[gloco]

Yeah, the best way to get a job these days seems to be via a temp/headhunter agency. I'm currently employed thanks to a temp agency, they've actually gone out of their way to offer me positions while i was out of work, give all the agencies in your area a call and ask for their fax# or email addy and send out your resume. Best of luck you workaholic

 

[john_jcb]

One thing that I learned when I was looking for a new job is that most people get a job through a friend or a friend of a friend. Temp agencies and headhunters are good to use too but don't rely on them.

One thing that I was told is that when looking for a job you already have one and that is looking for a job. Treat it like you would a regular job, put in 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week. rest a little on the weekends and develop your plan for the next week.

 

[darkclouds]

By the way, I almost choked when I found out how much my temp agency was getting (at the time) out of every hour I worked. They got $8.00 freaken bucks per hour while I was working under them. I guess it's not so bad since they found the job for me. Anyways, that was about 6-7 years ago.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by darkclouds By the way, I almost choked when I found out how much my temp agency was getting (at the time) out of every hour I worked. They got $8.00 freaken bucks per hour while I was working under them. I guess it's not so bad since they found the job for me. Anyways, that was about 6-7 years ago.

Really? I earn $38k and i found out my agency is getting the remaining $62k or so...

 

[Dusty Chalk]

My other point in bringing up headhunters is that not all employers use the same method in finding their employees. Some use internal referrals, some use newspaper ads, some use temp agencies, some use headhunters, some use bulletin boards at the local bagel bakery, some use monster.com, some use something else. The more different ways you present yourself, the better chance you'll have that you'll find a match.

PS Chin up! It is a down market, but you'll find something. There's always a market for qualified labor.

 

[spaceman]

Just keep one thing in mind as you go through this. If you start to sleep a lot, lose interest in things you enjoy, or have feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and shame for more than a week or two, get some help! Counseling and medication works wonders for sudden onset of depression. No one should have to feel like this. Anti-depressants are vastly improved today, with very few side effects, and they can help you get through this difficult time. Try not to let this minor setback get you down. You know what you can do, and who you are, and remember, you are not alone. Hey, you took the initiative and told us how you feel, and why you don't like feeling that way. That is a hell of a lot more than most people who feel like you will ever do, and that is too bad, because depression, even minor episodes, is so easy to treat. Hang in there, and keep us informed with your progress.

 

[brent_mr2]

Spaceman, I've been reading Dr. William Glasser's new book (came out in April of this year) and it's really interesting. He's been a Psychiatrist since the 50s and has never believed in medications. He believes that all mental illnesses are caused by various degrees of unhappiness.

In his choice theory, another book I'm in the process of reading, he says that we choose to depress.

Whenever I find myself depressing, I go out and get some exercise and go out and do stuff. Last year I went through severe depressing and tried chinese medicine to no resolve. It wasn't until I changed my thinking, replacing the neg. self talk with positive self talk that my mood improved.

I think I'm depressing a little now since I'm also looking for a job and getting turned down. They want someone with a college degree for a stinkin customer service position!

I'm fortunate enough to have a workforce training center in my area that offers free classes on things like staying motivated during your job search and resume writing and that sort of stuff.

 

[optimist]

It's comments like this that create and keep the stigma about mental illness alive. Depression IS AN ILLNESS. Read a book about a person that's diabetic - do they have a choice - can they make their body produce more insulin by choosing it or demanding it or self talk. If you have ever really been there you would not be talking like this. Exercise, diet all is very important but once that is taken out of the equation and you are still depressed - now what? Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain and sometimes medication IS the only answer. Most people with mental illness of some kind or another are very difficult to treat as they DO NOT want to stay on medication as it makes them feel like a failure - when it is not something they can control - anymore than diabetes. I applaud anyone that has the
guts to go to a doctor and tell them they are depressed as our population has other ways to treat it ie drugs, booze etc. Knowledge is power - so I ask you to please cease with comments about "no medication". Every individual is different and there is no reason to suffer from depression today. Let's support these people not add more of a burden by telling them they can "exercise and self talk".
QUOTE]Originally posted by brent_mr2
Spaceman, I've been reading Dr. William Glasser's new book (came out in April of this year) and it's really interesting. He's been a Psychiatrist since the 50s and has never believed in medications. He believes that all mental illnesses are caused by various degrees of unhappiness.

In his choice theory, another book I'm in the process of reading, he says that we choose to depress.

