Unemployed and can't find work

[Almost]

Well I've been unemployed for almost 3 months now and still can't find a job at a similar level to the one I had. I was laid off in July.

 

My best offer so far is to help a couple aquaintences of mine write a business plan for a start up and write myself into the plan so we can go out and get a loan. Not bad but I'm up to my eyeballs in debt and I need a good paying job with benefits right now, not a risky thing like this that may or may not work out.

 

I could get part time temp work that pays the same or less than unemployment, and isn't in any career field I want to be in. That's about it.

 

I have an MBA, and over 15 years experience working for various small to medium sized companies. But since I've never been an accountant, I can't get even an entry level temp accounting or financial analyst job through Accountemps.

 

I can't be a project manager, even though I've managed teams and projects, because I have never used MS Project, and now that seems to be a requirement for most project managment jobs.

 

One thing I've found out is that no one hires you for your education. They just want to see what kind of experience and qualifications you have for the exact job and industry they have available. If you don't have much experience in a given industry, it doesn't matter if you have done a similar job in another industry, or if you have all the education in the world.

 

I've painted myself into a corner because I never worked for a big time consulting firm or Fortune 500 firm, and so now people think I never worked for companies like that because I couldn't or wasn't good enough, which wasn't the case. So now everyone thinks I'm a loser.

 

Sorry for the rant but I'm just depressed right now because I thought it would be easier finding a new job. All I ever hear is about how employers complain about there not being enough good people out there to hire, and I think I'm a good qualified person, but no one wants to hire me!

 

Employers just want perfection, perfectly qualified people, and aren't willing to take a chance on anyone not ideally qualified. They aren't willing to invest in people anymore and try to develop them. They want people ready to go and hit the ground running and take over right out of the box.

[a4a]

well that sucks, but wouldn't any job do at this point..... not to commit fraud but some under the table cash wouldn't hurt would it?

 

there is always migrant farm work.

[Almost]

I could probably get an under the table painting job with a friend if I wanted.

 

But up until now I've just been applying for jobs, interviewing, trying to network, volunteering for a few things, and also hanging out and trying to have a good time.

 

I have three more months of unemployment pay coming so I'm not desperate yet.

[a4a]

oh look at it this way you can make extra money while looking for work..... sheesh...... this may be an opp. to get ahead..... go paint, pick fruit, do what you need to do to get some income in and work on networking at the same time.

 

3months is not that far away......

[stoopid_guy]

My best offer so far is to help a couple aquaintences of mine write a business plan for a start up and write myself into the plan so we can go out and get a loan. Not bad but I'm up to my eyeballs in debt and I need a good paying job with benefits right now, not a risky thing like this that may or may not work out.

A prospective employer would much rather see this on your resume (or self-employed painter, for that matter) than a gap in employment or "hanging out and trying to have a good time." They want to see initiative and results.

[Storyrider]

Have you re-evaluated how you're marketing yourself on your resume? There might be a different way to spin the facts so employers would view you as more of a fit. This may sound silly, but I often "steal" buzz words from their ad and insert them directly into sentences in my resume. Of course it has to be the truth, but sometimes the phrasing alone makes a difference. It has gotten me some interviews.

 

Also, I don't think Microsoft Project is that hard to use. Why not write your friend's business plan and use Project in the process. You can probably get a "how to" book at the library and buy a used copy of Project on the internet.

[wookinpanub]

If you look about halfway down the business page, you will see I started a post saying I started my own business... I am looking for able-bodied, competent employees to carry my work to even greater levels.

[pricillia]

Have you re-evaluated how you're marketing yourself on your resume? There might be a different way to spin the facts so employers would view you as more of a fit. This may sound silly, but I often "steal" buzz words from their ad and insert them directly into sentences in my resume. Of course it has to be the truth, but sometimes the phrasing alone makes a difference. It has gotten me some interviews.

 

Also, I don't think Microsoft Project is that hard to use. Why not write your friend's business plan and use Project in the process. You can probably get a "how to" book at the library and buy a used copy of Project on the internet.

 

 

This is true! If you have your resume on line, employers use key word searches to find qualified candidates.

 

Also if you have your resume on line and it has stoped getting views just go in and edit the resume and it will bring you to the top of the pool, and more employers will view your resume, do this all the time and you will have some job possibilities.

 

You can use the newspaper too but on line is the way to go.

 

Set up a goal for yourself to go on at least two interviews a week, and keep your options open as well sometimes positions are interchangeable.

 

It is all knowing how to market yourself.

