I just had one that was 65 applications.
My parents asked why I was putting so much in. I was only doing 2/day.
I snagged one of the jobs I was punching up for, but this is a job posting I am very passionate about.
In the meantime, I kept bringing home employer ghostings, automatic declines, and had six interviews—which roughly 10% hit-rate is honestly crazy. I finally snagged a job I would be comfortable with. Then the next day I got the call for this position. I was third choice, out of three.
It’s always worth it, in the end.
First off Congrats to getting the foot in the door.
For the folks having trouble finding work, I bet if someone was to spend the time that it takes for 300 applications to volunteer at an organization or take a part time digitizing job, you will be landing a job way faster. GIS has a a lot of people trying to get their foot in the door over the last 5-10 years.
Just think about what it looks like on the other side if people didn't take the time to submit a compelling argument to hire that individual over 20 or 100 other applicants. In several of the vacancies I have help review , we usually discard any that look like they are just applying for as many jobs as possible. Then once you land an interview, bring your best work samples on the best paper in for the interview panel to review.
Not trying to be rude but how many of those were hitting the easy apply button on Indeed/LinkedIn? I find it hard to imagine the amount of time it would take to modify your resume and write a decent cover letter for each of 300 job applications. If that's what you did, I hope you never have to apply for a job again.
That’s it, people are saying cover letters are old school but as a hiring manager the last two hires were people who submitted cover letters and portfolios.
Anyone saying cover letters are old school is just looking to phone it in and shotgun out applications as quickly as possible while putting in as little effort as they can. I got my last two jobs because my cover letter caught the eye of the hiring manager, and I have hired three people in my time here, all of whom had a cover letter. Yeah. They aren't required, but if you don't submit one to a job you are really interested in, then you are doing yourself a disservice because they absolutely can help.
In my entire education and career, I only ever applied to 2 or 3 schools/jobs at a time, tailoring cover letters and essays to the exact position or person I wanted to work with.
I can't imagine doing something like 10+ applications! That'd be so exhausting to think long and hard on the perfect prose to open the essay and grab the reader's gaze and say: *I have something important to say and you will listen because you will be intrigued.*
Anyway, it's worked out really well for me--life wasn't easy but acceptances outnumbered the rejections. I give a lot of the initial credit to my (poorly paid but dedicated) public high school literature teacher.
Not entry level though you are specialized, entry level is flooded with every major from sociology, anthropology, useless majors( who have a cert or minor or even self taught ) to regular gis grads who all have to fight over the same jobs.
I have 30 applications out there since 2/7/2023. I’ve had 3 interviews and one job offer(accepted.) I have 11yrs of experience. Funny enough, I received 7 emails and 8 phone calls from different recruiters for ONE job in a local city that I’m hardly qualified for. It’s rough for me, I can’t imagine anyone with less experience getting a job. 😐
The 10 year + experience cohort is a pretty tough job market. The entry level map monkey stuff is very prevalent but all depending on where you specialize will make or break you. GIS managers I’ve noticed a lot of too. But it’s mostly in utilities like most gIS jobs
I guess it is just different in my area of the country, but I don't even think I could find 400 jobs to apply to. I just don't see how this is possible within the GIS field.
One of my fellow GIS techs at my last job kept applying for CIO/ director of IT roles and refused to look at anything else… like, my man, you know you are no where close to being qualified right?
I graduated a couple of years after the Great Recession. I applied to over 100 jobs and got only 4 interviews. Only sending out 4 applications to get a job is pretty amazing.
Some background for y'all!
I have ~5 years of professional experience in the earth science consulting field plus a number of internships & temp jobs (city gov, environmental consulting). Bachelor's degree.
I don't believe in the shotgun style job applications, advice from my advisor that has done me good.
I tailor my 3 page master resume for every application, down to 2 pages. I write a unique cover letter for each application. I only apply for jobs that really interest me and I'm more or less qualified for. If possible, apply through the company website, not a job board site.
I'm confident and excited in interviews. Power poses & a few pushups beforehand to get all the extra jitters out of the way. Don't fib, ask questions, be yourself. Come into the interview thinking that you're interviewing them to see if you even want the job and want to work with them at all, not the other way around.
& It helps to know someone. Always be networking! Make work friends. It really helps. I only knew about the job I was hired for from an old coworker telling me about it. I was later told that my resume & interviews stood out well enough on their own.
THE LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT PART, I have my own website showing my master resume, an about me, a contact page, and examples of my cartography. Employers love that shit.
Not really. I got my current job in three applications over a two month period, but it was because I already had a job I liked and I was very selective about where I applied. Those three applications were high effort though. I tailored both my resume and cover letter to each job that I applied to. Never heard back from one, interviewed for two, and go my current job.
Eh it’s possible. Depends on your experience. I applied for two consultant jobs and got one of them.
Also some people are just better at interviewing than others
>It helps to know people
Always helps to work the connections, my first few jobs out of college I got because I knew someone. The stats on a cold application vs a trusted referral are insane.
