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Big problems. Huge ones.
DirtyDirtyVagrant
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I didn't get the job. After taking a computerized assessment, I couldn't get an entry level fucking inbound call center sales job at Qwest. Simultaneously, my other job lost their contract. I just got the "you don't work here anymore, sorry" call.
Luckily I have 2-3 months rent in the bank. 4 if I stretch my food out. Way out. My post about my new computer can probably be delayed. I'm just glad I didn't already buy some shit like a dumbass.
The problem is this. If I cant get the entry level job at Qwest, what can I get? Am I doomed to the life of burger king and janitorial work? An existance with little or no job security? Am I really so worthless as to be refused an entry level position in a call center? Damn it all, I have bills to pay. I have debt to get out from under and college to go to. This is bullshit.
But I wont dwell on that for too long. What can I do? To better myself. What kind of work can I seek and how should I go about seeking it? I live in a downtown area. Financial institutions everywhere. bars, clubs, restaurants (sp), retail all within walking distance. And -much- more is a bus ride away.
More importantly, if there is a basic skillset I should have for $10-15/per hour work I'd like to know what it is. Because mine includes experience and demonstrable ability with office, windows applications, linux, kitchen work, retail experience...I have references. I dress appropriately. What the fuck. (And I don't swear)
Luckily I have 2-3 months rent in the bank. 4 if I stretch my food out. Way out. My post about my new computer can probably be delayed. I'm just glad I didn't already buy some shit like a dumbass.
The problem is this. If I cant get the entry level job at Qwest, what can I get? Am I doomed to the life of burger king and janitorial work? An existance with little or no job security? Am I really so worthless as to be refused an entry level position in a call center? Damn it all, I have bills to pay. I have debt to get out from under and college to go to. This is bullshit.
But I wont dwell on that for too long. What can I do? To better myself. What kind of work can I seek and how should I go about seeking it? I live in a downtown area. Financial institutions everywhere. bars, clubs, restaurants (sp), retail all within walking distance. And -much- more is a bus ride away.
More importantly, if there is a basic skillset I should have for $10-15/per hour work I'd like to know what it is. Because mine includes experience and demonstrable ability with office, windows applications, linux, kitchen work, retail experience...I have references. I dress appropriately. What the fuck. (And I don't swear)
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What city are you in? You should be qualified for basic technical support posts, either on-site or phone-based, possibly administration work or something similar.
Edit: I must add, though, good on you for putting savings before consumerism. Many people I know very directly would be up the proverbial creek if they were fired / terminated / downsized for failing to apply common sense like you have. That financial cushion, stringent though it may be, has already saved you a lot of hardship.
I was full time. Permanent. But I had just started there and moved out here only a few weeks ago. They want 90 days here for unemployment eligibility.
I'd also say, if you know anyone in the Des Moines area (or if anyone here is from the area and feeling helpful) who has any sort of connections with any employers there (even as simple as "already employed by name), you need to talk to them. Blanketing every listing you see with a resume / cover letter / references will eventually net results, but things will go much faster if you have an internal contact to get the gears turning.
When I was job hunting I applied for a bunch of jobs that I would have considered "Below" my abilities and didn't get a single response from any of them.
My best advice is to just drop off resumes everywhere you can and just get in as many applications as possible. Online job databases can be really helpful too. Eventually you'll get something.
Although you don't say anything about it I assume your over 18. Where I'm from I know some staffing companies won't hire people who are under 18 and any job that required alcohol serving was also a no-go.
Edit: Also, what Oz said, connections can be a big big help.
Can I ask this? As a sort of side question, how could I get on at a local newspaper or publication? I don't expect it to pay the bills, but I was going to ask sooner or later. I'm not really sure what I should even try to write for them as a submission. I thought about something political, since the election is coming up, but I don't know. Anyway, tangent ended.
My resume seems pretty up to date. My skills are on there, but my employment has been rocky. Mostly because of my living situation. I've never been fired and I've never been late. I've never missed a day of work. But with the periods of working and not working I'm going to appear unemployable. Also I can put anything I want on a resume. Who says they're going to believe me? To give me the opportunity to prove it?
And what of a cover letter? Which of these two things should have my references on them? The cover letter should be formal or personable? A simple introduction or an outline of my resume+?
Edit:
I failed a pre-employment skills test. How does that have nothing to do with inadequate skills?
For most jobs the cover letter should be fairly formal and should indicate why you want the job in question and what makes you right for the job. It isn't explicitly an outline/summary of your resume, but relevant skills from your resume will typically be mentioned in the cover letter.
For a job with a newspaper, send them a cover letter, resume, and a sample of your work, no more than three pages absolute tops and preferably just a few short pieces.
