You will indeed! Hold that thought!!! You have persistence and a positive attitude going for you!!!

I wish there was a way to figure out why you weren't chosen for these jobs, when it seems like you were so perfect for any one of them.

I've gone through that rejection a few times this past year..in my case Union was working against me..I was more qualified than those chosen..however..I was not Senior Bidder.

It stings even though you know it's not to be yours, when you get that "you have a lot of great qualities and skills, but we chose some one else" call.

It'll happen..don't be afraid to take a risk on something that might be close to what you want...but not what you think is "the perfect job".
That is what I had to do..for now..

Keep on trucking. Its easy to get discouraged too early in the game. Hunker down and get prepared for an extended search. I have engineer associates who had a long search after being let go in the last economic downturn, Back then, companies were downsizing. But perservance paid off for those who were able to endure. Some of them did have to broaden their geographical horizon to find a job with attractive pay.

My no. 2 son's job evaporated with the last round of budget cuts. (His job was funded by NSA.) He's an IT guy and well trained in writing data base management programs. He's looking and finding that he will have to let go of some of his 'wants' and pay attention to 'needs'. There may be a complication: I believe he has a girlfriend and he wants to near her.

Stay focused, don't give up hope, you are just at the very beginning of this search, when you get to the 9 month point of applying then start looking at tactics. The job market has greatly improved, DH has not applied for jobs since Dec 2012 and still gets calls & emails everyday for things that just opened up. Heck I fluffed up my Linkedin acct recently and I am contacted everyday by not just companies but individuals offering interviews and I am not even looking. I truely think people unemployed more than 9 months just gave up looking or are unwilling to do the work involved in searching (it really is another job) or move for opportunities.

Anyone who has not job searched in the last 5 yrs really has no idea how very much the landscape in job searching has changed. If you are over 40 and don't have friends/family who have job searched lately you are at a severe disadvantage. Job searches average 9 months nationally and involve applying for hundreds of jobs. Stay focused, don't get overly attached to any opportunity until the 3rd interview &/or they are having you do the psychological/personality or drug testing. You know companies are really interested in you when you get beyond just the interviewing portion and involve actual costs other than someone's time. There are more than 140 million working adults in this country and recent data has found 75% interested in leaving their current job for better opportunities so you have to consider that sheer volumn out there searching too plus those unemployeed. I am willing to bet that atleast 100 people applied for each job you also applied for, if not hundreds. my DH interviewed for jobs that thousands had applied for and those professional jobs count only applicants who pasted thru the inital computer scanning (automatically tosses out resumes w/o certain key words like Harvard or GPA's below 4.0) then another refined scan with specific phrases, so there could have been a hundred thousand applicants. Plan to be looking for 9 months, keep constantly searching & applying, check your emotions when you get call backs and forge ahead. You will find the best success when you mass apply instead of cherry picking certain jobs. Good luck! Over time you will find success! ~ liz

My current job is part time and just got my first check. In one month, after I pay my rent and car payment I will have $80 left over for food and gas. I've cut back on everything i can think of. I just applied at a few more places and want to stay hopeful. I also checked into government services and it turns out that because I work 25 hours a week I am not eligible for anything.

Just add another thing to my list.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

Can you get another part time job temporarily, maybe retail? Just something to help make ends meet until you find a permanent position.

"Anyone who has not job searched in the last 5 yrs really has no idea how very much the landscape in job searching has changed"

Couldn't agree more. One of the "reasons" Samkaren isn't getting the jobs is because there are hundreds of other people applying for the same job.

Stay strong Samkaren....it will happen!

juellie, that is true but I was really talking about how much more advanced job searching is now. Most major companies do not take in mass resumes, you literally can not just email a resume, you can only submit thru a job link. So there is no more mass sending out of resumes to the creme of the crop employers. Most creme of the crop co thou do keep checks in Linkedin and other sites for potential applicants. Harvard trolled a website that engineers post projects on and found something my DH built and contacted him. Almost all resumes now pass thru 1-2 programs that scan for certain parameters. My DH found a lot more response with companies he was interested in after he added that Harvard bought an engineering project he did and have it on display in their own eng dept. All the top tier companies scan for near perfect GPA's, my DH was 3.85 out of 4.0 and barely made the cut for Verizon engineering (where he works now). Now applicants need to have dedicated professional email addresses (for gods sake NO AOL LOL there is nothing less tech savy), google voice #'s (keeps employers from knowing where you live which can keep you out of certain jobs), business (or personal) cards, at least 5 versions of your resume that can be tailored to specific jobs. A cover letter specific to each and every job you apply for. This is serious work applying for good jobs! There are also TONS of scams out there now, tons of idiots just trolling looking for desperate people willing to do pH'd level work for AA degree pay. DH was asked illegal questions more than I would have believed, companies don't care about consequences or have idiots in HR. BUT once you find the right job you are in and can move up to the next higher level job more easily.

My DH applied for hundreds of jobs a month (for almost 9 months) while working full time. He also was offered tons more opportunities because of his Linkedin profile, UCF profile, several honor societies like phi kappa phi and a few engineering honor societies. Of everything he applied for he got emailed interview requests about 25% of the time, of those about 50% turned into more than 1 interview, of those another 50% went on further. He received many job offers all over the country everything from 6 figures to 30k and the owner wanted him to mow his lawn too (seriously). He said no to alot of jobs for one reason or other and in the end the perfect job in Tampa came along. He calls it his rock star job :-)

You will find something in your target area, it may just take a lot of time. You can increase your chances by dramatically increasing the number of jobs you apply for. ~ liz

Good luck! Hang in there!

dh is sooo lucky to be in a rather specialized field and is planning on going from regular 9-5 to consultant next year...i'm of course scared of the change, but he's being hired by one of the best in our area...

the neat thing? one of our son's is being trained by his dad to take his place...so he will 4th generation. not too many in that situation these days...

OP, good luck to you. You have everyone's best wishes for success.

Just to inject a comment amid the suggestions and the crowing, y'all need to remember that the job market changes significantly by region, by job, and by employer sector. Someone struggling for months to find a job might have an avalanche of opportunities 500 miles away. But may not want to or be able to move. Right now in my area, people of several different professional skill sets in very high demand receive unsolicited job offers weekly over the phone, while people of other occupations get laid off and find that new positions are hard to come by.

Some job areas (by job or geography) are booming, others aren't. Sometimes a change of one or both is needed to find the right job.

Don't get discouraged. Just hang in there!!! Something will come along.

It WILL happen. I'm praying for you, and God always listens when I pray for others. For myself, not so much.