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Milwaukee has a tough job market. The area has a lot of bright flight. Wisconsin is trailing in job growth. The whole thing makes for a vicious cycle. In addition, the market is highly incestuous. But that could work in your favor, because it sounds as if you are from the area.
I wouldn't bother listening to degree elitism or refuting it. It does nothing but waste time that you could be spending finding a job. IMO, it's not your degree that's a problem, it's the area. I have a good education and I work in a trained science that is in demand everywhere. Everywhere but Milwaukee, that is.
Another thing to do is try Minneapolis. It's a very nice city, you can fly to Milwaukee in 45 minutes or drive in 5 hours, and the job market is a lot better.
Milwaukee is a very difficult market to get a job in unless you are in the right field and have connections. IMO, the best way to go about it is to target the places you want to work at. Pick 10 places you'd like to work at, then target them. Create a Linkedin profile and tailor specifically for the places you want to work at. Use Linkedin to find people who work at the company. If they hold a position that you'd eventually like to get, their profile has the qualifications that you would need. Seek to connect with them simply by asking for their advice. Everyone likes to be respected for their credentials, and they are appreciative when someone thinks enough of them to ask for their advice. If they are particularly helpful, they may suggest you connect on Linkedin and they may even recommend you.
If the company has a website, spend a great deal of time finding out what qualifications they want in the people who work there. You can learn a lot about the company's internal environment using connections by advice on Linkedin and through the company website.
For any position you apply for, tailor you resume specifically for the job you want. Your objective should mirror their ideal candidate. Your qualifications and buzzwords should mirror those on the ad. Don't embellish or lie.
Also, consider taking a lesser position, one you're overqualified for, with the company. That way, you can get in, and once a suitable position opens up, you can work internally to get that position. Internally, you have an advantage.
Good luck! Milwaukee is a tough market, so you have to be creative, resourceful, and exercise a great deal of perseverance to get what you want.
I feel like you've given the most accurate answer out of everyone here, that
Milwaukee just has a struggling and tough job market. Most of these other
users are chalking it up to how I'm searching for jobs incorrectly, my being
on Craigslist, the prospects of my degree choice. However, a friend of mine
moved to Houston, Texas, in 2013 because he felt the job market here was
struggling and that it is way easier to get a job in your career of choice down
there.
Keep in mind that when I say the job market out here is struggling, I am
of course speaking of decent jobs that pay more than $10.00 and that you
can actually lead an independent, middle-class lifestyle with. I've NEVER
had any problems nabbing those more blue-collar type jobs in Milwaukee.
In fact, someone walked right up to me and offered me a job at the Buckle
of Mayfair Mall just a year or two ago. The problem is I didn't go through
all those years of college and dole out all the money so I could go back and
work as a cashier at Target. However, I often feel that's my only choice if
I want to move out of my parents house and independently in the Milwaukee
area. Havng 2 degrees has seemed to mean nothing out here.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your idea to target 10 specific careers through LinkedIn
and connect with the managers and individuals in charge at those careers.
I often groan when people tell me to put together a LinkedIn Account and
basically Facebook and work on getting countless friends. However, your
method of using LinkedIn seems a little more promising. This is second
really, really brilliant idea I've gotten from this thread. I am probably going
to try this idea and Steve Bowen's idea. You two have come up with really
unique ideas.
You might have a point in your statement to consider a lesser position in
my career of choice. I guess I should note that when I've applied for jobs
on websites, such as Career Builder and whatnot, they will force me to
tell them what my desired salary is a lot of the time. Often, I have said
$17.00 an hour or $15.00 an hour. However, based upon what you're
saying that may not be realistic even with a white-collar job AT FIRST.
I would typically put "negotiable," but some of those ads want to know
directly what you're thinking as far as salary. I only put a salary that high
because my brother's girlfriend found a job through Craigslist that pays
$17.00 an hour. She only has her associate degree as a legal aid and the
job has nothing to do with law. I have an associate in liberal arts and a
bachelor of science degree in journalism and advertising.
Anyways, thanks a bunch for the ideas and wisdom. =D
Did you do any kind of internships while in school during summers? If so, use some of those people for contacts, etc.
My brother got his M.A. in journalism in the 80s. He's had several jobs, many of which aren't technically journalism.
