The Job Hunt_How's It Going

[Asher]

What did you major in?

[Riesstiu IV]

I majored in Architecture and History with a minor in Entomology. I'm also certified to teach social studies courses at the high school level.

[MrFun]

Isn't there a nuclear plant in Springfield you could work in?

ZOMFG!! Why didn't I think of this!?

[Riesstiu IV]

Mr. Fun, I think you ought to consider going to Amish country and finding someone to do a gay Lincoln porno. You could call it, "Gaybraham Lincoln: Master Debator". I'm sure you'll make millions from DVD sales to lumberjacks and truckers.

[Japher]

I'm turning down the offer to interview in Danville. I spent the weekend contemplating it and I can't move my family to the area. Major concerns were regarding career security, culture, and proximity to a major airport.

I have had 3 jobs in the last 5 years since moving to Cincinnati. If I wasn't near a major metropolitan area (which Champeign-Urbana is not) I would probably be unemployed. I can't say that for sure about this job, but I don't count a company to supply security. Economic downturns, horrible management, and other disasters can leave me unable to support my family. If for some reason the job was lost or became redundant I would most likely have to up root my family again.

Josie and Jace would like a zoo and other activities to be available in the area. CU is lacking in this department.

Grandparents are constantly coming and going. If I would have to drive 2 hours every time they came to visit we would be on the road a lot. It is just too far from anything we require.

[Japher]

Sorry to hear about your difficulties Riesstiu, it's bound to get better.

My neighbor is being told that he'll need to lay off about 1/3rd of his work force at the end of this quarter. Merry Christmas! He is really angry about it, and he can't even tell them yet.

[OzzyKP]

I'm doing my part, my organization just hired two people. (one as a temporary contractor)

Plus I should hear back on this part time job (extra work) today.

[Japher]

I have a feeling that 4th quarter this year and 1st quarter next year might see an increase as companies need to find ways to handle revenue growth. This will mostly be in infrastructure and manufacturing. Service industries will follow a couple of quarters behind.

Riess, could you substitute teach for the time being? What do you want to do?

[KrazyHorse]

Posted my resume on a few job sites over the weekend. I've already had 2 recruiters call me today, and my resume's gotten multiple views by at least 2 others.

Feeling less nervous than I was 3-4 days ago.

I have to keep reminding myself that being among the top 30-40 graduates in high energy theory this year means a lot more in the real world than it does in academia (where it means that I would have trouble finding a quality postdoc)

[Japher]

Things generally start off strong and then piddle out in job hunts. You have to constantly change your strategy to keep yourself fresh. So, posting your resume on a job board and working with recruiters will be slow and may end up not yielding anything. However, recruiters hate it when they find you a job only to find out that you already applied there. So, the next step would be to network with professionals in your industry and when you see a position you are interested identify the hiring manager or HR rep and try and find a connection to that person via LinkedIN or otherwise. Maybe, if you would really like the job, call. The final step is to apply directly to positions, putting your resume into a search engine that only scans key words that you need to painstakingly tailor on a job per job basis, and that sucks and generally bears nothing at all.

[KrazyHorse]

90+% of jobs in QF are gotten through recruiters, apparently. And "networking" is fine, but far less certain.

[MOBIUS]

Since being in Cardiff I have got virtually all my jobs via word of mouth and networking. Two separate people recommended me to my current employers.

[rah]

About 15 years ago when I was in between, I used a recruiter and after I went in and interviewed with them, the offered me a job as a recruiter. I figured this was a company I wanted no part of and got a job on my own a couple days later.

[KrazyHorse]

BTW, one of the places one of the guys said he was sending my CV to is Citadel in Chicago...

[-Jrabbit]

The key to networking is to build from within -- staying in touch with your past and current contacts, doing regular updates to your LinkedIn profile, etc.

Doing outreach to create new contacts who don't actually know you/your work is a waste of time, but having your own "old boys" network in place can be really helpful, even if just to have a reference that's perfect for your next job application.

I was really skeptical of LinkedIn, but it's easy to keep up with, not the spam machine I feared, and has kept me in touch with job-hopping friends and colleagues I would have otherwise lost touch with. Plus I've gotten several pieces of freelance work without any real effort.