
I was unemployed the entire year we lived in Miami. I sent out 130 resumes - a number I thought was astronomical - and from those received just 2 interviews. To give you some frame of reference, there are exactly 130 colored balls in the picture at right, each one representing 1 resume that was sent from April 2013 to February 2014.
I vowed that this would NEVER happen to me if we were still living in Chicago. I was confident that my vast professional connections would help me find employment easily. And while I stand by my original observations that Miami is wholly a disaster of a city, I can no longer fully place the blame of my unemployment on the way that city and its inhabitants operate. When I was laid off in July, I remember thinking that I will most likely have a job within two weeks. All I needed was to update my LinkedIn profile and spread the word to my network that I was back on the market.
Or so I thought.

And then there's the waiting. Throughout this most recent process, I was struck by the number of times I was NOT considered for a job. Of course, my vanity forces me to think I am the perfect candidate for every job, but it wasn't as if I was applying for jobs that were outside of my experience. I was extremely realistic in my search. Out of the 307 resumes I submitted, I heard back from exactly 80 of them. That's a paltry 26% response rate. How do I know this? I kept a spreadsheet!
Mostly so that I wouldn't keep applying to the same jobs over and over, I started keeping track. The spreadsheet listed the name of the company, the title, any contact information, the date I applied, and any updates after that (phone interviews, in person interviews, responses or passes). In Chicago, I didn't expect a response on every resume I sent, especially from the smaller companies. But I was surprised by those companies with high profiles that provided no type of confirmation of receipt or other type of follow-up; companies that I expect to have advanced technology to help recruiters stay in touch with applicants. Companies like Groupon, Aetna, Expedia, Heinz, Potbelly, United Airlines, and Canon,
Moreover, I was shocked by the number of recruiting and staffing agencies that didn't respond at all. I mean, that's the gig! These people are supposed to be expert relationship builders, yet there were MANY high-level recruiting agencies that either didn't respond to my resume, or return a communication (phone call or email) or both. Agencies like Ajilon, Office Team, Robert Half, and Manpower.
Companies need to do better. Recruiting agencies must do better. I don't understand why the people in my profession seem to forget the human part of human resources. That's why we all get into this business in the first place.
The good news here is that it's all over, at least for me. I am no longer "off the market" and am excited about some new opportunities. The bad news is that there are still about 8 million people who are unemployed in the U.S., most of whom are experiencing exactly what I've gone through. Imagine the frustration this is causing across the country?