I can't find work - really starting to worry

[LazyDaisy]

Hi ENA,

 

I have been looking for a job for over a year. I managed to get a 6 month temp job which is ending the end of November. Other than that I can't find any work. I will be going back on unemployment but that is hardly enough to cover my bills and its only for 6 months. I am so scared. I don't want to end up losing my home and everything I own. I'm a single mom. I don't know what is going to happen to me and my son.

 

I have tried everything, temp jobs, recruiting agencies, applying for jobs that pay less than half of what I used to make. I have tried networking, career shows. I don't know what else to do.

 

I have an MBA and 20 years experience in a certain type of accounting.

 

Any advice would be appreciated. I am so scared, and feel like such a loser.

[abitbroken]

Is there a course you can take to learn more general accounting or the type that is in demand? There are a lot of small business owners that find their accountants are not versed in ecommerce and wish they were. Could you learn that and then set your shingle up and go freelance? What about taking on a job over the holidays at a high end store that is looking for people? It may be not what you want, but it will get you through January and if you are at a store that sells high end designer clothing or business suits, you might create a rapport with professionals who like you and might want to hire you. I worked at a high end store and created relationships with people to the point where they offered me a job. Also, I would seriously downsize if you have not - get rid of cable, maybe look for a new place to live that matches your new income.

[LazyDaisy]

I'm thinking about going back to college. But that costs money and I really don't want to spend what I don't have.

 

I will sell my house if I have to, but I will not get nearly what I paid for it and then where do I go? No one is going to rent me an apartment if I don't have a job.

[sadchick83]

Lazy, Is this true?

The accounting firms are lining up at the universities here in NYC- especially for tax. They are even sponsoring foreigners. Most students have jobs well be fore they graduate. What about aiming towards a CPA?

 

General accounting is not very useful. You have to be willing to specialize in what is needed today and at least willing to commit to write the CPA. But that should not be too bad for you Lazy, you experience would certainly get you ahead, as well as your MBA.

[DancingFool]

Tax season is coming up, surely there are plenty of accountants who need at least temp help with that.

 

Anyway, if you are not getting calls to an interview, it means your resume needs serious work.

If you are getting calls to interview and aren't getting past that, it means that something is going very wrong at interviews.

If the former, there are all kinds of resume writing services. Get help. If the latter, there are also personal consultants who can help you. You just have to be able to take their criticism and really implement what they are telling you.

 

Other than that, yes, perhaps it's time to hang a shingle and get cracking on getting small business clients on board. If ex-housewives without any degrees or qualifications can successfully make a go of running a bookkeeping business, then there is no reason why you can't manage same. Anyway, weren't you working on that before already???

[abitbroken]

I'm thinking about going back to college. But that costs money and I really don't want to spend what I don't have.

 

I will sell my house if I have to, but I will not get nearly what I paid for it and then where do I go? No one is going to rent me an apartment if I don't have a job.

 

There are certification courses that don't involve college. Check your local tech school, community college, etc. You don't need to go back to college - just get the training or knowledge to do a different type of accounting. You could get it by volunteering to do the books for a small local non profit. Also, what about applying with H&R Block. They might train you. You will have more work than you can handle through April 15th and it will get you some tax experience.

I would go to your local job bank and get advice about your resume, even "dumbing it down."

 

btw, they will rent you an apartment if you can prove income - whether it is unemployment plus a part time job or whatever. People that are retired on a pension get apartments all the time. I would talk to a couple real estate agents to get a really clear market value. In my area, its a seller's market right now for everything except giant homes and mini-mansions. You just don't know until you find out. If you can exchange a $2,000 mortgage payment, plus insurance and taxes for a rent that is $900, it will help you breathe a lot easier, especially if you have no savings to keep things going. And when things are looking up, you can buy something again based on your means.

 

I would also look in to a roommate situation where you keep your home but find another woman in her is looking for a room. If you are near a school, a medical or grad student might be a good fit. Or a woman who is older and lost her husband or even someone in the same situation as you who doens't have kids or they are grown. You could do it temporarily (like a grad student looking for a place to finish things out for the next 6 months) or longer if it works out.

[annie24]

I think it would be worth taking your resume and cover letter to a professional service that can assess what is going on and to try to help you improve your application materials.

