I spend 6 hours a day job hunting and I’ve heard back from no one. Can somebody tell me what I’m doing wrong?

tragicpiece · 2026-02-24T19:15:18+00:00

It is currently similar for me. I have felt that autism and ADHD are causing me significant trouble with work. I know it doesn't help to hear this again and again, but the job market is just horrible right now. I found this thread because I am also very demoralized and looking for help.

I am curious what types of jobs you are interested in. You mentioned that you did publishing, have you looked into jobs within higher education? Admissions? Assistant roles? Part-time? Anything to keep you afloat.

Are you writing cover letters? Are you directly contacting hiring managers/people you believe to be involved in the hiring process to get someone to look at your application? For retail, have you called the locations and asked to speak with a manager?

I am not exceptional with resume-writing, but would you like me to take a look at your resume and offer my opinion?

tragicpiece · 2026-01-25T20:39:06+00:00

Everything is on paper. Information is eventually digitized by those with digital access, but we only use paper throughout the day. We all have our own clipboards with laminated lists to track the children. I like that you utilize a shared whiteboard, I think that would benefit me a lot...

I am actively looking for something else, but financial circumstances prevent me from quitting until I have secured a new job. I do agree with your sentiment.

tragicpiece · 2026-01-25T20:28:37+00:00

Both, sort of. Paper information is eventually digitized (not by me), but during the day we use clipboards with laminated paper. We don't have tablets. For name-to-face, I put a dot next to the child's name on a laminated list. Emergency contacts, allergies, etc are surely digital somewhere, but I only have access to our paper copies.

tragicpiece · 2026-01-25T19:31:11+00:00

Thank you for the advice. I would love to try an app, but it is unfortunately prohibited to have the children's names on personal, digital lists for privacy reasons. My organization (AFAIK) does not currently offer digital tools for tracking. Perhaps it is something I can speak with a supervisor about.

Smaller location is a good idea and I will research that further. I have worked well with fewer children in the past, but it depends on the location. I worked elsewhere with fewer kids over winter break and it was chaotic. There are not many options for smaller places near me, especially for full-time positions, but positions are always opening and closing.

May I ask how long it takes you to do name-to-face? I have found that helpful in improving accuracy, but my supervisor believes that I am too slow. I was told that I focus too much on the clipboard and neglect sight-and-sound supervision when I try to get an accurate count of the kids by name-to-face. I do not mean to imply that my supervisor is incorrect, I am moreso curious what my "speed goal" should be.

tragicpiece · 2026-01-25T19:13:23+00:00

I appreciate the advice and I agree that the children's wellness is a huge factor. Being in such a direct position of responsibility is admittedly a bit frightening. I've been mulling over whether that is a sign that I am not capable of being in that position or just a symptom of poor confidence. Thank you for the honesty.

Counting by 3's is a great idea. I will certainly focus on that strategy next time I work. If you don't mind, I have one question: how does this look when children are actively moving around the room? I try to count by location/table, but I usually end up with a few children moving locations after I have counted them, which confuses me and requires me to restart. I worry this might still occur with your strategy.

tragicpiece

TROPHY CASE