finding a job not as easy in DC as they say... (sales, mortgage)

[hairmetal4ever]

Everyone claims that jobs are plentiful here.

Everyone claims that, but so far I haven't had any luck getting a job in a DIFFERENT line of work than I'm in now. I've done mortgages for 7 years and I want out! I'm tired of working harder and harder for less and less money, I'm tired of sales in general, tired of commission, tired of having to pound the pavement all day for a bunch of 'maybe's'.

However, I have as much knowledge about the origination side of residential lending as anyone would hope for, and I also have a Business degree. However, esp. for government jobs, the requirements are SO specific that the only thing I'm qualified to do is what I already do! what I'm trying to get jobwise is something DIFFERENT but related! Each job I apply for I see say, 4 requirements...for 1 - 3 I think "this is me all over" then I get to 4 and think "uuhh...never mind."

For example, many jobs at HUD want knowledge of the securities end of mortgage lending. Other than a basic competence I haven't worked one day of my life in that end of the business! I know what MBS's are and the basics of how they're done, but I don't know a thing about calculating credit and market risk, etc...

You'd think that with my qualifications that something should be out there that doesn't require either taking a $34,000 a year job or getting a PhD!

I'm thinking something that's in regulation or administration, or the "back-end" operations in a banking or other financial institution. Even something private sector and dealing with clients as long as it's not active selling, I'm burned out from that type of work at the moment.

Any advice?

[DCguy03]

Have you ever thought about doing some informational interviews? They are one of the best ways to learn if you would be a good fit for a given job/industry/company without the pressure of a "regular" interview.

Also, try asking your family and friends if they know of anyone who works in the area. Between parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., there is a good chance that one of them has a friend or co-worker who works in DC.

Best of luck to you!

[vanyali]

You can apply for jobs even if you think you don't fit every one of the listed criteria. My husband has gotten interviews and offers from things like that. Just because they have a wish list doesn't mean they're getting a flood of resumes that fit that list 100%. And besides, once you're talking to them (or their recruiter), they might have another position that you are right for, and you never would have known if you hadn't applied for the "wrong" position in the first place.

Another good thing to do is to start talking to recruiters. You'll probably want to find a financial recruiter. You can try Huxley, they specialize in IT and financial recruiting. They just got my husband a job in DC in a mortgage-related position. They have a website, just do a google search on Huxley Recruiting.

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by vanyali

You can apply for jobs even if you think you don't fit every one of the listed criteria. My husband has gotten interviews and offers from things like that. Just because they have a wish list doesn't mean they're getting a flood of resumes that fit that list 100%. And besides, once you're talking to them (or their recruiter), they might have another position that you are right for, and you never would have known if you hadn't applied for the "wrong" position in the first place.

Another good thing to do is to start talking to recruiters. You'll probably want to find a financial recruiter. You can try Huxley, they specialize in IT and financial recruiting. They just got my husband a job in DC in a mortgage-related position. They have a website, just do a google search on Huxley Recruiting.

For government that's less likely - they're picky.

Huxley Recruiting? I'll try them - thanks!

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by DCguy03

Have you ever thought about doing some informational interviews? They are one of the best ways to learn if you would be a good fit for a given job/industry/company without the pressure of a "regular" interview.

Also, try asking your family and friends if they know of anyone who works in the area. Between parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., there is a good chance that one of them has a friend or co-worker who works in DC.

Best of luck to you!

Only my wife and I are in the area and my wife works for the government and says she doesn't know of anything. Any time she finds one, it turns out I'm way unqualified since she doesn't know every detail about what I have and have not done in my job.

My family is all in Ohio and I only have a handful of friends here so far.

[arkcitynative]

Hey HairMetal4Ever-

I realize that you think you are under/over qualified for these positions but you really should apply to any and all that you are interested in........

You WILL NEVER find a job if you don't apply. The assessment of your qualifications is up to the hiring manager you shouldn't just automatically assume that you don't qualify.

My husband is an engineer he is in the process of getting an offer from the government. We didn't really think he would even get an interview but he did and now he has an offer. The position is not really like anything else that he has been doing for the last 5 years but the skills were transferable to a different type of job.

I am sure that you have skills that are transferable even if they are not specific. You shouldn't under/over assume what the hiring managers are really looking for in a new hire.

Apply, Apply, Apply! It takes time, effort and it is PITA but you WILL NEVER get a job if you don't apply.

Look for jobs you are interested not just ones that you feel you are qualified for....

