Where are all the jobs

[SHELLY]

I don't have to make a fortune I just want to be able to pay my bills and anything under $10.00 an hour is not going to do that and preferably i would like to be making more than $10 an hour but that seems to be the average or above average for what I have seen. I understand that the peak season is ending soon but does that mean that I won't be able to find a job? This is ridiculous.

Sometimes it takes more than a few weeks to find a job....and finding a job that pays what you want may certainly take longer.

Excluding the fact that the US is in an economic downturn and this area relies heavily on seasonal labor, you've also gotta consider the effect of the RE bubble pop. This area is inundated with out-of-work white collar RE/mortgage/condo sales/marketing types who are competing for the same type of jobs you're looking for. Many of them had become accustomed to "higher than median" wages for this area and may have to work more than one job to survive. Moreover, they are much more well-connected than newcomers in an area where networking means a lot--since the RE market isn't going to turn around anytime soon, this is your competition.

I would recommend that you "quantify" some of the bullets on your resume. Simply writing "Greeted hotels guests," isn't going to hack it; it would be better to say "Greeted an average of 400 guests per day up to 2500 per day during peak holiday seasons." Also include cost savings: "Saved $1500 a year by developing inventory system" and time savings: "Implemented new checklist program that reduced guestroom inspection time from 10 minutes to 2 minutes." Don't lie, and be prepared to give an example during the interview (but don't give away too much--you want them to hire you, not steal your ideas for free.)

Bosses love, Love, LOVE to hear about stuff that reduces costs and increases the bottom line. You've gotta get this across in the resume to pique their interest. Additionally, tailor these bullets to the type of job you're after. The people at the Pet Shop could care less if you can Lemon Pledge a grand piano in 2 minutes--but they might be interested that you had a successful pet sitting business with 10 neighborhood clients during college. Read through employers' websites and note some of the qualities they are trying to get across to their customers. If a hotel says they want their customers to believe "their staff anticipates their every need," work this idea into your resume or cover letter. Always write thank you letters to folks who've granted you an interview--even if you don't get the job, it will leave a lasting impression if another job comes up later.

Hang tough...if you REALLY want a job, you'll find something--even if it pays less or isn't your dream job the trick is to fool your new boss into believing it is and then work your butt off to prove it...that's where networking starts.

 

[scooterbug44]

Someone was looking for housekeeping inspectors recently - might be a short term way to pay the bills while you look - think it was $15 an hour.

 

[klm6242]

Sometimes it takes more than a few weeks to find a job....and finding a job that pays what you want may certainly take longer.

Excluding the fact that the US is in an economic downturn and this area relies heavily on seasonal labor, you've also gotta consider the effect of the RE bubble pop. This area is inundated with out-of-work white collar RE/mortgage/condo sales/marketing types who are competing for the same type of jobs you're looking for. Many of them had become accustomed to "higher than median" wages for this area and may have to work more than one job to survive. Moreover, they are much more well-connected than newcomers in an area where networking means a lot--since the RE market isn't going to turn around anytime soon, this is your competition.

I would recommend that you "quantify" some of the bullets on your resume. Simply writing "Greeted hotels guests," isn't going to hack it; it would be better to say "Greeted an average of 400 guests per day up to 2500 per day during peak holiday seasons." Also include cost savings: "Saved $1500 a year by developing inventory system" and time savings: "Implemented new checklist program that reduced guestroom inspection time from 10 minutes to 2 minutes." Don't lie, and be prepared to give an example during the interview (but don't give away too much--you want them to hire you, not steal your ideas for free.)

Bosses love, Love, LOVE to hear about stuff that reduces costs and increases the bottom line. You've gotta get this across in the resume to pique their interest. Additionally, tailor these bullets to the type of job you're after. The people at the Pet Shop could care less if you can Lemon Pledge a grand piano in 2 minutes--but they might be interested that you had a successful pet sitting business with 10 neighborhood clients during college. Read through employers' websites and note some of the qualities they are trying to get across to their customers. If a hotel says they want their customers to believe "their staff anticipates their every need," work this idea into your resume or cover letter. Always write thank you letters to folks who've granted you an interview--even if you don't get the job, it will leave a lasting impression if another job comes up later.

