Still Unemployed... Sigh

[BHSU_Student]

So I don't know when I had last written about my job hunting experience, but I am still unemployed so far. Are there any support groups on here concerning this?

I have been seeking entry level positions starting out at 14-15 an hour, but no luck so far. A career specialist gave me a handout of a position offering 11 an hour, while the other specialist didn't suggest the idea since I suppose he was more sympathatic towards the fact that I had a degree. However, I actually saw a job listing that required a PhD, but only paid $24,000 a year. It seems like the bachelor's degree has indeed become the new high school degree in every sense of the word.

 

[Me Myself]

Arg, if there was a support group I would be the most shameless/full component..

 

[oldbadger]

So I don't know when I had last written about my job hunting experience, but I am still unemployed so far. Are there any support groups on here concerning this?

I have been seeking entry level positions starting out at 14-15 an hour, but no luck so far. A career specialist gave me a handout of a position offering 11 an hour, while the other specialist didn't suggest the idea since I suppose he was more sympathatic towards the fact that I had a degree. However, I actually saw a job listing that required a PhD, but only paid $24,000 a year. It seems like the bachelor's degree has indeed become the new high school degree in every sense of the word.

Hi.......

You turned away a job opportunity.

My dentist lectures on dentistry atr Kent university. She refers to under-grads and grads as her babies. That's all a degree can do, place you on the first rung of the lasdder.

If you really are mad keen about the type of work that you are seeking you will take the next offer of 10!

 

[NIX]

So I don't know when I had last written about my job hunting experience, but I am still unemployed so far. Are there any support groups on here concerning this?

I have been seeking entry level positions starting out at 14-15 an hour, but no luck so far. A career specialist gave me a handout of a position offering 11 an hour, while the other specialist didn't suggest the idea since I suppose he was more sympathatic towards the fact that I had a degree. However, I actually saw a job listing that required a PhD, but only paid $24,000 a year. It seems like the bachelor's degree has indeed become the new high school degree in every sense of the word.

Was the position even remotely related to your field?

If so I say take the $11 an hour job and keep fishing a bit on the side. In 6 months to a year you will have built up a resume with job experience and a record of reliability. It can only help you get something better- and in the mean time 'less' money is better than no money.

 

[Reverend Richard]

So I don't know when I had last written about my job hunting experience, but I am still unemployed so far. Are there any support groups on here concerning this?

Do you live in a reasonably large city, or at least close to a large city?

For almost 2 years, I was unemployed (or at best under-employed). I found that most large cities in the U.S. have state unemployment offices that offer either weekly or sometimes monthly support group meetings. I attended support group meetings in Austin, Texas, as well as in Fort Collins, Colorado. At these meetings, the attendees shared their job hunting experiences, shared interview tactics and skills, as well as shared job leads. They also offered classes on resume writing, writing cover letters, and filling out job applications. I found these meetings extremely helpful and supportive. For a while I did take one of those $12/hr jobs. I didn't much like it, but it did buy gas for my car and put some beans on the table. You just have to keep looking.

Being unemployed really does a number on your head, and your self-esteem. Just remember that you will be fully employed one day, as long as you don't give up looking.

 

[Madhuri]

I can definitely relate to the OP!
I have a bachelors double degree and it's getting me nowhere. I'm going to have to do more study- some short courses, to be even a little bit interesting to employers. There's a lot of competition out there.

 

[Revoltingest]

I've noticed a very common (over 90%) trait among job applicants I've interviewed.
Most express no enthusiasm for their work or for the job I had available. Usually,
I was limited to simply hiring the most conventionally qualified person. I'd rather
pick someone less qualified, but with a fire in his/her belly.
I recommend:
- Prepare for an interview by researching the company & it's service/product.
- Tell them what you can to do make them more money, make them more productive, make their lives easier, etc.
- Be enthusiastic.
- Be the person they want more than all other applicants.
- Don't dwell on the money & benefits when your just getting started. You need experience more than a little extra money.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I've noticed a very common (over 90%) trait among job applicants I've interviewed.
Most express no enthusiasm for their work or for the job I had available. Usually,
I was limited to simply hiring the most conventionally qualified person. I'd rather
pick someone less qualified, but with a fire in his/her belly.
I recommend:
- Prepare for an interview by researching the company & it's service/product.
- Tell them what you can to do make them more money, make them more productive, make their lives easier, etc.
- Be enthusiastic.
- Be the person they want more than all other applicants.
- Don't dwell on the money & benefits when your just getting started. You need experience more than a little extra money.

