Laid Off, Job Wanted

[TheNiche]

I got laid off during vacation by way of cell phone on the day before Christmas Eve.

I have two bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics, plus seven years of experience in varied real estate consulting and development roles. I specialize in multifamily but have experience in all other major asset classes as well as in various niche real estate markets.

I'm not desperate. I've got enough current assets and easily-convertible fixed assets to last me several years. Anyone with a decent position: please inquire.

Thanks,

-TheNiche

[TexasVines]

I got laid off during vacation by way of cell phone on the day before Christmas Eve.

I have two bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics, plus seven years of experience in varied real estate consulting and development roles. I specialize in multifamily but have experience in all other major asset classes as well as in various niche real estate markets.

I'm not desperate. I've got enough current assets and easily-convertible fixed assets to last me several years. Anyone with a decent position: please inquire.

Thanks,

-TheNiche

I know me and you and the other you go round and round on here, but I am sorry to hear that.....sounds like an F'ed way to have a vacation and hear about a layoff....hopefully you made use of all that vacation time and taking it did not enter into their decision...pretty screwed

[Trae]

I got laid off, too Niche, though definitely not a high paying job like your own (I worked at Cinemark). Good luck in finding another job and I also want to know how you manage your money (enough to hold you several years). I need tips in that.

[UrbaNerd]

Wow, they literally left you up a creek without a paddle...I'm so sorry (excuse the lame and almost inappropriate pun here). But hey, at least you have those reserves to tide you over until you get a new position. Good luck with that man; sometimes it eventually works out for the better and all that.

[editor]

I got laid off during vacation by way of cell phone on the day before Christmas Eve.

I have two bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics, plus seven years of experience in varied real estate consulting and development roles. I specialize in multifamily but have experience in all other major asset classes as well as in various niche real estate markets.

I'm not desperate. I've got enough current assets and easily-convertible fixed assets to last me several years. Anyone with a decent position: please inquire.

Thanks,

-TheNiche

Sorry to hear that. What an awful way to get fired, and a bad time of the year, and while you're on vacation! That's just wrong.

[Subdude]

Sorry to hear it.

I have to say that laying someone off via a phone call on Christmas Eve is about as low as possible. Who was your boss, Snidely Whiplash?

[sifuwong]

TheNiche,

Have you heard of BJM(Between Jobs Ministry)? It is a church group(Northwest Bible Church) that has an email distribution where people will post positions currently available. You have to physically attend one session to get your name on the email list. It is really worthwhile. The church is located in Spring, Texas. Give them a call. The info:

Northwest Bible Church

(281) 376-1110

5503 Fellowship Ln

Spring, TX 77379

[sowanome]

Hey Niche,

Check out some of the oil and gas companies, specifically Chev, BP, etc...They often have various mid to upper level real estate positions posted online. The key to getting an interview there is actually knowing someone and placing that employee's name in the referral section. However, you may get a call based on your experience alone. With those companies it's also helps to be flexible to travel, b/c you may have the opportunity to to go overseas with these positions....Hope this helps.

[Native Son]

I got laid off during vacation by way of cell phone on the day before Christmas Eve.

I have two bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics, plus seven years of experience in varied real estate consulting and development roles. I specialize in multifamily but have experience in all other major asset classes as well as in various niche real estate markets.

I'm not desperate. I've got enough current assets and easily-convertible fixed assets to last me several years. Anyone with a decent position: please inquire.

Thanks,

-TheNiche

Niche, I feel your pain. I was in public accounting for ten years and rather unceremoniously laid off after a merger of the giants....I consulted on my own for a bit, then landed at a pipeline company, two years later the were picked up by another, even larger pipeline, and all of the tax department was cast into the wind....

I have been on my current job 2 years, but no one knows what will happen tomorrow...

things will break right for you, and if I hear anything about r/e development I will pm you

by the way, being laid off by cell phone on while on vacation was about the crappiest thing I have ever heard...some people are simply missing the gene that tells them when they should be ashamed of themselves

Edited January 4, 2009 by Native Son

[livincinco]

I got laid off during vacation by way of cell phone on the day before Christmas Eve.

That really sets a new standard for classless behavior. IMO, any company that would allow a layoff to be handled in that fashion is a company that you probably wouldn't want to work for anyway.

[lockmat]

TheNiche,

Have you heard of BJM(Between Jobs Ministry)? It is a church group(Northwest Bible Church) that has an email distribution where people will post positions currently available. You have to physically attend one session to get your name on the email list. It is really worthwhile. The church is located in Spring, Texas. Give them a call. The info:

Northwest Bible Church

(281) 376-1110

5503 Fellowship Ln

Spring, TX 77379

I went to that last year. Didn't get my job through them, but there are a lot of contacts and opportunities there.

[TheNiche]

Thanks for all the condolences, folks, but as cold as the layoff may have been, my situation is decent enough that I see it as a neutral or possibly even a good outcome. If I can find another job quickly, then it won't impede my own rate of real estate investment activity and that'd be preferable. But if I can't then I'll just use the opportunity to invest in myself by studying for the CFA exam...if the economy still looks bleak, then I could take a bunch of accounting courses at HCC and make myself a CPA candidate. I'll pull through, though, and will come out of this stronger.

