Another Day, Another Dole: A Thread for the Out of Work (and those who love them) in 2011

Getcha cake up ILX

yup. starting off 2011 without a lick of work booked.

getting a job in 2011 is my main objective

reposting:

So, I need to do a 5 year salary history, but I have been in grad school during that time and most of the work I have done has been big on responsibility but low on salary. Now I am looking for a grownup job with a grownup salary, like the one I had before I want back to school.

What would you advise? Also what format do these take? Never done one.

― puff pastry hangman (admrl), Monday, 3 January 2011 01:35 (17 hours ago) Permalink

Just to clarify-been in school for 3.5 years of last 5.

― puff pastry hangman (admrl), Monday, 3 January 2011 01:36 (17 hours ago)

Not sure. Clearly mark on there which periods you were in grad school?

I figured out a decent solution. Added up all the jobs I did during school and posted a lump salary as an averaged p/t salary, under a heading that I was in grad school and received stipends/grants to do the work as well as salary. Looks pretty neat, actually.

Out of work. Believe (don't stop believin'!) that I could get work, were it not that next week I'm supposed to start eight weeks of grand jury duty. Fervently crossing my fingers that I will be excused on grounds of financial hardship.

ive been unemployed since the start of the year. had an interview for a decent role last week that i had been hoping on but it went quite poorly so thats out the window now (was going to send them a post-interview thank you letter but didnt see the point, perhaps i shd have). had a pretty motivation-less week since but been reading about the diffs between 'aces' and 'chasers' when it comes to seeking jobs and success rates and am going to attempt ace-dom.

today I had my first interview in almost eight months of unemployment* - I went into it really not wanting it and wondering how to subtly sabotage it so as to not be kicked off the dole, but by the time I got there I had kinda warmed to the idea. Then on my 2.5 hours of sleep I irrelevantly bumbled through every answer I gave, spent maybe thirty seconds silent while trying to think of a word to use that wasn't 'gallivanting', and had a baffling outburst of unnecessary honesty and hubris when I told them I don't use spellcheck because I'm better than it is. Oh well. I'll consider it interview practice, and consider myself not too bothered anyway.

*not quite as dire as it sounds - I'm pretending that I'm an 'independent researcher' rather than plain old unemployed, and have also had some freelance stuff on the go.

You laugh, but I do run into people from time to time who think that "one-person home business" really is just a cover for unemployment.

(Unless they're married women with children. Then they're considered to be housewives--something I've never understood at all.)

indigo are you really in or around s@r@sot@?

Yes, Ven1ce in fact.

"im better than spellcheck motherfucker!"

:-)

i lived in s@raetc for a year or so and worked at a local Y and at a pizza shop
not my finer days

I, too, lived in the 'sota for a year or so and knew people who worked at the Y. Whenabouts were you there, forks?

wow, like 2003/2004 i guess? i was looking after my grandmother and starting a blog that eventually got me a life.
watching a lot of films at the 99cent movie emporium and being a beach bum and running and lifting weights then cooking for gramma at night and kinda figuring out how to be a mensch.

i have a funny story about how i quit that Y btw.

I lived there from '96 to early '98. I rode my bike everywhere, went to the beach a lot, went to the New College, decided my late teens would be better spent riding my bike to the beach, withdrew from the New College. Dare I ask which pizza place you worked at?

I lived here from 1986-1993, got married and moved to Ft My3rs, and moved back here (to the same house ) in 2008 after selling our house there.

i worked at the pizza place next to the 99cent cinema as part of a strip mall with an outback steakhouse and a few crafts places? I forget names.
I actually applied to go to new college as a high school student and was not accepted and that fucked up my roll for years.

you didn't miss much: a buncha bisexual, vegan anarchists drinking and passing scabies around.

you are describing my dream of what college could've been

i even attended a few test classes! I was so awed by the fact that they had no grades

scabies is your dream?!

well no not that part

xp The Teatro? (RIP)

dunno? they had like six screens and I remember going there like every night cuz it was 99cents for half their movies and like 2.50 for the new stuff

Six screens? The Teatro only had one.

then probably not that one
i spent a lot of time at the marine biology lab out there too. forget the name. I was actually bounced out of their summer program for foul language iirc

the Mote Marine Lab?

yup, that's the one. had a good time until i was kicked out. helped dissect a stranded porpoise!

Unemployed still. I have someone at the Department of Labor helping me find jobs. She says places like Home Depot, Chicos, Lowe's, Walgreens and Goodwill are hiring and I'm pretty sure you have to apply online for all of them.

