The Hated Job Hunt

C

classflirt

CAGiversary!
I, like millions of others, am job hunting in a horrible economy. I hate job hunting in the first place, but it's even worse now. The competition is fierce and I just recently relocated to the Washington, DC area where I have no contacts. I wanted to start a thread where other CAGers could sound off on their job hunt difficulties. I was also wondering if any of my fellow CAGers had any website tips for helping me and others in this post find their next job.

A bit about me: I am a former Emmy Award winning Television news producer and I most recently served as a Deputy Press Secretary for a New York City Agency. I am seeking a job in the corporate communications/public relations/government fields, but have had little luck.
 
after my layoff about 2 years ago, and after many resume/interviews, I eventually had to sell myself to a consulting agency. 1 year and 3 months later, hired at the same spot I consulted for.

I would wish you good luck, hunting sucks, but you're in a good cluster and should have plenty of chances.
 
I graduated with a degree in film and I have a lot of production/editing experience, but I too have found most media jobs have dried up with the economy, and being a recent grad puts me way below the hundreds of other people applying to production jobs. I've started to mainly apply to jobs in other areas that I dabbled in with my internships like PR, marketing, student affairs, etc.
 
I'll be job hunting this summer, i hope to find an entry level IT position or at least a well paying internship. Though with just an associates, i'm not sure how well that will go.
 
I have been looking since March of last year. Nearly everyone I've looked at is laying people off or is on a hiring freeze. It is just not a good time to be looking for a job.

I'm almost considering going back to school since the market is so bad at the moment.
 
Thanks for the support, and for those of you in the same position as me, good luck. Here are some websites I am using:

washingtonpost.com
usajobs.com
juju.com
careerbuilder.com
monster.com
idealist.org

If you have any additional sources, please add them in to the post.
 
I've been looking since Sept. I got out of the military, and moved down south to an area that both my wife and I are new too. So, we don't know anyone. Luckily unemployment is covering us fine, but its getting frustrating not being a productive member of society. Right now I've been looking for entry level office positions and haven't heard shit back.
 
well i moved out of baltimore to south carolina, searched for work for 8 month, found work, worked for 4 month, then i moved to ocean city md 2-3 months ago and am searching here
 
[quote name='bmachine']You should create a profile at www.linkedin.com, if you haven't already.

Once you start connecting with people there you may find that you've got more contacts than you thought.[/quote]

+1 on that site, start one and start making a real network of contacts and it'll grow.
 
[quote name='crzyjoeguy']well i moved out of baltimore to south carolina, searched for work for 8 month, found work, worked for 4 month, then i moved to ocean city md 2-3 months ago and am searching here[/QUOTE]

I know it's probably not what you're looking for, but summer is coming, and a lot of places there are going to be looking for help. You can also check the jobs link from http://www.delmarvanow.com. It really just links to CareerBuilder, but at least it focuses you to the delmarva area.
 
walmart's always hiring. :lol:

But seriously, job hunting sucks. Trying to find something for the summer ATM.
 
I graduated this past December and knew shitstorm was coming, but I'm still stressed out and getting depressed over it. I'm not even concerned about the stupid student loans, I'm more concerned about helping out my family. All this shit collapsing at once (self, family, and economy-wise) could not have happened at a worse time.

I don't even know what to look for because being in college messed and screwed me up and over big time. Everyone I talk to keeps saying "SOCIAL WORKER!" (degree in social sciences and foreign languages).

You have to not want to urgently kill people to be a social worker. :/
 
Hey VioletArrows,
I'm not sure about your foreign language skills, but there are several opportunities available working for the government. USAJOBS.COM is an excellent source to use. Good luck!
 
I've been in the Air Force for 10 years and am making the transition to the civilian world and it is TOUGH. Especially when you are applying for jobs in areas you don't currently live. I live in Las Vegas right now and am relocating to Tulsa, OK. Everyone keeps telling me to hit them up when I get to the area. The problem with that is I have a wife and 2 kids and want to have a job secured BEFORE I get there. Oh well I guess. i will just work whatever I can find (I don't care if it is waiting tables) when I get there till something better pops up. It sucks when 10 years of military experience, a secret clearance, 2 associates and a bachelors degree can't land you anything. Good luck to everyone on the hunt.
 
[quote name='Kayden']Over qualification can suck more than under qualification.[/quote]


QFT.


I hate it. I am willing to do ANYTHING right now but know I won't get hired if the guy doing the hiring/interview is less qualified than I am.
 
Try working in a theme park having a extremely demanding job revolving around not killing people every hour, yet once these hirers see the theme park they think I was some low-wage scrub. SMH.
 
