The Job Situation in Metro Detroit (Warren, Livonia: sales, student loans, job market)

[Tekkie]

Has anyone recently been job hunting in the Metro Detroit area? What have your experiences been? Are you getting bites? Are you getting job offers? What fields/industries appear to be booming?

Due to being burnt out at my current job, I am in desperate need of tips on finding another job in the area. Primarily, I have been using Indeed, Careerbuilder, and Monster. I have five years of experience in supply chain management and a BA from UofM-AA.

As someone who is desperately trying to get out of my current job, I'm wondering if it was a mistake coming back here from Denver. Should I move back? I may still have that option. I came back to save money and pay down student loan debt, but now more than anything, I just want to get out of this job.

[zthatzmanz28]

Me---Over 100 interviews last year, 3 job offers (all 3 turned our to be unbearable)....started applying again this year---Since August 10 I have had 15 interviews and ONE job offer. Professional, 15+ years experience and 8 years of college. Accepted a job that pays what I was earning in 1998. Doing the same work.

ELdest daughter on UIA for 12 months. 100s of resume's and 3 interviews. Paralegal, 3 years experience, 2 years of college. Still sending out resumes.

If you have any experience as an EMERGENCY MANAGER, Snyder probably has a job for you as there are a few more cities and school districts on the verge of being taken over.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

There is plenty of demand in the area for people with supply chain management experience. Are you getting any bites at all? If not, you may want to take a second look at your resume.

[zthatzmanz28]

What is a supply chain manager? A dispatcher? Warehouse distribution? Might try a few of the independent trucking companies? Imagine the pay starts around $25K? My brother works at CST (or whatever it is called now after some recent buy out) and they have been downsizing for the passed 5 years.

Check some of the shipping companies.

[DTWflyer]

There are plenty of jobs for people with a logistics/supply chain background, particularly with 5-10 years of experience. Engineering and supply chain positions are demand right now because of the rebound in the automotive industry. The OEM/manufacturers, suppliers, and logistics companies seem to regularly have positions posted on the major job finding sites.

A few things to consider / my observation:
- The automotive industry is stable and regaining some of what was lost over the past 5 years. Let's not kid ourselves, but the overall success of the industry will rise and fall with the national economy. At least now GM, Ford, Chrysler have gotten their business down to the proper scale of the market and have a better ability to adjust to demand fluctuations. However, one economic downturn and the industry will go back into no-growth mode.

- There are many positions open in the field, however a lot of companies appear to be looking to fill more entry-level type of positions. They often want well over-qualified individuals for the position. Don't be surprised if they jump at your resume if it has 5 years of expeience but you find out its for a entry-level type position and pay.

- I'm a little familar with the Denver job market as I did look for positions out there, but I found at the time that engineering/supply chain positions were far and few between out there. There were much better prospects in Metro Detroit. Denver is a more attractive city for young professionals too and attracts many more applicants.

I would go where you think you ultimately will be the happiest. If you want to come to Metro Detroit, I'm sure you can find something.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by Arthur Digby Sellers

There is plenty of demand in the area for people with supply chain management experience. Are you getting any bites at all? If not, you may want to take a second look at your resume.

I won't say that there aren't jobs in the SCM field, but rather it's the job offerings seem very limited.

A lot of jobs are very specific to the auto industry, of which I have very little experience in. My last two jobs were in telecommunications and IT sales (present job).

I've had a few companies call me over the summer, which lead to one job offer that I lost out on. I did get some good news this morning. A company based in Troy called to set up an interview for next Monday. I am crossing my fingers that it works out. And they're not tied to the auto industry.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

There are plenty of jobs for people with a logistics/supply chain background, particularly with 5-10 years of experience. Engineering and supply chain positions are demand right now because of the rebound in the automotive industry. The OEM/manufacturers, suppliers, and logistics companies seem to regularly have positions posted on the major job finding sites.

A few things to consider / my observation:
- The automotive industry is stable and regaining some of what was lost over the past 5 years. Let's not kid ourselves, but the overall success of the industry will rise and fall with the national economy. At least now GM, Ford, Chrysler have gotten their business down to the proper scale of the market and have a better ability to adjust to demand fluctuations. However, one economic downturn and the industry will go back into no-growth mode.

- There are many positions open in the field, however a lot of companies appear to be looking to fill more entry-level type of positions. They often want well over-qualified individuals for the position. Don't be surprised if they jump at your resume if it has 5 years of expeience but you find out its for a entry-level type position and pay.

- I'm a little familar with the Denver job market as I did look for positions out there, but I found at the time that engineering/supply chain positions were far and few between out there. There were much better prospects in Metro Detroit. Denver is a more attractive city for young professionals too and attracts many more applicants.

I would go where you think you ultimately will be the happiest. If you want to come to Metro Detroit, I'm sure you can find something.

A couple things.

Yes, plenty of jobs are tied in with the auto industry I've noticed. Those same jobs are requiring specific experience in the auto industry. My last two jobs have been in telecom and IT sales. The last time I had a job in the auto industry was back in 2004, when I worked for a non-destructive testing firm in Troy. I'm not sure how strongly this will count against me. So far, no such luck getting any call backs from the few jobs I applied for with the Big 3.

You pretty much nailed it with your description of Denver. That was part of the lure of coming back to Metro Detroit a few months ago. I was hoping to get in on the ground floor during what is surely an upswing in the economy here. I came across an article from The Atlantic stating that Metro Detroit-Warren-Livonia was in the top 10 for best job markets for fresh college grads. That's great, but I am making about $50k/yr right now. I don't think I can afford to drop down to an entry-level job at this point, particularly if I want to pay my student loans off over the next 2-3 years. I am hoping to find something in the $50k to $60k range, although I'm flexible.

[mgkeith]

Don't give up yet, Tekkie. Someone mentioned changing up your resume; having some "expert" help with it could make a big difference for you. You want that resume to stand out and emphasize the skill sets that the employers are seeking.

I recall (because I have kids around your age and it interested me) that you were feeling lonely
in Denver. Was that part of the reason you were interested in leaving?

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by mgkeith

I recall (because I have kids around your age and it interested me) that you were feeling lonely
in Denver. Was that part of the reason you were interested in leaving?

Yeah, part of coming back was to be closer to family. The other part was to save some money and pay down my student loan debt. Ideally, I would like to stay...as long as there is opportunity here.

[mcq]

I've had a focused job search since the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, most openings that interest me and/or are good fits are out of state. My area is digital/email marketing. I've had quite a few phone interviews with some pretty significant out of state companies, but never got to the in-person interview step since they have to be VERY interested if you are not a local candidate. Recently, there was an opening at a company where my former boss is a current employee at. He was able to get me an in-person interview that I had a week and a half ago, but I am still waiting to hear if I made the next step. Market here is good for those associated with automotive and some other industries, not so good for others. You've got to keep trying either way, but I'm keeping myself open to relocating if the right opportunity comes up.