[llgrantland]

Hello everyone. I am looking for work in Las Vegas, preferably the gaming industry. I live out of state and have tried and tried to get employment. I contacted a staffing agency and they are supposed to be trying to find me a job (it has been over a month). Also, I have applied for hundred of casino openings with no replies. Does anyone have any suggestions or other steps I can take? I have my bachelors degree in accounting and I am looking for employment before I begin on my masters. Any advice or help would certainly be appreciated.



Thanks,

Loren

[NLVgal]

Unless you have some sort of outstanding experience or talents, no one is going to bother with your resume until you have a local address. I'm not trying to be harsh, but that is the reality.

[StaggerLee22]

^^^ this ^^^

[MSchu]

even if you have a local address they might not bother with you... I send out many many resumes to local gaming and hospitality companies, and never hear a single thing back.
sometimes it takes them more than a year to finally respond, don't ask me why.

[Willy702]

Few people get hired this way in any city. The people who do are generally perfect fits for the job, ie. they do it right now with another employer. Many more people get jobs through word of mouth. So if you are out of state and trying to do this unless you have friends or family putting your name and resume out there its not going to happen. If you have decided Las Vegas is where you want to be you are going to have to make the move and then network extensively to get an opportunity. You might have to take small contract jobs or work unrelated to your field to pay some bills, but eventually getting into the area and having met some people at local companies face to face more than a couple of times will get you in the running for work.

[BBMW]

Maybe Linkedin could help, maybe not.

I agree that the OP needs to get boots on the ground in Vegas, and needs to find a way to network face to face with people in the industry.

Edit. The OP is an accountant. Whe is she(?) screwing around with a job in gaming. Get a job at an accounting firm, and get her CPA. Once she gets certified, she should then go back and get the masters (MBA?) Also, Vegas is probably not the best town to be doing this in.

[westcoastbabe]

As someone who is currently applying for jobs in the city I plan to relocate to....It helps to leave your address off your resume. I've intentionally left my address off of my resume and I've gotten several phone interviews...Hey..its a start!.

[orca17]

Las Vegas has always been a transient city. Local employers have gotten burned by people who pop into town and spread applications around because they believe that living here will be like their four-day vacation. Some reconsider the idea after returning home, and others come here and find the city different than they believed, get discontented and leave. Because of this, many local employers don't even look at applications from outside the local area unless the person has a specialized skill that isn't readily available locally. Gaming definitely doesn't fall into that category.

About two years ago my wife's niece and her boyfriend came here, convinced that they would both have high-paying casino jobs within a matter of days after arriving. About three weeks later, when the money was about to run out, they returned to the midwest with their dreams (or delusions) crushed.

The economy is very sluggish here, and the employers who are hiring are often only offering part time work. People without specialized skills are having an especially difficult time. A permanent local address would be a good start.

[NCgirl2LVNV]

I'm not sure where you have applied or what qualifications you bring to the table, but I can tell you from personal experience that you will not be considered for employment if you don't meet the requirements outlined in the job description. If a company is looking for a CPA with 5 years of experience in the gaming industry, and yet you are not a CPA and possess no experience in gaming, you probably will not be considered, especially if there are other applicants who can fit the requirements better.

I did apply for a job with an out-of-state address prior to relocating to LV. However, my professional experience fit the job description to a tee. I interviewed twice - first on the phone and then via Facetime on iPad. Then, I was hired pending a thorough background check (which did check employment references and educational credentials) and drug test.

I have also found that the way your resume is written and the way you 'sell yourself' via a cover letter are just as important. Many of the resumes that are received by my employer (huge gaming conglomerate) contain spelling errors, little attention to detail, inflated job titles, etc. The cover letters are also atrocious.

[orca17]

Originally Posted by NCgirl2LVNV

I have also found that the way your resume is written and the way you 'sell yourself' via a cover letter are just as important. Many of the resumes that are received by my employer (huge gaming conglomerate) contain spelling errors, little attention to detail, inflated job titles, etc. The cover letters are also atrocious.

This is dead on. I do a lot of interviewing for professional positions, and it is amazing when I see a resume from someone who touts his/her attention to detail, and it is filled with misspellings and grammatical errors. You don't want to disprove the points you are trying to make when you want to convince an employer to hire you.