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I'm a recent college grad who's been on the job hunt for a while now, trying to land something in NYC, but with no such luck. (I don't live anywhere near NY right now.) I'm tired of waiting without hearing so much as a peep from interviewers, so I'm considering just moving to the city and establishing residence there first, in hopes that my current out-of-state residence is the only major obstacle in getting calls from HR.
My "plan" is to just move out there and apply at a staffing agency to get immediate work. (I've saved at least three months' worth of living expenses, too.) At this point, the staffing agencies won't even e-mail me back. I'm assuming it's because I don't already live there - right??? (Btw, I've worked with my local chapter of this staffing agency before, and have gotten great reviews, so I know I'm employable.).
Can anyone tell me if the staffing agencies are really picky in NYC, especially now...given the competitive landscape of recently/still unemployed persons? Any advice on which agency to go with? I'm trying to find a job in marketing or maybe even PR, but I'm okay with filling solid administrative positions, too, at least while I get my bearings. My background: My college degree is of little use (I made a career change while I finished up my studies), but I've done a few related internships and some temp administrative work.
I'm open to any other advice you have, too, such as, "This is a terrible idea," or "It's going to be hard for you to find a place to live without already having a source of income!"
PR and makreting are two of the most competitive industires in nyc. In order to break in you would have to do an unpaid internship to even get some sort of reference.
Oh, btw: If you have any experience with the job agencies in NYC, please list the specifics here: agency name, rating, interview process, types of jobs you were sent on, temp to full-time positions offered, etc. Thanks!
Oy. PR & Marketing are two of the hardest hit areas every time there's a downturn in the economy. Most companies in my industry (retail) have had at least 2-3 major cuts in their marketing & pr depts since Fall 2008. YOu have A LOT of competition.
Better plan than staffiing firms/ temp agencies (which are incredibly overloaded/ ineffective right now).....what are YOU doing EVERY DAY to get a job? Firing off emails to nameless "hiring managers" isn't going to help. YOu need to:
1. Contact your college's alumni office and get a list of EVERY SINGLE graduate living/working in NYC. Call or email EVERY SINGLE ONE of them, introducing yourself and asking if they have any contacts in your industry. Do the same with any fraternity/ sorority or other assocations you may have with a network in NYC.
2. Contact all professors who taught you in career-related coursework and ask for contacts/ leads. Contact all former employers for your temp jobs & internships.
3. Tell everyone you know, everyone your parents & their friends know, and everyone your friends know that you want to move to NYC and do they have any contacts/ leads there.
4. Rinse & repeat until you make in-roads. PEOPLE HIRE PEOPLE THEY KNOW. You are far more likely to get an interview when you're "a friend of a friend" or a "former coworker's former intern" or whatever than just being a random, faceless resume.
I used that very process to move to NYC in a recession 9 years ago. I called & emailed EVERY SINGLE one of my Texas college's alumni in the NYC area. I called and emailed EVERY SINGLE woman in my sorority's alumnae directory in the NYC area. I called friend's parents who I hadn't seen since 7th grade and reintroduced myself. What happend? I was able to get interviews with TOP companies in my field (Bergdorf Goodman, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, LVMH, BLoomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc), land an internship before moving to NYC and land a full-time job upon finishing my internship. Every interview I got was through a connection...some of those connections I met on my hunt. Some of them I never even met in person, but they took a liking to a 22 year old girl with ambition & a dream.
Staffing/ temp firms are NEVER EVER EVERY goign to help you break into a social industry like PR/ Marketing. You MUST grow your network.
@ohigirl22: Yikes, I had been fearing that, so I'm going to try what the next poster recommended:
@TurtleCreek80: Thanks for the great advice!! I've done nearly everything except reach out to people in my university's alumni network. I'm going to do that today. I feel uncomfortable asking strangers or even friends of friends for favors, but I read somewhere that people wouldn't list their names in the alumni directory if they didn't want to help...So now I just have to figure out which of the listed names were listed for professional reasons, or if they were just listed to get back in touch with friends... I'm glad to hear that someone in a similar predicament made it to NYC during a recession!
@NYChistorygal: Oof, that sounds tough. How long have you been looking for temp work? When you gave the staffing agency your hours of availability, was it a wide open schedule? M-F, 40 hours, some weekends, etc.?
@newyorker24: I've saved up 10K in anticipation for a move like this, which I think should be enough to get me by safely for 3 months. I have saved a little more, too, in case of emergencies, short of anything that would land me in a hospital for an overnight stay. So here's hoping I don't get mugged or diseased!
I've been hunting for apts on craigslist to get a general idea of costs, availability, and neighborhoods. I don't need anything fancy. I just want something in Manhattan that's safe (south of 96th St.) and not dormitory style with communal bathrooms. I've looked into Brooklyn, too, and am slightly considering Williamsburg. Also, I'm assuming a lot of renters up there recommended renters' insurance?
I'm a recent college grad who's been on the job hunt for a while now, trying to land something in NYC, but with no such luck. (I don't live anywhere near NY right now.) I'm tired of waiting without hearing so much as a peep from interviewers, so I'm considering just moving to the city and establishing residence there first, in hopes that my current out-of-state residence is the only major obstacle in getting calls from HR.
My "plan" is to just move out there and apply at a staffing agency to get immediate work. (I've saved at least three months' worth of living expenses, too.) At this point, the staffing agencies won't even e-mail me back. I'm assuming it's because I don't already live there - right??? (Btw, I've worked with my local chapter of this staffing agency before, and have gotten great reviews, so I know I'm employable.).
Can anyone tell me if the staffing agencies are really picky in NYC, especially now...given the competitive landscape of recently/still unemployed persons? Any advice on which agency to go with? I'm trying to find a job in marketing or maybe even PR, but I'm okay with filling solid administrative positions, too, at least while I get my bearings. My background: My college degree is of little use (I made a career change while I finished up my studies), but I've done a few related internships and some temp administrative work.
I'm open to any other advice you have, too, such as, "This is a terrible idea," or "It's going to be hard for you to find a place to live without already having a source of income!"
Thanks in advance!
Oh ho ho!
That doesn't even work for those of us who actually live in the city.
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