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I haven't. My last job was typing data into spreadsheets in a law firm which lasted 14 months. I then moved to L.A. and applied at one temp agency which never got me a thing. I've been sending out resumes through Craigslist and get a response about 3% of the time.
People often reject me because I haven't worked in over 5 years, which is just because I haven't been able to find a job. I don't have a disability, but I have ordinary job skills that are unremarkable.
What do you think I should do?? I think my only change is to find employment with someone I know personally. That isn't going to happen.
No. Lack of motivation, and because you are somehow surviving without employment, you would likely quit the first time someone looked at you funny.
If you truly wanted to work, you could have accepted a million entry level jobs out there.
Turn this around to the positive. You say "you just have ordinary skills". The positive is you survived SOMEHOW for that period of time ...so how? That's not "ordinary". If, you are not telling us the real story, then what the real skills you have?
If, in fact, all is true then I suggest you improve your self esteem level. For example: Write on sheet of paper all the great things you did over the past 7 years. Take a challenging volunteer job. Work with kids or young people. Join a networking group. Join 4-5 of them. Work out till you drop. Get involved. Monday Wed, Fri support Trump. Alternate days join a protest. Meaning, find your place. Break the mold. Re-invent yourself. Pray. Think. Read. Sing in the shower. Sing in a club. Drive for Uber. Have marathon sex. Make a snowman or a sand castle. Finally, add 100 things to my post and go from there.
If you had experience in the field? Yes. There are many reasons for such an employment gap. But if you haven't, no. Experience and education is important. Mod cut.
Last edited by PJSaturn; 02-11-2017 at 02:44 PM..
Reason: Political commentary.
I've read computer books and tried to keep up to date on the latest software.
Word, Excel, etc.
Don't know what else to do.
The dilemma for an employer looking at that will be that there's no way for the employer to verify that you've done those things or that what you've done has taught you any skills. You need a credential to get past the HR screen.
If you want a job working with computer software, get certified in that software. A fresh certification demonstrates a commitment to keeping your skills sharp and gives you a credential that proves you've done the work of learning the tool. My local community colleges offer coursework and certifications in MS Office apps. You could also do the coursework online and take the certification exams at a testing center.
Very unlikely to hire someone with a 7 year gap. The simple reason is there is always going to be other candidates that have recent and relevant work history.
i took off 2.5 years without doing anything to improve my skills when I test drove an early retirement.
Got hired after my first interview (sent out about 5 or 6 resumes) in a new industry at 1/3 my old salary doing something different.
I quit that temp job after 8 months and rested for 2 months then got hired after my first interview and 1 resume sent out in the same company as a temp for less money but am now permanent.
There are always jobs at fast food places and the big box stores. Prove that you are a dependable person and a hard worker. You can earn advancements that way. You also need to prove that you can get along with others. If you are one of those people who is always fighting the system or not being a team player with your co-workers, you will not get ahead.
I think for some employers it's a problem because they wonder what you have been doing if not working and if your skills are still sharp. I took 4 years off after the birth of my daughter. When I went back to work I sent a cover letter explaining that I took time off to start a family. The employer that hired me said he appreciated the explanation and felt my previous experience was such that he was willing to interview me. That's were I proved my abilities further. I was hired on the spot and worked there for 4 years. I had only sent out a few resumes at the time of that interview.
I then moved to L.A. and applied at one temp agency which never got me a thing.
Yeah, everyone wants to hire a person who tries once.
If you have a pulse and don't have some sort of terrible disability or a string of felonies, you can get hired with a temp agency today. Especially in a place like L.A. Maybe not the premier executive agency or something like that, but "a" temp agency. We used some in DC that were so bad they basically delivered a busload of criminals and illegals. There was an illegal immigrant pride rally (or whatever) during that time and 1/3 of our staff didn't show.
*then again if you don't have to work for 7 years, what's the rush?
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