Thinking of joining the exodus :) (Pittsburgh, California: for sale, insurance, home)

[Pepper492]

Hey, All!! So here in my home state, the long term unemployed are like mice: Prospective employers see us coming, go Eek! and run in the opposite direction. And, yeah, I know there's lots of reasons a person might not get hired but none of the real deal breakers apply to me (criminal history, etc.). I mean, I can't even get a job at McDonald's. That's how sad this is.

So, my question is: would Pittsburgh employers go eek! too, or are they more concerned with the quality of a person's work history rather than the quantity? Because I don't have a lot of job experience but what I do have is a very good work history.

And for those who suggest going back to school, sorry but no. I've tried that twice because I love to learn and the jobs I'd love to have require a degree. But as Albert Einstein said: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." So, nope, not doing that again.

As for what type of job I'm looking for: payroll clerk*, desk clerk*, cashier*, customer service*, receptionist, librarian, waitress, hostess, fast food, etc.

*=I've done these jobs before

Thank you for your help and have a good day.

[marktheshark]

Could try a temp agency to start out.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by Pepper492

Hey, All!! So here in my home state, the long term unemployed are like mice: Prospective employers see us coming, go Eek! and run in the opposite direction. And, yeah, I know there's lots of reasons a person might not get hired but none of the real deal breakers apply to me (criminal history, etc.). I mean, I can't even get a job at McDonald's. That's how sad this is.

So, my question is: would Pittsburgh employers go eek! too, or are they more concerned with the quality of a person's work history rather than the quantity? Because I don't have a lot of job experience but what I do have is a very good work history.

And for those who suggest going back to school, sorry but no. I've tried that twice because I love to learn and the jobs I'd love to have require a degree. But as Albert Einstein said: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." So, nope, not doing that again.

As for what type of job I'm looking for: payroll clerk*, desk clerk*, cashier*, customer service*, receptionist, librarian, waitress, hostess, fast food, etc.

*=I've done these jobs before

Thank you for your help and have a good day.

What part of the area are you in? I know I see help wanted sides all over the west and south hills. The Lowes in Scott had a big sign saying "Hiring all positions" and listed several manager and sales positions. Most restaurants have help wanted signs up. I know of places that are simply having trouble staying open for lack of workers.

[WILWRadio]

^^^ Like myself, it sounds like the OP is from out of the area. Will Pittsburgh area employers be willing to talk to people and ultimately hire them if they do not receive a direct referral from someone in the local area or an acquaintance of the staff or management of that facility?

In some areas of the country the only way you will get hired now is through someone you know personally. It would help the OP and others in this position to have some idea as to where they stand when applying for a job in the area.

[Love2Golf09]

OP, these are very entry-level jobs and it shouldn't be a problem to get hired in fast food, cashier, hostess, or server. Usually, you just walk in fill out an application and, if you seem sane, the manager will ask when you can start. The pay sucks, but usually your schedule will be very flexible.

For some of your other job ideas, I'd contact a staffing agency. They do a lot of the hiring in Pittsburgh for companies. If you've done payroll work, then you should be fine. These staffing agencies are always hiring for HR positions. Most positions through an agency are entry-level and will pay $12-$14 an hr. They do have some higher level positions, but the bulk of what they offer are entry-level stuff. If you put up a half decent resume on career builder or monster, someone will contact you. Also, many of the companies posting on craigslist are actually staffing agencies. There are tons of job openings for sales positions too. Put your resume out there and see how many people try to get you to sell insurance, or sell Fios door-to-door, or sell phones at the mall for AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon.

I think you will be fine with a job since your expectations are so low. If you want to test it out, send our your resume with a Pittsburgh address on it now and see how many people call you to set up an interview. If 15 people call you for an interview within 2 weeks, you gotta assume you'd be hired by one of them pretty quickly once you get here. Good luck.

[CortlandGirl79]

I think the problem is that he or she has a criminal history?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

I think the problem is that he or she has a criminal history?