 

Go on Monster.com if you haven't already it will give you career advice and interviewing tools and tips to help you along the way.

[SixthSt.Girl]

One thing I've found out is that no one hires you for your education. They just want to see what kind of experience and qualifications you have for the exact job and industry they have available. If you don't have much experience in a given industry, it doesn't matter if you have done a similar job in another industry, or if you have all the education in the world.

 

That's so true. I studied to be a paralegal, but the jobs aren't available in this area because firms aren't big enough to employ paralegals (I'd not planned on coming back here). I apply for legal secretary jobs - am called and told I have a great education, but (before I'm even interviewed) told that they're concerned that I'm overqualified. How can I be overqualified when I have only a 3 month internship as experience! I think they just want someone out of high school that they can pay $8.00 an hour. I wouldn't even mind this salary, but they won't listen to what I say and give me a chance. I basically gave up trying. I took a temp job that was basically second shift factory work. I'm looking at waitressing and retail because that's my only option.

 

Employers just want perfection, perfectly qualified people, and aren't willing to take a chance on anyone not ideally qualified. They aren't willing to invest in people anymore and try to develop them. They want people ready to go and hit the ground running and take over right out of the box.

 

I don't know where they're getting all of these "perfect" people, either. I also hope that some of these "perfect" people that are hired turn out to be junkies or serial killers. Someone else - ideally these pompous employers - needs to know what it's like to have their life totally go down the drain . Lol!

[pricillia]

Some employers search by school, it depends what field you are in.

 

If you are a Lawyer or Doctor some may require that you have a degree from a certian school.

 

There is no perfect employee, just people with experience that have real life experience. Even if you are not working then at least do some volenteer work so the propective employer can see that you have a good work ethic.

 

Try not to let the job search process get you down, it is exactly that a process. You may need to take something at a company that is not exactly in your field but positions open up in every company all the time, so once you get hired, keep your eyes open.

 

If they tell you that you are overqualified tell them that you may be but they need to bring on A people to thier team, and that you are willing to assist in other areas of the company.

[Almost]

Thanks everyone for your ideas and support!

 

Have you re-evaluated how you're marketing yourself on your resume? There might be a different way to spin the facts so employers would view you as more of a fit. This may sound silly, but I often "steal" buzz words from their ad and insert them directly into sentences in my resume. Of course it has to be the truth, but sometimes the phrasing alone makes a difference. It has gotten me some interviews.

 

Yeah I've done that before and it worked. Sometimes I think I'm too honest for my own good, and end up selling myself short.

 

Also, I don't think Microsoft Project is that hard to use. Why not write your friend's business plan and use Project in the process. You can probably get a "how to" book at the library and buy a used copy of Project on the internet.

 

I've seen this and I know I could pick it up in no time flat. I already know all the concepts and principles of project management.

 

This start up company I'm going to help write a business plan for has a copy of it and they said they will give it to me to install on my computer. So that should help.

 

This is true! If you have your resume on line, employers use key word searches to find qualified candidates.

 

Also if you have your resume on line and it has stoped getting views just go in and edit the resume and it will bring you to the top of the pool, and more employers will view your resume, do this all the time and you will have some job possibilities.

 

You can use the newspaper too but on line is the way to go.

 

Set up a goal for yourself to go on at least two interviews a week, and keep your options open as well sometimes positions are interchangeable.

 

It is all knowing how to market yourself.

 

Go on Monster.com if you haven't already it will give you career advice and interviewing tools and tips to help you along the way.

 

Yeah yeah, been there done that. I do need to update my resume there to refresh it. But the only ones who contact me are insurance agent salesmen trying to recruit me. I really don't want to end up hanging out a shingle in the local strip mall and try selling auto and life insurance.

 

Some employers search by school, it depends what field you are in.

 

If you are a Lawyer or Doctor some may require that you have a degree from a certian school.

 

There is no perfect employee, just people with experience that have real life experience. Even if you are not working then at least do some volenteer work so the propective employer can see that you have a good work ethic.

 

Try not to let the job search process get you down, it is exactly that a process. You may need to take something at a company that is not exactly in your field but positions open up in every company all the time, so once you get hired, keep your eyes open.

 

If they tell you that you are overqualified tell them that you may be but they need to bring on A people to thier team, and that you are willing to assist in other areas of the company.

 

Yeah I could have gone to a better name brand school for my MBA but I didn't want to move and quit the job I had at the time, and I didn't think it would matter that much. Big mistake! I think if I had gone to that other school I wouldn't be in the situation I am in today.