Right now he is writing grant proposals and loves it. He did hit a dry spell over the last few years, but still was able to find jobs writing, not just in journalism. He's worked as a communications director, an aide to a mayor, etc.
My mother forever nagged me for months into the beginning of my job search (after graduating college), that my lack of success in being offered a job or even an interview at a legitimate company was due to not doing any internships. "THIS IS WHY I TOLD YOU TO TAKE LIKE AN INTERNSHIP DURING MY SUMMER'S OFF IN COLLEGE, BUT YOU DON'T LISTEN. THIS IS WHY YOU'RE NOT BEING OFFERED A JOB." i think I heard that once a day for about five months into my job search.
Then of course, she was nagging me that it was my searching on Craigslist, then she was nagging me that it was the way I put the company's address at the bottom of the cover letter as opposed to the top for a few of my cover letters, etc. If it wasn't one thing, it was another theory of hers as to what I was doing wrong.
Then of course she started looking for jobs and experienced the same lack of success as I was and just said it's the bad job market. LOL!!!! Although one excuse she attributed to herself was being out of the job marker for years, only having a home health care position in which she takes care of a family member. She that's probably the reason she is unable to get a job. She has a degree as computer programmer and a degree in psychology and had lots of jobs in the 90s in those fields.
Milwaukee has a tough job market. The area has a lot of bright flight. Wisconsin is trailing in job growth. The whole thing makes for a vicious cycle. In addition, the market is highly incestuous. But that could work in your favor, because it sounds as if you are from the area.
I wouldn't bother listening to degree elitism or refuting it. It does nothing but waste time that you could be spending finding a job. IMO, it's not your degree that's a problem, it's the area. I have a good education and I work in a trained science that is in demand everywhere. Everywhere but Milwaukee, that is.
Another thing to do is try Minneapolis. It's a very nice city, you can fly to Milwaukee in 45 minutes or drive in 5 hours, and the job market is a lot better.
Yes, yes and yes! I just knew it had something to do with a crummy job market. It feels good to have all your suspicions confirmed. Your post seems to coincide with LexusNexuc. And 43northwest87west, considering how long you've lived in Milwaukee, how long you've been using this section of this website, I know your input is well researched and can be trusted. With that said, what exactly is making the job market here a hot mess, 43north87west? And what are the best industries to work in as far as career jobs here? What is most promising to 27 year old?
I love your play on words description of the job market as "incestuous." And is this true? Geesh! I really hate that. Come to think of it though, the woman interviewing me at the legal office position from this past Thursday said that her daughter and her grandmother work there with her. I didn't even ask if the other woman at the job were related or not, but I wonder. I don't know how much I like that method though. Wouldn't be too beneficial with me. My father has a successful job as an engineer but says he's not the hiring manager so can't really do anything about me working with him. My mother doesn't really have a job. My bro doesn't have a job. His girlfriend does and actually said she would put in a good word for me with her boss about a job opening 2 weeks ago, but she hasn't got back to me on that.
And yes! As you've seen in this very thread, I typically dismiss comments that state "Oh, it's the degree you chose. It's a bad degree," or "it's the area," or "it's the website you're using." I think that's all B.S. I think if I were living an area of thriving job opportunity, it wouldn't matter what of the job boards I was using or what degree I had. For one, I don't just have a journalism & advertising degree, I also have a liberal arts degree which could cover a wide range of topics.
Hmmm! I've not heard much about Minneapolis. But the job market is really a lot stronger there, huh?! Interesting!
And yes! As you've seen in this very thread, I typically dismiss comments that state "Oh, it's the degree you chose. It's a bad degree," or "it's the area," or "it's the website you're using." I think that's all B.S. I think if I were living an area of thriving job opportunity, it wouldn't matter what of the job boards I was using or what degree I had. For one, I don't just have a journalism & advertising degree, I also have a liberal arts degree which could cover a wide range of topics.
It seems like you really only wanted your suspicions to be confirmed, and that you didn't really want to hear various opinions, after all.
Though some responses sound better to you than others, you may have to hire a statistician if you really want to know for sure how things stack up.
