How would you handle this?

Michael.J.Palmer

I guess I'll just lay this on the line, I know it's a bit personal all in all but I'm just in that place now where I have to get some outside input from someone else and that involves knowing my background.

I've been unemployed since April 18, I'm unemployed because I had left one job to start at another. The other job had already told me they were going to hire me so I took the time to put in a notice from my current job. Well, time goes by and it gets to the point where I have three days before I start the new job. I'm still working the old job at that point, I was litterally going to be in one job one day and the new job the next. Well, on that Friday (was set to start new job on Monday) I recieved two phone calls from my new employer. The first one was to inform me to be there at 7:45 AM sharp to be ready for their orientation classes... then about four hours later I recieved another call saying that they had cancelled the new hire class indefinitely due to their client I was going to work for pulling the plug due to some software problems with their new self-paced training program.

So, I became unemployed when my time was at the current job at that time. I was already enrolled at MyCC and was already heading into the IT field, the new job was to be at a call center to get me some call center experience and they knew I was going to be there temporarily until I entered the IT field...

Well, onto today. I'm still unemployed and I haven't been able to draw unemployment because the best the state has from my old employer is that I left employment to go to a new employer so work was available. That wasn't the case, I've appealed that within the past two weeks and am waiting for a response to tell me how they rule, I had a note written up by the employer I was supposed to go to so they could see the situation in full circle.

Well... I'm broke, I've got a 1 year old daughter, an 8 and half month pregnant wife and we're on WIC and Food Stamps right now. My wife pulls unemployment from where she was laid off but that's not enough to pay the bills. I've submitted myself to everything I can think of, I almost had a job at Geek Squad a couple of weeks ago but due to a misunderstanding with the lady who called me to set up the General Manager interview, I was 15 minutes late for my interview and he didn't want to interview me because of that (I thought it was at 11:30 and showed up at 11:15, but apparently it was at 11:00).

My resume is posted on Monster.com and I've had a couple of calls about that. One is looking for someone who can speak Spanish for a position with Verizon, the other one I've got an interview scheduled for tomorrow with... Now all this was just the set up for the question.

This interview is with an insurance company that wants to bring me on as a sales representative. I've got a long history of retail and sales so it makes since that they'd contact me, but it's not in the field of my interest. I'm not sure if I'll qualify for the job just yet or not since it sounds like I'll be handling insurance sales with local companies but should I suck it up and take this job since I need it? Or should I hold out to try and get an IT related job before the end of the month?

I know that as soon as I get most of my certifications I'm going seek employment in the IT field, it's not only a new career for me... it's my passion that I've only just now persued as a career. I know I'll probably make more money in the IT field as well after I get most of my certs then this job will pay.

Do I tell the interviewer (who is the regional manager of sales btw) that I'm only interested in being on for the next three to six months? Or do I keep that to myself and hope to get the job because I need it and then just leave in that same time span for other work?

I hate job jumping, I really do and I'm in a pickle here on what I should do. I'm an ethical guy and I know it's a really prickish thing to do when you know you're not going to stay... regardless I'm going to the interview, it's scheduled and I'm more interested in what the actual job is then accepting it... But what would you do here?

phantasm

You asked for advice, here you go.

Take care of your family first. Period. If they offer you the sales job then take it. Don't tell your new boss that you're only there as long as you need to be. That's bad juju. If they offer you the job then work your but off and take care of your family, continue pursuing the certs and looking for an IT job. If something else comes up then discuss it with your wife and decide at that juncture whether to jump ship or not. Priority #1, your family. Everything else is irrelevant.

EmpoweredBizTech

here, here. Jobs come and go and eventually you will be in such a successful place that these early job naturally fall off the resume anyway. No one but you will remember or care. If you have a family that's rule 1 nothing else matters.

Bl8ckr0uter

I feel for you.

