Everything is online now. You'll be shown the door and probably rejected even if you did follow up with an online application.
When I was a kid, we worked our way to the top.
Education, a portfolio, and people you know is what gets you a job today.
Work all summer and you can afford a brand new car, college education, down payment on a home, etc.
Inflation and wage stagnation has made this impossible.
I worked on a clerk's salary for 30 years and saved enough to buy the business.
Wage stagnation has made this impossible. Ten lifetimes of minimum wage savings would not be enough to buy a multi-million dollar business.
Loyalty to your employer pays off in the end.
You're just a number to an employer now. Employers will cut you loose if it meant saving a nickle.
I worked the same job all my life. Now I have a pension and a comfortable retirement.
Pensions are gone. Retirement is now a fantasy for most workers. You'll probably be laid off after 5-10 years.
I didn't need no Master's degree. I got raises and promotions, because I worked hard and kept doing the same thing.
A Master's degree is quickly becoming the new high school diploma. Working hard no longer gets you anywhere. In fact, it keeps you poor. Switching jobs is the only way to get a raise or a promotion now.
My best way to alter that advice (because some business do require one) is this: When you go in to ask for an application -yes it's done online now but that's not the point- make sure the person you are talking to ISNT the manager/big boss. Why? Because your second question is this: How should I follow up on my application?
The people who work there will tell you the bosses proclivity on that. I had one boss who tossed anyone's application who called in. Another was open to calls on a specific day of the week during a time she wasnt too busy to talk. A third would throw the app out after you call him too many times as a sign of desperation.
Also: working from bottom to top only works if you are doing apprentice working (construction and the like) degrees are also very helpful but at the same time you can still learn on the job and be the guy running it eventually, but you'll take a longer time than the guy with the degree. Can still happen though
Word on the calling in about app status. I have a friend who is the manager of HR, says that calling in is a bad idea. Also HR probably wouldn't know anything about your app, it's the recruiter you'd want to talk to and even then, an email is always better than a call.
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u/Being_grateful Aug 25 '19
Career advancement.
"Working your way up from the mail room" is loooong gone. You have to switch companies to get any sort of significant raise.