Has anyone found it very hard...

[butterfly77]

to find a job and after you have found one is it only temporary... I have been in and out of jobs for the last few years and none of them have been in the field that I have trained for... They usually want 3to 5 years of experience and there are numerous job fairs. I don't remember it being this bad but of course I am in Michigan.. I want to know how it is all over the country...

[The Blue Flower]

1. I went through that

I went through a very erratic and sporadic employment history for quite a few years as a technical editor. I finally found something permanent and longlasting on craigslist last year. I'm going to hang on to this job for all I'm worth. I wish you the very best of luck in your job hunt. It's discouraging to say the least, and it's so miserable having to count every penny. The antidote for me was volunteering at my neighborhood food bank. It made me grateful for what I did have, as opposed to feeling bad about what I didn't have, and it helped me out with groceries. It also made me feel useful and productive despite being unemployed. I ended up being on the board for awhile, and it gave my life a whole new direction.

Sending good vibes for you.

[TahitiNut]

2. That's the story of the lives of lots of us for the last 10 years.

When I got my first "permanent" job in the 60s, it was assumed people kept the same job all their lives ... maybe changing only once or twice at the most. Interviews were diligent and respectful - not wholesale meat markets. It's become insane. Flesh-peddling is rampant.

[butterfly77]

4. Yes.It is insane...

it is like working just to get a job, and all of this portraying yourself to be something that you may not be in the first place. Another problem I see is it is not what you know, but who you know.

[TahitiNut]

6. The vast majority of all jobs are obtained by networking ... about 80%.

One of the two most fundamental practices I advise all employees to adhere to religiously is keeping a RoloDex of all business contacts and maintain those contacts over the years! Send Christmas cards and make telephone contact at least once a year. (The other practice is to keep a continuous journal in a spiral notebook - every day and every hour. Keep the journal in your personal possession at all times.)

[southerncrone]

3. All the jobs have left the building, er, I mean country...

This is the state of our labor market today, outsourcing & contract labor. You will be hard pressed to find a permanent job w/good benefits anymore. It's an employer's market, baby! Thank NAFTA for that & changes in labor law that allow employers to treat employees any way they want.
Result of Repuke policies that take care of the big guy, & step on the rest of us!
Another casualty of the Repuke rule. :puke:

[butterfly77]

5. I have been tempted to look into one of these.

work at home jobs, does anyone know anything about them...

[unpossibles]

7. yes. when I moved here it took over a year to find a job and I found this one

through an older work contact from Columbus.

[ends_dont_justify]

8. yes, totally

in new york (state, not city) it's been terrible looking. I thought it was because of the season at first but now I'm noticing sharp declines in once flourishing job opporatunities. Definitely feeling its effect even up here.

[leftofthedial]

9. my job situation has been spotty, to put it mildly, since late 2000

This April will mark the two-year anniversary of my last paycheck from an actual job.

The middle class in this country is in deep, deep trouble.

[butterfly77]

15. What state are you in...

[leftofthedial]

18. Colorado

[sandnsea]

10. Awful awful pay

I made $1000 a month 20 years ago and the same job only pays $1500 now. The cost of everything has doubled or tripled, and income and cost of living was out of whack then. I don't understand how people are making ends meet. How do people survive on $1000 of social security??

[butterfly77]

13. I don't either ...

I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in or what part of town...

[blues90]

17. It looks like many people will have to live in communes

I know of a few of my friends still in Chicago who are going to all go in on one apartment and split everything in order to survive .

None of them , all in their 50's are doing well with jobs or money .

Many of the trade jobs have gone to the immigrants and I understand their frustration , it is not their fault , they did not fail at their work and they did not make it possible for companies to hire illegals .

[teenagebambam]

11. Am actually WORKING in my field

which is higher education, with low pay and no benefits (I'm adjunct) Desperately wish I could find something else but took this teaching job after having no luck for awhile.

[blues90]

12. I've been looking for a year

Live in Hollywood CA . I have tried every job wed site and everything possible to find a job I know in the auto motive dealship repair field . I worked for ford but ford dealers are down sizing or closing and all other car makers are not interested in someone 57 years old with only ford experience .

I have tried temp agencies and gotten interviews for all sorts of customer service jobs I know I could do but never hear back after the interviews .

Now I find less and less jobs online and more and more no help wanted . If you luck out you may get $10 per hour . I have even looked at other states and all look pretty grim .

All want 5 years of experience and ask for out going smiling faces and team players with motivation and drive and more .

It seems it is either or both an age factor and the amount of applications which seem to be many that render the outcome .

It is horrifying and scary as hell .

[butterfly77]

14. You have it right..

when I read that they want you to be motivated and have drive, after you have looked been looking and looking and going to interviews you become skeptical and less motivated, I guess they need to add that you have to be an actor or actress to the job description...

[blues90]

16. That too and then some

Many jobs emailed me back asking where I lived , when I told them I was too far away and they felt I would be late too many times .

My youger sister in northern florida who does interviews at times said she weeds out older people and people who are too far away . Hell she is 55 and she abopted this attitude . Her idea is older people are to slow and to difficult to teach and are not up with the high tech world . She told me she does not call them back and tosses the job resumes .

The people who are now over 50 or 55 are screwed . some dealers ships I called back and asked if they had alot of applictes said yes more than they realized . So I assume they hired someone younger and more polished with a nice suit who would work for less .

I have got emails from headhunters telling me I was a good match for their insurance co starting out at $9 per hour or some other company they of course won't tell you about , I send my resume but never hear back . Plus there is always the never ending emails to make a fortune on ebay or some other at home business , yeah right . Internet speedway was the only one I tried and got my money back after figuring out it is costly and the products are crap . They want you to pay $75 per month for 5 months for their crappy program and help line but what they don't tell you is the site maintainence and costs after the 5 months expire .

This economy is not only one sick lie and a joke but is it an abomination where if you worked hard all your life and had homed skills at whatever you did you have now become trash in this new world order global economy , you face as we have been told , to compete with the third world labor and wage .

I wonder when the suicide rate will increase or if it has already when people find themselves on the streets with nothing and this seems easier than finding a job let alone keeping one .

[butterfly77]

22. Another problem is ,,,

after you learn certain skills you have to keep refreshing yourself because the information changes and schools have been having a field day promising with new applicants and making promises of jobs that are never to be found or have some type of catch. I also have been having a problem with jobs being too far away. I see more people walking around talking to themselves these days...

[spoony]

19. in MI too

And as a contractor I watch people's careers disappear and budgets fall to nothing. And as they go, so do I. I've never been in a place experiencing such hardship, it seems half the people I know are either out of work or in bad jobs or got bought out. It's awful.

[butterfly77]

23. And its getting worse...

I heard of more today...

[treestar]

20. What are the fields?

[Blue_Tires]

21. yes

i've recounted my story on DU more than a few times....(my field is jourlanism, until i can find something better to switch over to)

[butterfly77]

24. Haven't a lot of the people in the media...

been fired lately...

[hootinholler]

25. Even in the tech industry

Even in a 'hot' market, if you are not security cleared, good luck finding a job.

I've lost about 30% in salary compared to 2000, and I've spent 1.5 years (not continuous) unemployed due to either having to take temp positions or layoffs.

-Hoot