Job hunting in a recession

[NiX]

If you are in the US, have a business degree, have knowledge of either the health care field or IT project management, or both......I know of an open job at Humana here in Louisville.

Canadian with no passport. No real inclination to move to the US either, not yet at least.

[Fargull]

Aside from the advice so far, about the best that I can suggest is show up in person and ask directly.  Persistence will pay off; the send a letter a week Andy Dufresne method really does work.

Good luck!

[Paelos]

My advice is to get something part-time if you can do it, and then do volunteer work 2 days a week to fill out your calendar. Not only is the volunteer stuff fun and fulfilling, it's a good way to make contacts with businesses who donate to those causes. Also, if you do things for them that are related to your field, you can add your experiences there to your resume in some form or another.

Currently while I'm looking, I have a part-time gig for about 5-10 hours a week doing financial modelling for an energy company, and I spend 1-2 days a week doing admin work for the Atlanta Food Bank. Both are helping to keep me sharp instead of wallowing in the fact that nobody is going to hire accountants until at least 2010 in an public field. However, I'd make sure to check government agencies (as I have) that will have openings in a ton of fields. The downside is that you will probably have to relocate for 2-3 years to get considered, as most jobs that need filling aren't in many "desirable" cities.

[Selby]

The downside is that you will probably have to relocate for 2-3 years to get considered, as most jobs that need filling aren't in many "desirable" cities.

Everyone keeps telling me "you can't move, that will uproot your family!" and my response is "going where the job is!"  I am not independently wealthy enough to be able to sit around for 9-12 months doing nothing except looking for a job.  I'm taking the first thing engineering related that pops up ("if you won't work at McDonalds\dig ditches you really don't want to work" is not a valid argument in my opinion) almost regardless of location.

[Hindenburg]

You've the right attitude.

[Ghambit]

For those who aren't as tied down, you can always take a year off and go abroad to teach English.  I'm approaching three years in and will probably be looking for something different this summer or fall, but it's been a life changing experience - I'm doing things now that most people dream about doing when they're retired. 

A popular job site: Tefl.com
Note that for nearly all the jobs on that and similar sites, you'll need some kind of TEFL certificate, which generally costs around $1000 and involves a month of training and teaching practice.  And for nearly every job in the EU you'll need an EU passport or work permit, which is incredibly annoying when all I want to do is go teach in a little town of the coast of Spain or Portugal but I can't because I'm an American.   

One of the most popular forums for ESL teachers, organized by country/continent:  http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/
Beware: Much whinging in certain parts of those forums.  If you're interested in South Korea (where the money is, at the moment, and where I started), there's a separate and huge forum just for that.   

Not only that... just going abroad PERIOD is smart.  You dont really even have to work 'cept for maybe some odd jobs.  A fine choice is Costa Rica or Panama.  You can live like a king on peanuts and be exposed to some of the best "life" you'll have.  Once the economy comes back, come home.

[Oban]

Not only that... just going abroad PERIOD is smart.  You dont really even have to work 'cept for maybe some odd jobs.  A fine choice is Costa Rica or Panama.  You can live like a king on peanuts and be exposed to some of the best "life" you'll have.  Once the economy comes back, come home.

Belize.

It is safer, cleaner and English is the official language.

When our kids turn 18 we are moving.

[Broughden]

If you are in the US, have a business degree, have knowledge of either the health care field or IT project management, or both......I know of an open job at Humana here in Louisville.

Canadian with no passport. No real inclination to move to the US either, not yet at least.

My offer wasnt a joke. My wife is looking for a team member. Would be a direct report to her.
Figure I would post it up here in an attempt to possibly help someone who might be out of work.

[NiX]

My offer wasnt a joke. My wife is looking for a team member. Would be a direct report to her.
Figure I would post it up here in an attempt to possibly help someone who might be out of work.

I was replying seriously. I don't have a passport and would rather stay in Canada for a bit longer before moving wherever. Trust me, I'm all for working abroad.

Paelos, I've actually just gotten an offer to do volunteer work for, I believe, a cancer foundation rewriting their policies to bring them up to date and then putting them into a policy book. So, there's that done. Next is some kind of job. The problem being that the areas I'll be living in have a larger population than they do jobs. It's only slightly better when there's no recession, but still hard to find a job around here. The worst part being everyone keeps claiming HR is in high demand now, when I really don't see it.

[schild]

The worst part being everyone keeps claiming HR is in high demand now, when I really don't see it.

