Most discouraged I've been in a long time...

[hawkeyedug]

I apologize for the long rant in advance, hit your back button if you are so inclined.

As you may or may not know. I moved to the Iowa City area just over one year ago. It was a great move. That said I left a very good job to move here. I'd be making at or around $50K a year with the raises I would have received last year and the turn of this year if I had stayed. For a 26 year-old in a small (1500) Iowa town that is pretty good scratch and you're pretty much living the high life. I'd also be gaining all sorts of invaluable experience on the job as we were in the beginning/planning stages of starting up a new cellular provider, amongst several other projects that were pretty impressive for such a young professional.

Ever since I made the move and left the job I have been looking for a job. I still haven't found one. I've worked a super shitty job, unloading trucks and restocking shelves overnight at Target, and now I work at a factory, at a temp job, filling orders by putting boxes of toothpaste, brushes, and floss in larger boxes. I'm making $11 an hour, at a shitty mindless job. I'm broke, it sucks.

I've sent seemingly hundreds of job applications. Usually I don't hear anything, rarely I get lucky and actually receive a rejection letter or email. I've only had two or three interviews.

I was scheduled to have an interview today. I was, as you would expect quite excited. I had high hopes, and was feeling really good about this one. So I took off from my shitty $11 an hour job at noon. Leaving 3 hours and $33 off my next paycheck. I came home, did some research on the company, shaved, showered and got in my suit. I was looking damn good if I may say so myself. I jump in the car and get halfway to the interview and the phone rings.

Me: "Hi, this is Dug."
Lady:"Hi Dug, this is (lady) from (place) you have an interview scheduled for 3:30 today?"
Me: "Yes, I'm on my way right now"
Lady:"Oh sorry, we have to cancel. (Dude) had to leave, and won't be back this afternoon"
Me: .......

We rescheduled, for next week. I'll have to take another half day off work. I know it isn't all that bad, but it is so fucking discouraging. I feel like everything is stacked against me. I don't even want a "good" job at this point. I just want to get somewhere where I'll have the opportunity to prove my value and worth, where I can work my way up. I just want a fucking job, that pays my bills and allows for a meager bit of savings so I might be able to retire at least a week before I fucking die and can enjoy a little bit of life.

Someday (maybe, probably not, at least for a long ass time) I might want to have kids. But I'm not about to even think about it unless I can at least make some money to provide for them better than my parents could for me (both my parents worked hard as hell at shitty jobs for everything they provided us, and everything they have now, as meager as it may be. I'm grateful as hell for all of it.) Sometimes I wonder why my GF puts up with my broke ass and why she has stayed with me when I can't find a respectable job.

I'm not afraid to put this out there, but I fucking cried when I turned my car around today. I'm a god damned man, I don't cry very often, but I'm extremely frustrated. I'm getting misty right now.

I can't tell you why I just typed all of this out. I guess I just needed to vent, and get some shit off my chest. Carry on.

[MoHawk]

Keep the faith Dug. I've been job hunting myself, and I know how frustrating it can be. No shame in frustration, no shame at all. Just keep your head up and know better times are ahead.

I firmly believe that you get what you give, and if you're putting in a ton of effort to the job search (which it sounds like you are) then there's no reason to think it won't pay off sooner or later. Here's hoping it's sooner for you.

[NOTTHOR]

Nov 20, 2008 17:23:47 GMT -6 hawkeyedug said:

I don't even want a "good" job at this point.

Don't sell yourself short. I interview a lot of kids every year and if they look to me like they just want a job and don't have some fire in the belly, I recommend no offer.

The job market is terribly shitty right now. Iowa City always has a terrible job market in damn near every field because so many people want to live there. My wife has a college degree, is fluent in two languages and had all kinds of Oracle and Microsoft certifications and shit and she ended up in food service at a nursing home in Iowa City making like $7 an hour after making close to $100k in Tokyo. Don't get frustrated about the job market around Iowa City, its best to cast a wide net and get the hell out of there if you have to, it's terrible and that is no reflection on you and no reason for you to get down, it just is what it is.

[germaine]

What's your background?

[hawkeyedug]

Nov 20, 2008 18:42:43 GMT -6 germaine said:

What's your background?

I was officially titled "Marketing Manager" at my old job. But it was a small company so I had my hands in pretty much everything you can conceive. I would be Assistant GM by now if I had stayed. I know my boss told me he wanted to groom me to take over for him when he left before I resigned. I have a Management degree, I know, pretty broad. I've got a decent amount of logistics experience.

