Why am i not getting hired on

Well here is the picture i applied for a job and got a interview the interview went great she said she liked me so i got a 2nd interview and he said i was well qualified for the job. So i called abotu a week later and asked if they have made any decistions and they said yes we licke dyou laot but there was 2 other people that had a little bti better qualifications so were goign to put your resume at the top of the list so if aother postion opens up. Well about 2 weeks passed another postion opend up advered in the local paper so i gave them a call and said i see you have more postions opend in the paper she said w ehavitn hired anyone yet and my resume is still on file so 3 days pass and i get a denil of employment letter in the mail and i was like humm thats wierd. So next i decide to go threw a temp technition staffing agency that does alot of contract work. first job was alrihgt but jsut temp then the temp service calls me and says hey we go somthig for you that will last 4 days so i said sure 2 dasy after that i find out it is for the same place that i was denied employment threw . well the staffign agecy has to send my information over to that palce to pretty much check and see if they want me to work there temporarley and the same person that denied me employment said it was okay so im now working at the place i wanted to but threw a temp service for 4 days and i jsut look in the paper today and what do you know that same compny jsut put a add in the paper for hiring full time people for the same thing that im doing for the temp agiensy i dotn understand how they will not hire me directly if a postion is open like the paper says but they will agree to let me work there on contract terms for the same job with less the tainning. Im doing the job now i have the skills why am i denied employmetn permant when they are hiring for full time people this is nto making any scicne to me . i have also been infomred that the compny has never hired any contract worked on be

You rarely get feedback on an interview unless you went through an agency and the agency gets feedback from the interviewer.

Bob in Marion, Iowa said: Well here is the picture i applied for a job and got a interview the interview went great she said she liked me so i got a 2nd interview and he said i was well qualified for the job. So i called abotu a week later and asked if they have made any decistions and they said yes we licke dyou laot but there was 2 other people that had a little bti better qualifications so were goign to put your resume at the top of the list so if aother postion opens up. Well about 2 weeks passed another postion opend up advered in the local paper so i gave them a call and said i see you have more postions opend in the paper she said w ehavitn hired anyone yet and my resume is still on file so 3 days pass and i get a denil of employment letter in the mail and i was like humm thats wierd. So next i decide to go threw a temp technition staffing agency that does alot of contract work. first job was alrihgt but jsut temp then the temp service calls me and says hey we go somthig for you that will last 4 days so i said sure 2 dasy after that i find out it is for the same place that i was denied employment threw . well the staffign agecy has to send my information over to that palce to pretty much check and see if they want me to work there temporarley and the same person that denied me employment said it was okay so im now working at the place i wanted to but threw a temp service for 4 days and i jsut look in the paper today and what do you know that same compny jsut put a add in the paper for hiring full time people for the same thing that im doing for the temp agiensy i dotn understand how they will not hire me directly if a postion is open like the paper says but they will agree to let me work there on contract terms for the same job with less the tainning. Im doing the job now i have the skills why am i denied employmetn permant when they are hiring for full time people this is nto making any scicne to me . i have also been infomred that the compny has neve

5 Ways Companies Mistreat Job Seekers
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
provided by

When it comes to hiring, some employers act like they hold all the cards--and they can treat job seekers as poorly as they want, without consequence. They're wrong: Smart employers know that good candidates have options (to say nothing of the ethical implications of being rude just because you think you can). Here are five common ways employers behave badly when hiring:

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Having no regard for the candidate's time. From last-minute cancellations, without apology or acknowledgement of the inconvenience, to not paying attention in the interview, some employers act like their time is the only time that matters. Most candidates go to a lot of trouble to prepare for an interview -- reading up on the company, taking time off work, and often traveling--and their time should be respected too.

Not sharing their timeline. Employers have some idea of whether they'll be getting back to candidates in a week or a month. There's no reason not to share that information, and it can be agonizing on the job seeker's side to have no sense of the timeline the employer will be moving on -- and yet many employers keep job seekers uninformed.

