Craigslist job postings. Real or scam?

I’ve been applying to jobs posted on my local craigslist.  Some of them seem to be right up my alley but they are blind ads, so I have no way of knowing the actual company.  I don’t mind that so much.  If they want me for an interview, they’ll tell me who they are then and I’ll have a little time to find something out about the company.

Unfortunately, pretty much every e-mail I send has been replied to with another e-mail asking me to go to a web site to complete the application process.  Even though the web sites sometimes have different names, they all have the same form to complete and all end up at the same place:  http://career-network.com.  You fill out some very basic information and are given options to find out more about starting a business, getting more education, or getting help with your credit.  You are given the option of saying no to all of these, and I decline them all.  It’s my understanding that this type of advertising allows the site to be free for employers and job seekers.  You then upload your resume, even if you’ve done it multiple times in the past.  (You all do know not to include your SS# in a resume, don’t you?)

After jumping through these hoops, you are then told that your resume is being sent to the employer and your application will be updated within 24 hours.  The next day, you get another e-mail telling you to finalize the application process.  When you go to “your” home page, you see all the jobs you’ve applied for and the status.  If any are pending, you click on them and go through the same basic questions and refuse the optional offers.  Eventually, you get to a page where you are asked to enter your references.  They seem to send out e-mail to your references almost immediately and it appears that they need to complete one for each job you apply to.  If you apply for 5 jobs in one day, your friends and colleagues will get 5 different e-mails that take them to the same online form for each job.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve completed 13 of these applications and have yet to hear from an employer.  I haven’t really noticed any increase in spam and my friends and colleagues aren’t complaining about the many reference requests.  Still, I can’t help but wonder if I’m wasting my time.  Is this some kind of data mining scheme?  Are there real jobs behind these craiglist ads?  (Each ad and each followup e-mail are worded differently and really do sound legit.)  Have you had any experience with this?  Good or bad?  If you’d rather not leave a public comment, please use the contact form or send me a tweet or direct message at http://twitter.com/cindyburns and I’ll DM you back with my e-mail address.  THANKS!

Let’s Pretend

Starting on Monday, I’m going to try something new.

For the past 10 years, I’ve worked from home. I’m used to working in my jammies, not wearing makeup and pretty much being a slob during my working hours. It isn’t even that unusual for a week to go by without leaving the house. Now there is a possibility of working outside the home and I need to change all that.

Beginning on Monday, I’m going to start getting up at the same time each day. I’ll shower, dress, do my hair and even put on makeup. I’m going to have breakfast in the morning, instead of waiting until noon. I’ll take a 15 minute morning break, a 30 minute lunch break and an afternoon break. I will stop after 8 hours. I will move my laptop back into my office instead of sitting in the family room in front of the TV. I may even leave the house once in a while.

How will I spend my “work” day? I haven’t gotten that far. This weekend, I’ll work on my “business plan.” It will probably be a mix of looking for work and cleaning the house. How long will this last? Hopefully more than just one day.

How do you spend your days? Do you look or act like you’re on vacation or do you prepare yourself as if you have a job or interview each day? Do you stay home all day or do you get out into the world and make contact with other sentient beings? Any suggestions on how I should structure my day? Is this even a good idea or should I just go with the flow, in your opinion?

Times Have Changed

As a condition of receiving unemployment benefits in Virginia, I was required to sign up online for their job bank at https://www.vawc.virginia.gov.  I’m still exploring the site, but I’m hoping it turns out to be an effective search tool.  There is a resume builder, a virtual recruiter, and a variety of other services along with job listings.  Many of the listings are pulled from job search sites around the web but there are also listings directly from employers.

Have you checked out the web site for your state?  You might have to dig around to find the job listings.  If it’s anything like the VA site, it isn’t terribly user friendly.  In VA, anyone can use the job listings and services, not just those receiving unemployment benefits.

About 30 years ago, I visited the New York State employment office in Syracuse.  They had books and books of company names and job listings on microfilm.  Parking was terrible.  The office was not in a very good section of town.  There were lines of people waiting to use the microfilm.  I much prefer using the internet.

So, what do you do all day?

Do people ask you that, now that you’re unemployed? Do you hate that question as much as I do?

I treat my day just like a workday. I’m on the computer looking for jobs, updating my resume, sending out resumes and filling out online applications. Some of those online job applications can take up to an hour to complete.

I do a lot of reading. I follow up recommended job boards and other sites that have been suggested. I click on links in people’s Twitter profiles or ones that are tweeted that pertain to finding work. I save anything unrelated to my search for later. I don’t play games or read for entertainment until after 5 p.m. Do I stick to this routine perfectly? I’d love to say yes, but I don’t.

