Moving to Portland - seeking very friendly neighborhood with amazing schools

[ImaDualCitizen]

I'd say compared to other places in the States, jobs are harder to come by in the PDX area. Networking and or having ties to others in your field, is always a bonus KWIM. I wouldn't let the negative comments get to you, it's typical of any forum from what I've seen unfortunately.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by karen16

So, is the job situation really that bad? I've looked around a several different threads and it seems that there is a lot of negativity about jobs in general, no matter what field. Is it the case that only very highly qualified people are getting jobs or are just no jobs, period? When I look at the home prices, they don't seem that low, so I get the sense that there must be some income-generation.

The problem is that there are literally hundreds of people applying for a single job position. HR departments are just over whelmed. Recruiters will try to push resumes into positions that the person isn't qualified for, which just ticks off the HR department and pretty much black lists you at that company. Or if an HR person doesn't like a company that you used to work for, your resume hits the trash can.

A friend of mine was hiring for a ten hour a week coffee job about a year ago. They had over 500 resumes, and ended up dumping them into a big pile on the floor and pulling out six at random to interview. The whole job search thing is overwhelming for both sides.

Unfortunately, the best way to get hired is to network your butt off. Go to one of the multiple job networking events in Portland. Volunteer. Use Linkedin.com to your best advantage. Submit your resume to every single job that you're remotely qualified for. Sacrifice a chicken. Go through Temp Agencies and work any job you can.

[Nell Plotts]

karen16, as I recall you are an attorney. If you are concentrate on passing the Oregon Bar then assist experienced attorneys doing pro-bono work (perhaps you can get leads from the Bar Assn). Build relationships and demonstrate your competencies. If you frequent the WSJ law blog you will have learned that employment opportunities for lawyers aren't what it used to be.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by karen16

So, is the job situation really that bad? I've looked around a several different threads and it seems that there is a lot of negativity about jobs in general, no matter what field. Is it the case that only very highly qualified people are getting jobs or are just no jobs, period? When I look at the home prices, they don't seem that low, so I get the sense that there must be some income-generation.

I think it is a little bit of both of these. The jobs that are being filled from what I read are those in the medical field and some very high-tech specialized jobs. Also there are those really fortunate people who come here and start a business are successful. Of all the over-saturated markets, the legal profession seems to be one of the highest.