Struggling to find a job and losing hope each day... (Redmond: appointed, student loans)

[cocaseco]

Originally Posted by isaackko

**** dude, just take the part time job. Individual health insurance can be pretty cheap to buy on your own.

better to make some money than no money, right?

"pretty cheap" Unless you are in your 20's with no health history, you would be hard pressed to use this description in most situations.


Some money is better than none, unless I the some conflicts with your ability to make more. Just be careful taking that PT position so that you can continue to look and interview for the FT position you want.

[ShellNic]

Originally Posted by sean98125

Unless you have a marketable job skill and experience in that job it is going to be difficult to find work here. You're competing with a ton of other entry level workers who have already have roots. This is a very desirable corner of the country to live in and for certain industries it is one of the places you go to make a name for yourself. Competition for jobs is fierce in certain fields.

I'm not talking about an entry level position. I'm pretty sure it's a marketable job skill as well and I do have roots in Seattle, although, I currently live elsewhere. I know Seattle is desirable...and I know the competition is fierce in certain fields, so I understand what you're saying, but...

My question was, what does one do if they actually have a local address to give? Would you do it? What about the complications of doing that? I know because of the competition I should put the local address but I don't want to be dishonest either. Has anyone run across this particular issue? How did you handle it?

[baba_yaga]

If it were me, I would not use the local address, but I would mention in a cover letter that my brother lives in Bellevue and I'm relocating anyway to be closer to family. That reassures the employer that you're not just fishing everywhere, and you have reasons to want to stick around. Also, smaller employers can't afford to pay for relocation, so make it clear up front that you don't necessarily have that expectation.

[ShellNic]

Originally Posted by baba_yaga

If it were me, I would not use the local address, but I would mention in a cover letter that my brother lives in Bellevue and I'm relocating anyway to be closer to family. That reassures the employer that you're not just fishing everywhere, and you have reasons to want to stick around. Also, smaller employers can't afford to pay for relocation, so make it clear up front that you don't necessarily have that expectation.

That's what I was thinking...I wrote a really awesome (if I do say so myself ) cover letter for one position and did mention my strong family ties etc. I am only fishing in Seattle, to use your term, and am really trying to make that move.

I had an interview with a MAJOR employer up that way about three years ago and they didn't pay for my ticket to get there nor would they pay for a relocation had they hired me. At that time (and even now mostly), I didn't care about that. I bought the ticket and interviewed my butt off...unfortunately, it didn't pan out. I always wondered if it had to do with me being down here.

I think I'll stick with my plan (which is in line with what you suggest) and see how that goes. The waiting is dreadful!

[baba_yaga]

Another option is to just leave it off, and rely on your email and phone. The recruiter will contact you if your qualifications fit, then you can talk about your situation without worrying that your résumé will be discarded without review.

[MamaRed]

My husband was able to get a job here in WA while living in CA. Relocation was not paid, and he had to live in a hotel for a month while waiting for our rental to be available, but its worked out great! My daughter and son-in-law wanted to join us, but he is more "blue collar" and wasn't even getting called back, despite being qualified. We finally decided they would take a leap of faith, make the move, and stay with us until they could get on their feet. Once the move date was set, SIL started putting our WA address on his resume. He immediately started getting calls for tests/interviews. Some didn't pan out because they were inflexible with their interview schedule. Others understood when he explained the situation, and he had a few pre-interview tests and one interview set up for the week he arrived. He had a job within 2 weeks. In his case, using a local address definitely made a difference, but I'm sure the key was having a set move date in the near future.

[pw72]

It is pretty simple. Areas that are not that attractive are more likely to hire out of towners. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Seattle is a desirable area, so companies don't need to recruit from out of state. There are plenty of qualified candidates who already live in the area, so this becomes the reality.

Again, if you want to work in the Puget Sound area, move there first, get any job, then apply. Your chances will be greater. (kind of reminds me of Hollywood in the 1940's and 50's...but in a totally different sense)

Of course, there are exceptions to this, for specialized positions.

[Kalex]

Originally Posted by cocaseco

"pretty cheap" Unless you are in your 20's with no health history, you would be hard pressed to use this description in most situations.


Some money is better than none, unless I the some conflicts with your ability to make more. Just be careful taking that PT position so that you can continue to look and interview for the FT position you want.

Um, I'm in my 30's with a kiddo and health insurance for both of us is $207/month. Its cheaper than it has been at my last 3 jobs, including a Fortune 500. And the benefits are essentially the same, with a lower deductible

[saben]

As far as a local address, I have moved from state to state several times and learned early on that you must have a local address to not have your application disqualified immediately. What I have done every time which has worked well (including applying for a move to Seattle now) is to set up a mail box at the UPS store. This gives you a street and unit number in the city and neighborhood of your choosing. When the recruiter calls I tell them the truth. That I am planning a move to X (Seattle in this case), expect no moving benefits, and set up a mailbox to assist in setting up my life there before I arrive.

[new_to_seattle]

sorry to hear you are having such a tough time.
hate to say this, but the unemployement rate in north dakota is like 3% due to the energy boom.
i know you want to live in seattle, but i would move to another city before i would give up.