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Refusing to share their salary range, but asking you for yours. Employers know roughly how much they're willing to pay; there's no reason not to share that info, other than that they're hoping to get you for a lower price. But that's lame: If they lowball you now and you figure out later that you're underpriced for the

I have been to at least 10 job interviews since April/2009, but not getting any job offer. I begin to wonder if I am hopeless in job interviews... most feedbacks are that they need someone with more experience but some jobs I went for are well below my level of experience. Any suggestions?
Frankly, I am losing hope and feel this is the darkest period of my life as I have never had much trouble of finding a job in the past.

Ok. I filled out a application for a vet clinic. I am at the young age of eighteen years. I am to start to school next week so I was looking for a college job. I applied at a vet clinic and went to a working interview. I got paid that day. So they say they want to put me on a two week trial period. It is paid but I will not be employed unless the two week trial period goes well. Is this legal?

Of course it is legal. Most all empoyers have a probational period. If you want the job I would NOT suggest asking for it in writing. You will sound confrontational even before you begin! Just go to work with a smile on your face anf a fantastic attitude, and do such a good job that they won't be able to live without you! They are not out to get you or looking to hire someone just so they can fire them. They NEED a good employee.

I'm not even getting calls for interviews for jobs I am qualified for and have verifiable experience at. These are manufacturing jobs and the job postings, which are constantly on the state employment site as well as on Craigslist state they are ea. hiring 100 to 50 positions.

I have applied directly with the company and through 2 different temp agencies. The company states they give no follow-up info. but if they're interested, they'll call. The temp agencies say they have to look at their incoming faxes and emails, then they take my number, promise a call back, but nothing ever comes.

My next step will be to apply again at the two temp agencies but change the format of my resume and use a shorter, MALE, version of my first name and see if they call me back then. I'm tempted to video tape or page capture it. I seriously think they're not calling me because I'm a woman and the field is predominantly male. However, I have experience in predominately male fields and in hard, manual labor. I think they see my FEMALE name at the top of the page and toss my verifiable experience, listed further down, in the trash!

Like at least one other posting here says, I have NEVER had this much trouble getting a job. Never!

I have been looking for a job for over a year. I must have sent over 2000 applications and resumes out to hundreds of different companies. I came from a customer service/call center environment. While I was at my job, I had the opportunity to cross train and learn different skills. I was at this company for over 10 years before they closed our offices and moved them to Texas. I would have thought that since I had worked with a company for this amount of time, this would look good to potential employers. I had gotten a couple of calls here and there but for the last four months I have had no luck. I am wondering what is it I am doing wrong. I have applied for call center jobs with different companies. Oddly enough, I get the response that I am not qualified. Also, I dont understand why companies can not take the courtesy to send an email to say "Thanks but no thanks." You spend all that time to applying for the job and submitting the necessary paper. But it is like when there is no response, you feel invisiable

In response to the comment above, the only thing you can do is not to give up, keep trying. Also, try to view your previous job from a different angle. a lot of skills are transferable esp in customer service related job. i.e. you are very experienced in dealing with demanding customers on the phone so it goes on to demonstrate that you can deal with difficult customers face to face as well.
hope you will have some good news soon.

Employers just seem to play games with us. I have been on interviews and never hear back. Seems like they are trying to find the cheapest person with a college degree and experience.

tjtjtj in Brooklyn, New York said: Employers just seem to play games with us. I have been on interviews and never hear back. Seems like they are trying to find the cheapest person with a college degree and experience.

they wouldnt do that?

I got to a lot of job interviews. I answer the question good...but its a like me or hate me situation. Many employers tend to interview 10-20 people. In the back of my head I always think that there is someone exactly like me, possibly a student who went to University with me. But the difference between him and me is that he has more job experience than I do. They would typically refuse to hire someone with no experience. I seriously regret staying at school for so long. I did a double major in Business. Other than Finance and Accounting, i know everything.. Companies wont budge. They want experience and instead of gaining experience i gained an education. I thought that would help me. Guess it didnt.
I also hate going to job interviews out of nowhere and then the interviewee asks me how am i going to commute to their office since its so far. Well, I made it to todays interview and i got a good record on being promt, so why would that have to do with anything?

I also feel its my last name cause i dont have a typical English last name.

'I also feel its my last name cause i dont have a typical English last name.'

It is very interesting you mentioned this. In the UK, the department for W & P conducted a research on whether job seekers with non-white English names are discriminated in the application process. The research sent out 3000 false job application forms with similar work experience and education background but differ in names. The research found applicants appeared to be white applicant with white-English names, would receive a positive response after sending 9 application forms; whereas applicants with Asian or African names would receive a positive response after sending 16 application forms.

