14 Weeks Unemployed.....

[mikebol]

How about http://careers.microsoft.com They are always looking for folks with business degrees.

PM if you do apply.

 

[jd4320t]

How would that work for someone like me? 3 fused vertebrae in the neck, 3 fused in the lower back, and L3/4 about ready to blow. Plus, I'm 55 years old.

Somehow, I don't think I'd get the job...

Of course not. It wasn't meant for you. The OP didn't mention any work restrictions or limitations.

 

[Outlaw]

When did Whiteland get an Amazon....Whitestown maybe?

Yes you are right. I did mean Whitestown.

 

[wabash]

Go to Cti on 38 in Lafayette. Its a temp agency that hires for Subaru. I've seen 100 new people come in the door in the last two weeks.

how long is the wait from interview to starting?

someone told me the wait at the Toyota plant in Princeton could be months.

does the Honda factory in Greensburg use a temp agency to start people? what is the wait there?

 

[Taylor22]

I'm sorry but I disagree. There isn't any reason you can't find a job. Yeah, it's hard to find a great job or the perfect job but there's absolutely no reason to be unemployed and claiming you can't find a job. You suck it up, start working and continue to look for something better.

FedEx, UPS, Amazon are always hiring. That's only three out of hundreds around the Indy area.

Im sure McDonald's is hiring too. I've applied at FedEx and UPS. And I'm willing to take a pay cut...10-15k but it's ridiculous to insinuate that because I'm not working for peanuts I'm a horrible person. You know what happens to most people who take a job "to get by"? They stay there.
I'm committed to finding something that works for me just as much as it does the company I end up with.
I don't feel there is anything wrong with asking for help to find a career path that is a long term solution instead of wasting time and another company's resources.
If it comes down to flipping burgers or mopping a floor I have no problem doing it as you seem to be implying. As a manager, I wouldn't want to spend the time or resources training someone for a position to have them jump out on you two weeks later because they found a better job. I've been on both sides of the hiring table and right now don't see the ethics in that.

 

[Taylor22]

How about http://careers.microsoft.com They are always looking for folks with business degrees.

PM if you do apply.

Awesome. I didn't know they had an Indiana office! I'll shoot you a pm

 

[Taylor22]

All I know is this: my Dad was out of work for 11 months in 1977/78. He was an electronics engineer at a defense contractor and the Carter Administration saw some projects he worked on as a good place to cut. He had severance for a time, but then went on unemployment. He looked for a job religiously, and was willing to take anything, but a 40 something highly trained engineer would certainly skate as soon as he found a better gig, so he didn't get hired for "just any" job, regardless of his willingness to work.

Eventually, he found a very good engineering job at Miles Labs in Elkhart. He had an impressive career there and retired at 65 with several years of lucrative consulting thereafter.

I can't judge you for taking unemployment and I have no reason to think you're not working hard to find job. I can only wish you well in your search. I have confidence that you will find a place.

Appreciate it. I've even extended an offer to a couple places to let me work for them for free for a week and make a decision...apparently they won't actually let you do that for "legal" reasons. (Big corp. A local biz may be more open to this)

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Another thing to keep in mind OP, is that you may need to taylor your resume for each company to which you're applying. With many larger companies, a human being may not be the first "person" that sees your resume. Some places just scan the resumes and have software that looks for key words that apply to the job they're looking to fill. When I finally got hired at my current position, my resume looked ridiculous - not something I would turn in to a living, breathing person. It was filled with the keywords that I knew applied to the position, and it worked. They hired me without even giving me an interview.

 

[DRAIN SURGEON]

try Diamond CHAIN COMPANY JOBS INDIANAPOLIS. LOOKING FOR MAINT MANAGER

 

[woowoo2]

Network with old work contacts...
I was once hired for a job that was not posted just because the right person knew that I was looking.

 

[wtburnette]

Plenty of good advice in here. I'll just say, don't get discouraged. It's easy when you're struggling, but keep a positive attitude and keep looking. I'm sure you'll find something. Have you checked Anthem's website? They usually have a ton of openings and management experience may be all you need to get in. Worth checking out.

Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and take a step back or to the side and take something you're not crazy about. I had roughly 2 weeks to find a job or I would have been unemployed. I'm 28 and married, with a 2 year old, house payment, and truck payment. Being unemployed wasn't an option. Within that 2 week span I had 2 offers on the table, one part time and one full time.
The full time offer was through a contract company for potential to be hired full time. There were no benifits, so I had to get insurance through a third party. I lost 18 days of paid vacation and took a pretty significant pay cut, but I'm not unemployed. And if needed I could pickup a part time gig to make up for the lack of income.