 

How do you dress for your interviews?

[abitbroken]

btw you might even be able to buy a small condo instead of renting also.

 

And make sure to include the latest experience on your resume if its different than what you did before. The other question is how are you portraying your exit from the last job. I forgot if you were downsized or what happened with the company.

[LazyDaisy]

I think it would be worth taking your resume and cover letter to a professional service that can assess what is going on and to try to help you improve your application materials.

 

How do you dress for your interviews?

 

I had my resume professionally done. I always wear a suit on interviews. Mostly what I hear is that I am overqualified for the jobs I go for. There really aren't any jobs at my level at the specialization I have, which is fixed asset accounting. I know nothing about taxes and I don't have a CPA.

[LazyDaisy]

btw you might even be able to buy a small condo instead of renting also.

 

And make sure to include the latest experience on your resume if its different than what you did before. The other question is how are you portraying your exit from the last job. I forgot if you were downsized or what happened with the company.

 

The job I have for 16 years let me go because they moved the department to another state.

[LazyDaisy]

I did apply to H&R block - they pay about $8 an hour. I will probably work there part time this tax season just to get some experience, but it sure won't pay my bills.

[LazyDaisy]

Lazy, Is this true?

The accounting firms are lining up at the universities here in NYC- especially for tax. They are even sponsoring foreigners. Most students have jobs well be fore they graduate. What about aiming towards a CPA?

 

General accounting is not very useful. You have to be willing to specialize in what is needed today and at least willing to commit to write the CPA. But that should not be too bad for you Lazy, you experience would certainly get you ahead, as well as your MBA.

 

I tried to study for the CPA, its way too hard. I graduated from college in 1992. I don't remember anything. I don't know anything about taxes. I have very limited experience. I worked in Fixed Asset accounting for the past 12 years. Other than that, I have some payroll experience and a little bit of general accounting. When I go on interviews I eithe hear that I am over qualified or that I am too specialized.

[LazyDaisy]

I know I sound negative - but I have tried everything to get a job. I have gone for jobs where the salary is less than half of what I am used to making. I've gone for jobs at the same level as what I am used to making and every salary level in between. I've looked as far as an hour away - I live in an area where there are so many different companies. It shouldn't be this hard.

I'm 46 so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

I will probably end up as a waitress, just to earn some money. But I can't live on that salary. On a waitress salary I won't even be able to afford an apartment. I don't know what I am going to do.

[abitbroken]

The job I have for 16 years let me go because they moved the department to another state.

 

Is there a possibility for you to reapply and take up an apartment in that other state - leave your house as is at the moment? I know people who have done that and then when it looks permanent, rent out their house or sell it or just come back every few months to check on it. Is that an option for you?

[abitbroken]

Everything is hard. It is hard to make less money. It is hard to learn new skills. You just have to decide which is less hard. Also, is your interview suit, flattering, tailored to you, classic yet on trend or is it the same suit you have worn for years? Is your hair stuck in the 80s and therefore makes you look older than you are, or is it a flattering on-trend cut? You want to convey experience, yet give the impression that you are forward thinking or in the present.

[sadchick83]

Its ok to feel negative, but you cannot give up. Lots of people go back to school and have to go into something in demand to be employed.

Here is an idea. Why don't you apply to do just one or two courses at a university? This way you can be in the big accounting firms networks, because I know they recruit directly from all the NYC area business schools. I know for a fact that the big accounting firms are hiring- especially women. The universities in NYC will groom you. They go over your resume, help you with interviewing, especially how to answer the questions the firms will ask. I doubt Deloitte, E&Y, or any other big 4 firm will tell you you are over qualified, and they will train you from scratch. Starting salary is $80- $100k with an MBA, even if you have never worked in Audit or Tax.

 

Since you have an MBA, you are half way to getting the CPA licensure hours. The big accounting firms will pay for you to take prep courses, and pay for your exam sittings. Since you have a ton of experience in accounting, its a no-brainer.

 

Don't be such a defeatist. I see student who come from other countries who really struggle with English adapt, over come and get hired. No reason why you can't.

[ParisPaulette]

You need to step back a moment and look at a few things. If you are in a very specialized field that will not help you in today's market, which is more about diversity and multi-tasking and wearing multiple hats. Didn't used to be that way, but now it is unfortunately. So take a moment and write down all the things you can do in a job and related experience, no matter how remote, no matter what it is. You'll then get a better idea of what it is you can do rather than can't. Even if you did things for your company that weren't part of your job description, but you did them anyways look at that. I found my current niche ghostwriting, because I used to write for a woman who ran a nonprofit I worked for. It wasn't what I "officially" did, but she'd heard I did proofreading at one time for a publishing house, so she began asking me to look over her writing and then after I started making suggestions to her she began asking me to write speeches and press releases for her. Even though what I really did at that time was help clients find resources and working with her was a small side gig. That skill was good enough she agreed to vouch for me and let me use samples of what I had done for her after I left the company and people began turning up on my doorstep asking me to write for them based on her recommendations. But if you looked at my educational background and regular work history you wouldn't necessarily see that as the obvious place I would end up or a skill that I possess. So think outside of the box and look at all jobs where your skills, both obvious and ones you may have just done on the job and taken for granted as "helping out" might lead you.

 

Next update your resume and yes, downplay your qualifications if you keep getting feedback you're overqualified. The reason no one nowadays wants to hire overqualified people is they are terrified they'll hire you then someone else will snap you up, offer you the better higher paying position and you'll take it and leave them in the lurch. And it turns into a standoff where everyone is unwilling to touch you unaware or unconvinced that you need the work now and won't just up and go. Also they are afraid you'll demand they pay you more. This is not a rational mindset, but it is unfortunately the mindset again that seems rampant in much of today's job market.

 

After that update your appearance and if you need to dye your hair. I know it's superficial, I know you shouldn't have to. My brother-in-law couldn't get hired to anything until he dyed his prematurely gray hair at which point he started getting jobs easily. Companies are afraid to hire older workers now, because of the perceived cost of medical insurance to the company. Again, it's not rational, but it is the mindset. So do what you can to look younger and healthy and it will help.

 

Don't turn up your nose at H&R Block if working there will give you real-world experience that lets you branch out into other areas of your specialty. Use that experience to build your resume and your skillsets.

 

Last but not least, take the CPA exams until you pass. Not everyone is a great test-taker, myself included. You have to persist and realize you may or may not fail one or more times, but adopting the attitude that you are going to take and pass that exam sooner or later will go a long way towards getting you that CPA.

 

Also explore telecommute positions if you haven't already. You may find something with a company happy to hire someone with your experience that they don't have to watch every second who can work from home.

 

Anyways these are just suggestions and i hope maybe something in there helps. It is a tough market and you have to do the necessary detective work and repackaging yourself if what you've been doing isn't working.

[LazyDaisy]

Thanks Paris. I do dye my hair and I bought 2 new suits. Its not my appearance.

 

The CPA exam is out. I tried to study for it and its impossible. I haven't had accounting courses in over 20 years. There is no way I could pass, I would have to go back to college and retake all the accounting classes.

 

I appreciate your advice. I will take a look at my resume and see what I can do.

[DancingFool]

Thanks Paris. I do dye my hair and I bought 2 new suits. Its not my appearance.

 

The CPA exam is out. I tried to study for it and its impossible. I haven't had accounting courses in over 20 years. There is no way I could pass, I would have to go back to college and retake all the accounting classes.

 

I appreciate your advice. I will take a look at my resume and see what I can do.

 

Make sure that you are dressing correctly for the position, the company and the pay scale. By that I mean that if you are coming to interview for a 40k/year job in an expensive suit, expensive haircut, flashy jewelry, etc. your interview just ended as soon as you walked in the door. In other words they took one look at you and already decided that you are not the right fit because 40K will not support your lifestyle. You won't fit in. So be very mindful to dress up or down accordingly.

 

Also, subtle things like when they call for an interview just say yes and make it work. Never ever tell them that you have to check your calendar or can't make the date or time because of whatever excuse. Avoid like the plague disclosing that you are a single parent. What the employer hears is limited availability to work, limited focus. If you do disclose that, then be sure to make it crystal clear that you have it totally under control and family will not get in the way of your availability and focus.

 

Finally, the biggest challenge with people in your position is exactly what you are demonstrating in this thread, you know what you know, but you are not able to stretch beyond that and what you know is limited. You have to somehow get past that demeanor and manage to convey that you know more and what you don't know you can learn even if it means that you have to go home after work and study. I'm taking continuing education course right now to brush up on it sounds a lot better than I don't know this, it's been 20 years since I studied it.

[lavenderdove]

>>I tried to study for the CPA, its way too hard. I graduated from college in 1992

 

Sadly this is what happens when you let your skills get out of sync with the marketplace. In cases like this, if you find your skills are not in demand, you have to either be willing to move to a location where they are in demand (if there is such a place) or you have to bite the bullet and get the education you need to update your skills.

 

Doesn't matter when you graduated from college, everyone can still learn. So you may need to take some courses that are specifically targeted to getting current in a field that is in demand or the CPA. You can get student loans to support you while getting that training, but you must be very sure to choose wisely in terms of getting certifications that make you marketable.

 

If your standard of living has sharply decreased and there is no job in sight, do not try to hang onto the house but rather put it on the market and sell it and get yourself into a place that you can afford based on a salary you think you can earn. I've seen people make that mistake a lot, where they lose a very high paying job and the market has changed and they can't replace that job with an equal income, but they try to still hang onto their former standard of living rather than being realistic and downsizing to match their circumstances. In the end they end up broke and in foreclosure if they don't accept reality and adjust their finances to match their current state.

 

If you do get retrained in a field that is in demand such as getting your CPA, you can then look into getting a better place to live etc. But in the meantime, you need to be realistic, sell a house you can't really afford anymore, and update your skills if everyone is telling you that your skillset is not matched in the marketplace now. Many people do have to re-train in middle age if their skills have stagnated and the market has changed.

[Hell_On_Heels]

Hi LD,

 

You'll need to do some fancy footwork to get back into your area of expertise. First, make a list of all the companies that have large fixed assets - hospitals would be the top of my list, followed by the largest manufacturing firms near your location. Hunt their websites to see if they have openings in capital accounting, but apply even if they don't. Start to network - this sounds rude and impossible, but find contacts within these companies any way you can. Use Linked In. Give them the "I love your company, what can you tell me about it from the inside view" spiel. It's not an immediate solution, but if you can form professional relations with people inside a company and if they like you annd they know you are qualified for openings, they might pass your resume along to HR. That's half the battle, right? Getting it to and through HR?

 

It doesn't matter if you've never done taxes. Go to IRS.gov, and take their professional tax test to get a certification in filing personal taxes. It's a $60 fee, I think? They provide the study materials for free, you can actually practice for pay for months without the certification, but having it gives you confidence and makes you look all accountant-like, lol. You can do personal income tax forms for the next few months without working for anyone but yourself. Ask to set up a table in a grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc.

 

Brag on your resume. If you did payroll, highlight that. If you've done recons, JEs, budgets, hunting for variances - make sure you focus on those skills rather than putting it into the context of fixed assets only. Think on your feet, and present some flexibility. There is nothing in FA that won't translate to other areas of accounting. Shy away from the number of years you've been working. Just use the vague terms of "accomplished" and "experienced" professional.

 

Have you considered moving over to capital project manager, or even a trainer for project managers? Could you do the job?

 

I wish you lived near me - we need someone like you right now. Actually, we need you yesterday, lol. Specialized jobs are not plentiful, but they are available. Keep your head up. Make sure you believe any company is lucky to get you. If you believe it, they will, too.

[journeynow]

I like all of the encouragement and advice in this thread. LazyDaisy, I remember your story and concern about employment from before, and that you were very hesitant about moving because of your son. I do think you have to consider this with the bigger picture in mind, that you have 2 lives to support, AND accept that as hard as change is, you may need to make big changes in order to get big changes. One change you can make, maybe the hardest, is watch your words, which become your interpretation of your world and could shut out possibilities. Instead of thinking of yourself as "LazyDaisy" how about ProductivePoppy or ActiveAster? Cut the words "impossible" and "tried" from your vocabulary, they are self defeating. If you are living and breathing there remain possibilities and challenges. Don't expect perfection or easy, be allowing of imperfection and struggle on your part. Maybe you need to practice bragging and shameless self promotion. Is that hard for you? You can start with us, tell us 3 things you do. Any 3 things. And if you need to exaggerate how great it is, go ahead, here. It's practice...with baby steps...