Non-Fraudulent Nashville Job Postings? (apartment, loan, job market)

[nicolidominn]

Hi, all, I'm new here...

I'm moving to Nashville in a few weeks and am scurrying to find a job. I've been posting my resume on all of the usual suspects, plus all of the Nashville-related job sites I could find (some of which were not at all helpful--thanks, Google.) However, every response I've had has been from a fraudulent company--whether they were stealing from people they supposedly hired or simply not paying their employees, it seems like there is every kind of fraud out there. When searching for postings, I find I have to dig through piles of fraudulent listings to find one decent post, and yet those are the only companies who don't respond when you apply.

If there are any reliable job hunting/networking sites geared towards Nashville that anyone knows about, I would appreciate any feedback! Thanks...

[rossc]

State and federal job postings are almost certainly genuine. There are lots of scams related to the job market right now because so many are out of work and will do just about anything if they think there is a job to be had. You won't find too many willing to pass them selves off as a government entity to run a scam. That's a big no-no.

Other than that, you just have to know that company you are responding to is real. You should know the company name prior to giving up any info. Do a some basic legwork and make sure they are real. Once you arrive you can do it in person. After a while you'll recognize company names in the job postings and know it's real.

[alleycat]

First a question, do you have any experience, education, or training in a specific field or type of work? Or are you just looking for a job, any job?

[MiddleTNresident]

I feel your pain. I posted my resume on one place only (CareerBuilder) and have been under assault ever since with scam emails. I forward scam emails to CareerBuilder's fraud reporting center.

The state is NOT accepting applications at present. I tried that route already. Some municipalities and some companies are under hiring freezes. I'm seeing some really unrealistically low pay rates, too. Many are offering half of my previous rate, and I was at the median salary for my occupation upon layoff.

I research before I respond to job postings. Companies need to identify themselves if they expect me to respond to them, and I want to know the address of the job since it matters to me WHERE the job is as well as WHO is the employer.

So for me at least, if employers can't identify themselves, they get lumped into the scam pool. Sure, there are companies that still like to do this so they can advertise jobs without their employees being the wiser (do any of us want an employer like this?....I sure don't!) Another reason may be to limit the number of responses. Yes, it will limit the responses. Some of the best candidates are going to avoid them!

I'm considering taking my resume off Careerbuilder completely and just use it as a search engine, along with the other job sites. I don't think legit companies even look at resumes online anymore, only the scammers.

When I posted jobs for my past employer, there was no need to search resumes online--the number of responses was like a tidal wave and it was all you could do to manage that quantity. And it's a free-for-all. Everyone and his uncle responds to job postings whether qualified or not.

This is probably not isolated just to Nashville. I would say it's happening everywhere that has internet access.

I just hope I can be an Executive Assistant again. I loved my prior job (5 years of solid work effort and a glowing letter of recommendation). If it were not for a sour economy, I'd still have it.

When my husband and I lived in East Tennessee, nobody in Nashville would consider us for jobs. We moved here jobless and then did an intensive job hunt. It was terrifying. Now I am a local with a reputable local career history, yet it seems my prospects are just as limited as if I lived in another galaxy. The bad economy is here, folks, and I'm in the fight of my life to find a job that is on par with what I had.

Best wishes to you nicolidominn in your job hunt. Do you have a local address yet? You may need to at least get a P.O. Box or maybe use the address of a friend or family member if you have any local connections here. If you show an out-of-state address in your resume, you probably are going to the bottom of the pile in favor of local candidates.

I too wish someone would point me to a more reliable and secure means of finding a job here.

[rossc]

Originally Posted by MiddleTNresident

The state is NOT accepting applications at present. I tried that route already.

That depends on what you're applying for. Some agencies are accepting applications for openings created by retirees but most are not creating new positions. The problem is that when a positions does open up, they get 10,000 applicants, which makes your chances of getting the job on par with winning the lottery.

[nicolidominn]

Sorry, I've been away from the board for a while, so I missed these responses. Thank you to all of you for your input!

To answer some of your questions:

I have already secured an apartment in Nashville, so one of the first things I did was to place that on top of my resume and in all job applications in lieu of my Boston address. I can't even tell yet if it's making a difference.

As for my experience and skills, I've had quite a colorful job background and an interesting college experience...

Jobs held, in order from most current to least current:
-Loan Servicing intern (same bank as company below, Feb 2009-present)
-Bank teller (two years, May 2007-present)
-English Tutor (three years, Feb. 2006 - Dec. 2008)
-Music Licensing Intern (summer internship, Jun. 2008 - Aug. 2008)
-Foodservice crew member (one year total at two different companies, with cash handling experience--Sept. 2006 - Sept.2007)
-General Office Assistant (four years, Jun. 2003 - Sept. 2007)
-Student Fundraising caller (temporary Oct. 2005 - Apr. 2006)
-Lifeguard (a little over one year, Jul. 2004 - Sept. 2005)
-Data entry (temporary, Jun. 2003 - Aug. 2003)

[EDIT: I might add that although there are many jobs listed within a short period of time, I have never been fired from a job. I have had to work at several places to support myself because of the various available hours and pay levels, and often while in full-time school.]

I've been attending Berklee College of Music for a Bachelor's degree in Music Business, which I expect to complete in August. Though I'm moving to Nashville this summer, I will be participating in two music publishing internships to complete my degree, and have already secured both of them, for an approximate total of 25 hours per week (unpaid). It may interest some employers to know that in the future, I plan to attend law school for a Juris Doctor degree and pursue a career in entertainment law, or a position as a legal counselor at a music-related company.

I am still searching for a job, although I have had a few responses from local banks who, even if they don't have positions open at convenient locations, are willing to work with me to find other openings. I also have an appointment with another bank, though I'm not sure if it's a formal interview or a simple information session.

----

Regarding those fraudulent postings, I totally feel your collective pain, even though my job hunt hasn't been going on for very long. There are some that almost seem legitimate until I realize they're too good to be true--it's usually after researching the company name along with the word "fraud" in Google that I find all sorts of awful reviews from people who have been scammed, because sometimes, the companies really do seem like the real thing. In fact, many of them do exist, but they simply lie about the compensation or give unrealistic job descriptions and expectations. It's gotten to the point where unless I know the company from prior information or experience and have solicited them first regarding job postings, I completely ignore responses from all of the companies listed on places like CareerBuilder and Monster.com. It makes me sick that so many dishonest people will stop at nothing to take advantage of people's hardship in this economy, rather than working to make a positive difference.

Anyway, thanks again for commiserating and offering advice! I will certainly look into the government positions, although I'm not sure which areas I should target based on my experiences, skills, and abilities.