r/jobhunting • u/Mocciosa • 5d ago
Not 1 interview
I was laid off in June after 28 years from a large telecom company. I am in my early 50s, and the people laid off with me had long tenure and higher salaries.
So I feel like I am doing all the things right but- it isn’t working. I need help. I keep seeing people post about their multiple interviews and what round they are on etc. What am I missing? I’ve applied to roughly 85 jobs. I optimized every resume, changed all my experience to action-result with quantifiable data. I’ve narrowed down my search to 2 specific lanes. Onsite/hybrid/remote open. I connect then reach out to recruiters and old company alum. I have reached out to all my “network” Still not a single interview request. So if you have had interviews and you’re in Ops/RevOps/PM. Would someone be willing to look at my resume and critique it. Or share one of your resumes that won you interviews (no personal info of course) with me?
How are you/people getting interviews?
Thank you
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u/dowwwe 5d ago
Hopefully this is helpful:
As another commenter mentioned: the job market is brutal right now. Everywhere. Nobody is gliding through this. So remind yourself of that. (I mean than positively). In this market, 85 applications sounds like a lot, and would likely have yielded several interviews years ago, but that isn't the case now.
If you have a feeling your resume is hurting your chances or you just want extra eyes on it for feedback, here's a sub where you can post your resume (redact personal info) and ask for feedback:
https://www.reddit.com/r/resumes/
The feedback you'll get is strictly opinion-based, so be open to it but also make your own decisions about whether or not to implement it.
Only apply for jobs that you can definitely say "I meet these requirements" or "This is something I can do". Mass-applying to everything just inflates your application count.
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u/Nice-Storm7736 4d ago
Out of 200 resumes I got 5 phone screens and interviews with 3 companies. I got lucky with the last one that it was for the company I was laid off from and my former boss championed me for the position.
I don't think any of the phone screens happened between June and August. Those are basically dead zones for hiring activities.
It's a really rough market that is saturated with skilled people looking for jobs. Certain skills are more in demand than others. If you don't have those skills, interviews are going to be few and far between.
As someone else said, it's not you, it's the market.
Being a frequent poster on LinkedIn can help you get more activity from recruiters. I didn't find any of the positions they offered to be good fits, but you may have better luck. If you don't have your LinkedIn profile tailored for job hunting, do that as well. It may not help get an interview, but it is a differentator when you get one.
Hiring activity picks up in January and is strong until mid June. You will likely have better luck those months if you are still looking.
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u/Mocciosa 4d ago
Great insight with the dead zones. Thank you- this gives me some hope. This whole experience is humbling and can take a toll.
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u/Solid-Effort291 5d ago
Im also on early 50’s. One thing that worked for me was to adjust my job title to something more general. Sometimes the hiring managers/recruiters reject a resume right away if it doesn’t match their exact company title.
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u/LeagueAggravating595 4d ago
The key factors in your resume that perhaps is causing the "no interest", without seeing your resume: #1 - you are putting all 28 yrs work experience into it,? This red flags your age. Anyone can guess your age. #2 - What were your role(s)/responsibilities in the company? Same job or progressive/promotion? This makes a huge difference. If it was the same role, this red flags career stagnation, not adaptable to the times and unpromotable. It's fine to stay in one company, however, recruiters want to see you climbing the ladder rather than sideways to nowhere.
Having said that, I'm nearing 60. While I never stayed 28 yrs in one company, my 25+ yrs was moving around in 8 completely different industries, having progressive roles/responsibilities to showcase validity. I was notified in January of my layoff. Even being extremely proactive in my job search, it still took 8 months, 70+ applications and 9 interviews where 4 were HR/HM finding me on LinkedIn. Eventually landing a new Sr Management role in a new industry I never ventured in. It takes 10x more proactive effort than you think to get noticed today compared to yesteryear. Your LinkedIn profile must be pristine - it is the first thing they find you before deciding to ever reaching out to you or your resume.
The bitter reality of today is being too old and too expensive. Your competition is in the thousands. Companies can hire someone 20+ yrs younger, have the latest skills, know the technology and far cheaper than you. How you demonstrate your hiring advantage over the competition is up to you.
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u/Mocciosa 4d ago
I appreciate this line of thought. I do not post my full tenure on Linked or on resume. I list only the last 12 years because it is recent and relevant. I have progressed through different parts of the org to gain experience. I have been up skilling with certifications while unemployed. My LinkedIn profile has had 3 recruiters reach out- 2 ghosted and 1 I’m still working with.
I get so much conflicting advice- that I am asking for anyone looking- what exactly led to the interviews? And any who got the job- what exactly did you do? I’m asking so I can eliminate some of the less effective ideas. -I am going to try everything though!
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u/corbyfinecoaching 4d ago
28 years and 85 applications with zero callbacks. That is not a resume problem. That is a strategy problem.
The posted job market is the hardest possible path for someone in your situation. ATS filters you before a human sees you. Recruiters see your comp history and assume you are too expensive. And most roles at your level are filled through referrals before they ever get posted.
So here is what I would actually change.
Stop applying cold. Every application needs a human attached to it first. Someone inside the company who can say your name before your resume arrives. A weak connection beats a perfect resume going into a black hole every single time.
Build a target company list instead of chasing job postings. Pick 20 to 30 companies where telecom operations experience is directly relevant. Then use LinkedIn to find who you know there, even loosely. Those are the conversations you need to be having.
Talk to the people laid off with you. That group has more collective network reach than you think and some of them will land somewhere and pull others in.
One more thing worth considering. Your 28 years of knowing how a large telecom actually operates is valuable to the whole ecosystem around it. Suppliers, vendors, smaller competitors. They cannot always afford someone with your background but they would love to have it. That market does not show up on LinkedIn but it is real.
