Admin Assistance or office jobs. (Orlando: hotel, attorney, find a job)

[NJVICK123]

Hello all - My wife and I are moving to Orlando in 25 days. My wife will be looking for a job. She is an experienced Admin Assistant, she has worked for several doctors in the clinical research field and is very experienced in Travel arrangements, expense reports etc. She is 31 years old and has a very good personality to present herself professionally to any employer. We "shopped" around last week for jobs for her and she was told at a couple of job fairs that these jobs tend to fill up quickly and that there are not a lot of them. Is this true? What do you guys think? Please refrain from answering if you do not have any knowledge or experience in the matter. I.e - Landscapers telling us that we will not find an office job in Orlando.

As always I appreciate any info on the topic. Thanks!

Vick

[annerk]

In my last job I was an executive assistant that had mid-level management responsibilities and spending authorization up to $20K, so not just a run-of the-mill AA. I was laid off when my company was sold and I chose to not relocate with my boss who was the COO.

I put together three versions of my resume, dumbed down, typical AA, and the high level stuff I was actually doing, and depending on the job description, I sent the appropriate one out. With no exaggeration, I sent out over 1000 resumes.

I had about a dozen interviews, most were weird companies--one operated out of a guys garage, another was a start-up with no office space who wanted me to find him venture capital, another was a strange dental office where several of the employees bickered constantly in the hallway outside the room I was being interviewed in, another was a shyster attorney, and maybe four were legitimate companies who actually wanted to pay a decent wage for that particular job.

Bottom line, I did find a position after about three months of looking, but not as an admin. I was also looking for marketing positions, which is the other thing I have a strong background in. I probably sent out 300 resumes for marketing positions. That's the position I finally found.

I have some admin friends who are working fast food and retail because they can't find a job as an admin. I'm not going to tell you it's impossible, but I will say that without a network to utilize, the chances of landing an admin job around here aren't great.

[NJVICK123]

Wow, would she have any chances of working a front desk at a nice hotel or something to do with customer service? She is willing to learn a new trade if her position does not get her a decent job. Basically open to get a good job doing something in which her qualities will shine.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by NJVICK123

Wow, would she have any chances of working a front desk at a nice hotel or something to do with customer service? She is willing to learn a new trade if her position does not get her a decent job. Basically open to get a good job doing something in which her qualities will shine.

Most of those jobs go to people with hospitality degrees, and they generally only pay in the $9-10/hour range. She could apply at Disney, but will likely be hired only p/t to start and they pay under $8/hour.

Have her sign up with the temp agencies, even if it's just temp work it's letting her get out to network. By the way, most AA jobs around here pay under $12 an hour. I had a few places that called me after getting my resume and were paying between minimum wage and $8 an hour with no benefits, not even sick or vacation pay. I wish I could tell you "April Fools."

[carolac]

Here's a link to today's jobs on Craigslist, Orlando, Admin jobs.

orlando admin/office jobs classifieds - craigslist

Agreed about the temp agencies.

Good luck.

[NJVICK123]

Thanks Annerk and Carolac! I am passing this along to my wife.