Is this a bad job market? (Phoenix, Cottonwood: sales, real estate, mortgage)

[sassieb75]

Im scared and wondering if it's a difficult time to get a job? My husband lost his job on Monday and Im worried it will take awhile to get another one! He has done sales, left mortgage last year and got a management position. That obviously didnt work out. He does not have a degree.....any ideas????

[azriverfan]

I'm a proponent of Phoenix but I also try to remain objective. I think the Phoenix job market is rather weak. I think it is slowly improving but it still lags behind. A good friend of mine moved to Chicago years ago. I mentioned the growth and the rising home prices in our past conversations. He would respond with :"Yeah, but where are the jobs to sustain this spending and growth" I didn't really have an answer for him.

If I were your husband, I would look for a job in another city or considering entering a different market like healthcare and take the necessary steps to getting an education in that field. The problem with sales positions is that there are so many people who are similarly qualified since sales careers don't require a formal degree to enter them in most cases. There are literally thousands of sales managers and directors of sales unemployed right now.

[twin.spin]

Originally Posted by azriverfan

There are literally thousands of sales managers and directors of sales unemployed right now.

....and anyone connected with the construction industry and realtors, and the airlines.....

If its bad in Phoenix look on the bright side...yesterday on the AZ workforce connection, there was a total of 10 job openings for the past 6 days in a 25 mile radius of Cottonwood

[azriverfan]

Originally Posted by twin.spin

....and anyone connected with the construction industry and realtors, and the airlines.....

I agree. Most people in sales, real estate, and construction didn't require a formal degree to get started in those respective fields therefore, there was a lot of competition in those fields since there wasn't really anything to inhibit people from entering those jobs. Most of the realtors I know never attended college and started when they were young. They happen to be extremely successful but the problem is they were competing with a lot of people like themselves. During times of recession, the suppy is higher than the demand and thus it can be difficult for these professionals to find work.

[YAZ]

Manufacturing has seen a little dip here in the valley, but there's still a shortage of qualified skilled trades folks.

Good luck and keep your chin up.

[jd433]

Unfortunately this is a bad time to be looking for a job in the valley. Phoenix area is losing more jobs as we speak and it isn't getting any better for now. Phoenix was just rated one of the worst job markets in the nation
we were like number 46 out of 50 for job growth in the last year.

[movin'on]

I think learning Spanish is a good idea, if that's an option. I haven't sent out many resumes, but I've averaged a 25% response rate, at least. It's nice I have an MBA and a lot of varied business experience, but the bilingual thing seems to be what is giving me an edge.

At any rate, just a thought.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by jd433

Unfortunately this is a bad time to be looking for a job in the valley. Phoenix area is losing more jobs as we speak and it isn't getting any better for now. Phoenix was just rated one of the worst job markets in the nation
we were like number 46 out of 50 for job growth in the last year.

Go to careerbuilder.com and put a job title in. Don't put a state and then put in a field of employment and see what comes up and do the last 30 days. That is how we ended up back in Phoenix. Phoenix is #1 in construction #2 in accounting and #2 in sales. We weren't planning on returning here but we could not find decent jobs anywhere else. I wanted to stay in SC or NC or head to Florida or even Philly.

[Chrismo]

I was supposed to take this job but was told that they went with another candidate after all my phone interviews and getting out here to "establish" a location. Only to learn that they took someone with a degree over my 20+ years of experience in accounting. Now I'm stuck out here with a high rent, high rising cost of living and no job. The pay here is so awful! I don't know how I'm going to pay my rent! I can't even find anything over $20 an hour! I was making over $31 an hour in NYC and was never without a job!

I can't afford to go to school, I can't afford to move again since I just spent most of my earnings on getting out here to be near family, friends. I've been told to remain positive and that I've only been out here 4 weeks. I've been networking for hours and hours every day with different websites, I've been to more than 6 employment agencies and NO ONE has returned any of my calls. This is very, very Scary!!!!

Although, I love it here, it's really difficult to get a GOOD paying JOB.

[dc1225]

Originally Posted by sassieb75

Im scared and wondering if it's a difficult time to get a job? My husband lost his job on Monday and Im worried it will take awhile to get another one! He has done sales, left mortgage last year and got a management position. That obviously didnt work out. He does not have a degree.....any ideas????

YES, it is a bad job market. However, he should still be able to go find a sales job as that's the only field that I am aware of never has any downtime even in bad times.