Ya, my boss suggested I remove some of my positions from my resume because otherwise a lot of the places I've been applying to will think I'll bolt at the first opportunity.
 
I want to do that, but one job on a resume looks terrible :/. :(.

Meh, I also live in hillbilly central, so every job around here revolves around logging or farming or that shit. How I would kill to get a dream job at Harmonix (who are looking for testers and the likes btw, if you're in Boston)
 
indeed.com has worked pretty well for me, relatively speaking. It pretty much just collects job listings from every other website, depending on the keywords you use.
But I'm a mediocre graphic designer (only the really good ones get paid well) in Arkansas. Those jobs in this state have always been hard to come by, especially ones that pay as much as I got from the last job. But now they're non-existent.

I tell you, though. If you need a job you should just learn HTML and Flash and become a web designer. People pay those monkeys gobs of money and everyone's hiring for them. If web design wasn't a completely opposite way of working than graphic design, I'd be on it. But for me it's like learning to fly a plane while currently keeping a job at driving a submarine.
 
Heh true. I think they need a Community Moderator also :p.

I wonder if I could get a graphic designer position...I mean, I have about 8 years of Photoshop experience.
 
I graduate from college in May with a BS in Engineering Physics (ABET certified) and a minor in Math. I will take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam in April to be a Professional Engineer in Training. I have started job hunting back in October of last year with only one interview so far (on campus) and already was rejected. I have applied for about three other jobs so far and have an inside contact whom hand delivered my resume at another company. The career services here says it takes about 6 months to find a job but I think that is just a broad number for the overall enrollment.

So far the hunting has been annoying and trying of my patience. My biggest problem is getting the damn people to contact me back. I tried to find an internship for last summer with no luck with companies even responding to inquires of internship availability.
 
I did apply to a position there actually that was related to my work experience, but I believe they stopped hiring right when I did (it was right when EA announced layoffs in December I think it was, and all their postings disappeared that day), I did get a nice personal email from their HR person though.... which is more than the other hundred places I've applied to can say.
 
I'll second usajobs.com. That's how I got my last 2 jobs. You don't need much to get in, a bachelors with some business classes and halfway decent GPA is usually enough and the pay is excellent and of course being government jobs, job security usually isn't an issue.

Don't believe the salaries they quote for GS level jobs though. Just look them up yourself (www.opm.gov) since they often don't include the locality pay or are just downright wrong. Also look at the range of the job. For example my job started as a GS7 and I'm guaranteed a promotion every year to GS9, GS11, and finally GS12 before I hit actual competition for promotions.
 
[quote name='BostonCollegeFan']I want to do that, but one job on a resume looks terrible :/. :(. [/quote]

I disagree...my resume has one job and it was for 10 years. Much better than 2 or 3 at much shorter intervals. Shows you are willing to be committed to a single job for a long period of time which is better than an employer thinking they might have to fill the position again in 2 years.
 
[quote name='Stark Rhavyn']I tell you, though. If you need a job you should just learn HTML and Flash and become a web designer. People pay those monkeys gobs of money and everyone's hiring for them. If web design wasn't a completely opposite way of working than graphic design, I'd be on it. But for me it's like learning to fly a plane while currently keeping a job at driving a submarine.[/QUOTE]


I must be in the wrong area because no one is hiring for those kinds of positions around here.

But graphics design and web design can go hand in hand, you just need to learn the basics of web design.
 
I've ranted way too many times about job hunting. Let me just say I graduated in May 2008 with a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering Tech (GPA above 3.5 overall, pretty touch major at my college where not many manage to finish) from a Big Ten Conference college, and I still have no job. I was suppose to get 1 of 2-3 jobs right after I graduated, but there were layoffs so I had to start all over. I tried applying to jobs in my local area (there isn't a whole lot), but had no luck. Applied to one company my sister's friend worked at (who wanted me to work there) and got denied in the middle of the application process. I also tried contacting a friend who was a recruiter and she never called me back.

Things were looking really bad, so I kind of stopped in October, took driving lessons and got my full driver's license (I originally didn't need it since I was away at college).

Now that I have that taken care of, I tried getting a job in the Midwest. Sent resumes to various jobs in the Midwest with no luck. Many times I send in a resume and get no reponse, or I get a response saying I'm not what they are looking for.

