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Have you though about volunteering while you job hunt? This would show a willingness to give of yourself to a potential employer, and also an attitude that you prefer to work at something, even if its unpaid. It could also work out to an actual job in an organization. It would give you the stability of "employment" that employers look for, if you can hold down a volunteer position on a regular basis for a decent length of time.
OP needs to keep trying and never accept defeat. A person's attitude can be crippling, especially in this economy. Many think they are too good for low wage positions, so they blame the economy or being overqualified or whatever. I got a low wage job and I have a degree. I went through a temp agency and did some networking at church. This low wage job led to a better job. I am no one special. If I can get a low wage job with a college degree, any one can, unless you live in a part of the country where the ue rate is like 40%. I know I used to live in Yuma, AZ where the ue rate peaked at 27% and there were literally no jobs there. Even the Mexicans were going back to Mexico because they couldn't find jobs in Yuma. I had to move, but unfortunately, there are Americans who are stuck in these towns due to being underwater on a mortgage or whatever. If you are stuck in an area where the ue rate is above 20%, then you have my sympathy. If not, there are jobs out there.
Just because it's a job that requires no skills doesn't mean it's easy to get. That's a right wing myth. In fact, it's quite the opposite. These are the most hardest jobs to get because thousands of people apply. There are only 2 ways to get hired. Knowing somebody, or being EXTREMELY lucky and being the one the manager calls for an interview. Alot of people are stuck in the past when you could just walk in and get a job.
.... but can it be true that I am truly 100% unemployable?....
YES, but only because you beleive it! You wake up everyday and say to yourself you're unemployable and recruiters see that when they are interviewing you (I know you don't realize that). You also contradict yourself. One minute you write that you are a hard-working person and the next minute you say working for yourself is hard work? If you are hard-working, why is working for yourself hard? It is the easiest thing if you are passionate about something. You need to identify what your passion is (or was) during your childhood and then cultivate it to bring in the dollars.
I had a friend who was in the same shoes as you are 10 years ago. She has a Bachelors in EE and an MBA from NYU, yet no one would give her a look, let alone a chance to work for these Fortune 500 companies. She then decided to turn her passion (in her case, cooking) into a business and I cannot begin to tell you how successful she is today at the tender age of 36! I go to her restaurant and her cash register is ringing off-the-hook. Diners go to her restaurant and literally refuse to leave because she decorated it so well. She does not hire cooks, she cooks the food herself, which guarantees consistency and great taste. Remember, no one cares about your business but yourself and the primary mistake restaurants make is when they hire cooks who could care less about the bottom line.
In short, you need to take a good hard look at yourself and either change your physical location if you have to (by moving to another State) and you also should change your thoughts/beleifs. We all are what we beleive we are.
....There are only 2 ways to get hired. Knowing somebody, or being EXTREMELY lucky and being the one the manager calls for an interview. Alot of people are stuck in the past when you could just walk in and get a job.
Nope! I disagree. Being positive and self-confident can get you these jobs you talk about too.
[quote=Never Quit;28270853]...I'll look up places that are in Los Angeles.... [quote]
Los Angeles?? OMG, that's where you live? No wonder you feel the way you do, get out of there quick! I had relatives and friends who lived in that area. They all have since moved to the East Coast for better opportunities and lower standard of living.
Does not matter that you are sending out 100 or 1000 resumes a day. Most jobs are not obtained this way. This is the worse way of seeking jobs. Need to start educating yourself by doing a few things. I recommend getting the book Knock em Dead, and read it carefully. Plus there are plenty of 'starter jobs' out there--you need to start there. How about becoming a School Bus Driver--always job available. You should also examine you own motivation and desire to get and hold a job. Not having a real job for the last 12 years tells me that something else is present.
YES, but only because you beleive it! You wake up everyday and say to yourself you're unemployable and recruiters see that when they are interviewing you (I know you don't realize that).
For the umpteenth time: they never spoke to me. They can't know that I am not confident if they never met me. Please please stop assuming stuff about my personality and please stop assuming others see stuff in me when they never even met me!
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You also contradict yourself. One minute you write that you are a hard-working person and the next minute you say working for yourself is hard work? If you are hard-working, why is working for yourself hard? It is the easiest thing if you are passionate about something. You need to identify what your passion is (or was) during your childhood and then cultivate it to bring in the dollars.
--> Not everyone dreams of running their own business. Quite the contrary, my only dream is to get a job.
--> Not sure why you'd think running your own business is easy. It doesn't matter how passionate you are about your work, running your own business is not easy and it's most certainly not all fun and games. If you like working 70+ hour weeks then be my guest.
--> The self-help books are mostly written by people who figured out at least one portion of The Secret: write happy-dippy bs about dreaming and roll in the dough. If I was a person of less integrity, I would gladly write a load of platitudes and earn my fortune as well. But I can guarantee you that all the self-promotion and public appearances isn't easy work either. Following your passion is 90% load of bs.
Quote:
I had a friend who was in the same shoes as you are 10 years ago. She has a Bachelors in EE and an MBA from NYU, yet no one would give her a look, let alone a chance to work for these Fortune 500 companies. She then decided to turn her passion (in her case, cooking) into a business and I cannot begin to tell you how successful she is today at the tender age of 36! I go to her restaurant and her cash register is ringing off-the-hook. Diners go to her restaurant and literally refuse to leave because she decorated it so well. She does not hire cooks, she cooks the food herself, which guarantees consistency and great taste. Remember, no one cares about your business but yourself and the primary mistake restaurants make is when they hire cooks who could care less about the bottom line.
I'm glad she is happy.
I can rest assure you that she is not cooking for herself for the reasons you cite. I used to work in kitchens and a decent short-order cook keeps a consistent flavor and cares deeply about the bottom line. You can get some amazing cooks for $12/hour. Hell, I was making chocolate mousse and Angus steaks while earning less than that. I will also assert that keeping a consistent flavor is directly contradictory to cooking by yourself.
The reality is that restaurants work on razor-thin profits, if they profit at all. The only people who earn money from restaurants are the landlords. I'll take this liberty to make assumptions about her here: I bet her website sucks. I can tell you it's because she can't even afford to spend $1k on a design student to slap together something with WordPress.
So, you may wonder how chain restaurants make money. The answer is simple: sole proprietorships. These large conglomerates simply rent out their names to people who are willing to dole out the money. These restaurants may make money only because the conglomerate has enough buying power to reduce the price of a steak to a nickle, but even most of them sink and get passed on to the next person.
I can't read this thread anymore, you're bringing me down.
As per your suggestion, I do have an interview for an internship coming up. I consider that volunteering. Maybe something good will come out of it?
I've also considered building some sites up. In fact, one person promised to contact me about it and I'm willing to do it pro-bono. This is another volunteering activity.
I mentioned early in the thread that I built a large project that could be a business idea. I decided that I am going to open-source all of the code so anyone can use it. This is another form of volunteering.
I used to also volunteer at a food line and I also volunteered to help people read. Nothing came of those either, but I'm not mad about it. The funky issue with volunteering, at least as far as I can tell, is that most people that are volunteering are either doing it because they have to (for school or prison) or because they want to and they really have their life together. It's a little bit difficult to discuss this stuff with people as you sort of want people to believe you have your life together as well. I did ask around when I did volunteer, but nothing came of it. They just told me to open my own business or do something interesting like that, then they thanked me for doing such a wonderful job and helping out. I did get to meet a few famous people though.
i can't read this thread anymore, you're bringing me down.
lol...
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