Monster.com/Hotjobs just got a makeover. I think that one and Indeed are the best online job searches but I'd like to hear all of your opinions.

It's always good to look in classifieds

I'm in the screening process for a temp job doing seasonal tax work. The position that they said that they were mostly looking for is an data entry job (I guess those jobs do exist). So I've been spending a bit of time trying to get my numerical typing skill up to 9000 keystrokes per hour. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it plus seasonal tax jobs are seasonal. The one I had last year lasted 15 days.

Just popping in here to say that they had me sign paperwork and I'm getting hired on full-time at my temp gig tomorrow.

It worked for me, folks, it can work for you. You just need to find the right number of people to bother the right number of times.

I'm glad. I know you've been on the dole threads for quite a while now
I like seeing other people's updates

That's great, kingfish - so happy to see your indefatigability rewarded

I took my typing speed test. I was so damn nervous my hand was shaking and my eyes kept moving off screen (like not being able to keep your eye on the ball when you play golf) - the test wasn't in that great of format either. So my first score was 7300 100% accuracy and the second score was 7600 (adjusted?) 95% field accuracy, 99% accuracy. The woman that administered the test said that I'll still probably get hired.. I hope so.

Still a bit sad that even if I get the job I want here (the data entry one) I'll be right near the very bottom of the career ladder - plus I don't think there is much advancement in seasonal data entry work.

Riding out the last few months of the unemployment I've been on since shortly after my son was born -- have really enjoyed being a stay-at-home dad but kinda looking forward to getting back out in the work force, even if I have no idea if I'm gonna be able to make enough to cover daycare. And I've always been really intimidated by job hunting -- what websites or offline methods do you guys use or find work best as far as finding job listings? The multitude of options is really overwhelming imo.

idealist might be a good place to start?

hmm have never seen that site before -- looks like it's mainly about nonprofits? my last job WAS with a nonprofit but that doesn't seem like an area i want to limit myself to.

while not unemployed I'm pretty underemployed right now and def need to dig myself out of this. I made it to the last round of an interview for a quite good job and ended up losing it to someone w/ credentials way beyond mine. (much older too.)

some dude: my current strategy is a huge google reader w/ feeds using the appropriate keywords from simplyhired, indeed, craigslist, idealist, a few others. it definitely makes 'looking for jobs' easier.

idealist is only notforprofits but it's pretty comprehensive

indeed is a good aggregator.

google reader feed is an awesome idea.

btw can i just say that i am so pissed to be back on this thread (i just started this job a year ago! and now i have to find a new one by june 30 ugh). not that you all aren't totally wonderful.

so probably one of the worst things about this situation is having to explain to current contacts when they approach me about future business that i won't be here in 3 months (or less) OVER and OVER and OVER. can i just put an auto-reply on my email?

BACK AGAIN...

got money to do me for about 6/7 weeks which is good, and a holiday on the way, but even 3 days into unemployed country i am a bit bored, though it's added to by being a bit sick/exhausted this week after doing a play all last week.

some jobs are around, though only one i really want. guess have to just keep applying anyhow.

Okay, this is bad I'm starting to quite enjoy being unemployed...selling stuff on Amazon/Ebay, telling my pal that I'm thinking of going to car boot sales to get more stock, listening to Radio 4, decorating, going for walks, getting dinner at my dad's...bad, bad, bad...

Applied for about 8 library jobs so far, not even got an interview thus far...It's probably time to change direction and find something that makes me a living that I enjoy, though probably the worst time to be thinking of this!

Good luck unemployed ILXORS!

yeah I have had no interviews in 2 months...pretty grim considering last time I was out of work, in autumn, I was offered three jobs. good luck to all as well. was wondering how this thread had got so quiet, I assume it's less that everyone has jobs and more that the unemployed amongst us lack the motivation to type out a

ha, well i was definitely struggling with motiv...

but just got email confirmation on job offer after 5 months out (3 months actually hunting). once again agencies failed to deliver but always feels good to not have had to depend on them. went overdrawn for the first time in years on the same day i got the callback so it's a massive relief.

pub beckons

i got six weeks work with my old job in radio 1 starting monday week, could lead to more. can't complain, it's good money and i know what i'm doing there. timing is good...

Great!

Okay, this is bad I'm starting to quite enjoy being unemployed...selling stuff on Amazon/Ebay, telling my pal that I'm thinking of going to car boot sales to get more stock,

You aren't unemployed if you are doing this.

