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jonmchugh

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Hey guys, I've had a full time job for about a few months since January. I'm making decent money, $13 an hour, roughly 1700 a month. But my hours got cut down to 20 hours. So where are good places looking for jobs and where have you had success looking for jobs? Careerbuilder, Monster, Craigslist? I have experience in retail, data entry, customer service, restaraunt and some computer work. I am hoping to land a full time job with benefits. I doubt I'll find something that pays close to the wage I'm making now.

Thanks for the help.
 
Not sure how old you are or how many years of experience you have?

Regardless, I'd strongly recommend temp agencies to ANYONE out there with data entry or customer service experience. The beauty of temp companies- especially early in your career- is that they get your foot in the door with companies who may not have looked at you otherwise. Even a short temp assignment will give you a chance to prove yourself.

Some of the jobs may suck, but if you can tough it out then full time work and benefits are right there in front of you.

(1) Apply to every one of the sites below. DO NOT WORK WITH A TEMP COMPANY THAT CHARGES YOU MONEY
(2) Follow up by phone 24 hours after applying
(3) Wear a suit- or the nicest clothes you have- to the interview. KEEP YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR. All piercings out. No tattoos showing. Have your hair in order
(4) Interview as well as possible and focus on your data entry and customer service experience. Downplay the retail and restaurant stuff because it likely isn't going to get you anywhere.
(5) Make sure you test well and focus on your computer experience in the interview
(6) When they call you for a position, don't turn it down if you don't have to.

www.kellyservices.com

www.spherion.com

www.officeteam.com

www.randstad.com

www.adecco.com

www.us.manpower.com

If you follow my advice, you should have some kind of a job within three months max.
 
Not sure how old you are or how many years of experience you have?

Regardless, I'd strongly recommend temp agencies to ANYONE out there with data entry or customer service experience. The beauty of temp companies- especially early in your career- is that they get your foot in the door with companies who may not have looked at you otherwise. Even a short temp assignment will give you a chance to prove yourself.

Some of the jobs may suck, but if you can tough it out then full time work and benefits are right there in front of you.

(1) Apply to every one of the sites below. DO NOT WORK WITH A TEMP COMPANY THAT CHARGES YOU MONEY
(2) Follow up by phone 24 hours after applying
(3) Wear a suit- or the nicest clothes you have- to the interview. KEEP YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR. All piercings out. No tattoos showing. Have your hair in order
(4) Interview as well as possible and focus on your data entry and customer service experience. Downplay the retail and restaurant stuff because it likely isn't going to get you anywhere.
(5) Make sure you test well and focus on your computer experience in the interview
(6) When they call you for a position, don't turn it down if you don't have to.

www.kellyservices.com

www.spherion.com

www.officeteam.com

www.randstad.com

www.adecco.com

www.us.manpower.com

If you follow my advice, you should have some kind of a job within three months max.

Thanks for the advice Jigio. I have about 2 years in customer service / data entry, about a year in restaraunts and about a year or so in retail. I am trying to stay away from temp agencies because I am getting married in August and I need something permenant. I can't count on a temp job turning into full time and they probably wouldn't let me keep my job now which I'm making $13 an hour and I want to keep it. I've done temp agencies in the past and haven't had success. I had one job for a month and they let me know. I know they can be very helpful in keeping your foot in the door but I need something permanent, not a temp job in which I do not know where my job will be after the temp position is up.
 
would anybody be willing to check out my resume to see if it's okay? I kept it pretty simple. Don't have a title page, don't know how to do one or the layout of one. I just need to land a full time job like asap. I've been on careerbuilder / monster every day sending out my resume. I wonder if my resume is okay? thanks!
 
jonmchugh, I don't know how old you are, but I'm assuming you are in your low 20's. Unless you have a professional/advanced degree or have really good contacts in some other field, it is going to be very tough for you to find full time employment with benefits in this economy. I've been out of work for a long time now, so I know. And I have nearly 20 years experience in the workplace with an awesome resume and a history of promotion.

Jigo gave some great advice. Someone in your position will very likely have to prove themselves to a potential employer before said employer takes a risk and hires you full time with benefits. This could involve any number of sacrifices on your part, so I would be prepared for this. As a former hiring manager, I used to use temp agencies to find quality employees in entry level positions. Once they proved themselves to be reliable and competent, I would consider putting them on full time. From then on, advancement was up to them.

Until you have a track record and rich work experience, it is unlikely that you will find a dream job out there waiting for you. I don't wish to discourage you because I don't know anything about your situation, but the reality is that there is over 9% unemployment in this country and state - and that doesn't even count people who have given up or whose unemployment benefits have run out. And many people who are actually employed right now are being squeezed to do more with less to the point that they are looking for new jobs too.

