June 3, 2016 at 3:24 pm
I have been trying for a job since 6 months. I am experienced tableau developer with SSIS and SQL. Also, Did certification last year. I don't get calls. I am all day sitting at home posting resume to different companies. I applied almost every company i know. I just don't know what to do.
I am having tears while writing this. I don't want any pity from anyone. I need suggestions.
June 3, 2016 at 3:30 pm
First thing, start looking for a SQL Server Users Group near you. Attend their meetings, network. I have not yet attended any of the virtual PASS groups, but you may want to check them out as well. Hopefully they have a time for people to do some online networking.
Have you looked at recruiting companies like TekSystems, Robert Half, etc.? They may be able to help your search as well. I would recommend actually going to these companies in person even if they don't have any advertised opening yet.
June 3, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Robert Half looks like they help but actually they don't. I can say it with my experience.
June 3, 2016 at 3:49 pm
susmitha117 (6/3/2016)
Robert Half looks like they help but actually they don't. I can say it with my experience.
I'd say that depends on the office and people in it. Of course, I haven't used them to get any of the jobs I have had, that goes to TekSystems. A good recruiting agency should work the people seeking employment just as hard as they work for the employers seeking employees. Good ones keep a good ear out for the types of people they recruit for employers.
If Robert Half didn't work for you, don't keep that from you contacting other companies.
June 3, 2016 at 8:06 pm
Don't discount Lynn's other piece of advice. SQL Server user groups can be a target-rich environments for recruiters. Some of their sessions are sponsored by recruiters who are looking for people.
Whatever you do, don't give up because of one bad experience with one agency.
June 3, 2016 at 10:15 pm
susmitha117 (6/3/2016)
I have been trying for a job since 6 months. I am experienced tableau developer with SSIS and SQL. Also, Did certification last year. I don't get calls. I am all day sitting at home posting resume to different companies. I applied almost every company i know. I just don't know what to do.I am having tears while writing this. I don't want any pity from anyone. I need suggestions.
I recommend five things...
1. Most people couldn't write a decent resume if their life depended on it (and it does!). Get someone to help you there. Make sure that you have them include a list of measureable accomplishments right up front! That's the 15 second attention getter that most people forget to include. And make sure that you include and "OBJECTIVE" at the very top of the first page. This shouldn't be some soft-touch rhetoric about how you want to work for a progressive company where you can use your skills. It should be a 3 or 4 element list of things you're good at because of the tools you're using. Things like "Experienced BI Developer/Designer using SSIS, T-SQL, and Tableau". In other words, write THEIR objective for the kind of person THEY'RE looking for and that you have the skill to fill. And list your certification as a part of the "OBJECTIVE"! Don't make them have to look for it. Both of those are the 2 second attention getters. Last but not least, consider a "CV" instead of some wimpy one or two page resume. If you have certificates or kudos in the form of letters/recommendations, attach them. If you've done the things you say, then it's not bragging... it's fact!
2. Lynn is spot on. Good recruiters have the inside track on most of the jobs in a given area. It sounds like the one's you've tried aren't that good. With that thought in mind, get dressed up for an interview and start showing up at some of the recruiting shops. Make sure you take your CV and your best non-proprietary examples of your work with you. Sometimes, you just have to pound some ground to get people's attention. You showing up on their doorstep might demonstrate that you're serious. And don't be afraid to visit companies that you've already contacted and haven't replied. Sometimes they don't know they need help until you show them you can help. I got my dream job that way and I'm still there!
3. Don't spend all of your time looking for a job. If you have your own computer (desktop or laptop), get on some forums for your areas of expertise and start answering questions correctly for folks. Then you cam add those forum links to your resume.
4. Don't forget to contact people you know and to attend job fairs and, as Lynn suggested, local user groups. Networking with others is a powerful way to get the inside track on a good job. Spend a little money on some business cards along with the same objective that you put on your "CV". ALWAYS carry at least 3 copies of your resume in your car. You need to be able to strike when an opportunity arises because people have short attention spans.
5. And no more crying no matter what. I know it's tough but all that does is wear you down a little more and help destroy your confidence. Make sure that you get enough sleep because not having enough will kick your butt mentally and physically. Then, wake up every morning with the idea that you know you're good at what you do, do a little exercise to get your juices flowing and your brain thinking, eat some breakfast, take a shower, get dressed, and then get busy! And memorize the expression at the following URL. When I fell on hard times, I used to scream it out loud in the morning while pointing at myself in the mirror. Sounds stupid but get's the juices flowing even more especially when you finally resolve to not let it happen. I use "non" instead of "noli" because it was easier to get a bit more guttural. You'll see what I mean. Here's the link.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/noli_illegitimi_carborundum
My Dad used to say, "Ah! This, too, shall pass... but it's up to you on how quickly that will happen!" 😉
--Jeff Moden
June 5, 2016 at 6:03 pm
I've been in your shoes before, so I know what it's like to be depressed while being jobless. Here are some thoughts...
1. Above all, don't give up. It's easy to do so. Trust me. But my survival instinct was stronger than my depression. Whatever else happens, keep going. There are countless stories of people who became famous after being rejected hundreds of times. Just because you're rejected 100 times doesn't mean you shouldn't try #101.
2. Talk to people, and I say this for a couple of reasons. First, you have a lot of emotions in your system, and you need an outlet. Second, listen to their feedback. They may be seeing something that you've been blinded to. Listen to them, because what they say might be something you need to fix. You can't fix what you're not aware of.
3. Find something to hold you over (if you haven't already done so). First, a small income is better than no income. Second, it will keep you busy. Until you land the position you want, there is no shame in serving customers or assembling parts in the meantime.
The other suggestions that have been offered so far are good ones as well.
