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View Full Version : In shock but excited...



KitchenKitten99
10-31-2013, 01:08 PM
Thanks to Obamacare, any real, decent-paying position in hospitality has pretty much been eliminated or cut in half. this means that I am (or was) looking outside the industry for work. With my husband's contracts (he's an independent corporate consultant) being few and far between this time of year, and this is also slow time of year for store sales, we found it best that I look for work to keep money coming in when he isn't working. This way we don't have to drain the store accounts just to live, which ends up putting the store behind on bills. It makes money, but only just breaks even due to only being 3 years old in a tobacco-hostile state.

Because I haven't worked in my own career field for 2.5 years, I tend to lose out on any kind of management and supervisory positions to those who have been consistently been in them. Nevermind I have been helping build a retail business from the ground up, and I have real world experience that can apply better than most other experiences. However that doesn't seem to matter because I am technically 'self employed' and that seems to be a radioactive word when looking for a job outside of that.

Not only that, many positions that I would be considered for are capped at 30 hours, or the place has cut their staff in half just to afford their salaries and any benefits they are now forced to buy, and while your paycheck is equivalent to a salary for 40 hours, you are a slave for 70+. While I am willing to put in 50-maybe 60 hours, 75 is too much. I might jump on it if I had no family and no other responsibilities or no real life at all.

So, after almost 3 weeks of at least 2 interviews a week and submitting at least 100 applications and resumes in various positions for various companies (anything from administrative assistant positions to sales to even -blech- call center jobs) that I could at least earn enough to cover our household bills...I finally found a job that will pay our bills and as time goes on, will even put us ahead even if DH isn't working.

I was just hired at a local (but big, and growing) dealership for auto sales. The even better part: They're very openly faith-driven, and don't try to hide it. They have a giant LED sign out in front of their lot that pops up with various scripture quotes. They aren't hardcore and go overboard with it, but they make no bones about their faith. To me that shows integrity and not allowing themselves to cave with social pressures of today.

Nice part is their pay plan allows for me as a totally new person to the industry, I get a straight salary while I am learning for the first 90 days and I still make commission on vehicles I sell, and it doesn't count against my salary (known as a draw) for that time.

http://cornerstoneautoresource.com/

Jeff
10-31-2013, 03:08 PM
Good luck to ya and I pray everything works well for ya, it was hard to get a job before all this Obamacare stuff , I truly feel for those that are just getting started in there work career now a days

aboutime
10-31-2013, 05:27 PM
KitchenKitten. The important thing is. You were never satisfied to GIVE UP, or GIVE IN, as so many others probably have in today's shrinking job market.

Stay positive, learn as much as you can. IT WILL pay off as long as YOU refuse to Quit because it may be hard, or not as you hoped it would be.

Consider how it would feel to be one of those MILLIONS who haven't been as dedicated, or determined as you have.

Congratulations.

KitchenKitten99
10-31-2013, 08:21 PM
KitchenKitten. The important thing is. You were never satisfied to GIVE UP, or GIVE IN, as so many others probably have in today's shrinking job market.

Stay positive, learn as much as you can. IT WILL pay off as long as YOU refuse to Quit because it may be hard, or not as you hoped it would be.

Consider how it would feel to be one of those MILLIONS who haven't been as dedicated, or determined as you have.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Sales is what I have become very good at while working at the store for 3 years. So I am pretty much utilizing my current skills and other experience to earn a decent living enough to cover our bills. At this time, I just don't have the earning power of DH, and while our expenses are not overwhelming, about $3500 per month including child support to both exes, that would mean I would have to make $20/hour and at this point in the culinary industry, I have been out of the market too long to demand that kind of wage.

The interview process at the place I will be at was a tough one. You have to meet with all 5 managers (different departments) of the dealership and they all decide in a 'consensus' if they think you'll be good for the company.

My first interview with 4 of the 5 of them last Friday started at 3pm and didn't end until after 6pm. Then I was told there was one more person to meet with but he wasn't there and I would hear back on Monday. I didn't hear back on Monday, and figured I would give it a day and then call them. I got the call on Tuesday and they asked me to come in for the last interview and then a 'decision'.

I obviously passed and they had me sign some paperwork and it was official. I start 11/11.

SassyLady
10-31-2013, 11:16 PM
Kitten,

So happy to hear about your journey and your success. I sincerely hope that it's a fun place to work.

I, too, have been looking for something and found that when I changed my search parameters to "part time" instead of full time I got a ton of responses and several interviews (which employers are doing to get around the AHC law). I started about a month ago with a local church and my hours are flexible as long as I don't exceed 20/week. It's only 5 miles away and takes 8 minutes to get there. People are exceedingly nice and low stress. So far I really, really like it.

KitchenKitten99
11-01-2013, 03:05 PM
Kitten,

So happy to hear about your journey and your success. I sincerely hope that it's a fun place to work.

I, too, have been looking for something and found that when I changed my search parameters to "part time" instead of full time I got a ton of responses and several interviews (which employers are doing to get around the AHC law). I started about a month ago with a local church and my hours are flexible as long as I don't exceed 20/week. It's only 5 miles away and takes 8 minutes to get there. People are exceedingly nice and low stress. So far I really, really like it.

thank you.

I really am a bit in mourning that I cannot even really start in the career that I worked so hard in school for. However life is like that and I have to do what makes the most money.

I can always go back into the restaurant business later in life. Just not right now when supporting our family in between DH's contracts is much more important.

I know more about cars than the average female anyway, and have a passion for the old school stuff, especially muscle cars. My friend Cara says that she thinks the sales job is a great career alternative for me because she's been with me driving in my 07 Impala SS... and says I have the heart and soul of an Andretti. :laugh:

My only downside in this venture is that I do not really get to do much 'creating' in terms of hands-on stuff. So I will probably find myself picking up old hobbies such as oil and acrylic painting, crafting of some kind.