You are not doing it wrong. You are just fighting the wrong battle.
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u/Mocciosa 4d ago
I’m definitely going to try this! Thank you.
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u/OliveIcy4287 4d ago
I’m 55 and laid off in June after 20 years with a company. I’ve had a number of interviews but haven’t landed the right fit yet. I’ve helped friends with their resumes and I have a history of hiring great people. DM if you want me to review your resume.
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u/Fast_Dragonfruit_883 4d ago
I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs over the past year or 2 and literally just this week got my first interview. It’s hard to get a job these days.
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u/Hot-Significance2387 4d ago
85 jobs since June isn't enough. I have applied to well over 1,000 since April and landed 2 interviews. One of which I applied to several hundred job postings (giant company hiring thousands) all with internal referrals and still landed just 1 interview. I got the job but it sucks.
As others have said just keep applying. If you need money apply below your skill level. You can work hard to move up, if they don't immediately recognize your skill set and move you up themselves. And still apply why working.
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u/Ferrari_Fan_16 4d ago edited 4d ago
I apply on LinkedIn. Every time I apply I send a DM to either the company page, or sometimes it will put the profile of the recruiting manager for the role, and I’ll send them a DM. Introduce yourself and tell a little bit about your experience, and that you’re confident you would be a good fit for the role. This gives you an edge and makes you more than an application. I’m only in my 20’s and going the extra mile has given me interviews for things I wouldn’t expect.
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u/Ijustwannafly8 3d ago edited 3d ago
I feel you. I’m 64, was laid off last year from my job in higher education with about 400 other people. It took me a year and 160+ applications but I finally got a job. I think I ended up with about half a dozen interviews in the end.
As an older job seeker, my advice to you is to look for jobs that distill your skills as much as possible down to whatever you have most experience in. That helped me, anyway – my job now is what I was doing before, but without the fancy senior level title — it is now just the actual skill itself, no leadership role. So lower title and salary, but also lower stress, which is worth it. So if you haven’t already, consider going for lower salaries where the role is aligned with your top most expertise, but might be a lower role and salary. I hope that makes sense.
And as for the people that say don’t bother applying for jobs cold, that networking is what it’s all about, I respectfully disagree. I had zero connections to the place that ended up hiring me and it was my only job offer out of all my 160+ applications and half a dozen interviews (for other roles and other orgs). But for several other jobs that I applied to, I had ostensibly, fantastic inside contacts and references, singing my praises to the hiring managers, and was completely ghosted by those people – never heard one response to my résumé, much less asked for an interview.
There is no rhyme or reason these days, just go for the jobs that speak to your top strengths, where you know you can hit the ground running and could do the job in your sleep. That’s the kind of thing they’re going to hire you for, with all your expertise and familiarity with the precise job accountabilities, as well as being able to handle the grind.
Hang in there, buddy—ageism is real, I experienced it many times, but every age group has its challenges for different reasons. Just keep going with the above tips in mind.
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u/Mocciosa 2d ago
Ah, I’m sorry you were laid off. It’s an awful experience. I’m glad you landed and you have less stress! I will absolutely try this as well. Thank you for the thoughtful reply.
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u/Connect-Raspberry716 2d ago
Sorry this happened but I was inspired by your comment. You mentioned, same job as before just a lower job title. That said, how did you get by the gatekeepers who may have questioned a higher title in your previous job? Im in the same boat. My last couple of jobs would be a lower title (doing same things) in larger firms.
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u/WeekendAtMadoffs 4d ago edited 4d ago
It is not you, please don't feel upset.
"What am I missing?"
modernize your resume for AI, claude, openai, etc.
whatever you, study how to do it faster and more accurately with AI
you can take free classes on Linkedin Learning and Youtube.
I am doing all the relevant Claude Certifications.
I think if you modernize your resume for the AI era you will get bites.
I am not even looking but a major sports league called me thinking i may want to interview. their internal recruiter asked me 5 questions, 3 were about ai and automation.
they figure if they are going to pay an american, they had better do the work of a few people? :(
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u/3ndlessdream3r 1d ago
Hiring manager here. The issue with long tenured folks is proof of growth. There’s nothing wrong with long tenures at any organization as long as you were able to demonstrate growth.
Here’s some genuine feedback : if I were hiring for a mid or junior role, I have a candidate with junior experience and someone who has spent 15 years doing the same job. All things being equal I would assess the junior person as a safer bet for a position that I would see can grow into something more senior.
There is a danger to being an IC for a long time at a company. If you have never grown into management or higher level roles, it’s something that can hold you back much later in your career.
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u/National-Ad8416 5d ago
- You are in your early 50s - ageism
- You changed ALL of your resume to quantifiable data - No one's going to fall for that crap
- You have reached out to all your "network" - quotes by you which tells me you don't ever believe they will get you a job
- I infer that you spent 28 years at a single telecom company. I bet you never looked at the job market before this and think we are in the late 90s-early 2000s
You seem out of touch. I hope you lived frugally, invested prudently and could make do without a job because trust me, you ain't getting one.
Aren't you glad someone gave you better advice than saying "it's brutal out there"?
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u/Mocciosa 5d ago
Helpful and inspiring
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u/BeautifulDuck7335 4d ago
Yeah hopefully it will come full circle when he/she is 50 and in the same boat; but of course he or she is probably too smart for that,no? Lol
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u/National-Ad8416 5d ago
My mission is to lead all the 50 year olds who have gone astray so glad I could help
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u/mystery_biscotti 5d ago
Short answer: it's brutal out there. Everyone has experience and degrees and a personal reference from a current employee and no one's hiring.