[germaine]

Check your PM.

[poncho72]

Like everyone else has said, hang in there and don't sell yourself short, BTR is right it's tough out there right now. If nothing else comes up, you go right back into that interview scheduled for next week like you own it, and when you are done with the interview wait a few days and send or call with a thank you for the time type of message, things like that strike a nerve in employers, they see that thank you message, roll through the stack of applications and your name goes right back to the top of the pile, I'm certain this method has worked for me at least 3 times in the past ( 2 have told me so ). Anyone can interview for a job, it's the people that go in with confidence and vigor that prove that they are worthy, go in there and make it hard for them to deny you! I'm confident that this is just a bump in the road and you will prevail, keep us updated.

P.S. you will never be able to afford kids, its just a simple fact of life

[mattahawk]

Relax doug, it will turn out in the end if you keep pushing. My wife is a testament to that. She took 2nd in 4 different job interviews over the course of a year and a half while being unemployed or self employed. I am kind of more or less in the same situation job wise. Or at least I will be next year. I have come to the conclusion there are jobs out there and it is up to me to be qualified for them.

I know you are a pretty smart guy by having talked to you over the last couple of years. I would suggest you take a good look at the paper and see what open jobs there are. I know you have done that already but this time look at the jobs you ARE NOT qualified for. Try to take a test in Des Moines for manager of the USDA, pays about 50-70 grand a year. That's in small town Iowa, in CR it might be double that. It's simple, You take the test in January, wait for some old fart to retire, and apply.

Or try the courthouse in Coralville, CR, IC, or Marion. Walk into the auditors office and ask them if they have any openings. Someone new wins an election in the courthouse and the new boss in whatever office they get, Assessor, Auditor, Recorder, Treasurer, whatever they can fire everybody in there if they want to and completely start over. Now is the time to check. And the Assessors office usually looks for guys because they have field work to do. The deputy assessor started at about 38 grand last year and the benefits are top notch. The jobs are not advertised very well as they put it in the paper for maybe a week or even just 1 day. It's up to you to know about it.

Keep your head up Doug. Keep trying for anything and everything. My wife got her job when she was 7 months pregnant, AFTER the County Attorney told the Assessor and Supervisors not to hire her because she was pregnant!!! If she can pull it off I know you got it in you to! Just don't get stressed and come on here to vent if necessary.

[kshawkesq]

I am sorry to hear of your struggles. It's not a good time to be looking and competition in IC is strong. Perhaps its time to consider more education, a specialization etc. I was offered a job before law school that paid 12K more than my first attorney job. I spent three years clerking while in school earning $8 an hour to have law firms bill as much as $75 hr for my legal research, which I performed using my free access to Westlaw and Lexis so they didn't have to pay (before the days of flat rate usage). Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward. I don't make the BTR cash, but I pay the mortgage and student loan cos with a bit left over to savings/wedding stuff.

[idrinkthereforeiam]

Dug, been there, done that. Keep the faith, man.

I was stuck at Hy-Vee (actually it wasn't THAT bad, the pay SUCKED, the hours SUCKED, the work SUCKED, but the guys who I worked with rocked and I like the store itself) for a total of 5 years (2+ years after I graduated from UNI with an MIS degree. I was sitting there working as a Dairy Manager with a MIS degree. I was pissed, frustrated, etc... I kept my resume posted everywhere (Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder, Minnesota Workforce Development, America's Job bank, etc...)

I got turned down job after job after job. I almost started a book for all the rejection letters I got (many from the Mayo clinic). I had an interview with Maytag in Newton and they offered, but I declined.... two weeks later, they laid off 4000 workers. Good thing.

Then out of the blue I get this email from a guy who has a heavy duty truck dealership. He had found my resume on some little Minnesota Job site (I put my resume on there as an after thought). I knew nothing about trucks, I just knew that they got in my way on the highway a lot. Turns out he is looking for a recent college grad to start in a recently created position. He had been doing all the PC work at his company, but now with over 100+ users, he couldn't do it all, esp. with all his other responsibilities. He was looking for someone to basically take over the IT dept - from networking, to PC rollouts, to helpdesk, to web design, to database management, etc... the broadest of broad spectrums for a guy in the IT industry. He said he'd give me 33K to start out. THat was head and shoulder more than what I was making at Hy-Vee, so I told him I'd think about it. The building wasn't in great shape and I knew dick about anything dealing with trucks. Something told me that this was the job, so I accepted, moved up to MN and now 5 years later I am still at the job and very happy, with rapid increases in wages and monthly bonuses, my boss is doing everything to keep me. I really do like my job even though its pretty stressful, with a ton of responsibility. The best part of the job is the fact that I work for the owner, I don't have any other mini bosses to micromanage me... that is just awesome. And my boss will let me work the hours I want, and even telecommute on occasion. He is extremely flexible that way.

