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I am scared to death! I lost my job on Friday and for the first time in almost twenty years of working I am unemployed.
The first thing I did when I lost my job due to a corporate reorganization was cry, then I rushed to my parents for their advice. Here is what they told me:
Finding a job is a full time job. If I don't find one in a month or so my unemployment status will hurt me big time, so I have to get a job fast. Employers don't like the unemployed.
I need to spend 10-12 hours a day every day job hunting. I need professional help with my resume and it should be reviewed by people who know how to write a great looking resume and experts in English and Grammar. My resume needs to talk mostly about what I have accomplished and not about my basic routine tasks. I need to have metrics on my resume and show how I solved corporate problems.
The worst way to find a job is sit at home and send resumes via Internet job boards like Monster.com. I need to call everyone I know and ask them if they know of any jobs in my career field, "Office Manager." I need to create a 30 second elevator pitch and practice it over and over for networking events and job fairs. I need to get in with some temp agencies and take any job they have as long as it won't interfere with my ability to interview for something better. Get myself out there and show people I could not normally interact with that I can do the job.
When I interview, I have to fit in and be likable because if they think I am an outsider and not like them or the rest of the team, all the education and experience in the world is not going to get me hired. In many cases the person they liked best personally and sell their accomplishments best will be hired, not the one with the nicest resume.
If I follow these rules, I will have a job in a month or less. Is this true?
Who knows. I've landed jobs in a couple months, and some in 8 months. It takes time. I wouldn't get your hopes in finding a job in 1 month. It might happen, it might not, most likely it will not. It takes work to get work, great advice from your parents. Instead of being shocked accept what happened and use it as motivation to find a new job. Good luck.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Even 12 hours a day working on finding a job will not guarantee one in a month unless you are willing to settle for something way below your experience/skill/pay level. It's just not that easy, like it was back in the 1990s. When there are few openings for the jobs you want, and 100 or more applicants for each, the odds are against you. Will working at finding a job for 12 hours a day increase your chances and speed up the process? Definitely. Just don't feel badly if you don't live up to their unrealistic expectations.
No >4-5 months is when employers get curious for explanations. Even HR filters work around this time span.. If you go past that then you're pretty much screwed and will be working in restaurants, grocery stores, or wherever staffing agencies put you, if you're lucky..
What you say about the Internet and fitting in during interviews at least shows you have experience. Good luck
It's going to depend... what works for someone in Seattle in a month is going to be different from what works for someone in Detroit, also the desirability of your skill set/educational background is going to have an impact. I will say that 12 hours of job hunting per day is unrealistic, especially when you're going to be networking instead of filling out applications, and no, employers don't start getting weird after a month's time. Out of curiosity, I want to ask... how old are you? Do you literally have 20 years of work experience?
Apply for -any- job in state, out of state, and even out of the country. If you have to apply for a teach English abroad program or even volunteer in the peace corpse for awhile, then do it.
In my opinion, the USA isn't a mecca for jobs anymore. It's safer to get your education here, work abroad and make something of yourself there, and then come back when things in the USA is looking up. While it's true the economic depression won't last long, every decade that passes by, the USA is starting to show more and more weakness.
Historically speaking, a Depression/Recession happens every 20 years or so. We had ours start in 2007, the next time our economy tanks should be around 2027-2030. With the slow recovery at the moment, it's simply not enough time to get a career going, save up, and start your life again only to have it crashing AGAIN.
The pay in small towns or abroad might not be as high as you want it, but it's better than risking job hunting like mad for several months and then realizing that you have to take out your home equity or take money out of your retirement in order to keep your bills current and your head afloat.....
You have been working for the last 20 years, so you are probably over 35 years old. You have to ask your parents, who may be retired, how to find a job?
You do not need to be looking 10-12 hours a day. It will cause burnout and stress you out. It's not like the number of job ads, double after the 8 hours. You can browse all the new ads for the day within 2 hours.
Go look for the local job club, career development group on meetup.com They can provide better advice and support from people that aren't retired.
I have found all my jobs through the internet for the last 10 years. My family, friends, and associates found most of their jobs online, too. Things were different, 20 years ago.
Large employers do the initial processing by the internet and telephone. A large HR dept could have 50 recruiters spread across the whole country. If you call the local office, you won't even talk to the right person. I apply for a job in Dallas, but the recruiter is in NYC. I spoke to somebody for a job in Arkansas, but the recruiter was in Houston. The HR recruiters contact people all over the country for different offices.
It takes a minimum of a month to start a job, unless you are going through a mom & pop. Most places will require a phone screen and 1-2 rounds of interviews. The sign-offs could go through 3 or 4 levels of management, before you get the offer.
Last edited by move4ward; 04-19-2014 at 05:32 PM..
School Districts are always looking for office substitutes. Just an idea to keep you employed.
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