#jobsearch

I have been out of work for well over a year! Yes there are jobs out there for kids. I have almost 30 years experience as senior level tech support at colleges / universities and hospitals. In my area here in East Tennessee they only offer contract jobs wanting just high school education without benefits at $10.00 - $13.00 hr for a position 50 miles away working at a call center. Have not had any callbacks about a full time position even though I have submitted hundreds of applications. With my 6 years of college my applications are ignored.

For the older worker just remember those times of economic downturn and high unemployment. Jobs were difficult to find and we gladly did work that was labor intensive and drove our cars farther than we wanted to, just to pay our living expenses and pay off our debt. Well, jobs are plentiful right now if we can still harness that strong work ethic that has got us through to now we can take advantage of this opportunity. You have a lot of experience and knowledge to offer and can be the teachers to the world.

I'm not an Rn, of course training and a license.. but I'd think an endless amount of patience to deal with the people you are trying to help. We all get a bit grumpy and ill natured when we are sick.

I'm answering because I'm the mother of a current RN and I know what she had to do. The minimum education requirement is an Associate of Science in Nursing degree. That's the 2 year degree. My daughter has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. That's the 4 year degree. Some places will not hire if you don't have a BSN. Getting into nursing programs is competitive. Then getting through the program itself is difficult. My daughter started her program as one of 60 students, halfway through her sophomore year of college. By the end of the 3rd semester, which was the end of her junior year, that 60 students was down to 43. It's hard, very hard. Once she graduated, she had to pass the licensing exam, which she did on her very first attempt. She's been licensed for nearly 2 years now.

That covers the education and licensing part. The rest is just as important. You must have good people skills because you are going to be working with people who are at some of the worst times in their lives. Doesn't totally count if you work in labor & delivery or the nursery, though we all know circumstances can and do get horrible there too. You also have to care about people, want to help, and work for them to get better. Nursing is hard. Do your best to care for yourself.

It has taken me over a year to find a job after being in a terrible car accident and being out of work for a couple of years, I never gave up and was persistent but you need to be networking and getting to know people who might know of places that are hireing. It is also very important that your resume is as professional loooking as it can be and make sure it is no longer then one page.

The "one page resume" rule is thing of the past. I may be a "dinosaur" in many ways but not there. I've been around a lot, which is not uncommon in my industry. I use a "skills based" resume which is two full pages. My "work history" is a separate document that I bring to the interview and provide upon request.

The hard part about a two-page resume is piquing the HR Manager's interest enough for he/she to read the second page.

"Networking" isn't something I'm good at. At best, I have a short list of recruiters that really understand what I do (I have a unique and varied skill-set).

I too have had long dry spells such as yours. I once was looking for a job in my field for six years (2008-2014). Part-time minimum wage jobs were all I could get. Even then, it wasn't until 2017 when I got a job that might be a "career job" that I'd want to keep.

I hope this helps and that you have better luck and a shorter journey.

For Christie. The most important thing to remember about a Customer Service position is the job itself is about delivering your best possible service with every customer interaction, you must be a good listener, don't anticipate what someone will say even if you heard it a hundred times before, be yourself and you must always remember that when you have a SMILE on your face it comes through on the telephone just the same when you have a frown. That really is the challenge in the times in which we are living. It took me a year to secure a job where I worked for nearly 18 years only to lose it due to COVID. If it's a company you really feel strongly about working for, don't give up! Keep positive, each time I got a rejection letter I would send a thank you note for their consideration even though it resulted in a rejection letter and that I would continue to apply. As soon as there was a position that more closely matched my skill set I was granted an interview and hired. With every company measuring every little thing it's important to remember that being consistent with customer interactions is something that even though the length of the call is being measured, you cannot accurately measure superior customer service but you CAN surely judge for yourself whether or not you gave 100% to every customer. And realize that we cannot always satisfy everyone but we certainly must do our very best to be our very best each and every day. Stay positive and remember to smile even if it hurts ha ha! Best of luck to you Christie. LDP

You have to be comfortable in your own skill believe in what your selling and have all the knowledge. Builds trust with your clients makes them want to continue to deal with you and remember people are always having a bad day. They are mad at the situation not you! Good luck