Atlanta Job Market? (Dillard: sales, insurance, construction)

[parisgiselle]

I just moved to Atlanta a month ago and just was wondering what peoples thoughts were about the job market out here.

I'm a recent college graduate with a "diverse" work background. I have an MBA in Business Administration, but can't really say I have the work experience necessary to leverage my degree. However, I'm not one to assume that I should shoot straight into management. I would rather work from the ground up!

I have joined careerbuilder.com , monster.com, and opportunityknocks.org and haven't really received anything back aside from sales jobs (i.e. insurance sales and marketing sales jobs). I'm not really comfortable with sales and I'd prefer something more administrative or office related.

Another question is whether or not I should change my phone number because I still have the area code from where I use to live before. I'm kind of use to having that number and was wondering if the phone number makes a big difference on whether employers would contact you or not. (I have a local address, so I feel that it proves that I live in the area).

I would appreciate any helpful information you guys have.

[Mishap]

Not to insult you but to have an MBA w/o any experience in business isn't exactly great on the resume. First it doesn't speak too highly of the school that gave it to you since they didn't put you through a career services bootcamp to get you a job before graduating. If you have other work experience, then you need to leverage what experience you have against that degree. If you were in healthcare, go for back office in a hospital, insurance company, or anything tangentially related. Construction...project management. Basically you have to put everything out there and use every little bit of experience you have to find a niche where you have an advantage. An MBA isn't panacea for a lackluster background and I really wish people would stop getting them w/ the expectation it would change their entire career path.

You're very vague on what types of roles you're actually qualified for...administrative/office doesn't say much of anything. Not a ton of college educated people are looking to work an assembly line or outdoors on a farm. MBA w/o experience is basically limited to sales jobs where it's sink or swim...experience is built from your survival. There are tens of thousands of experienced professionals that can't find jobs and unless you can differentiate, you're not going to do any better just shotgunning websites w/ resumes for any job that sounds like its got air conditioning and a PC.

What did you focus your studies in your MBA? Operations? Supply chain? Entrepreneurship? International? Combine it w/ your experience and start looking for companies that fit that criteria. It may be extremely narrow but if you can prove you've got a great understanding of the business, you can improve your chances.

As for your phone number...in the age of cell phones it doesn't matter. I've had my NYC cell phone for 10 yrs and I've been back in Atlanta for the last 8 yrs. I'm heading to my 4th job in 6 yrs and have never had a problem getting called about an interview. I did have some confusion when I briefly considered moving to NY but companies still paid for half a dozen flights to NY and back during the interview process. If you're really worried, get a Google Voice Account w/ a local number and forward it to your cell phone.

[spacelord75]

Agree with Mishap on this one. MBAs have become the 21st century equivalent of saying "I have a college degree." and unless you have great prior experience and a top 50 MBA, it really doesn't matter. We have basically entered an era of living that is akin to weed-out classes you would encounter in college...only the smart/creative/strong will survive and flourish. You are taking the path of least resistance right now and, also, the same thing every other jobless minion with no hope is doing...going to job sites and flooding them with your resume. Having been an executive recruiter previously, I can tell you that 90% of the resumes people get from job postings on these sites go un-read, I honestly don't know why company's even bother. The majority of professional jobs are filled either via networking/referrals or head hunters. Since your network is fairly limited here, I would say your best bet is to search for some good head-hunting/recruiting firms in the genre you are interested, contact them, set up a face-to-face meeting and have a PLAN. You need to be smart about this and in this economy a job is not going to fall into your lap. You need to make finding a job your full time job and do some creative thinking about how to find/get a job.

[10 feet tall]

Agree with the post above. Getting an MBA right after undergrad with no work experience in between will not really advance you that much beyond what your undergrad degree would do. My recommendation is to take any job you can get while you continue looking. You need to be doing something, even if it is not your natural place (i.e. sales) and proceed with networking and meeting people. Lack of work experience is holding you back. Really the only scenario where an MBA will further your career is if you have 5-10 years of experience and then go from there.

[DennyCrane]

An MBA isn't like an M.D. or J.D., meaning it doesn't lend itself to a specific occupation. So no one is going to hire just because you have the degree. In the past, the MBA was used as a way to narrow the pool of applicants. But now, employers are worried that an MBA's asking price is too high or that the person will be overqualified for the job. I know people who got MBAs over a year ago that haven't been able to find work and are now omitting the degree from their resumes out of fear that it's being used against them. In this market, it's your experience that matters most. Education is great, but by itself, it doesn't mean much. College degrees in general are more about passing an employer's litmus test than anything else. They don't care that you got a B.S. or B.A. But they do care if you didn't get one.

[AnsleyPark]

A suggestion for you - consider looking into non-profits. We have lots: United Way, Big Brothere Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, and innumerable smaller ones. They seem to be less particular about work experience in their entry level positions. Good luck!

[jhtrico1850]

If you are desperate for work, go to Wal-Marts, McDonald's, forget putting your degree on there.

[midtown mile girl]

Look for entry level jobs on company websites, which is better than just doing monster, etc. Also consider retail like Macys, Dillard's, where they have training programs for college graduates for management. (Even if you don 't stay in retail, it's still good experience). It's very rough out there, good luck!

[parisgiselle]

Thanks everyone for the input! It's great to hear it and I will definitely take your advice.

Best!!!!

[SW30303]

Anything entry level is advisable to get started. I think you can find some work for sure, but keep nearly all possibilities open.

Signing up with temp agencies that specialize in office work is a good bet for someone like you. Good luck!