Job finding guidance and request for some help.

[Flood]

HI.

I really really really would like to move to Ventura, CA.  I currently live in Bakersfield, CA.  All of the people I grew up with as childhood friends live over there.  I have a goal set for myself to get out of this town and be in a more positive environment with my friends, after some stupendously bad times here in Baks that have driven me to the edge of sanity. (Literally)


My request is:  Can anyone tune me into a way (or better way) to find a job over there?  I admit I'm pretty much a tard without many lifeskills, no education, and a varied job history - but I've had people tell me that a job "headhunter" can do wonders for finding you a job.  Also there are folks that write kick ass resumes for you right?  Correct?  Erroneous?  Pipedream?  I'm looking for ways to be able to maybe upgrade my current job status and money so I can relocate.

I have some management experience, some marketting experience, some sales experience, better than average IT knowledge (but not anything certifiable), and a shitload of restaurant experience. (Serving, entry level management, training, developing) and of course the obligatory useless 2 years of college with no degree. 


If anyone here can give me some pointers or send me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.  I've never been the most grounded person and I have never had the knack for marketting myself, being good with finances, working the job system, etc.  I'm trying hard to learn some new skills and get myself into a better place.  Any advice or support of any kind would be ++ for me.


Thanks.

[Cheddar]

words

If you are not too concerned about where you start out I would suggest California Pizza Kitchen.  You can score an entry level position and receive full benefits fairly easily!

[Flood]

That's funny since I currently work for Elephant Bar, which is owned by SB Industires, which is the same owner as E-Bar.

And I'm not too concerned where I start out, I just want a job that pays my bills.  Not to sound like a total crazy person, but this is more of the "cry for help" type post since I really don't have any friends or support network here, and my family life is le suck. 

[Cheddar]

That's funny since I currently work for Elephant Bar, which is owned by SB Industires, which is the same owner as E-Bar.

And I'm not too concerned where I start out, I just want a job that pays my bills.  Not to sound like a total crazy person, but this is more of the "cry for help" type post since I really don't have any friends or support network here, and my family life is le suck. 

Well some people do not enjoy resteraunt work.  CPK offers vacation time, health insurance, dental insurance, etc.  Best bet would be to crash at a friends house in the area you wanna work one weekend, go fill out an application, ask to talk to a manager/shift lead, and go from there.  FYI, do not ask to talk to a manager if they are busy!  Try and apply during low population times.

Currently I work as a cook at one and am extremely impressed with the benefits.  Unfortunetely my extravagent lifestyle means I will need to find new employment soon. Its not easy being a HIGH ROLLER!!!

[Broughden]

Not to sound like a total crazy person, but this is more of the "cry for help" type post since I really don't have any friends or support network here, and my family life is le suck. 

Flood,

I would highly suggest trying the job search engines on either Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com
Additionally both sites offer professional resume and cover letter writing services for modest prices.

Monster.com presently lists more than 1000 job openings in Ventura County.

[Flood]

Not to sound like a total crazy person, but this is more of the "cry for help" type post since I really don't have any friends or support network here, and my family life is le suck. 

Flood,

I would highly suggest trying the job search engines on either Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com
Additionally both sites offer professional resume and cover letter writing services for modest prices.

Monster.com presently lists more than 1000 job openings in Ventura County.

Thanks alot Broughden for the reply.  I'm starting those processes this week.  I always thougth that was more of a big city LA/New York operation, but I have more and more folks telling me they find specific jobs that way pretty much anywhere.

[Broughden]

Not to sound like a total crazy person, but this is more of the "cry for help" type post since I really don't have any friends or support network here, and my family life is le suck. 

Flood,

I would highly suggest trying the job search engines on either Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com
Additionally both sites offer professional resume and cover letter writing services for modest prices.

Monster.com presently lists more than 1000 job openings in Ventura County.

Thanks alot Broughden for the reply.  I'm starting those processes this week.  I always thougth that was more of a big city LA/New York operation, but I have more and more folks telling me they find specific jobs that way pretty much anywhere.

Yes, its generally more cost effective for employers to advertise with such sites that trying to use the old news paper classified ad. Hell even the NSA and other government agencies advertise openings with them.

I believe in a quick search I did there were 44 openings in Ventura Country for Food Service Industry positions. Most tended to be entry level management positions.

Just a tip though from a recent friend...He finished his AA in Networking this past December after leaving the military. However, he found he could get a higher paying position in restaurant management than in the IT industry with just an AA. However, the hiring process for the position he finally got with Applebee's took nearly 3 months to complete, so if you are looking for immediate employment I would suggest getting a bartender or waiting job so you have income while the company processes your management application.