Sifuwong, I'm very familiar with Between Jobs Ministries. A friend of mine has used them before. Good suggestion.

Sowanome, 100% travel or relocation is not feasible. I have too many ties to Houston. This is definitively my hometown now and I have to be here.

A lot of upstream and midstream energy seems to have parallels to real estate development, so I'm looking extensively there. I even had a dream a year or so back about land assemblage for a pipeline project. Could be an omen. Other sectors for which I have a transferrable skill set include banking and insurance.

Wow, they literally left you up a creek without a paddle...I'm so sorry (excuse the lame and almost inappropriate pun here).

They were contracturally obligated to give me a paddle...a very nice ergonomically-formed carbon fiber paddle.

This "paddle" helps a lot.

I got laid off, too Niche, though definitely not a high paying job like your own (I worked at Cinemark). Good luck in finding another job and I also want to know how you manage your money (enough to hold you several years). I need tips in that.

Our situations are too different to give specific advice. For instance, I can immediately direct my spare time to the hands-on management of my own investments and assets, kinda-sorta being self employed. For instance, I'd been working long enough hours that I never actually had the opportunity to fix up and sell my condo even though I've wanted to for some time. I can do that now, and quickly, cashing in on seven years worth of appreciation in the Texas Medical Center area. Likewise, I can take part in ongoing construction at a project in which I'm a partner; when construction is completed I have permanent financing that will immediately replace construction financing, and in such an amount (approx. 103% of cost) as that all of the cash outlays that I've made to this point will revert back to me--and then some. That's a big freakin' chunk of straight cash. And even beyond that, the property will probably cash flow positively in the second or third month of operations, yielding an ongoing stream of fixed income. And then I can move in to a vacant space there and effectively only have to pay my partner his share of the rent ($225/mo). Likewise, my car note gets paid off in May, I can then convert to only liability insurance, and I also turn 25 in the same month so that my insurance premiums go way down.

^These circumstances are kind of unique to my situation. The proceeds from my year-end bonus, the sale of my condo, and from permanent financing, combined with my checking/savings/securities and (Federally extended) unemployment benefits, and the stream of fixed income from my development should provide a net cash flow equivalent to my previous salary over about the next two years.

But since I'll be driving less, won't have a car note, won't be required to have full insurance coverage, and get to pay 'adult' insurance pricing, my transportation expenses are lower. And since I'll become a renter of a smaller vacant space in a project that I own half of, my housing expenses are lower (no interest expenses, maintenance fees which incl. cable & water, property taxes). And since I won't be away from home on the job as much, I'll eat out much less. My food costs will be much lower. And I can reduce my Blackberry service to cell phone capabilities only. And I'll outright get rid of my land line and DSL, mooching instead from my building's data service; I'll also have a smaller space with dorm-style appliances and for which electric billing is set at a commercial rate. So my utilities costs are lower.

I've never lived above my means in the first place, so saying that I can maintain the same level of cash flow as my base salary for the next two years is not the same as saying that I can keep myself afloat for that long. And given how greatly I can pare down my cost of living, I could live off of my accumulated assets for many years if necessary.

If there were two peices of general advice I could give you, it is to 1) live below your means, making lots of diverse investments and 2) to make sure that your finances allow you the flexibility to keep your head above water whether in feast or famine. For instance, debt isn't bad, but it can be if not managed properly. I'd be in really bad shape if I were upside down on a large car note and owned a big new house in the suburbs surrounded by unsold spec houses.

Anyhow, good luck Trae. You certainly aren't alone in needing it.

[TexasVines]

my advice to Trae specifically is right now when you live at home you need to take a part of ALL of your pay checks and invest them NOW in something with a long term future.....stocks will probably never be lower in your lifetime than they are now

when I was young and dumb in 1985-86 and living at home and going to easy high school I found myself with about 8K in my bank account....I bought cars and a jet ski and partied.....if I had even put half of that into Dell, Microsoft, Compaq, IBM or any other company like that who knows how much money I would have made....I could have caught a couple of Texas real estate booms as well in the time between then and now.....the memories are GREAT.....but those small investments in my wayward youth would have had a big impact on the future without a doubt

saving EARLY will give you the MAX time for it to grow while you grow....and the markets will probably not be this low in the future

[Trae]

And I just might do that (buy stocks). Thanks for the advice Niche and TexasVines. Just so happens that we just completed a project in my economics class on the stock market and looking at the best companies to invest in right now.

Edited January 5, 2009 by Trae

[BryanS]

And I just might do that (buy stocks). Thanks for the advice Niche and TexasVines. Just so happens that we just completed a project in my economics class on the stock market and looking at the best companies to invest in right now.

Wal-Mart and McDonalds.

[TheNiche]

And I just might do that (buy stocks). Thanks for the advice Niche and TexasVines. Just so happens that we just completed a project in my economics class on the stock market and looking at the best companies to invest in right now.

