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I'm dumbfounded for a couple of reasons. First, I can't imagine why you're having such a hard time other than perhaps employers feel as though you might change your mind and go back to what you were doing before. Meaning, it might be the industry change that's giving you problems -- although that even seems like a stretch. Obviously your age isn't an issue -- I thought you were much closer to retirement by the way you said "a few years". 40's is prime age from what I understand, just for the reasons you mentioned. Another thing that gets me is that I have no clue why employers are paying so much less in the Triangle? I'm at a complete loss. It seems like people are getting paid much less in a number of industries; nursing being one I can think of off the top of my head. I don't know why this would be, and why you're having such a hard time getting something. One more thought: maybe you should start your resume from scratch. If you said that you're having a hard time just getting in the door, then there's something on that paper that's keeping them from bringing you in. Others have said that they haven't had problems getting hired once they get to the area so it's really the only thing I can think of. Again, I'm stretching just to think of what in the world it could be...
I feel for you though and I hope that things turn around soon as it really seems as though you're happy with the area overall.
You make a great point about the resume. That is where most people make their mistake. It is best to have a professional look at it. From what the OP has stated, there should be absolutely no problem find a job quickly and at a good pay grade. There is something wrong with either the resume or in the interview. There are a gazillion call center jobs available, along with insurance & bank documentation jobs that all pay in the $30's. I highly suggest seeing a professional to look at your experience and to work on your resume. It may cost a few hundred bucks, but will be well worth it. With what you are looking for, you should be working within a month. You could even get temporary work at any of the stores around here. I see help wanted signs at every one I go into.
As a previous poster posted, the streets are not lined with gold, but they are lined with opportunity. Best of luck to you.
I feel for you - my bil is looking for work after being laid off in june and he is having a miserable time. Nobody seems to be hiring, even when advertising.
Have you considered temping in the interim? have you interviewed with any temp agencies? might be a way to get a foot in the door any meet people in your industry and others.
I need to know where I should look for one of these jobs you referred to. All of the jobs that I'm capable of working in Raleigh are call centers and inside sales and they are all offering $8.00 (and your lucky you might see $10.00, but you better be a darn good sales person for the $10.00.) PLUS, all of the call center jobs say that you that you MUST have experience working in a call center, why I'll know since anybody could do this type of horrible job. I've never done that type of work in my life, nor have I ever worked in a bank as you suggested. Where I lived we never heard of call centers. The mid west and the east have these jobs. I've been looking for months at jobs I qualify for and there is no way I'm going to see $30k in Raleigh. You need special skills that I do NOT have in order to see $30k. My skills are in the insurance industry which I no longer want to be in (I'm totally burnt out in this field.) My resume is the same it's always been and for the last 25 years it has gotten me the first job I always applied for. My friends could not believe how easily jobs came to me using the same resume. For some reason they don't like it here in Raleigh. That's why I think it's because I came from out of state and have to tell them that since I'm no longer at my last job. I really do have a very professional looking resume. Please go to Monster.com, Craigslist, Trianglejob.com and look very carefully EVERYDAY under Inside Sales, Customer Service,(which are all call centers and are aweful jobs, but I would take one.) After 4 months tell me what you see and what experience they are asking that you have. Oh, and when you submit your resume expect 8 out of 10 of them will go to employment agencies and the job you applied for the day it was posted is no longer aviailable according to the employment acency. It's just a ploy to get you to come into there office. Once you get there you need a completley different set of skills such as sitting at a phone all day and taking orders from people or trying to sell something onbody would want.
And yes, I have tried temp work, part time work, you name it I've been there. In one of my posts I mentioned how the owner lied and never showed up for the interview. And then he hung up on me when I called him again to and wanted to set up another appointment and ask what happened. He never even saw my resume! I am going to rewrite my resume, but I'm not sure how it coudl ever be improved. Someone who does resumes for a living did mine 2 years ago and what they did was great. Without a job now and the longer I'm here the harder it is going to be to get a job, if that's even possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlton Dude
You make a great point about the resume. That is where most people make their mistake. It is best to have a professional look at it. From what the OP has stated, there should be absolutely no problem find a job quickly and at a good pay grade. There is something wrong with either the resume or in the interview. There are a gazillion call center jobs available, along with insurance & bank documentation jobs that all pay in the $30's. I highly suggest seeing a professional to look at your experience and to work on your resume. It may cost a few hundred bucks, but will be well worth it. With what you are looking for, you should be working within a month. You could even get temporary work at any of the stores around here. I see help wanted signs at every one I go into.
As a previous poster posted, the streets are not lined with gold, but they are lined with opportunity. Best of luck to you.
