How do I find a job?

join the military

You all are so helpful sometimes I thought I'd give this a try. I want to look for a new job but other than searching online listings and putting the word out through friends I don't really know where to start.

A little background, I have been working in the air conditioning industry for about 12 years. I have done service dispatch, customer service, and production coordinator (which basically boils down to all paperwork pertaining to new installations, permits, rebates, invoices, job costing,etc...). I have also been in charge of the online and print advertising for the past couple of years.

Here is my problem, I feel like I am stuck in this industry because it is all I have ever known. I believe I could get a similar job at another a/c company or maybe a parts warehouse but I want to do something different. There is no room for growth in this job and I don't want to be doing this forever.

Have you had success moving into a different field without having to start at an entry level position? I'm willing to take a temporary pay cut if necessary but not to a minimum wage level. My income is as critical as my husband's so I can't take an $8 an hour job even if it has potential to lead to a higher paying position in the future.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

On paper, write down everything that you do. Details help.
Once that is completed, take out anything that has to do with "Air Conditioning" and put something else in it's place.
For example, if you say "AC Unit", use "Equipment" instead.
Instead of a thermostat, it is "supporting hardware"
And an AC service technition is now a hardware support specalist.

Once you do that, you will see that your skills don't just belong in the AC industry.

You received excellent advice here, OP!

I think confidence is key. Don't be intimidated by job postings or interviews in areas you have not worked in previously. Come in to interviews with head held high knowing that you have a wealth of experience and a solid set of skills from your past...but also be sure to keep comparisons (to your current/previous industry) at a minimum. If you were to go into a new field and continually bring up the A/C industry specifically, it could work against you (especially in the preliminary stages). But have confidence that your great skills & experience WILL transfer to other fields, perhaps even more so than you think!

Your background is made up of more than your employment history, too. While it may not always be a selling factor when finding a new position, it can help. For example, I made a move from retail management to quality auditing for a social service organization - I had the NECESSARY qualifications down (bachelor's degree, recordkeeping and management experience) but the preferred qualifications of an RN with experience...nope, that's about as far from my past as you can get. However, I had a little bit of hands-on social service experience in college along with volunteer work and personal knowledge and that seriously helped. My current position is a great fit for me and others who have held it, had accounting experience. My closest experiences in the past were retail store bookkeeping. I'm also in the manufacturing industry now, for the first time in my career, so that's new. I love changing fields and learning a lot of new stuff & building on past experiences.

Just go in knowing that your skills WILL serve you and the company or organization well.

I also agree with the earlier suggestion to decide ahead of time what you want to do and the targeted minimum financial (and benefits) compensation you will accept. Whatever you do, don't make a jump if you feel unsure about the compensation being offered or the stability of the company and so forth. You will most likely be happier waiting to find a more acceptable fit even if that means a bit more time in your current position.

join the military

I think I'm too old for that. :-)

Age limit is 35 for active duty..or at least was when I served

You all are so helpful sometimes I thought I'd give this a try. I want to look for a new job but other than searching online listings and putting the word out through friends I don't really know where to start.

A little background, I have been working in the air conditioning industry for about 12 years. I have done service dispatch, customer service, and production coordinator (which basically boils down to all paperwork pertaining to new installations, permits, rebates, invoices, job costing,etc...). I have also been in charge of the online and print advertising for the past couple of years.

Here is my problem, I feel like I am stuck in this industry because it is all I have ever known. I believe I could get a similar job at another a/c company or maybe a parts warehouse but I want to do something different. There is no room for growth in this job and I don't want to be doing this forever.

Have you had success moving into a different field without having to start at an entry level position? I'm willing to take a temporary pay cut if necessary but not to a minimum wage level. My income is as critical as my husband's so I can't take an $8 an hour job even if it has potential to lead to a higher paying position in the future.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

On paper, write down everything that you do. Details help.
Once that is completed, take out anything that has to do with "Air Conditioning" and put something else in it's place.
For example, if you say "AC Unit", use "Equipment" instead.
Instead of a thermostat, it is "supporting hardware"
And an AC service technition is now a hardware support specalist.

Once you do that, you will see that your skills don't just belong in the AC industry.

You received excellent advice here, OP!

I think confidence is key. Don't be intimidated by job postings or interviews in areas you have not worked in previously. Come in to interviews with head held high knowing that you have a wealth of experience and a solid set of skills from your past...but also be sure to keep comparisons (to your current/previous industry) at a minimum. If you were to go into a new field and continually bring up the A/C industry specifically, it could work against you (especially in the preliminary stages). But have confidence that your great skills & experience WILL transfer to other fields, perhaps even more so than you think!

Your background is made up of more than your employment history, too. While it may not always be a selling factor when finding a new position, it can help. For example, I made a move from retail management to quality auditing for a social service organization - I had the NECESSARY qualifications down (bachelor's degree, recordkeeping and management experience) but the preferred qualifications of an RN with experience...nope, that's about as far from my past as you can get. However, I had a little bit of hands-on social service experience in college along with volunteer work and personal knowledge and that seriously helped. My current position is a great fit for me and others who have held it, had accounting experience. My closest experiences in the past were retail store bookkeeping. I'm also in the manufacturing industry now, for the first time in my career, so that's new. I love changing fields and learning a lot of new stuff & building on past experiences.

Just go in knowing that your skills WILL serve you and the company or organization well.

I also agree with the earlier suggestion to decide ahead of time what you want to do and the targeted minimum financial (and benefits) compensation you will accept. Whatever you do, don't make a jump if you feel unsure about the compensation being offered or the stability of the company and so forth. You will most likely be happier waiting to find a more acceptable fit even if that means a bit more time in your current position.

Thank you! Yes, I agree, excellent advice.

I tend to get discouraged when job qualifications require a specific degree or skill set that I do not have. I have seen listings where the majority of the job seems to be one thing but they employer is asking for a degree that would only apply to a small portion of the job duties. I don't apply for those jobs because I assume they really are looking for something that specific. Should I apply anyway if I don't meet all of the requirements or is that a waste of everyone's time?

I say apply anyway!! It can't HURT. The worst that will happen? They will toss aside your resume and choose another candidate.

Just from your posts in this thread and others, I can promise you that ANY job you would ever apply for would have a lot of far less qualified applicants than you :-) I used to go through dozens of resumes for various job postings and sometimes it was absolutely crazy what people would apply for. We were hiring at my previous employer for a board certified psychologist and received a TEN PAGE application from a woman with an advanced chemistry degree and no related experience or even any training in psychology.