Even with this being the case I know my former employer, a specialty gift services franchisee in the East End, hired at least one person with a criminal record because they were honest and up-front about their history. This employee was one of the hardest workers there when I was supervisor. As an employer I'd be willing to give a second chance to someone who seemed remorseful over a past mistake and otherwise seemed to be a productive member of society. On the other hand if I extended a job offer to someone only to THEN find out about the concealment of an existing criminal record that employee would be shown the door quite expeditiously for lying to me.

OP, I had a quarter-life crisis (for lack of a better phrase) back in late-2010. I quit my job near DC and moved to Pittsburgh cold-turkey without a job lined up. I applied at numerous places and had two job offers (not career opportunities) within two weeks of moving here and was able to pay my expenses with limited difficulty. It took me a year of living here to finally land a CAREER, which is supplemented by a second job, but I'm ever so glad I took that huge leap of faith a year-and-a-half ago and landed here in the Steel City. I'm so much happier overall, despite my long hours.

My current secondary employer, a food delivery service in the East End, would definitely be willing to hire you, assuming you have your own vehicle and a good work ethic. I worked a long shift today but made about $115 in tips as well as $54 in wages ($169 altogether). I'm currently working this as my second job, but when I was working there as my primary position I was making enough to pay my bills while still having enough left to treat myself to pizza and/or a movie every week, too. If you'd be interested in a position here please let me know. We were so short-handed today my manager himself had to go out and do deliveries, so I know we're always looking for help.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

I think the problem is that he or she has a criminal history?

OP was saying that they *don't* have a criminal history, or any of the other usual deal breakers that employers balk at besides long term unemployment.

OP, playing the "I just moved here" card might allow you to put another spin on this, especially if you can conjure up some reason (closer to family, getting away from a divorce, etc.). You could say you were unable to find employment partially because employers didn't want to hire someone that would be leaving soon possibly. But since you'll be in Pittsburgh permanently (at least that's what you should say), there's no problem now.

Where are you coming from? Perhaps it varies by area, but I've always been very skeptical of people who can't find *any* job. I can understand it if you're still receiving unemployment, but in my experience the people I know who have been/are long term unemployed have unrealistic expectations or aren't really trying. If you've even tried places like McDonalds, then obviously you don't have unrealistic expectations. Perhaps you portrayed yourself wrong for the sorts of jobs you're applying for? They don't want someone with training and degrees, those people are apt to leave as soon as the next opportunity comes along. I'm of the opinion that you could certainly find a job here in Pittsburgh fairly quickly, since you're not holding out for any specialized or high paying position.

[PeterRabbit]

What would you prefer to do and who would you like to work for? Go there and volunteer saying you want to gain more experience. Work your butt off and make yourself invaluable. Then don't show up for a couple of days.

Because everywhere is shorthanded you might get told that you let them down as everyone was depending on you. Tell them it isn't like you were being rewarded with pay and everything you have done for them should be considered a bonus. You should get hired promptly.

J.C. Penney has a large building near me in northeast suburban Pittsburgh and is often advertising for customer service reps. They plant signs in the road nearby their location. I told my unemployed neighbor to check it out and he interprets customer service as sales. I doubt it. Telemarketing has been outlawed for years and nobody would go to this location for shopping. There's no big J.C. Penney sign and only 1/12th of the parking lot is occupied. That's just an example. I live in a highly commercial area and there are help wanted signs everywhere.

[escilade18]

I am confident that you will be able to get hired in one of those fields here( if they hire a goof like me, they should hire anyone:P ). For those level jobs, they are more than plentiful that you do not have to know someone to get in. For the higher level jobs (or government jobs) I do not know much in that area but I am sure that nepotism factors more into those fields. Anyway, I will say with 99.99% confidence that if you have an available schedule, you should be able to be hired (California Pizza Kitchen in Ross Park called me one day after I put in my application just to give you an example)