Absolutely true. I have a file of applications I've received so far that never resulted in an interview. It's because the vast majority of them never followed up with what I asked for to qualify for an interview....an updated resume and, if possible, video of their previous work if they had it. And a lot of applicants were people that I knew personally!

What is true today was true after I graduated from college, and that the myth is pervasive that a college degree offers a leg up in finding work. What a degree offers is an education, obviously, but finding work will tend to rely on a few key things in my experience:

1) Networking. Typically from a friend-of-a-friend or somebody in the company/theatre/audition panel/business to introduce me to the person making the hiring decision or the person who can create a position for me (which was my last job before I opened my own business). The more people you get to know, listen to what they are looking for, make connections with your talents and goals with what they are seeking, the better you are able to find work and experience to continue building your portfolio.

I recently hired two staff members to do work I could not do based on recommendations from a colleague of mine and a direct competitor in my industry. I did require a letter of recommendation from each, however, before agreeing to sit down with them for an interview, and that extra effort to allow me to get to know the prospective employee gave me a better picture of who they are and who I might be inviting into the business to work.

2) An honest and polished resume. It sounds embarrassingly obvious to some, but novel to others. Applying for a job requires crafting it to fit what exactly you are applying for based on what you have to offer, and a dishonest resume creates all kinds of potholes for the employer and for you.

Be honest on the resume. There are employers that actually WILL check references. I do.

3) I'm going on 20 years as a professional in my industry, and it can get SUPER DISCOURAGING to see careers advancing at a crawl after earning a degree in your field of choice. It becomes less discouraging when we accept that drudgery, mundane work, and side jobs every now and then are part and parcel of helping to build your dream of meaningful lifetime work. I'm a business owner, but even THAT doesn't define me completely....it's a service, a business, and a source of income, but it also is just another part of the big picture. I continue to build my resume for any possible future work I want to apply for. My inbox keeps getting offers for contract work and commission work for area shows, and has actually increased pretty dramatically, since I opened the studio. Because of that, I have the choice to take the contract work if I want to devote the time to it, or pass it along offering the openings to up-and-coming artists.

If you need money now (I've been there), I've found it easiest to find a job in the food industry. I hated it, and I wasn't ever that good at it, but it put cash in my pocket so I could eat that day. In-home child care was another way of earning money in a pinch, though it required a major sacrifice in scheduling much of anything else. But if you get a reputation as somebody who is good with kids, you are actively sought out by parents in your area.

IOW, keep your chin up, keep networking, and keep updating your resume.

 

[Horrorble]

What's wrong with 11 an hour!!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I find it's tough to get employment when you turn down employment.

 

[Revoltingest]

What's wrong with 11 an hour!!

It blows goats.
But sometimes goats must be......you know.
I've worked for far less.
But now I work for far more.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

One thing to think about when apply for a job is...

• Will I be a problem to my new employer ?
• or will I solve his problems ?

An employer Takes you on, to be productive not add to his burden.
If you have to take a problem (above your pay grade) to an employer. you should also take the solution.

If you do not, he either finds out from someone else, or never even notices you solved the problem.
Bosses should always be kept in the loop, But never pester them.
The more often you can offer the solution, the better they regard you.

When you send your CV it should match the Job requirements point by point.. If it does not you don't get called. If you have other abilities or achievements, mention them, but don't boost them, or they might think you want a different job.

For the interview....

Find out every thing you can about the company, the job, products/ services and major company players and the same for competitors.
Work out what you can offer them ( mainly related to the job on offer, but also any appropriate extras you can bring to the table.)

Bring samples of your work, projects you have completed, and details of related studies.

Be Honest about what you expect from them...
Further study/training opportunities, Pay, benefits, vacation time.
If you do not settle these things at this time, you will start at the lowest scale for everything.

What ever the position, they are looking for self starters, not someone who has to be pushed. In degree level positions they want self starters who can think for themselves, and lead others.


