The survey results are in

 
 

In the previous newsletter, I mentioned that orgs are launching more searches right now. It's all anecdotal, but my phone and inbox are blowing up with candidates coming out of the summer looking for a job and clients posting roles to take advantage of candidate excitement. 

If you are looking for a job, whether you just started or you’ve been at it for a small eternity, you may feel isolated. In today’s Get Hired, we have the results of our survey that might help you to feel a little less alone.

We sent out a survey about your job search experience and hundreds of people responded. One thing that was clear from the survey: a lot of the job search process feels like a shot in the dark. It's clear that candidates want recruiters to know about their experiences.  

People want feedback as to why they weren’t chosen to move forward. At NRG we are currently working on some tools that give more insight into what we do. This might mean sharing what we use to evaluate resumes or interviews or this might mean sharing more advice about how to navigate the process.

In the meantime, we plan to be fairly tight-lipped on feedback. Our colleagues operate similarly. Multiple lawyers have discouraged me from giving feedback. As frustrating as it is, try to move on with your search and focus on what you know and can control: your application materials and the jobs you choose to apply for. Even though we may not give specific feedback, I do have resources from past Get Hired newsletters where I let you peak behind the curtain. Please use those resources.  

 
 

Another thing that was explicit: people want remote jobs and salary matters. 92% of our respondents said that salary matters and 66% of people are only looking for remote jobs. We all know this, but seeing it reflected in this survey makes it crystal clear.   

Other insights from the survey are:

  • The majority of people apply for 1-3 jobs/week: 66% of respondents

  • 92% of respondents use LinkedIn to look for jobs but there were a variety of other sites listed as options. Most of those places are on this list.

  • We have a pretty balanced spread among how long respondents have been on the job hunt:

    • 28% began their search 1-3 months ago

    • 23% began their search 4-6 months ago

    • 21% began their search 7 months-1 year ago

    • 17% bean their search at least 12 months ago

    • 11% began their search in the last month

The most frustrating aspect of the job search (respondents were allowed to choose 3):

 
 

Side note: Over 60% of respondents have not participated in an NRG process yet so I’m hopeful that the percentage of people referring to NRG is low. I know we aren’t perfect but we do our best to never ghost anyone.

Other write-in responses include:

  • Being asked to perform time-consuming unpaid work

  • Not getting feedback

  • Potential employers calling references even though they eventually make an offer to someone else

  • Not knowing how to convey value as someone with a nontraditional background

  • The awkwardness of Zoom interviews

  • Convincing the hiring team to give them a shot even though it appears taking this job would be a demotion

 
 

Other things we heard from respondents:

  • It feels like there is a gap between companies and organizations saying that they know not every candidate fits all qualifications and the reality of how skill sets are rated.

  • Several respondents have over 15 years of experience and struggle to find a meaningful job. Some feel as if they are perceived as overqualified.

  • Several are trying to switch from for-profit companies to nonprofit organizations and are having a hard time translating those experiences. 

  • The job descriptions sometimes inaccurately or incompletely describe the position or the priorities of the organization/hiring manager.

  • The nomination form is a hit. We include nominations for the majority of NRG searches and people like them. 

  • People are unsure how to work with recruiters.

  • People want personalized responses when they don’t make it to the next round.

  • Some people want phone calls instead of emails when not moving to the next round.

  • Some are working several jobs to make it financially and don’t have time to apply for jobs. Many talked about the time consuming nature of the job search.

  • Some people want to meet the staff at the organizations sooner in the process.

  • Some people want to participate in a matching process, not an application process.

  • People love getting interview questions in advance.

Again, thank you for being here and taking the time to share your experiences in the survey. We hear you and will use this information in our work with clients but also to make this newsletter helpful to your job search.

In the meantime, if you are fortunate enough to have extra income to have an expert look at your application materials, listen to your story, and provide feedback you’ve been wanting on your interviewing skills, then sign up for 15 minutes with my colleague, Kristin Saybe. The initial meeting doesn’t cost anything. You can find more about what’s available here. 

Here’s a quote from a coaching client:

“Your support was so important in helping me to get this role and I just wanted to thank you and the whole NRG team.” –Cortney B.

If you don’t have the extra cash to throw at coaching right now, I get it. We’ll try to address these topics in upcoming Get Hired newsletters.

 
 

On to the jobs! Check out all of NRG’s searches here. Fifteen of those positions are remote. 

Opportunities NRG is hiring for:

opportunities nrg is hiring for in education:

In addition to this list, you can find more opportunities on the website. Follow NRG on LinkedIn and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.

Let’s move,

Naomi

P.S. Whether you just started your job search or you have been looking for several months, sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you. 

If you find this newsletter helpful, forward it to your friends and help us build our network! Sign up here to receive future “Get Hired'' newsletters. 

SurveyJaclyn Jones