I need to know where I should look for one of these jobs you referred to. All of the jobs that I'm capable of working in Raleigh are call centers and inside sales and they are all offering $8.00 (and your lucky you might see $10.00, but you better be a darn good sales person for the $10.00.) PLUS, all of the call center jobs say that you that you MUST have experience working in a call center, why I'll know since anybody could do this type of horrible job. I've never done that type of work in my life, nor have I ever worked in a bank as you suggested. Where I lived we never heard of call centers. The mid west and the east have these jobs. I've been looking for months at jobs I qualify for and there is no way I'm going to see $30k in Raleigh. You need special skills that I do NOT have in order to see $30k. My skills are in the insurance industry which I no longer want to be in (I'm totally burnt out in this field.) My resume is the same it's always been and for the last 25 years it has gotten me the first job I always applied for. My friends could not believe how easily jobs came to me using the same resume. For some reason they don't like it here in Raleigh. That's why I think it's because I came from out of state and have to tell them that since I'm no longer at my last job. I really do have a very professional looking resume. Please go to Monster.com, Craigslist, Trianglejob.com and look very carefully EVERYDAY under Inside Sales, Customer Service,(which are all call centers and are aweful jobs, but I would take one.) After 4 months tell me what you see and what experience they are asking that you have. Oh, and when you submit your resume expect 8 out of 10 of them will go to employment agencies and the job you applied for the day it was posted is no longer aviailable according to the employment acency. It's just a ploy to get you to come into there office. Once you get there you need a completley different set of skills such as sitting at a phone all day and taking orders from people or trying to sell something onbody would want.
And yes, I have tried temp work, part time work, you name it I've been there. In one of my posts I mentioned how the owner lied and never showed up for the interview. And then he hung up on me when I called him again to and wanted to set up another appointment and ask what happened. He never even saw my resume! I am going to rewrite my resume, but I'm not sure how it coudl ever be improved. Someone who does resumes for a living did mine 2 years ago and what they did was great. Without a job now and the longer I'm here the harder it is going to be to get a job, if that's even possible.
IMOP, if you are changing industries, you need to "dumb down" your resume. Your past resume writer probably did an excellent job to obtain you a position in the insurance industry. If you are serious about changing careers, you need to have a resume that shows you are flexible. Down play jobs history in the insurance industry and add interest, side jobs, etc. You need to make the reader visualize you switching careers.
Art Lover. I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I does seem like you are convincing yourself that you cannot find work here, which may be part of the problem. A positive can do attitude is a must. Adaption is key. Sometimes you need to take something you do not want in order to work your way up to what you do want. There are a lot of college graduates here that start at entry level jobs ($28,000 to $35,000) and then move up. You mention call centers and other banks jobs. State Employees Credit Union has a great program and they start at $28,000 to $30,000. RTP Federal Credit Union starts at $30,000. Coastal Federal Credit Union starts at $31,000. Fidelity Banks starts at $32,000. First Citizens starts in the low to mid $30's. There are plenty available. These companies are always hiring and cannot get people fast enough. The list goes on and on. I have children that have moved from out of state and got these jobs quickly. Most people won't (can't) take a job paying around $30,000. For the ones that can, it is a great way to get in a good company. Then you work your way up to the $40's fairly quickly.
Buck up soldier. Think positive. Be aggressive. Take the bull by the horns. You CAN do this. You WILL do this. The future is yours. Make it what you want. Do not take no for an answer.
I thought about down playing my resume, but if that's the only experience I've had I don't what else I can say unless I make up stuff, and I would not do that. All of my jobs I've had mention the name of the insurance company, and you can't help but regonize it's insurance. Working in the insurance you do so many different things everyday that gives you a varity of office experience, which I include in my resume. I'm capable of doing a lot of different jobs, not all of them, but many if given the opportunity. I can't even find a part time job and it's been months. Once they find out where I'm from everything goes downhill from there. And I'm old enough and wise enough to know this is a fact. So it's not just my cover letter or resume. Am also out of work and employers don't like that. I was not able to keep my job and move here at the same time.
I have visited most of the websites that "3 to NC" show few jobs and they are not hiring for jobs that I would qualify. I spoke to one of the lady's (personal banker) at First Citizen where I do my banking. I mentioned that I was looking for a job. she advised me to visit their website. Then she asked me what amount of money I was hoping to receive. I said close to $30k. You should have seen her face! She said you would not start out making that kind of money here. I can get by on $8.00 an hour, but I wanted to see if I could make more. I only have 2 years of college - no degree. I did look into the insurance industry before I moved here and when I arrived, but decided the pay was too little for the amount of work you need to do and as I've said before I am burnt out dong insurance. Wlth my almost 25 years in the insurance industry selling and assisting customers, working at the same time preforming 2 jobs at the same time, insurance and banking, answering phones almost nonstop I was offered $25k. Personally, with my knowledge in this industry I thought that was a slap in the face. How others are making so much more is beyond me. I think they are well educated men although I hope I'm wrong about that statement. However, men do get paid more for the same work.