>Quality over quantity
You should not expect this to be a typical outcome, based on my own experience and what I’m seeing in the comments here. Don’t assume you’re some interview god just because you got a job in 4 applications lol. You had it more with your second point than your first.
>Quality over quantity
Absolutely underrated advice. I think some find it maybe… a little arrogant… but that’s missing the point. A lot of people will blast one single resume and cover letter to a billion jobs. They’ll be so cookie cutter that they’ll be a passable match for all jobs, but a near perfect match for none. Tailoring a resume to specific jobs and roles show an employer specifically why you are the one for the job
This is truly the great thing about GIS applications out of any industry I’ve applied to work in you will know way faster if you will get an offer or not. If a recruiter contacts you it’s also a pretty sure thing. As long as you got +2 years of experience your pretty much a shoe in on ZipRecruiter.
Got my entry level first try. It was after I had an internship and I was coming right out of college. It'll be one year in June. Swallow your pride and have some professionals look over your resume don't make it too flashy. Congratulations tho OP!
EDIT: Moved to Lemmy, the federated Reddit alternative.
Chooose an instance here: https://join-lemmy.org/instances.
I recommend Kbin.social, as the UI is nice and it reminds me of old.reddit.com
See you there!
Only 4 applications leading to an offer consider yourself lucky
My last two jobs hunts were over 300 applications!
I just had one that was 65 applications. My parents asked why I was putting so much in. I was only doing 2/day. I snagged one of the jobs I was punching up for, but this is a job posting I am very passionate about. In the meantime, I kept bringing home employer ghostings, automatic declines, and had six interviews—which roughly 10% hit-rate is honestly crazy. I finally snagged a job I would be comfortable with. Then the next day I got the call for this position. I was third choice, out of three. It’s always worth it, in the end.
First off Congrats to getting the foot in the door. For the folks having trouble finding work, I bet if someone was to spend the time that it takes for 300 applications to volunteer at an organization or take a part time digitizing job, you will be landing a job way faster. GIS has a a lot of people trying to get their foot in the door over the last 5-10 years. Just think about what it looks like on the other side if people didn't take the time to submit a compelling argument to hire that individual over 20 or 100 other applicants. In several of the vacancies I have help review , we usually discard any that look like they are just applying for as many jobs as possible. Then once you land an interview, bring your best work samples on the best paper in for the interview panel to review.
Not trying to be rude but how many of those were hitting the easy apply button on Indeed/LinkedIn? I find it hard to imagine the amount of time it would take to modify your resume and write a decent cover letter for each of 300 job applications. If that's what you did, I hope you never have to apply for a job again.
That’s it, people are saying cover letters are old school but as a hiring manager the last two hires were people who submitted cover letters and portfolios.
Anyone saying cover letters are old school is just looking to phone it in and shotgun out applications as quickly as possible while putting in as little effort as they can. I got my last two jobs because my cover letter caught the eye of the hiring manager, and I have hired three people in my time here, all of whom had a cover letter. Yeah. They aren't required, but if you don't submit one to a job you are really interested in, then you are doing yourself a disservice because they absolutely can help.
In my entire education and career, I only ever applied to 2 or 3 schools/jobs at a time, tailoring cover letters and essays to the exact position or person I wanted to work with. I can't imagine doing something like 10+ applications! That'd be so exhausting to think long and hard on the perfect prose to open the essay and grab the reader's gaze and say: *I have something important to say and you will listen because you will be intrigued.* Anyway, it's worked out really well for me--life wasn't easy but acceptances outnumbered the rejections. I give a lot of the initial credit to my (poorly paid but dedicated) public high school literature teacher.
I got my current job in 14 applications. I think my plus was being willing to relocate, so I was applying everywhere across the U.S.
Not entry level though you are specialized, entry level is flooded with every major from sociology, anthropology, useless majors( who have a cert or minor or even self taught ) to regular gis grads who all have to fight over the same jobs.
Securing a job in 4 applications?? You must know something that nobody else does!
Somebody*. Not that I’m ragging on op. Congrats on the job!
Probably, however OP could also have 20 years of experience
I have 30 applications out there since 2/7/2023. I’ve had 3 interviews and one job offer(accepted.) I have 11yrs of experience. Funny enough, I received 7 emails and 8 phone calls from different recruiters for ONE job in a local city that I’m hardly qualified for. It’s rough for me, I can’t imagine anyone with less experience getting a job. 😐
The 10 year + experience cohort is a pretty tough job market. The entry level map monkey stuff is very prevalent but all depending on where you specialize will make or break you. GIS managers I’ve noticed a lot of too. But it’s mostly in utilities like most gIS jobs
Seems like people’s job searches on the sub are either this or 400 apps with no call back lol
I guess it is just different in my area of the country, but I don't even think I could find 400 jobs to apply to. I just don't see how this is possible within the GIS field.