Congratulations on you getting to interviews stages! It is a step closer to success.

Bob in Marion, Iowa said: naw i was in a hurry in i typed this but my point is regualr emploees do this work with 2 weeks of trainnig and a big manual i am doign the same job as then at this momnet of of 20 mins of trainning i have also been informed that they never hire on temps but yet they are hring for full time right now it jksut doesnt add up too m

Most temp companys, if you work for them, the company will not hire you directly,because they have a contract with the temp company. If you were to live the temp company and try to get a job with company they would not hire you. hope that helped.

It seems your having a hard time finding a job. Don't worry too much. Maybe that job isn't for you. Something better will come along. Anyway, when you had your interview, how was it? Because normally the employment depends on the answers you have given during your interview. Tell me more about your interview...=)

Sometimes I just get the impression that nobody is hired. I have called a few weeks after I interview and they tell me that they are still interviewing. I didn't want to call after 1 week, like others have told me, as I may not have given them enough time if the interviews are spaced out. Then other times I see the ad posted on another site or reposted with a slight change that emphasize a certain skill or years of experience that they added. Tell me out of how many candidates that called in not one was good enough?? They pick the ones to come in for an interview in person, and I would imagine that they are candidates that meet most or all the qualifications they are looking for. With unemployment being high as well as the number of applicates they must be getting some good candidates as well as the jack of all trades person who applies to any and every job posted. That is why many of us on this board can say they have been looking for quite a while and been on many interviews without a single offer. It has never taken people a year or more to find a job unless they were not really trying that hard or took time off due to family matters or other reasons. I am sure most of us here are looking hard as bills don't stop like our source of income did and we have no idea if we will be working next week or next month...well we know it will at least be next year, since this year is over in 3 weeks.

Being unemployed since July of this year, I can definately relate to the frustration that is expressed in all these posts. With a professional certification, bachelors degree from an accredited college, 24 years GeoEnvironmental industry experience, and experience working from Alaska to Arizona I have NEVER seen a job market like this. I must say at least some of you are getting interviews. Over 50 and over-qualified is an extremely tough position to be in. Having been a hiring manager I ALWAYS took the time to let each and every applicant know via email or letter the position had been filled. It appears as if that is no longer the case, and they just close all lines of communication. My opinion is that when they are looking at either highly qualified or slightly qualified applicants, they will go with the slightly qualified ones in fear that when the market straightens back out, they are going to loose the highly qualified one. I know most of us with experience are just looking to get our feet in the door and to be able to prove our worth, as long as the comes with a livable wage. For some of us highly qualified individuals we represent a threat to the mid level managers, being more qualified than them and potentially taking their jobs away from them when we prove just how valuable we are. I wish I had a solution to this problem, but alas I do not. Only time and perserverance will prevail, and when the right position becomes avaialble within a company that can perceive your potential value, then the call will come for you to start work.

Tanya! All caps is considered virtual yelling. Not only that, its difficult to read. Please disengage the caps lock.

Bob in Iowa, please use punctuation. Its difficult to read your run on sentences (btw, I used to live near Marion, nice to see someone from IA)

I've been looking for employment for 18 months now. I graduated with a 4.0 from University in 2007 (in my 30's, changing careers) I have no unemployment benefits and have had a total of 4 interviews in that space of time. 2 were testing situations and 2 jobs I didn't get for whatever reason (same company).

I've tried temp agencies and can't get anything on there either. I'm down to my last $300, and am now desperate. I've had my resume looked at several times, I change my resume and cover letters to suit each job, but still have no idea why I can't even get an interview. Its extremely frustrating.

Any ideas would be very much appreciated.

The only way to get a job these days is to dress up and go to the place where they hire, and ask to submit your resume in person. It's the only way to do it, you habve to show that you are proactive and you need to differentiate yourself. Check a job posting, get the name of the company hiring, tailor your resume, check the address, dress up and go. I did this and it worked, and this was my only succesful one (recent college grad) after 6 months of submitting apps online and sending my resume through e-mails...You always need to be one step ahead of competition, because there is a lot of it these days...