Sign of the times? I'm going to have to take a drug test to be approved for a temp job (lasting several months, but...). Not that I have anything to worry about; I self-medicate with food, and Labcorp doesn't test for that. YET.

I can top that...I may have to take a drug test (and get fingerprinted) to get a work-from-home job.

ffs

should be illegal

can you just send some fingerprints in from home too?

or just touch a lot of shit around the office

...but it turns out that I didn't get the job anyway. (It was customer service for some store's charge card, so no big loss.)

I need resume management advice. I need something easily editable, but all the Google Docs I've encountered are so weird with formatting and margins and stuff and I can't seem to find something that is both simple and clean/nice-looking. Is there anything where I can just input shit into a form and it'll generate a nice resume based on the data I've given it (instead of futzing with margins and page spacing and all of that stuff)?

Also how do I get a job :(

LinkedIn has something a bit like this, I think -- if you fill out your profile fully, you can generate a resume from it. But then they have all your info.

My wife's been unemployed for 2 months now. She just paid £150 to get her CV done by some online company. I was v skeptical that it wasn't just a waste of money, but she doesn't know what else to do, since she can't even get an interview at the moment. The jobs she's looking at online have ~1000 applicants, so I guess she needs something to get noticed. We shall see I suppose.

I'm still unemployed. My college degree never helped but it's only a BA and it's in a very limited field.

Some Tips For My Fellow Job Searchers:

A good way of having a leg up in a large applicant pool is being one of the first 50 (sometimes 100 applicants). The open period for all postings on USAJOBS starts at 8 am so you need to search for new postings there around 7:30 every morning if you want to be considered for any of the lower end positions (they all are pretty popular).

Another good idea is to check postings on Craigslist. I'd guess that there are less applicants there than with the big job search engines. Plus you often don't have to deal with the middleman or long open periods.

Also, if you can find big companies that mostly advertise for new jobs on their website (and not a huge job search engine) it could be helpful to bookmark their employment page so that you can check their site daily.

It can also be beneficial to bookmark the job postings page for universities that continually add new staff positions.

Cold calls are always helpful. I need to go home and check the name of a website I learned about from the bi-monthly job club I go to at the Dept of Labor. The website I'm trying to remember is like the yellow pages but less cluttered.

I've been doing mostly craigslist but part of the problem is that I don't even know what I'm looking for. I mean, I'm hoping for some sort of cook/kitchen prep position but I'm not really sure what to do apart from walk into restaurants and ask to speak to the mgr and just sell myself. Also, I'm sure there's tons of other kinds of jobs I'd be good at that I can't even think of. Guys, where should I work?

A record store? No, but seriously, restaurant/bar stuff sounds good.

im not unemployed but am struggling to pay bills working this shitty temp job as im on my own now. I actually am considering joining the Union Carpenters here in Mass. Wanted to do this for a long time, this might be my chance...at age 37 though, im not so sure.

I'm in Kansas right now on a job-trip, but I recently typed up a rough hand-out on how I found a job for the local Occupy camp. This won't nec. work for all jobs, but it's a start, and sometimes ya need a start. So maybe it will help some of ya. This is Portland-centric, but adjust the location and season to taste:

Finding a Job Online – Fall 2011

POST YOUR RESUME ON CRAIGSLIST!
(and strip out the contact info first)

Resumes - http://portland.craigslist.org/res/

Jobs - http://portland.craigslist.org/jjj/

Gigs - http://portland.craigslist.org/ggg/

Websites to check: (keyword, job titles, skills)
-LinkedIn.com
-greenjobs.com
-greenjobs.net
-workinginoregon.org
-fins.com
-careerbuilder.com
-allportlandoregonjobs.com

-Aggregators like:
Indeed.com
SimplyHired.com

Job Search Support Groups:
-portlandsbest.org
-pdxjobsearch.org
-Welldiggers ($5 per mtg)
-Job Finders Support Group
(jobfinderssupport.com)

Twitter:
-Search for “city name” + “key word or job title”
e.g. “Portland admin”, “portland tech”

Local staffing/hiring companies: (call them up, email
them your resume, call each one at the beginning of the
week to remind them you’re still available for work)
-Aerotek –Spherion –Manpower
-Edgelink
-Express Personnel
-Randstad -Volt (LOTS MORE!)

