Hi all,
So, I got fired from my last job as a consultant after I informed them that I wanted to take a potential offer that I had received which would have been 30% more pay after taxes.
Well, that offer fell through, so now I am just looking for something, anything, really.
This whole experience has taught me that I really care more about the culture and the experience I have at work than about the paycheck. I thought I cared mostly about the paycheck, but I'm not sure that's true any more.
I've seen a lot of good looking job postings online -- on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. I've filled out about 15 applications so far, each with a few things changed in my cover letter to match what the job posting described, and sometimes with an altered resume as well.
One company informed me they chose someone else, I got pre-interview screening calls from two others that seemed to go well, and they said they would let me know "next week". Well, it's next week now, and still nothing.
Based on my previous experience, if a company will give me an interview, I can probably get in. So I am just looking for a way to get my foot in the door with a good company (For example, I refuse to work for the defense industry, would prefer not to work with healthcare/finance industry or any other scammy industry, and I would prefer a place where I don't have to dress up).
For context (thanks humbleMouse) I live in Minneapolis and I don't want to relocate.
I'm wondering if my resume and cover letter are somehow leaving a bad smell with the recruiters who are seeing them. In the resume, I tried to highlight my specific technical skills first, then give detail about my 2 years post college work experience, and finally include my summer jobs in college which were game design, game industry internships, and google summer of code.
In my cover letter I tried to highlight that I am a self starter and fast learner who has worked for a diverse range of large and small companies / projects and I have a passion for technology both inside and outside of the workplace. Finally, I tried to speak to the ways that my qualifications meet the specific requirements of the job posting.
I thought that since I now have 2 years of experience in the enterprise software space post college (and several years of programming experience in and before college as well) I would be able to find a job. But I'm beginning to worry. I have enough saved up for at least a years expenses in the bank, but I want to be making money again ASAP.
I'm wondering if any other software developers with more experience applying for jobs have some insight or pointers for me -- if there are ways I can accelerate my job search, ways I can increase my chances of getting called back, personal experience anecdotes, etc.
Also, on the off-chance you are interested in taking a look at my resume and cover letter I would appreciate it -- let me know and I'll send you a PM.