Whenever I find myself depressing, I go out and get some exercise and go out and do stuff. Last year I went through severe depressing and tried chinese medicine to no resolve. It wasn't until I changed my thinking, replacing the neg. self talk with positive self talk that my mood improved.

I think I'm depressing a little now since I'm also looking for a job and getting turned down. They want someone with a college degree for a stinkin customer service position!

I'm fortunate enough to have a workforce training center in my area that offers free classes on things like staying motivated during your job search and resume writing and that sort of stuff. [/QUOTE]

 

[scottpaul_iu]

I graduated from college in 1988, I faced the same dilemma as you. I got a job through a temp agency, worked my tail off, made many contacts in my industry and started the networking process.

Also, go to the library or bookstore and get this book:

Knock 'Em Dead 2003 (Knock 'Em Dead, 2003)
by Martin Yate

Also find a book called What Color is My Parachute.

Knock 'em Dead will give you some insight on how to write a good cover letter, resume, etc. Also will give you invaluable insight in interviewing. This book is worth the investment. I read it way back in 1990, and it literally helped to change my professional life.

 

[mbriant]

LobsterSan: There's a lot of good advice in this thread. I've owned a temp agency for the past 8 years so have been on the other side of the desk when it comes to job interviews.

I know it's difficult to stay upbeat when you've already had many rejections but it is extremely important to remain ( or at least appear) positive during an interview. ( this also includes your initial telephone contact with a prospective employer.) Most employers are looking for positive attitudes in their employees and DO NOT want to listen to any complaints or hard luck stories or excuses during an interview. You must appear eager and positive. This holds true even if you are applying for a low paying "****ty" job. It's OK to acknowledge that a particular position isn't exactly your ultimate goal in life, but mention that you realize you need experience and are more than willing to start at the bottom if necessary to get it. But make sure you also mention you realize that a solid work history is important and that you're willing to give this job 100% to prove yourself. The last thing a prospective employer wants is an employee who's giving off vibes that the job is beneath him and that he's desperate and he'll only be there until he finds something better.

Applying at as many temp agencies as you can should give you some exposure to what's out there. Who knows, you might fall into a temp job at a company that clicks with you and will hire you on full time. At the very least it will give you contacts, potential references, experience and something to put on future resumes.

Getting a professional resume done is a good idea because that's the first contact you'll have with a prospective employer.

Also most important....treat whatever employment you get with respect (again, even if it's a ****ty temp job that you know you'll be leaving) Good work usually doesn't go unnoticed. Bad work definately doesn't go unnoticed. References you get from any job can go a long way to getting you a better job. They are invaluable.

You still have many years ahead of you to find the job you want, but right now you must get into the game. My first job out of school was at a pizza parlor. In the 30 years since then I went on to various office/sales positions, magazine publishing, and several of my own businesses.

Try to stay positive and treat each application/interview you do as the first and most important. Don't bring along negative baggage with you to the interview.

Good luck. Don't give up.

 

[dhwilkin]

I've been out of work for almost two months now. The annoying thing is that as I look through the ads, most jobs I see are looking for senior-level software developers, and I have a measly three years. I've held off using headhunters and posting my resume, as I like doing these things by myself and don't want to consider moving out of the area just yet, but if this trend keeps up I won't have much choice. So I wouldn't say I'm depressed, but I am discouraged.

 

[john_jcb]

Quote:

Originally posted by dhwilkin I've been out of work for almost two months now. The annoying thing is that as I look through the ads, most jobs I see are looking for senior-level software developers, and I have a measly three years. I've held off using headhunters and posting my resume, as I like doing these things by myself and don't want to consider moving out of the area just yet, but if this trend keeps up I won't have much choice. So I wouldn't say I'm depressed, but I am discouraged.

My advice would be to not hold off on any possible avenue for a job. As was mentioned earlier different employers use different means to find people. You want your resume to be in the hands of as many potential employers as possible. With regards to the out of area jobs; what does it hurt to look you can always say no to a move, but the dream job may also be out there and you might miss it if you aren't looking.

 

[john_jcb]

One more thing that came to mind as I was thinking about job searches.

Do not stop the job search process when you get a bite. Pursue it with vigor but never assume that it is going to work out until the first day of work. If things do not work out you may have wasted valuable time that could have been spent looking.

I was guilty of this (once only), I went on an interview and I was so convinced that I had the job that I quit looking. Well it turned out that the company hired a friend of one of the VP's. I wasted the time from the interview until I was rejected by not looking. I never let that happen again.

