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So you met an employer who accepts transferable skills. How do you find those employers?
I've applied to various jobs, and some hired me. There's nothing magical or interesting about it.
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Originally Posted by bobsell
So random chance.
I guess, yes. Is there something wrong with that? Isn't landing most jobs random chance to some extent? A lot of it's about timing; being at the right place at the right time.
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Originally Posted by bobsell
Willingness to learn is not seen as a plus by employers. Employers want you to ALREADY KNOW the ropes. They expect other employers to show you the ropes.
So do you think I'm just making all of this up? I grew up working class poor, I'm nothing special here. And I know from other stories I've read, there are others like me on this site. We didn't grow up with any special connections or 'ins'.
How do you think anybody has moved up the career ladder starting from the ground floor?
While I think that plenty of employers would prefer that everyone they hired came in as an expert and super star in their respective field, that's just not realistic all the time. We all had to start from somewhere, it sure wasn't on the top rung of the ladder. This is probably one of the best times to get in on the action, too, because swarms of Baby Boomers are retiring over the next 5-10 years. Employers aren't going to have a choice but to bring on younger, less experienced folks. I've already started seeing this in the field that I'm currently working in.
And pretending they don't exist and everything is rainbows and unicorns in the job market will not help me in my career either. Checkmate.
Hey, FWIW, I hate job hunting and I think it's an awful experience. No rainbows or unicorns about it. We've all had our struggles from time to time. Being a downtrodden pessimist about it is not going to help your endeavors.
@Bobsell....
-Lekrii (or any other poster) is not saying the job market is perfect.
-No one here think you can just waltz into a company and get a job.
-Everyone seem to agree that there are a lot unfairness in the hiring process.
What some here are trying to say is, nagging&complaining about all those problems won't do you any good. You have zero control over them. It's best to focus on the stuff you actually have control over to improve your odds.
Reading your posts (from various threads), it's like you are looking for someone to tell you an exact step-by-step formula that you can implement to guarantee the position your desire. There isn't one.
For me, it has been a combination of attitude, luck and day-to-day decisions.
Reading your posts (from various threads), it's like you are looking for someone to tell you an exact step-by-step formula that you can implement to guarantee the position your desire. There isn't one.
I've been looking for this magical formula for most of my career, too; so if anyone can help me find it, I'd be most appreciative.
@Bobsell....
-Lekrii (or any other poster) is not saying the job market is perfect.
-No one here think you can just waltz into a company and get a job.
-Everyone seem to agree that there are a lot unfairness in the hiring process.
What some here are trying to say is, nagging&complaining about all those problems won't do you any good. You have zero control over them. It's best to focus on the stuff you actually have control over to improve your odds.
Reading your posts (from various threads), it's like you are looking for someone to tell you an exact step-by-step formula that you can implement to guarantee the position your desire. There isn't one.
I don't think anyone expects a "For Dummies" guide.
With that said, the networking posts are all well and good, especially if you're in a thriving industry in a major metro. If you're in the middle of nowhere, like I am, it's difficult to do that.
Networking isn't going to get me a job in a city I might want to move to thousands of miles away where I have no business connections at all.
A lot of the things people are saying to do are unattainable or inconsequential in many respects.
I don't think anyone expects a "For Dummies" guide.
With that said, the networking posts are all well and good, especially if you're in a thriving industry in a major metro. If you're in the middle of nowhere, like I am, it's difficult to do that.
Networking isn't going to get me a job in a city I might want to move to thousands of miles away where I have no business connections at all.
A lot of the things people are saying to do are unattainable or inconsequential in many respects.
So you DO know what the problem is. Wrong location. What are you currently doing about it?? Why are you trying to build a corporate career in the middle of nowhere???
This is the first time you've done so. The remaining 99.9% of the time you point the finger at candidates.
And doing 100% perfection will never get me a job with them. Not that I'd want to get a job with them - but they're the ones who usually have the job openings. Not one of your suggestions will work at getting a job with them.
