Why Is Finding A Job In Chicago So Hard? (Naperville: real estate, 2015)

[Atlanta_BD]

Anned

Originally Posted by marothisu

It depends on what you're going into. Do you have a degree? If so, what is it? There are many people being hired here, with college degrees, and there are other places that always do need help where you don't need a degree. My area alone at work has hired 15 people this year, offered some more recently, and still hiring more through the year and into next. We are nowhere near the only company doing this in Chicago. Many others doing it. For these types of jobs, sometimes they won't care if you're out of state. However, if you are going to be a normal admin assistant, that's not going to happen. They'll want you to already be in state/the area.

You have to go out and look or go online. Take initiative. There's a lot of lazy people in this world. I was talking to one of my doorman, who is a Polish immigrant, and he was extremely pissed at people saying they can't find work. He talked about his experience, coming here without knowing english, and he's never been unemployed since. He called a lot of people "lazy."

I planned to finish school up there and I am currently working on earning my CAPM certification. My background is administrative (mainly legal).

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

Is it really that tough to find work in Chicago? I was hoping to move back by the end of the year.

Jesse69 has sort of a unique situation, so don't let his lack of a job dissuade you.

[bryan alan]

I moved here in June of 2008 and had a job at Caribou Coffee within a week.

I got my current job (managing a law firm) the following March. It took 9 months of applications, interviewing, hearing "you're overqualified", "you were the second choice", blah blah blah. Finally paid off. Persistence is key! I made lattes everyday but looking for decent work was definitely a full-time job!

[ChiNaan]

Here you go:

Thalia Hall's Punch House, Dusek's Now Hiring - Pilsen - DNAinfo.com Chicago

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by bryan alan

I moved here in June of 2008 and had a job at Caribou Coffee within a week.

I got my current job (managing a law firm) the following March. It took 9 months of applications, interviewing, hearing "you're overqualified", "you were the second choice", blah blah blah. Finally paid off. Persistence is key! I made lattes everyday but looking for decent work was definitely a full-time job!

That sounds encouraging. Though I'd prefer to be in a legal/office setting, I'm definitely willing to work where ever I can until I can find something. I've been struggling to find decent work in Atlanta for 4 years. I'm pretty much ready to just pack up and move back home to Chicago. Thanks for reminding us that it can be done.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by RockyMonroe

its even hard to find minimum wage around here. What is the city coming to in the next 2 years? I love this place but I might have to leave

I agree with you if we're talking decent jobs 30-40k and up. But a minimum wage job? $8.25/hr; 18-24k? Very easy to find. Which is why I'm not scared of living on the street if I ever lost my job. 24k salary are a dime a dozen.

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by chet everett

One of my pals has a family run eating / drinking establishment that has an occaisional need for semi-seasonal workers. They don't "hang out a sign" until they have exhausted all "friend of a friend" channels. When they do hang out a sign they tend to be PICKIER than when they stay within the circle of family / friends. Part of the family has a background in law enforcement and they have mentioned that if some joker wanted to set up a sting they might actually get in some trouble -- it is not like they actively discriminate against kids with college degrees but when it comes to working in a place that is a little rowdy and does need more staff in the summer they just have better luck with somebody that has done that kind or work before. It is also a huge plus if you have the right "look" for their preferred clientele and that generally means Caucasion women under 40 for servers and for bartenders that means guys that look appropriately like a big brother NOT a creepy uncle (for anyone that has seen my profile picture I think you can guess why they'd never hire me...).

Big time. If you want a job as a server, it helps tremendously to be a young, attractive, white woman. Otherwise, you're going to have to make up for it with a lot of experience of one heck of an affable personality. Even the crappiest service industry job will want tons of experience unless you manage to bypass that by looking the way they want you to.

When comes to folks working the literal custodian jobs, cleaning offices or worse, I know for a fact that there are "inside tracks" to these jobs too -- if you have limited English and you know somebody from Warsaw or Juarez who can vouch for ability not to spy on office workers messy desks you are in a lot better position than somebody that applies to a Craigslist ad and starts going on about how you learned the value of hardwork cleaning out the cafeteria trys in East Lansing...

Having someone to vouch for you will always be an advantage for any position, from grave digger to president of Earth. But on top of that, employers feel like a recent immigrant with limited English will actually stick with the job and do a decent job at it, and isn't viewing it as something to do in their spare time while they interview for a real job. Try being some clean cut white guy applying for a dish washing or fast food job. This reminds me of that scene from American Beauty where Kevin Spacey's character goes to the fast food joint, asks for an application, and is immediately told they don't have any management positions. The difference between that and real life is they ended up hiring him to man the drive-thru, whereas in real life they would have binned his application.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by RockyMonroe

I am also afro/black & dominican so you already know I have my limits. Some/most companies prefer white employees. Sadly

Most companies don't want to be viewed as racist. So they at least hire one black person and proudly display him or her. I don't deny the racism. I just object to blanket statements like this..

And btw, whether they're hiring "overqualified" people or not, places that pay minimum wage have a strong tendency to see massive turnaround. This is why places like truck stops and hotels pay unskilled workers enough to keep employees happy enough to prevent turnaround.. And often times you do have to know someone just to work one of these crappy ten bucks an hour jobs. Happiness will decline if IL min wage goes up to ten bucks an hour though - as was recently proposed. I think people underestimate how much an industry like this would be flipped on its head if minimum wage went up more than 25 or 50 cents..

[edward71355]

This is 2016, and Chicago seems to be getting worse by the year. I know so many people who have given up looking. People are leaving this city due to high crime, taxes, political corruption in government, and poor job growth.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by edward71355

This is 2016, and Chicago seems to be getting worse by the year. I know so many people who have given up looking. People are leaving this city due to high crime, taxes, political corruption in government, and poor job growth.

It depends on what industry you're looking for work in. Some companies, in some industries are growing strongly. Others are not. The global trends of the gap between high earners and low earners is at least as strong in Chicago as anywhere else in the US. I turned down two formal offers to change jobs last year, and opportunities to interview at probably a dozen other companies. I feel for people who can't find work, I really do, but it's definitely not an across-the-board issue in Chicago.