[OceanBlue]

The best thing I ever did was pay to have a professionally written resume.

 

5 years later when I decided to look for another position, I was able to use the original resume as a template for my updated one.

[HokeyReligions]

I have about 15 or 20 different resume's. They are all basically the same - but with different descriptive text and the key bits of experience pertinent to whatever position I am applying on top. I have them tailored to whatever position I'm applying. I might change my title to reflect the title they are looking for. I got into the field I'm in now by rewording my experience because I knew I could do it. I did some research online beforehand and I was prepared enough to be taught the company systems - Including claiming experience on a particular software. My experience was limited to the on-line sales-pitch and free tutorial! All they saw was "experience" and I got the job. In less than a year I am considered a Super User of the software and have some administrative rights and teach others and have authored some in-house technical manuals for specific projects that use the software and I am NOT computer saavy!

 

MS Project is not that difficult - if you can use any other MS software (Word, Excel, Access...) then you can use Project. The key thing is to understand the capabilities of the software and what it is used for. Once you understand this then you can find the commands you need.

[napoleandynamite]

This is not an unusual situation. The average it takes to find a job is 2-6 months. I know people who have had positions as CEO's, VP, Directors, Managers, etc and after they were let go from work, they were out of work for years and got stuck taking a low-paying job.

 

Layoffs are common apparently. The older and more experienced you get, the harder it becomes to find a job. Keep trying. Looks for ways to market your skills and sell yourself different when it comes to sending resumes and cover letters.

 

Don't loose hope. Obviously, you wont be unemployed forever!

[Gunny376]

I'm retired military, (Marines) who got out and went to a fifth teir college and earned my degree in BusAdmin ~ Fiance.

 

That and $1.05 + tip will get you a cup of coffee down at the local Waffle House.

 

Because of the low crime, traffic, proximiity to my children, cost of living, ratrace factor I choose to live in a small rurual Southern town.

 

I've been retired from the Corps for eleven years. I've worked as a production supervisor, clerk, in a convience store, a lab tech, and now a lab manager.

 

Most of the companies in the state where I live, are family owned business most with 100 employees or less, (most with less than 20). What I'm finding is that what good jobs there are? The people that have them have had them for a good long while, plan on hanging on to them, and you're going to have to fight them to get them away from them. People ask me how to get on where I work, and I tell them to marry into one of the various families that's been working there for the last "up-teen" years.

 

Most jobs don't require a college degree, but they do require additional education and training beyond high school. I've always said that for the averge Joe, that had an MBA, that they need to tie that with a two year technical degree.

 

MBA + Avaiation Maintenance

MBA + Construction

MBA + Electronics

MBA + Transportation

MBA + Commnuication Electronics

 

A lot of dentists, and MD's are going back to get their MBA's, because while they might have the medical and dental skills they're lacking in business management skills.

 

I've got a bud who got his MBA and then went to culinary arts school. I told him he was nuts ~ at the time. Now he's a district manager for one of the national resturant chains, driving a Benz and making a six figure income!

 

Around here for hundreds of miles, its all about who you know or related to. I know a guy that use to be a CEO for 20 years, got caught steaking from the pension fund (hundred's of thousands of dollars) did 27 months in prison, got out, networked through going to church (got saved while in pirson) became a supervisor after getting off work-release, got a house and truck practically given to him, and is now a VP at one of the affliated companies I work for. He doesn't have a MBA, but he's got a lot of emotional intellegence, and "smozze" ability and can work a room like a politician.

[burning 4 revenge]

Liberal Arts and Business degrees are out.

 

Like Gunny said they are now conjunction degrees.

 

I would advice young people to choose Community Colleges over Universities unless they are going to recieve a technical degree or get a PHD or JD.

[Guest]

Finding employment is a full time job! You should be dedicating at least 20-30 hours per week to your job search. I know that sounds like a lot but its what you need to do in today's economy. For every decent job opening there are hundreds of candidates who apply (qualified or not) so businesses have a lot to choose from.

 

The poster who said they put keywords (from the company's advertisement of job description) in their resume hit the nail on the head. A lot of employers use computer programs to scan resumes for key words or HR assistants who have to sort through tons of resumes and they all blend together after awhile. Businesses are being picky because its an employer's market- there are many qualified job seekers for each opening so they can afford to try to find the "perfect" employee.

