Get Interviews But Not Jobs

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So I have always had a harder time getting jobs, but with some luck I would get a job. This was pre covid. Post covid, I have been applying on and off for jobs for 2 years and towards the start I got to the final rounds in another city, but I went towards that because I could have been fired (but was not)
I also tried to get hired internally, but nada. So I have been at my current job almost 4 years and had a raise once. At one point I applied to 200 jobs, got 16 interviews (mostly star format) and did not go forward. I am wondering if part of it (at least with video interviews) was due to body language and autism. I have noticed some people on Reddit mention this job market has especially been hard for those on the spectrum and I do wonder if the body language had something to do with it.

Hi! I was recently on the job hunt for three months after losing my job until last week and wanted to say that at least I think this job market can be really tough for those of us on the spectrum. Body language I think can be a factor and think it contributed some to my difficulties possibly as well. This job market is very challenging right now so it's hard to say which is more a factor. Video interviews also have their own unique challenges. On mine I kept looking at the screen and tried to train myself to look at the camera and watch my facial expressions. You are doing good though if you are getting interviews! I would say just keep working on it and keep plugging away as best as you can I will keep you in my thoughts that you are able to find something you enjoy!

I am sure it does. I had great difficulty getting jobs through the interview process. However, it can be done. The main thing is to have a positive attitude. Be polite to all of the people that you interact with no matter what their position is. The only time I got a really good job was when I knew somebody at the company, a friend of a friend. The rest of the time, I got jobs when the company was in dire need of help. You find the company in desperate need, and you can be Johnny on the Spot.

If you can find something that you are reasonably OK at, and that people need badly, then they will hire you. There are towns and companies where businesses are literally losing money every day because they don't have the staff.

That is true and I have been trying to think of doing things that no one wants to do so I don't have competition. It is funny when I moved to my current city no one wanted to live here and now everyone does, so that original advantage went out the window. The only location the seems to kinda be like that is Sioux Falls, but only applied to a few jobs there and the return on investment from moving is not as high. I also tried to move to San Diego 8 years ago because of low unemployment, but it seems like only sub 3.0% unemployment regions are DESPERATE for labor. I do have one idea, but it is extreme (join the military) and it would seem like they are desperate for officers. I am open to other ideas as well, but so far it seems like the only jobs that responds are ones that are exactly my match. I think a government job for a few years would not hurt and then reevaluate the job market. I get it will "get better", but I do worry some longer term trends will make some of my ideal choices for a career more competitive or less optimal. Worse comes to worse I can stay in or get the GI Bill or a security clearance at least. But again I am not limiting it to just that.

Military jobs are super social so I personally have avoided that. You have to get on with your superiors or else they can make life difficult. Part of that involves anticipating ahead of time what the superiors want not only now but in the future. I am maybe average at best, so there would be risk for me in the military. Also I might be regarded as an oddball for not being interested in sports or drinking, that kind of thing that builds up camaraderie. If you tend to do well in team sports then you will probably be fine in the military. Football, baseball, soccer. That was not my cup of tea.

However it is true the military is a big industry, with a lot of niches. It may be you could navigate to a niche that is ideal for you, and that I am only considering one subset of the military. I may be excluding the Air Force which gets into high tech like satellites. That is a very nerd-friendly niche of the military.

Don't ignore civilian government jobs: city, county, state, fed. They often can only be discovered by looking at the web site. A lot of jobs are like that. You will only ever find them if you bother to go to the company web site. If you know something about the company, what it does and what it wants, that can be extremely impressive on a job interview. If you can talk with knowledge about things the company has done recently, then that sets you above other applicants.

An NCO may need to worry about commanders intent, but a grunt only has to do what he's told.
The whole point of drill is to teach you that thinking is not always necessary.

If you have an autism diagnosis, you will be disqualified from the military.

I’m sure they will see your chronic unemployment at age 30 to be another red flag.

Well I am not diagnosed formally. Also I am employed, but I have been stuck in the same position 4 years and it went from hard to super hard to look for a job since 2020 (when I got my current job). Also I want able to find a second job to supplement my current job, but it is hard to move up the ranks. I have not gotten a promotion at my current job and got a raise only once. It also has started to be micromanaging.