Getting really burnt out doing second and third interviews. Just found out yesterday I didn't get another position. My background is an Executive MBA from an Ivy League school and a minors in comp sci and cad design. I left the workforce 3 years ago to peruse my own startup, and after an internal issue with an employee stealing proprietary source code, my company is now going bankrupt because no one wants to buy our product due to it being underdeveloped. This is a completely separate issue that's being worked on. In the meantime, I've interviewed for over 15 positions and have gotten denials from all of them. Apparently the gap in my work history is a big turn off for employment because they don't consider being self employed real work, even though we've done 13 government contracts in the past and serviced over 3.4m in revenue over the past 3 years. I'm really lost. I've even interviewed for super small positions for entry level management with multiple denials. It feels like no one wants me or my experience, despite having over 10 years in IT sales, executive management, and business operations. What am I supposed to do? I can't move because my wife watches her disabled sister for a job, who can't move because she lives with her mother, who is in her 50s and has no plans to relocate. I'm looking for remote positions nonstop or travel positions, but there's so many scammy listings I don't want to waste my time applying only for more disappointment.
Try Bloomberg, you have a good background for product management roles especially with the CS minor, also we can’t ask about gaps in employment in NYC 😉
It’s not the gap. It’s your interview performance. Figure out what’s not working. Ask for feedback. Do a retro. Practice. Keep trying.
This may sting but may be true. Ask someone experienced and impartial for a trial interview. Your family/colleagues may not give honest constructive feedback.
You got this!!! It's the volume game and tell them what they want to here game you have to play. We've all been there. Take a step back and work on what you think you can improve on. You got this!
Where are you located?
Rural Idaho near WSU and UI
You don’t have a gap in employment! Keep at it and you’ll be fine
If you need to move, move to a bigger city for at least a year and get that on your resume. Be creative, your wife does not have to move with you initially. Prioritise- what is more important right now
Unfortunately this would not work out for my family situation. I have a daughter that's 3 and my wife could not manage both her and her sister alone.
It's possible that you were overqualified for some of these positions, which can be a problem. You may need to tone down your credentials if you really want those jobs.
I need anything at this point, but there's also a barrier where it doesn't make it worth my time to take me away from my startup to work a position. I wouldn't take something under 50k a year, but I also can't find anything local that pays that much.
Tell us about your startup 🍿.
We're developing an asset protection solution for software and databases that also works offline but adds traceability to actions. Our goal is to prevent hacks like Equifax and Capital One data breaches from happening again. We have a working PoC and a audited specification, but no longer have the funds to hire the caliber of software engineers to flesh it out for commercial use.
Someone working on source code stole the source code. How is that funny? The products not complete yet, so there's no irony involved. Our product is designed to protect software cracks and database accessibility, not be a secure IDE...
Be yourself and get after more interviews. Keep at it as you know, remind yourself what you want and show all of that. Interviews are most successful when you think of only your skills, the position, interviewers and if you’re lucky when you know hiring manager-make that person’s life easier, say how after you’re hired. Cannot think any sane person wouldn’t want that. If not you don’t wanna work for the insane anyway. Good luck man. Wife is a keeper
I’ll keep this short. Don’t worry. What’s likely happening is you’re doing too much and you’re in your head too much, and this is reflecting in your interviews. Take a step back, assess how you’ve been approaching the interviews, and re-calculate your approach methodically. You’re clearly good enough to get the interviews, but something just isn’t firing correctly when you get to the late rounds. The volume game works, but only when you’re adjusting your approach as you go. If you do this, I am pretty confident you will land something.