I just received a response for a Customer Service office position I applied for. It did not mention in their ad that it was a "work at home" position." I'm fearful of working for these companies although some ofthem may legit. Anyway, without talking to me or meeting me I'VE BEEN HIRED! If I sell $1,000 of their products I'll get 10% ($100 and they will receive $900.). It was signed "Regards, Bright Shine Management". Sounds like the chance of a lifetime! This is just an example of what is available. They lure you in by making it sound like they are a good company to work for, etc. I've been being very careful to avoid sending my resume to company's like this, many of them scams, but sometimes it's hard to tell. Any that have gmail in their email address I've also learned to stay away from.
I'll keep my chin up and keep plugging along for a littel bit longer. If I don't secure some kind of employment I'll move on to another state, but I promise I will come back to retire in Raleigh.
I thought about down playing my resume, but if that's the only experience I've had I don't what else I can say unless I make up stuff, and I would not do that. All of my jobs I've had mention the name of the insurance company, and you can't help but regonize it's insurance. Working in the insurance you do so many different things everyday that gives you a varity of office experience, which I include in my resume. I'm capable of doing a lot of different jobs, not all of them, but many if given the opportunity. I can't even find a part time job and it's been months. Once they find out where I'm from everything goes downhill from there. And I'm old enough and wise enough to know this is a fact. So it's not just my cover letter or resume. Am also out of work and employers don't like that. I was not able to keep my job and move here at the same time.
I have visited most of the websites that "3 to NC" show few jobs and they are not hiring for jobs that I would qualify. I spoke to one of the lady's (personal banker) at First Citizen where I do my banking. I mentioned that I was looking for a job. she advised me to visit their website. Then she asked me what amount of money I was hoping to receive. I said close to $30k. You should have seen her face! She said you would not start out making that kind of money here. I can get by on $8.00 an hour, but I wanted to see if I could make more. I only have 2 years of college - no degree. I did look into the insurance industry before I moved here and when I arrived, but decided the pay was too little for the amount of work you need to do and as I've said before I am burnt out dong insurance. Wlth my almost 25 years in the insurance industry selling and assisting customers, working at the same time preforming 2 jobs at the same time, insurance and banking, answering phones almost nonstop I was offered $25k. Personally, with my knowledge in this industry I thought that was a slap in the face. How others are making so much more is beyond me. I think they are well educated men although I hope I'm wrong about that statement. However, men do get paid more for the same work.
I just did a search and found these that you easily qualify for and they all pay more than you are trying to suggest:
Moderator cut: removed, use direct message
I am sorry, but there are an almost unlimited number of jobs available. It seems that you have already convinced yourself of why you will not get a job. That may be the reason why you don't get any. Attitude is everything. Any decent interviewer will see how serious someone is about actually wanting the job. If they see doubt or lack of confidence, you won't get the job. I highly suggest interview training for you. You need to make sure you are presenting yourself well. I have a feeling the problem lies in the presentation.
Last edited by autumngal; 09-14-2008 at 01:18 PM..
Perhaps you may want to consider having someone else (preferably someone experienced) to review your resume. A fresh set of eyes may reveal some things you may have overlooked. Or better yet, several sets of eyes. I can't make any recommendations, but maybe a well established job message board with some seasoned members. Of course, you can leave out or change any personal data like names of schools, specific companies, etc. It's worth a shot.
Thank you for the information. When I looked these jobs were either not available or maybe it was the skills they were looking for. To be honest with you I havent' looked at these websites in probably a month. I've been so busy 8 hours a day checking all over and sending out emails so it's my fault for not checkign them out everyday. I'm not going to apply for jobs that request proficient in Excel and many of them are. And the thing is, will they even look at my resume or give me a call? That's my biggest stumbling block. Maybe people are applying for these jobs, not just me. If someone has exactly what they are looking for they get the call not me. I've sent out over 80 resumes and only a very small handful got back to me. My resume as I've said before includes how diversified I am. I tried to take Excel in a college course and failed as did most of the classs only because we did not have a great math aptitude. I will go and look again to see where they are located and the qualifications. I was a teller once part time, but I have to wear corrective shoes if I'm going to stand on my feet. They did not allow the type of shoes I had to wear even though I was behind the counter. It was silly if you ask me. A grocery store was willing to hire me part time recently, but when they saw my shoes they said I could not wear them. They don't look any worse than sneakers.
Thank you again for checking out these websites. I'll let you know what happens.
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Looking for work.