[juniperbleu]

I know it's been said before, but if you fit most of the requirements (i.e. "1-3" of the 4), just apply. You're not going to lose anything by it. I work with someone who applied for a director job, even though he's not nearly qualified enough for it. He was called on an interview and when they asked he admitted he was surprised they called since he doesn't necessarily have enough experience but wanted to apply to the agency. Now they're considering him for a couple of different positions that he knew nothing about, but fit him much better. If they throw your application away, oh well, you lost 5 minutes, but there's a chance they'll look at it and realize you fit a position they haven't advertised yet. Only the recruiter/HR/supervisor can know for sure that you're unqualified.

Last year I'd just take a few hours, go to a job website (usajobs, careerbuilder, craigslist, etc.) and just go down the line, clicking anything that was semi-relevant. I think I ended up applying to about 40 jobs after a few months. It's a pain, but at least you'll be out there in their systems.

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by arkcitynative

Hey HairMetal4Ever-

I realize that you think you are under/over qualified for these positions but you really should apply to any and all that you are interested in........

You WILL NEVER find a job if you don't apply. The assessment of your qualifications is up to the hiring manager you shouldn't just automatically assume that you don't qualify.

My husband is an engineer he is in the process of getting an offer from the government. We didn't really think he would even get an interview but he did and now he has an offer. The position is not really like anything else that he has been doing for the last 5 years but the skills were transferable to a different type of job.

I am sure that you have skills that are transferable even if they are not specific. You shouldn't under/over assume what the hiring managers are really looking for in a new hire.

Apply, Apply, Apply! It takes time, effort and it is PITA but you WILL NEVER get a job if you don't apply.

Look for jobs you are interested not just ones that you feel you are qualified for....

I understand that and I do apply but here's where I run into an issue:

I see a posting, usually government, that I think I am somewhat qualified for. It has an online application process through one of those sites like avue or whatever.

I go, I fill it out, then it gets to the "qualifications" section and asks you to select how qualfied on each point you are, and then type out WHY. As I type these I can't help but think "well, I'm not really qualified and this looks like total bull#$@* as I try to justify why I am qualified!

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

I know it's been said before, but if you fit most of the requirements (i.e. "1-3" of the 4), just apply. You're not going to lose anything by it. I work with someone who applied for a director job, even though he's not nearly qualified enough for it. He was called on an interview and when they asked he admitted he was surprised they called since he doesn't necessarily have enough experience but wanted to apply to the agency. Now they're considering him for a couple of different positions that he knew nothing about, but fit him much better. If they throw your application away, oh well, you lost 5 minutes, but there's a chance they'll look at it and realize you fit a position they haven't advertised yet. Only the recruiter/HR/supervisor can know for sure that you're unqualified.

Last year I'd just take a few hours, go to a job website (usajobs, careerbuilder, craigslist, etc.) and just go down the line, clicking anything that was semi-relevant. I think I ended up applying to about 40 jobs after a few months. It's a pain, but at least you'll be out there in their systems.

The issue with USAJOBS I think is that I'm not really applying to much of anything under a GS-11, I'm overqualified for most under that and they don't pay enough anyway to be worth looking at, considering the longer commute and all that especially. So the requirements are more specific.

Your method is easy enough on Careerbuilder but with USAJOBS you need those damn KSA's with each app and it takes a while to do, especially if you have to be creative with your experience!

Also, gov't puts a "points" value or a "rating" on each application - which means if I'm not as qualified I don't even get a chance to interview.

[juniperbleu]

You may have to get a little creative with your wording if you're applying for something completely different from your previous career path (no, not lie, just worded in a way to get past the initial screening). The KSAs and little "questionnaires" do make it hard, but my general point was that if you do find yourself qualified for most of the requirements, it's worth a shot anyway. "5 minutes" lost was a little bit of an exaggeration, but the idea was that, unless you have a slew of perfect jobs to apply for instead (in which case, obviously do those) it won't hurt to just apply anyway.

Also, you probably know this already, but a DoD recruiter told me that one way to get your resume through the search software is to copy/paste some of the key words in the posting's "Duties" or "Qualifications" sections where it's applicable. Even if it's something simple, like some of the active verbs, it will make it more likely to come up. Even if you don't get the first job, many agencies do keep your information around in their systems so it could pop up for another. It would probably work for KSAs too, but I'm not sure about that. Considering the application process is similar, I'd guess this would work for private sector as well.