[dusematic]

Dude your posts are coherent and in the main, free of grammatical errors.  You shouldn't have much of a problem slapping a resume together.  It's all about spinning everything into a positive.  For instance, I worked at Subway for awhile, and now I'm applying for summer law internships.  I just bulletted the fact that I closed by myself from 5-12, had a key to the store, handled all the day's earnings, and called myself a sandwich artist for comedic effect.  Things are a little different for you because I think you're a tad older than me, and you've definitely been in the real world longer.

Still, the fact remains that employers primarily care about punctuality, responsibility, and hard work.  If you really suck at life I could send you a template for my resume, but I don't know what you'd glean from it, the formatting notwithstanding.  But if you suck too much nothing will help you and you should just suck it up and soldier on.  Or you could try suicide.

[Flood]

Dude your posts are coherent and in the main, free of grammatical errors.  You shouldn't have much of a problem slapping a resume together.  It's all about spinning everything into a positive.  For instance, I worked at Subway for awhile, and now I'm applying for summer law internships.  I just bulletted the fact that I closed by myself from 5-12, had a key to the store, handled all the day's earnings, and called myself a sandwich artist for comedic effect.  Things are a little different for you because I think you're a tad older than me, and you've definitely been in the real world longer.

Still, the fact remains that employers primarily care about punctuality, responsibility, and hard work.  If you really suck at life I could send you a template for my resume, but I don't know what you'd glean from it, the formatting notwithstanding.  But if you suck too much nothing will help you and you should just suck it up and soldier on.  Or you could try suicide.

Had a little trip to the hospital due to Flexeril + pot + Ambien last week.  So, yeah.  Hello counselling time.

Anyway, thank you all for the responses.  I currently am a foodserver (I'm the head foodserver, trainer, yak yak)  And as for school I am 3 credits away from my AA, so I just put down that I have an AA.  As for the resume - I have just done many different things, and find it hard to tailor a resume to certain jobs since I have done a fair bit in many fields.  Also, I'm trying to get into a situation where I'm bettering myself and my tax bracket so I was thinking a kick ass slick resume and maybe one of these head hunters could land me a 40+ job over there... ideally that is. 

I have my friends telling me I should buy a 30 foot sail boat to live on in it the marina. (My best friend did that for 3 years)  I'm actually thinking about how it might work out.

[Broughden]

Or you could try suicide.

Could you be anymore of an insensitive ass?

[schild]

Or you could try suicide.

Could you be anymore of an insensitive ass?

This is where I explain that, for the most part, sensitivity has no place on the internet.

Especially not in World of Warcraft.

[Broughden]

Dude your posts are coherent and in the main, free of grammatical errors.  You shouldn't have much of a problem slapping a resume together.  It's all about spinning everything into a positive.  For instance, I worked at Subway for awhile, and now I'm applying for summer law internships.  I just bulletted the fact that I closed by myself from 5-12, had a key to the store, handled all the day's earnings, and called myself a sandwich artist for comedic effect.  Things are a little different for you because I think you're a tad older than me, and you've definitely been in the real world longer.

Still, the fact remains that employers primarily care about punctuality, responsibility, and hard work.  If you really suck at life I could send you a template for my resume, but I don't know what you'd glean from it, the formatting notwithstanding.  But if you suck too much nothing will help you and you should just suck it up and soldier on.  Or you could try suicide.

Had a little trip to the hospital due to Flexeril + pot + Ambien last week.  So, yeah.  Hello counselling time.

Anyway, thank you all for the responses.  I currently am a foodserver (I'm the head foodserver, trainer, yak yak)  And as for school I am 3 credits away from my AA, so I just put down that I have an AA.  As for the resume - I have just done many different things, and find it hard to tailor a resume to certain jobs since I have done a fair bit in many fields.  Also, I'm trying to get into a situation where I'm bettering myself and my tax bracket so I was thinking a kick ass slick resume and maybe one of these head hunters could land me a 40+ job over there... ideally that is. 

I have my friends telling me I should buy a 30 foot sail boat to live on in it the marina. (My best friend did that for 3 years)  I'm actually thinking about how it might work out.

1. As a managerial level person with hire/fire authority...let me strongly recommend that you do NOT lie about being short the 3 credits on your resume. Its one of the easiest things an employer can check. Tell them the truth. Also get your ass into night school and finish the damn 3 credits. Its one course! (The 2nd hardest thing to lie about is relevant military experience when applying for a federal job, strangely people keep thinking thay can get away with that....when all I have to do is read their military records.)

