I think we are all fooling ourselves and facing the reality that companies are not hiring right now. All this busy work is just that busy work , and we are buying into all the career coaches are selling us. I know people have done all the different things to find a job and nothing. Companies are in a great position of getting as much out of their existing employees ,and putting more on them while cutting back pay and benefits.

So I think it is time to start questioning what is truly going on out there. If these are so possessive ways to get a job , why are so many still out of work?

Part of the problem in seeking a job today is the web. It has become so easy to send off a resume. Plus many of the job sites depend upon the computer to weed through the hundreds even thousands of resumes received. Often good candidates are missed as a result. To get past that first block is next to impossible unless you have the inside scoop or contacts with in the organization being applied to.

I would say you're spot on with around 4 hours a day for myself. I do most of my job hunting on the web but it still takes quite a bit of time.

You're right Gail! Everyone I know that has gotten a job lately - got it through knowing someone. I had this conversation just 2 days ago and we had a whole list of people.

You've got that right. If you're only spending 18 minutes a day you're not even trying. I spend at least 4 to 6 hours a day looking responding, rewriting cover letters and resumes.

If one is unemployed, and receiving benefits, he or she should put in at least 6 to 8 hours a day sending resumes, writing cover letters, visiting firms of their chosen field and and asking every one they can for leads to the next position available.

For my stepfather, when he was unemployed he got up early in the morning and hit the road lining up interviews, visiting with employers, sending letters and resumes. He was not unemployed very much. He worked as hard at finding a job as he did on the job. He was an average guy that knew how to work, and how to find work.

I spend around 4+6 hours job hunting, mostly online, make calls and fax or email resumes. I do not understand why if they say attach resume you still have to fill out all info incl, job history. This wastes alot of time for me.

I spend 6 - 8 hours a day sending out resumes, perusing job boards and filling out on line applications, etc. It takes emormous amounts of time to fill out some of the questionnaires, even after you send a resume and cover letter. Most of us are not able to go from company to company leaving resumes and looking for work. Most companies either post their openings on line or use an agency to fill openings. I have run across many postings that I answer, where the jobs don't exist, but the head hunters are gathering resumes anyway, just because they can.

In my experience over the last 6 months of job hunting within 1000 miles of my home and being willing to relocate if necessary, there are hundreds of applicants for every job posting and the companies can take the applicant who will work for the least amount of money even if their experience isnt exact. They have the upper hand. There are many of us, mature, experienced, educated and skilled job-hunters who may never find another real opportunity.

I am unemployed like a few others, but just had an interview that was 60 miles away, the company made 300 million last year, and growing. I spend maybe 8 to 17 hours a day at this computer ( I hate the thing), and who spends 18 minutes a day, is not interested in finding a job as I see it. I can`t afford to pay 300 dollars for a real good resume or expensive recruiters and search engines, but am into over 80 free ones, and finding new stuff every day, 18 minutes---- no way ! At the interview the hiring manager informed me that he had posted 1 (one), temp. contract job at low money and got over 100 applications for that other job. A recruiter e-mailed me and said he can get a MASTERS now for the same job & pay, instead of a BA.

I think one problem facing those looking for work today is sites like this one. You guys throw so much stuff out there that it overloads people's minds so when they get that phone screen or that face to face interview, all that crap in their heads swirls around and causes confusion.

Interviewing isn't rocket science. If you get nervous, then you're not prepared. Know your skills. Be personable. Remember, you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. You are talking to someone about a shared passion. Be honest, be prepared, and don't lie on your resume.

It's that simple. In these supposed "tough job seeking times" of the past two years I have landed three jobs in the IT industry. An industry that supposedly has cut back on hiring. It's so fun that I get a job and then start looking for another one just for the thrill of the challenge of it! Do I care if I'm only at a job for 8 months at a time? No, because I can get hired and do something for the company that hires me that shows cost savings and increased revenue! How do I get these positions?

Confidence in what I'm talking about.

Shwing and demonstrating to the employer know what I can do for them.

Being personable with those I interview with and actually caring about what it is they do.

It's not brain surgery, people. If you are to the point where you're not applying for jobs that only require an application to be filled out, then you should have enough brains in your head to know how to interview. If you don't, then sites like this one take your cash and fill your head to the point of implosion.

Save your cash and just use some common sense.

@ Roscoe - Thanks for your comment. I wholeheartedly agree with you that it comes down to confidence, being personable at the interview, and demonstrating the value you bring to the company that can get you the job, and we're impressed with what you have to say because (1) It's helped you succeed, and (2) It echoes a lot of what we say on this site.

But I must disagree with your comment that "sites like this one" are part of the problem. Not everyone has as much experience as you have. Our audience includes students who are starting their first job search, people who've been laid off from long-term jobs and haven't interviewed in 20 years, parents returning to the workforce, as well as job seekers who simply want tips for improving their chances in an interview. That's why we're here: to offer help to those who need it and help them be as successful as you are. Many of our customers have told us of their success. Hearing it tells us we're doing our jobs and doing them right.

You charge people for your knowledge and people think they need to depend on it. What you fail to tell people is that it really is a simple process. Being intimidated by the process is natural, but the basics of the things you charge money for shouldn't be things someone makes a profit on.

To make soup, you use basic ingrediants and anyone who knows how to work a stove can make soup. To make a soup with 15,000 ingrediants is confusing, costly, and utterly a waste of time. Not to mention that soup will taste like garbage compared to the raw basics of a soup recipe.

C'mon and get real. Sure, you guys want to help people get jobs...as long as you get enough money pouring in from your web site to support the payroll of your staff...not to mention the price you pay for your office space and bottled water.

I agree with Roscoe and Rick. I have not had to look for a job in eight years. Suddenly, on Jan. 4, I was jobless. It had been so long that my resume was stored on a 3.5 floppy. When I opened it, it was so "bad" that I had wondered how I could have gotten the last two jobs I worked.

Rick, after updating my resume and following bits and pieces of advice off of the web, I still have not gotten a single call from a job that I have applied to. I have 16 years of exp and a BA. I do have a network (small) but I want to expand into other opportunities. Do I need to use recruiters that charge me to get the edge? I feel that it is such a shame that jobless people are such big business. I do not think your site is excessive, but I have had meetings with people who want me to pay as much as $4000 for the service. Also, these job boards that you pay for, are they really worth it or are they the same jobs on the free sites?

Thanks for your attention. CMK

Roscoe, you are too funny, thanks for the laughs!! I agree with you to a point, there is certainly "info overload" out there. However, I found this Pongo site by doing a resume review of many resume sites and Pongo is the #1 reviewed. If someone doesn't want to pay they don't have to, the site still offers free resumes. As for me, I am considering paying for the subscription since it seems this site offers much more than others. Not everything should be free on the net, and anything that is free I am automatically sceptical of since nothing is truly free these days, with ad space etc.

@ CMK -- This is only my personal opinion: The goal of any job seeker - whether unemployed or not - should be to pay as little as possible to find one. That said, there are some necessary expenses, such as resume-writing help, phone charges, and mileage to and from interviews.

Also my personal opinion: I would not pay $4,000 to a headhunter, recruiter, or anyone else who would promise me I would land a job unless I were a C-level executive and the person or company has a reputation for C-level placements. I got a similar pitch once, and I wasn't anywhere near C-level. I rejected their offer. But if they have a strong reputation and a large-enough network to improve your chances, consider it.

Good luck!

I think it depends on the jobs that are available and for the applicant if he/ she fits for the job he/she's applying for.