So (sorry for the rant), the bottom line is, don't get frustrated. Looking for a new career is a full-time job as well, I know the feeling. Don't give up, dude. Keep at it. Just be sure to get that resume on every single job website you can find.

Good things will happen to you, Dug, just be patient and never stop trying.

[kshawkesq]

Nov 21, 2008 0:04:47 GMT -6 idrinkthereforeiam said:

Dug, been there, done that. Keep the faith, man.

I was stuck at Hy-Vee (actually it wasn't THAT bad, the pay SUCKED, the hours SUCKED, the work SUCKED, but the guys who I worked with rocked and I like the store itself) for a total of 5 years (2+ years after I graduated from UNI with an MIS degree. I was sitting there working as a Dairy Manager with a MIS degree. I was pissed, frustrated, etc... .

For a second there, I thought Kurt Warner was posting on this board.

[idrinkthereforeiam]

Nov 21, 2008 0:07:06 GMT -6 kshawkesq said:

Nov 21, 2008 0:04:47 GMT -6 idrinkthereforeiam said:

Dug, been there, done that. Keep the faith, man.

I was stuck at Hy-Vee (actually it wasn't THAT bad, the pay SUCKED, the hours SUCKED, the work SUCKED, but the guys who I worked with rocked and I like the store itself) for a total of 5 years (2+ years after I graduated from UNI with an MIS degree. I was sitting there working as a Dairy Manager with a MIS degree. I was pissed, frustrated, etc... .

For a second there, I thought Kurt Warner was posting on this board.

No, silly.

He worked at the Cedar Falls Hy-Vee, I worked at Crossroads in Waterloo.

[thunderhawk]

The economy sucks. Fucking sucks ass. It sucks worse than the "experts" claim it sucks.

Having said that, don't look back at what you think you gave up. There is no reason to waste energy looking back, because there is not a single solitary thing you can do about it.

The bottom line: Don't blame yourself for being under-employed in the midst of the worst economy any of us has ever seen. I knew a kid in college who wallpapered his room with the rejection letters he received. I thought that was a stellar attitude, because really, what the fuck do these strangers know about you anyway?

[thunderhawk]

Nov 20, 2008 23:59:46 GMT -6 kshawkesq said:

I am sorry to hear of your struggles. It's not a good time to be looking and competition in IC is strong. Perhaps its time to consider more education, a specialization etc. I was offered a job before law school that paid 12K more than my first attorney job. I spent three years clerking while in school earning $8 an hour to have law firms bill as much as $75 hr for my legal research, which I performed using my free access to Westlaw and Lexis so they didn't have to pay (before the days of flat rate usage). Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward. I don't make the BTR cash, but I pay the mortgage and student loan cos with a bit left over to savings/wedding stuff.

Co fucking sign. I was writing appellate briefs during law school...and getting paid a law clerk's wage. I also turned down some nice bank to go to law school. Not an easy choice.

But hey, at least with JDs we can get over on people.

[The Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Hang in there D.

I was 31 before I stumbled into my calling. The 20s were tough at times, particularly paying for school and raising 2 kids on a$6-$8/hour, but the wait and struggles were sooooo worth it. My 30s were great, and I'm really looking forward to the 40s that are on deck next year.

Keep networking....and I'll keep my ears open for any clients that may be looking for staff...believe it or not, many of the better run mid-size companies out there see the recession as an opportunity to get stronger, so they will be looking for help in late winter or early spring.

[NotMyKid]

Nov 21, 2008 10:04:56 GMT -6 The Flying Spaghetti Monster said:

Hang in there D.



Keep networking...

BINGO!

As shitty as it is, a lot of jobs are not what you know but who you know. Join as many organizations and young professional groups as you can. The more people that you meet and talk to on a regular basis the more chance you have of them having a job for you or knowing someone that is looking for someone.

Put yourself out there, I am sure you already know this but don't be the guy that looks desperate, keep your head up and show people that you are somebody that's important or someone that would be an asset to a team.

It will happen but don't lose hope. As long as you still have that drive you will land on your feet.

Good luck.

