Mind if I vent? Job search...

[Aurora63]

I only vent here cause you guys are so compassionate and understanding. I also have no other outlet at the moment. Thanks in advance for reading.

I am so FRUSTRATED! I am a teacher. I was laid off from my old school last year. He had to cut someone w/o tenure, and that someone was me. Truthfully, it had not been the best year...it was my first year teaching, and it was just a difficult year. Though I can say I did everything in my power to improve, grow, and get those kids to do right, it was just the year from hell. Why I even want to teach again really sometimes escapes me, though I believe that with the class I had and the things I learned, there is no way I could have a year like last year again.

Anyway, I have been going on interviews and searching for a job since June. Most of the teaching interviews I've been on have gone well, but they don't call back. Those that do say "Thank you for interviewing, the position has been filled." I had one of those today. It was for a computer ed position, elementary school. I thought I'd be perfect for it. Everything in the job description made me think so. However, as I interviewed (a great interview, btw) it comes out that they want this teacher to be able to troubleshoot netorking issues as well. I sadly know nothing about networking. So I wasn't too surprised when I got the call today, but I'm sad about it. Had they put something about wanting someone who could deal w/ computer networks in the description, I would not have even applied. But they didn't. I am just disapointed. Oh well.

Even non-teaching jobs don't seem to want me. I am not a useless person. Besides having a college degree and being a certified teacher, I know Microsoft Office very well. I'm great with people. I work hard. I have good references. But when I apply for anything else, I get no response. Thank God I got a job in a department store at the very beginning of summer, so I am not starving. But I need to make more money than what they pay. One of the ladies I work with told me about a position her daughter's friend was looking for someone for...it was an office job, she recommended me to this woman, I e-mailed her my resume. No response after two weeks. I guess this is her way of saying, "Thanks but no thanks."

So here I am, whining to you guys. I am just frustrated in this job search, as I said before. Right now, I know I am not useless, but I feel useless. If you have advice, feel fee to offer, but mostly I just came to vent. Thank you for listening.

 

[Disney Ella]

If the economy was better, you'd be snatched up right away. You've certainly got good skills and a good job will come, although they never seem to come right when you really need them to. Keep reminding yourself that you are smart and talented and you will eventually get a job! (Hopefully very soon.)

 

[danny1649]

Opportunity will come soon for some one with your skills.Best of luck and keep your head held high.

 

[stitch'sohana]

I feel your pain. I was laid off again. The 2nd time in a year. The only jobs I am finding pay less than unemployment and don't offer benefits. I aslo have a college degree but unfortunately it is in interior design, another industry that is hurting so bad they are definitely not looking for help. I'm trying to convince myself it is not me but just a bad economy.

 

[CEDmom]

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time finding a teaching job. My mom was a teacher for many years and her advise to teachers looking for a position was to keep pounding the pavement. Even if you sent your resume into a district touch base with them on a regular basis. You never know when a teacher might leave and a position might open up. Unfortunately it's often the squeaky wheel that gets noticed. Good luck

 

[crazelion]

I can understand your frustrated. I think somtimes they post jobs in the paper that already filled with and wasted poeple time. For example I went to a sub-teacher semair the school system said that they is in depesate need of sub-teachers and teacher assistents that was highly qualified with a college degree. I called for a interview for the teacher assistents job and I thought I interview well but did not get the job.

I think that ecomeny is bad right now. The only job I am able to find is a job paying 5.50 a hour at retail job store. Talking about a pay cut from my seasonal job at the baseball staduim making 10.00 dollars a hour where I was manager. The retail store job is more work. I have not work for less than 6.00 dollars a hour in a long time. Thank god i can go back to baseball hob this summer so i can make some real money. Because 5.50 hr is not on cut it.

My advise is to keep looking for you a better job. That is what I doing. But i not as picky if pays 6.00 hr and up I am happy. I have been spoil I have not had two many jobs paying less than 6.00 dollar a hour.

 

[sk8belle]

Aurora:
I am in the same boat and understand. Like you, I've been looking for quite some time and just haven't lucked out. My theory of late is that the law of averages has to work. The more jobs we send resumes to or interview for, the better chance we have of actually getting one. Hang in there. The economy and job market are slowly (albeit excruciatingly so) picking up.
Are there any networking opportunities for you? Y'know, the "it's all about who you know" routine. This helps in my field; I don't know if it works for teaching. You say you have a college degree - if your college is nearby, have you gone back to check their career center or talked to some of your old instructors about other options or openings they might have heard about? Also, Monster.com has a tendency to lean towards posting jobs for people with computer skills like yours. Try posting a resume there or setting up a search agent.
Good luck with your search. I know how frustrating it is.

sk8belle

 

[Pin Wizard]

((((((((((Hugs!)))))))))))) That has to be so frustrating. I'm in college now and was planning on Elem. Ed. A couple weeks ago I dropped my first teaching course. What work! These teachers don't get paid nearly enough!! Think I'll be taking the business route. Good luck with your search!