Age discrimination is real. I have been out of work since 04/09 and literally applied to over 60 places. I am looking at the security industry and plan on working from the bottom up. I also know it's not an industry to get into if you want to make "big dollars". I am also a US Navy veteran. I did some checking/follow-up on several companies that told me 'not what we're looking for'. They advertise 0-1 year experience. I have offered to work any shift. "Not what we're looking for." I know age discrimination is present on some cases but it may well be the hardest to prove.

Hiring managers must understand that we need to work. I don't wish unemployment on anyone but I hope they understand the seriousness of the situation. God forbid one of these people hears of a parent losing their job. Younger people are in fact intimidated by older citizens. Grey hair scares them. Knowledge scares them, and the disregard for the law escapes them.

I have been denied employment at the following places; Fry's Electronics, Sears, Wal-Mart, Target, VA Hospital, Radio Shack,COmpass Components, and the list goes on. I have 27 years of retail and wholesale electronics sales and customer service experience. I was at my last employers place for 12+ years. There's no reason I should have been denied the opportunity to work.

Good luck to those of you looking, I think you're going to need it. I know I am now looking out of state.

Only 60 places? Heck, I apply probably to 60 monthly and am in my 30's and still not hired on somewhere, college and experience to boot and have been looking since 6/09. Not sure it's age holding you back though it's easy to blame it on something. I have a weird name so sometimes I think I got passed over just because they didn't want to try to say it ha! Realistically though until people find work easily you just have more people competing today. How disheartening is it to find out in your first interview your skills are great, your second interview, your cultural fit is perfect, you go home ecstatic to start helping this company grow and BAM - you are told someone was willing to work for 5k less than you so they have to take them when you already accepted a 5k reduction to begin with. It's just more brutal out there than you realize and it may not be age riding against you.

Those places you mentioned I see older folks working at, one sold me my water heater at Sears in the last month. Wal-mart greeters are older folks here. Your state must be different if you don't see them, here in Indiana older folks are not out to pasture just yet and my own mother is past retirement and still determined to work into her 70's because she loves the social aspects and causes stress when she isn't there for wisdom so she is valued and needed.

Alot of retail places will not hire someone older unless they are on a government type of program - like SSI or such. I know I am considering filing an eeoc complaint against my employer who is reducing my hours while hiring younger workers at the same time. Often an older worker is given a tiny amount of hours while a younger worker will get 40. Older workers are seen as a liability since health insurance premiums are higher - unless they are on government health insurance programs - they probably won't get hired. And why should an older worker only be allowed to be a minimum wage door greeter while a 18 year old is made a manager?

I understand were you are coming from. Company's around the world are doing things like that,just the other day i saw a ad for hiring at the ford plant and the workers are making 28.00 per hour and new hires are making 14.00 per hour,if thats not a slap in the face for new hires. Company's think that there going to get people that have experience in this field are going to take a job at this rate NOT maybe high school or college need a job only. you would not catch me taking a job at 14.00 per hour.

Good luck with your job search

Thom in Fremont, California said: Age discrimination is real. I have been out of work since 04/09 and literally applied to over 60 places. I am looking at the security industry and plan on working from the bottom up. I also know it's not an industry to get into if you want to make "big dollars". I am also a US Navy veteran. I did some checking/follow-up on several companies that told me 'not what we're looking for'. They advertise 0-1 year experience. I have offered to work any shift. "Not what we're looking for." I know age discrimination is present on some cases but it may well be the hardest to prove.

Hiring managers must understand that we need to work. I don't wish unemployment on anyone but I hope they understand the seriousness of the situation. God forbid one of these people hears of a parent losing their job. Younger people are in fact intimidated by older citizens. Grey hair scares them. Knowledge scares them, and the disregard for the law escapes them.

I have been denied employment at the following places; Fry's Electronics, Sears, Wal-Mart, Target, VA Hospital, Radio Shack,COmpass Components, and the list goes on. I have 27 years of retail and wholesale electronics sales and customer service experience. I was at my last employers place for 12+ years. There's no reason I should have been denied the opportunity to work.

Good luck to those of you looking, I think you're going to need it. I know I am now looking out of state.