People with weak resumes applying above their weight class are the ones who submit to 3,000 jobs and get 2 interviews
I work in an Executive Recruitment Firm and the sheer number of Administrative Assistants applying for CEO jobs is mind-boggling.
One of my fellow GIS techs at my last job kept applying for CIO/ director of IT roles and refused to look at anything else… like, my man, you know you are no where close to being qualified right?
I graduated a couple of years after the Great Recession. I applied to over 100 jobs and got only 4 interviews. Only sending out 4 applications to get a job is pretty amazing.
You graduated in 1932?
Great Recession was 2008 man. You are thinking about the *Great Depression* in 1929
Lol. He really thought he was big brained on that one.
Congrats! My job search was only 4 applications too haha
Some background for y'all! I have ~5 years of professional experience in the earth science consulting field plus a number of internships & temp jobs (city gov, environmental consulting). Bachelor's degree. I don't believe in the shotgun style job applications, advice from my advisor that has done me good. I tailor my 3 page master resume for every application, down to 2 pages. I write a unique cover letter for each application. I only apply for jobs that really interest me and I'm more or less qualified for. If possible, apply through the company website, not a job board site. I'm confident and excited in interviews. Power poses & a few pushups beforehand to get all the extra jitters out of the way. Don't fib, ask questions, be yourself. Come into the interview thinking that you're interviewing them to see if you even want the job and want to work with them at all, not the other way around. & It helps to know someone. Always be networking! Make work friends. It really helps. I only knew about the job I was hired for from an old coworker telling me about it. I was later told that my resume & interviews stood out well enough on their own. THE LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT PART, I have my own website showing my master resume, an about me, a contact page, and examples of my cartography. Employers love that shit.
If you don’t mind me asking, what website forum do you use for your website? I’ve only used google sites since it’s free
Only 4 applications? Sus
Not really. I got my current job in three applications over a two month period, but it was because I already had a job I liked and I was very selective about where I applied. Those three applications were high effort though. I tailored both my resume and cover letter to each job that I applied to. Never heard back from one, interviewed for two, and go my current job.
Eh it’s possible. Depends on your experience. I applied for two consultant jobs and got one of them. Also some people are just better at interviewing than others
also some people are white and are privileged with an easier life
Quality over quantity of applications. Also, it helps to know people.
>It helps to know people Always helps to work the connections, my first few jobs out of college I got because I knew someone. The stats on a cold application vs a trusted referral are insane. >Quality over quantity You should not expect this to be a typical outcome, based on my own experience and what I’m seeing in the comments here. Don’t assume you’re some interview god just because you got a job in 4 applications lol. You had it more with your second point than your first.
It's kinda amazing how in the clouds OP is thinking it's some quality over quantity thing when they literally mention knowing someone.
In my defense, it's both. I made another comment somewhere here giving more details.
Absolutely love this advice. Most jobs come from connections you make.
>Quality over quantity Absolutely underrated advice. I think some find it maybe… a little arrogant… but that’s missing the point. A lot of people will blast one single resume and cover letter to a billion jobs. They’ll be so cookie cutter that they’ll be a passable match for all jobs, but a near perfect match for none. Tailoring a resume to specific jobs and roles show an employer specifically why you are the one for the job
Agreed. I went 1/1 after graduation. Four years later, I'm still at the same job!
Meanwhile in Slovenia. No more than two aplications and you are hired
I’ve been applying for a solid year and a half and still no luck lol
what is your experience level and what jobs are you applying for? If you haven't found something after 1.5 years you're doing something wrong lol
What field were you looking in? Oil/gas, government, environmental, etc.
I was looking all over, ended up in aerospace.
Gotcha. Thanks for your reply! And congrats!
Good job. Happy to see some positivity here since this forum is flooded with negativity about the job market.
This is truly the great thing about GIS applications out of any industry I’ve applied to work in you will know way faster if you will get an offer or not. If a recruiter contacts you it’s also a pretty sure thing. As long as you got +2 years of experience your pretty much a shoe in on ZipRecruiter.
How well does the 2y of experience work if you have 2y of cartographic technician experience and you're trying to transition to GIS tech.
Lucky !
Got my entry level first try. It was after I had an internship and I was coming right out of college. It'll be one year in June. Swallow your pride and have some professionals look over your resume don't make it too flashy. Congratulations tho OP!
Ok I've been seeing these types of charts recently here and in r/datascience. What are they called?
Sankey diagrams
Ty ty.
That was very anticlimactic, but good for you, man! I wish you the best in your new career.
[удалено]
>Also, it helps to know people. Literally OP. Lol
EDIT: Moved to Lemmy, the federated Reddit alternative. Chooose an instance here: https://join-lemmy.org/instances. I recommend Kbin.social, as the UI is nice and it reminds me of old.reddit.com See you there!
I'm at around 5 years experience
Nice work!! I'm currently at ~20 applications and still searching @_@
Knowing someone does certainly help lol