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Hopefully, this will help some of you still looking.
First, I found this job on Craiglist. It wasn't the only place I used to apply, but it was one I checked daily (this is the second job I've found on CL)
I had two interviews last week with two separate employers, and got hired by the second one. They both said a couple things pushed them to use CL.
First, CL is free to list here. Several other sites charge fees and when looking for work for less than $40k starting salary, this is a factor.
Potential employer number one was the owner of a small company with about 30 employees. Employer number two is the department head for a major corporation.
Both said that the employees they've interviewed from CareerBuilder, Monster and the state work website were 'snooty'. Both made mention of the tough economy and job situation and that people they'd already interviewed didn't seem to 'get it' and made demands (salary, benefits) that didn't fit their budget. Both companies have had to scale back significantly in the past 3 years (30% for #1, 66% for #2) and will not be hiring back the employees laid off because pay scales have dropped, in relation to the current economy, and none of those employees were willing to discuss a lower pay- about 20%.
After interviewing several people for the jobs, they both realized that they could hire someone in who knew computers, common software and had 'people skills'... that the right person could be trained on their proprietary stuff easily and quickly. Neither were considering someone with a BA or higher in their fields due to pay/benefits expectations and the attitudes of those they had already interviewed. I have an AAS, but it's 'old' and not in the field they were looking for. My cover letter, in both cases, got me the job interviews. Both had 'profiled' the 'perfect applicant' before hiring. I was a 'close match' for #1, and a perfect match for #2. (yay!)
I hope this helps someone else out there, and gives you hope. The work I'll be doing involves clients that are beginning to rebuild their offices in the hopes that the economy will improve after this year's election. The client I'll be dealing with directly will be rebuilding their office staff slowly (degreed and licensed positions, as well as admin). In addition to my 'regular duties', I'll also need to fill in for the client, as needed, as they make their transition. From that I took 'be flexible' and 'willing to do what they need'.
I've gotten a few jobs off of Craigslist, but I stopped using it thinking it was full of scams and robo-posters like the other sections... Guess I'll have to go back to it! Congrats!
I did get a response back once in a while from someone offering me outrageous sums of money, in exchange for receiving some packages and even for mailing a few. But from Monster, my husband gets a multitude of sales job calls and schooling offers, even though he checked the box that said he's not interested. It's a trade off, I guess!
Well it's excellent you found a job and are happy with the compensation and benefits but I would like to think that these companies don't judge people "snooty" just because they can't work somewhere where they are unable to pay their bills. Not all companies are "suffering" and personally, I'd like to work somewhere where the economy wasn't mentioned during an interview because it can be just another excuse to underpay and worse, tells me as a potential employee, the business isn't doing well and I'll need to keep looking anyway.
This is not good news. It's people like you who drive salaries down. They hired an unqualified applicant, trained you to do the basics, so they can pay you a low salary with no perks.
This is not how it should be. I can't believe our country has gotten to the point where educated, quality people have no place in the workforce because they want benefits and a fair salary.
We're gonna become like China if we don't stop this nonsense.
Unreal.
This is not good news. It's people like you who drive salaries down. They hired an unqualified applicant, trained you to do the basics, so they can pay you a low salary with no perks.
This is not how it should be. I can't believe our country has gotten to the point where educated, quality people have no place in the workforce because they want benefits and a fair salary.
We're gonna become like China if we don't stop this nonsense.
Unreal.
Exactly. So someone is now "snooty" if they bother to get an education and want a decent salary with benefits.
I wonder if the dept. head that the OP will be working for gave himself a 10% paycut to reflect the economy...LOL.
We're on a race to the bottom.
Wait till the OP figures out their getting paid around minimum wage for all the hours it sounds like they will be putting in.
Yea I have to agree that this is not a good thing. Its great you found a job of course but if it were me, I wouldn't accept a offer from a company like that or it would only be until I could find something that valued what I was worth. The companies who post on there want to get something for nothing. Its free to advertise and they know the people on there are extremely desperate so they have a good chance of getting a solid worker and only have to pay them peanuts. It says a lot about a company who doesn't think they are worth the investment to advertise on more reputable sites such as Monster, etc. not to mention the fact that they basically told you they want desperate people and not people who are aware of their worth and what they can bring to a company. I wouldn't be surprised that after you accepted the position they went and laughed at you behind your back...
It is a good sign that folks are negotiating for higher wages and turning down offers. A very good thing. This is regarding the "snooty" folks.
As far as the OP...a new skill will be learned for a low salary. But this will make the OP worth more in the future, as next time the OP will be experienced and will then be one of those "snooty" people wanting a higher salary at the next place that OP works.
Yea I have to agree that this is not a good thing. Its great you found a job of course but if it were me, I wouldn't accept a offer from a company like that or it would only be until I could find something that valued what I was worth. The companies who post on there want to get something for nothing. Its free to advertise and they know the people on there are extremely desperate so they have a good chance of getting a solid worker and only have to pay them peanuts. It says a lot about a company who doesn't think they are worth the investment to advertise on more reputable sites such as Monster, etc. not to mention the fact that they basically told you they want desperate people and not people who are aware of their worth and what they can bring to a company. I wouldn't be surprised that after you accepted the position they went and laughed at you behind your back...
IMHO, there is the macro view. And there is our own little life, which humdrum though it might be, is precious to each of us. In my view, it is to that little life, and to the people it touches, that our loyalties lie. With respect, if I have an opportunity to put food on the table - at the expense of feeding the machine - I will always choose the food on the table. Maybe you are more driven by ideology.
We are emerging into a world of diminishing choices. I may not like it, but pragmatism will reign supreme. Especially for those of us who are not market makers, but market takers.
I hope we will have a resurgence of integrity and statesmanship. Remember the quality movement? It was silenced when we offshored.
Perhaps we will have a renaissance at some point. It may take quite a cataclysm for that to happen, though.
Best to you.
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