I doubt patchy employment history will deter them. If you're in an interview they are guaranteed to ask why you left your last job and a simple "the job disappeared" will suffice.
A cover letter should be no longer than one page, and should describe very briefly 1: who you are and what qualities employers should be interested in, 2: why the field you're looking in appeals to you as a line of work, 3: the most relevant employment experience to that field, and 4: your references.
Can't really help you with the newspaper I've never looked into that kind of thing.
I've always just used "References available on request." at the end of my resume, obviously you still need to have the references prepared though.
Just don't lose hope. Keep applying to jobs, maybe get something at a temp place while you look for other things. I got my current job pretty randomly. I'd been having interviews, but nothing that really interested me. I failed some personality tests and skills tests and then I got my job. It's part of the process.
Think of it this way, it helps: If you failed whatever test they gave you, its probably for the best. You may not have done well there, and all it really means is the most important things to them aren't the most important things to you.
I would say, when applying, one of the most overlooked things is to customize your resume/cover letter for every job you apply to. Your cover letter should basically write their job listing back to them. Say what skills you have (they should match the skills the job requires... etc.) Modify your resume adding/removing jobs and skills so that each resume you send out matches the job you're applying to.
Just keep your head up. When you do get interviews be thoughtful, but confident. Also, be honest. People like honesty, and its nice to get hired when you're being yourself so that you don't have to pretend to have skills/be someone you don't have/aren't.
First, you mentioned that you have a few months' cushion when it comes to your financial situation. By all means, follow everybody else's suggestions and keep looking for work, but consider the following:
What you've said in this thread (I don't know if I've read anything else you've posted in the past, so I don't know much about you) is that you're not directly qualified for one of those jobs that requires a degree, right? So you've been working various jobs where your "common" knowledge and skills are put to use (if this sounds elitist or insulting, please don't take it that way, I'm only pointing out that you're "unspecialized" which is nothing wrong in itself.)
Since you have some time ahead of you, why not take inventory of whatever skills, talents, abilities and interests you have, and see if there aren't any other ways for you to make money? It could be just starting a website or blog (although it's usually rare that you can live off of those exclusively) or it could be something you're good at making "with your hands", either technically, or aristically, or both.
It could also be the time to look at other types of jobs you've never considered before. Maybe you don't like retail in general, but you might get lucky and find a job in a small store or business that deals in or sells something that's of interest to you?
Ask your friends and family if they've ever imagined you doing a particular job you've never actually tried. Ask yourself if there's a chance you might be able to do it.
All these things could lead you to a completely different path in life where you might end up happier than before.
For example: my father worked for at least 15 years climbing the rungs in a big company, only to find himself down-sized. He got lucky, in that he got a great severance package. So he took his time, considered his options, and listened to his friends and family who told him he could make a great salesman. He first tried car sales, but that didn't fit: he's too honest and nice, and not cutthroat enough. He then tried an office supplies salesman job, but that didn't fulfill him either.
So he worked for a bit at a hardware store, until the right opportunity presented itself: he bought out a small store that sells what you need to make wine and beer at home (he was already a customer, at the time.) Now he has two stores, and while it's still work and it's not always easy, I can see he's happier than he was when I was younger and he was doing office work.
He'd never trained to become a salesman or a business owner. He just tried it, and found that it was a good fit.
In the next month or so, try a few things. If you have any artistic talent, try to monetize it. If you're good with your hands, try building or repairing things. If you're good at tech support and computers in general, see if there aren't any small businesses in your area who could use your help part- or full-time.
Talk with some of your friends, and ask if any of them are looking for work themselves, or if they know of any openings. Keep your mind open.
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The trick is to be the *best* bullshitter. And to be confident. Good luck.
I recommend setting up a few different basic cover letters/resumes for different classes of work (restaurant/bar, office work, publications, computers, etc). This makes it easier to drop off "hire me" packages that are a bit more targeted and indicate a bit more attention to the particular job. Of course, for big hopefuls that you really want, by all means customize the hell out of the cover letter and resume, research the company and describe how it works with your interests... but since that should take hours to complete, you definitely want to save the effort for only the real great prospects.
Murphy's Paradox: The more you plan, the more that can go wrong. The less you plan, the less likely your plan will succeed.
When I first moved to Dallas, I got offered pretty much every position I applied for(keep in mind this was strictly retail). I took up a manager position, only to get fired two years later.
I did the usual freaking out, and this times things were much different. I applied everywhere and at first the only callbacks were walgreens and Target. But by luck I came across an ad for Hilton Hotels Call center and manage to get that. I'm now working in an administrative position after starting as a regular agent.
