Research/Policy jobs in Atlanta: What am I doing wrong? (2015, how much)

[Clare X]

Hi there,

I am a skilled immigrant originally from the UK, and believe I have a lot to offer the US... I have lived in the US for 7½ years (worked in health policy/public health research for 5½ years and had my own business for 2 years). I have been applying for research/policy analyst jobs (non-academic settings) since November 2015, and am at a loss as to why I’m struggling so much in finding a job where I’m currently living (Atlanta area) or anywhere else in the US for that matter.

I’m doing all the “right” things in terms of what helped me get jobs easily in the past (that is, a) applying formally for jobs that are advertised and b) sending speculative letters via email), but what worked for me in the UK in 2007 and prior years doesn’t seem to be working for me in the US in 2016. While I managed to land a great job in Atlanta in 2007 ironically when I was still in the UK, what baffles me is that I am actually physically located in the US now (in Atlanta which seems to have 100s of public health research vacancies) yet I cannot seem to generate any interest whatsoever in my current job-seeking endeavors.

I pride myself on having achieved things/gotten jobs through innovative methods in the past and wondered if anyone could shed some light on what I’m doing wrong now, because I’m obviously missing something that I should be doing. I now understand that in the US, particularly in Georgia, that a lot of one’s job search depends on networking/who you know, so the “applying for advertised jobs route” and speculative letters approaches that worked so well for me in the past/in the UK may be what is letting me down now. Unfortunately, I never mastered the US networking game while I was in my previous job, so you’ll appreciate that my position is even trickier right now.

I’d be grateful for any tips/advice in how to go about securing a research/policy job in Atlanta or elsewhere in the US because I really am at a loss as to what to do at this time. I have included these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarex, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xgwIKUIAAAAJ&hl=en, [LEFT]https://youtu.be/nsV_0k752Lo[/LEFT]to provide further background information.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Clare

[Fubarbundy]

You mean at a place like this?

[Atlwarrior]

I would think those will be contacted to the CDC and may require a government type resume with key buzz words.

[arjay57]

I would recommend contacting your former colleagues at Morehouse for leads. They are bound to be plugged in to the fields you are interested in.

Conferences and seminars are also a great way to network.

[jeoff]

There aren't that many jobs (many of the government jobs that you see advertised, are advertised as a sort of formality for jobs that are already spoken for). Lots of qualified folks are applying for the jobs that are left over--including veterans, who get preference, and crowd out many other qualified folks on the interview lists. If folks don't already know you, it's going to be hard to get interviewed, much less, hired. Most folks get hired as contractors (I might be able to look up who those contracting agencies are--and those are often the source of the pseudo-open hires).

[residinghere2007]

I personally think it is just a hard market in Atlanta for your type of work.

I will say as someone who works in a government related field - procurement, compliance, contract administration, etc., that it really does depend on who you know in Atlanta because there are a lot of people who do that type of work and it is hard to stand out.

Not sure how your professional network is made up but IMO it is important to have a wide degree of professional contact persons and to network/keep in touch with them for job leads. It would also be a good idea to join and volunteer for specific organizations that would bring you into contact with more people who have connections to you line of work in case you have a smaller network. It will introduce you to others who may pass along leads or put in a good word for you.

[ElleKaye]

The job market here is tight right now. You've only be at it since November. Keep your head up and I am sure it will work out soon.

I know a lot of people go on and on about how much it has improved, but that's not really true unless you want work at a fast food place. Also, it doesn't include those who said to heck with it and stopped looking.

I still say have a little patience and with your experience and education, it should work out.

[Mutiny77]

I'm in public health and did my practicum for my MPH in 2014 at a firm in Atlanta that is essentially a contractor for the CDC and other federal agencies. Due to being the home of CDC, regional federal offices, and state government, Atlanta does pretty well in this sector but I think you should be open to relocating to DC which is more suitable for public health research.

Also, if you don't have an updated LinkedIn profile, I suggest you get one pronto as it will be very helpful.

I'd look into networking via APHA as well.

[Clare X]

Thanks so much everyone for your kind responses - I only got notified just now that there were replies, and I'm seeing that they date back from two weeks ago! Thanks again - I will be responding today!

[Clare X]

Originally Posted by Fubarbundy

You mean at a place like this?

Yes... I actually applied for a job there in November and never heard back.