 

I know what you are going through because I was unemployed (by choice- I was going to grad school and quit my job thinking I would find something part time right away) then Sept. 11th ocurred and I couldnt' find a job for 8 months!! I was told I was overqualified for everything I applied for or I didn't have the right experience for jobs I thought I was qualified for. it was a nightmare. So I understand your frustrations. Just hang in there and try not to feel down on yourself.

[l2hvn]

One thing I've found out is that no one hires you for your education. They just want to see what kind of experience and qualifications you have for the exact job and industry they have available. If you don't have much experience in a given industry, it doesn't matter if you have done a similar job in another industry, or if you have all the education in the world.

 

I feel your pain. I was unemployed for 3 months at one point. It's very frustrating.

 

I'm thinking about changing careers and go back to school for an MBA. I have no experience whatsoever. So I guess that's not a good thing?

 

This one professor told me her background. She has 2 Masters, 1 PhD. And she basically had to start all the way down the bottom to get to where she's at now. Didn't matter that she's educated. It was more like, "Who are/were your clients?"

[Almost]

I've always said that for the averge Joe, that had an MBA, that they need to tie that with a two year technical degree.

 

MBA + Avaiation Maintenance

MBA + Construction

MBA + Electronics

MBA + Transportation

MBA + Commnuication Electronics

 

A lot of dentists, and MD's are going back to get their MBA's, because while they might have the medical and dental skills they're lacking in business management skills.

 

I've got a bud who got his MBA and then went to culinary arts school. I told him he was nuts ~ at the time. Now he's a district manager for one of the national resturant chains, driving a Benz and making a six figure income!

 

I think this is good advice. What I'm learning, belatedly, is that an MBA isn't a profession in and of itself. It's a general degree that helps you become more business savy, and can really compliment most any field you already specialize in. But if you don't already specialize in some industry or field, it's not going to help much.

 

Liberal Arts and Business degrees are out.

 

Like Gunny said they are now conjunction degrees.

 

Yes. My father always said to get a liberal arts degree as an undergraduate, and then an MBA. That's basically what I did, but I've never really learned a good, specific field, specialty, or profession.

 

Liberal Arts degrees give you a great well rounded intellectual education, but they don't prepare you for any specific field in particular. They prepare you for anything in general.

 

I thought getting an MBA would give me a profession or specialty. But it doesn't, it's another general degree in business, like liberal arts but only in business. But not any specific business or industry in particular. Employers hire you based on your knowledge, skills and abilities that you have in their particular industry and field.

 

I feel your pain. I was unemployed for 3 months at one point. It's very frustrating.

 

I'm thinking about changing careers and go back to school for an MBA. I have no experience whatsoever. So I guess that's not a good thing?

 

I would say that getting an MBA doesn't really help that much in terms of changing careers. I think it would be a big help in getting ahead and/or into management in the career field you are already in. But if you want to change careers, it's not really going to help much, unless you really specialize your MBA into something like Finance or Accounting or something.

 

An MBA will just make you more of who you already are. If you want to change careers and change who you are, you don't need an MBA yet, you need specialized training, education, and experience in the field you want to go into. Then go get your MBA later on.

 

I probably should have gone to get my JD rather than MBA, it probably would have been a better fit for me. I could have aced the LSAT. I thought the world had enough lawyers however, and I wanted to manage programs and projects rather than argue about legalese. But I'm naturally good at arguing about legalese and technicalities, even though I'm not a lawyer.

[pricillia]

I have about 15 or 20 different resume's. They are all basically the same - but with different descriptive text and the key bits of experience pertinent to whatever position I am applying on top. I have them tailored to whatever position I'm applying. I might change my title to reflect the title they are looking for. I got into the field I'm in now by rewording my experience because I knew I could do it. I did some research online beforehand and I was prepared enough to be taught the company systems - Including claiming experience on a particular software. My experience was limited to the on-line sales-pitch and free tutorial! All they saw was "experience" and I got the job. In less than a year I am considered a Super User of the software and have some administrative rights and teach others and have authored some in-house technical manuals for specific projects that use the software and I am NOT computer saavy!

 

MS Project is not that difficult - if you can use any other MS software (Word, Excel, Access...) then you can use Project. The key thing is to understand the capabilities of the software and what it is used for. Once you understand this then you can find the commands you need.

 

 

Yes this is exactly what I was trying to say... with the key words,

 

also almost I am sure tha your school was fine, I was not saying that at all, just saying that is how some employers search. there are plenty of jobs out there, just use the tricks and best practices and you will be good to go. It is hard to keep a positive attitude when looking try to keep it positive.