Now's a good time. You're young and in the grand scheme are more easily able to start over if things go horribly awry, so don't be afraid of risk. Mind you, I'm not suggesting you go about making investments in inherently flawed stocks or those subject to the whims of government, such as GM, but for instance use Ultra Proshares as your investment vehicle. Or if you have an especially good speculative pick that you're very confident in, opening a margin account might be a good idea.

[Pumapayam]

Sorry to hear that. What an awful way to get fired, and a bad time of the year, and while you're on vacation! That's just wrong.

Seriously tactless way to share the news, especially over the phone and more so during the Christmas vacation.

I'd try just consulting company like I did back in 2003 when I was laid off. It was supposed to be only 6 months, but it lasted over 4 years.

It was pretty painless on Monster.com, but then again, the economy was not what it was now.

Niche, I hope you find what you want. You are a very intelligent person, and I am surprised the last company did not value you.

By the way, being laid off by cell phone on while on vacation was about the crappiest thing I have ever heard...some people are simply missing the gene that tells them when they should be ashamed of themselves

It's a very "break up with a Post-It note/Carrie Bradshaw" moment, yes.

[TheNiche]

Seriously tactless way to share the news, especially over the phone and more so during the Christmas vacation.

I'd try just consulting company like I did back in 2003 when I was laid off. It was supposed to be only 6 months, but it lasted over 4 years.

It was pretty painless on Monster.com, but then again, the economy was not what it was now.

Niche, I hope you find what you want. You are a very intelligent person, and I am surprised the last company did not value you.

I worked for a developer; we could not develop. This was actually a long time in coming, and they'd given me a couple months of forewarning that this was on the table. I'm thankful to have been around as long as I was. Tactlessness aside, as I said earlier it is also not as though they left me up the creek without a nice and very expensive paddle.

And no, I'm not just saying all this because my former boss is probably reading this post.

[UrbaNerd]

Say, how did the vacation adventure thingy go anyway?

[TheNiche]

Say, how did the vacation adventure thingy go anyway?

That was the first thing I tried to post when I got back. I spent a lot of time making a very long and descriptive post, but somewhere I randomly keyed a wrong button or my wrist hit the touchpad and it sent my browser back a couple of pages. It all got deleted, I got frustrated, and decided to put it off temporarily. I just haven't gotten around to writing it up again. It feels like a chore the second time.

[houston-development]

niche,

im so sorry to hear about your job. youre a bright guy and the experience gained at X's will help in the long run.

best of luck and shoot me a PM or email if you ever need anything.

[TheNiche]

I'm coming in somewhat overbudget on my project (for which 100% of additional costs are out-of-pocket) and so my most recent budget forecasts indicate that I will be coming up on the point of desperation in about the next month or so. And I don't care what the politicians or government numbers are saying about things starting to get better, as I haven't gotten one single response in the last month even though I've not only expanded my job search to San Antonio and Austin but also sent out about three dozen applications with individually customized cover letters in that time frame.

My network of professional contacts has been decimated. There is no real estate industry to speak of at my experience level. I'm engaged in a career change out of necessity, yet have too much experience to be taken seriously for entry-level positions and there is too much competition for experienced positions...especially from out-of-state job seekers. Explaining these circumstances tactfully in cover letters isn't apparently making up for it, either.

I've already got a couple of folks from HAIF keeping an eye out for me, but anybody else who may be in a position to help out would be greatly appreciated. ESPECIALLY if you've got employee access to a corporate database of jobs that I can't see on the public side and can hook me up. Or ESPECIALLY if you can let me reference you on the job application.

As fellow Houstonians, surely you can sympathize and pity the fact that the only offer I've had for employment is in Dallas, for a quasi-nepotistic poorly-paying position in the legal services field. I implore you not to let such a move occur if you're at all able.

Edited May 26, 2009 by TheNiche

[sttombiz]

I'm coming in somewhat overbudget on my project (for which 100% of additional costs are out-of-pocket) and so my most recent budget forecasts indicate that I will be coming up on the point of desperation in about the next month or so. And I don't care what the politicians or government numbers are saying about things starting to get better, as I haven't gotten one single response in the last month even though I've not only expanded my job search to San Antonio and Austin but also sent out about three dozen applications with individually customized cover letters in that time frame.

My network of professional contacts has been decimated. There is no real estate industry to speak of at my experience level. I'm engaged in a career change out of necessity, yet have too much experience to be taken seriously for entry-level positions and there is too much competition for experienced positions...especially from out-of-state job seekers. Explaining these circumstances tactfully in cover letters isn't apparently making up for it, either.

I've already got a couple of folks from HAIF keeping an eye out for me, but anybody else who may be in a position to help out would be greatly appreciated. ESPECIALLY if you've got employee access to a corporate database of jobs that I can't see on the public side and can hook me up. Or ESPECIALLY if you can let me reference you on the job application.

As fellow Houstonians, surely you can sympathize and pity the fact that the only offer I've had for employment is in Dallas, for a quasi-nepotistic poorly-paying position in the legal services field. I implore you not to let such a move occur if you're at all able.

I was in the same league as you. I was searching for a position from Spring 2007 to early this year. I graduated with a degree in Finance - so we're basically in the same boat of difficulty. I found the most apt way to get an interview is to call a firm asking for an 'informational interview.' This is just going to a firm and selling yourself without an underlying job available. The reasoning behind this is so that when the market picks back up again you're a face rather than just a piece of paper.

