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Tough time to find a new job

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by NDub, Apr 28, 2009.

  1. podunk press

    podunk press Active Member

    Depends on where you are living
     
  2. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    How the hell are you going to get face time without sending a letter and resume?

    And while I don't disagree with what clutch posted, I honestly don't know many hiring managers who have so much idle time as to sit and chat for 20 minutes.

    Networking is great, but most of the people I know are in the same boat as I am: either laid off or barely hanging on. It's not like my friends and colleagues are managers at Fortune 500 companies with tons of vacancies to fill. Heck, I even had a guy email ME to ask about vacancies. Had to tell him I was looking, too. :(

    I've honestly taken the approach that I am just going to have to wait out the storm and see what the lay of the land is like in 1-2 years from now.
     
  3. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    Thanks, and thanks to everyone else who offered congratulations and good wishes. As for your questions, two things: 1) There is some good advice on this thread. 2) I don't have time to go into detail on my situation, but I promise to return to this thread and elaborate as much as possible when I know whether or not I'm hired.

    I'd like to say more, but cautious optimism requires equal parts caution and optimism, and that's where I am these days. Meanwhile, strongly consider the advice on this thread. NDub, make sure the career counselor you speak with has knowledge of the job market and of job hunting skills that are more current than, say, 1995. You'd be amazed how many "experts" are stuck in a past that doesn't exist anymore. "What Color is Your Parachute" is updated for a reason, and the 2008 edition of the book is far different than the 1998 version.

    Gotta go now. I have a book to read, an interview to rehearse and some good karma to try to catch down on da bayou.
     
  4. NDub

    NDub Guest

    Wow, this is a HUGE task.

    Asking for a few minutes to talk about career change, this person's field, etc. is proabably OK. But then calling back a week or two later and trying to set-up an interview? I don't get it. Should I assume this company/this officer is looking to hire? I'm just sort of thrown off by that paragraph. Can you please elaborate?
     
  5. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    I have seen the future, and for the first time I can honestly say it scares me to death.

    My job interview today . . . at KMart:

    10:46: Arrived for 11 a.m. interview for some associate's job I saw online and got an interview for because apparently I answered their online questions correctly (or just happened to finish the ridiculous 75-question exercise).

    10:55: Meet HR manager, who immediately directs me to a small waiting room (which also doubles as the employees' locker room). About 8 other people are there. I'm dressed in white shirt and tie. The others look like they just woke up. Is bringing in several people at one time for interviews SOP for these horseshit companies? I feel like Rip Van Winkle. Woke up and landed in Hell.

    So I'm waiting for my interview. Good news: There is a TV in the locker room. Bad news: It's showing Maury and then Jerry Springer. Figures.

    11:30: Still waiting. About every 10 minutes the HR person gives someone a form to fill out that gives employers a credit for hiring low-income people, then brings in the previous person she had given the form to earlier for the interview. I have not even received the form yet.

    11:50: I receive the form and sign it. I was not displaced by Hurricane Katrina and have not received government assistance (yet), so I must leave everything blank.

    Noon: HR person comes in, hands the form to the only other 11 a.m. person still waiting (although two noon appointments arrived a few minutes before), and tells me to come with her.

    Her: "What position are you applying for?"
    Me: "There was nothing specific on the application I filled out. It just said associate."

    Her: "Do you have retail experience?"
    Me: "Not retail, but I do have customer service experience. I worked as a ticket agent for IMG during the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament last month. I took orders over the phone, worked in the ticket booths and answered many customers' questions."

    Her: "Why did you leave IMG?"
    Me: "The job was temporary."

    Her: "Why did you leave [current place of employment]?"
    Me: "I'm still working there, but the company is going to lay off half its desk in a couple of weeks."

    Her: "What days and hours would you like to work?"
    Me: "That is no problem. I have worked nights and weekends my entire career."

    Her: "The only thing we have right now is a cashier position . . . and it's part-time . . . and we could pay only $7.21. Would you be interested in pursuing that?"
    Me: "I need a little more than that just to give me a reason not to apply for unemployment, which would pay more than that. So I guess not. Thank you."
     
  6. SoCalScribe

    SoCalScribe Member

    Overqualification is a real problem for people leaving this field. Always, always, always tailor your resume for the position you're applying for. Maybe you're dressing it way down; maybe you're dressing it up. Either way, it's rarely best to use the same resume for everything.
     
  7. OTD

    OTD Well-Known Member

    Good luck, JD!
     
  8. ScribePharisee

    ScribePharisee New Member

    You can network all you want, decorate the resume, etc. etc.

    It's like pouring milk into a sealed jar. This market is hopeless.

    But have hope. Obama's in charge - this shouldn't be happening with all the "stimulus" efforts he's put forth. And I expect my swamp land in Nevada to go at any time.

    Fact: The corprocrats suck the life out of our economy while puffing their wallets and bedding down with not only Republican politicians, but Democrats as well. They know no difference between blue and red, just green.
     
  9. NDub

    NDub Guest

    God damnit, that's depressing.
     
  10. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    Funny part is, where I live right now, we have a major labor shortage. Businesses have to close early some nights because there just aren't enough employees to stay open.
     
  11. NDub

    NDub Guest

    Maybe this is an effective way to network or at least get your face in the prospective employer/hirer's head: Walk into the damn place and hand them (not a front desk person) the cover letter and resume. Yes?
     
  12. Placed a follow-up call this afternoon for a position I applied for at a college -- "editorial director," basically writing and editing for in-college newsletter, paper, communication packets, etc.

    Conversation:

    Me: "Hi, I just wanted to make sure my information was received regarding the editorial director position."

    HR person: chuckling, "Oh, that position's been closed for almost a month."

    Me: "Really? It says today is the deadline to apply."

    HR person: "Well, it was, but in the first few days, we received more than 300 resumes."

    Me: "Thanks."

    gut me like a fish.
     
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