New Marietta Georgian, trying to get a Customer Service job ASAP* (Smyrna: apartment, rent)

[jason56]

I will be moving to Marietta, Georgia in a couple of days. I'm male, no kids. I have worked in Customer Service for over 6 1/2 years. I do not have a job in Georgia yet. Is it better to look for a job as soon as I have an address & telephone# in Georgia? Some job openings I've seen online request applicants that are already residents of Georgia, ready to work immediately. Is the job market as tough as everybody says it is? I feel that with my experience, as long as I apply to as many jobs as I can online with a Georgia address & telephone#, and go to as many job fairs as possible, I'll find a job soon. Am I fooling myself?

Jay

[BobKovacs]

I think you'll be able to find "a job" with little trouble- the question is, will it be "the job" for you? A lot depends on how far you're willing to travel for work, your overall experience level, and what your salary expectations are. Depending on where you're coming from, the salaries for CS positions here may be surprisingly high to you, or disappointingly low.

[atlantagreg30127]

"Customer Service" is a very broad term, and can apply to a large variety of jobs. There's always a big calling for customer service reps in many different types of companies here. That being said, a lot of those jobs may only start pay at $8-$10 an hour too, since many of them are geared more toward the college-age crowd who are only looking for temp work.

Being a single male with no kids actually helps a bit. Make sure that's on your resume. While Federal law says you can't discriminate, the hard fact is that a lot of companies here if given the choice between a "non-child person" and a person with kids, they'll hire the person who does not have kids. They're fearful that the employee will constantly be called away for a child being ill, having trouble in school, etc etc etc, and they try to avoid that, so their knowing you have no kids will get your resume bumped up the stack they have. Yes, I know, that ticks off certain folks a lot, but most companies I've ever dealt with do this. It's simply a matter of economics and making sure their employees are available and on the job as much as possible.

Yes, having an address here is a huge plus. If you need to, rent a box at one of the UPS Stores where they give you an actual address with a "#" as opposed to a PO Box - so it looks like you have an apartment address at least.

Get a map and learn the lay of the land quickly. You'll soon find on these boards that the # 1 suggestion from locals is that you should live close to where you work. If you move to Marietta and apply for a job in Norcross, your commute every day will be a living hell. If you live in Marietta, look for jobs there, as well as Smyrna, Vinings, Cumberland Mall area, Kennesaw, or West Cobb, first.

[netdragon]

Please check my PM -- you can send me your resume at the email address. I can't promise anything, but I'll forward it onto the people hiring for openings.

[Twinkletoes]

If you're moving here in a couple of days, the address becomes a non-issue. Get a local phone number ASAP. I do think it helps.

You should have no problem finding a job. If you need funds right away, call a temp service - they can have you working immediately. Then you can continue to interview for a permanent position.