Hang tough...if you REALLY want a job, you'll find something--even if it pays less or isn't your dream job the trick is to fool your new boss into believing it is and then work your butt off to prove it...that's where networking starts.

What you wrote was very helpful. I agree with everything you said. I just wanted to thank you. It has never been hard for me to get a job so I guess it has put sort of strain on me mentally and financially.

Thanks again,
Katie

 

[30ashopper]

Check the help wanteds in the local paper, companies still use that old style media a lot. I'd also look for internet related companies that might be looking for sales, assistants, etc.. Also, if you haven't already, hit all the big name hotels, Sandestin, and other similar gated communites, which allow you to target multiple businesses at once.

Your search might take some time but turn over down here is a real problem for every business so something is bound to pop up if you keep at it. In the mean time a job as a waitress can net quite a bit over a summer / fall to keep the bills paid, and it'll be a lot of fun too if you pick the right place. I'd skip mall jobs all together, they are dead end and don't pay more than pocket change.

 

[beachmouse]

One note about Sandestin is that they seem to like to churn their staff every so often, especially once you get to be management level.

Entry level mall isn't great, but if you can stick it out long enough and seem to be well-organized, some of the manager jobs will pay surprisingly well.

Also try Jobs Plus in FWB. Some employers will post jobs there that they don't post anywhere else.

 

[Geo]

Decide where you want to work and what you want to do for them. Tell the decision maker there that you will work for free for two weeks in exchange for the following-

If after two weeks they realize they can't do without you then they agree they will hire you...

And if they haven't drawn that conclusion then you probably weren't worth hiring in the first place...

Try it. You might be surprised at how many doors this approach opens...

G

 

[SHELLY]

Decide where you want to work and what you want to do for them. Tell the decision maker there that you will work for free for two weeks in exchange for the following-

If after two weeks they realize they can't do without you then they agree they will hire you...

And if they haven't drawn that conclusion then you probably weren't worth hiring in the first place...

Try it. You might be surprised at how many doors this approach opens...

G

I know I would sure be surprised.

.

 

[elgordoboy]

Decide where you want to work and what you want to do for them. Tell the decision maker there that you will work for free for two weeks in exchange for the following-

If after two weeks they realize they can't do without you then they agree they will hire you...

And if they haven't drawn that conclusion then you probably weren't worth hiring in the first place...

Try it. You might be surprised at how many doors this approach opens...

G

What would the legal liabilities to a company be letting someone "work" for free for two weeks? Any? None?

 

[SHELLY]

What would the legal liabilities to a company be letting someone "work" for free for two weeks? Any? None?

Possible loss of Worker's Comp Insurance for one.

Possible lawsuit from injured "volunteer worker" for two.

.

 

[Mango]

Shelly's advice was spot on. Today companies are looking at what you can do to make them money or save them money. Also, the competition is stiffer and hiring managers are sorting through more resumes, thus you have all of 15 seconds to make a statement with yours. The new buzzword is core competencies. These are right below your objective or summary of skills. Your summary or objective should be in paragraph form. Then your core competencies can be bulleted. You want to grab their attention with the Summary, so make it dynamic and pointed about what industry you fit in. You can make a couple of resumes as well, one for hospitality and one for retail. Go to the library and get the book, Resumes that Knock em Dead by Martin Yate. It has samples of what I discussed above, buzzwords etc. for every industry and all experience levels. If you are sending resumes via the internet, these buzzwords are even more important because companies have scanning software now that looks for the resumes with the most keywords pertinent to their job listing.

Good luck and report back to us when you have a job.