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Career, where are you?
I was let go from my job in November for differences that I have tried my hardest to move past and be positive about. Since then I have been diligently job hunting and applying and updating my resume and trying to do everything right.
I have yet to find a job and I know some of it has to do with where I live - people get in a position and just stay until retirement or they want to hire people for no money. This is why I have been looking into remote work, but even after months of applying for those jobs - nothing.
Is anyone else going through this or have some leads for marketing (not sales) jobs?
Lynne Cogan - You have good directions and scope! Thank you for being in this discussion!
What is your job search strategy? How are you looking for work?
I am applying for jobs on LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Zip Recruiter and also remote job sites I am apart of. I have also started looking for temporary positions or freelance just so I can have some money coming in. I try to check in after resumes are sent or after interviews, but the contact information is not always available (with resumes mostly).
Applying online is one of the least effective ways of finding work; maybe about 10 percent of all jobs are found that way. Are you thoroughly researching each job/work possibility? Do you understand the big picture of the company and how you can help it solve its problems, achieve its goals, and improve its bottom line by helping it make or save money?
Are you revising your resume to meet the requirements for each position? Does your resume clearly state what unique and exemplary contribution you can make to that specific company? Does the rest of the resume delineate how you have done that for other employers?
Other things to help:
If the job requests "Microsoft Word," make sure you put "Microsoft Word" and not "MS Word" or "Word" or "Office."
Do you apply online then speak with people in your network in order to see if someone will refer you. (Many employers provide referral bonuses or did before or current situation.)
This still isn't as good as all-out networking and it will give you a better chance of finding work.
As it's mentioned in previous comments, you're not alone. I've also been on the search for an opportunity since October, myself. These past few months have DEFINITELY been very trying, to put it mildly--but it's literally been hell.
I had gotten married in September, so to have a better work-life balance, I had to let go of my previous position and have been looking for something in EdTech/Trainer, Consultant/or any non-teaching opportunities in education sector ever since. I worked with the largest district in Houston, and after marriage, we shifted to Raleigh, NC area. So, to learn of new area, trying to find a job and learning how to live in this unprecedented times is very pressing, however, I try to keep a positive outlook, do my attitude of gratitude-bc right now even though we're going through all of this, I'm grateful for my health and being able to live on 1 income, for now. I'm hopeful and certain it will change soon...it's just harder to remain patient.
So, I guess some advice I can share with you all is that keep your hopes up, be grateful for any (as small as you think it is) thing in your life and just know we're all going through this together and we'll come out of it together! :)
I'm certain with your qualifications, you'll land THE opportunity you're searching for! I pray the same for me! :)
P.S. I'm sure you've put yourself on LinkedIn-set your profile to 'open' where recruiters can see you. Also, Glassdoor, Indeed, ZipRecruiters are a few good sites search for opportunities,. For those that are looking for education opportunities, like myself, try EdSurge and Truly Hired.
The last 7 months have been quite the wild ride. I resigned, under duress, from my position as Director of Education at a very liberal congregation in October and have been looking for another traditional job since. (I should preface by saying, I was successfully self-employed in a different industry for 30 years, before career transitioning at mid life). Despite countless! attempts, I have been unsuccessful at landing a new position. It feels like the age discrimination, combined with other factors is just insurmountable.
However, I had been successful at lining up several gigs in the yet burgeoning field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). I have graduate degrees in Conflict Resolution and Interfaith Studies and training in DE&I, plus I obtained my Local Substitute Teaching Certificate so I was sub-teaching high school too, on occasion.
All of this work was tied to education and now it has all come to a screeching halt. I had even planned a full day, non-credit workshop, at our local community college ($700 gig for one day’s work). Now GONE!
Alas, in the middle of all this uncertainty several amazing things have happened. First of all, I’m embarrassed to say that, now that a third of the country is unemployed, I feel less alone ... although I know it is going to further complicate my situation going forward and it is horrific to think about all the suffering. Secondly, my mom stepped up and gave me some ‘tide me over’ money (I feel extremely blessed to have this resource), then I just got my stimulus check, and recently I found a few little projects. The community college I mentioned earlier, wanted to know if I could offer an online mini-workshop (extracted from my full day version) to the public, since the subject matter is so timely. They briefly mentioned I might get a small stipend, but it ended up being $50 for 30 minutes of work! Now they want to do more. Their Vice President for Access/Equity/Inclusion saw my presentation (he’s also a former client from my previous industry, so we’ve known each other for 25years) and he suggested applying for a full adjunct position as a Human Services Instructor.
My point in sharing all this is to show the complex web of opportunities that lies before us. We have to hustle, embrace innovation, believe things to be possible, and never give up. The road this past winter has been DARK as hell at moments. I’ve nearly given up (passively suicidal) but now I feel reborn by endless opportunities and a nationwide/global refocus that feels like someone pressed a reset button. I know we will slowly revert back to our old, hamster-wheel behavior, but this odd and surreal set of circumstances has allowed, at least a few of us, to break apart a “work grind” that was soul crushing.
