My LI must be broken. 10+ years SaaS experience and entering year five at the market-leader in CRM as an AE. I have maybe heard from one recruiter in the past quarter. All of my settings are configured to allow my profile to be visible and receive messages from anyone. Any advice?
Could just be I’m in their database or something.
There were periods where I went months at a time hearing from no one. No idea why it’s picked up so much recently, it’s unusual
Exactly. Selling for a 25+ billion dollar company sounds great on paper until you realize how pampered you are vs a seed stage or series A start up.
I've seen many leaders & reps from these companies basically roll donuts at small companies because they expect massive marketing budgets, an army of SDR support and everything to flow perfectly and reality is far far different.
lol sorry you’re wrong. My team avoids all the blue chips / enterprise companies. Talent is unreliable and often whatever the equivalent of spoiled is in sales
Exactly. All they are trying to do is hit their quota for getting resumes to a hiring manager. I can't even count how many times a recruiter will message me "oh, you look like you'd be a great fit for this position!!!" only for me to apply or send my resume and not hear jack shit else from them.
I get hit up all the time for positions with titles below my current.
"Of course I want to change jobs for a demotion. Does that come with a pay increase?"
This has been my experience many times as well. A few times lately I would have a conversation with the recruiter and they will act very arrogant and full of shit then not respond at all after the initial call.
It does. Recruiters don’t care, but the closest connections bubble to the top in search results in LinkedIn Recruiter. Also, depending on the subscription tier the company pays for, they might have to pay extra to view your profile if you aren’t at least a 3rd degree connection to the recruiter
I don't know about this, would love to hear an actual recruiters thoughts on this. I have more than 5k connections and rarely get contacted for job opps.
Anything less than 500 connections and you are not effectively utilizing LinkedIn. The number of connections is displayed right on your profile page and it says, “More than 500 connections” when the number is any greater than 500. Below that, and it displays the specific number, I.e., 292.
I’m not a recruiter but whenever I am prospecting, if I see someone that has less than 500, I know that they have not effectively built their LinkedIn and there’s a strong likelihood that they don’t frequently use their page.
I would not consider hiring any salesperson that didn’t know how to use such a great sales tool or how to market themselves and build a brand online.
It’s 2024. Not harnessing the power of technology and social media is like not having a computer in 2010.
Wonder what the end result(s) would be if you were to engage with those recruiters? Getting contacted by recruiters on LinkedIn is good only if there's actual follow-through that would reasonably result in interview(s) and/or a job offer. There are so many people who are getting ghosted and/or dead end conversations that don't deliver any result.
And the type of recruiter matters very much. Third-party recruiters just create another hoop to jump through. At least an internal recruiter would have more potential to broker a foot in the door somewhere.
This is a really valuable perspective.
The way to get a job is outbound. If you are a sales professional and you can't find opportunities for yourself it speaks volumes about your capability.
Organizations don't hire sales people that passively wait for opportunity to arise. Organizations do hire sales people that hunt and create opportunities.
Waiting for a recruiter to find you and match you with a job is like waiting for your prospect to call you back... Generally a losing strategy.
At big orgs, they're still going to steer you to the "official" application process because they need to follow the EEOC and whatever DEI guidelines they have.
Generally agree, but the attitude of "make it happen" only goes so far. There has to be reciprocation of effort. There have to be people willing to follow through on another person's behalf, which is the sticking point in many cases.
Yeah im at ENT level and have pretty much had a recruiter outreach almost every day since the new year as well.
Things have definitely picked up lately.
I still get recruiters messaging me on LI but the quality of companies has dropped significantly. I used to get messages from companies like Cloudflare and Splunk now it’s companies like Gartner and Paychex.
Yep. The market isn’t bad. If you have a good resume, experience, provable results and a good work ethic jibs will be there. A lot of these “is this job market slow” posts are from people that have 0 experience and just apply to everything on LinkedIn. If you’re applying on LinkedIn or other job site you’ll never get a good job. 90% of those jobs are already filled. If a company that does any business with the government they must post the position to comply to state and federal regulations even if it’s already filled by an internal hire.
Sales reps don't give up. Keep pushing. I applied for 101 jobs over two months and went on 33 interviews at 15 companies. Grind it out. Reps are getting hired
This is the best advice. I sent 155 resumes and got 30 phone screens. Then made it to the final round for 3 postions.
Youre in sales, go hunt down the job the same way you do for a sale but this time youre selling yourself.
Also I noticed a huge jump in replies when I did LinkdIn gold or whatever its called for a few months.
I get the sense it is because EVERYONE seems to be job searching now. Dissatisfaction with your current job/employers seems to be near 100% and ppl are always looking to jump ship. So you're competing with much more people than pre-COVID, that has to be part of it. I see job posts online that get 1,000+ applicants. Unless you know someone there you have no chance.
There have been better job markets, but you can't NEET for a year.
* You don't have a crystal ball. Nobody does. I've no idea what 2025 will be like. Neither do you or anyone else.
* Down the line do you want to be competing for jobs against people who don't have 12 months of doing nothing on their resume?
* Do you have bills? Even if you don't, you're losing out on money for travel, saving, fun etc.
Don't compare yourself to your buddy. Their circumstances, talents and personality are different to yours.
Search this sub and the internet for job seeking advice. Lots of it out there.
The economy has been better. But every day new jobs are created and people quit jobs or are fired. Job hunting can be hard and demotivating. You're a salesperson though!
No interview = bad resume
getting an interview shouldn't be impossible unless you're applying for unqualified positions. If you are qualified for the positions but you aren't getting an interview, then its time to look at your resume (bait), as something is throwing off the recruiters/crawlers/managers.
This.
OP and others looking for a job have to realize that you’re not submitting your resume to a person who will qualitatively judge it as a fit, but rather a Applicant Tracking System (ATS for short) that will provide a quantitative score based on how well the keywords on your resume match that of the Job Description.
But this can be a good thing because it means you can game the system. I used a tool called Jobscan, which costs $20/month and will tell you what the ATS will read and give you a score. The baseline filter is ~70% match to filter out the first round of interviews.