So in February (this month), I decided to do a few new things. I put together a brand new resume that does a MUCH better job selling myself (I'm kind of hurt my work experience, so I put my projects in as relevant experience) along with other things. I went to a Career fair, feeling very confident/social really pushing myself. Got some companies interested in me (some seemed impressed by me), but most are more future positions. I got a call back from one company (that I sent a resume off to at the end of January) saying they wanted to know a little bit more about me by asking to conduct the first interview (over the phone). Went all right, so I had to take a certain online test for them 2nd, and give them my college transcript. Unfortunately, what might hurt me from getting the job is that my college transferred all student info to a new site. The new site does NOT list when I got my Bachelors on the transcript like the previous site, so I traveled 2 hours to my college campus today trying to fix the issue (they just say they'll get to it and reported the problem, we'll see if they actually get it solved). I know very well I did graduate since my counselors have me down as, I receive tons of Alumni email, the previous student info site says when I got my Bachelors (but it has been changed now), and I still have the diploma I got from graduation. I will hear back from the company next week whether they want to conduct a 2nd interview with me (which is the final one to decide between a few candidates). One company I met at the job fair sent me an email telling me how to create an account and apply online also (which I already did, but just needed to finalize my cover letter before applying). Yesterday I got a call from one company who saw my resume on the college job search site (funny thing is its the same company as the girl I knew who was a recruiter at) and asked me if I was still searching. I said yes, and they said they may have openings in about a month and they'll call me back. I still have a bunch of other companies I need to apply online again to.

Right now I'm not being too picky about location, but I honestly don't want to live in the East Coast or West Coast due to high housing prices (I'm use to cheap housing in the Midwest), but I'd consider my options based on what I can find and how much I get paid. I'm just really trying to find a job right now. My gaming time and other things have gone way down just to do this.

If nothing works out for me, there's a very good chance I could get an AutoCAD job at the company my Dad worked at for many years locally, but unfortunately the pay is very little (only $14-$15 an hour) and doesn't really give me more experience within electronics/ or programming that I need/want.

I REALLY hope more than anything I get this one job I had the interview too because the job itself suits me well, in a city I really like (lived there before, have more friends there than anywhere else, including a girl I love), and the housing is really cheap and I can get a good deal on a nice apartment. It would be easy on me since I'd only be a few hours away from home also.

Yeah, I share the frustration with others. Years ago, there would be companies leave job fairs empty handed because everyone was easily able to find a job in my major. They sometimes had to lower requirements just to get people in. Now it has become very competitive and many places that don't do work for the government just aren't hiring (unless they make some electrical device that's very much needed always, like some medical devices).

Overall, I have changed my attitude a bit and try to stay as positive as possible. Right now I'm disappointed I do not have a job, but I'm ecstatic that I'm making better progress now.

Let me just say, searching online sites such as monster.com, hotjobs, etc. was a huge waste of my time. Tons of people apply to those positions, which gave me a much smaller chance of getting in. Many of those jobs require way more experience than I have (mostly they are looking for senior engineers or management engineers). Ever since I've gone to job fairs, keep close contact with my counselor, my college career center, and other people I have connections through (whether its friends or family) are working much better for me, but that's just me (some people may do fine with monster.com and other sites).
 
[quote name='Malik112099']Yeah..these days it is more about who you know when it comes to getting any decent job.[/QUOTE]Pretty much. I've seen many jobs fill up really fast at companies for positions they've given to people they know. There was one job I was in the running for (it wasn't really too great of a job anyway, just some AutoCAD work), but the secretary at the company who had a daughter who struggled to find a job (she was in a totally different area too, not Engineering) and the job was handed off to her. Thankfully I never got the job because she got laid off fast (not because of her work ethic, but because they needed to cut back).
 
I think cutting an engineer that knows no engineering is a wise cut. :lol:
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Pretty much. I've seen many jobs fill up really fast at companies for positions they've given to people they know. There was one job I was in the running for (it wasn't really too great of a job anyway, just some AutoCAD work), but the secretary at the company who had a daughter who struggled to find a job (she was in a totally different area too, not Engineering) and the job was handed off to her. Thankfully I never got the job because she got laid off fast (not because of her work ethic, but because they needed to cut back).[/quote]
 
I feel bad for all you guys who recently graduated college & got out of the military. It is just awful out there.

As for me, I actually lost my job in August. You know the situation you have seen in movies & TV where a new person is hired, trained by the supervisor & then replaces the supervisor? Yeah, that is what happened to me. I was there for 7+ years....

I have a friend who it took over 6 months for her to finally find a job. Another has given up for now & is taking care of her grandson instead. Yet another had to move cross country to live with her sister, because she could not find a job down here.

Anyway, I am a Customer Service Manager with 20+ years experience. I have sent out numerous resumes over the months & have YET to get any response (phone or e-mail).

All we can do is keep trying, you know?