In my last position I started at the highest point on offer. ( on review after six months the position was re-graded three steps higher.

Late in the interview for my previous position, I was asked why I wanted the Job... I said that I was no longer sure that I did, as it no longer seemed to match the profile in the advertisement.

We then got down to discussing the job, not me, which resulted in quite a few enhancements.


I was always called to interview after sending in my CV and application. I was only once not offered the position. (They gave that stupid reason, that I was too experienced and over qualified) But it was a job I wanted, and would have been a marvellous route to new opportunities.

Getting an interview or an offer is never just luck. It takes a lot of research and effort.

I am now well retired, such things are only memories.

 

[Alceste]

So I don't know when I had last written about my job hunting experience, but I am still unemployed so far. Are there any support groups on here concerning this?

I have been seeking entry level positions starting out at 14-15 an hour, but no luck so far. A career specialist gave me a handout of a position offering 11 an hour, while the other specialist didn't suggest the idea since I suppose he was more sympathatic towards the fact that I had a degree. However, I actually saw a job listing that required a PhD, but only paid $24,000 a year. It seems like the bachelor's degree has indeed become the new high school degree in every sense of the word.

You're not alone. I actually don't know anybody with a degree who is currently working in the field they got their degree, with the exception of my cousin who is working her way toward a doctorate in the field she was already working in to enhance her prospects for advancement.

The one thing all these university educated massage therapists, print shop employees, waitresses, carpenters etc. have in common is they stopped looking for relevant work after a couple of years, or they tried a couple apprenticeships or junior positions and decided they weren't all that into it after all.

If you really want to be in your chosen field, don't stop trying, but be prepared to accept grueling hours and little or no pay to get your foot in the door.

If you really want to earn a living, be prepared for life to take you somewhere else. Try a temp agency to get a taste of what's out there. If you can type and use Microsoft products, you're in. If you do good work, you will probably be offered permanent positions with benefits etc. for more money.

 

[Thief]

I've actually been hired for production work at $13 an hr.....
only to be let go after 60 days because someone noticed I have tool and die experience.

"We don't need a toolmaker.'

Over qualified?....sure.
Needed a job and willing to work for less?.....sure.

Did the employer care?.....not at all.

The logic is to hire for the job.
Over qualified people continue to look for better jobs.
They don't stick.

When I went back to the unemployment office...
They said..... "What?...they said that to you?"

Apparently...some portions of our system haven't caught on yet.
If you know too much....or be greatly experienced.....
The next employer....doesn't want you.

Good luck finding that job you're trained for!

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

long term employment in the same company is getting to be a thing of the past and for good reason.
After about seven years in a job you have done about every thing you are going to do for the company , unless you are being seriously promoted. so after about 5 years you should be looking for the next opportunity. You will have skills and experience that someone else will be prepared to pay for.
There is no long term loyalty to employees. if you are at the top of your pay scale you are a cost on the business that can be reduced. Employees are commodities that now have a sell by date.
They will be looking for someone to bring something new.

 

[Thief]

long term employment in the same company is getting to be a thing of the past and for good reason.
After about seven years in a job you have done about every thing you are going to do for the company , unless you are being seriously promoted. so after about 5 years you should be looking for the next opportunity. You will have skills and experience that someone else will be prepared to pay for.
There is no long term loyalty to employees. if you are at the top of your pay scale you are a cost on the business that can be reduced. Employees are commodities that now have a sell by date.
They will be looking for someone to bring something new.

So much for working into retirement plans.
Everything short term.....grab all that you can from any company you work for.

And the only commitment possible belongs to the company owner.
Long term for him as he owns the company.

Maybe we should vote ceo's in and out of office!!!!
That way he suffers short term employment like the rest of us!!!!

Would we not have better companies of the public eye was more attuned?

If you don't like the way the power company is operated....vote them out.
Water company too.

If the year end bonuses are greater than the salary.....vote them out!
They got what's coming to them....they cost too much....vote them out!!!!

 

[Penumbra]

Eh, I'd be annoyed if I had a PhD and someone was offering me $24k a year. Unless that PhD was in something totally unmarketable.

