I need help - I'm a coward

I have a terrible fear of rejection.

I am over 50 years old and am looking for a job. I have a great resume, but have not received any phone calls to come in for interviews. The advice I've been seeing on the job searching sites is to be proactive and to follow up my application with a phone call a few days later to keep my name in their minds. The problem is that I'm having trouble forcing myself to make the phone calls. I guess I'm afraid they'll ask a question that I can't answer.

I really need a kick in the ass. Help!

get on that phone!

what kind of job are you looking for?

I've been looking at marketing and customer service positions mostly. I like being able to help people.

The first one will be the worst. I know, I hate doing things like that. You can do it!

So they ask me a question I can't answer--so then what? It's not the worst thing in the world and you just move forward, but at least then you are moving forward.

Good luck.

having been in a hiring position, make those calls. People who called to follow up after they sent a resume impressed me because they followed up. In an age where people send out hundreds of resumes, the person who follows up has an edge. The worst that can happen is a turn down and that is not the end of the world. If you don't follow up, you'll always wonder. Go for it!

Another problem (which may not be a problem) is that I have been applying per their instructions to the HR departments, instead of the department where I'd be working. I would rather make a follow up call to whoever actually does the hiring, then to someone who's job it is to filter the applicants. But since I've already contacted the HR departments, I guess those are the people I should call first.

who is actually making the choice, call that person. You'll get his/her secretary. Leave the message that you know your resume is being handled by HR but that you would really like an opportunity to speak that that person.

I've had similar issues. However, I typically don't have any issues getting phone calls for interviews. My problem has always been showing up for the interviews... I start thinking about things too much and then I would chicken out. The problem is that once I screwed up like that then I lost any hope of ever working at that place... Ehnn, but then I started to force myself to go out and do it... It worked... So, I'm guessing something similar will work for you, aye?

He was worried about placing too much on the resume, as he also had a great one, due to ageism and other issues. Just remember that if you look hard enough, even in a small town, you eventually will net something. Dad did job searching as a 9 to 5 sort of job, and that helped to crack it.

resumes to a number of jobs - some that you're more interested in than others. My suggestion is to start with the ones that you're less interested in, and treat them as "practice". You'll get a sense of how people respond and whether/what type of questions they ask. Use these "practice" calls to build your confidence and knowledge, then dig in to the ones that you're really interested in.

I also agree with what someone said upthread - if you know the person who is looking to fill the job (AKA hiring manager) reach out for that person. HR's job is to weed and feed. They may or may not have all the knowledge/info they should have to effectively screen for the right match. Only the hiring manager REALLY knows that, and they can also be notoriously bad at sharing those things clearly with the HR people, making the process that much muddier.

My business is strategic planning and training for staffing and recruiting firms - doing this stuff for about 25 years. Feel free to PM me.

The problem is, I said in my cover letter to HR that I would be following up. I now know that I should have sent my resume to the department head (hiring manager) instead of HR, but I hate to leave HR hanging after I said I'd be contacting them.

Damn, I feel like a teenager trying to ask a girl out.

keep any promises you've made. So, if you said you'd follow up with HR, go ahead and do that, but that doesn't mean you can't do something additional. If you're able to actually connect with the hiring manager, you can use that as another "entry point". "Miss HR Person, I had a wonderful conversation with Miss Hiring Manager today, and it's reinforced my interest in working for your awesome company."

The one caveat is if a company happens to have a very "bureaucratic" approach to hiring, or if the HR person is a despot. There have been times when, if you go around HR, they'll try to cut you out altogether. That doesn't happen very often, and it can be circumvented if you can get a conversation going with the hiring manager. If that person starts hounding HR with "I really want to see this person," the HR team will look at it as less work for them - "Miss Hiring Mgr already has someone in mind, I can go work on these otehr 17 open jobs."

There's your kick in the ass. Now just get on with it.

I made three phone calls this afternoon. I started with the two that I didn't really care about and got their voicemail. Left messages. Then I called the place where I really want to work and talked to the director of HR. That was who I had originally sent my resume. He didn't recall receiving it, but took my phone number and said he'd give it to the person who is doing the recruiting for that position. I then took the opportunity to send my resume to the manager of the department where I'd be working, who I'm guessing would be doing the hiring anyway. Now I can follow up with her. I didn't have that information before, I discovered it after I had sent my resume to the HR Dept.

I feel better now. Thanks!

That sounds like a pretty scary place to be, so I just wanted to say good for you.

A great resume indicates that you've done some good things in your life. That means to me that you are a lot better than you are giving yourself credit for. If you don't want to call, start asking for business cards, which always has the person's e-mail addy on it. Just e-mail rather than calling. Good luck and I hope this helps!

There's no other option. Some things, you just have to get 'em done.

Redstone

I'm crowding 50 myself so I've not only been there, I am there.
Remember- if they develop attitudes you can hang up.
Indeed if they are abusive or dismissive, you can stop worrying about that prospect immediately.
Remember: the job market stinks. There's nothing wrong with you or your resume.