I agree 100%. Age discrimination is real. I have been looking for a job actively for 6 months. I have been called to few interviews.
One interview the interviewer tells me,"wow, 19 years at one job! I don't know anyone who has been on a job that long. My grandmother worked at Sears for like 50 years". I had every qualification they requested. Never heard from them again.
I don't have gray hair, go to interviews in a proper suit,dress shoes, make up etc. Never called back.

Thom in Fremont, California said: Hiring managers must understand that we need to work. I don't wish unemployment on anyone but I hope they understand the seriousness of the situation.QUOTE]

Quite frankly, I think they could care LESS about our need to work.

They obviously have their own agendas, which includes the systematic exclusion of candidates for whatever petty reason(s) that suits their needs.

Soliciting a job site is hardly the answer here. Interviewing is not my problem. The problem exists within the HR departments in companies. It is about age discrimination and no video is going to resolve the issue facing American's that find themselves looking at age discrimination. Now, allow me to do you a favor. Please check your grammar and use spell check before posting.

Maria99 in Huntington, Indiana said: Alot of retail places will not hire someone older unless they are on a government type of program - like SSI or such. I know I am considering filing an eeoc complaint against my employer who is reducing my hours while hiring younger workers at the same time. Often an older worker is given a tiny amount of hours while a younger worker will get 40. Older workers are seen as a liability since health insurance premiums are higher - unless they are on government health insurance programs - they probably won't get hired. And why should an older worker only be allowed to be a minimum wage door greeter while a 18 year old is made a manager?

I notice that as well. It seems that if you're not relying on food stamps or other ssistance programs your worth drops dramatically. I understand they get benefits by hiring people on these programs but it hardly relfects on skills, or other qualifications. Best of luck in your search.

For thom In Ca: Have you tried USAJobs.com?
I mention this because I've applied to several jobs on that site (government work), and Veterans get extra points (about 10 extra, which brings a 90 score up to 100). While not a vet myself, I am glad this is done for the men & women who have served.
As to type of job--you say security; they do have security jobs, but they might be more involved than you want. It's worth a look, though.

I was very happy to find this page and see that I am not the only person who is wondering what the heck is going on. I recently moved to Columbus, GA because my husband is in the military, and so I had to move. I had a great position at a bank (a small local bank that was doing very well because it was not involved in the whole mortgage mess) and was making a great salary and had a very secure position, so it was unfortunate that I had to leave but I had no choice. I first got a temp job here in columbus, making 50% less then I did in Louisville, KY, because it was the only thing I could find at the time. Since I was a temp employee, they treated me like crap-even though most of them were completely ignorant and didn't have the experience I did-they treated me like I had a GED and no work experience. Then, without any warning, they "ended my assignment" and I was left with no job. I hadn't been out of a job for 7 years, and at that time it only took me a few weeks to find another job, so I expected that if I put all of my time and energy into it I would find a job in a few weeks. But now 6 weeks has gone by and not only have I not found a job, I've only had ONE CALL BACK and I have submitted over 100 resumes! The most frustrating part is I have only applied for jobs that I qualify for-some of them sound like they were made just for me-and I've gone over my resume and cover letter a million times and can't see any way to make it more enticing. I don't understand why I haven't gotten more calls back for interviews. I've been applying to about 5 jobs a day. I wish that these employers would at least respond to your resume saying that they at least received it, because I'm starting to go crazy thinking that maybe something is wrong with me, or maybe my resumes are just going into outer space or something. I guess I had my head under a rock for the last year or so, because since I just now lost my job I didn't really realize how horrible the job market was until now.

I totally agree with you. I was on one job for 19 yrs. They closed the offices in my state and outsourced. I was on another job for 2 years. The job from ----. Now I have been looking for work for 10 weeks. At last count 64 applications and 4 interviews. One interview was at 9:30 a.m. I got there and thought I was at the wrong place. There were 75 applicants scheduled for 9:30. They gave us numbers like the butcher shop. I even tried applying for retail. Without exoperience they wont hire you. One job actually said we were planning on hiring someone younger. How are you suppose to live?