In short, there is a lot of heavy competition out there for employment right now. You might want to lower your expectations and think more along the lines of what Jigo suggested. If you are a good employee and conscientious, you will likely be given further opportunities at some point after your foot is in the door. The name of the game these days is making the most of any opportunity that comes your way.

Damn, I just re-read that post and it's depressing, but that's the way it is I'm afraid. The only two industries in NE Ohio that are thriving are the medical and IT industries. Beyond that, it's a crapshoot. I wish you the best of luck.
 
would anybody be willing to check out my resume to see if it's okay? I kept it pretty simple. Don't have a title page, don't know how to do one or the layout of one. I just need to land a full time job like asap. I've been on careerbuilder / monster every day sending out my resume. I wonder if my resume is okay? thanks!

You and everyone else are sending out your resume. People with probably more experience than yourself.

I'm w/ Jigo, use the temp agency route. Once inside a company they help you land, you can perform beyond their expectations and have access to thier internal job board. You may find something that interests you and seeing as you are already working for them, you'd have an inside track.


Just a question, if you're having so many issues with $$ and cars, why not postpone the wedding until you are in a good, established position? Money worries and such aren't healthy for any relationship, especially a new marriage.

Just a question, no judgement
 
Thanks guys, I am 25 and will be 26 in July. We don't want to postpone the wedding. Everythings almost paid for now. I have about 3 years of taking college classes but I don't have a degree. I've been working since I was 18. I'm just weary of going the temp job rout. What if the job ends right before the wedding and I don't get hired in. Then what am I going to do? I'm back to sqaure one and in a terrible positiio and that's not how I want to start my marriage.
 
Thanks guys, I am 25 and will be 26 in July. We don't want to postpone the wedding. Everythings almost paid for now. I have about 3 years of taking college classes but I don't have a degree. I've been working since I was 18. I'm just weary of going the temp job rout. What if the job ends right before the wedding and I don't get hired in. Then what am I going to do? I'm back to sqaure one and in a terrible positiio and that's not how I want to start my marriage.

When I was 25 I was working for $7.00/hr unloading trucks and general warehouse work. I was full time, but the job sucked and I had no benefits. I can relate to your situation.

I used to apply for jobs weekly and eventually I found a job as a clerk in a trucking company at $10.00/hr (age 26). By the time I was 30, I had been promoted 4 times and was pulling in well over $50,000/yr.

My point is that you have to put yourself out there constantly. Then, when you get an opportunity, you have to seize it and work your ass off. You are young enough to do this, though I admit that the economy was in better shape back when I was 25. It sucks, but there are many thousands of people in Ohio in the same boat - or far worse. All I can say is that you have to keep trying. And make sure you get a good resume together. It is the first impression that a company gets of you.
 
When I was 25 I was working for $7.00/hr unloading trucks and general warehouse work. I was full time, but the job sucked and I had no benefits. I can relate to your situation.

I used to apply for jobs weekly and eventually I found a job as a clerk in a trucking company at $10.00/hr (age 26). By the time I was 30, I had been promoted 4 times and was pulling in well over $50,000/yr.

My point is that you have to put yourself out there constantly. Then, when you get an opportunity, you have to seize it and work your ass off. You are young enough to do this, though I admit that the economy was in better shape back when I was 25. It sucks, but there are many thousands of people in Ohio in the same boat - or far worse. All I can say is that you have to keep trying. And make sure you get a good resume together. It is the first impression that a company gets of you.

Yeah I know. I was making good money. Putting money into savins and towards our wedding and what not. I was making like 1700 a month when I was working 40 hours. But now, I"m working 23 hours and I had to go back to my old job at Target making $7.50 an hour. I'm just hoping that they give me 20 or more hours a week there it's just not worth it.

I've actually thought about joining the police acadamy. That's always been in the back of my head. My fiance is going to school for a criminal justice degree. That was something that struck my interested. But do you have to go to school to even enter the acadamy?

If someone could take a glance at my resume I'd greatly appreciate it. I think it's pretty proffessional and simple.

Also, where are some good sites to look for jobs. Are monster and careerbuilder the best places to look? I've been sending my resume out on Craigslist but I think that most of those are scams anyways..

Thanks for all the advice.
 
Yeah I know. I was making good money. Putting money into savins and towards our wedding and what not. I was making like 1700 a month when I was working 40 hours. But now, I"m working 23 hours and I had to go back to my old job at Target making $7.50 an hour. I'm just hoping that they give me 20 or more hours a week there it's just not worth it.

I've actually thought about joining the police acadamy. That's always been in the back of my head. My fiance is going to school for a criminal justice degree. That was something that struck my interested. But do you have to go to school to even enter the acadamy?

If someone could take a glance at my resume I'd greatly appreciate it. I think it's pretty proffessional and simple.

