Bought a house in Dallas! (Philadelphia, Scranton: sales, real estate, insurance)

[EnyaGirl]

A lot of you helped my husband and I when we were looking for information about moving to NEPA a few months back. Well, we have found a house in Dallas, and we close in 2 weeks!! Just wanted to thank you all for your advice and expertise that greatly helped us in making our decision!

Now, onto another question My husband travels for a living, so he can work anywhere in the US as long as he's near an airport (lucky duck!). I, however, am the one having trouble finding anything paying anywhere NEAR what i'm making now in Philly. Now, I am very aware of the difference in cost of living, and if need absolutely be, of course I will take a $9-$10 an hour job (ouch), but I am wondering if I might not be looking in all of the right places. Other than monster.com, careerbuilder.com and craigslist, does anyone know of any other job boards I might check out? I tried looking up local newspapers online, and they all redirect you to monster.com ::::insert smiley banging head against wall::::

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

A lot of you helped my husband and I when we were looking for information about moving to NEPA a few months back. Well, we have found a house in Dallas, and we close in 2 weeks!! Just wanted to thank you all for your advice and expertise that greatly helped us in making our decision!

Now, onto another question My husband travels for a living, so he can work anywhere in the US as long as he's near an airport (lucky duck!). I, however, am the one having trouble finding anything paying anywhere NEAR what i'm making now in Philly. Now, I am very aware of the difference in cost of living, and if need absolutely be, of course I will take a $9-$10 an hour job (ouch), but I am wondering if I might not be looking in all of the right places. Other than monster.com, careerbuilder.com and craigslist, does anyone know of any other job boards I might check out? I tried looking up local newspapers online, and they all redirect you to monster.com ::::insert smiley banging head against wall::::

First of all, congratulations on your move to the Back Mountain. Other than the horrendous rush hour traffic on Route 309 (which will probably seem "light" to you Philadelphians), it's an area where your property should continue to appreciate respectably in value for years to come.

A lot of jobs around here aren't advertised. A good word of advice I could provide to you would be to e-mail just about every local company that you have taken an interest in working for your resume and cover letter. Networking couldn't hurt either. If you have a friend who is an established employee of a company you wish to work for, then he or she can "pull" for you to get the job. It's called "nepotism," and while that word is generally frowned upon in the government sector (i.e. local school districts), I think it's perfectly acceptable in the private sector. I myself am preparing to ambush Parente-Randolph, a regional accounting firm, with all sorts of jumping through hoops in hopes that I can secure an internship with them. If that fails, then a professor of mine routinely passes along job offers to his students, as he is a well-respected CPA, CMA, CIA, etc. in the Wyoming Valley with plenty of friends in high places. If you tell us what field you're currently looking to gain employment in, I (or another member) could possibly
refer you to an acquaintance who is an HR manager at the company. It never hurts to ask. An Internet company called Solid Cactus has recently moved its headquarters from Downtown Wilkes-Barre to the Dallas area, so they might be a good place to start.

I wish you the best of luck in Luzerne County. You'll quickly learn that you've moved to one of the most politically vocal areas in the state, if not the nation, and most people will not hold back their opinions (for better or for worse I suppose). If you need any further help getting settled, please let me know.

[EnyaGirl]

Thank you for your reply. I have had several jobs in the administrative field over the course of my career, ranging from Administrative Assistant to Executive Assistant to Sales Admin to Office Manager. I have worked in several industries, including manufacturing, legal, real estate, title insurance, and the heating/air conditioning (HVAC) industry. I am also an experienced transcriptionist, typing over 90wpm. I would really like to use my administrative skills in the medical field, but I'll be darned if I can find a SINGLE opening that doesn't REQUIRE "prior medical field experience"

Basically, the job postings I'm seeing are for things I did early in my career and that I am now overqualified for. I've been trying to find a government job (usajobs.gov), but am finding that 90% of them require you to be a former federal employee and that other 10% that are available to the public are paying extremely low.

So yes, I would greatly appreciate anyone here pointing me in the right direction. Names of companies and/or contact names in the HR department would really help me get off to a good start. I have a solid and extensive work history with great references. I know I will find *something*, but don't want to have to settle for just anything.

[EnyaGirl]

Forgot to add/ask....what is the political climate there? Also, I look forward to posting more here, and becoming more acquainted with everyone here. You all seem like a very friendly, gracious group, and I look forward to reading more about my new community

[Summering]

OH MY don't ask SWB about the "Political Climate" unless you have a spare night and some midnight candles to burn......

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Summering

OH MY don't ask SWB about the "Political Climate" unless you have a spare night and some midnight candles to burn......

Naw. It's much different in the Back Mountain than it is in Scranton; people there don't foam at the mouth if they see a pothole or a skunk.

[ashley19]

I just saw a sign for a job fair on March 13 at the Holiday in by TGI Fridays.