Ultimately, I think most of the responses here are correct, as they address different but interrelated parts of the process. It isn't that you chose the "wrong degree," per se, but you may have chosen the wrong one for the Milwaukee market, or perhaps you don't know how to parlay your degree skills into something marketable for local demand, or you don't have the proper connections here that enable you to benefit from incestuous job-placement networks, or any number of other reasons. Even if you were in a more thriving area with more jobs in your field, you would still have to compete for the jobs, and your complaint might be "why am I not getting the kind of interviews/job in my field that I want?" rather than "why am I not getting any interviews/job in my field?"
Above you say: "I think if I were living an area of thriving job opportunity, it wouldn't matter what of the job boards I was using or what degree I had." Well, that may be true, but weren't you asking about Wisconsin, and Milwaukee in particular? If we were all on the Las Vegas board, maybe our answers would be different, but you were asking on a Wisconsin board. Craigslist may be a great thing in Orlando or San Jose, but it doesn't sound like it's an ideal tool for Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin, especially if the networks here are incestuous and you wish to wedge your way into them.
Last edited by Empidonax; 08-06-2014 at 06:19 AM..
You're very lucky that you're "nagging" mother is letting you live in her home months after graduation, especially since she most likely paid for your degree in a field which has seen a considerable decline in jobs year after year.
If you haven't looked in these areas yet:
Look for jobs in public relations, etc. Look for government jobs, USAjobs dot gov but look all over the country. If you have to do some kind of internship now, do it for the experience.
Lastly, one bit of advice from someone who always gets a job offer wherever I apply: go into the interview eager and willing to show the interviewer what you can do for them. Research the company thoroughly, dress impeccably, look people directly in the eye, don't let any of your bitterness show through. Ask insightful questions as well, do not drone on about yourself. Even if the job sounds like it's not to your liking, don't let that show through in the interview. Wait til you get an offer and weigh all the pros and cons.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,937 posts, read 36,951,955 times
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I certainly hope you aren't just looking in Milwaukee. It would be insane to hold yourself to one medium size city for a job search, especially when trying to break in. I ended up in Wisconsin because after undergrad I couldn't find a position in Boston and I relocated to Wisconsin to break in. You have to be willing to go where ever you can get an opportunity.
From what I've seen during the past 5-7years, more and more college graduates are leaving Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general because there are more job opportunities elsewhere. I have met many graduates that have moved to Chicago and the twin cities for better paying positions in those cities and elsewhere. It's unfortunate because Milwaukee is losing a lot of good potential talent.
It's also interesting to note that the state of Wisconsin has one of the largest university systems in the country. I believe New York and California have bigger systems. Yet, when you take into account the number of residents that have degrees, that number is actually low compared to other states. I don't remember the exact number, but Illinois and Minnesota had higher degree holders. So Wisconsin is actually educating and training a high percentage of it students for the benefit of other states. Another thing to keep in mind is that many jobs in the greater Milwaukee area pay less than they should. I once had a corporate recruiter once tell me that the reason why this is can be attributed to the fact that Milwaukee has such a small professional class of people and such a high number of blue collar jobs and positions that primarily appeal to lower class people. I'm not saying this is a bad thing or a good thing. But you have to take this into account if you decide to stay in Milwaukee for the long haul.
You're very lucky that you're "nagging" mother is letting you live in her home months after graduation, especially since she most likely paid for your degree in a field which has seen a considerable decline in jobs year after year.
If you haven't looked in these areas yet:
Look for jobs in public relations, etc. Look for government jobs, USAjobs dot gov but look all over the country. If you have to do some kind of internship now, do it for the experience.
Lastly, one bit of advice from someone who always gets a job offer wherever I apply: go into the interview eager and willing to show the interviewer what you can do for them. Research the company thoroughly, dress impeccably, look people directly in the eye, don't let any of your bitterness show through. Ask insightful questions as well, do not drone on about yourself. Even if the job sounds like it's not to your liking, don't let that show through in the interview. Wait til you get an offer and weigh all the pros and cons.
Amazed that you went on to give me advice on job interviewing communications after showcasing your poor communication skills right in the opening of your post.
Not that this is any of your business but my mother did not pay for my college education. Moreover, my parents were very appreciative that I moved back in with them as I was able to help them care for my handicapped brother. I'm not going to delve deeper into that family matter because it's none of your business.
When you do not know your place, speak on issues that don't involve you and don't know what you're talking about, you end up erring in your remarks as you just have, then looking very foolish when called to order for it as you just have.