Wow, 75 applicants at once! I don't even see how that's productive. You think the good candidates would just get lost in the shuffle. The only interview I had was in the advertising dept. of a newspaper. I thought they would at least be paying $12/hour (still at 50% pay cut for me, but at least I would be making something and I figure I can't be picky in Columbus GA) but they told me the job payed only $10-for a pretty proffesional job-and that they would be doing interviews for 2 weeks before selecting a candidate-so I have to wait 2 more weeks to even know if I got the job or not! I would understand that on an executive job, or anything that payed a decent salary, but 2 weeks to pick a candidate for a job that's barely paying over minimum wage? I think they are expecting a lot more then they should for that kind of salary. I thought they would fill the job within the week-like most other low paying jobs. It was just a big disappointment. One thing that's really confusing me here in GA is the jobs that would pay at least $12-$15/hour in Louisville (most admin/clerical/office jobs) only pay $8-$10/hour here, yet the cost of living is basically the same! And they expect just as much talent and experience, but for diddly squat. I guess until the economy gets better, the employers have the upper hand here and we just have to take what we can get unfortunately. Good luck to everyone with their job search!

I am in Fl and when talking to family in Ca or even Ohio it pretty much sucks. What gets me is when they say they will call you or be in touch and they don't. I went for a temp. job interview. Everything went well. Only thing was I didnt live within the 10 mile radius. Hello?!?!? They said it prevents being tardy etc. I guess they were tired of hearing I'm late due to a traffic jam. So the guy sd the agency would contact me on Mon. They didn't. On Tues morning I called the agency and left the girl a voicemail. No response. Wed morning I am emailing her if she will please keep my resume etc for future openings. I have not heard a word from this woman. By any means good luck on the job search.

Update. I recieved a call last Firday inviting me to interview on Saturday. Once I got to the appointment, I was directed to an office and asked to have a seat. A few minutes later a young lady walked in and searched for my application. The intervoew went well or so it appeared. In the middle of it she mentioned they weren't hiring for that location yet the day before they were. She said she would hold my application if anything opened up. Yesterday I decided to visit in person. The manager was training a new employee. The new employee was in the waiting room waiting to interview after me. Interesting that the job was not available yet the next applicant was hired. The lady interviewing told me she felt I was very in tune with the job description, then meantioneshe was 6 years old when I left the Navy. Intimiated to hire an older worker? I think so. The gift of unemployment that keeps giving. Over qualified and potential employers/managers afraid to bring someone on board with more knowledge than themselves. Too bad they don't seem bright enough to think they might learn some things from those if us with actual experience. Again, best of luck to those searching. I want to ad that I also sent a very nice letter to a couple of editors to local newspapers aimed at owners of companies to look into their human resource departments policies and hiring practices. I'm sure any owner would be intersted to know their people passed on someone with 20+ yrs for someone with little to no experience.

I apologize for typo's. I really do know how to spell. :)

I understand exactly. I interviewed at one place and the "kid" looks at my resume and says 19 years on one job?!?
I dont know anyone who spent 19 yrs on one job. Well maybe my grandmother. She worked for Sears for like 100 years. I knew from that point on it was useless to even stay thru the testing. I did though. My thoughts were correct. I never got hired.

lrose said: I understand exactly. I interviewed at one place and the "kid" looks at my resume and says 19 years on one job?!?
I dont know anyone who spent 19 yrs on one job. Well maybe my grandmother. She worked for Sears for like 100 years. I knew from that point on it was useless to even stay thru the testing. I did though. My thoughts were correct. I never got hired.

Mmmm....or how about MY experience at In n Out. The first thing the Manager said was this: "You know, when my kids saw you walk thru the door, they came to me and said, 'Are you sure about her, Boss?' "

I should've gotten up right then and there and made a beeline home to call his Corporate Office. Instead, I endured the Interview. Turns out in passing he was 30 (but looked young) all he did in the interview after that point, was to ask me how to solve Issues as a Manager (he was green). I chuckled at him and said, "You were trained by what....the In n Out University or Hamburger University or whatever and you weren't "taught" Conflict Resolution? Oh, dear..."

I never got a call back of course, and like I said, I should've called Corporate on him....lucky fool that I didn't!

I had another interview yesterday. Lousy pay but insurance and sick time after 90 days and fairly close. No nights or weekends so it had its points. During the interview she said you know if I hire you you will be the oldest person in the dept. Are you ok with that? I knew then it was a wrap. They will contact me by Friday if I'm hired.

