[POhdNcrzy]

Originally Posted by The_Rambler

if there are just no jobs to be had.

I don't think that's the case, Rambler. It never is.

It is terrible out there, though, for sure.

[The_Rambler]

OK so the way things are going now, if I can find some more yards to mow then I can save up and get 2 bus tickets and me and my girlfriend can go sleep on the beach in L.A. where I might actually have a shot at finding work in my field (graphic/web design and video production).

It's just really disheartening when 3 months ago we had a great apartment in a big city with tons of stuff to do and now we're not only broke but bored to death.

[cpg35223]

Well, I am sympathetic, but the job market is tough all over. Alabama's unemployment is about even with the national rate, maybe even a point below. And Birmingham's, while high, isn't nearly what the state and national rates are.

[JS1]

You can file for unemployment from the state where you worked for 3 years. You don't have to live there.

You aren't alone; I've been out of work for 7 months. I relocated from Colorado to South Carolina, got laid off shortly thereafter, filed for unemployment comp from Colorado, and now I've relocated to Dallas Texas. My field is very small and has no opportunities in anything but the big cities. I suspect web design is the same, which means you are wasting your time looking for work that doesn't exist in a small city. Count your blessings that you don't have children and an ex-wife with outrageous demands.

[The_Rambler]

Originally Posted by JS1

You can file for unemployment from the state where you worked for 3 years. You don't have to live there.

I tried, but I was turned down in my former state because my former employer, being the kind-hearted and gracious southern family small business owner that he is, told me he was letting me go because he could't afford my salary and then told the unemployment office that I had been terminated "due to misconduct".

Originally Posted by JS1

I suspect web design is the same, which means you are wasting your time looking for work that doesn't exist in a small city. Count your blessings that you don't have children and an ex-wife with outrageous demands.

Oh yeah, I gave up on finding that type of work around here before I even moved back, what I'm mostly worried about is the fact that I've been applying nonstop to places like Wal-Mart, Target, Petco, Office Max, telemarketing companies, and factories in the area that all have job openings listed, and still haven't seem the tiniest glimmer of hope in actually being offered a job. I've never been in this position and am not sure how a person is supposed to live when they have bills and a car payment and whatnot and can't even land a job in a grocery store to make ends meet.

[JS1]

Originally Posted by The_Rambler

I tried, but I was turned down in my former state because my former employer, being the kind-hearted and gracious southern family small business owner that he is, told me he was letting me go because he could't afford my salary and then told the unemployment office that I had been terminated "due to misconduct".

Follow up until you get one of the following: unemployment comp, lawsuit for wrongful termination, or proof of misconduct.

Oh yeah, I gave up on finding that type of work around here before I even moved back, what I'm mostly worried about is the fact that I've been applying nonstop to places like Wal-Mart, Target, Petco, Office Max, telemarketing companies, and factories in the area that all have job openings listed, and still haven't seem the tiniest glimmer of hope in actually being offered a job. I've never been in this position and am not sure how a person is supposed to live when they have bills and a car payment and whatnot and can't even land a job in a grocery store to make ends meet.

I hope you're not giving them your professional resume. They will toss it in the garbage and move on with the person who submitted a plain old job application, because they know that you will be gone the second you land a professional job.

In theory you should be able to land a job elsewhere and then move, but in this economy, it is tougher to do that, because employers can just interview people who already live there. I moved to Dallas first and then got more responses.

[Croye22]

A word of advice if you're going to apply to places like Wal-Mart - do NOT try and show them your professional resume or anything of the sort. If you can' try and tone down your application by showing any retail experience or any kind of minimum wage experience in the past because 95% of the time, they will overlook it and possibly not even consider you.

Even before the economy went bad, some guy I worked with said he had a degree and security clearance and such, and one of the "higher ups" asked him what was he doing here?

Just a word of warning there.

[The_Rambler]

Thanks for the advice. I've actually been considering toning down my resume to just the basics since most of my early job experience is retail and manufacturing. I was reading a few articles on the topic and a few people said that if your resume is too "intimidating" then you could get rejected because higher-ups in the company may actually feel threatened. Also, like someone stated earlier, you're just making it obvious to HR that you're looking for a "grunt job" and will be out the door as soon as a good professional opportunity arises.

It's just a sad state of affairs when an intelligent and well-qualified individual has to "dumb down" their resume to be able to compete with high school kids for jobs pushing grocery carts and mopping up bathrooms. But hey, if it's that or go hungry...

[cpg35223]

Well, Rambler, I read your original post more closely and I realized that you do web work, design and otherwise. It might surprise you, but there are a ton of people out there who need that done, both small advertising agencies and independent companies. If you're any good at it, why don't you get off your butt and start freelancing?

I'm in the creative biz (20 years with clients around the country), and lots of agencies are using freelancers to plug the holes in their operations so they don't have to hire full-time help. In fact, I work with a killer web guy right now on stuff, and I supply him with work all the time. But that means you need to stop whining and start knocking on doors. After all, there are a lot of people out there on the streets with a much better resume than yours, whether in San Francisco, Omaha, or New York.

Sorry for the kick in the pants, but it's a tough economy out there. So you need to just deal with it and find the opportunities where you can.

[The_Rambler]

Thanks for the advice cpg, I've actually been planning on getting a site put up and some cards printed so I can start doing some freelancing. My last job was so all encompassing that it didn't really leave any time for side work, so I've just got to get back in the swing of that whole thing. I sat down and wrote up a list last night of local businesses that I was planning on approaching. I've also been replying to basically every Craigslist ad Ive found where people are looking for that type of work but none of it really has panned out thus far. It seems a lot more hit or miss down here.

Believe me, I'd like nothing more than to be supporting myself while working with different clients around the country, I've just never quite been in the position to make that happen. Now seems a good time as any to get that ball rolling... Any tips or suggestions on how to get started with my networking, getting my name out there, etc? I'd love some sound words of wisdom from a pro like you who's really doing it.

Thanks