Also, where are some good sites to look for jobs. Are monster and careerbuilder the best places to look? I've been sending my resume out on Craigslist but I think that most of those are scams anyways..

Thanks for all the advice.

PM me and I'll take a look at your resume. I'm not a professional resume writer by any means, but I've been a hiring manager with two different companies and I've seen a lot of resumes in my time.

One good website that I have a lot of success with is www.simplyhired.com.
 
Jon,

If you go to school or the police academy or whatever, that's fine. That's an alternative to doing customer service/ data entry or any other entry level positions. Much respect if you do either one. Police officers or the criminal justice route could both be great opportunities.

However, if you DON'T go that route and then ignore temp agencies altogether, you're doing yourself and your career a great disservice. By doing that, you're doing your future wife a disservice as well, as you're going to need something stable to support your marriage.

Gunther gave you the case for going to an agency. Focus on temp to hire positions if you do so rather than the project that you described. Ask the recruiter how many temp to hire candidates have been converted to such and such company if you get an offer. Ask to talk to a converted employee if you get offered a job.

I hate to say it, but you're demonstrating a sense of entitlement that even Gunther doesn't have. I have no skin in the game of your career, but you reached out to the board and I'm giving you advice that worked for me and other employers far successful than myself.

Do what you like, but recognize that a temp to hire opportunity and a positive opinion from any supervisor you leave sets a person like you up for success and leaves you a plan B if things don't work out.

End of fatherly advice from a guy 2 years your senior :chuckles:
 
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It sounds like Jon seeks a career moreso than a job. The police academy would be a strong investment in yourself if you can truly see yourself sticking to it. Nobody is handing out careers anymore... you have to take some classes and prove that you want to stick to it. A few stray directionless classes at the college level isn't going to impress anybody if you didn't complete the degree.
 
thanks a lot guys for all of the advice. I really wish I would have stuck with school and finished my degree. It was my fault anyhow, wasn't gettign good grades in college, my parents warned they would pull me out, I didnt believe them and they did. I mean I don't blame them they weren't paying 23,000 a year for me to go to school and get Cs and occassionlay a D.

I don't mind going the temp agency rout to get my foot in the door. Like I said, I am just worred for the fact that it is a temp job. What if it doesn't work out? How am I going to pay rent and provide for my wife after we get married. I will check out those temp agencies that were suggested and see if there's anything I can find. I'm not saying I am against the temp agency rout I just am cautious that it won't work out. That's how I am. Haven't had a lot of good breaks lately, expect for my fiance and gettign married this summer.

All I am looking for is a steady / permanent job working 40+ hours a week heath insurance or not. That is really all I am looking for. Doesn't matter what type of work. Just decent pay and a 40 hour week job. That is all.
 
Jon before you jump ship and decide to go the police academy route, make sure it is something you want to do and not just another job you'd "like". Jobs in LE are just as difficult to get into, if not even MORE difficult depending on the department. You'd have an okay chance at getting into a large department like Columbus, Cleveland, Cincy, Toledo, etc but keep in mind the large departments send you to the Ohio State Highway Patrol academy in Columbus which is a live in academy in which you can only leave campus on weekends and are only allowed an occasional phone call to family on Wed. nights for 15 minutes.

If you're thinking of going into an open enrollment academy at a technical school or something like that, those are easy to get in to but let me remind you that everyone and their mother is doing that b/c they aren't as demanding physically, mentally, or emotionally as the OSP academy, plus a job is NOT guarenteed once you get graduate, not to mention that you only have a year to obtain a job before you peace officer cert expires and you have to take a "refresher" course.

In order to get a job in LE you have to take a civil service test, pass a physical agility test, pass a background investigation (in which everything little thing you have done is scrutinized beyond belief), pass an oral review board, pass a polygraph examination or CVSA truth verification test, a psych eval, and a couple more tests. Also, keep in mind that jobs in LE are often the first to get cut when cities make budget cuts, especially in an economy like this so not a lot of deparments are going to be hiring many positions. I took a civil service test this past fall in which the city was hiring 2 spots and there were over 500 applicants. I am truly blessed to already be working on a department but as you can see the odds are not the greatest.

I tell you all of this to not scare you away from the career because it is an exciting and rewarding career, however it's not something you just jump into b/c you need a job. If you do decide it is something you want to do and have any further questions, PM me and I'll try and help you out the best that I can.
 
I have a similar question but I didn't want to make a new thread. I just completed my bachleor's degree, I had commencement 2 days ago. I've been seding out applications and so far I only have one bite. I've met with them once and have a follow up interview in a week. This interview is where we are going to discuss things like salary and benefits. If they don't offer me what I want do you think I should pass on the job or just take it because of the economy?

I have a telecommunications degree and the place I've been interviewing with is a Public Relations firm.
 

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