Trying to STAY in Shreveport (find a job, to live in, restaurant)

[sportnative]

I have lived in Shreveport all my life and have worked for the same company for 10 years now. I have two bachelor's degrees, an MBA and 7-8 years of management experience with one of the top 10 companies on Fortune's 100 list. I am sending out resumes to every job that comes up on careerbuilder and shared my resume with several contacts in town. However, I have not had the first response. With my qualifications, I did not expect to have much difficulty finding another job or transitioning to another company, but I have been looking for a position to match my skills/educational level for over a month now.

Where are all of the management/executive-level jobs in Shreveport? I have started looking in Dallas, although I would much prefer to stay here. I haven't job-searched in over a decade, so maybe I just don't remember how to do it. Does anyone have suggestions on where to look or who might be hiring someone with my qualifications? Do you know of any executive search firms in this area, or job boards that might be frequented by the right companies/hiring authorities? Any networking ideas?

I transitioned into management with my last employer, so maybe I am expecting things to happen too quickly. Is it that I have too much experience, not enough experience? Are there too many candidates with the same qualifications competing for a small number of openings?

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

[SBCmetroguy]

My father-in-law has basically the same resume as you, just in a different field. And I guarantee it comes down to you being overqualified. You're probably not overqualified in ALL markets (Dallas, Houston, etc) but in a city the size of Shreveport you might be. He lives in Peoria, IL (roughly the same size as Shreveport) and found that it was easier to find a job in the Chicago area... for a while anyway. After a while and even more degrees, he finally realized he can't easily find work in his field anywhere.

Don't give up, but also don't be surprised if you DO end up getting something in Dallas or somewhere else before you ever hear the first thing in a city this size.

I'm very sorry to hear this, and though I really can't offer much help I do hope you're able to stay here. Once CIC comes online and begins to diversify the local economy more, then MAYBE within 10-20 years we will have the kind of city where you can live and do just about any type of work, but unfortunately right now it's not. I'm just happy to hear that you want to stay here, with all the negativity I hear from some people. Sure I'd like to live in a larger city but in the end this is really where I want to be. I hope I'm always able to stay here as well.... if I leave I want it to be by choice, and not because of lacking career opportunities.

I did visit a friend in Dallas this weekend who moved there to start a new restaurant a few months ago. He was very successful in the restaurant industry in Shreveport, but after just a few months in Dallas he told me he is most likely going out of business soon. He has depleted his entire savings, he just recently got his entire family moved to Dallas, and now he owes the banks a lot of money. He has a good product, but the restaurant industry in Dallas is VERY cut-throat, and if you can't get the word out enough (advertising is hella expensive there) then you won't make it. So take this as an example of it working in the opposite way. He went to a larger city because he was already a success here, and it has ruined him.

[hdwell]

Originally Posted by SBCmetroguy

My father-in-law has basically the same resume as you, just in a different field. And I guarantee it comes down to you being overqualified. You're probably not overqualified in ALL markets (Dallas, Houston, etc) but in a city the size of Shreveport you might be. He lives in Peoria, IL (roughly the same size as Shreveport) and found that it was easier to find a job in the Chicago area... for a while anyway. After a while and even more degrees, he finally realized he can't easily find work in his field anywhere.

Don't give up, but also don't be surprised if you DO end up getting something in Dallas or somewhere else before you ever hear the first thing in a city this size.

I'm very sorry to hear this, and though I really can't offer much help I do hope you're able to stay here. Once CIC comes online and begins to diversify the local economy more, then MAYBE within 10-20 years we will have the kind of city where you can live and do just about any type of work, but unfortunately right now it's not. I'm just happy to hear that you want to stay here, with all the negativity I hear from some people. Sure I'd like to live in a larger city but in the end this is really where I want to be. I hope I'm always able to stay here as well.... if I leave I want it to be by choice, and not because of lacking career opportunities.

I did visit a friend in Dallas this weekend who moved there to start a new restaurant a few months ago. He was very successful in the restaurant industry in Shreveport, but after just a few months in Dallas he told me he is most likely going out of business soon. He has depleted his entire savings, he just recently got his entire family moved to Dallas, and now he owes the banks a lot of money. He has a good product, but the restaurant industry in Dallas is VERY cut-throat, and if you can't get the word out enough (advertising is hella expensive there) then you won't make it. So take this as an example of it working in the opposite way. He went to a larger city because he was already a success here, and it has ruined him.

I agree with you about this SBC, it seems like cities the size of Shreveport are rather limited with jobs for those qualifications. Unfortunately it is reality. I'm overqualified for my job, but my wife is almost ready to retire from BPSB and daughter graduates in 3 years. Another reality is that I'm too old at 53 to start at something new other than maybe something fairly simple to learn. So I stay put. Hopefully the OP will find something soon, and if not, elsewhere. Maybe the CIC will change that, and I would like to see that happen. You know this is a wonderful area to live in. I wouldn't want to go either.

Sorry to hear about your friend in Dallas. That must be a nightmare to happen to someone. Really feel bad for him or her.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by hdwell

I agree with you about this SBC, it seems like cities the size of Shreveport are rather limited with jobs for those qualifications. Unfortunately it is reality. I'm overqualified for my job, but my wife is almost ready to retire from BPSB and daughter graduates in 3 years. Another reality is that I'm too old at 53 to start at something new other than maybe something fairly simple to learn. So I stay put. Hopefully the OP will find something soon, and if not, elsewhere. Maybe the CIC will change that, and I would like to see that happen. You know this is a wonderful area to live in. I wouldn't want to go either.

Sorry to hear about your friend in Dallas. That must be a nightmare to happen to someone. Really feel bad for him or her.

Yeah I knew since he moved over there he'd been having trouble but I REALLY expected it to pick up for him. I've eaten at his restaurant in Dallas twice in the past month and it's always extemely slow... even at lunch. It's scary to see that happen, he's a great guy and he deserves to succeed. He's not American-born, and he has worked his way up to where he is/was. Before he moved back to Dallas to try his hand there in the restaurant biz, he was a partner in a big restaurant chain with a couple of locations here. He lived here and worked his butt off... he didn't sit behind a desk and make everyone else work under him. He worked right there with them. His work ethic has always impressed me.

But anyway, not to take my posts too far off-topic, I think we all see what the problem is: while education is key, sometimes too much of such a good thing will mean you can't stay in a city this size. Let's all hope that changes, and that over the next few decades we not only retain our residents but build a place where people want to come and further their careers.