I was in a similar situation and I was a signature away from joining the Army (active duty). If I were you, I would go for the job. I would dig ditches and dance for money before I would let my wife starve. Having a job that pays the bills is ALWAYS rule number 1. Having a job in a field you want is rule number 2.

In short, go for the job, get you certs and try again in a few months. If you can, try to moonlight somewhere doing some IT grunt work so you can build up some experience. Have you tried you local recruiting firms and such. A lot of the times if you are nice to them they will try to look out for you. I got a job simply because of that reason. Also does you resume look? Do you have a linked in? I strongly suggest you get one if you don't.

Feed you family man and hopefully when this market calms down we can all do what we love

EDIT: Cary, NC is a good part of the country. How far are you willing to travel? Where in NC are you?

Michael.J.Palmer

knwminus wrote: »

I feel for you.

I was in a similar situation and I was a signature away from joining the Army (active duty). If I were you, I would go for the job. I would dig ditches and dance for money before I would let my wife starve. Having a job that pays the bills is ALWAYS rule number 1. Having a job in a field you want is rule number 2.

In short, go for the job, get you certs and try again in a few months. If you can, try to moonlight somewhere doing some IT grunt work so you can build up some experience. Have you tried you local recruiting firms and such. A lot of the times if you are nice to them they will try to look out for you. I got a job simply because of that reason. Also does you resume look? Do you have a linked in? I strongly suggest you get one if you don't.

Feed you family man and hopefully when this market calms down we can all do what we love

EDIT: Cary, NC is a good part of the country. How far are you willing to travel? Where in NC are you?

Thanks for the advice folks, I kinda figured that would be the route I'd have to take... I just hate taking a job that I know I'm not going to really commit to, yeah... I'm one of those guys, gotta be the best at whatever I do while I'm doing it. So it's just against my nature, that's all...

For your questions, the resume looks pretty good actually. The school I'm in offers a career services (and they're looking for a job for me as well), within this division they offer resume/cover letter workshops, etc. I do have a linkedin.com account as well, actually that was suggested by the career services director so I signed up for one a couple of months ago.

I live in Rocky Mount, NC which is about an hour and a half away from Cary, I can commute, but unfortunately at some point it ends up not being worth it as gas gets in the way.

But yeah, thanks for the help folks, I'll let you know how the interview goes tomorrow morning when I get back.

Essendon

I hope you nail it bro. Good luck.

ipconfig.all

You could always try and volunteer and offer your IT services for a company for free to get experience. People will most likely to take you in because they do not have to pay you anything in return you will learn alot gain some valuable experience and network and build contacts, who knows it could lead into a paid job later on.

Deesiel

Insurance sales is typically commission only, with a somewhat long sales process. When you get someone to buy your product, it may be a month or longer before you actually get paid for it.

Consider applying at a USED car dealership. It's usually a quick hiring process, a quick sales process (sell a car, get your commission by the next pay period typically, and many dealerships pay weekly), you can make decent money, and they (dealerships) are used to high turn-around, so you wont be putting them out by bailing as soon as you obtain your ideal job.

tpatt100

I hope something comes along and soon. I get random weird calls to sell insurance all the time, these companies search the online job forums hoping to find somebody needing a job.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Be careful about those "Insurance sales" jobs. Most of them are pretty shady and do their best to make it sound like you will make bank. You will know that it's a scam once they push the part o where you become the owner of your own branch. I'd encourage someone to cashier at a 7-11 overdoing something like that. Research the company if you aren't sure, because the insurance you will sell is targeted at the old and feeble minded. Same thing goes for that "Pre-Paid Legal" jazz as well.

BUt you do need a job and even if you have to pick up a crap retail job for now, it's better than getting no money.

shaqazoolu

If it will make a company money, they will get rid of you without thinking twice. Don't ever think you owe any company anything. Take the job and if it only takes 3 months to find a better one, so be it. Now, I wouldn't make a habit out of that but take care of your family...no one else is going to.