 

[powellrj]

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} I am on my way to a meeting this am to find out if I still have a job, (they are doing away with our team) I may be in your position in a few hours, so you have my {{{{HUGS}}}

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Are the hours for your department store job such that you'd be able to substitute teach a couple days a week? It seems to me that would be a good way to network.....a friend of mine was a substitute in her kid's district, and got a TA position as a result (I know its not the same, but it seems to me that any school would want to hire a 'familiar' face over a new one!) Good luck in the search!!

 

[KathyFP]

Another thing you may do is to find someone (who will be completely honest) to practice interviewing with.

It is so hard to secure a job in todays market, so you want to make sure you stand head and shoulders above other candidates.

A practice interview may help you go from having great interviews to excellent. I would also ask them to give you feedback on all of your non verbals, (dress, posture mannerisms). Review your resume. Do you take any samples of work with you?

Since part of my job responsibilities is interviewing, I have a local agency that sends me potential candidates to interview and then give the agency feedback (for the clients use) on their interviewing skills. Sometimes there are little things you can do to really stand out.

Good Luck!

 

[Pop Daddy]

good luck at finding a job but (long post)

 

[ahutton]

I'm so sorry this has been a difficult time for you. My DH was laid off from 3 jobs in 3 1/2 years - one of them had moved us over 1000 miles away from any of our family. Hugs, prayers and PD.

On another hand - here are my "look outside the box" suggestions.

Many large corporations have training departments. They would LOVE to have a "real" certified teacher who is also knowledgeable in essential computer skills. Have you considered getting Microsoft certified as a teacher of applications? It may open some doors.

We found www.careerbuilder.com was the most comprehensive job site. It has a large base of good companies that regularly post open positions, and it updates daily.

You mentioned that many computer education related positions also would like someone who can help support the school's computers. There is a series of books called "Exam Cram" that offers the essential components of an MCSE - a well recognized and respected Microsoft certification. They offer everything from basic networking skills on up. You pay a small fee and take a test at a testing center, and then become a certified professional in each of 5 areas, and you can pick what you want your focus to be. DH wanted to get into networking, so he did his 5 classes to include TCP/IP and NT.

He was blessed to find a job that he is truly happy in now, and is much more likely to be stable in the long run.

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

I wanted to post here, even though I don't have any great advice, to let you know how you are NOT alone and that although this must be an incredibly difficult time, to just keep going and trying.

Let me add my own vent here: My DH has been out of work for nearly 3 years. Now if anyone ever told me they had been out of work for that long, I would think they were a lazy-a. He is in the IT/computer industry and we all know how bad that has turned out to be. He has tried to turn his skills to customer service positions, inside sales...he's even applied for p/t retail work. No dice (guess they figure he's overqualified, or that he wouldn't take minimum wage -- at this point we'd take ANYTHING). Not only is it killing us financially, but mentally, spiritually...we have never been through anything worse.

Don't believe what you see when unemployment rates are listed. Those listings only include people who are currently receiving unemployment benefits. There are millions out there who are not getting anything any more or who have just given up and are no longer looking for work. I know that although the national rate is at 4%, parts of NY/NJ/CT area are at 10% rate! Maybe they're not calling it a depression, but it looks alot like that to me. The NJ Section of the NY Times last weekend had an article on a man who killed his son and then himself (well, he didn't kill himself, he stood on the tracks and let the train do the job). He had been out of work for 35 months and was about to lose his home. And the job section of the paper had a big article on how networking was no longer working for a lot of people because there's nothing left to network. (After over a year, people are tired of hearing about your unemployment status and they don't have leads for you).

It is a bad time, period. In the service industry I work in, I have seen a tremendous downturn this year. Our phone isn't ringing like it was and people are not buying.

All scary stuff. And I didn't mean to post this to be such a downer. My whole intent was to let you know that it's not just you. And that now is the time to find support among family & friends (including Disers in that).

It's bad, but (God willing) we'll make it through.

May this road your traveling lead you to new and exciting places.

 

[WeirdEyes]

Aurora63, where do you live? My boss's daughter is a teacher in Georgia. They pay her very well and she received a good sign-on bonus. From what my boss tells me, the State of Georgia is in desperate need of good teachers. Good luck to you. I hope you find something soon.

I work in the IT industry and we've gone from 100 employees to 38 employees over the past two years. It hasn't been fun. If I wasn't a jack of all trades, I'd probably be gone also. Currently I am the Technical Writer, Marketing Specialists, Assistant Office Manager/HR, Recruiter, and Administrative Assistant. Some of the programmers that we laid off are just now finding jobs after one year. I sure hope the economy picks up soon.

Since I am a recruiter, I'll let you know where we post our jobs: America's Job Bank, FlipDog, Monster, and HotJobs. We have a job posted now on America's Job Bank..it is a help desk rep. Good luck to everyone searching for a job.

 

[nativetxn]

No advice for you sweetie. Just a cyber {{{HUG}}}. I know you're not useless and so do you. You will find something. Fingers crossed and wishing you luck with this.