To get an interview or these informational interviews, you cannot just call up the firm but have to get an email or contact phone of the person you want to talk to. Say you dont know anyone at the firm (I didnt - Im 24, my main business contacts are still in college. haha), google them. In my case, I was searching for an energy trading position, so I would google 'head of power trading BP houston.' No matter what the search will result in an email of a person to where you can send your resume. Also dont be fearful of sending your resume to personal emails because the guys love it. They love initiative. Also from this person may belong to a group, board, or went a conference one time where he/she had to give out their contact info, so in addition google the person and a whole bunch of other names will come up. In my case, the emails and numbers for everyone at an NERG conference came up. I just took the list and emailed them all. I have a job because of this. I have a job because I wasn't sitting on my ass trolling Careerbuilder all day. So start hustlin'

Also, in addition, contact a recruiter. Robert Half, Donnovan Watkins, Manhattan Resources, and Mackey & Tanner are few in town. There is one other recruiter who is incredible but PM me if you want that one.

If RE isn't fitting start using the analytics of your Finance and Economic backgrounds - search in the Med Center, Energy, Financials, etc for Analytic positions (titles such as Research, Market, Financial, Investment, and Equity Analyst). If all else fails State Farm is always looking for insurance salesmen.

[TheNiche]

I was in the same league as you. I was searching for a position from Spring 2007 to early this year. I graduated with a degree in Finance - so we're basically in the same boat of difficulty. I found the most apt way to get an interview is to call a firm asking for an 'informational interview.' This is just going to a firm and selling yourself without an underlying job available. The reasoning behind this is so that when the market picks back up again you're a face rather than just a piece of paper.

To get an interview or these informational interviews, you cannot just call up the firm but have to get an email or contact phone of the person you want to talk to. Say you dont know anyone at the firm (I didnt - Im 24, my main business contacts are still in college. haha), google them. In my case, I was searching for an energy trading position, so I would google 'head of power trading BP houston.' No matter what the search will result in an email of a person to where you can send your resume. Also dont be fearful of sending your resume to personal emails because the guys love it. They love initiative. Also from this person may belong to a group, board, or went a conference one time where he/she had to give out their contact info, so in addition google the person and a whole bunch of other names will come up. In my case, the emails and numbers for everyone at an NERG conference came up. I just took the list and emailed them all. I have a job because of this. I have a job because I wasn't sitting on my ass trolling Careerbuilder all day. So start hustlin'

Also, in addition, contact a recruiter. Robert Half, Donnovan Watkins, Manhattan Resources, and Mackey & Tanner are few in town. There is one other recruiter who is incredible but PM me if you want that one.

If RE isn't fitting start using the analytics of your Finance and Economic backgrounds - search in the Med Center, Energy, Financials, etc for Analytic positions (titles such as Research, Market, Financial, Investment, and Equity Analyst). If all else fails State Farm is always looking for insurance salesmen.

Very informative, and right on the nose! Great post. Most of the professional recruiters and HR folks aren't nearly so helpful.

[TheNiche]

So...about going on thirteen months after the fact and I'm still in the job market. Economists seem tentatively optimistic about the broader economy (if only perhaps out of a sense of duty), but refuse to express anything but dread over commercial real estate. And my career as a developer might as well have been a career in negotiating commercial default swaps. Nobody knows what to do with me or why I'm wasting their time.

I've managed to identify a niche industry that I will target intensively as part of my job search. I'm not going to reveal which one, except that my role would be akin to a marketing director.

Let's assume that I can pretty easily game the system to reach key decision makers in fairly small organizations using phone calls, direct mail, and e-mail. Let's also assume that these organizations are scattered far and wide, so sttombiz's strategy doesn't work so well in this case. Under those circumstances, I'd be tempted to start a personal employment campaign that goes beyond the simple resume and cover letter approach. I'm thinking about a tri-fold employment prospectus that shows my portrait, my bio, my accomplishments, and my contact information and that has a flap containing the standard 8.5" x 11" cotton resume, letters of recommendation, a list of references, work samples, and copies of degrees and transcripts, etc. I'm also thinking about a personal business card with an abridged resume printed on one side with my contact info on the other. Another consideration is a website splash page with a highly-scripted video embedded on it; the URL would feature prominently in all physical documents and personal communications.

I've got a programmer in the family that can do the website for the cost of a Tex-Mex dinner. For the rest of it, I'm going to either need to learn some new desktop publishing skills right quick or someone to do the work for me. And I suppose that most any reputable print shop could handle the physical output. I'm not sure what to expect of the costs.

There's still doubt in my mind whether all this would be either 1) worth it, or 2) possibly be off-putting to prospective employers. Would typically-conservative decision makers in this niche have the vision to comprehend that someone who can present themselves in an intensively-developed and polished manner can also present their organization in the same light? Or will they see it as someone who'll go against the grain of tradition and be a perpetual thorn in their side? What would a good ol' boy do?

Another question is whether an employer might expect an ass-load of output, commensurate with the expectations that I built up from my unadulterated employment campaigning.

