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I'm sorry, It was inconsiderate of me to suggest my opinion of a low salary was laughable; especially when many would be very appreciative of such a salary.
I suppose I have a bit of a different outlook as things sort of just fell in place along the way. What I intended to say is that after spending so much time in school, accumulating debt, and then having to relocate across the country, the salary for the level of work and market price for my job was on an extreme low end of the spectrum. My point wasn't the dollar amount, but more that salary was not a priority... and being able to accept that has paid off immensely.
My advice was to keep trying and to market your passions and ambitions in your resume. Employers are people and they like to see these qualities in their employees -- especially if you're just starting out. Highlight what you've done on your own to show that you have an interest and are keeping current with a given skill-set.
Did you even read my entire post? I said your suggestions were good and actually put over your feedback. However what I didn't like was your "flame response" that is the same dime-a-dozen no-value-added knee-jerk pat myself on the back while putting you down comment. The same comment that is made over and over again on C-D by people like you.
Sadly I have to scroll through posts like yours to get to others so the only way I wont read is by not even logging on.
I am finding the Ignore button useful at times, if someone strikes me as repeatedly hostile or mean in their comments, or those who can't accept differences of opinion and just keep grinding their axes. NOt saying that is the case with things on this particular thread.
When put on Ignore, you don't see their comments. It doesn't affect their right to comment. Not saying the Ignore button is always a good idea, but for me, it is helping keep city-data on a happier vibe.
Try using proper spelling. Saying that you are looking for 'employement' doesn't instill much faith or confidence in a person. Also try having a better attitude. I have a sense that negativity is being conveyed to potential employers. Remember that you only get paid above minimum wage when you have actual skills that you bring to the table. Nobody owes you a damn thing.
A little advice I think is needed. First of all and most important you must get/gain/have a relationship with the LORD. A church home is a wonderful place to network as well. There are lots of "jobs" out there but it seems to me you are looking for a career. You have to start somewhere!!! Not sure what part of the country you are in, but you might take a look at coolworks.com or cooljobs.com. There are literally 100's of "jobs" in the tourist industry. Second of all you must have patience. I was laid off 6 years ago and looked at the place where I lived for over a year. I sent over 20 resumes a day and got very little response until I discovered that if I wanted to become part of the workforce again it was not going to be there. I ended up in Wyoming and in 3 short months was re-employed in the oil and gas exploration world. This was not an easy move. Had to relocate 1500 miles away from the wife's family, but I did what had to be done. We have been here 4 years now and I enjoy every second I am here. Third of all "GET AN EDUCATION". There are so many programs out there now that are very low cost and it will give you a start. I spent 11 years in a community college getting several degrees and today I feel it was well worth the time and nominal cost. At 24 you should already be prepared for your life. Get it together or you are destined to become one of the "entitled".
Here's my resume if you can critique it, because I don't see anything wrong with it, I just have the utmost worst of the worst luck, pertaining to landing something other than flipping burgers
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Ok, I'm not going to jump on the bandwaggon of bashing your resume for all the grammatical fouls... But I will say, I don't think you've put enough effort into writing it. People often make the mistake of constructing their resume over the course of a night, saving it, and never opening it again. You should really be looking at it often, and making corrections, additions and subtractions along the way. You might not catch everything in one night, but the more you think about your resume, the more likely you are to find something that could be worded a little better.
And really, you should be looking to communicate as much as you can, in as few words/sentences as possible. Nobody wants to glare through a mini novel when attempting to determine your potential. Too much effort for too few candidates. Think about it... They can take 5 minutes to read and digest your resume, or they can read 4 well constructed resumes. Time is money. Your resume is promptly filed in the trash, because there are 100 other resumes on hand. There are plenty of other "right fits" in the world that you are competing with.
I generally glance over my resume once a month. Quite often, I will think of another minor skill that I have picked up, or how I have become completely proficient in some area that I only had moderate experience with before. And every so often, I will find a better way to communicate one detail on my resume. I believe my strategy works. I generally receive at least a call back 25% of the time. During some periods of the year, it's more like 50%. Professionally written resumes garner much more attention than a smorgasbord of whim of the moment ideals and random skills.
Try it. Read your resume often. It's your formal 1st impression. It's your foot in the door. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Only you can make that determination.