One bit of advice from ME to YOU: know your place, don't speak and make assumptions on family matters that don't involve you, and keep all the ugliness to yourself. You look like you're used to this ugliness and not being called to order for it, the way you casually moved on with your posting. Hopefully, this call to order I dealt you helps you in your future communications.
It seems like you really only wanted your suspicions to be confirmed, and that you didn't really want to hear various opinions, after all.
Though some responses sound better to you than others, you may have to hire a statistician if you really want to know for sure how things stack up.
For Christ's sake, read the big postings I wrote to User:Steve Bowen a few days ago, thanking this user for all of his ideas. His suggestion was that my problem is that I've not been networking. I admitted that he may be right as far as networking, that I've not tried this. I went so far as telling this user that his ideas are "brilliant," even gave him a reputation point yesterday, and that I would give these a try.
I said I dismissed a few users' theory that Craigslist was to blame based upon the fact that none of the other job boards were of any use either. I have had interviews for legit companies that I turned down (mainly because of $9 and $10 salary) through Craigslist whereas I have yet to even have one interview for a company from the many other job boards I've used. I even provided this detail to the users in question who suggested that Craigslist was the problem.
If you don't like that I may disagree with some of theories proposed (especially when based upon my own experience as my reasoning), that's your problem. I will keep agreeing and disagreeing as I see fit whether you like it or not. If this isn't cool with you, go to another thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Empidonax
Ultimately, I think most of the responses here are correct, as they address different but interrelated parts of the process.
I think it's wonderful that you think everyone's correct or whatever. I won't criticize you or make any assumptions against you for feeling that way. You are free to express your opinion. I happen to disagree. I happen to think some of the responses are off based upon my experience and some of the responses are more on point. Period!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Empidonax
It isn't that you chose the "wrong degree," per se, but you may have chosen the wrong one for the Milwaukee market, or perhaps you don't know how to parlay your degree skills into something marketable for local demand, or you don't have the proper connections here that enable you to benefit from incestuous job-placement networks, or any number of other reasons. Even if you were in a more thriving area with more jobs in your field, you would still have to compete for the jobs, and your complaint might be "why am I not getting the kind of interviews/job in my field that I want?" rather than "why am I not getting any interviews/job in my field?"
I disagree with you that I have chosen the wrong degree for the Milwaukee market. And I just say that because of the comprehensive nature of my degrees and minors. I have degree in Liberal Arts which covers a wide range of topics. Depending upon what I'm applying for, I'm able to hype up any related skills I've developed under my Liberal Arts degree. I also have an advertising degree. I also have a journalism degree. In addition, I have a minor in Sociology.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Empidonax
Above you say: "I think if I were living an area of thriving job opportunity, it wouldn't matter what of the job boards I was using or what degree I had." Well, that may be true, but weren't you asking about Wisconsin, and Milwaukee in particular? If we were all on the Las Vegas board, maybe our answers would be different, but you were asking on a Wisconsin board. Craigslist may be a great thing in Orlando or San Jose, but it doesn't sound like it's an ideal tool for Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin, especially if the networks here are incestuous and you wish to wedge your way into them.
Yes, I was asking about Wisconsin and Milwaukee. And the following comment you quoted me as stating relates to Milwaukee and Wisconsin: "I think if I were living in an area of thriving job opportunity, it wouldn't matter what of the job boards i was using or what degrees I had." To break this down so that it's easy to understand, I'm saying the job boards aren't so much the issue HERE IN MILWAUKEE AND WISCONSIN as is the job market is the problem HERE IN MILWAUKEE AND WISCONSIN. So I'm confused by your statement acting as though I'm not even discussing Milwaukee and Wisconsin anymore. It doesn't make sense. Based on the context of the discussion, you couldn't decipher what I meant?!
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And is this true? Geesh! I really hate that. Come to think of it though, the woman interviewing me at the legal office position from this past Thursday said that her daughter and her grandmother work there with her. I didn't even ask if the other woman at the job were related or not, but I wonder. I don't know how much I like that method though. Wouldn't be too beneficial with me. My father has a successful job as an engineer but says he's not the hiring manager so can't really do anything about me working with him. My mother doesn't really have a job. My bro doesn't have a job. His girlfriend does and actually said she would put in a good word for me with her boss about a job opening 2 weeks ago, but she hasn't got back to me on that.