With the people I've interviewed for engineering positions, I go about a really straightforward process:
-I look at their resumes and pick out the ones that have the most work experience and solid GPAs. Work experience is practical, while a good GPA tells me that when they know something like grades is important to the vast multitude of employers, they can deliver the goods and get an A or B rather than drinking too much beer instead of studying.
-Then we do phone interviews with the best ones. Networking can help get a person this far but no further.
-Then we do in-person interviews. In the interview, if they got that far, they have a good GPA, they have work experience, and maybe a current worker tells me directly that s/he would be good for the organization. So the only concerns in that interview are whether they're going to make us more money than they are going to cost us, and whether they're going to fit with the team well to hit the ground running from day 1. If a person can sell me on those ideas then she's got my vote.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

So much for working into retirement plans.
Everything short term.....grab all that you can from any company you work for.

And the only commitment possible belongs to the company owner.
Long term for him as he owns the company.

Maybe we should vote ceo's in and out of office!!!!
That way he suffers short term employment like the rest of us!!!!

Would we not have better companies of the public eye was more attuned?

If you don't like the way the power company is operated....vote them out.
Water company too.

If the year end bonuses are greater than the salary.....vote them out!
They got what's coming to them....they cost too much....vote them out!!!!

Retirement plans that are tied to an employer suck.
I lost some 8 years of pension, transferring to my last position, But that was still better than it would have been, had I stayed where I was, to retirement.

A private pension pot is probably the best idea in the long run.

There is no point in treating an employer as a "Milch cow" Do the best you can for them, and if they stop doing the same for you, it is time to move on.
When you leave, you want them to feel that they wished you had not, but still on good terms.


I have conducted hundreds of interviews both for my own departments and for others. We had a very structure process, as do all large organisations in the UK. (This is necessary to comply with employment law).
The list of requirements for selection, and even the main questions for the interview were pre-established, and specific to the position on offer.

We had to go on an intensive two week interview/selection training course Before we could join or chair a panel. as a result we had very few bad appointments. All new employees were monitored with monthly follow ups before the post was confirmed as permanent.

In the ten years I was in my last post. I lost two people though reorganisation ( moved to placements in other departments) One through Promotion to another department. One through death in post, one through early sickness retirement, and one following disciplinary proceedings. No one left simply by choice.

 

[Thief]

Retirement plans that are tied to an employer suck.
I lost some 8 years of pension, transferring to my last position, But that was still better than it would have been, had I stayed where I was, to retirement.

A private pension pot is probably the best idea in the long run.

There is no point in treating an employer as a "Milch cow" Do the best you can for them, and if they stop doing the same for you, it is time to move on.
When you leave, you want them to feel that they wished you had not, but still on good terms.


I have conducted hundreds of interviews both for my own departments and for others. We had a very structure process, as do all large organisations in the UK. (This is necessary to comply with employment law).
The list of requirements for selection, and even the main questions for the interview were pre-established, and specific to the position on offer.

We had to go on an intensive two week interview/selection training course Before we could join or chair a panel. as a result we had very few bad appointments. All new employees were monitored with monthly follow ups before the post was confirmed as permanent.

In the ten years I was in my last post. I lost two people though reorganisation ( moved to placements in other departments) One through Promotion to another department. One through death in post, one through early sickness retirement, and one following disciplinary proceedings. No one left simply by choice.

Here where I live...employers continually make bad choices.
The local population has gone from a busy 44,000 with high earning jobs....
To a population of 33,000 and wages just above unemployment checks.

I now work two hrs from home and visit my family on wkends.

The wages I earn now are supported by union and long term intention.
Too late in life for retirement plans.
But my income has almost doubled.

Details?.....I could write a book.

Have you seen a speech? by Lester Thorow...1996....the future of capitalism.

But for one detail....He's been on the mark.

I've been living it.

 

[Wirey]

So I don't know when I had last written about my job hunting experience, but I am still unemployed so far. Are there any support groups on here concerning this?

I have been seeking entry level positions starting out at 14-15 an hour, but no luck so far. A career specialist gave me a handout of a position offering 11 an hour, while the other specialist didn't suggest the idea since I suppose he was more sympathatic towards the fact that I had a degree. However, I actually saw a job listing that required a PhD, but only paid $24,000 a year. It seems like the bachelor's degree has indeed become the new high school degree in every sense of the word.

Go to trade school. Move to Canada. We'd welcome you.