Stuff to remember:
-Resume
-Brief cover-paragraph & resume in doc/pdf
-Contact & job-tracking sheet
-Handwritten thank-you notes
-networking
-career coaches
-social media
-local staffing/hiring companies

Don’t have a computer?
-Library
-Worksource Centers
-Share with buddies (Seriously . Exchange
chores/daycare/beer for access time if need be)
-Volunteer at FreeGeek

Have a computer but need office software?
-OpenOffice.org (works like MS Office, but free)

Have a computer but need a printer?
-Library (like 10 cents a page)
-Kinko’s/local copy shop
-Worksource Centers

Need training?
-Worksource Oregon might be able to help
cover the cost of a class in a program or a
certificate.

Useful Books That Helped Me:

(Check for older editions used at Powells/etc or the Library
still has valid info)

-Knock ‘Em Dead: The Ultimate Job-Seekers’
Handbook - Martin Yates (updated yearly)

-Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0 - Jay
Conrad Levinson & David E. Perry (updated
yearly)

Talk to people.

Support each other.

Form or join a local jobsearch support group to keep
yourself accountable.

Take up 2+ part-time gigs to survive if need be.

Get an interview? Awesome! Dress nice! (For example:
Don’t wear your hat.) Show up 10-15 mins early! Smile
to everyone!

NEVER STOP HUNTING.
It’s all a numbers game; if you think you have
10-20-30 bad contacts to go through until you
get a hit, then plow through those first. The
quicker you do, the quicker you get to a hit.

GIVING UP MEANS THEY WIN.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN DO THIS.

Talk to people.

Support each other.

Form or join a local jobsearch support group to keep
yourself accountable.

Take up 2+ part-time gigs to survive if need be.

Get an interview? Awesome! Dress nice! (For example:
Don’t wear your hat.) Show up 10-15 mins early! Smile
to everyone!

NEVER STOP HUNTING.
It’s all a numbers game; if you think you have
10-20-30 bad contacts to go through until you
get a hit, then plow through those first. The
quicker you do, the quicker you get to a hit.

GIVING UP MEANS THEY WIN.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN DO THIS.

cosigning all of that

hi dere

5th time in 5 years, damn.

My wife has been unemployed for a year next month :'(

sorry guys

No job here since last June. :-(

same here

Couple days shy of one month in...

I'm ready to write a RFC for a set of resume-specific XML tags. Every employment site's PDF/DOC/TXT parser fails differently...

In the next 3 hours, my wife will learn whether she is being laid off from her job of the past 5/6 years. It's a good job at a Giant Global Media Conglomerate, but she has hated it at times and wanted out on many occasions, so it's a bittersweet feeling. We're pretty frugal, have a decent amount of savings and no debt apart from student loans, so I think we should be okay in the short term. I also have a decent job although a pretty unstable one. Still, I can't help but think that her losing her job might be some kind of opportunity. Perhaps we will put all our stuff in storage and go traveling, or move to some completely different place. Anyone else been through something like this? How did it pan out?

Am going through something similar too. Mr Veg's last day was Friday, after 15 years with the same company (not a lay-off, more like a sinister end-around from a new superior who wanted him out, which kinda sucks more). 6 months severance, 6 months healthcare, and outplacement service. We've got enough savings and with the severance we'll stay afloat for a little while.
Definitely have a vague thought in the back of my head that this could be the chance for a big change. Not sure what, or if it will happen, but hey...who knows.

it seems like Mr Veg has a substantial package

Anyway, still no news. They are rumored to be letting 80 people go today though and it has already started.

I guess I'm kind of resigned to it happening, would be weird if it didn't.

wow vg, isn't your job ending soon too??? that really sucks!!

good luck to u & missus. and to the Vegs.

thanks!

thanks morbs :)

My job is sort of unofficially transitioning into "dregs of tasks from other departments" atm. My boss gave me a pep talk a month or two back and said that he didn't want me to worry about being let go, that they definitely wanted to keep me bc they feel like I have some adaptability I guess idk. No official 'new job' yet, but hey, i'll stay for as long as they want me. It's been kind of a weird time though, for sure.

jobs!

good luck, adamrl and VG!

She just texted me to say that her whole team is gone, but she hasn't got a call yet. Would be crazy if she wasn't laid off at this point, tbh. This is like Breaking Bad-levels of tension!

corporate america wtf

yikes. good luck, guys. and admrl, you're not allowed to leave until we grab drinks first ;)

haha okay that will be fine!

ugh that is the worst kind of cliffhanger

So she got laid off, as did pretty much everyone she works with. She got a better package than we expected so now we see. The crazy thing is that she has been encourage by a couple of people to apply for other jobs at the same company, many of which she is qualified for. But this has happened so many times over the last few years.