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I was employed with a global consulting company in NYC and requested a transfer to Charlotte almost 2 years ago. Unfortunately, I lost that job last August, yea almost 1 year of being unemployed..
I had to dance for the hiring managers.. The initially said no, but then my new music came on and I secured the job!.
- Actually mine was pretty basic, applied on-line, interviewed, interviewed, interviewed, offer, negotiations, counter-offer, acceptance. 3 years later still here.
Except for one PT job in college, every job (10+) I have had came to be through networking, who I knew, friend of a friend, etc.
IMHO, your network is the most valuable thing you have.
It also helps to have a wide skill set, vs narrow focus, or at least be able to embrace change and quickly adapt.
Might be refreshing for a change to hear about the job you got and how you did it.
How long were you out? Was there a Eureka! moment?
Change careers? City? Lucky? Had an in? Started your biz?
Pls. share with those that are getting very fustrated in their job search.
Have a great day,
je
The key for us was finally making the decision to go outside the Carolinas and Virginia for opportunities. Ideally those are the only 3 states I'd ever live in again. But with the recession and glut of people here in my husbands profession there were just no acceptable opportunities for a solid year.
So...as most of you know, we're off to upstate NY for a few years. Not that the economy there is any better than here, there just happened to be a government contract job requiring very specific experience and knowledge that apparently no one up there has, and that my husband does. He didn't go after them, they came after him and recruited him heavily. Having a stellar reputation and people who will vouch for you can go a long way in securing opportunities. Build a network folks!
I just got online and looked for jobs in my field and applied. This was two years ago. They flew me out for an interview and a few weeks later they hired me. The whole process took about 2 months. I am in the HealthCare software industry. We are still hiring and will be hiring more, if you are in this field.
My DH transferred here with a building supply company that had multiple operations in NC. Since 2006 they have shut down at least 3 NC locations including the Union County location he was transferred to and 1 Charlotte site. They have also shut down numerous operations across the country, including the site DH transferred from in Jersey. He's now at the remaining Charlotte site and he just made it through the 2nd round of layoffs this year. They let go 38% of the force last month. Ironically, quite a few were brought back immediately as temps because the company cut themselves off at the knees. (Painful experience to see men forced back at considerably less pay, with no benefits, backbreaking labor at that!) There was an absolutely "no overtime" order sent down from corporate effective May 2009 yet OT became necessary to fulfill orders after the last layoff.
DH also works 2 part-time jobs, which keeps him working 7 days/week. He is constantly inquiring of people about openings, grabs opportunities everywhere we go. He's got a strong work ethic, strong backbone, a lot of pride and he's frequently willing to do work many won't consider.
I work PT for a city owned operation, in a position I pursued for almost 2 years. They employ more than 200 people, vast majority PT. In fact, my supervisor just quit and the job was split into 2 PT positions - which disappointed a lot of people. I have fun at my job, enjoy the people I encounter, couldn't envision myself in this field back in Jersey. It's "lightweight" compared what I'm used to and my grandmother was a bit surprised/disappointed when I told her how much (or how little) money I'm making! But alas, it's convenient, flexible, visible, I have some interesting benefits and it's basically just works for my family.
I've accepted that I'm not going to be able to gain employment similar to what I've had in the past in regards to salary or prestige unless I complete my graduate degree or otherwise get additional training and education and change career fields. I'm considering the posibilities.
I won't be in this position for a lifetime and maybe not even a year from now. But it brings money to the table and it's reassured me that I can help my DH provide for our family. It's also helping to fill in the gaping holes in my resume!
I have always posted my resume online on monster.com, and continually update it as needed. It just so happened that the guy who had this position before me wanted to retire early (at age 45!) and they couldn't find any internal candidates. So, when they posted this job, I got a match hit for my monster.com profile. I sent in my response, followed-up with my resume, and was called to come to Charlotte a few weeks later for an interview. Everything went as well as could be expected, and then suddenly I got the word that the budget had been cut and the position eliminated. About six months later, I get an email asking if I'm still interested, since a new budget has allowed them to repost the position. This time I interviewed again, and had an offer letter that same week. I commuted from Jamestown, NC to Charlotte while the house there was on the market. Fortunately, it sold in a reasonable amount of time.
For my second job, I started with craigslist.com. There aren't a whole lot of viable part-time jobs listed, but there are a few here and there. I also spent time applying online to various places that I felt might offer good part-time job opportunities that wouldn't interfere with my regular job. I was going to apply for a job delivering pizza, but from what I was hearing those jobs aren't paying very well. That's when I contacted the Charlotte Observer circulation manager, and asked if they had any delivery routes available or opening up soon. Within a week I had a call from a local manager who had a driver looking to give up her route. I did a one-day drive-along with the current driver, then took over the route the following Monday. Been doing it every day since then.
- Kevin
Last edited by superk; 07-06-2009 at 12:30 PM..
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