It's like this for lots of industries - health for example. And a lot of those jobs are going to go to folks that had previously worked in the health industry since all sorts of people are out of work. Same goes for games. And anything else.

[apocrypha]

Remember that in a recession "high demand" often just means "lower likelihood of being sacked".

[Signe]

Not only that... just going abroad PERIOD is smart.  You dont really even have to work 'cept for maybe some odd jobs.  A fine choice is Costa Rica or Panama.  You can live like a king on peanuts and be exposed to some of the best "life" you'll have.  Once the economy comes back, come home.

Belize.

It is safer, cleaner and English is the official language.

When our kids turn 18 we are moving.

Good luck with that.  Belize isn't the best kept little secret anymore.  They even have retirement incentives and a whole scheme going now.   Germans are especially in love with Belize.  By the time you're a pensioner, every chair on the beach will already have a towel on it.

[Oban]

God damn it.

I have been there four times, but the last time was 2006. 

Fuck, when did this happen?

[Signe]

I don't know when it happened.  I read an article a couple of years ago about it becoming popular and the government making tax and duty incentives to retired people.  I remember American, German, and the French loving it, and retirement schemes.  It also said that nearly all new homes are built to American standards.  Sorry, no link but I read it in a travel magazine in a doctor's office.  Having said that, it really does look like a lovely place to live.

[Paelos]

I don't know when it happened.  I read an article a couple of years ago about it becoming popular and the government making tax and duty incentives to retired people.  I remember American, German, and the French loving it, and retirement schemes.  It also said that nearly all new homes are built to American standards.  Sorry, no link but I read it in a travel magazine in a doctor's office.  Having said that, it really does look like a lovely place to live.

Just typing in Belize Retirement into Google spawns over a 3000 links with information about properties, the tax breaks, and the retirement options. http://belizeretirement.org/ has information and the options of German and French.

[Oban]

fuck fuck fuck.

[Broughden]

fuck fuck fuck.

Honduras.

Lower cost of living and both the Caribbean and Pacific sides are amazing.

[Oban]

Spanish.

[bhodi]

Yeah, that's the problem - I really don't want to learn another language; English is mandatory.

[Righ]

That's why you hire an English-speaking servant and have them do all the shopping. And an English-speaking lawyer so that you can get around those pesky local laws that make adding the rooftop observatory to your home complicated. Down the pub, just speak louder and slower. After all once drunk, even the locals do that.

Belize is in Central America. Fuck that. I'd rather retire to somewhere in the Med. Cyprus perhaps.

Edit: also, you do realise that once you've retired, learning a language is a useful pastime and won't exactly fill your busy week. Its exactly the sort of thing I want to do when I retire. Learn languages, music, drawing - all the things that I "didn't have time for" when younger.

[MrHat]

Cyprus is so fucking expensive.  Great place though, but the whole country just feels...lazy.  I guess that's what you're going for.

Unless you live in Limasol.

[NiX]

Well, its been more than a month since I've posted in this thread and I'm still unemployed. I've expanded to such fine establishments as Blockbuster, Future Shop (Canadian Best Buy), The Source...etc. Nothing from them either. Heck, I'm even looking in another province.

So, I'm thinking maybe I should do something more drastic like cold call or walk into corporate places or is that kind of stuff a bad idea? I've exhausted every avenue.

[Signe]

I don't see why you shouldn't walk into a company and try and talk to someone about giving you a job.  If they don't like it, what can they do?  Call security?  Just don't put that bit on your CV.  You could always wait tables - you'd make an adorable waiter.  Other table's customers would give you their waiter's tips!  You'd clean up.  Waiting tables is also the first step to a lucrative acting career - which is kind of like HR, right?  I don't know.  Can you get unemployment or that sort of thing in Canada?  I know people in Britain who have lived all their lives on the dole.  Like nearly everyone in Leeds except for the people who hand out the money and students.   And they still all seem to have enough money for pints, cats and to skin up.  It's a good life.  I know about these things.  I haven't worked in 12 years!

Cabana Boy might still be an option.  You're young enough, though just.  You have one of those faces that stays 18 until you're 35.  (I want one!) You probably don't even have to be near a pool.  You can just do it on the internet.

[Nebu]

My advice is to cast a wider net.  Apply to positions all over the place and show them that you aren't afraid to relocate.  It's not ideal, but it's a way to start building some experience.

