Personal Assistant Position (Jacksonville, Golf: movers, job market, college)

[malove119]

Hello Everyone!!

I just relocated to Jacksonville with my husband who acquired a new position in the area. I am a college graduate with a degree in Public Relations looking for a position as a Personal Assistant. I have done a lot of research and can’t seem to find any listings for the position. Does anyone know where I can go to in the area to look for this specific position? I have called a few staffing agencies and none of them seem to have any positions. And help for information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You!

[riveree]

I don't have any particular direction to point you in, I just wanted to advise to be patient, it may take a while.

Employers in Jax have never been known for being speedy, and it seems these days they are really dragging their feet when it comes to filling positions. So it won't be unusual at all to send your resume and not hear a word for a month.

Competition is up too. You might be competing with hundreds of others for one personal assistant job (yeah, hundreds ). So you might have to send out more resumes than you normally would.

We've had a lot of layoffs in Jacksonville, particularly in the financial field. Most of these people are not going to go back into the financial field, so they are spreading into other areas. Many of them are degreed as well.

I don't say this to burst any bubbles, but just to paint a picture of reality for you or anyone reading who is thinking of relocating to Jacksonville. The job situation is not so great here right now .

[malove119]

Riveree,
Thank you for the helpful information!! We have actually already moved here to Jacksonville (Ponte Vedra Beach). I know the job market is not the best right now…but I thought I might try a different field (eg. Personal Assistant). I moved here from a smaller city and thought that Jacksonville might have more personal assistant positions compared to where previously lived. But as you said, I am not finding ANY of these types of positions. I guess I just need to look for something in a different field. Again, thank you for the information!!!

[riveree]

Originally Posted by malove119

Riveree,
Thank you for the helpful information!! We have actually already moved here to Jacksonville (Ponte Vedra Beach). I know the job market is not the best right now…but I thought I might try a different field (eg. Personal Assistant). I moved here from a smaller city and thought that Jacksonville might have more personal assistant positions compared to where previously lived. But as you said, I am not finding ANY of these types of positions. I guess I just need to look for something in a different field. Again, thank you for the information!!!

Normally, there are plenty of jobs to be had in Jax, but times are tough here like everywhere else in the US right now .

Maybe you could consider doing seasonal work ('tis the season ) while you still job hunt for your personal assistant job? If you don't mind working retail, you could at least bring in a few bucks to tide you over until January and hopefully in the meantime a personal assistant job pops up for you.

Outside of retail, the holidays are always such a tough time to find work, generally speaking. It's lousy that some of these banks are laying people off right now . Not that there's ever a good time to be laid off, but right before the holidays is certainly a bad time.

Good luck with your hunt, it probably won't be nearly as dreadful as I've painted the scene to be .

[mkgolfer]

HI,
You might look on Craigslist.org. I see many postings there for Business admin assistants. I just posted one there for myself. I'm looking for a part time assistant to help me with my paperwork in my business, but I'm in mandarin, so it would be alittle far away.
Check it out. good luck!
MKGolfer

[HIF]

Might try looking for "executive assistant" position, but IMO, they pay considerable less that other metropolitan areas. <35k

Also, check out non-profits for pr-related openings. Jax Humane Society has an entry-level opening in events. This is a very small town when it comes to reputation- six months at an entry-level and you could have met most of the movers and shakers in the non-profit pr field.

May want to join the FPRA, attend their luncheon meetings, network. Another org is the Nonprofit Center. They have great programs, but also a terrific way to get face time with decision makers.

[malove119]

MKGolfer,

Thanks for the helpful tips! I have looked around on craigslist and seen many posts for administrative assistants. That might have to be an avenue that I have to pursue. I have also posted an ad on there offering my services as a Personal Assistant. I guess I will keep my eyes open for the admin assistant positions.

Thanks Again!
Malove119

[malove119]

Originally Posted by HIF

Might try looking for "executive assistant" position, but IMO, they pay considerable less that other metropolitan areas. <35k

Also, check out non-profits for pr-related openings. Jax Humane Society has an entry-level opening in events. This is a very small town when it comes to reputation- six months at an entry-level and you could have met most of the movers and shakers in the non-profit pr field.

May want to join the FPRA, attend their luncheon meetings, network. Another org is the Nonprofit Center. They have great programs, but also a terrific way to get face time with decision makers.

HIF,
Thank you very very much for the information!!! I looked up the position on the Jacksonville Humane Society website. I think the position would fit me well. I have done a lot of volunteer work with the Humane Society and would love the opportunity to work for them. I really appreciate all the information you gave to me.
Thank You Again!!!!
Malove119

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by malove119

Hello Everyone!!

I just relocated to Jacksonville with my husband who acquired a new position in the area. I am a college graduate with a degree in Public Relations looking for a position as a Personal Assistant. I have done a lot of research and can’t seem to find any listings for the position. Does anyone know where I can go to in the area to look for this specific position? I have called a few staffing agencies and none of them seem to have any positions. And help for information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You!

You might call TL Cannon in Ponte Vedra Beach. My wife used to be a personal assistant to the President years ago before we got married. They own a bunch of Applebees Restaurants up in New York and New Jersey. I don't know that they are hiring for that position, but it is a personal assistant position that I know of that exists. They owned the Johnny Carino's too but couldn't keep the doors open because they weren't profitable, which seems to be an underlying theme these days.