The point is to not get discourage. Look at this as a fresh start, and now that a better job is out there.
You can probably get on as a package handler during the 3am-8ish shift. That's about 10 bucks an hour and it doesn't conflict with any other job you may be looking for/interviews, and you don't need a degree to get on. You will need a degree to advance to a manager's position however.
Do NOT sit back and do nothing until your money runs out. That's a goddamn stupid plan. At the very least, get a part time job doing anything (lowly as it may be) so you've got at least some expenses covered.
I'm the staff writer for a newspaper in Alaska. I came out of college with a degree in English and experience in the field both editing and reporting and I still had a hard time getting a position. The industry is incredibly competitive.
That being said, if you want to give it a try then look at your local newspapers. Read your local newspapers. Familiarize yourself with local issues. Your best bet in getting hired is going to be covering local happenings, the big national stuff is going to be covered by very talented and very experienced reporters and I'm going to flat out tell you that without experience, no paper with any time in the market is going to hire you to cover those stories.
So, look at your local issues and write something on an aspect that you think the paper has not covered completely. I'd try to stay away from political pieces because, honestly, you're not going to be taken very seriously right off the bat without (again) experience.
You're going to need a cover letter, a resume, and samples of your work. Your resume needs to be tailored to the industry to which you're going to apply, which is true in general, not just for the newspaper. The cover letter, in my experience, is best when it's frank. A lot of what they tell you about writing cover letters is comparable to the five paragraph essay format you learn in high school; adequate, but average and ignorable.
Your samples should be flawless grammatically, concise, and, if you can do it, with quotations from known personages. This will show that you can 1.) write a coherent sentence 2.) are not over or (believe it or not) under wordy, 3.) show that you can talk to people and get information needed for a story.
If they like you then they might hire you on, or they might put you on a call list for free lance work. If you're planning on actually making a career in the business then getting a job at your local paper/college newspaper is going to net you more experience and, ultimately, useful bits for a resume and connections, than your Journalism or English degree will.
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I was left waiting at Best Buy for 40 minutes for a scheduled interview. I was 15 minutes early, the got me in 40 minutes late. When they asked why I wanted the job I was completely honest. "I'm broke and I want the store discount." My interviewer actually looked shocked. I did not get the job.
However, the real advice is Monster, Career Builder, Yahoo Jobs, Craigs List, your local paper. Every day. Don't wait for them to send you matches, search them for jobs. Even ones you're only marginally qualified for. Sometimes companies "change directions" and want something you have. I'd suggest self learning a couple filing systems and apply for receptionist/secretary/front desk positions. If you have call centers in your area apply there, call centers usually have 90% turn over and are therefor always hiring. Stay away from telemarketing unless you already have no soul, those places are pits. Don't worry about west as that was a sales gig, those are usually harder than CSR/Tech jobs to get. The personality assessment rates what type of seller you are, maybe they like soft sell and you tested as hard. Eh. It happens. Call Qwest back and see if any other departments are hiring.
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Haha, that reminds me - research the company before you go interview. I was interviewing with an unnamed investment bank, and got the "why do you want to work for us in particular?" question, and I had no idea how to answer. So I answered honestly. I still have nightmares about it.
I also agree with the advice of applying to anything and everything under the sun - I got essentially my dream job after applying for a separate and unrelated job that I was rather tepid about. During the interview, interviewer essentially said that although I was qualified, I seemed better fit to another position, and interviewed me for that.
I doubt it's that you can't get can entry level job at Qwest. I think it's more likely you answered the personality profile thing wrong. Just game it and lie through your teeth about it.
Here's a link for you to check out. Staples is an incredible company to work for, and if I can get a job at world headquarters, I think you'll be able to land any job you apply for. It's worth your time to check it out, at least. See what you can find in your area.
I work in downtown Des Moines in IT right now, at Aviva. Try Robert Half and Tek Systems for contract placement. Also, the Palmer Group is a more local placement service. RHI and Tek are more national/international, but they have a lot of jobs in Des Moines. If you look at the tech listings on the DM Register webpage, like 60%+ of the tech jobs are listed through RHI these days.
If you're desperate you can always work in the cable-internet call center for Mediacom, but I would use them as a last resort. I used to be the sys admin there and that place is a fresh and ripe hell.
I think Mid-American Energy was hiring recently, they interviewed my wife a while ago, and I don't believe they ever filled the helpdesk position that she turned down.
If you haven't tried going through RHI yet, and you want to, PM me. I can set you up with contact info for my contract manager. You get faster service through a referral and I get a cash bonus if they hire you.