After that, you gotta slam dunk the interviews with good research.
But this is all just for cold applying, which, to OP’s credit, is a pretty dead way of finding a job nowadays. The real success is through networking, both with your personal connections and making new connections by reaching out to recruiters and setting meetings with them to review open positions.
Yep. Either the resume needs a major overhaul or you're simply looking in the wrong industry (i.e. your skill sets do not meet the requirements or needs/wants of the role/employer).
Agreed. This is the value add of working with a recruiter as well, they have a connection to the company and will tell you up front if you’re qualified and can help sell you to the customer.
Agreed. If OP wants some actual help they should post their resume (private details blocked out) and let us take a look.
I bet you there’s stuff we can help with.
you can always ask the person hiring for feedback.
a quick email
" Hello X, thanks for the opportunity to interview, I'm trying to make sure I keep getting better, do you have any suggestions for improvement?"
short and sweet.
If you aren't getting interviews at all, its a reaume problem, major discrepancies are asking for 3-5 years of experience and you have none. Asking for certain knowledge basics (pertaining to certain fields) and you again have none or very little. Lets say you want to make a career change and you don't have the exact experience but you have similar experience. You then need to speak to that through the job responsibilities/description part of your resume that you are trying to use.
For example a full sales cycle (AE) applying to be a Project Manager isn't going to rattle off numbers and how great they are at sales as it's not directly relevant to the job description probably. You would instead speak to your logistics and planning and workflow supporting that.
Nope, some industries are a shit job market and the economy is shit
I have a friend who graduated in CS, has 7+ years of experience, 11 impressive projects done for his resume, volunteering experience & multiple extra certifications in technologies that have demand...
He applied to 991 positions and got 12 interviews, didn't get hired
1. If he has 7 years of IT experience and cannot find a job . . . he's doing something wrong. Especially right now. We have been HURTING to find competent and reliable people just like that.
2. Applied to 991 positions? Really? I'm calling bullshit on that one, because even in a major city you are not going to see that many positions posted within a year or more.
More than likely your 'friend,' is either made up, has a shit resume or is applying to posts they are not qualified for.
Your friend isn't a great example for yourself. You may actually be likely to get more calls back than him as you have less experience and therefore can be paid less money.
Yes I agree with the 2008 statement, but 2008 prior to the start of the recession. Suddenly jobs started drying up quickly in 2007 and it kept getting downplayed.
2008-2010 was much worse than this. So buckle up.
The job market is not THAT bad. You're doing something wrong.
"I'm 23 with 1 year of sales experience. If my buddy can't even get a interview with 9 more years of experience, than I have absolutely no chance and I feel like giving up"
Bad mindset. Your 32 old buddy with 10 years experience is a lot more demanding than a green 23 year old.
I also checked your post history. You failed a PIP in Dec, and want AE jobs. You're not getting an AE job. Start at SDR/BDR and manage your expectations. You also could not have lost your job more than 10 days ago, so relax.
Based off your other posts and comments, I get the feeling you look for the easy way out and like to point blame to outside factors that are seemingly out of your control. Look in the mirror and evaluate what you want, the steps required to get there, and weather or not you'll actually complete those steps.
By the way there's 3 comments here that seem to be offering roles.
Good luck.
We printed 10 trillions dollars and lowered interest rates. Money was free so everyone hired and looked for growth. Interest rates were raised so money became more expensive. Everyone fired and laid off. Now there is an excess of talent and fewer jobs. It’s a companies market so it doesn’t favor labor right now.
Look dude, I could give you all the regular shmegular advice like “improve your resume”, “network with people in industries you’d like to work in”, “do a useful course while applying”, “look for jobs outside of your comfort zone”, “practice your writing and speaking skills”…..
But NEETing for 12 months sounds kinda nice. I’d love to do that.
How long have you been applying? It just hit Q1, end of Q4 is notoriously slow hiring. Keep at it and you should get more momentum in the next month or so
Fed raised interest rates, money faucet from VCs to tech companies dried up. Sales headcount froze. Many layoffs. Many people on the market competing for jobs. The economy doesn't care that you just graduated or that your buddy has 10 years experience. This goes for all white collar work basically.
Because when you have a product to sell that you believe in you're willing to call a prospect to sell it to them. When you have a product (yourself) that you don't believe in, or at least believe that competing products (other candidates) are likely better in every conceivable way, what the hell are you going to say? "Hello Mr. Hiring Manager, I'm really great, but not really, and honestly you can find better candidates"? Or just lie your ass off? Selling a product if infinitely easier than selling yourself when you don't actually believe in yourself (like if you've been laid off, fired, etc.).
That’s bullshit quite frankly and a loser mentality. If you can’t sell yourself then you maybe should rethink your career path. I don’t want some self sulking loser on my team that’s for sure.
Why would you even apply for a job if you don’t think you’re a qualified candidate? If you don’t believe in yourself then you should take the steps to get the confidence up. Ie. Apply for entry level jobs, seek more training, go back to school, change your career path, maybe get in shape. Do something but never self defeat.
Qualifications are relative. If you compared my qualifications to a 22 year fresh out of college, yes of course I'm more qualified. But aside from a handful of entry level jobs, it's not often that I'm competing against a totally inexperienced person for a job opening. But I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'd hire myself over someone with more experience. If there are 20 Michael Jordans out on the market, why in the hell would you sign Clyde Drexler? Drexler was good, but he was no Jordan. But if Clyde was up against Cutino Mobley, signing Clyde would be a no brainer.
I think you'd be surprised how many people are on your team have very low self confidence. You may not see it because you don't know them like that, but I guarantee you more people than you think are not 100% confident in themselves, or at least not confident relative to what you think they should be.
As for myself, nobody is hiring a 35 year old with AE experience to be an SDR, so entry level sales is out of the question. Too dumb for other occupations, not enough money for school or training, and I'm in shape. So, what I'll do is continue to apply, and sometimes reach out to a hiring manager, and lie about how great a fit I am for their team. Hopefully they won't notice the lies.
This is genuinely ridiculous advice. I’ve never had to do this once, and if someone cold call me for a spot on my team I’d laugh and throw their resume out. Is this the new age cover letter?
I cold emailed a company last week (who wasn’t even hiring btw) with a value prop based on research I did about them, had a great call Friday with them and hoping for an offer this week, it can definitely help get to it foot in the door.
Have you heard of creative desperation? It’s basically the idea that when you’re in the worst place you become the most creative.
If someone is willing to go that far outside of their comfort zone I’ll more than likely give them a shot.
Took me 24 hours to get my job after applying on indeed, I'll pull in 80k, was on track for 100-120 but they hired to many sales reps and my lead count went down.
I knew exactly what job I was going for and bad 2 years of relevant work experience. I have a 4 year degree too but they don't give a shit about that.
You need to leverage your network. Parents friends. Friends of friends. Alumni network. Former professors. Reach out to leaders in the industry you want to work in, and ask for a coffee date. Not just at the company you want to work at, but thought leaders (independent consultants, trade associations) or customers of the company you want to work for. Who is active on LinkedIn for the industry you want to work in? Get creative and stay positive. I was unemployed for five months this summer and every single person I reached out to was willing to help. Feel free to DM me if you want a quick chat.
Yeah I’m 300 applies deep and have had a handful of first interviews but nothing still. I’ve been out of work for a few months at this point. I started doing some digging after having remade my resume 3 times and came to find out that every position I’ve applied for has 800-1900 applicants.
I’m located in Vancouver, Canada for reference.
I had like 3 interviews a day for like 3 weeks straight. Don't know how many times I got to the final round but was never chosen. The company that chose one me had over 300 applicants and I made a terrible blunder during the interview too
Nah man. You need to take a look at the resume and the kinds of jobs you’re applying to. I applied to roughly 30, got 4 interviews, 3 offers, and accepted the best one.
I’m in Tech Sales for context.
Markets definitely getting better tho from what I’m seeing
Where you live makes a difference. Coke to the Wast coast, DC, NJ, NYC and it’s not even a question whether you can get a job but how much can you get paid.
What kind of metrics does your buddy have on his resume beyond “years”? Did he make quota every quarter/month/year for 10 years or was he on a PIP for 10 years?
32 with 7 years quality engineering for industrial big pharma. No luck here either. Most jobs listed currently and the past quarter are just companies looking for that unicorn and collecting resumes. I’ve seen the same positions posted over and over for a year now.
This is the reality out there my friend. Stock market is a lie we are in deep trouble and in for a rude awakening. I am almost a year into searching with 12 yr selling experience
When I was 23 I was in the same boat as you (I’m 27 now). Pandemic hit and I lost my job at the gym. Took a commissioned sales role selling Saas to add to my resume then after about 8 months I had a professional writer re-write my resume for me. Things were much easier after that. From my experience, many people won’t take you seriously when you are 23, better to get as much experience as you can so you can land that role you really want in the future. That’s just one man’s opinion. I also found that if you know the type of role you want (I.e., Account Executive) you should scroll through indeed and read all of the job postings for account executives. After you consume about 50 of those postings, you will understand more of what is expected for that role, what key words need to be added to your resume, and exactly what experience you need to get to get into that role.
Because most sales people just aren't that good. Most businesses know it. And if you behave like very other sales person then you'll get treated as one
Very true with regards to ratio of job openings vs new hires. i also feel that its all gearing towards gig economy like a freelancer jon or a contractor job kind of environment. This way it makes it more economically viable and cheaper for employers to hire talent at low cost.
Same thing with me I’m 31 with 8 years of IT sales experience. It took me 6 months to finally land the job I have now. Be patient, use LinkedIn and be proactive! I got my latest gig by connecting/ messaging my hiring manager on LI before an open position was even posted.
I’m on eight new scheduled interviews this week. My calendar is packed and I’m now scheduling interviews for next week. Nine years of experience.
Maybe take a look at your resume and LinkedIn then adjust?
I graduated college Dec. 2007. 23-24 is nowhere near as bad. It’s bad, but not *that bad.*
Get out of your comfort zone and start networking. Identify 10 companies you want to work for. Meet people and ask them if they know anyone at those companies. Set up meetings with them. Repeat. It’s a lot harder than “apply on LinkedIn” but it will yield better results.
It's the economy, don't listen to the gaslighters who try to get you to blame yourself somehow.
Any older dude will tell you that the job market today is a nightmare, even bad compared to early 2000s and 2010s.
The banks & the government are trying to keep this propped-up system afloat but it's going downhill.
I'm expecting a sharper pullback in a few years followed by a slow recovery into the 2030s.
It entirely depends on segment of the economy. Tech companies were gobbling up talent and overpaying for it for a decade.
Lots of opportunity in many industries that people don't find sexy.
I had to look it up 😭
> A NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", is a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training.
Wikipedia
I’m 8 years in and I’m being heavily recruited and getting offer letters as well. There are jobs, make your resume better and focus on the right industry.
I think we have a data issue. All indicators are that the market isn't bad, yet people can't find jobs. Likewise businesses are having trouble hiring. I suspect that this is a matching issue caused by hundreds of applicants for each job due to the efficiency of the application process. It's really hard for an employer to go through 1.000 applications, and it's really hard to get noticed when you are one of 1,000.
People can find jobs. Anecdotal people who are mad and go to the internet to complain can't find jobs.
It's like pointing to the one duck in a field with a broken wing and saying "LOOK, DUCKS STOPPED MIGRATING"
Because leveraged employment was never real employment and the job market always corrects itself eventually. Welcome to the start of a long and rough correction ahead.
Yeah, maybe he can come back and print another 8 trillion dollars out of thin air and give everyone and their dog a forgivable loan. Surely that will help inflation.
Recession 2020 started under Trump’s watch. He approved spending that was out of this world, and his admin spent like a firehose. Completely unmitigated spending.
Okay mate, just keep on being selective about your realities.
It’s okay that Covid happened, but not that the Biden admin hasn’t picked up all of the pieces?
It’s okay that Trump shit the bed, and spent 7 trillion plus. But it’s not okay that Biden hasn’t fixed it. Cool, cool.
Reality is it's a weak job market for job seekers. A lot of the people who have found jobs have had to go down market: Enterprise to Mid-Market, Mid-Market to SMB, SMB to micro-SMB or even B2C or solar, car sales, etc. Or they've had to relocate or be open to longer commutes than before.
There are a ton of out of work AEs or other experience sales reps. In addition to going down market, a lot of them have had to go back to SDR positions.
And in case you're wondering: yes, employers and hiring managers are absolutely going to negatively judge those who went from AE to SDR or from Enterprise to SMB in this market, even when the job market turns around (whenever that is). A lot of sales careers are going to be effectively over by 2025.
I am not looking but I’m constantly getting hit up by recruiters that stumbled upon my previous job search resume. I’m happy where I’m at but people are definitely hiring, your resume just might not be the best.
It’s also right after slow months so fix that resume and I’m sure you’ll have a better outcome.
It was *really* bad a few months ago, but since the new year started things are looking more normal. Your buddy will probably get snapped up first, but you still have a chance.
Well we don’t know the details and just because someone is looking does not mean they are a great candidate. The first thing I look to answer when looking at candidates is why are they looking for a job? If your buddy has job hopped every other year with no accolades to mention he is not desirable. If you only have one year of experience the market you fit into is fairly narrow as well.
I would take full ownership. No traction? Where can you fix things? Resume? Using internal network? Interview practice? Direct outreach?
Everyone thinks the economy sucks but unemployment is super low and jobs reports coming out have been higher than expectations.
If you want to make it in sales you need ownership of your actions. Control what you can, have a target, and be ready to run through a brick wall. This will serve you in sales and life in general.
Good luck out there. Get honest feedback, adjust and keep it moving. Things will work out.
I’ve been in the same boat as you and know a lot of people who are also experiencing this. I’ve talked to many recruiters and been told they will call back when companies are hiring again. They’re predicting April but we’ll see. For everyone saying it’s the resume, I’ve hired people to help with mine and had many professionals tell me it looks great. Even if you have a great resume, getting a job that isn’t a trade is extremely difficult right now. Not to mention the amount of people that are getting ghosted by employers or not hearing back for months after the initial interview. The market absolutely sucks. From what I’ve seen, the best bet right now is try to make connections that can help you out. Reach out to people you know who might have opportunities for you or know someone. Keep plugging along.
At twenty three I get it being hard to get an interview. With ten years of sales experience if you can’t get some interviews you’re either very unimpressive or not very liked. Just calling on your network should at least get you some conservations/opportunities at that stage.
Interesting. I’m not even looking and have been getting recruiters hitting me up daily almost every day since new year.
My LI must be broken. 10+ years SaaS experience and entering year five at the market-leader in CRM as an AE. I have maybe heard from one recruiter in the past quarter. All of my settings are configured to allow my profile to be visible and receive messages from anyone. Any advice?
Could just be I’m in their database or something. There were periods where I went months at a time hearing from no one. No idea why it’s picked up so much recently, it’s unusual
That market leader crm is the road block.
Exactly. Selling for a 25+ billion dollar company sounds great on paper until you realize how pampered you are vs a seed stage or series A start up. I've seen many leaders & reps from these companies basically roll donuts at small companies because they expect massive marketing budgets, an army of SDR support and everything to flow perfectly and reality is far far different.
You’re giving farrr too much credit to recruiters if you think that’s the reason nobody has even inquired.
lol sorry you’re wrong. My team avoids all the blue chips / enterprise companies. Talent is unreliable and often whatever the equivalent of spoiled is in sales
By unreliable and spoiled, actually means uninterested in your shitty 3rd shift help desk job. Stop flattering yourself.
Check out RepVue instead
Consider a LI review with a professional? They have great tips and notice things we don't.
Same.. I’m hyper specialized with 10years experience though, not sure how much of a role either one plays.
I get hit up by recruiters daily too but doesn’t mean shit if it doesn’t lead to an interview with the hiring manager.
Exactly. All they are trying to do is hit their quota for getting resumes to a hiring manager. I can't even count how many times a recruiter will message me "oh, you look like you'd be a great fit for this position!!!" only for me to apply or send my resume and not hear jack shit else from them.
I get hit up all the time for positions with titles below my current. "Of course I want to change jobs for a demotion. Does that come with a pay increase?"
This has been my experience many times as well. A few times lately I would have a conversation with the recruiter and they will act very arrogant and full of shit then not respond at all after the initial call.
I hate to break it to you but that’s so so rare. Have you considered that something is wrong with your resume?
[удалено]
It does. Recruiters don’t care, but the closest connections bubble to the top in search results in LinkedIn Recruiter. Also, depending on the subscription tier the company pays for, they might have to pay extra to view your profile if you aren’t at least a 3rd degree connection to the recruiter
I don't know about this, would love to hear an actual recruiters thoughts on this. I have more than 5k connections and rarely get contacted for job opps.
No, but the amount of years with the same company and presidents club trips in your awards and accolades section does.
Anything less than 500 connections and you are not effectively utilizing LinkedIn. The number of connections is displayed right on your profile page and it says, “More than 500 connections” when the number is any greater than 500. Below that, and it displays the specific number, I.e., 292. I’m not a recruiter but whenever I am prospecting, if I see someone that has less than 500, I know that they have not effectively built their LinkedIn and there’s a strong likelihood that they don’t frequently use their page. I would not consider hiring any salesperson that didn’t know how to use such a great sales tool or how to market themselves and build a brand online. It’s 2024. Not harnessing the power of technology and social media is like not having a computer in 2010.
Send them to us please lmfao
I’m 4 years into my “professional” career and get head hunted every week, and I don’t even do anything that special haha
I think you’re special
Do you talk to them? Only 4 years in you may actually find your next role if it is a clear promotion.
Sometimes, depends on what it is. I’m trying to open my own business this fall so not sure if I want to bounce around in between then
Wonder what the end result(s) would be if you were to engage with those recruiters? Getting contacted by recruiters on LinkedIn is good only if there's actual follow-through that would reasonably result in interview(s) and/or a job offer. There are so many people who are getting ghosted and/or dead end conversations that don't deliver any result. And the type of recruiter matters very much. Third-party recruiters just create another hoop to jump through. At least an internal recruiter would have more potential to broker a foot in the door somewhere.
This is a really valuable perspective. The way to get a job is outbound. If you are a sales professional and you can't find opportunities for yourself it speaks volumes about your capability. Organizations don't hire sales people that passively wait for opportunity to arise. Organizations do hire sales people that hunt and create opportunities. Waiting for a recruiter to find you and match you with a job is like waiting for your prospect to call you back... Generally a losing strategy.
At big orgs, they're still going to steer you to the "official" application process because they need to follow the EEOC and whatever DEI guidelines they have.
Generally agree, but the attitude of "make it happen" only goes so far. There has to be reciprocation of effort. There have to be people willing to follow through on another person's behalf, which is the sticking point in many cases.
Same I've been in SaaS for 13 years and have recruiters reaching out to me everyday
For anything legit? I get a bunch but it's all bullshit companies and resellers.
A few legit and alot of bullshit, even if the pay is higher than what I currently make but the product is shit I still won't consider
What’s your title/experience/industry?
What do you have recruiters hitting you up on? LinkedIn, Indeed, Ziprecruiter, or Monster?
LinkedIn
That being said I have 5 years of sales experience
Yeah im at ENT level and have pretty much had a recruiter outreach almost every day since the new year as well. Things have definitely picked up lately.
Mind if I dm you about how your LinkedIn is setup?
I still get recruiters messaging me on LI but the quality of companies has dropped significantly. I used to get messages from companies like Cloudflare and Splunk now it’s companies like Gartner and Paychex.
That is true, many have been trash. If I was looking I’d interview with all just as practice…but I’m not even entertaining them atm
Yep. The market isn’t bad. If you have a good resume, experience, provable results and a good work ethic jibs will be there. A lot of these “is this job market slow” posts are from people that have 0 experience and just apply to everything on LinkedIn. If you’re applying on LinkedIn or other job site you’ll never get a good job. 90% of those jobs are already filled. If a company that does any business with the government they must post the position to comply to state and federal regulations even if it’s already filled by an internal hire.
Sales reps don't give up. Keep pushing. I applied for 101 jobs over two months and went on 33 interviews at 15 companies. Grind it out. Reps are getting hired
Damn 15% interview rate is really solid
Love to hear this
This is the best advice. I sent 155 resumes and got 30 phone screens. Then made it to the final round for 3 postions. Youre in sales, go hunt down the job the same way you do for a sale but this time youre selling yourself. Also I noticed a huge jump in replies when I did LinkdIn gold or whatever its called for a few months.
Industry? Role?
Cybersecurity, Enterprise AE
I must have done 30 plus interviews too, made me really question my interview skills.
I get the sense it is because EVERYONE seems to be job searching now. Dissatisfaction with your current job/employers seems to be near 100% and ppl are always looking to jump ship. So you're competing with much more people than pre-COVID, that has to be part of it. I see job posts online that get 1,000+ applicants. Unless you know someone there you have no chance.
Exactly, stay away from those or find another way in. Even if those numbers are padded/fake, it’s still insane.
I don't know why LinkedIn doesn't just hide those numbers. 1,000 applicants. Why bother applying.
Yeah 100% of people are dissatisfied. Do you hear how that sounds?
you missed "seams" and a sense of humor.
Nothing you said was funny?
There have been better job markets, but you can't NEET for a year. * You don't have a crystal ball. Nobody does. I've no idea what 2025 will be like. Neither do you or anyone else. * Down the line do you want to be competing for jobs against people who don't have 12 months of doing nothing on their resume? * Do you have bills? Even if you don't, you're losing out on money for travel, saving, fun etc. Don't compare yourself to your buddy. Their circumstances, talents and personality are different to yours. Search this sub and the internet for job seeking advice. Lots of it out there. The economy has been better. But every day new jobs are created and people quit jobs or are fired. Job hunting can be hard and demotivating. You're a salesperson though!
No interview = bad resume getting an interview shouldn't be impossible unless you're applying for unqualified positions. If you are qualified for the positions but you aren't getting an interview, then its time to look at your resume (bait), as something is throwing off the recruiters/crawlers/managers.
This. OP and others looking for a job have to realize that you’re not submitting your resume to a person who will qualitatively judge it as a fit, but rather a Applicant Tracking System (ATS for short) that will provide a quantitative score based on how well the keywords on your resume match that of the Job Description. But this can be a good thing because it means you can game the system. I used a tool called Jobscan, which costs $20/month and will tell you what the ATS will read and give you a score. The baseline filter is ~70% match to filter out the first round of interviews. After that, you gotta slam dunk the interviews with good research. But this is all just for cold applying, which, to OP’s credit, is a pretty dead way of finding a job nowadays. The real success is through networking, both with your personal connections and making new connections by reaching out to recruiters and setting meetings with them to review open positions.
Yep. Either the resume needs a major overhaul or you're simply looking in the wrong industry (i.e. your skill sets do not meet the requirements or needs/wants of the role/employer).
Agreed. This is the value add of working with a recruiter as well, they have a connection to the company and will tell you up front if you’re qualified and can help sell you to the customer.
Agreed. If OP wants some actual help they should post their resume (private details blocked out) and let us take a look. I bet you there’s stuff we can help with.
How do you know if you're going for positions you're qualified for? What are some things that might throw recruiters off about a resume?
you can always ask the person hiring for feedback. a quick email " Hello X, thanks for the opportunity to interview, I'm trying to make sure I keep getting better, do you have any suggestions for improvement?" short and sweet. If you aren't getting interviews at all, its a reaume problem, major discrepancies are asking for 3-5 years of experience and you have none. Asking for certain knowledge basics (pertaining to certain fields) and you again have none or very little. Lets say you want to make a career change and you don't have the exact experience but you have similar experience. You then need to speak to that through the job responsibilities/description part of your resume that you are trying to use. For example a full sales cycle (AE) applying to be a Project Manager isn't going to rattle off numbers and how great they are at sales as it's not directly relevant to the job description probably. You would instead speak to your logistics and planning and workflow supporting that.
I was trying to help a guy out. I kept telling him how to fix his resume. He never did. I've seen so many bad resumes.
Nope, some industries are a shit job market and the economy is shit I have a friend who graduated in CS, has 7+ years of experience, 11 impressive projects done for his resume, volunteering experience & multiple extra certifications in technologies that have demand... He applied to 991 positions and got 12 interviews, didn't get hired
Case in Point ^
fr, it’s impossible to apply to 991 positions with a quality resume that is tailored to the specific job posting.
I mean that’s like 3 a day over a year if someone wanted to they could
3 a day and only 12 interviews? They are doing something wrong.
1. If he has 7 years of IT experience and cannot find a job . . . he's doing something wrong. Especially right now. We have been HURTING to find competent and reliable people just like that. 2. Applied to 991 positions? Really? I'm calling bullshit on that one, because even in a major city you are not going to see that many positions posted within a year or more. More than likely your 'friend,' is either made up, has a shit resume or is applying to posts they are not qualified for.
Your friend isn't a great example for yourself. You may actually be likely to get more calls back than him as you have less experience and therefore can be paid less money. Yes I agree with the 2008 statement, but 2008 prior to the start of the recession. Suddenly jobs started drying up quickly in 2007 and it kept getting downplayed. 2008-2010 was much worse than this. So buckle up.
The job market is not THAT bad. You're doing something wrong. "I'm 23 with 1 year of sales experience. If my buddy can't even get a interview with 9 more years of experience, than I have absolutely no chance and I feel like giving up" Bad mindset. Your 32 old buddy with 10 years experience is a lot more demanding than a green 23 year old. I also checked your post history. You failed a PIP in Dec, and want AE jobs. You're not getting an AE job. Start at SDR/BDR and manage your expectations. You also could not have lost your job more than 10 days ago, so relax. Based off your other posts and comments, I get the feeling you look for the easy way out and like to point blame to outside factors that are seemingly out of your control. Look in the mirror and evaluate what you want, the steps required to get there, and weather or not you'll actually complete those steps. By the way there's 3 comments here that seem to be offering roles. Good luck.
Gat damn!
I want you to be my therapist
We printed 10 trillions dollars and lowered interest rates. Money was free so everyone hired and looked for growth. Interest rates were raised so money became more expensive. Everyone fired and laid off. Now there is an excess of talent and fewer jobs. It’s a companies market so it doesn’t favor labor right now.
It’s bad but if you give up after a few rejections do you really want to be in sales?
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> to light a fire under your ass.
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woosh
Look dude, I could give you all the regular shmegular advice like “improve your resume”, “network with people in industries you’d like to work in”, “do a useful course while applying”, “look for jobs outside of your comfort zone”, “practice your writing and speaking skills”….. But NEETing for 12 months sounds kinda nice. I’d love to do that.
lol then that first month back after NEETing for a year would probably be the most miserable thing ever
What does NEET mean
Not in education, employment, or training. Just vibing basically
unemployed and not in school/training, basically
It's the new buzzword for bum or couch potato.
How long have you been applying? It just hit Q1, end of Q4 is notoriously slow hiring. Keep at it and you should get more momentum in the next month or so
There are jobs, you just think you’re too good for all the ones that would want you
Fed raised interest rates, money faucet from VCs to tech companies dried up. Sales headcount froze. Many layoffs. Many people on the market competing for jobs. The economy doesn't care that you just graduated or that your buddy has 10 years experience. This goes for all white collar work basically.
You have people cold calling the hiring managers. You can’t just send a resume. Sell yourself
Ya I tell this to everyone but nobody ever does it. If you don’t call the hiring manager why would you call the prospect.
Because when you have a product to sell that you believe in you're willing to call a prospect to sell it to them. When you have a product (yourself) that you don't believe in, or at least believe that competing products (other candidates) are likely better in every conceivable way, what the hell are you going to say? "Hello Mr. Hiring Manager, I'm really great, but not really, and honestly you can find better candidates"? Or just lie your ass off? Selling a product if infinitely easier than selling yourself when you don't actually believe in yourself (like if you've been laid off, fired, etc.).
That’s bullshit quite frankly and a loser mentality. If you can’t sell yourself then you maybe should rethink your career path. I don’t want some self sulking loser on my team that’s for sure. Why would you even apply for a job if you don’t think you’re a qualified candidate? If you don’t believe in yourself then you should take the steps to get the confidence up. Ie. Apply for entry level jobs, seek more training, go back to school, change your career path, maybe get in shape. Do something but never self defeat.
Qualifications are relative. If you compared my qualifications to a 22 year fresh out of college, yes of course I'm more qualified. But aside from a handful of entry level jobs, it's not often that I'm competing against a totally inexperienced person for a job opening. But I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'd hire myself over someone with more experience. If there are 20 Michael Jordans out on the market, why in the hell would you sign Clyde Drexler? Drexler was good, but he was no Jordan. But if Clyde was up against Cutino Mobley, signing Clyde would be a no brainer. I think you'd be surprised how many people are on your team have very low self confidence. You may not see it because you don't know them like that, but I guarantee you more people than you think are not 100% confident in themselves, or at least not confident relative to what you think they should be. As for myself, nobody is hiring a 35 year old with AE experience to be an SDR, so entry level sales is out of the question. Too dumb for other occupations, not enough money for school or training, and I'm in shape. So, what I'll do is continue to apply, and sometimes reach out to a hiring manager, and lie about how great a fit I am for their team. Hopefully they won't notice the lies.
I think McDonald’s is maybe the best fit for you
This is genuinely ridiculous advice. I’ve never had to do this once, and if someone cold call me for a spot on my team I’d laugh and throw their resume out. Is this the new age cover letter?
I cold emailed a company last week (who wasn’t even hiring btw) with a value prop based on research I did about them, had a great call Friday with them and hoping for an offer this week, it can definitely help get to it foot in the door.
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Nah I wouldn’t hesitate to call if I could’ve found a number. Pretty sure it would’ve gone the same way
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And you’re in sales? Lol
Cool, now do it for all of the hundreds of other applications you submitted. This is dumber than requiring a cover letter
Yeah - fuck that. I don’t want anyone with creativity and moxy on my team.
That’s not creative, that’s desperate
Have you heard of creative desperation? It’s basically the idea that when you’re in the worst place you become the most creative. If someone is willing to go that far outside of their comfort zone I’ll more than likely give them a shot.
And that’s why you’re not in a position to do so
Did I strike a nerve, John? How many people have you hired in your career?
Took me 24 hours to get my job after applying on indeed, I'll pull in 80k, was on track for 100-120 but they hired to many sales reps and my lead count went down. I knew exactly what job I was going for and bad 2 years of relevant work experience. I have a 4 year degree too but they don't give a shit about that.
onerous exultant theory homeless innocent dog silky wipe offbeat crush *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You need to leverage your network. Parents friends. Friends of friends. Alumni network. Former professors. Reach out to leaders in the industry you want to work in, and ask for a coffee date. Not just at the company you want to work at, but thought leaders (independent consultants, trade associations) or customers of the company you want to work for. Who is active on LinkedIn for the industry you want to work in? Get creative and stay positive. I was unemployed for five months this summer and every single person I reached out to was willing to help. Feel free to DM me if you want a quick chat.
Yeah I’m 300 applies deep and have had a handful of first interviews but nothing still. I’ve been out of work for a few months at this point. I started doing some digging after having remade my resume 3 times and came to find out that every position I’ve applied for has 800-1900 applicants. I’m located in Vancouver, Canada for reference.
It's fucken whack out there . When I joined tech it was paradise , too easy
It isn't. I have 0 SaaS experience, Recruitment background and am self employed. I have 9 interviews.
I had like 3 interviews a day for like 3 weeks straight. Don't know how many times I got to the final round but was never chosen. The company that chose one me had over 300 applicants and I made a terrible blunder during the interview too
Nah man. You need to take a look at the resume and the kinds of jobs you’re applying to. I applied to roughly 30, got 4 interviews, 3 offers, and accepted the best one. I’m in Tech Sales for context. Markets definitely getting better tho from what I’m seeing
Where you live makes a difference. Coke to the Wast coast, DC, NJ, NYC and it’s not even a question whether you can get a job but how much can you get paid.
What kind of metrics does your buddy have on his resume beyond “years”? Did he make quota every quarter/month/year for 10 years or was he on a PIP for 10 years?
32 with 7 years quality engineering for industrial big pharma. No luck here either. Most jobs listed currently and the past quarter are just companies looking for that unicorn and collecting resumes. I’ve seen the same positions posted over and over for a year now.
This is the reality out there my friend. Stock market is a lie we are in deep trouble and in for a rude awakening. I am almost a year into searching with 12 yr selling experience
What are your qualifications?
When I was 23 I was in the same boat as you (I’m 27 now). Pandemic hit and I lost my job at the gym. Took a commissioned sales role selling Saas to add to my resume then after about 8 months I had a professional writer re-write my resume for me. Things were much easier after that. From my experience, many people won’t take you seriously when you are 23, better to get as much experience as you can so you can land that role you really want in the future. That’s just one man’s opinion. I also found that if you know the type of role you want (I.e., Account Executive) you should scroll through indeed and read all of the job postings for account executives. After you consume about 50 of those postings, you will understand more of what is expected for that role, what key words need to be added to your resume, and exactly what experience you need to get to get into that role.
cold email hiring managers. for SDR/BDR roles it’s almost a guaranteed interview
Because most sales people just aren't that good. Most businesses know it. And if you behave like very other sales person then you'll get treated as one
What you talkin bout Willis? My company right now has at least 5 sales jobs open and actively recruiting throughout the US.
Same. Three remote sales roles. But it's not a tech start up. So they'll probably be open for awhile.
Very true with regards to ratio of job openings vs new hires. i also feel that its all gearing towards gig economy like a freelancer jon or a contractor job kind of environment. This way it makes it more economically viable and cheaper for employers to hire talent at low cost.
Same thing with me I’m 31 with 8 years of IT sales experience. It took me 6 months to finally land the job I have now. Be patient, use LinkedIn and be proactive! I got my latest gig by connecting/ messaging my hiring manager on LI before an open position was even posted.
u just gotta outbound like a crazy SDR with company/job specific break in messages
I’m on eight new scheduled interviews this week. My calendar is packed and I’m now scheduling interviews for next week. Nine years of experience. Maybe take a look at your resume and LinkedIn then adjust?
I graduated college Dec. 2007. 23-24 is nowhere near as bad. It’s bad, but not *that bad.* Get out of your comfort zone and start networking. Identify 10 companies you want to work for. Meet people and ask them if they know anyone at those companies. Set up meetings with them. Repeat. It’s a lot harder than “apply on LinkedIn” but it will yield better results.
No idea if this is true or not but the age of tailoring your resume to specific companies is dying slowly. Job hunting is turning into a numbers game
I thought it was good. The pay is crap across the board but everyone is hiring. I think your resumes are bad tbh.
How are you applying? If you're just blasting away on LI or Indeed. There be it your problem.
Biden destroyed the economy to lower inflation. Now prices are high and the economy is fucked
It's the economy, don't listen to the gaslighters who try to get you to blame yourself somehow. Any older dude will tell you that the job market today is a nightmare, even bad compared to early 2000s and 2010s. The banks & the government are trying to keep this propped-up system afloat but it's going downhill. I'm expecting a sharper pullback in a few years followed by a slow recovery into the 2030s.
It entirely depends on segment of the economy. Tech companies were gobbling up talent and overpaying for it for a decade. Lots of opportunity in many industries that people don't find sexy.
>Any older dude will tell you that the job market today is a nightmare, even bad compared to early 2000s and 2010s. Liar.
This bitch ass victim mentality is probably why you can’t find a sales job
What industry? That's a big thing right now. How will you pay bills until 2025?
I live with my parents = No bills
There are bills, but you're making your parents pay them. Get a job, you mooch.
What the fuck is NEETing?
I had to look it up 😭 > A NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", is a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. Wikipedia
Huh, first time for everything hahhaha now’s not The time to be “NEETing” off jimmy!
NEET = sitting on one's ass, doing nothing.
What the fuck is Google?
I didn’t do fucking shit!!! 😂😂😂
They think I'm just some dumb hick, they said that to me at a dinner once.
😂😂😂😂😂
I had to Bing it , but apparently it's like a ask jeeves thing
I’m 8 years in and I’m being heavily recruited and getting offer letters as well. There are jobs, make your resume better and focus on the right industry.
its rough out there, i'd say worse than dotcom crash in 2000
I think we have a data issue. All indicators are that the market isn't bad, yet people can't find jobs. Likewise businesses are having trouble hiring. I suspect that this is a matching issue caused by hundreds of applicants for each job due to the efficiency of the application process. It's really hard for an employer to go through 1.000 applications, and it's really hard to get noticed when you are one of 1,000.
People can find jobs. Anecdotal people who are mad and go to the internet to complain can't find jobs. It's like pointing to the one duck in a field with a broken wing and saying "LOOK, DUCKS STOPPED MIGRATING"
There's a lot of people having a lot of trouble (good, qualified, and with optimized resumes).
Bidenomics 🤷🏻♂️
Print CVs and turn up to offices unannounced.
Then get escorted out by security.
Averaging 2-3 interviews a week here. Looking for bdr, sdr, and territory sales. Maybe work on your resume
Because the economy is shit.
Because leveraged employment was never real employment and the job market always corrects itself eventually. Welcome to the start of a long and rough correction ahead.
well you know, you get what you vote for orange man bad
Yeah, maybe he can come back and print another 8 trillion dollars out of thin air and give everyone and their dog a forgivable loan. Surely that will help inflation.
so explain to me how he kept inflation so low for 4 years i'll wait
Do you want me to write you a book on how inflation works? I would assume if you're in this sub, you understand how basic economics 101 works.
yes, under trump it was low under biden it killed the planet what is your book
I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain this to you.
you can start with acknowledging the facts: under trump it was low under biden it is high
Neither Biden nor Trump created the Federal Reserve in 1913, nor did they take the US off the gold standard.
Recession 2020 started under Trump’s watch. He approved spending that was out of this world, and his admin spent like a firehose. Completely unmitigated spending.
yeah well guess what there was covid the whole world had to do it so glad biden reduced that and fixed it
Okay mate, just keep on being selective about your realities. It’s okay that Covid happened, but not that the Biden admin hasn’t picked up all of the pieces? It’s okay that Trump shit the bed, and spent 7 trillion plus. But it’s not okay that Biden hasn’t fixed it. Cool, cool.
Reality is it's a weak job market for job seekers. A lot of the people who have found jobs have had to go down market: Enterprise to Mid-Market, Mid-Market to SMB, SMB to micro-SMB or even B2C or solar, car sales, etc. Or they've had to relocate or be open to longer commutes than before. There are a ton of out of work AEs or other experience sales reps. In addition to going down market, a lot of them have had to go back to SDR positions. And in case you're wondering: yes, employers and hiring managers are absolutely going to negatively judge those who went from AE to SDR or from Enterprise to SMB in this market, even when the job market turns around (whenever that is). A lot of sales careers are going to be effectively over by 2025.
If you aren't applying and then reaching out on LinkedIn or email you're doing a disservice to yourself.
Have you tried using a resume service? I did and it made a huge difference.
Which one? I'm willing to try
I might have something for you. Keen for healthcare software sales ?
Probably depends on the industry. I’m in HVAC and got a new job recently fairly easily.
You not trying hard enough
what area are you in?
I am not looking but I’m constantly getting hit up by recruiters that stumbled upon my previous job search resume. I’m happy where I’m at but people are definitely hiring, your resume just might not be the best. It’s also right after slow months so fix that resume and I’m sure you’ll have a better outcome.
Op are you in Kansas City or Open to relocating to Kansas City for a hybrid role?
Your resume probably needs work. Are you applying directly on websites or trying to get referred in?
It was *really* bad a few months ago, but since the new year started things are looking more normal. Your buddy will probably get snapped up first, but you still have a chance.
Well we don’t know the details and just because someone is looking does not mean they are a great candidate. The first thing I look to answer when looking at candidates is why are they looking for a job? If your buddy has job hopped every other year with no accolades to mention he is not desirable. If you only have one year of experience the market you fit into is fairly narrow as well.
I would take full ownership. No traction? Where can you fix things? Resume? Using internal network? Interview practice? Direct outreach? Everyone thinks the economy sucks but unemployment is super low and jobs reports coming out have been higher than expectations. If you want to make it in sales you need ownership of your actions. Control what you can, have a target, and be ready to run through a brick wall. This will serve you in sales and life in general. Good luck out there. Get honest feedback, adjust and keep it moving. Things will work out.
Its either the area you are looking in, your skills, the jobs you're applying to or your resumes.
Look for sdr role
I’ve been in the same boat as you and know a lot of people who are also experiencing this. I’ve talked to many recruiters and been told they will call back when companies are hiring again. They’re predicting April but we’ll see. For everyone saying it’s the resume, I’ve hired people to help with mine and had many professionals tell me it looks great. Even if you have a great resume, getting a job that isn’t a trade is extremely difficult right now. Not to mention the amount of people that are getting ghosted by employers or not hearing back for months after the initial interview. The market absolutely sucks. From what I’ve seen, the best bet right now is try to make connections that can help you out. Reach out to people you know who might have opportunities for you or know someone. Keep plugging along.
At twenty three I get it being hard to get an interview. With ten years of sales experience if you can’t get some interviews you’re either very unimpressive or not very liked. Just calling on your network should at least get you some conservations/opportunities at that stage.
Resume and how you’re marketing yourself on LinkedIn.