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by LobsterSan Well, I had spent my previous 22 years of life thinking a college degree actually meant something and that I would be able to find work after graduating. Now I'm realizing that is simply not the case. Anybody have tips for keeping positive in the face of countless rejections? I know it's a horrible job market right now, but I still can't help but feel like a real loser. My self-esteem and self-confidence are taking monster blows. I'm in a real blue mood... I don't think I take rejection very well, and I've been getting rejected from even ****ty retail positions like the local crepe shop, a kinko's-type place, and Electronics Boutique (doing menial junk that doesn't even require a degree or work experience, both of which I have). I feel like getting one of those self-help books to boost my spirits and my initiative. I'll be walking the strip malls now and praying for a minimum wage-paying, "like some fries with that?"-type job in the meantime.

Some thoughts to keep your self esteem up: Take a look around you at all of the morons who have jobs. Now ask yourself if you are really worth less than they are. If you answer yes, go ahead and kill yourself (preferably somewhere where it won't cost anything to bury you - that woman who jumped in the aligator pit had the rigth idea here). Now, likely you'll answer no, because you're intelligent enough to use a computer and forum and the average joe is pretty damned dim. In fact, the more dim tend toward high paying marketing, sales and management positions.

Ok, so now that you're with me on the intelligence vs. employability issue, you know that not being able to find work quickly doesn't mean you're stupid or unqualified, right?

Alright, so now we're down to the real world. How to get a job. Multiple answers here. 1: Know somebody. Most of these morons knew somebody. If you know somebody big enough, you can get any job you want no matter how unqualified you are. 2: Be a good ********ter. Now don't get me wrong here, ******** is a real skill. After all, if you can ******** through an interview, there's a good chance you can ******** through the job itself and no one eats ******** like other ********ters, so upper management and most importantly, your clients are likely to buy it too. 3: Be likable. Ok, so you don't know anyone and you're not a good liar. That's ok, the rest of the folks usually get hired just because they interview well. Now, don't get down about this. This is a general thing. You may be a nice guy and still not get the job because someone else knew somebody or someone else was a good ********ter. But then it really comes down to... 4: Be persistent. I'm gonna start a new paragraph just to talk about this last suggestion.

I know a lot of guys who... well, let's just say, they really enjoy the company of a woman. And these guys are... let's say, not so attractive. Not only that but they're not always all that likable, not always good ********ters and they're not always getting the hook-up. So what's their secret? How do they get laid so often? Shotgun. Ask. Ask. Ask. Ask. Eventually, some chick will say yes and with this methodology, anybody could get laid, even headphone geeks. It's amazing. The lower your standards are, the better your odds are.

Now apply my little twisted analogy to the job market. What seperates you from every other guy out there? Well, let me tell you, if they know more people than you, they're better ********ters than you, they're nicer than you AND they're more persistent, you're screwed. Some folks would say that you can control multiples of these factors. I say you can control one instantly. Be persistent. When you're at home, ask yourself, "Why am I not interviewing RIGHT NOW?" And hey, here's a trade secret: the more you interview, the better you will get at interviewing... and, believe it or not, eventually you get past the rejection thing. I've been in the job market for a while now and man, I can't tell you how many jobs I DIDN'T get. Worse, I can't tell you how many almost made the offer then had to cancel the next Monday because of budget problems. It happens. Don't take it personally. There are a thousand reasons why someone might not be able to hire you and that you're not qualified is but one of possibility.

Ask yourself, "What are my odds?" If your odds are 1 in 100 then fine, commit to getting 100 interviews and just do them. This really is a suck it up kind of thing.

Exceptions: You know, I know some people live in places where there just aren't the jobs. I know some people have careers in fields where there's only two or three slots to interview for. And that sucks. And I empathize with you. But really, if you know this is the case, exploit all your possibilities as quickly as possible and then move on: either move to a better location or move to a different field.

Last time I was out of work, I was out for three months. I had no less than five interviews a week. It was harder work than my job. Unemployment sucks. I feel for you, but just get out there and interview. Eventually you'll be able to put this unpleasant **** behind you and get back to bitching about your boss. Good luck.

 

[scottpaul_iu]

Good advice Kelly.
LobsterSan a job hunt is a big game. All you need is one yes. Basically, every turn down you get means that you are that closer to getting your job or desired outcome.

Life is tough business, man. Right now in Detroit, I am seeing big time layoffs in the auto industry for both skilled labor and mgmt. The people who keep their jobs are getting no pay increases and decresed benefits as well.

Just keep plugging along. Things will work out for you.