What say you all to this weary job seeker?

Edited January 19, 2010 by TheNiche

[BryanS]

So...about going on thirteen months after the fact and I'm still in the job market. Economists seem tentatively optimistic about the broader economy (if only perhaps out of a sense of duty), but refuse to express anything but dread over commercial real estate. And my career as a developer might as well have been a career in negotiating commercial default swaps. Nobody knows what to do with me or why I'm wasting their time.

I've managed to identify a niche industry that I will target intensively as part of my job search. I'm not going to reveal which one, except that my role would be akin to a marketing director.

Let's assume that I can pretty easily game the system to reach key decision makers in fairly small organizations using phone calls, direct mail, and e-mail. Let's also assume that these organizations are scattered far and wide, so sttombiz's strategy doesn't work so well in this case. Under those circumstances, I'd be tempted to start a personal employment campaign that goes beyond the simple resume and cover letter approach. I'm thinking about a tri-fold employment prospectus that shows my portrait, my bio, my accomplishments, and my contact information and that has a flap containing the standard 8.5" x 11" cotton resume, letters of recommendation, a list of references, work samples, and copies of degrees and transcripts, etc. I'm also thinking about a personal business card with an abridged resume printed on one side with my contact info on the other. Another consideration is a website splash page with a highly-scripted video embedded on it; the URL would feature prominently in all physical documents and personal communications.

I've got a programmer in the family that can do the website for the cost of a Tex-Mex dinner. For the rest of it, I'm going to either need to learn some new desktop publishing skills right quick or someone to do the work for me. And I suppose that most any reputable print shop could handle the physical output. I'm not sure what to expect of the costs.

There's still doubt in my mind whether all this would be either 1) worth it, or 2) possibly be off-putting to prospective employers. Would typically-conservative decision makers in this niche have the vision to comprehend that someone who can present themselves in an intensively-developed and polished manner can also present their organization in the same light? Or will they see it as someone who'll go against the grain of tradition and be a perpetual thorn in their side? What would a good ol' boy do?

Another question is whether an employer might expect an ass-load of output, commensurate with the expectations that I built up from my unadulterated employment campaigning.

What say you all to this weary job seeker?

Have you tried monster.com? (under 100K talent? ... not a fan)

http://www.theladders.com/ (over 100K talent - per the commercial)

...or a job with the United States Government:

http://www.usajobs.com/ (jobs available all over the country)

...it's all about "keywords" in your resume matching job descriptions, qualifications, etc... enough to land an interview.

...also - no facial hair! ... not until you get the job...

...also... don't delete any work history! ... gaps in employment make people think: "what has he been doing?" ... in your case, you can always say: "Looking for a f cking job!"

[TheNiche]

Have you tried monster.com? (under 100K talent? ... not a fan)

http://www.theladders.com/ (over 100K talent - per the commercial)

Job search sites: Monster, Careerbuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist (I'm not in $100k+ territory, so theladders.com is a no-go)

Employment agencies: Robert Half, Ajilon, Kelly Services, Manpower, Parker & Lynch

I've also canvassed organizations in the HBJ Book of Lists, the Greater Houston Partnership's list of largest companies, all of the Texas Medical Center, Inc. member institutions, and done much the same for San Antonio and Austin.

...or a job with the United States Government:

http://www.usajobs.com/ (jobs available all over the country)

I started to work through usajobs.gov, but jobs with the federal government take too much time to apply for, are too rigorously structured according to GSA rules, and vets receive too much favoritism. So I concluded that they weren't worth my time to mess with.

...it's all about "keywords" in your resume matching job descriptions, qualifications, etc... enough to land an interview.

My ASCII text resume is the equivalent of two full pages of text for precisely that reason.

...also - no facial hair! ... not until you get the job...

Shaved it this morning, as a matter of fact, to appease the incessant demands of all the gay/metro guys I know who claimed that it wouldn't go over well on the marketing materials. I placed trust in you guys, and you failed me. The consensus among straight people of both sexes after the fact is that I now look like a sci-fi geek that lives with his parents and who is a loser not by economic happenstance but rather as a lifestyle choice. I feel like a eunuch. I've been listening to Led Zeppelin and taking bottle shots of cheap scotch most of today to try and compensate. Not working.

...also... don't delete any work history! ... gaps in employment make people think: "what has he been doing?" ... in your case, you can always say: "Looking for a f cking job!"

I'd only ever delete work history for jobs that are beneath me. Retail, clerical, able-bodied seaman, etc. But I'd prefer to stay on the topic that I was trying to cultivate. Rather than play down my resume, I'm wondering whether it would be beneficial to play it up...to potentially absurd lengths. I need thoughts about that, specifically.

[citizen4rmptown]

Have you tried applying for a census job?

[Highway6]

Niche..

Back in the Fall, I tried the "Beyond normal resume" route.

I figured, architects like creativity, right... So I had a much more 'designed' resume with photo, profile, plus all the normal info. I then had 3 pages of work samplings that graphically tied into the resume. It all made for quite the snazzy pdf.

I only sent it to two firms though... I wanted to see their reaction before ruining any chances with more firms.

Results were negative.. didn't lead to interviews.

So.. not quite like your plan... but enough to convince me that when i start sending out lots of resumes this week since I am unemployed as of last week, I will not be sending the graphic resume.

Course... maybe my ugly mug just scared them off and others' results will vary.

Before I did all this, I read through several websites that listed the do's and don'ts of resumes.. they all said not to include a photo of yourself.... I tried anyways.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Highway6

[crunchtastic]

There's still doubt in my mind whether all this would be either 1) worth it, or 2) possibly be off-putting to prospective employers. Would typically-conservative decision makers in this niche have the vision to comprehend that someone who can present themselves in an intensively-developed and polished manner can also present their organization in the same light? Or will they see it as someone who'll go against the grain of tradition and be a perpetual thorn in their side? What would a good ol' boy do?

Another question is whether an employer might expect an ass-load of output, commensurate with the expectations that I built up from my unadulterated employment campaigning.

What say you all to this weary job seeker?

In addition to some other thoughts I just sent you........it may very well not be worth it, if your efforts are fruitless. But, they're currently fruitless. So, think of it as 'no-risk'. Cold comfort when you're looking at hundreds of dollars in capital expenditure, but job search related expenses are tax deductible. Yes, it might potentially be off putting. OTOH it's every man and woman for himself out there. Your job is to get results, and if your targets are serious about getting their results, they should be looking at all potential candidates. Cheesy, but key words won't cut it anymore. Too much volume/too few openings. You have to muscle your way to the front of the line.

As far as the ass load of output goes, yes, and they're going to want it, plus the pound of flesh, and a handjob with the morning coffee just for good measure..... and all for a lot less than they used to have to pay. That's what really sucks in all this. Management smells the desperation and at least in my world, comp is going down and expectations are increasing dramatically.

[crunchtastic]

Niche..

Back in the Fall, I tried the "Beyond normal resume" route.

I figured, architects like creativity, right... So I had a much more 'designed' resume with photo, profile, plus all the normal info. I then had 3 pages of work samplings that graphically tied into the resume. It all made for quite the snazzy pdf.

I only sent it to two firms though... I wanted to see their reaction before ruining any chances with more firms.

Results were negative.. didn't lead to interviews.

So.. not quite like your plan... but enough to convince me that when i start sending out lots of resumes this week since I am unemployed as of last week, I will not be sending the graphic resume.

Course... maybe my ugly mug just scared them off and others' results will vary.

Before I did all this, I read through several websites that listed the do's and don'ts of resumes.. they all said not to include a photo of yourself.... I tried anyways.

Hmmm good points here.... along these lines, Niche, you might try to physical approach but not a flashy website--that way if you decide it really could be career limiting, you could pull back the fancy resumes and not have the online spectre out there.

but, keep in mind you're targeting a sector that for whom back-slapping and glad-handing is as vital as air and water, and people who engage in that business tend to be shameless self-promoters.

[TheNiche]

Have you tried applying for a census job?

Yep. The vets will probably hog most of the supervisory positions, but $17.75 to be an enumerator in central Houston is sufficient to garner my attention.

[lockmat]

How about joining HPD? Decent salary, easy to promote, good benefits, job security.

[TheNiche]

Before I did all this, I read through several websites that listed the do's and don'ts of resumes.. they all said not to include a photo of yourself.... I tried anyways.

Since the beginning of the year, I've applied to 91 positions throughout the United States using the traditional resume and cover letter. I haven't had a single call-back, and my approach is somewhat more refined than it had previously been IMO, so it's even worse than it was last year. Given that track record, a test of two applications seems to be a grossly inadequate sample size from which to draw conclusions about what will work or what won't.

The number of job openings within this niche industry is about a couple dozen within Texas (not all of which I'm qualified for). Beyond Texas, I'm not going to be as well qualified; I'll still apply for similar out-of-state positions, but the point being that I don't have much margin for error if I use any of these as test cases. If I'm going to do this, it'll be all-out or none at all.

Before I did all this, I read through several websites that listed the do's and don'ts of resumes.. they all said not to include a photo of yourself.... I tried anyways.

I'm a little torn on that. I need to work on my image, one way or the other, so a few good mugshots could probably be had. On the other hand, I certainly would rather showcase my credentials rather than my age in this case.

[TheNiche]

Hmmm good points here.... along these lines, Niche, you might try to physical approach but not a flashy website--that way if you decide it really could be career limiting, you could pull back the fancy resumes and not have the online spectre out there.

but, keep in mind you're targeting a sector that for whom back-slapping and glad-handing is as vital as air and water, and people who engage in that business tend to be shameless self-promoters.

Ha, well actually I was wondering whether it might be useful to develop suitable social networking profiles and incorporate the little icons into all my physical and digital materials so as to give the impression of an integrated marketing campaign that reaches out to what this particular audience would think of as early adopters of new technology.

As you point out, the target audience are good ol' boys, back-slappers, and shameless self-promoters. I've done consulting for their kind, but they're all over the damned place in terms of my gut instinct as to how they'd respond to something innovative.

[Highway6]

Given that track record, a test of two applications seems to be a grossly inadequate sample size from which to draw conclusions about what will work or what won't.

I agree... however I was already leery of the idea beforehand because of the "dos and don'ts" that I had read and was convinced by someone else to go for it.......Also, since my preferred search for the time being is not only confined to Houston, architecture firms, but also within a reasonable distance of my residence and my wife's school, I really was not willing to waste too many firms with this 'special resume' experiment.

[TheNiche]

How about joining HPD? Decent salary, easy to promote, good benefits, job security.

Thought about it, but would rather go military in that case. Officer pay, management experience, bitchin' awesome VA benefits.

[WAZ]

I got laid off during vacation by way of cell phone on the day before Christmas Eve.

I have two bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics, plus seven years of experience in varied real estate consulting and development roles. I specialize in multifamily but have experience in all other major asset classes as well as in various niche real estate markets.

I'm not desperate. I've got enough current assets and easily-convertible fixed assets to last me several years. Anyone with a decent position: please inquire.

Thanks,

-TheNiche

Yowzas. The day before Christmas Eve, by cell phone. That's cold blooded.

If it's any consolation, these things happen for a reason. I was laid-off in mid October; me and 2 other guys from my previous employer. They weren't really my level, and I was able to land work fairly quickly. Things got worse where I used to be, and last week they let 19 people go. Nancy Sarnoff reported on it in her blog. I was devastated when they let me go, but it'd have been a lot harder for me now.

My advice:

First, the old cliche - NETWORK! It's good to build friendships with people all around. I mean real people; who you work with; who are in your rolodex. Clients are great; previous coworkers can be just as good.

Second, don't be too elaborate; but do be professional with the letters and resumes. I designed my own letterhead; and IMO it was more useful than my portfolio. I also did business cards to match the letterhead. (They're good for other things too, like if you get involved in civic clubs and super neighborhoods.....)

Third, stay productive when you're not looking for work. Stay on the same schedule you were on while employed. Wake up early during the week. Commute to your study or couch or wherever. Work 40 hours a week. Write a book. Take a course. Volunteer somewhere. Even do a blog (comments on other blogs don't count).

I don't want to toot my own horn, but when I was laid off in October, I found work in 3 weeks. In April 2008, when I lost my previous job - it took ten days.

Knock on wood.

Anyway, Niche, we've come to blows on here before, but, best of luck!

[TheNiche]

Yowzas. The day before Christmas Eve, by cell phone. That's cold blooded.

If it's any consolation, these things happen for a reason. I was laid-off in mid October; me and 2 other guys from my previous employer. They weren't really my level, and I was able to land work fairly quickly. Things got worse where I used to be, and last week they let 19 people go. Nancy Sarnoff reported on it in her blog. I was devastated when they let me go, but it'd have been a lot harder for me now.

My advice:

First, the old cliche - NETWORK! It's good to build friendships with people all around. I mean real people; who you work with; who are in your rolodex. Clients are great; previous coworkers can be just as good.

Second, don't be too elaborate; but do be professional with the letters and resumes. I designed my own letterhead; and IMO it was more useful than my portfolio. I also did business cards to match the letterhead. (They're good for other things too, like if you get involved in civic clubs and super neighborhoods.....)

Third, stay productive when you're not looking for work. Stay on the same schedule you were on while employed. Wake up early during the week. Commute to your study or couch or wherever. Work 40 hours a week. Write a book. Take a course. Volunteer somewhere. Even do a blog (comments on other blogs don't count).

I don't want to toot my own horn, but when I was laid off in October, I found work in 3 weeks. In April 2008, when I lost my previous job - it took ten days.

Knock on wood.

Anyway, Niche, we've come to blows on here before, but, best of luck!

On the commercial development side, it was all about timing. Not long before you switched jobs in early '08, I'd given notice to a former employer that I was going to look elsewhere (without having anything lined up). In less than thirty minutes of chatting on the phone to my network, I had something lined up doing almost exactly what I wanted to do and with plenty of perks. I made the new employer wait about a month while I calmly wrapped up projects in my current position as not to burn bridges, then give me an additional week for personal time off, and then give me a starting bonus when I finally did come on staff. It was the peak of the market.

Nowadays, the majority of my network has either moved on or is also unemployed. And there is no a labor market for what I did, really at all. Simple as that. To the extent I can network, the opportunities are pretty random and not industry-specific. Posting on HAIF has been fairly useful, for instance.

[porTENT]

You could change careers or keep being patient and wait out the stall. Don't start a blog, unless you plan on catching box cars and writing in hobo moniker with a grease pencil that doubles as a comb. You could always write your commercial real estate version of "the art of war." Good luck, I've had to take some garbage time jobs in order to just survive.

[crunchtastic]

Thought about it, but would rather go military in that case. Officer pay, management experience, bitchin' awesome VA benefits.

If that's the case, my military friends would tell you Air Force OCS for relative ease of the program and management focus. Provided you're ok with the fundamentalist christian influence in that branch's leadership and particularly in CO Springs.

But try to hold off on a drastic step like that. You don't want to get sent to a backwater and come back with neurological trauma and have to test those bitchin VA benefits for the rest of your drool-covered life.

