Resume question

[kimba1]

I've been unemployed now for 4 straight months now and simply don't see it looking any better. My question is if i go back to school will that look good. I ask because i posted earlier about job bias toward people being laid-off and the response all negative toward the guy being laidoff. So does getting new skill worth a try or will that hurt me? I remember one person here would not trust a guy going back to school.

[Amianthus]

Have you looked outside of San Fran? I know there is lots of hiring here in Minnesota (the Land of Spam). ;-)

[kimba1]

You hit a very good factor I'm not able to relocate since I'm taking care of my mother. I foind s job that i completely qualify and it pays 70% more in new york very very annoying. Also I got doubts relocation is financially worth a higher paying job. I've heard of several people lose money doing it.
In fact just taking a higher paying can be costly.

Some companies don't pay for thier benefits package so if they hire someone that person potentially lose money working for that company despite the higher pay.

[Christians4LessGvt]

being laidoff on the resume is not a plus obviously....but it's not a deal killer

diplomatic persistence in interviews & followups can be helpful to the cause
i suppose it depends on the industry and type of job
but good manners, being a good listener, don't interupt the person interviewing you.
sometimes "less said is more"....don't be overly talkative....be professional
the person interviewing you should come away confident you will be there everyday.
i look for people that are going to make my life easier not bring drama and problems
i am running a business not a nursery school

an applicant that brings other people to wait in the lobby during an interview is horrible
an applicant talking about all the health problems they've had or overcome is not good
an applicant that right off the bat starts asking about pay/benefits is not good
"how many days off a year do I get?"......insanely stupid for an applicant to ask.
an applicant that trashes his ex-employer is not smart either..
"my ex-boss was an asshole".....stupid stupid stupid!
during an interview....even while waiting in the lobby...leave your damn cell phone in the car!

as far as school....it all depends
what schooling?
dental technician...probably yes
nursing....probably yes
computer related / web design...probably yes
plumber...probably yes
teaching.....probably yes

but if you are driven and passionate about work
if you live to work....then you'll be ok in just about anything you choose.

if i was 25 again.....i know I could make it if...i went to web-design schooling
if i was 25 again.....i know i could make it if...i started a landcape or sprinkler company
if i was 25 again.....i know i could make it if...i started a fence company
if i was 25 again.....i know i could make it if...i started a rental property mgt company

hell when i was 19 years old while in college i was painting reflective house address
numbers on curbs making $100 cash per day....that was good money for a 19 year
old a few decades ago.

[kimba1]

I don`t even get an interview. I`ve done tons of applications and not a single phone call. pretty much all jobs are done online now ,they all prefer everything online.

funny you mention pay/benefits ,not a single one mentions it at all
should that be a redflag when job never shows pay???

[BT]

Going back to school couldn't hurt.

What are you planning to study?

Is it related to you current skill set?

[kimba1]

Actually it"ll be non-related stuff
Bookkeeping and finally get my institutional police license if it's still available. San francisco is not a easy place to get certified. Also clean up my skills.

The disadvantage with working 10+years with any job is you'll tend to fall behind with the current trend. It was quite a shock how internet depend everything is to me. i don't see this inside a lawfirm or museum.

But nothing is set in stone. Even though I'm going to school I'll still apply for jobs to sharpen my interview skills and if something looks good . The cool part is now I have the option to ask is this job worth taking if I feel inclined

[BT]

Bookkeeping or accounting is good. Make sure they teach quickbooks or quickbooks pro. A lot of small businesses use that and you can pick up customers from that pool and do the work part time.

Being POST certified would help you get a job as either a police officer or as a code inspector.

[kimba1]

It also a requirement for being a city guard. Security seems to be a incredibly more reliable job than anything else. Notice you never hear layoffs in that field. In fact occupy has dramaticly increased the demand for them.

But would prefer the cold numbers of bookkeeping.

[Amianthus]

Also I got doubts relocation is financially worth a higher paying job. I've heard of several people lose money doing it.

I've done the relo bit for jobs several times in the past. There are some tricks that help (I know you're not going to do this, but it might help others).