Good luck.
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June 6, 2016 at 3:45 am
First, stop having negative thoughts, that will only harm you!
As Jeff pointed out, with a clear head, list out few things that you can work on and take some action.
Read and train yourself until you you feel exceptionally confident and that shows in your resume, interviews.
I had been there, I had lot of trouble in the beginning, especially since I was an arts graduate suddenly fallen in love with database.
I was lucky to find some mentors and started to passionately follow them.
Keep up your spirit. You will definitely make it!
June 6, 2016 at 9:28 am
Hi All,
Thank you so much each and everyone for the inspiring comments. I will change my thinking and no matter what, how many days it will take i'm will not let myself down.
June 6, 2016 at 9:36 am
If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, then create one. If you have "SQL Server" anywhere in your profile, then recruiters WILL contact you... frequently... for the rest of your life. Also, if you havn't been using Indeed.com, then plop your fishing line there.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 6, 2016 at 9:41 am
Forgot to mention something else . . .
Ray K (6/5/2016)
2. Talk to people, and I say this for a couple of reasons. First, you have a lot of emotions in your system, and you need an outlet. Second, listen to their feedback. They may be seeing something that you've been blinded to. Listen to them, because what they say might be something you need to fix. You can't fix what you're not aware of.
Another reason why you need to talk to people: networking. It's entirely possible that someone you talk to might know of a position that isn't advertised. These days, more jobs can be found through word-of-mouth rather than through classified ads. That's why networking is so important.
Hope that helps!
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Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/
June 6, 2016 at 1:41 pm
A couple of things learned from personal experience.
Sign up at ilostmyjob.com. There are weekly free webinars on many job search topics, including LinkedIn. As mentioned above, LinkedIn is probably the most valuable resource you can have, but you need to learn how to use it correctly.
Resume writing is somewhat of an art. It is often said that only 30 seconds is spent reading a resume, and the first 6 seconds determines whether the other 24 will be utilized. Nowadays, the resume is to tell the employer what you can do for him/her, not what you did at your last job, so here are some things to keep in mind:
1) Have your positioning statement at the top of the resume. It is essentially the same thing as your elevator pitch. If you don't know what either of these things are, Google them ASAP.
2) Next, have a keyword section. When you submit a resume online, it will be selected electronically, and the matching keywords at the top count more than the ones at the bottom. It's easy to understand why electronic screening is used, since any given posting can get hundreds or thousands of responses, many of which have exactly one keyword in common with the job description.
3) As noted above, have several accomplishments included for each previous job. They should be in STAR format: situation, task, action, and results.
4) Have an inventory of around 20 accomplishments. Tailor your resume for each job posting with the most relevant accomplishments. Use the ones that match the top handful of requirements in the job description. And remember to keep track of which version of your resume that you used for each job you apply for.
5) Do not go back more than 10-12 years. Nobody cares about what you did in SQL Server 7.0. If you have been in the workforce longer than that, just list those jobs under 'Prior Experience' on the second page.
6) If you are over 40, do not put any graduation dates in the Education section. Age discrimination is rampant. Ditto for the jobs in 'Prior Experience' . If you were at your previous company for a long time, break up the time into several sub-jobs (i.e. BI Developer, DBA, project manager). Put the dates only for the sub-jobs. If and when they bother to do the arithmetic, you will already have made a good impression, as this won't happen in the first 30 seconds.
7) And don't forget to include a cover letter even if you apply online. Keep it short and sweet. Mention how the accomplishments in your resume met the most important requirements they are looking for. This will also show that you are a serious candidate.
Hope this helps.
Louis
June 6, 2016 at 3:26 pm
I'm not associated with them in any way but Indeed.com is a really useful job aggregater. Keep track of which jobs you apply for since the same one can show up multiple times.
If nothing else it can lead to some relationships with good recruiters.
I've found my last couple of jobs through that site and recommend it as a way to see a broad range of jobs in your area.
Don't lose hope and don't fall into the 'I have no job' funk. It's easy to have it happen. Spend time AWAY from the computer and do things that will keep you from getting too depressed.
June 6, 2016 at 4:04 pm
Many folks botch their phone or in-person interviews because they are too nervous. When you interview, try to maintain a layed-back attitude, and you'll come across as more confident and personable. Also, come up with a collection of polished narratives to match the experience you've listed on your resume. For example, if you claim to be good at SQL Server optimization, then think of two or three occasions where you've actually diagnosed and resolved a critical or unusual performance issue in a production environment. You may very well be asked for that. I always ask for specific examples when conducting technical interviews, and if all I get from the candidate is crickets chipring, then I assume they are just a poser. If you have experience developing Tableau reports, then be prepared to explain how the report fit into the organization's business. For example was it a highly visible project like an executive KPI dashboard that the VP used to to track profitability?
If you know how to develop SSIS, then take it to the next level by familiarizing yourself with performance tuning, deploying, and configuring packages. Peter Hansen has some great presentations on YouTube about more advanced SSIS topics.
SSIS internals and performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3yYD320os8
Integration Services SSIS for the DBA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEgp5YHFLAc
Also, Kevin Kline and Brent Ozar have some good presentations on SQL Server optimization and internals.
It also wouldn't hurt to study up on ETL or data warehousing architecture in general by reading a book by Ralph Kimball (ie: The Datawarehouse Toolkit).
If I were in your position, I'd get up every morning at 6am, watching like a half-dozen videos a day and reading a book every week. Not only will it make you a more stand-out candidate, it will also help rid you of depression.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 7, 2016 at 6:36 am
Curious where do you live? Some areas are red hot for BI/SQL Server professionals: the Chicago area is booming. Also Germany, UK and Switzerland have plenty of jobs. Maybe it's the location?
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