Please help.

[MissMarley]

i'm scared.

we find out this week if we're getting federal funding to keep our department running for another five years. i've been in this job for four years now, my first "grown up" job, and I don't want to lose it. It's really stressful sometimes, but I don't really know how to job search...don't know what to look for, what kind of job to look for. My job is really varied and unique, not going to find anything else like it. (I work in sex-ed - we provide abstinence-plus education (not abstinence-only, we promote abstinence as the best option for kids in junior high and high school, but we also provide contraception information for those who choose to be sexually active, as well as education about dating violence, online safety, rape prevention, STD information- especially symptoms and treatment- so you see, I'm not going to find another job like this)

And if we lose funding, the company still wants to keep me on 5 hours a week to continue my direction of our teen dance/drama team. So I would have to find something that can be flexible for that. Right now, we meet on Saturdays from 10-1. Most retail jobs wouldn't want me if I couldn't work Saturdays, right?

So what do I do?

I need your advice. I trust you, my fellow Specktrites. Any advice is welcome.

 

[Jennifer Mcfly]

Oh gosh, coming from someone who just lost her job friday I really feel ya. I hope you get the funding you need to keep your job!
:crosses fingers:

If not, there are alot of sites online to look for a job, mainly monster.com

 

[Raerae]

Step 1, build a resume.

You have job expierence, so that will go a long way to making you a lot more employable.

What are your hours of availibility?

My personal suggestion, stay away from retail. Retail jobs are horrible. You usually end up getting paid minimum wage, you dont have a fixed schedule, and your always expendable.

Get a job in an office environment. Administrative assistant work is easy, and it pays rather well in comparison to working the same schedule as a retail employee.

 

[MissMarley]

I have a good resume built, I am registered with several job-hunting sites, I've located our local state-run career center to go apply with..

I'm just scared. What if I can't find anything? And I'm really depressed at the possibility. Makes me feel like all the work I've done has just been in vain, as I'm the only one in my department who will be cut completely. Some of the others will lose hours, but the other two positions that would have been cut, those workers quit before it came down to this- they couldn't handle the pressure. And now I sort of wish I had done the same. It's a horrible feeling. Knowing that the future of my job depends solely on the decision of some bureacrat who has no idea who I am, or that I need a job to help support me and the husband, or that I've been doing this for years and put my heart and soul into it...I feel expendable. Worthless.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I've been jobless for a while (no one wants to hire me, even though I'm educated, have experience, etc.) Here are my tips:
-Craig's List. It's been one of the better sources seriously
-Look at being a personal assistant. Those hours are very flexible
-Be open about jobs. What did you do exactly as your job? If they're office skills, they can transfer over to almost anything.
-What is the policy in your area about substitute teaching? That would be flexible option and it could pay decently.
-www.idealist.org may help you find a job
-Temp/employment agencies are also a good source. My friends have had a lot of luck with them, but they're also close to the big cities.

Good luck. The job market has been really, really rough on me.

 

[Raerae]

I know it's not what you wanna hear, but you'll get used to it. All anyone ever is when you work for a large company, is a number.

My advice is dont rely on the internet. job sites like YahooHotjobs, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com whatever.

While I would still post your resume on them, dont count on them to find employment. You also need to be proactive on those sites. You can list your resume, but you also need to actively send it out to employers in your area.

NewsPaper! Classified ads are your friend. With the price of Gas only going to go up and up and up, regardless of the current lowerprices (which are still higher than gas was a year ago), you want a job that is near where you live. I had plenty of great job offers that were at least an hours commute away from where I live. Do you really want to pay 1/2 of your takehome income on gas just getting to your job? With the local paper you can find local jobs. Call, fax, and hand deliver resume's. You have to be proactive in order to find employment.

Get involved with staffing firms like, www.pridestaff.com

They got me my current job, which I'm nearly 100% sure will turn into a permanent position. Temp to Hire companies are great places to regester with in order to get a job. Since not only do you have yourself out looking for jobs, you have a company looking for you as well. I was regestered with 2 different staffing firms, went to many interviews, and finally got my current job.

File for unemployment. Sometimes it takes longer to find a job than you think it will. Since you will be let go (dont quit), you can file for unemployment and get income similar to what you were making at your current job, to help you out during the time your inbetween jobs. I used to be to proud to get on unemployment if a position I was in was eliminated. Dont be. It's there for a reason, and it can help you stay out of debt, pay your rent, and actually have gas in your tank when you go to that interview that will get you a new job so you can get off it.

 

[Raerae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauty Mark I've been jobless for a while (no one wants to hire me, even though I'm educated, have experience, etc.) Here are my tips: -Craig's List. It's been one of the better sources seriously -Look at being a personal assistant. Those hours are very flexible -Be open about jobs. What did you do exactly as your job? If they're office skills, they can transfer over to almost anything. -What is the policy in your area about substitute teaching? That would be flexible option and it could pay decently. -www.idealist.org may help you find a job -Temp/employment agencies are also a good source. My friends have had a lot of luck with them, but they're also close to the big cities. Good luck. The job market has been really, really rough on me.

I totally agree with what i put in bold. I've worked as an administrative assistant for ENGINEERING FIRMS. I'm not an engineer, I dont even have a bachlors degree. I work as an administrative assistant for the cable company now. It's one of the best paying jobs I have ever had, but it defeneteley wasn't something I thought I would be working at when I was in college LOL.

Be flexible. Apply for EVERYTHING. You might be surprised at what you didn't know you can do.