit on the number of times that one can apply to any company. Sometimes persistence demonstrates passion, so be upfront about how many times you’ve tried and that you will continue trying until you get hired (or until they get a restraining order against you) — that’s how badly you want to work for them.
Gregory Gian grande is a chief human resources and communications officer in the mediaindustry.E-mailyourcareer questionstogotogreg@nypost.com. And follow Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande.