How to find a job?

mrtentaclenun
mrtentaclenun Posts: 174 Member
in Chit-Chat
Ok, I feel totally stupid asking this but how do you find a job? Every job I have ever had I got without trying to find work or someone who worked there got me in. Now that I am on my own in the south and at a job I am COMPLETELY MISERABLE at, I don't know how to find something new. All I have ever done is retail, but retail doesn't usually offer full time M-F 9-5 at a good pay. The job I'm at now I make almost $13 an hour, so I really need to find something that is full time and pays similar :( which I won't find in retail.

I just feel like I am not qualified for anything else...

I have tried craigslist a hundred times and never hear back from any place I apply, I go to apply in person and they all tell me to go apply online and then I never hear from them again. I have tried all sorts of retail etc around me but I am out of ideas and desperate. I couldn't care less what I do as long as it pays enough for me to pay my bills!

Thanks for any help.

Replies

  • AdorablePanda
    AdorablePanda Posts: 125 Member
    Try employment agencies or temp agencies. They help you get more experience in different fields, and sometimes they even offer classes to help build skills. :-)

    Just keep on trying. I'm sure you will find something at some point.
  • ShunkyDave
    ShunkyDave Posts: 190 Member
    Put together a resume, detailing your education, work experience, and if that doesn't fill a whole page, include what your employment interests and goals are. Look at maybe taking a course at a college or something (evening maybe) and network with others, say you're looking for work and what kind of work. Get your name out in front of people. Make phone calls. Apply to everything that slightly interests you, whether you think you can do it or not.

    Once you get to an interview, dress nice, do your best, but don't act like you NEED the job. You'll never get it if you do, no matter how good you are for the position.

    Try LinkedIn, monster.com.

    Just some suggestions.
  • suzikelley
    suzikelley Posts: 210 Member
    Besides the obvious of looking in the classifieds in your local newspaper.... have you ever thought of possibly a temp agency?? A lot of times "temp" jobs turn into permanent jobs if they like you!! Whatever you do.. GOOD LUCK!!! :)
  • anewattitude
    anewattitude Posts: 483 Member
    You could try a recruitment agency. They can offer you tests to see your skill level and put you in contact with companies who are looking for someone to fill a position that matches your skill set. You may apply to tons of jobs and not get a response. That is typical as employers receive hundreds ( if not more) applications for jobs. As someone once told me... its a numbers game. Just stick with it and something will eventually turn up. You could also submit your resume to comapnies that interest you. Even if they are not currently hiring most will keep your resume on file. If a position opens up they may contact you for an intervew.

    Good luck!
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
    Did you graduate high school? Did you graduate college, and if so what degree did you get?

    What is your dream job? More details will help narrow things down :smile:
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
    I agree with the temp agency. I have always gotten hired on full time after getting my foot in the door through a temp agency.
  • mrtentaclenun
    mrtentaclenun Posts: 174 Member
    Ilovevinegar: I graduated college with an associates in liberal arts, the most useless of degrees :P
  • ShunkyDave
    ShunkyDave Posts: 190 Member
    I graduated college with an associates in liberal arts, the most useless of degrees :P

    I have a bachelor's degree in music composition. The certificate is worth less than toilet paper.
  • skittybang
    skittybang Posts: 1,525 Member
    indeed.com <---collects all the want-ads from the big career sites and even ones published on company specific sites. Also, just post a resume out on Monster or Careerbuilder. My current employer found mine on there and that's how I got my kick @$$ job.

    GOOD LUCK!
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
    Ilovevinegar: I graduated college with an associates in liberal arts, the most useless of degrees :P

    Ahhh I see. I have a suggestion though, since you DO have a college degree. Why not apply to teach English in another country? Most only require you have a college degree (independent of what it is in). They usually pay for your housing, give you a stipend for food, as well as pay you per hour you work. I have a friend who did this (we are in college still though), and he said once you graduate they pay around $20-$25 per hour at the school he worked at.

    You would get to travel for free, learn a new culture/language for free, you would work part-time (as far as I am aware), and you would get paid. :smile:

    If you are interested and have any questions, feel free to send me a mail. I don't know THAT much about it, but I do know a little :)
  • stc74
    stc74 Posts: 297 Member
    Around here the local "career center" that deals with unemployment claims knows the most about jobs opening up. My husband was jumping around jobs the last couple years after a long term auto-related job was cut. There is also LinkdIn and several other job sites, go to the websites for companies you are interested in working with. I did however deal with a lot of spam from some job hunting sites, sorry I can't tell you which ones they were, I've already blocked them. So I highly recommend setting up a yahoo or gmail account just for job hunting.

    Also be so very careful about giving up too much info on the site. They are cruised for id theft. Research how to use them safely. You DON"T want to deal with id theft.

    Also-truly, many jobs don't care what degree you have, just that you have one. If you are proficient with office software you can get a data entry, office assistance etc job with nearly any company. They all need data entry, research or organization skills.

    Good luck

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