Good luck in your efforts.

Do you have/can you get a security clearance? Seen the same thing in retail, unless you find a company that still does commission, don't bother. Retail nowadays is about standing at a register, signing up people for credit cards/ extra services...
Or the company will have some half ass dangle a carrot in front of you management training program, that they'll expect you to drive all over the ends of the earth.
I had an interview at one of the companies you mentioned, and the DM was a complete type-A, toolbag who's sole sales experience was 1 1/2 years of ripping off consumers selling a third rate cell phone plan, at a time when everyone and their brother was buying cell phones. This is the type of groupthink you'll run into with retail nowadays. It doesn't matter if you could sell snow to eskimos, or fake rubber dog crap to the chinese, what these people want to hear is that you'll drive around covering your stores, work 100 hours, and get paid peanuts...
It's true, some younger employees are intimidated by older workers. Who cares?! What do the shoppers think? They are the ones spending the money!!! In fact most shoppers would rather trust a kindly old gentleman, than some zit faced, spike haired teenager, who can't figure out how to make change at a cash register.(uuh, what's this... Don't you have a Credit Card?)....
I wish you luck, keep up the good fight

Thom in Fremont, California said: Age discrimination is real. I have been out of work since 04/09 and literally applied to over 60 places. I am looking at the security industry and plan on working from the bottom up. I also know it's not an industry to get into if you want to make "big dollars". I am also a US Navy veteran. I did some checking/follow-up on several companies that told me 'not what we're looking for'. They advertise 0-1 year experience. I have offered to work any shift. "Not what we're looking for." I know age discrimination is present on some ca

Thom in Fremont, California said: I notice that as well. It seems that if you're not relying on food stamps or other ssistance programs your worth drops dramatically. I understand they get benefits by hiring people on these programs but it hardly relfects on skills, or other qualifications. Best of luck in your search.

Check the box, and tell 'em it was on accident after the interview.... Or go down to the Welfare office(whatever it's called) fill out the paperwork, and get foodstamps..
What you do with the food stamps is your business; hand em out to bums, spend them at trader joe's, whatever... Once you can prove you received them, when you come to the point on the online application where it asks whether you or your family members have recived any assistance, whether you are a veteran, whether you are displaced Katrina victim, etc.... Check Yes!

If your responses increase, then we'll know what's really going on with these HR departments! Please let us know!

I have been looking for work for nearly ten months now. I am halfway done with my Master's degree and I have 5 years of management experience. I've applied for 300 plus jobs, some online and some in person. I have attended 5 career fairs. I have had maybe 10 interviews and 0 offers. I am stumped! I am applying to both managment level and hourly jobs. There must be something that I am qualified to do!! This is getting ridiculous.

Of the few hourly jobs I've interviewed for the "Hiring Manager" turned out to have a H.S. diploma or maybe an Associates degree (I found out from linkedin and one of the store managers actually divulged this information to me for some unknown reason)

I am all for working your way up but shouldn't education count for something?? I graduated college 5 years ago so it's unrealistic that I would have 10+ years of experience. I have done everything I physically can to be attractive to employers. Why am I being edged out of the market?!

Sandhya in Edinburgh, United Kingdom said: I have some questions to ask yoou people,i had one interview past 1 week,but i didnt get any feedback,so i want to know if a person is not selected in the interview does he get the feedback.I am looking for a job in uk since 3 months but i am not getting any interview calls,i dont know why this is happening.So i decided to do temp work,may i know what should i do to get it?Can any one reply me with a solution.

I have been looking for work for 4 months in the US. No one gets back to you. Ever. If I get a busniess card from the h.r. person and it has an email the next day I send an email thanking them for the opportunity to interview and tell them I am looking forward to the possibility of working for their company. My theory is besides being polite it keeps your name in their mind and shows you have follow up skills.

Desertwater in Houston, Texas said: Ok. I filled out a application for a vet clinic. I am at the young age of eighteen years. I am to start to school next week so I was looking for a college job. I applied at a vet clinic and went to a working interview. I got paid that day. So they say they want to put me on a two week trial period. It is paid but I will not be employed unless the two week trial period goes well. Is this legal?

Of course it is and be glad they are giving u a chance.

Brookester said: I have been looking for work for nearly ten months now. I am halfway done with my Master's degree and I have 5 years of management experience. I've applied for 300 plus jobs, some online and some in person. I have attended 5 career fairs. I have had maybe 10 interviews and 0 offers. I am stumped! I am applying to both managment level and hourly jobs. There must be something that I am qualified to do!! This is getting ridiculous.

Of the few hourly jobs I've interviewed for the "Hiring Manager" turned out to have a H.S. diploma or maybe an Associates degree (I found out from linkedin and one of the store managers actually divulged this information to me for some unknown reason)

I am all for working your way up but shouldn't education count for something?? I graduated college 5 years ago so it's unrealistic that I would have 10+ years of experience. I have done everything I physically can to be attractive to employers. Why am I being edged out of the market?!

Try the gov't sector or careersusa.com. Gov't positions seem to appreciate the education. Both my son and his fiancee got gov't jobs. She has her masters and he is working on his phd. The private sector could care less if they had their ged. Plus remember the first job may be lower pay but your foot is in the door and you have first try at any future openings.

Well for starters they want someone that is not asking for alot of money or higher pay, because they can hire a person with less experience with less pay.

Its sucks, because i have been in the construction business for 18years with a education and i got laid off from atownship job after 12 years. I got laid off last June and still cant find a job. I have sent out about 300 resume and only had i interview and they told me that because i have not experience with DOT that they cannot hirer me. It suck. Hang in then there.

I just got a JOB with payment for working for someone else. After 4 months of looking I am extremely greatful for the job.

indoorplant in London, United Kingdom said: I have been to at least 10 job interviews since April/2009, but not getting any job offer. I begin to wonder if I am hopeless in job interviews... most feedbacks are that they need someone with more experience but some jobs I went for are well below my level of experience. Any suggestions?
Frankly, I am losing hope and feel this is the darkest period of my life as I have never had much trouble of finding a job in the past.

I can relate with what your going through. I also feel the same way hopeless. I think all my education student loans and studing for what. I have been in the medical field for over 20 years and I have gone to interviews. I have gone to over 15 interviews and they all says the same thing I will call you back. I wait and then call them back NOTHING the job has been given to someone else. I never been with out a job and certainly not for this long 3 month.

Two weeks ago, a market research company that I had worked at back in the 1980's was hiring for market research interviewers. I not only emailed my resume, but I spoke to the girl who was hiring. She sid that out of fairness to everyone, she had to go through all the applicants first, but she said that she'd call me. Well after sending her a few follow-up emails and a phone calls, she emailed me back. She said that I wasn't chosen for the position. I emailed her back and thanked her for contacting me stating that I was a previous employee with extensive experience in market research.

I now will never apply to that company again.

jill in Rowlett, Texas said: Tanya! All caps is considered virtual yelling. Not only that, its difficult to read. Please disengage the caps lock.

Bob in Iowa, please use punctuation. Its difficult to read your run on sentences (btw, I used to live near Marion, nice to see someone from IA)

I've been looking for employment for 18 months now. I graduated with a 4.0 from University in 2007 (in my 30's, changing careers) I have no unemployment benefits and have had a total of 4 interviews in that space of time. 2 were testing situations and 2 jobs I didn't get for whatever reason (same company).

I've tried temp agencies and can't get anything on there either. I'm down to my last $300, and am now desperate. I've had my resume looked at several times, I change my resume and cover letters to suit each job, but still have no idea why I can't even get an interview. Its extremely frustrating.

Any ideas would be very much appreciated.

Try not being so bossy and snotty.

I've actually read in several publications that you should send ONE follow up thank you note and then DO NOT contact the job again. Believe it or not they are going to pick the person that they think best fits the position but if you come off as desperate it makes them think twice about hiring you. Speaking as a former recruiter I have to agree. I did not like getting repeat phone calls and e-mails after the interview. I had to go over the interview with the actual hiring manager and set up a second interview and those things take time. Be patient. It's hard and sometimes you wont get selected regardless but pestering the interviewer is not helping the situation. Also in the interview only tell them things about you that are relevant to the position you are applying for...seriously. I can't tell you how many people offered up personal information in their interviews. Dress one step above the job you are interviewing for and be knowledgeable about the organization. Good luck to you all!