Keep brainstorming and looking under every unturned rock. That’s my suggestion.
Hi Kelsey. First of all, I am so sorry for what you're facing. Second, I sometimes feel guilty for replying to people in your situation. Because right now, I just celebrated the start of my 18th year with my company. And I'm blessed to be able to work from home during this time.
You mentioned "differences". Whatever those may have been... please realize that these differences aren't a fault of yours. Some differences people are able to work through - and others cannot.
I do feel this is a rough time to be searching for work. Having said this, I don't believe it's impossible. I would go through this site, as well as others such as LinkedIn, Indeed.com, and Glassdoor.
In addition, I've come to find a great resource in the site PennyHoarder.com. They have great articles about work-from-home opportunities and remote positions.
A final thought. In addition to my full-time job, I am also an Independent Tutor for WyzAnt. I hold a teaching degree and it's my earnest hope to one day teach full time. You may find you can use your skills to teach others. Something to consider?
All the best...
You are NOT alone in this. Also a November lay off and still no job! UI is running out and so is savings! It's a very tough market right now. I went through a first and second interview with the second being a 4 hour hands on interview and haven't heard anything from them since despite follow up.
It's just hard out there to find something and COVID-19 isn't making anything any easier for anyone!
What kinds of jobs are you looking for BTW since networking is supposed to be the best way to find a job!
Personally I'm after technical writing, project management, business analysis or front end development type jobs but at this point I'm open for anything in between.
It might feel as though you are running out of unemployment. However, thanks to the CARES Act, you have (1) an extra 13 weeks coverage plus (2) $600 per week coming in addition to what you receive from the state.
FYI: Your job search is very broad, which can hurt your chances of find work. Consider focusing on what you really want to do and put all your effort into finding that.
It'd just be nice to have a hard stop date to plan for as I realize that CARES is going into effect and yes, I did get the extra $600 which was nice, not enough still to pay bills but nice.
As for a broad search, I'm doing it that way because in the past several months I'd see a spurt of Tech Writer jobs and then they'd disappear for a week so I rotate between the 3 job titles which where I'm targeting the 3 titles tend to mingle.
A BA will also do some PM work with some TW thrown in for good measure so any of the 3 titles have my skill sets. I look at the job description more than the titles which for me tend to be keywords for searches that yield the best results. My job and profession is more than a title. I'm after something that combines skills that I do well and enjoy.
As for the Front End Development that is pretty much for fun and often isn't even a target. I'm a geek and love my computers but just about anything that pays the bills right now will make me happy.
That's not to say I'm not also networking but that has had abysmal results too lately so I'm moving platforms in hopes of finding different people to chat with. Remote jobs have been hard to find until recently when everyone had to go remote. Now they are all over the place!
I am completely up for suggestions that aren't the standard job club ones as I've been using all the tools I already have in my toolbox in that department. I'm thinking it's time to move out of the box in my search!
The $600 is every week for up to four months, so that should make a difference. (FYI: The money is taxable, but I presume they do not take out FICA.)
As far as a hard stop date. Does your unemployment account list either how much you have received or how much is left in your account? If you know your weekly payment, that should give you the stop date, unless you earn something in between. If you earn something that could either impact how much you receive for the week or temporarily stop your unemployment. But the amount in your account should remain there for a year from my experience.
As far as your job search . . . what I am seeing is you are really looking for a unique job that combines your skills, rather than a specific job title. Or you may be looking for a bridge job--something to get you through this period and gets you to the position you want.
In order to know for certain how effective your job search is, I would need to know more about what you are doing. However, I suspect from what you said, there are several things you are not doing that could provide better results.
For instance, are you targeting specific companies? Are you researching them thoroughly? Do you know their big picture (what their mission, vision, values, and goals are) and how you could make a unique and valuable contribution toward that--whether or not a job is posted? How could you solve their problems, achieve their goals or improve their bottom line by helping them make or save money?
Are you speaking with people who work(ed) for those companies? Are you having informational interviews to learn even more?
Are you networking specifically to find work? Are you asking people do you know of a TW, PM or BA job? Or are you asking for leads into the companies where you want to work?
How do you start a networking conversation? Do you start it by telling people about you or do you ask about them and how you can be of service?
Hi sue, thanks for your response. I am looking for something in marketing or graphic design, but there are a lot of position titles that fall under those categories. Good luck with your search.
I have been searching since November. Now is a great time to think outside the box. I need a logo designed and my website reviewed for improvement. Send me an email or message, and let's see if we can kick up some income together.
Hi Channel Goddess,
If you want to send me an email with what you are looking for, I will be more than happy to discuss with you. My email is [email protected]
There is a lot of wisdom in the comments on this site about job searching in general. That said, it's going to be a very tough time to find a new job. That has nothing to do with your attractiveness as a candidate, it just is a thing. Prepare for it to take months. For sanity, apply, send thank you notes for any screening interviews, then forget about it and move on to the next application package.