Three success stories

In the midst of these difficult times we still see success for those searching for that next position. We can learn much from those who landed after long-term job transition.

Visit a local job club and speak to your counselor to discuss what is working and what is not. Here are some more survival tips from those who have been there. Follow these tips and keep talking to people!

Here are the stories of three of my clients who found jobs after a lot of persistence:

Story 1

Bill,

I know you said you would like some feedback from me to pass along to others who are unemployed. I have a couple of helpful hints. I was unemployed for over a year (actually over 2 years, but I worked as a contract worker intermittently the first year and a little of the second year!) and I’ve found out a few things:

1. Create a daily schedule with timing for your job search.
2. Create a plan of action with goals so you can see yourself meeting the goals.
3. Work with the Job Partners/Teamsters for an awesome résumé!
4. Decide on minimum job requirements including type of job, hours, salary and benefits. Don’t just apply for everything that’s out there. You will soon feel bad when you’re getting FT job offers but have to turn them down because the minimum wage won’t cover daycare (or other expenses).
5. Take a PT job, if there are any out there! It’s also nice to get out of the house and meet people and network.
6. It is imperative for people with small children to maintain the normal routine as though they were employed. Bring the kids to daycare so that you can really search for a job without distractions. Also, then the kids are used to going to daycare, so life won’t be so much of a change when you do find a job.
7. Volunteer anywhere. You will make important contacts and gain knowledge and be useful. I volunteered at my church creating excel spreadsheets. I learned a lot and met a lot of people and made a lot of potential business contacts. My church was very disappointed when I had to quit because they were very impressed with my work and had passed my name along to others who might have a need for me. It’s also nice to get out of the house and meet people and network.
8. Take all classes available at Job Partners/Teamsters. The resume and interviewing classes were very helpful for me. It’s also nice to get out of the house and meet people and network.
9. Find pertinent training classes that will benefit your job search and take them. Talk to your counselor about what the program can pay for. It’s also nice to get out of the house and meet people and network.
10. Realize that not everyone wants to hear your elevator speech. I’ve noticed that I’m hearing back from more people now that I have a job. It seems like they were afraid to contact me when I was looking for a job maybe because they thought that’s all I wanted from them.
11. Take notes immediately after each interview. Note the type of questions asked, your answers, what would have been a better answer, follow-up questions you would like to ask, the tone of the meeting and any other pertinent details. This will help you prepare for future interviews.
12. When you get a job offer, make sure you have all the tools to negotiate a good offer. Don’t let them ask you what you want to be paid without knowing the salary range first. You need to know the salary range (and they have that information so they should give it to you) and then you will plan to ask for a salary in the midpoint or slightly higher. There are good resources on this if you Google it.
13. Update your LinkedIn profile. Many companies look at this! Take the LinkedIn class at the Job Partners /Teamsters, another good class! It’s also nice to get out of the house and meet people and network.
14. Okay, I had more than 6 interviews for the job I have now! It’s not unheard of! I had multiple interviews before and didn’t get the job! Some didn’t even bother getting back to me at all. That’s just what happened to me!
15. I feel very strongly against sending a handwritten thank you note in the mail. These days, people use their computers for everything and paper mail in a large company may get delayed if you don’t have the correct box number. To me, the handwritten note is unprofessional and outdated. I usually send a nice email with a personal tone to it. Just my thoughts on that.

 Story 2:

Hi Bill,

I have had a busy summer looking for work. I filled out a lot of applications online as well as in person, and all seemed very impressed with my work ethic as well as how many years I have held a single job.

After working a single job for so many years, it's hard to find that one job that will fit into my life. Many interviews and crunching numbers and a lot of soul searching turned up almost nothing that was challenging enough for me.

I was going to my favorite store, Menards, when my cell phone rang. An employer asked me if I was still interested in a job. I had filled out the application in the middle of June, and it was now the end of August. I said, “ya sure.” It was 11:10 am. He wanted to see me at 1:30 pm that day. I was kind of blown away by that. The interview went well and I went for my drug test. I called him after I was done and he said he would call me tomorrow when he received the results. Thursday he calls me and tells me about the opportunity of joining one of these crews that go out for weeks at a time and mill highways. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of being gone for such a long time, but I said, OK I’ll do it if it will secure me a driving job in the Spring, in town, as all these jobs lay off in the late fall.

The money is good. Today I was in the state of Wyoming, on top of a mountain road passage thru the Absaraka Range, I think Little Big Horn, what scenery, and it was beautiful. This is a good job; good pay, good company, and the foreman can see that I am a hard worker, that I catch on very fast, can anticipate what he needs or is going to do next. Everyone wants to spend the Obama money, and I want to establish myself before the money runs out. I work for the hardest foreman in this company, I can tell this. There will be only good that comes from this job, I can feel it. I walk about 5 to 6 miles a day when we’re ripping up roads. Drinking a lot of water and losing weight, and getting a tan. So in short, one day I’m walking into Menards getting something for a house project, and that same week I’m shipped out on a job for 2 to 4 weeks. My fiancé’s not too happy about it, but she’s the one that wanted me to go out and find a job. How’s that for a story?!

Story 3:

Bill,

I guess if I have any words of wisdom about the job hunt they would be:

• Get all the help and support you can once you have come to grips with being laid off.
• Take all the information you gather and determine what will work for you and prepare a plan of action.
• Don't overlook any resources you may have at your disposal; you can be extremely resourceful when bills are waiting to be paid.
• Try to live your life as near to normal as possible while looking for work.
• Document daily, weekly and monthly what you are doing in the job search, keep accurate records of everything.
• Be prepared to change your plan along the way; there are so many factors out of your control that will impact your path to a new job.
• Get outside your comfort zone - tell everyone you are looking for work, go to career fairs and join a job club.
• All these things may not lead to a job. Realize you ultimately have to get there on your own.
• In the end it doesn't matter what your status or pay was in your former position; you will probably give up a lot to rebuild with a new employer.
• The whole process is very difficult; celebrate the victory when you finally find the job.

I found my job when I had applied to another company that was located next to them. A few months later, the company had this position open and wanted to interview me for it at that time, but I turned them down due to the salary offered. When I saw the job come up again, many more months had passed and I had come to the realization that I would not be starting out at the salary I previously had, but other factors had become important in my quest to get back to work. In the end I found the company on my own and had a successful campaign. There were 220 other applicants, so they saw something in my resume they wanted to pursue. After the first round of interviews, they were still interested. After the second round of interviews and testing and decision making, they offered me the position.

Take Care, I'll keep in touch. Thanks!

Bill Thurston
Vocational Counselor
MN Job Partners/MN Teamsters Service Bureau