Need Advice (Concerning Jobs)

[Guardian]

Hi all,

Reaching out - please help.

I'm nearly 23, just moved back to my favorite town in Arizona (Scottsdale). Am living with a friend for the next 3 weeks, then I've got to get my own place. Currently have a job at a local fitness center on Sundays but it's only 3hrs/week (sometimes 6hrs/week) so obviously not enough money to support myself there. I need at least $900/month to pay for rent (~$600), utilities ($50-$75), food ($75-$150), and student loan payment ($150-$225 (depending on income)).

I have applied at over 35jobs near where I live (only have a bicycle but I am very fit). Haven't had much luck. I've used careerbuilder, monster, craigslist, indeed, snagajob, etc.

I have 6days of availability per week, willing to work most anywhere. Would prefer full time work. I do not have any college degrees. I have experience in retail (Ross(security job)/Target/Running Store), Food Prep (Jamba Juice).

What other websites are there? What am I not thinking of? I have 3weeks to be on my feet and out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

tl;dr - need (hopefully) full time job - non-conventional methods?

[Russ]

Have you applied in person or online? I rarely hear back from online applications, and when I do it's often months later. Showing up in person shows you care that extra bit more than the other guy. If you know a thing or two about bikes, you might want to try the local bike shops, especially the ones close to whatever university is nearby. Most regular-folks bike shops will have done their hiring for the spring rush, but the college shops get their big rush when all the students come back in the fall.

If you're up for finding a roommate, you could probably knock a couple hundred bucks off that rent too, which wouldn't hurt.

[James]

I would second the idea of showing up in person to ask about jobs.  Especially if they see you are biking around and showing a lot of effort, that can start some conversations.  Have to checked with any temp agencies?  I don't know anything about Arizona specifically so probably can't be of any specific help.  Just make sure you are doing as much ground work vs internet/email work.  Nothing beats personal contact.  Nothing.

[Another Reader]

Time to make yourself presentable, get a printed resume, and start knocking on doors.  Pick the three or four largest shopping centers in the area where you are planning to live.  Go in every store where you would consider working, and ask for the manager.  Give that person your best sales pitch and a copy of your resume.  Tell them you just moved to Scottsdale and you can start as soon as they can hire you.  You might have to do this 20 times, but eventually you will find someone that needs help quickly and has enough hours for you.  Websites will not help with this type of job.

Have you ever worked in restaurants?  That's another option.

In your shoes I would look for a shared apartment for the first few months until I saved enough for the security and utility deposits and had an emergency fund.  I would live there longer if I thought it was time to settle down and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

[Russ]

Also, it sounds to me like you're looking at the kind of jobs that pay a pretty low wage. That's fine on such short notice, and to get yourself stable for a while, but remember that anything less than $10/hr or so is much less than you are worth. If you plan on sticking around Scottsdale for a while, you should think of this as a temporary job until you work your way into something better. The end of this article and the following comments give some good recommendations of higher paying / more skilled jobs that are still accessible for anyone with half a brain.

[Guardian]

Thank you, everyone! I greatly appreciate the quick feedback and the wonderful ideas. I feel re-invigorated!

[kkbmustang]

Also, get thee on LinkedIn and network like mad. Statistics have shown that more professionals (read, people in a position to hire you) are on LinkedIn than other social media sites.  Put together a profile with your work history, education, etc. and start inviting people you know to get connected. They also have a job board on there, as well as discussion forums.  If you really want a career job, this is a great resource.  I'll be happy to review your profile for you and suggest ways to make it better/sound more professional/etc. I also have a lot of contacts, so if I can help you with any of my contacts in AZ, I'll be happy to do that, too. 

[NestEggChick (formerly PFgal)]

Also, get thee on LinkedIn and network like mad. Statistics have shown that more professionals (read, people in a position to hire you) are on LinkedIn than other social media sites.  Put together a profile with your work history, education, etc. and start inviting people you know to get connected. They also have a job board on there, as well as discussion forums.  If you really want a career job, this is a great resource.  I'll be happy to review your profile for you and suggest ways to make it better/sound more professional/etc. I also have a lot of contacts, so if I can help you with any of my contacts in AZ, I'll be happy to do that, too.

This!  Networking is highly underrated.  And once you're on your feet and ready to move up, go to job fairs and also check meetup.com for networking events.  Get your foot in the door with something entry level (which could still pay more than retail) and you can move up from there.  Good luck!

[Guardian]

Just wanted to stop in and say THANK YOU to everyone for your responses :)

I nailed down a full time job last week and will now be making $11/hr for the foreseeable future!

Definitely better than where I was at.

In the next few days I'll post a "longer term" career-oriented question about where to go from here.

Thank you again!

[kkbmustang]

Congrats!