Thank god for this site & my backlog, at least that keeps me busy & able to buy games. :D
 
Yes site like Monster and Yahoo suck

Let me tell you a few sites that don't suck Simplyhired.com, your local newspaper, craigslist, and it the case of pc/engineer work try dice.com
 
[quote name='kube00']Yes site like Monster and Yahoo suck

Let me tell you a few sites that don't suck Simplyhired.com, your local newspaper, craigslist, and it the case of pc/engineer work try dice.com[/QUOTE]I hate dice.com because I made an account there, saving all the job searches. But for some reason, it will not let me login (despite my password being right). I tried to do a password recovery/resetting my password, but it still won't let me sign in. All the work I did on the site is pretty much gone, so I haven't used it since.
 
I only use indeed occasionally, but most of the results there are crap.

Personally, I have a long list of companies I know/have contacts at, and I constantly check their individual websites for postings almost daily.
 
[quote name='Malik112099']Yeah..these days it is more about who you know when it comes to getting any decent job.[/quote]

TBH, I think it's always been this way. Before I need to equip my flame shield (+2 Stamina) and flame armor (+5 HP), let me say that it boils down to human nature - better the devil you know (the new hire vouched for by a valued employee) than the devil you don't (the qualified applicant whose personality/temperment might not mesh well w/ the company culture and you can't find that out until you've hired him which wastes time/resources that could've gone to someone who did mesh). The (un)justified logic for hiring someone vetted by someone who already works for the company is 2-fold:

-if the employee is highly skilled, works well w/ others, chances are his friend will too
-verification takes time/resources which the company would rather direct somewhere else

It only seems more evident now due especially from the shitty economy. But I know it's been happening even when times weren't as dire. Granted, there is no true logic to it and reeks of nepotism but until humans are taken out of the hiring loop, you'll always have someone putting their own bias on a potential hire, no matter how well qualified the applicant is. So while the interviewer might not necessarily dislike any applicant based on illogical prejudices such as race/religion/gender/etc, you can bet when it comes to reviewing the applicant pool, the interviewer will advocate just a smidge harder for his friend. Plus whose opinion does anyone think will the review board trust the most?
 
Here are the lessons I've learned:
-Employment agencies are hit or miss, but mainly miss
-If you're going for a government job, keep prospecting elsewhere while crawling through the process
-HotJobs sucks
-Craigslist will provide you with the most leads
-Craigslist will provide you with the most scams
-Google has a nice job search engine (edit: that is, to find out the names of companies in your area)
 
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Well....I have officially arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I got a job with American Airlines at their maintenance base here at the airport. I go in for fingerprinting today to start the FAA background check. It was a very scary decision to leave the military but am glad I did. In a few months the house hunt will start! Good luck to the rest of you still on the job hunt.
 
I've been having terrible luck myself lately due to most being on a hiring freeze, but I did finally hear back from a company my friend got a job at (and told them about me looking for a job). They are suppose to call me sometime this week discussing positions. Only reason I'm not 100% sure about this is because I might have to relocate to Baltimore, MD. I'm honestly a bit iffy on living in the east coast and my parents don't want me to leave home at all, so it's a tough situation. But at the same time, I badly need a job and to an extent I just need to bite the bullet and take what I can get (it pays well too).

When checking dice.com for an example (who lists jobs in my field, although 90% of them are for those with lots of experience), there were 30 jobs listed in my state, while Maryland has over 230.
 
[quote name='JolietJake']I'll be job hunting this summer, i hope to find an entry level IT position or at least a well paying internship. Though with just an associates, i'm not sure how well that will go.[/quote]

Thanks for calling tech support. This is Double J. How can I help you?
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']I've been having terrible luck myself lately due to most being on a hiring freeze, but I did finally hear back from a company my friend got a job at (and told them about me looking for a job). They are suppose to call me sometime this week discussing positions. Only reason I'm not 100% sure about this is because I might have to relocate to Baltimore, MD. I'm honestly a bit iffy on living in the east coast and my parents don't want me to leave home at all, so it's a tough situation. But at the same time, I badly need a job and to an extent I just need to bite the bullet and take what I can get (it pays well too).

When checking dice.com for an example (who lists jobs in my field, although 90% of them are for those with lots of experience), there were 30 jobs listed in my state, while Maryland has over 230.[/QUOTE]

What's wrong with the East Coast or Baltimore? You could always check the job out, come down for an interview, check the area. The way the media portrays Baltimore, it really isn't that bad. Just stay out of the bad areas and you'll be fine. Also, if your into Anime you can check out Otakon, one of the largest Anime Conventions in the US, takes place in July or August every year.

If I remember correctly Maryland is suppose to be one of the first states to benefit from the stimulus package for creating new jobs.
 
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