Yup, it's brutal out there. My wife's sister worked in the mortgage industry for a few years. She got laid off in 2009 and has been searching for a job ever since, but has had no luck. I have an uncle who was a lawyer for 30 years, making over $100k/yr. His law firm went under in 2008, and he's been unemployed ever since. It's really sad. He was going to retire and finally pay off his house, but instead he works at a hardware store making minimum wage now, and had to sell the house and move into something half the size. He worked his ass of all his life - he worked 60-80 hour weeks most of his career as a lawyer so he could get ahead, neglecting friends and family, and now this is what he gets - working for minimum wage (funny thing though is he's happier now). It's very discouraging.
I'm fortunate enough to be in software development, one of the few areas of the economy where there are still jobs...
Last edited by hazergore1198; 02-21-2014 at 10:38 PM..
Get out of the place where there aren't jobs and go to somewhere like Texas. If you don't mind hard work, you can get a job in Midland or down in the Eagle Ford Shale play making a good wage. Put in your time and save some money while learning the O&G trade (meaning, learn the processes that your all involved with and the components you use on the job). After a few years, get a job with an O&G supply company supporting these operations. Our company has outside sales managers who are making $120k to $150k that started off working out at the sites doing things like driving trucks. They made reputations as hard workers, always looked for advancement that was more specialized, talked to the guys out there servicing the equipment and found openings. The foremans and guys running the rigs, operating the skids and supervising the work respect a person who has worked in the field. They'll do business with them and that is important to the O&G supply and maintenance companies.
We have two guys here who started out in receiving, volunteered to help clean parts on equipment being rebuilt, did more and more disassembly and reassembly until they were pulled out of receiving and formally trained as field service techs. My guess is they started out making in the low 20's and are probably making in the low 70's now while traveling all over the country, and sometimes outside the US, doing rebuilds and such on site.
My point is, if there are not opportunities where you are at, go somewhere where there are. The O&G field is a place where hard work can really get you ahead and into a good career. Keep in mind, without any experience, nobody is going to hire you and train you to for the better jobs, but if you start off entry level, work hard and look for opportunities, you can succeed in several industries.
There will be many naysayers. Those are the guys who clock out at quitting time. It will be the ones that when a they know an automated valve is going to be replaced after the shift, don't think twice about it. Then there will be the people who will clock out, and then who will return and volunteer to pull wrenches, lift the valve onto a cart, say, "I can do that, if you need to do something else" when it's being pressure washed. Sure, nothing may come of it the first, second, third, tenth time you make that extra effort, but at some point, a supervisor will notice you not only work hard but also have more knowledge of the equipment than all the other guys. The guy servicing the valve may know HR is looking to hire an assistant for him that could lead to advancement.
Not all industries and locations have such opportunities. Move to one that does. Find some companies working Bakken North Dakota that need grunt workers to pressure wash trucks.
The great thing, if you will, about the roustabout jobs is that you don't need any true experience and that you'd most likely be working in a lot of different areas (jobs) where you can possibly take advantage of an opening through hard work and initiative. Remember this, if you get a job with a decent sized company, tell someone (preferably a woman) in HR that you are looking for a mentor. That is a huge push in many of the large O&G companies right now. They eat it up, and it actually would be very beneficial for you.
Well, that's my advice. Take it how you want.
Excellent advice. There are places that are begging for employees.
Also the 100,000 or so new jobs is misleading because that's just NEW jobs, and not job vacancies that also open up as people retire or quit.
And like it or not -- there are millions of non-official jobs. Jobs that people coming here illegally can find in an instant because they're willing to work as independent contractors and for untaxed cash wages.
I know someone who worked for less than minimum wage because his employer said he will hire citizens but he can't compete with those who don't if he has to pay high wages. I think a lot of jobs are going underground for this reason -- if you want them, you have to agree to the terms.
Honestly OP, I think joining the military is your best bet. They will provide you with a decent salary, great training, and experience for the future. I really think it would help you out a ton. Try to get a specialty that you can use later on, like Logistics or something. If you like the military, you could make a career out of it. If you aren't the "go getter" type, join the Air Force instead of the Marines or Army.
Resumes are a continuum. They change and evolve. You have to quantify what you did in the best terms. Eliminate everything that does not pertain specifically or detract.
Let's say you apply for a job doing inventory for a sports league. Do they really care if you played the trombone in college? Probably not. Space is a commodity on a resume. I've seen good ones that frankly just didn't go far enough to validate their claims. Maybe think of it as a infomercial.
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