I have a great respect for service and nearly all the men in my life, present and past, have served, but I can't recommend it in these times. Next stop, Haiti (again).

[TheNiche]

You could change careers or keep being patient and wait out the stall.

Yep, I have to change both occupation and industry. There's no way around it. The "stall" is going to last for years.

[TheNiche]

If that's the case, my military friends would tell you Air Force OCS for relative ease of the program and management focus. Provided you're ok with the fundamentalist christian influence in that branch's leadership and particularly in CO Springs.

But try to hold off on a drastic step like that. You don't want to get sent to a backwater and come back with neurological trauma and have to test those bitchin VA benefits for the rest of your drool-covered life.

I have a great respect for service and nearly all the men in my life, present and past, have served, but I can't recommend it in these times. Next stop, Haiti (again).

That, or Navy. And on the one hand, this is my 'Hail Mary' option. On the other, financial distress is a disqualifier for officers, so it'll be a decision that I evaluate very carefully after income taxes kick my ass in mid-April.

[AtticaFlinch]

Yep, I have to change both occupation and industry. There's no way around it. The "stall" is going to last for years.

Maybe now's the time to look into interpretive dance as a valid career choice.

[AtticaFlinch]

If that's the case, my military friends would tell you Air Force OCS for relative ease of the program and management focus. Provided you're ok with the fundamentalist christian influence in that branch's leadership and particularly in CO Springs.

But try to hold off on a drastic step like that. You don't want to get sent to a backwater and come back with neurological trauma and have to test those bitchin VA benefits for the rest of your drool-covered life.

I have a great respect for service and nearly all the men in my life, present and past, have served, but I can't recommend it in these times. Next stop, Haiti (again).

My brother joined the Air Force about ten years ago as a moderate Christian with no strong beliefs and a spotty track record of church attendance.

These days, he's a new earth Bible-thumper who's taken his kids out of public school because they have the audacity to teach subjects like science there.

That's just one isolated incident, and it should in no way be taken as representative as the Air Force experience as a whole.

[TheNiche]

My brother joined the Air Force about ten years ago as a moderate Christian with no strong beliefs and a spotty track record of church attendance.

These days, he's a new earth Bible-thumper who's taken his kids out of public school because they have the audacity to teach subjects like science there.

That's just one isolated incident, and it should in no way be taken as representative as the Air Force experience as a whole.

I know a guy who basically went the same route for the same reasons, but was formerly Army intelligence. To his and his kids' credit, they're all brought up multi-lingual and are on track to finish the high school curriculum before other kids get to high school. He's even got his twelve-year-old daughter doing calculus.

Say what you will, I'm impressed.

[AtticaFlinch]

I know a guy who basically went the same route for the same reasons, but was formerly Army intelligence. To his and his kids' credit, they're all brought up multi-lingual and are on track to finish the high school curriculum before other kids get to high school. He's even got his twelve-year-old daughter doing calculus.

Say what you will, I'm impressed.

No doubt that's impressive. I was just offering some non-conclusive anecdotal evidence to support crunch's fundamentalist Air Force leadership contention. It means nothing to the actual facts, and my brother's devolution into the hellfire and brimstone mentality probably has nothing to do with the beliefs of his bosses. It's just a coincidence.

[editor]

I feel you on the job placement companies. Five years ago they used to fight over me. Now I can't get them to even acknowledge I exist.

I even went to my old standby -- Kelly Services. They haven't been able to provide me with an hour of work in 16 weeks so far. Yet they keep taking on new applicants. Frustrating.

This might be a little off the wall, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Edmonton, Alberta police department is hiring. Americans. Lots of them.

They've been sending recruiters to cities like Seattle and New York and Boston and putting up billboards in those cities, too. They'll train you, find you housing, and even take care of immigration for you (no citizenship change necessary).

Yeah, Edmonton is cold in the winter, but Houston is hot in the summer. Same strategy for both -- try to stay inside as much as you can. And it's an oil town, so you might even know some people who live up there already.

The best part is -- you'd have to police Canadians. How hard could that be?

[TheNiche]

I feel you on the job placement companies. Five years ago they used to fight over me. Now I can't get them to even acknowledge I exist.

I even went to my old standby -- Kelly Services. They haven't been able to provide me with an hour of work in 16 weeks so far. Yet they keep taking on new applicants. Frustrating.

This might be a little off the wall, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Edmonton, Alberta police department is hiring. Americans. Lots of them.

They've been sending recruiters to cities like Seattle and New York and Boston and putting up billboards in those cities, too. They'll train you, find you housing, and even take care of immigration for you (no citizenship change necessary).

Yeah, Edmonton is cold in the winter, but Houston is hot in the summer. Same strategy for both -- try to stay inside as much as you can. And it's an oil town, so you might even know some people who live up there already.

The best part is -- you'd have to police Canadians. How hard could that be?

Remarkably and perhaps embarrassingly...policing Canada would appear to be the best opportunity available to me at this time. Thank you. I'll apply.

EDIT: Actually, their website says that they're not actively recruiting international applicants. Are you sure that it's Edmonton?

Edited January 22, 2010 by TheNiche

[N Judah]

I'm guessing it's too late to take the offer in Dallas doing legal services?