How do I get a job? (Phoenix, Tucson: sales, houses, job market)

[KSt0ne]

I've been looking for a job for almost 2 months now. I moved up from Tucson about 2 weeks ago. I currently live in Mesa and would like to work in the East Valley.

I have a 4-year degree, a Bachelor of Science. I've worked in agriculture, automotive and warehouses. I'm good with a computer. I've been looking for a job doing data entry, data analysis, anything like that, parts counter, service advisor, etc. I can also learn software, languages, fix laptops and build computers, so these are all jobs I am qualified for, but I've gotten no response.

I haven't looked at general labor, since I got an injury a few years ago preventing me from doing any amount of heavy lifting.

I've applied for over 60 jobs in about 6 weeks, got a few interviews which I ultimately either got rejected or never contacted again. It seems like it doesn't even matter what I do, I get no response. I know other people feel that way too, but any leads would be appreciated. Lately I've been staring at postings, sorting through them and instead of being able to come up with anything, all I see is frustration.

[Returning2USA]

Have you contacted staffing agencies about temping until you find / get what you are looking for?

There seem to be a lot of staffing companies in Phoenix.

Have you used a professional resume service to update and spice up your resume?

[grmi66]

I was looking for work 8 weeks ago, this seems to be the worst job market I've encountered since I moved back 5 years ago. Went from a white collar sales gig that paid over $75,000 last year to working retail. My guess is that a number of employers are waiting out the election before they hire again.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Returning2USA

Have you contacted staffing agencies about temping until you find / get what you are looking for?

There seem to be a lot of staffing companies in Phoenix.

Have you used a professional resume service to update and spice up your resume?

Both of these are great suggestions.

You can put your resume in with multiple staffing agencies, too. Get as many people looking on your behalf as you can.

[KSt0ne]

Originally Posted by grmi66

My guess is that a number of employers are waiting out the election before they hire again.

IF they hire again, it seems. Things have been down for the last 8 years.

Originally Posted by Returning2USA

Have you contacted staffing agencies about temping until you find / get what you are looking for?

There seem to be a lot of staffing companies in Phoenix.

I haven't really this time around because in the past they might consider you for one position, and you never hear from them again. I might give it a try again.

[Ranger21]

I feel your pain. I lived out there for 5 years, have a Bachelors Degree, worked 4 different Inside Sales jobs. Lost one because the Scottsdale office for this large, publicly traded logistics company was shut down due to its lack of profitability and we were all let go. Lost the next one because the rapidly growing company in Gilbert stopped growing, was sold and went through a reorganization, and lost my last one in Scottsdale last December because it was a startup on the verge of financial collapse. Looked for 6 months to find something remotely acceptable that wasn't a call center. Moved to CA, got an Outside Sales job paying double what I was making in Phoenix with a huge company within two weeks. The people I know that didn't have a hard time finding a job were bartenders, bellmen / valets at one of the resorts, nurses, underpaid elementary school teachers, Army National Guard, big box retail, or owned their own small business in one of the trades. The economic struggle is real in Phoenix.

[KSt0ne]

Yeah, it was worse in Tucson because most of the jobs there are service related and it seems like not a whole lot of large businesses want to move there. Again, as you said, bartenders, servers, etc. can typically find a job.

I got out of the house today and Applied to the parts department of a dealership and a local manufacturer. Hopefully I get a bite, but it's been rough.

[Returning2USA]

Thanks to the OP and all of the replies.

With a BA and sales experience and being in my 40s, I should consider these things if I relocate to Phoenix. (I plan to relocate within 2 years.)

But I'll go moving to Phoenix before I have a job lined up because I'm overseas and it's too difficult to get a job if one is not there.

[Alec Solano]

What about freelance till you get real job?
I hope you have needful experience.
For example https://www.upwork.com/local/united-...izona/phoenix/

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by KSt0ne

Yeah, it was worse in Tucson because most of the jobs there are service related and it seems like not a whole lot of large businesses want to move there. Again, as you said, bartenders, servers, etc. can typically find a job.

I got out of the house today and Applied to the parts department of a dealership and a local manufacturer. Hopefully I get a bite, but it's been rough.

dealer parts & service jobs are often filled by in-person inquiries - waiting for an ad to be posted gets you buried amongst hundreds of other apps. If you've got dealership/automotive sales abilities, you might also try tire stores - many of those jobs pay pretty well if you can upsell road hazard or premium products. A friend who used to manage dealer service departments went into managing a heavy-equipment service center & loves it, much higher margins & the customers are easier to deal with. If it were me in your shoes, I'd visit several dealerships a day in the early am & respond to ads in the afternoon. Getting a job is your job. Might be corny, but I always wore a suit & tie when I made contacts in person, even when I was applying for jobs at fast lubes. A hiring manager might think you're overdressed, but they'll also know you're serious.

With a bachelor's degree & automotive parts/service experience, I'd also be looking at manufacturer's reps jobs. That's all the qualifications you would need to be a zone parts/service manager. A little bit of sales/marketing + reviewing warranty claims & making sure a dealer's techs have required training.. lots of travel within your "zone", but not otherwise physically demanding & pays pretty good.

Along that line, especially with a computer/tech background - consider some of the vendors that supply "dealer management systems" - it's been a few years, but adp & reynolds & reynolds used to hire guys to install & repair the computers that run everything in a dealership - from parts sales to service invoicing & tracking how many pink 4x4's are on the lot.. another gig with lots of travel, but decent pay.

Again, if you *can* travel, i'd look at jobs that require travel - manufacturers want their reps to live near a good airport & phoenix is a sweet spot for that. You can be in LA, el paso, vegas, slc or abq in just over an hour from phx, so if they need someone to bounce around, you're the perfect "pinball".