I need a job. I mean, I really, really need a job. It's too freaking hot out there now to pour concrete. Just walking outside makes me want to run screaming for the air conditioner. Facing a full day in the sun is almost more than I can bear.
I'm one of those women who got caught in the middle between career and family. I'd decided early on to try to put my kids first. So instead of embarking on a real career, I worked at the daycare so they could be with me. I taught in a small private Christian school. I even went so far as to start my own school, then started two very successful daycares for churches. Once the youngest was in elementary school, I tried my hand at selling cars. I was good at it. Made salesman of the month and salesman of the quarter more than once. Then the economy tanked, my boss went off the deep end, and my husband moved us to the country.
There are no jobs here unless I want to work at Subway for $5.50 an hour. Or the bank for $7 an hour. Not enough. We can make more money than that in concrete working one day a month. But how do I explain the long years of not working (my "writing" years). I was anything but idle during those years. I built websites, I wrote books, I networked, I even helped coordinate a full-day tour for 100 members of the KOD chapter during the Dallas convention.
I read, I got a short story published. And I learned the concrete business and worked hard labor, bid on jobs, bought materials, hired workers, collected payments, did the taxes. Why don't those things count with HR managers?
Anyone have advice on how to translate skills to the current job market? I think I'm worth at least $36000 a year, not $7 an hour.
3 comments:
Pam, you did have several jobs in that period of 'not working'. Way too many women downplay their experience. You may not have formally been on the payroll of the concreting business, but it is still working in the family business. If I'm an employer, I want to know about the facts and scope of that, not as a throw-away line, but as hard evidence of your skills and experience. I want to know that you've managed the administration (and heavy work) of contract jobs worth thousands of dollars (or more). I want to know that you're familiar with personnel management and hiring practices, occupational health and safety rules, etc. I want to know about your skills in record keeping, bookkeeping, procurement, etc.
I presume you have a resume? If you like, send it to me and I'll have a look over it, make some suggestions. (Back in my pre-writing days, I used to work in HR, and have run extensive training courses for selection panels as well as for job applicants. It was one of my specialties ;-) )
Thanks Bron! I'll do that tomorrow, but I know how busy you are so no rush, k?
hi, I agree with Bron. You just need to present your resume right. You have skills and you've done a lot of "self employed" stuff. You just need to write down everything you've learned and done and then Bron can help you correct that resume.
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