[Solar Stud]

Dug,

I've been pretty employable in my field (pharmacy, healthcare), but I am retiring from the Navy in 11 months and am looking for a position I can slide into.

I've received several offers already, 11 months out. What worked for me is:


#1--I used a head hunter. In fact I used 4 of them. They know the lay of the land and have contacts I never would. Use them. Costs you nothing. Bug them weekly.

#2--I networked the hell out my contacts including about 70 drug reps. Don't be afraid to call in favors, call people you know, etc. It's a powerful tool.

#3--Sit down with an expert and re-examine your resume. Do this as soon as you can. Those guys also will put you through mock interviews. Costs a bit but look at is as an investment, not an expense.

#4--Post post post. As othes have said, post everywhere you can. Also, look on www.usajobs.gov for federal, DOD, VA positions.


#5--Surprisingly, people asked me about my skill level in PowerPoint, Word, Access and Excel. I'm excellent with Word and Excel and servicable in the other two. It helped.

You might consider a masters in your field? Sure, more investment, but it's an option. Education never never never hurts.

Finally, as trite as this sounds....it's true and sincere....every no puts you that much closer to a yes.

Shoot me an email with your current resume...

[e-mail]


Seth

[Norm "racerhawk" Parker]

Nov 20, 2008 20:08:15 GMT -6 poncho72 said:

Like everyone else has said, hang in there and don't sell yourself short, BTR is right it's tough out there right now. If nothing else comes up, you go right back into that interview scheduled for next week like you own it, and when you are done with the interview wait a few days and send or call with a thank you for the time type of message, things like that strike a nerve in employers, they see that thank you message, roll through the stack of applications and your name goes right back to the top of the pile, I'm certain this method has worked for me at least 3 times in the past ( 2 have told me so ). Anyone can interview for a job, it's the people that go in with confidence and vigor that prove that they are worthy, go in there and make it hard for them to deny you! I'm confident that this is just a bump in the road and you will prevail, keep us updated.

P.S. you will never be able to afford kids, its just a simple fact of life

I concur with Poncho. Make personal contact, leave a message, and keep trying. I have written people off, yet they kept trying to contact me. Eventually they were so persistent that I hired them. I can't even begin to wade through the number of electronic applications, emails, and resumes. However, if someone calls me I almost always call them back. Keep trying. Your frustration isn't an entirely bad thing. Channel that energy and know that you're a good person and will eventuall succeed. Keep smiling, project confidence, and as BTR said, don't be afraid to widen your net and potentially leave Iowa City (although I can understand your desire to stay). The job market is really rough. It's unfortunately just the way it is right now. You will make it through this. It just doesn't seem like it right now. Hang in there.

[idrinkthereforeiam]

Also you could start pilates and just get ripped... then no matter how bad the job is, you'll have a smoking body.

[twinegarden]

Dug,

The sand will leave your ham wallet soon enough. I think that your situation is the tip of the iceberg as far as what most of us willl be dealing with over the next 10 years. Get used to it and teach you self to not give a fuck just enough to be capable of being a whole hearted and good productive member of society. Don't ever forget about the number on your side while you are dealing with all the bullshit. Hopefully you aren't taking your problems out on eachother, if you truly love your woman and she feels the same way, you do not have to worry about a damn thing.

If you get bored you should do some pilates so your woman will think of nothing but your smoking body.

[Solar Stud]

Duggie,

Any update?

[hawkeyedug]

I have a second interview scheduled for later this week with AFLAC. It is B2B sales, and sales really isn't my thing, but it is better what I'm doing by far, so I figured it is worth a shot.

[101]

Dug....keep your chin up. I just went through a similar experience a couple of years ago. You'll find your place and once your on the inside, all will be much easier.

As difficult as it can be, don't get discouraged. Keep confident in your skills and abilities and you'll land something. You've got the entire Wasteland rooting for your success.

[socal]

I've been so hyper-paranoid about my job recently I didn't want to jinx Dug with a "good luck" --- but good luck Dug (no jinxies).

[socal]

Nov 21, 2008 13:58:51 GMT -6 Solar Stud said:

I've been pretty employable in my field (pharmacy, healthcare), but I am retiring from the Navy in 11 months and am looking for a position I can slide into.

As men, aren't we always looking for a "position" we can "slide into"?


On a side note, if you or anyone needs help or training on Excel/Access/Word/PPT/Visio - or a formula etc. let me know. I paid a few hundred bucks a while back to get certified as a MS Office Expert & Trainer. I gotz me some mad formula/pivot/macro/module skillz.