A good job market requires enough economic/fiscal stability that industry can make predictions and base their future business models on a stable market.
Rapid fluctuations between a pro-free market environment and a heavy bureaucratic regulatory environment make this extremely difficult.
The decisions we make collectively have direct consequences on our pocket books.
"I'm here for a job interview." "Great. Do you have experience?" "Yes. This is my 50th interview. "
Interviewer: You're asking for a pretty high salary for someone with no experience.
Me: Well, the job will be super difficult since I don't know what I'm doing.
@Mike403 @lonelytauros Funny posts
Yep, mike403 and lonelytauros are hilarious!
One of my former coworkers messaged me yesterday that he's still without any luck on his job search of 7 years (unhappy but still employed.) No calls or interviews in 2 years. He has a 4-year business degree from a great school. BUT: 1. He refuses to relocate. (He lives in the country.) 2. He refuses to drive more than 30 minutes. (It's not a big job market.) 3. He refuses to leave the financial industry. (It's not a big job market.) 4. He refuses to take a paycut. (His kids are in high school, but he never wants his wife to work.) 5. He prefers WFH or hybrid and states it in his cover letter and on his resume.
His resume writer swears he's run it by friends in the industry, and "it's perfect." I have told him it's his list of requirements and applying to the same places (because his radius is way too small.) He really needs to check his ego, he's not doing himself any favors by acting like he's some guru and badmouthing his current employer. Some people never learn.
@starrynitecuds - I live near Denver, CO.. Many companies to apply for. I'll accept $20/hr which is normally not enough to live in this area but I have a low mortgage payment since I bought my place in 2008 when it was cheap. I get lots of interviews but after the interview, they always say they went with another candidate. (or they ghost me)
Hey Mike, you've received several great.pieces of advice. There were quite a few comments to go through, so I hope this isn't repetitive.
Department of Rehabilitation Services help individuals with Autism, low vision/blindness, and more to find the jobs/careers they need. Link below: https://dvr.colorado.gov/dvr-programs-and-services
I implore you to go to the unemployment office. I don't know if Colorado offers the same services as Tennessee and Oklahoma, but they most likely offer more than unemployment payment services. They'll assist with resume writing, have a list of positions open, and many will help you apply. I worked for Oklahoma Workforce at one time and found they offered more than many realize, even grants to help people pursue an education.
Since you're in the data entry field, I thought I'd share this link. I'm subscribed to them for small gigs outside my full time position. They seem to have so many employers hiring for data entry positions where they can work from home. Some employers to list: Signals, United HealthCare, CVS, or most large companies needing customer service reps. Link below: Ratracerebellion.com
I hope you find the right fit. After I finally received my Bachelor's, it still took me months to find something. I had plenty of behavioral health and medical experience, but not at the level many were looking for. My best wishes to you in your job hunt!
@starrynitecuds - regarding your former coworker, the “prison of the mind” is the hardest prison from which to escape (but it is also the most rewarding to escape from).
Agreed. The limitations we experience in life are very often self-imposed restrictions.
It's bad enough when we decide to do it to ourselves.
But it's criminal when we let others convince us to do it to ourselves.
I had my feedback session with the psychologist about my diagnoses. It was an hour of discussing what they found. I do have autism. She mentioned that it's a spectrum. People on one end of the spectrum is completely non-verbal while the other end has no problem expressing themselves. I'm somewhere in the middle.
Congratulations?
@lonelytauros ?
@Mike403 It seems to me that knowing the diagnosis would be helpful to you moving forward. I hope that is the case.
@Mike403 Ignore the “congratulations?” and the punching down. Like @gem7 said, knowing is better than not knowing. But I thought you had already been diagnosed. Am I missing something here?
@TheFunCartel - A psychiatrist guessed my condition by talking to me. A full evaluation was an all day thing and expensive. $4,000 but I was able to get it covered by a government program so I was able to do it for no cost.
Edit: I'd like to add that the testing was around 6 weeks ago and it took them that long to put the report together.
@Mike403 I hope this brings you some comfort and you find a job soon.
I've reached 400 applications to far. I had an interview scheduled for yesterday but they sent me a message a few hours before telling me that they were cancelling it as they decided to hire another candidate.
My severance ran out so I will be getting unemployment payments starting next week.
Illinois allowes to collect severance and unemployment simultaneously. But maybe it's better your unemployment only kicks in now.
Good luck @Mike403 . Keep us posted.
@Mike403 Sorry about that cancelled interview. Don't give up. I am hoping something good happens for you soon.
Hi @Mike403 . Best of luck. Perhaps you are over qualified for many positions. The amount of experience might be daunting to many employers or maybe they feel they can't compensate you enough for the job or that you'd turn over quickly for another job.
Some general suggestions:
Invest more money to get passive income over time.
Try moving horizontally across the industry or even a completely different industry or related industry for the timebeing. If you have any serious hobbies try leaning into them as a source of income. This can include teaching or tutoring in a subject of expertise. Even consider temp or part time jobs like door dash, Uber, etc.
Try dumbing down your resume or limiting your years of experience.
What is your interview process/approach like?
One of my coworkers is a billing specialist at Medstar. Have you applied there?
@TxTom funny comic above.
@Mike403 I hope you find a great job soon!
@Mike403 As a fellow autistic (who is only now catching up on this thread) I can tell you that there's a lot of misunderstanding around autism. For instance, "spectrum" doesn't mean a range from less intense to more intense. It's a bit of this and a bit of that. One of the aspects is how verbal you are, from not at all to extremely. But overall, autistic people face additional challenges in interviews. You probably nail the technical stuff, but they look for interpersonal skills like eye contact (ugh) and ability to pick up on unspoken prompts.
Feel free to message me with questions. Autism has been an interest of mine ever since I learned that I'm autistic.
Over 500 applications and 40 interviews so far. No job offers. One even hung up on me after calling them after an interview that I thought went well. I called back and they wouldn't answer my calls and no response to my emails.
You are a good guy and I suspect a good worker and loyal. I look forward to your future employer figuring that out.
😥🥺💙 Wishing you the best of luck. 🍀
I've been let go of two jobs this year and this time around I have been looking for work for 4 months. I am not getting a lot of hits. The only offer i had was for a job 1.5 hrs away for 12.75/hr.. Yeah, thats not feasible.
@KatCuddles77 - That's less than minimum wage here in Denver. Even McDonald's is paying $18+ an hour.
@Mike403 It is ridiculously hard to find anything that wants to pay decent and is full time