Whats out there in Seattle love it but lost? (Puyallup: credit, home)

[jcluphf]

I have been away from Washington for 9 years. I lived in Boise, ID and Elko and Wendover, NV. I moved back home because i love Washington and was promised inside connections to for sure job positions. When i got here the story changed. I have been out of work since October. I am basically homeless now and have applications even at the fast food restaraunts. I am a hard worker and would take any job in Seattle. I live in puyallup but want to move to Seattle since that is what i came here for. I love Seattle it's the greatest place on the planet. The smells the sounds the views. My heart races each time i set foot in that city. I am lost and searching on the net for any suggestions on the downlow on Seattle. I know they are people who know people and have resorted to this method. I am so set on this and will make this attempt epic. I want to live and work in the mix in Seattle someone help me!

[angeeellis]

I feel for you and your situation (was there myself a little more than a year ago). Check out the Fortune 500 Top 100 Companies to Work for. You get a lot of background information about the most desired companies to work for. I wanted to make sure I got a job where they valued their employees 1st and foremost - can't get on the Top 100 list unless you're doing something right! So... decided not to settle, did my research, and landed the best job I've EVER had. I've been here over 14 months and I still look forward to going to work every day. The way the economy is right now, it's good to try to find a job that's going to last. Research is key!

You can also subscribe to sites like Monster and Hotjobs - those allow you to set up your own criteria and daily job alerts. The other one is SimplyHired (which is the one I think is connected to the Fortune 500 site.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

[Molly 56]

angeeellis, I don't want to be negative about your well-intentioned reply, but a little more than a year ago is as good as a century as far as the job market goes. I also arrived at the same time as jcluphf (Oct 1st to be exact) and I can vouch that the job market went into freefall right at around that time. Even the agency I was working with (temps as well as full time agencies) commented on the extreme downturn things took. One of them said in mid-November that they weren't even accepting resumes anymore as there was such a backlog of applicants already that they couldn't find placement for. I got a second interview for one job (didn't get it) and I saw that I was one of a stack of about 50, and that was just their own applicants that met the qualifications for this particular job. Doing research at Fortune 500 companies was great advice a year ago, but we're talking homeless and MacDonalds here.

Puyallup or anywhere safe is the place to be right now, jcluphf. Keep trying even at the fast food joints. Personally, if I hadn't finally found a job I would have gone back home to stay with family; if you have that option, you might consider it. You know that eventually you will make it to Seattle--it might just take a bit longer. Good Luck!

[angeeellis]

Originally Posted by Molly 56

angeeellis, I don't want to be negative about your well-intentioned reply, but a little more than a year ago is as good as a century as far as the job market goes. I also arrived at the same time as jcluphf (Oct 1st to be exact) and I can vouch that the job market went into freefall right at around that time. Even the agency I was working with (temps as well as full time agencies) commented on the extreme downturn things took. One of them said in mid-November that they weren't even accepting resumes anymore as there was such a backlog of applicants already that they couldn't find placement for. I got a second interview for one job (didn't get it) and I saw that I was one of a stack of about 50, and that was just their own applicants that met the qualifications for this particular job. Doing research at Fortune 500 companies was great advice a year ago, but we're talking homeless and MacDonalds here.

Puyallup or anywhere safe is the place to be right now, jcluphf. Keep trying even at the fast food joints. Personally, if I hadn't finally found a job I would have gone back home to stay with family; if you have that option, you might consider it. You know that eventually you will make it to Seattle--it might just take a bit longer. Good Luck!

I understand what you're saying, and you're right, times are a little tougher now than they were a year ago. However, I do know what it's like to be without a job & homeless. And as far as fast-food joints go, I tried to get jobs with them and anywhere else I could think of and still couldn't get a job. I applied for everything I could think of (I temped off and on as well prior to that for many years). Not to mention the fact that I was living in Seattle after 9-1-1, got laid off and lost everything! My son and I were homeless, couch-hopping and in and out of shelters for several years. There were no jobs during that time either, so I ended up going to school for a while, which turned out to be a waste of time.

Anyways, my point is this... I know what it's like to struggle (even though I am blessed with a job now), but I paid the price and didn't give up. Now my son is with his grandmother is Louisiana so I can work and try to repair credit, etc... I have come to realize though that, despite the economy at the moment, Seattle is an expensive place to live and it's crowded and I think, unless you have a supportive family and a good job, it's always going to be a struggle to make it here. So... although Seattle is beautiful, and will always be considered home, I am moving down south for a while. And since I did take the time to do my research and find a good company that has offices all over the world, I can transfer my job to another office and make sure I don't have to be unemployed again.

Another thing about working for a company like mine is; 1. They have not had to lay off anybody during these times, 2. They are still currently hiring, and 3. A lot of good/smart company's like to hire based on employee referrals (saves money and shows value/trust to their current employees).

I'm not saying it'll be easy, all I'm saying is, take the time to do the research to get a good job so you can be secure in the long run. With struggle comes ease and I know what it's like to struggle.

[JesseJB]

Apply at hospitals. Group Health is always hiring. Also I think UW Medicine is hiring too. You can always find clerical work in that field.