And pretending they don't exist and everything is rainbows and unicorns in the job market will not help me in my career either. Checkmate.
Bob, all of my suggestions can lead to jobs. The last time I was laid off I had my first interview two days later. I do know what I'm talking about.
Re-read what I said. I'm not pretending bad employers don't exist. I'm saying complaining about them isn't useful. You're always going to find something you don't like about every employer. Learn how to improve yourself so that you can succeed in spite of bad co-workers, bad employers, etc. So, be self-critical. Ask what you could have done differently to have gotten that particular job. There's always something. Think about what you could have done better, otherwise you're going to be unhappy at work and complaining your entire life.
Also, this isn't a contest. This is a conversation.
So you DO know what the problem is. Wrong location. What are you currently doing about it?? Why are you trying to build a corporate career in the middle of nowhere???
My situation isn't horrible.
I'm top 10% or so in my local area with a low cost of living. I have a relatively good job, not a lot of pressure. When I jumped to my immediate prior job, it looked great on paper, but was hell on wheels. I'm just hesitant to give up what I know and is relatively good for the complete unknown at this stage of my life.
I think the big issue for a lot of places is that they are limiting themselves to the local market. For example if you want to work for the federal government and you live in Elko Nevada, you’re going to have a hard time. Cause why hire someone from outside of DC when you already have a decent employment market for you to choose from?
The “clustering” of job’s and opportunities is leaving out a huge portion of people. People who are stuck in the middle of Kansas and are living paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford to move to a new city without a job. Even those with college degrees are living paycheck to paycheck now it’s not uncommon. So to do a cross-country move is difficult for most people, even to other cities in the same state even.
This leads to ever increasing COL in certain cities with lack of supply and not enough construction to keep up, as people move for these opportunities that used to exist in more cities and towns.
Some of us are in fields that definitely have hubs and if you are not in one of those hubs it will be difficult to find employment. Not impossible, but difficult.
So if you’re fortunate to be in a place like the Bay Area or NYC that for some reason cannot stop getting jobs or another city like Phoenix that seems to be stagnant economically outside of like healthcare can change your perspective of this 100%. And if you’re middle class or above (I’d say at least 60k and higher in big cities) you will tend to surround yourself with people of similar stature and may never see anyone struggle with employment, because you don’t talk to the math major barista at starbucks.
I think the big issue for a lot of places is that they are limiting themselves to the local market. For example if you want to work for the federal government and you live in Elko Nevada, you’re going to have a hard time. Cause why hire someone from outside of DC when you already have a decent employment market for you to choose from?
The “clustering” of job’s and opportunities is leaving out a huge portion of people. People who are stuck in the middle of Kansas and are living paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford to move to a new city without a job. Even those with college degrees are living paycheck to paycheck now it’s not uncommon. So to do a cross-country move is difficult for most people, even to other cities in the same state even.
This leads to ever increasing COL in certain cities with lack of supply and not enough construction to keep up, as people move for these opportunities that used to exist in more cities and towns.
Some of us are in fields that definitely have hubs and if you are not in one of those hubs it will be difficult to find employment. Not impossible, but difficult.
So if you’re fortunate to be in a place like the Bay Area or NYC that for some reason cannot stop getting jobs or another city like Phoenix that seems to be stagnant economically outside of like healthcare can change your perspective of this 100%. And if you’re middle class or above (I’d say at least 60k and higher in big cities) you will tend to surround yourself with people of similar stature and may never see anyone struggle with employment, because you don’t talk to the math major barista at starbucks.
To me, this is the biggest issue with the labor market that is largely overlooked.
Even if you have a rare bird, high skilled job outside a major job center, it is a major pain to get a new job in a major job center. I live in northeast TN. I'm a little over four hours from Nashville. If I get an interview in Nashville, I'm going to have to take a day's PTO to attend it. I have fairly limited PTO and don't want to waste it unless I know specifics about pay, PTO, etc. I'm also not going to move for less than a 20% increase over what I make now - that's just to keep up with the COL there.
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