(Closed) Job searching, how do you cope with it?

posted 7 years ago in Career
Post # 1
Member
181 posts
Blushing bee
  • Wedding: August 2012

So I finally got my PR papers in Feb, after a 2 year wait.

I went back to the UK to visit my family end of April beginning of May, it was a disaster.

I returned home and took a few weeks to recover from the emotional stress.

Middle to end of June I went into the local employment agency, got a case worker and Canadianised my resume. 

Also did some careers testing, there was no surprise there at all, all the jobs that came back were ones that required me to go back to school. Lawyer, paralegal, police officer, etc. 

I should have done Law at uni but that was my parents profession and they strongly advised against it and I felt growing up that their insane hours of work and life style was not for me. So I took politics. 

Politics for undergrad and grad, and now…. what the H can I do with that?

My resume is thread bare, I got out of uni, spent a year living with my parents trying to help them only to end up in counselling because of my insane mother. Then we moved back to CA and started my Immigration process. 

I did some volunteering, but not enough, and I could not work whilst this process was going on. 

Now I can work. But seriously who is going to hire me?! I am completely freaking out. No work experience to speak of, I’m 27, an immigrant (which apparently is a barrier to employment), and living in a city where employers favor the sons and daughters of their friends over taking a risk on a stranger. 

I am completely freaked. Im having a bad day with this, I have been applying to jobs but they are few and far between and it just scares the crap out of me.

 

How do people deal with the negative internal dialogue that can just creep up and bite you in the behind, when looking for work?

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Post # 3
Member
342 posts
Helper bee
  • Wedding: August 2010

I try and keep busy, I clean a lot and watch a lot of mindless television. I tried working out but I got a little over zealous.  Right now I’m really fighting that voice in my head, thanks to that little voice I got four hours of sleep last night.

Post # 4
Member
4771 posts
Honey bee
  • Wedding: November 1999

Job searching is the worst.  I really have no advice since I failed majorly at job searching.  I am also an immigrant in a country I don’t speak the language in 😛 so I was seriously bogged down for the longest time.  I did finally get a job, but they found me and I’m underemployed but at least we have more money comming in which is well needed.

Post # 5
Member
3344 posts
Sugar bee
  • Wedding: August 2010

I was laid off in May.  I’ve been going to workshops at my local career center.  I spend alot of time cleaning and cooking.  I’ve also been writing letters to our relatives more.  Every now and then I have a freak out day and cry and cry.  I just feel like such a loser in a game that I can’t win.

I would suggest making your resume focused on your skills, rather than your employment history.  Here’s an example.

Post # 6
Member
7431 posts
Busy Beekeeper
  • Wedding: October 2009

Are there colleges that offer career fairs near you? Maybe look at ads in the newspaper or something like that? I could give you more resources if you were in the States, but I don’t know of any in Canada. Maybe you could also post in the Canada boards for help?

Post # 7
Member
3314 posts
Sugar bee
  • Wedding: October 2010

My husband went through this while looking for work after going through immigration.  Even places looking for temp help during the winter turned him down!  It was tough on him… he did everything he could to keep busy – cleaned, played MMO’s (he would have done that anyway, but then he got a lot more play time.  lol), watched shows.  At times he would have a day or 2 of feeling pretty depressed about it.

For him, what helped him finally get a job ended up being that he picked me up at work and was friendly to my co-worker friends.  One of them told him about a temp job opportunity for a summer remodel of a store, when he put in his application, she really went out of her way to promote him to the management at the remodel store (she works there too).  I pretty much am sure that he got the job because of her recommendation of him.  That job has now turned permanent.

It’s not the most prestigious job in the world (neither of our jobs are for that matter), but it’s work at a time when jobs are tough to get, AND it gets him a US work history.  

I hope something works out for the both of you!

Post # 8
Member
4824 posts
Honey bee

Keep volunteering, especially in your area of interest. Like you said connections are valuable and through volunteering you will meet people. Also go to networking events.

This may sound crazy but go to Happy Hour at a popular spot in the business district. Obviously be careful not to drink too much, but go once a week. You would be surprised who you get to know by going reguarly (Thursdays are a good day) and when something in their office will open up.

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