I’ve decided that I need to lighten up a little bit. Now that I’ll be getting unemployment (I’m still waiting for the letter of determination, but it’s only Tuesday), I can stop applying for jobs that I don’t really want and I’m not really qualified to do. I’m going to spend a little time each day actually cleaning my office and maybe even the rest of the house. (I hope I get work soon!) I’m going to spend some time each day working on my jewelry as well. I don’t sell much this time of year but I need to increase my inventory for the fall festival and craft show season.

So, what do you do all day? What do you do to keep yourself from focusing on your joblessness? Are you enjoying this time off or are you chomping at the bit to get back to work? Do you have a hobby to help keep you from completely obsessing about being out of work? Do you now have the cleanest house in town or are you, like me, using the job search as an excuse not to clean the toilets?

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

When you’re job hunting, you’ll hear a lot of stuff and get lots of advice.  Some of it will be useful and some not so much.  It’s up to you to filter the good from the bad.

Do yourself a favor and check out everything for yourself.  If someone tells you that XYZ Inc. is hiring, you will obviously check it out.  It hurts nobody to make a call or stop by with your resume.  On the flip side, you may also hear that your neighbor’s cousin applied at XYZ Inc. but was told they weren’t hiring.  Would you believe that and not bother following up?  Until this week, I probably would have believed it and not bothered with XYZ Inc.  I would have been making a mistake.  Maybe the company wasn’t hiring when the neighbor’s cousin applied but they are now.  Maybe they weren’t hiring acupuncturists but are hiring electricians or accountants.  You won’t know if they are hiring for your dream job unless you ask them.  Even if the neighbor’s cousin was right, a lot of companies take applications and resumes and keep them on file.  It’s often easier, faster and more cost-effective than running an ad each time a job opens.

What woke me up to this?  I was afraid you’d ask.  From August 2008 to December 2008, I worked as an independent contractor in medical transcription.  Others in the field told me that I didn’t qualify for unemployment and I believed them.  Also, I was sure that I’d find a job before finances got too tight.  That didn’t happen.  February bills were going to be a struggle to pay unless something happened soon.  So, I checked the Virginia unemployment web site and found out that they take the last 18 months into account when determining eligibility.  It took 3 days of constant calling before I finally got a human, but it was worth it.  I found out that I do qualify since I was an employee in the job I had before August and I should have my first check in about 2 weeks.  I could have had it a month ago if I had just checked things out for myself earlier.

That was a bit embarrassing to admit.  But did I make my point?  What have you been told recently that you believed without verifying for yourself?  Did it cost you money?  Did it cost you a job?  I shared my embarrassing moment, so now it’s your turn.  Spill.

Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow . . .

Procrastination can get you into a whole lot of trouble.  Put off cleaning the house, your mom shows up for an unannounced visit.  Put off paying your bills, you end up with late charges and annoying phone calls.  Put off getting an oil change and you end up needing to have your engine rebuilt.

Last night, I had a killer idea for today’s blog post.  I didn’t write it at that time.  I didn’t write it down.  I didn’t even make a little note on the back of an envelope.  When I woke up this morning, I didn’t have a clue what my killer idea was.  Obviously, this isn’t the end of the world, but what if that forgotten idea might have been the one that clicked with someone and jump-started their job search?

When it comes to your job search, procrastination can mean the difference between continued unemployment or getting the job of your dreams.  Get that resume written.  As soon as you get a lead, follow it up.  If you aren’t able to follow up immediately, at least write it down so you don’t forget about it.  Keep a small notebook handy in your pocket or purse.  Don’t forget a pen.  At home, keep stamps and envelopes available all the time so you can send out a resume as soon as you hear of an opening.  If the way to apply is online, don’t just bookmark the page.  Fill out the form, send the e-mail, make the phone call – now.

Do you have a problem with procrastination?  Why do you think you do it?  I’ve heard theories that we put things off for fear of failure.  If we don’t try, we can’t fail.  But, if we don’t try, we can’t succeed either.

A Fine Line Between Being Persistent and Being a Pest

I’ve already mentioned that I’ve told everyone and their brother that I’m looking for work.  Good friends ask how my search is going and I can be honest with them.  But what about mere acquaintances?  How do I remind them that I still need their help without  being an annoying pest?

Sometimes they will ask.  I tell them that I’ve had some leads but nothing has panned out and ask if they’ve heard of anything recently.  If they don’t ask, I wait for an opening in the conversation and kind of slip it in that I’m still unemployed.  For example, I make chain maille jewelry and sell it at the Lynchburg Community Market.  When I talk with other vendors, I might admire some of their work and say that I can’t wait to get a job so I can buy it.  It’s a compliment and a request for help at the same time.

