As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
Options
Is my self employment hurting my chances for employment elsewhere?
EWom
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Howdy,
Recently it's come to my attention that I need to continue to pay bills such as medical, power, water, home payments, and buy groceries in order to survive. As such I've decided to stop doing what I'm doing for a living?, and go get another job. I am currently self employed as a freelance web dev. programmer, using html, css, javascript, mySQL, and PHP. I've got a business license and all that crap that goes along with it to make it official, but I've been having a hard time finding work lately, and it's no longer paying the bills, and adding a lot of stress onto my marriage; and with winter here, costs are only going to up. So I've decided to go get a job.
I've got 10 years experience in retail environments, in pretty much every position but salaried manager. I've put applications out to every retailer I can find in my area that is hiring, I've put 100% availability, and marked down every option for desired work (IE: Temp, seasonal, p/t, f/t). In my work history I always include past retail experience, but also put down my business as my current employment.
Now I've never had a hard time getting a retail job, and now I haven't heard back from a single one I've applied at. I have probably 15 applications out there, just in retail (I've got more apps in non-retail, businesses). So I'm left wondering if being a business owner, or a failed business owner is some kind of red flag for potential employers out there, and what if anything I can do to correct it. Because I'm guessing leaving it off the applications will also hurt me, having a big gap, of no employment from my last job to this one.
Help me H and A, you're my only hope.
Recently it's come to my attention that I need to continue to pay bills such as medical, power, water, home payments, and buy groceries in order to survive. As such I've decided to stop doing what I'm doing for a living?, and go get another job. I am currently self employed as a freelance web dev. programmer, using html, css, javascript, mySQL, and PHP. I've got a business license and all that crap that goes along with it to make it official, but I've been having a hard time finding work lately, and it's no longer paying the bills, and adding a lot of stress onto my marriage; and with winter here, costs are only going to up. So I've decided to go get a job.
I've got 10 years experience in retail environments, in pretty much every position but salaried manager. I've put applications out to every retailer I can find in my area that is hiring, I've put 100% availability, and marked down every option for desired work (IE: Temp, seasonal, p/t, f/t). In my work history I always include past retail experience, but also put down my business as my current employment.
Now I've never had a hard time getting a retail job, and now I haven't heard back from a single one I've applied at. I have probably 15 applications out there, just in retail (I've got more apps in non-retail, businesses). So I'm left wondering if being a business owner, or a failed business owner is some kind of red flag for potential employers out there, and what if anything I can do to correct it. Because I'm guessing leaving it off the applications will also hurt me, having a big gap, of no employment from my last job to this one.
Help me H and A, you're my only hope.
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
EWom on
0
Posts
I dont see how this really hurts you. At minimum while you are working build a portfolio. You might want to broaden your search, seems like maybe your overqualified and thats what is scaring the employers away.
Leave it on there, but I would definatly consider broadening your search beyond retail. Hit up every computer repair place you can find maybe.
EDIT - also try registering yourself with some consulting companies in your area? You might get some extra freelance work from it?
but they're listening to every word I say
Superwoot.
Imagine that was limed.
One of the best things about working freelance is the large amount of references you can obtain in a short amount of time. If you've established business relationships with some of these people, now's the time to use them.
Twitter
Superwoot.
Currently to pay the bills, I have been walking around with a rake, cold knocking to see if people want to pay me to rake & bag their leaves. But with the snows here, that has ended. I was donating plasma @ biolife, but a medical procedure I had to have, keeps me from doing that again for a year.
We have cut costs as low as we can now. We no longer have internet or tv service, or other luxuries (I use my parents internet, or WIFI hot spots). It's getting rough
superwoot.
Also, bad economy, so they may just not be doing a lot of hiring.
How is your wife's employment prospects or is she hitting the same roadblock you are?
Also going into winter there will be driveways to shovel, seeming as you were willing to rake leaves maybe you can offer the same people that allowed you to do that shoveling services.
I really feel like your doing everything you can to get a job here and its just rough. Have you tried reaching out to your family to see if you can secure some extra money for emergencies?
Also have you considered expanding your companies services to include computer repair?
"This is a man of action! Promote now!"
But seriously, good luck.