I’ve gotten a few responses in response to positions for which I’ve applied. Here’s one from the other day:
Hello Mark,
Thanks for contacting us, I apologize, but like so many companies in
the current environment we’ve had to put our hiring plans on hold
temporarily. I’m hoping we can open things up again in Feb or Mar. If
you’re still looking at that point it would be great to talk.
And this one came in today from a large software company in Cary:
Dear J Mark. Turner:
Thank you for your interest in employment at $LARGE_SOFTWARE_COMPANY. We appreciate your application for $POSITION. Because our business needs have changed, we are no longer recruiting for this position, and the opening has been cancelled.
These are phantom jobs. Job seekers get their hopes up but the job evaporates between the time its budgeted and the time its advertised. These phantom jobs are good for one thing, though: meeting the two-applications-a-week unemployment benefit requirements.
Toward the end of my search, I got one of those postings that seems to be misplaced. It had nothing to do with computers programming or anything on my resume. For some reason it turned up in my regular search. I sent them a letter explaining that I had none of the qualifications that they were searching for; but, I hadn’t got any responses from places where I was very qualified; so, I thought I’d give them a whirl. I got a very nice non-form letter back from a fellow saying that they did have computer positions in their company and would I send my resume. It didn’t work out; but, it lifted my spirits at the time.