[Nevermore]

I've expanded to such fine establishments as Blockbuster

Blockbuster is still in business?

[Engels]

Well, its been more than a month since I've posted in this thread and I'm still unemployed.

Hang in there, NiX. Last time I got 'made redundant', I was spamming resumes for 3 months. Time before that, 6 months. And this was not during the current nasty downturn.  I don't know where you live, but if its in a large-ish urban area, new openings will always emerge. The current gig I have opened up because the guy before me suddenly decided he needed to move somewhere with his GF asap, so they conducted a sudden blitz of interviews, and I somehow miraculously came out on top. The position was open and closed in less than 3 weeks.

[shiznitz]

Those Belize retirement pictures are nice. What they don't tell you is that it is hot as fuck and if you go 100 miles in any direction you will be killed by drugrunners/rebels/communists/fascists/pick one. Belize. Nice if you want to do nothing all day.

[Cyrrex]

I don't see why you shouldn't walk into a company and try and talk to someone about giving you a job.  If they don't like it, what can they do?  Call security? 

Better yet, walk into a company and demand that you get hired for the security job.  When they inevitably and ironically call security on you, you break out a can of whoop ass on that person, thereby proving yourself to be the person better suited to the job.  In the likely event that you are bested, it's lawsuit time, bitches!

[NiX]

My advice is to cast a wider net.  Apply to positions all over the place and show them that you aren't afraid to relocate.  It's not ideal, but it's a way to start building some experience.

Yeah, Just last week I started applying to a third province, but not as much as the other two. I've been wondering if it's good to just throw that I'll relocate in my cover letter or my resume? Or both? It's a weird thing to just put in either, well, I just haven't seen it before.

Hang in there, NiX. Last time I got 'made redundant', I was spamming resumes for 3 months. Time before that, 6 months. And this was not during the current nasty downturn.  I don't know where you live, but if its in a large-ish urban area, new openings will always emerge. The current gig I have opened up because the guy before me suddenly decided he needed to move somewhere with his GF asap, so they conducted a sudden blitz of interviews, and I somehow miraculously came out on top. The position was open and closed in less than 3 weeks.

I know the average time it takes right now is somewhere between 3-4 months. I've been looking since the beginning of March, so I'm getting to the point where I concede that I might be screwing up or lacking something in my search.

Blockbuster is still in business?

In Canada they are. I don't know if their Canadian operations is separate or if it's a franchise up here. They're still around though and hiring for quite a bit of corporate positions.

Anywho, if anyone is bored and feels like picking apart my Resume and/or Cover Letter, well, go nuts. I'll note that I've removed my contact information and my reference contact information. I like you guys, but not that much. Except for Signe.

[Selby]

Well, its been more than a month since I've posted in this thread and I'm still unemployed.

Same here.  I've interviewed in 4 different places, and all of them liked me, but either ran into financial problems or had another candidate more qualified for the job.  I'm hoping to hear some good news this week from a place I've interviewed with twice.  They called me last week to let me know they were going to close the rec on Friday and would let me know after that.

I'm still not waiting tables or working at McDonald's or digging ditches just yet.

[schild]

I'm still not waiting tables or working at McDonald's or digging ditches just yet.

5 Months in, the closest I've gotten to applying to places like that is Starbucks, they didn't even call me back. I have absolutely no idea why since it's just an application.

My best advice to those who are having trouble finding jobs is, apply for more, but keep yourself busy and do not, under any circumstances, think about it - even though 9 times out of 10 if someones talking to you they're gonna ask "So, gotten a job yet?"

[Hindenburg]

Anywho, if anyone is bored and feels like picking apart my Resume and/or Cover Letter, well, go nuts. I'll note that I've removed my contact information and my reference contact information. I like you guys, but not that much. Except for Signe.

It says "Expected Graduation: April 2009". Haven't you graduated yet?

[NiX]

Damnit. Yes, I have and changed it in the Word 2007 version, not the 2003, which is the one I send out. Hurr durr.

I've been wondering if it's better to paste your resume into the body of the e-mail or attach? Or both? I usually put my cover letter in the body and attach my resume, but I know companies are very paranoid about getting some internet STD.

[Hindenburg]

Both.

I'd also recommend reducing that thing to a single page.

[Cyrrex]

Yes, single page, especially when your actual work experience is somewhat limited.  Beyond that, I'll reserve judgement unless you'd like to answer this question:  what sort of job are you looking for?