Oh and I have no degree.

I had a similar issue. I got laid off back in 07. I was 40 at the time and like you, married, with a kid and had plenty of financial commitments. Thankfully I had 12 weeks of severance because I needed it. I used every bit of it and finally ended up taking a job that was a $15k pay cut. Luckily my wife also worked and that helped. It took me years to finally get back to where I was, but I did it. The main thing, as I said above, is to keep looking and keep a positive attitude.

 

[churchmouse]

When I was just out of high school the economy tanked (not the depression) and I struggled when laid off from the factory job that was feeding my young family and paying for my car.
I lucked into a job building and maintaining packing/slaughter houses and butcher shops as I had some experience with Refr. equipment. This was a crappy job but it was work so I got up every morning and did what was required.
This crappy job blossomed into my career in the HVAC-R trades. It has served me well. It has also spoiled me in the fact that these people are in demand and the really skilled ones will not be without a job for very long.

Point is, even a crappy job can lead to something beneficial.

 

[dprimm]

I fully understand. I started searching for a job and was slammed by reality -- the world has changed! Everything is online and when you hold a Masters degree, you are eliminated from many jobs for being overqualified. I saw several positions at Lowe's Call center that I was a great match for, but never even got past the "application received." After consulting with WorkOne, I discovered my resume contained too much and was not what HRs wanted anymore. Plus they explained how the computer software that screen applicants works -- matching keywords, etc. I went 2 months and was at the point of applying to Crew Carwash when a buddy kicked me into calling another friend of ours. Who already had a position in mind for me. Waaaay outside my field, but is something that has lowered my stress and is paying a livable wage.

A BIG disadvantage that I struggled with was the LinkedIn world. I spent so much time getting OFF the computer since my son was born (even INGO) that going the other way was nearly impossible. If you are good at networking, make sure you have a LinkedIn account and network with everyone possible. You can apply directly through your account. WorkOne provides free classes on it.

Are you exercising? What are you doing to keep your mind healthy? I would make it 4-5 hours of searching and applying (custom resume for each position being applied to) before I would start to go crazy and need to exercise. Don't get discouraged.

 

[david890]

Did you injure yourself at some point or is this genetic.

A combination of both. The work I did in the Navy took a toll, and I did a lot of extreme sports in my youth. My siblings also have back trouble, but not to my extent.

 

[1775usmarine]

If you lived up in NWI Norfolk Southern is looking for Conductor Trainees for Chicago area.

 

[Tryin']

This is the company I work for. Matter of fact, it's my former position. I would encourage you to apply. Do not contact me directly, please use the link.

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/candidate/search?search=Medical+gas+estimator&location=46250

 

[OneBadV8]

When I was just out of high school the economy tanked (not the depression) and ...

I know we give you a hard time about being older, but you're not THAT old

 

[HoughMade]

When I was just out of high school the economy tanked (not the depression)...

Panic of 1893?

 

[paintman]

If any one on here is near westfield, the place I work needs to hire a person. Starts at $10 per hour monday-friday. Pm me if interested.

 

[JettaKnight]

I met with three of their top engineers all at the same time...and I swear I couldn't answer half their questions....but they LOVED my attitude.

Sounds like an interview I give. I wrote a test designed to make applicants cry. If I was applying, I think I'd mess it up too. The goal was to determine how the applicant handled it. Easy questions don't let you analyze the thought process.

Another thing to keep in mind OP, is that you may need to taylor your resume for each company to which you're applying.

THIS.

It used to be that you tailored the cover letter; not anymore. Today the cover letter is ignored or read only by one or two persons. The resume is what is used. Keyword matching and that stuff.


A couple of suggestions for interviewing:
(1) Know the company you're interviewing with.
(2) Tell the interviewer why they need you. Don't be arrogant or obvious, just ask them about the their business, think about holes in it, and explain how you can fill them. "Oh, you don't have a continuous integration process setup? Well at my last job I cut the number of software bugs and improved delivery time by ..."
(3) Know the things you should know. If you're applying for an embedded software position you darn well better know what the const keyword is. (sorry... what you get the point). In other words, study.
(4) Get names, send a thank you and remind them of areas that impressed them, "Thanks for the interview, you should hire me because ...."