First, use a site that allows you to compare cost of living in the area you're coming from and going to - one I've used in the past is at http://salary.com/. For example, before moving to Minnesota, I used this tool to put in my then-current salary and the old and new work location, and it spits out a report like this (there is more detail, but here is the summary):

"The cost of living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN is 4.1% higher than in Baltimore, MD . Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $62,446 to maintain your current standard of living."

So, you can judge whether the pay you're offered in the new location is better or worse than what you're used to. In this example, I put in $60,000 for Baltimore, and it says that to live an equivalent lifestyle in the Twin Cities, I would have to earn $62,446. So, if the new job is offering me at least the latter number, my lifestyle shouldn't change.

The other thing is to take advantage of tax breaks for moving (outside of the deduction on your tax return for moving expenses). This piece of advice is easier to accomplish if you're an independent contractor like me, or can structure your new job so that they bring you in as a contractor for anywhere from 3 months to a year, then hire you full time. The IRS will allow a portion of your pay to be declared as "per diem" expenses instead of taxable income. The amount varies by metro area, but it's usually in the area of $275 / day. Your total pay is the same, but only the portion in excess of the "per diem" allotment is reported to the IRS as income. This allows you to get paid on this portion of your income totally tax free (works out to a temporary pay boost of 10-20%, depending on salary). You can only do this for up to a year, but that extra money in the first year after moving can be invaluable in cleaning up old expenses and settling into your new place.

[Xavier_Onassis]

This sounds like excellent advice if one is planning a move.

Best luck in finding a job, kimba.

Miami is NOT a place where security jobs pay well or are even very secure, or so everyone tells me. Many of my students worked at this sort of thing. Minimum wage is the base,and if you carry a gun that might get you $1.50 more per hour.

[Christians4LessGvt]

I suggested being a security officer in a nice large
office building in downtown to a friend just last week.

He needs a job bad.
Wants to "hide-out" during the recession....get something he can ride mass transit to.
Starting pay is $11 per hour.....his wife is a RN.
You are mostly "out the the elements"...extreme Texas heat & out of some cold weather...
inside is good
You get to work in a very nice environment and professional atmosphere.
Not really physically demanding
Not really dangerous....just call the cops if you see something.
You get to dress professional...sports coat and tie.
Best of all you get to see lots & lots of gorgeous Texas women dressed to kill...all day every day!
I guess it just depends on what your needs are.

[kimba1]

$11/hr. definately not san francisco ,starting pay for all guards is $13/hr. city guards get $22.00 starting. my advice for all guards here is never ever give up your guard card..no matter if you never plan to be a guard in the future. that card is worth it`s weight in gold. when time are tough that card will get you a quick job.

[Christians4LessGvt]

$11/hr. definately not san francisco ,starting pay for all guards is $13/hr. city

yeah but Kimba isnt the cost of living much different?
texas has no income tax
and wouldn't a house like this "asking" $499K in Dallas area be a million in the San Fran area?











http://www.ebby.com/property/11609108/2535_Avalon_Drive_Lewisville_TX_75056-5727

[Amianthus]

$11/hr. definately not san francisco ,starting pay for all guards is $13/hr. city guards get $22.00 starting.

U of MN is paying 9.00-11.50/hr for security guards (there are several listings on the local job boards).

Comparison of San Francisco ($13.00/hr, $27,040/yr) and Minneapolis ($9.00/hr, $18,720/yr) via salary.com:

"The cost of living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN is 37.7% lower than in San Francisco, CA . Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $16,839 to maintain your current standard of living."

So, it would be worthwhile to move in that case. Looking at the higher amounts...

Comparison of San Francisco ($22.00/hr, $45,760/yr) and Minneapolis via salary.com:

"The cost of living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN is 37.7% lower than in San Francisco, CA . Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $28,498 to maintain your current standard of living."

This works out to $13.70/hr (a bit higher than U of MN pays, but not so high that I wouldn't expect you to find a job in that pay range). Also, this note:

"Employers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN typically pay 12.2% less than employers in San Francisco, CA . Therefore, if you take the same type of job in the same type of company in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN you are likely to earn $40,193"

Based on that combination of statements (cost of living is 37.7% lower and salaries are only 12.2% lower) moving from San Francisco to Minneapolis is a no brainer for most careers. In addition, Minneapolis and Saint Paul are filled with hippies - I think they all moved here when they left Haight-Ashbury. ;-)