Lost my Job

[14th Colony]

Oy. I lost my job 2 days ago. I've been submitting my resume for management and/or sales positions on Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com. So far, one interview with a company that really wasn't right for me, and they didn't call me back anyway. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the imminant loss of my condo, and now this.

So, anybody have any good ideas as far as what I could do for a good, new career, fast?

[zankoku]

Ron,

Don't know where you live or your field, but first get down to unemployment office, second, don't wait for them to call you. I have been registered on Monster for 3 years and got 2 replies, neither anywhere close to my field that I have been in for 34 years.

Get the Sunday newspaper( as it is the best source) and then go on line to your local newspaper.

I got my part time job at a western clothier by showing up at the grand opening, looking around and asking, I had never had retail experience but was handed the paperwork the minute I turned in the application.

Doesn't pay a lot but I enjoy it.

Good Luck


Jim

[Dawg]

State Employment Division.  Many - if not all at this point - will have job postings on-line.

If you haven't, go apply for unemployment benefits.  Today.  The worst they can do is say no - and if the reason is specious, you can appeal and have your claim heard by an administrative law judge.

If you were let go for the wrong reasons, you might want to consult a labor-law attorney and see if you have a wrongful-termination claim.

Use Monster, Careerbuilder, Craigslist, local TV station and newspaper websites, etc., and use them aggressively.  Make sure your posted resume is "searchable", but set up a search for positions being posted by employers on that site.

Staffing services.  See if there are any that specialize in at least one of your areas of expertise.  If not, go to a general staffing firm like Kelley or Apple One - they'll be listed in your yellow pages under "Employment Agencies".  Make sure you're signing up with agencies that do "direct hire" or "permanent placement", but consider temp work while you're searching for a permanent position. (Who knows - they may keep you working enough temp jobs you won't need a permanent one.)

And above all, realize that you can do this.  There is nothing that is dealt you that cannot be worked into a winning hand even if you wind up losing a couple of pots.  Project the appearance of confidence and success, and it will follow.

Remember, function often follows form, rather than the other way around.  Appearance is all - you've only got seconds to make the first impression.  Look sharp and professional, look 'em straight in the eye, and know that you can be an asset to them, that it will be their loss if they don't hire you.

Because that's the truth.

Keep us posted.

I am
Dawg

[zankoku]

You can also go to a Temp agency. We have several temps in our office and one just was hired on full time

Jim

[Dawg]

("Temp Agency" = "Staffing Service")

[julix]

Ron,
so sorry to hear this......any luck so far?

[14th Colony]

Thanks for the advice, Zan and Dawg. I did register for unemployment the day after I was fired.


Julix, well, I was hired today for a phone room job starting Monday, selling vacations. At least it's a paycheck.

[zankoku]

Ron, keep looking for the better job. I work a second job on weekends at a western clothier.

Jim

[julix]

glad to hear you got something...............keep looking and hang in there.

[14th Colony]

Well, I quit my new job on Tuesday, and got a job offer the same day.

Now I'm studying on an online course to take my state health and life insurance text, to get my insurance license. That's right, folks, I'm going to be a health insurance agent for a big company.

I must be completely finished with the studying and the pre-exams by Tuesday. I am currently about 25% of the way through the study materials that are on an online course which the recruiting manager signed me up for. It does show the percentage of completion, which is why I know that I passed 25% a while ago.

You're required to get higher than 70% correct on the pre-exams to pass, and 85% correct or higher to qualify for the quarantee that if I fail the state exam, the online training company will pay the cost to retake the state test.

On the first pre-exam which was 44 questions I got an 84%. On the second, with 14 questions, I first got 78%, and when I retook it I got a 92%. I will definately retake the first one to get higher than 85%, as well. Right now on the 3rd pre-exam, I'm having trouble already. I'm either going to finish the exam and then retake it, or stop now (which I already did, to take a break) and restudy the materials before either resuming or starting over.

I'll say this: Health insurance contains a lot of information to learn and remember, but life insurance is by far, more complex and difficult being that several types are similar to, and/or involve, securities and investements. There are certain forms of life insurance that require the agent to hold a series 6 or series 7 securities license just like a stock broker. I won't be selling those, but for the insurance license, apparently I still have to know and understand them.


I am both anxious and nervous, perhaps just a little bit nervous, that I am embarking on a course I've never been on nor expected to be. And this is only the beginning. I was not hired to be an insurance agent per se; no, though I will be selling insurance for several months to learn the business, the reason I was hired was to manage an insurance office under the parent company, based on my management and sales past. The company is expanding and opening new offices across the state and the country, and so people are being hired with management and motivational and sales-reaching experience, to run those offices. Apparently, I impressed the heck out of this recruiting-manager, that he believes I can learn this and move up into the place that he wants me to be.

More to come later. I must eat, and then return to my studies.

[Dawg]

Very cool.  And I have no doubt you can do this.

Congrats and good luck!

I am
Dawg

[zankoku]

We know you can do it. Give it the gun, Ron and good luck.

Jim

[julix]

Ron,
this makes me so happy to hear and I am sure you would impress!  Good luck hun, know I am praying for you and wish you all the best!

[14th Colony]

Thank you, all three of you.  

[julix]

Thank you, all three of you.  

You are welcome!  keep us posted