2. Get off the drugs. A) For your own health and well being and B) Because ALOT...let me say again...ALOT of employers are doing drug tests now up to and including hair follicle tests! A friend of mine just found out his son smokes pot because his son got turned down for a minimum wage job at a sporting good store that uses the hair test.

3. Once again I would recommend availing yourself of a professional resume writer if you dont feel comfortable doing it yourself. The #1 reason I throw a resume in the garbage is because they are lying about military experience, but # 2,3 and 4 are all because of format, spelling and punctuation used in their resume.  

4. Lastly, if things are so bad for you where you are then just get out of there. Get any job you can to pay the bills in the Ventura area, and then after getting the resume put together and your AA complete start shopping them out to companies.

(Yes, living on a sail boat kicks ass! and chicks dig it.)

[schild]

You have hire/fire authority?

[Broughden]

This is where I explain that, for the most part, sensitivity has no place on the internet.

Especially not in World of Warcraft.

I sent you a PM regarding this.

You have hire/fire authority?

Yes. I have unfortunately gotten stuck in a desk job, although I am presently trying to change that and get back out in the field.

[dusematic]

You're sending Schild PM's about my lack of sensitivity?  And why can't the dude just put "AA anticapted, 200X," that's what I'd do.

[Margalis]

The ability to hire/fire is 99% pain in the ass, even for someone like me who is more vengeful and brutal than most. Hiring is just a huge pain and firing is annoying and affects everyone.

Anyway, back on topic: if you have a shitload of restaurant experience then just put that on a resume. I'm not sure a recruiter is going to help find that sort of job and you certainly won't get head-hunted for one.

A recruiter is someone who helps you find a job, usually for a percentage of your first-year salary (5-15% with 10 about average in my experience). I have no idea how prominent recruiters/placement agencies are in the restaurant business, I would guess "not very." Emplloyers don't like to use placement people because they have to pay that extra %, they tend to be used in places where demand for employees greatly outstrips supply.

Making a resume isn't really that hard. Be honest but make what you've done sound good, spell everything right, use the same verb tenses and such the whole way through, and tailor your resume for the job you are looking at.

I hate to see resumes where people have obvious errors because it tells me they didn't put a lot of time in, don't care, aren't detail oriented or just aren't competent. The other thing I hate is when I ask people things they have on their resume and they have no idea about them. I get this a lot with software engineers who say they "know Oracle" and it turns out they just have Oracle running on some machine at work.

Edit: And yeah, just say "AA expected date BLAH" on your resume.

[schild]

You're sending Schild PM's about my lack of sensitivity?

He's new to this internet thing, me thinks.

[Righ]

Recruiters suck. IT recruiters suck harder, and in the USA they're actually worse than in the UK and Europe, which came as a shock to me. Most of them can't even pattern match off a stack of electronic resumes. It'll take you about 200 recruiters to find one good one. Never lose contact with a good agent.

Networking (knowing people who know other people, etc) is still a far better way to find a decent job. Ask people in your (extended) family, people you've worked with before, friends (even those childhood friends you mention), even your doctor and dentist. Jobs come from surprising places sometimes. Here's a tip that might help set up relocating to a new job maket that's within travel distance - on a day off, drive over to Ventura, and socialise. Really.

The number 1 rule for interviews is to approach them as your means of finding out if the company is suitable for YOU. Not only do you need to know this, you'll come across better if you're engaged in the conversation rather than just rattling off answers. Follow up on interviews with interesting places, even if the job doesn't suit you, or they go for another candidate. Networking - you can't get enough of it, even when you're employed.

[dusematic]

When my Mom asked me why my grades are garbage and I rang up a 200 dollar bar tab on my emergency credit card, I just told her I was networking.  I think this placated her.  I know it placated me.

[Strazos]

There's always the military.....it may not be Ventura, but it will get you out of Bakersfield.

[Flood]

There's always the military.....it may not be Ventura, but it will get you out of Bakersfield.

Heh I'll be 34 this year.  The last time I jumped on my skateboard to do some "soul skating" (AKA Caring If You Hit The Pavement Skating) I fell and broke my ass.  I can barely run anymore due to my foot issue last year.  I sir, am unfit.  But if I had it to do all over again I would go into the Service for sure.

[Llava]

You're sending Schild PM's about my lack of sensitivity?

Personally, I told my mom.