It’s a little harder online.  Conversations are generally much shorter, especially on Twitter.  It’s really annoying when all someone tweets about is their business and, right now, finding work is my business.  If that’s all I tweeted, I would lose followers fast.  I try to follow people who are interesting and funny as well as being helpful.  I try to comment on some of their tweets and always reply to replies, direct messages and retweets.  I’m still getting my CindyBurns identity going, but I still have my cindyqueen Twitter account.  That was my original and I use it primarily for fun and promoting my jewelry.  I’m still trying to figure out how to manage all the tweets and I’m under 200 people that I’m following.  I have no idea how people actually follow thousands!

How do you handle reminding people that you still need their help?  Do you just come right out and ask if they’ve heard of any openings?  Do you wait for them to bring it up?  Share your strategies for keeping your contacts aware, please.

First Things First

So?  What have you done so far to find a job?

Obviously, you have a resume.  But do you have more than one?  Do you even need more than one?  That depends on your objective.  If you only want a particular type of job with a particular type of company, one resume should be fine.  But make sure it’s tailored for that position and that type of company.

But, if you’re like me and you don’t want to limit your options, then you need to tweak your resume for each job.  I have a resume for general management, one for medical transcription QA and managment, one for general office work and administrative assistant and I’ll tweak it again as needed.  There are all kinds of articles on how to draft a good resume, so I’m not going to get into that.  At least not yet.

So, now we have our resumes.  What’s next?  Obviously, it’s finding somewhere to send it.  Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work.  This is not the time to be private.  Word of mouth can be powerful.  I didn’t think I knew many people until I sat down and really thought about it.  For example, there are at least three women in my church that I talk to each week.  We don’t socialize outside of church, but I’m not looking for a  best friend.  These women now know that I’m looking for work and have made several suggestions and offered to keep me informed of anything they find out.  My son’s best friend’s mother knows I’m looking for work.  She’s a teacher and has an active social life.  She knows a lot of people.  If she hears of anything promising, she’ll let me know.  I let everyone I come into contact with know that I’m looking for work.  I keep it upbeat and positive.  No whining allowed.  Nobody wants to listen to a Debbie Downer.

Your homework is to sit yourself down and make a list of people you talk to.  You don’t even have to know their names.  You just have to talk to them.  Maybe your doctor or his receptionist knows of an opening in your field.  Do you go to the same checkout counter at the grocery store all the time?  Leave a comment and share your list.  You might help someone else  but you’ll also help yourself by putting it into writing.

Tomorrow:  Using the internet in your job search.

Hello world!

Hi.  I’m Cindy and I’m unemployed.  For the first time in my life, I’m unemployed against my will.  I decided to start this blog because I know I’m not alone.  Being out of work is scary and lonely.  Friends and family get tired of hearing about your job search, your frustrations and your worries.  My hope is that others will comment and we can form a kind of support group, offering encouragement, advice and possible leads.  Don’t be afraid to share your story.  I’ll start.

I’m 52 years old with no college degree.  For the past 10 years, I have worked in the medical transcription field.  I started out as a transcriptionist and quickly moved into editing and quality assessment.  From there I moved into management.  This was good for me because I’m not actually a fast typist.  I have developed mild carpal tunnel.  It’s not severe enough for surgery but prevents me from doing the kind of production typing necessary to earn a living as a transcriptionist.

I’m trying to find work in any field, not just medicine or transcription.  Unfortunately, when reviewing my resume, potential employers see the medical and transcription experience and decide that I’m not what they need.  I’ve tweaked my resume for each company but can’t change the line of work.  I’ve reviewed resumes, conducted interviews and hired people myself.  I know that most employers just skim a resume for the highlights.  They don’t often look closely at job duties, qualifications or accomplishments, especially if they have a lot of resumes to go over.  I am qualified for management and administrative assistant positions.  I’d prefer to work from home but don’t get cable or DSL in my area and that is a big negative.  I do have satellite and also an air card but have yet to find a company that will accept either of those connections.  My area, Lynchburg, VA, has experienced a lot of layoffs lately so I have a lot of competition for whatever jobs might be available.  I know this is happening all around the country and I’m certainly not alone.

Enough wallowing.  Tomorrow, I’ll write about what I’ve done so far to find work.  In the meantime, feel free to share your story.  how long have you been out of work?  I mentioned some of the roadblocks I’m facing.  What do you think are yours?  Lack of experience, no degree, overqualified?  Maybe putting it into writing will help you figure it out and what to do about it.  Share.