Successful way to land a job in the Atlanta job market? (Dunwoody: condo, home)

[KarlaP]

Hello All:

I relocated to the Kennesaw area back in Feb. I promise you I have been looking and have listed with every job board you can mention. I have what I believe to be good interviews but nothing ever prevails. I have no problem commuting up to 50 miles one way if need be. I have been fortunate to land a few temp jobs but nothing permanent. I've spent the last 15 years of my life as an executive assistant making pretty descent money. I am not looking to get rich but I sure would like to survive. My asking rate of pay right now is $42K, which is below what I am accustomed to making. Honestly, I just want to work. I relocated here from Birmingham, AL
thinking the job market would be easier, boy was I stupid. There is no thought to moving back, I have sold one home and purchased another. My savings and 401 are getting low. Everyone says to Network; that is pretty hard when you don't know anyone and you are living on a budget. Enough with my story but back to the original question, "Can someone please point me in the right direction to find a job?"

[antiquesmountainapache]

Good luck. I moved back here from Chattanooga for my home I grew up in. I have two degrees and years of experience. So far, my luck has been one temporary job and a few part time jobs I am so overqualified for that it is beyond laughable. I -- like you and everyone else, need to eat. The best advice I can give is make as many contacts as you can. I agree that neworking is hard -- this is the hardest area to meet any people that I have ever lived in. I am having some success with volunteer work and hope these contacts lead to some type of position -- any position at this point!

[Vampgrrl]

Again, lots of jobs in Atlanta, LOTS of people to fill those jobs.

And expect to be treated poorly by recruiters and staffing departments.

[JayRockTeam]

Originally Posted by Vampgrrl

Again, lots of jobs in Atlanta, LOTS of people to fill those jobs.

And expect to be treated poorly by recruiters and staffing departments.

What she said.

In any event, I'm planning on holding a series of networking events starting in January '08 drop me an email and I will add you to the list to receive information.


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[antiquesmountainapache]

Merry Christmas to everyone. I am actually seeing some progress in my search. This is my next question for everyone. What is a good source of temporary employment in January for the Northwest Metro area? I honestly believe it will be another month to six weeks before I gain permanent employment. Stopping the drain on the savings will certainly improve my attitude. Thanks in advance for all of the help and suggestions on this forum.

[turtleman]

Originally Posted by KarlaP

Hello All:

I relocated to the Kennesaw area back in Feb. I promise you I have been looking and have listed with every job board you can mention. I have what I believe to be good interviews but nothing ever prevails. I have no problem commuting up to 50 miles one way if need be. I have been fortunate to land a few temp jobs but nothing permanent. I've spent the last 15 years of my life as an executive assistant making pretty descent money. I am not looking to get rich but I sure would like to survive. My asking rate of pay right now is $42K, which is below what I am accustomed to making. Honestly, I just want to work. I relocated here from Birmingham, AL
thinking the job market would be easier, boy was I stupid. There is no thought to moving back, I have sold one home and purchased another. My savings and 401 are getting low. Everyone says to Network; that is pretty hard when you don't know anyone and you are living on a budget. Enough with my story but back to the original question, "Can someone please point me in the right direction to find a job?"

I know what you are going through. Here is what I would (humbly) suggest:

1- try to get a permanent or long term conract entry level job that would have evening hours (like 11.00 to 7.30 pm) and then continue your 'ideal' job search and thus, give you time to go to interviews in the morning.

2- Your best bet might be to grab a call center job, which is a euphemism for 'sweatshop' but at least these jobs are easy to get (high turnover).This would of course, be just temporary untill you will eventually prevail in getting the Exectuive Assistant job.

3- I do not know what your financial situation is,but if you have enough reserves to last you for the next 6 to 12 months, you should be ok..

I lived in Atlanta (Dunwoody) for 15 years and regreted leaving to Dallas,Tx 2 years ago. I am planning to move back to Atlanta next year. I will have enough savings to buy a small condo cash in Dunwoody and have reserves for about 2 years; but I know I will land a job sooner. I have kept in contact with some managers at my old company in the Perimerter to see if they would rehire me ,if not, I will do an agressive job search. Rmember,where there is a will,there is a way...Hang in there, I know you will find somehting soon..take care..

[sweettea1]

Getting the right job is all about networking. You can submit your resume to job boards, agencies and recruiters until you're blue in the face but it'll likely yield you little unless you're able to make a personal relationship with any of the names behind the "To Whom It May Concern" desk.
Networking events are a great way to make these contacts as are professional organizations. Atlanta has a professional group for every industry imaginable, easily accessed online. I'm fairly involved in a pretty big networking/career event coming up in March so feel free to PM me for more info.