[schild]

I'm surprised Llava didn't say the obvious. If you're really looking for an Out from Bakersville, pack your shit up and move to Phoenix. Cheap housing, TONS OF JOBS, and tons of food.

Also, sunny days. I'm here for the sunny days.

[Broughden]

The ability to hire/fire is 99% pain in the ass, even for someone like me who is more vengeful and brutal than most. Hiring is just a huge pain and firing is annoying and affects everyone.

Agreed which is why Im trying to rid myself of this albatross of a desk.
Bleh desk work. :-(

I hate to see resumes where people have obvious errors because it tells me they didn't put a lot of time in, don't care, aren't detail oriented or just aren't competent. The other thing I hate is when I ask people things they have on their resume and they have no idea about them. I get this a lot with software engineers who say they "know Oracle" and it turns out they just have Oracle running on some machine at work.

Edit: And yeah, just say "AA expected date BLAH" on your resume.

Agreed and agreed.


Flood,
Oh I do know that Funcom, the producer's of Age of Conan, are hiring more in game GM's for the upcoming release of Conan here in NC. Leverage your MMO gaming experience into a position with them.

[Righ]

I'd be up for living there for the clear dark skies myself. Well, near Phoenix, not in it.

[Sairon]

Oh I do know that Funcom, the producer's of Age of Conan, are hiring more in game GM's for the upcoming release of Conan here in NC. Leverage your MMO gaming experience into a position with them.

Funcom has their headquarters in Norway, so you'd probably learn to speak either Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, all those 3 are fairly similar. Me and another bud were actually looking into joining QA at Funcom recently  .

One thing to not do is sit around at your house all day doing nothing and hoping that someone is going to contact you, better of working for some crap salary at random place then ( I'm not implying that you're siting at home doing nothing, just advising not to ). It's easy to turn into a slacker that way and then it's all down hill.

When I quit college I got a decent web dev job, but it didn't last all that long. Afterwards I contacted my old high school and got the opportunity to help out for a very weak salary. Turns out they're interested in hiring me in fall with a respectable salary as a teacher, and better yet, through the owner of the school I got in contact with a guy who needed a programmer in the field I'm specialised. This guy seems to be the ultimate employer as well, he stated from the get go that if I'm intrested I'd have his trust 100% as long as I motivate all the decisions I make and don't abuse it. Hell he even said that if I want to be a teacher as well he'd fix so that I get hired at the school 50% through his company without him taking any $ for it.

[Kenrick]

Also, sunny days. I'm here for the sunny days.

I have sent you a PM regarding this.

[schild]

wrote:

I have sent you a PM regarding this.

Cuesta Rey? Really? Did they suddenly get good in the last year or so? They're just so..so...so Meh.

[Cheddar]

[schild]

CRIPPLE FIGHT!!!

Normally one would reserve the cripple fight picture for when there's actually a cripple fight. Kenrick making a pretty funny stab at Broughden and my response of knocking his taste in cigars does not qualify.

[Cheddar]

CRIPPLE FIGHT!!!

Normally one would reserve the cripple fight picture for when there's actually a cripple fight. Kenrick making a pretty funny stab at Broughden and my response of knocking his taste in cigars does not qualify.

Was not directed at you guys!  I just thought it was cute, what with all the morality talk and suggestions of suicide.  I had nothing witty to add, so fell back on posting pics to view my opinion.  Natch.

[Signe]

I'd be up for living there for the clear dark skies myself. Well, near Phoenix, not in it.

No.  And if you persist, I'll pm schild on you!

[Jacob0883]

Now that you are older, I am betting the government would pay for you to go back to school and finish your degree.  Depending on pre-reqs, you could probably get an accounting degree in 2-2.5 years.  You can currently get an accounting job in any city in America.  It would also be easy to find a waiting job while you are in college.  I just said accounting because I think it is the biggest job market right now, but finishing up school would be a great idea.     

[Kenrick]

CRIPPLE FIGHT!!!

Normally one would reserve the cripple fight picture for when there's actually a cripple fight. Kenrick making a pretty funny stab at Broughden and my response of knocking his taste in cigars does not qualify.

whatever, as long as i get to b-bube-b-bbe Ji..ji...jim...jimm..j-jimmy.

[HaemishM]

Flood,

I would highly suggest trying the job search engines on either Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com
Additionally both sites offer professional resume and cover letter writing services for modest prices.

Careerbuilder was originally owned by Gannett back when I worked at one of their newspapers. They got some of their listings from the actual newspaper classified ads anyway, so it was just as good if not better than newspaper classifieds, even in podunk Mississippi.