Katherine's Big Post O'Employment

[kodalai]

So tomorrow morning I'll be departing for 'points west,' as my mother put it. When I get to Seattle I'll need to find a job and an apartment. Not necessarily in that order. There's been some debate as to whether it would be better to find the apartment first, so I wouldn't be burning more money on a hotel, or a job first, so that I could find an apartment in a better suited locale (and with an income.)

Either way I'll have to decide what kind of job I'm going to get. Here's a list of my current six possibilities, with pros and cons. I really want to hear people's inputs. If you can think of more pros, more cons, or have warnings or recommendations, horror stories or lolanecdotes, please share them here while I am gone!

Job Option 1: Post office
Pros: Solid salary, good job security, job requirements not significantly above what I can do, employer not likely to try to suck out my soul, interesting work, not retail
Cons: May be difficult to get. Postal office prefers lifers. Cannot get a full-time position without sitting the civil service exam (which is a possibility; offers future job options.) Part time positions are available, but do not have health benefits.

Job Option 2: Starbucks
Pros: (Almost) guaranteed to get a job there, thanks to friend who works there (and is told by her supervisors "we're so shortstaffed, if you have ANY friends who want jobs, send them our way!") Relatively non-offensive corporate policies. Decent benefits.
Cons: Low pay. Do not like coffee. Retail. Food service.

Job Option 3: Bookstore
Pros: Someday dream of owning and running my own bookstore, therefore working in one is a good start to accumulating the necessary expertise. Could work with books. Benefits, if full-time.
Cons: Low pay. Retail.

Job Option 4: Office work
This option keeps being suggested to me by older ladies of my acquaintence who, presumably, have experience in office work. I admit it seems frustratingly vague to me. What kind of office work? Doing what? Working for whom? Exactly what would this involve?
Pros: Decent salary. Have recent work experience (JET) which would be useful. Reliable schedule. Time off for christmas. Benefits.
Cons: Unsure where to apply or how to start. Do not like office work.

Job Option 5: Temp agency
(Probably would be a lead in to option 4 'office work')
Pros: Better pay than retail. Varied experience. Probably could qualify as-is. Probably good on resume. Benefits???
Cons: Unreliable schedule. Unreliable pay. Varied location, meaning it would be impossible to locate my apartment in convenient proximity to my workplace.

Job Option 6: Teaching-related job
Pros: Have teaching skills. Have recent teaching experience on resume. Possibly better pay and/or benefits than retail jobs.
Cons: Do not have certification. Do not really know where to start or to apply. Do not really want to teach as a career.

Comments

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

I've been working at the same office job for years, so I don't really have any opinions to give you about looking for jobs in today's market.

It's good that you can at least get something at Starbucks, if you find yourself needing money right away. You can always do that while applying for other kinds of work. Have you spent any time online looking for what jobs are available in the Seattle area?

No matter what you end up with, I wish you lots of good luck!

[orion117.livejournal.com]

Option 5: This is probably a pretty good time to do temp work. With the economy so uncertain, employers might be using temps rather than hire someone for a position and have to pay benefits. Plus, as you said, you can get a feel for office work. They'll probably want to know your typing speed, and your familiarity with 10-key entry, or Excel.

Option 6: In this state, you need teaching certification to teach in public schools, but you don't need it to teach in private schools. All you need is a four-year degree. I don't know what the rules are in Washington, but it might be something to explore, if just for the possibility of doing sub work.

Another way to use your teaching credentials might be in corporate training.

Option 3: The benefits make that a really good option. The thought of someone not liking coffee makes me incredibly sad, and I find myself unable to write any more. XD

Good luck on your journey!

[titlecharacter.livejournal.com]

As a knee-jerk reaction, the famous "wtf, Starbucks has BENEFITS?" factor combined with near-certainty of employment might make it a good starting point while you figure out/look for something you want to do more permanently. That, and for the rest of your life you'll twitch whenever you hear anyone say "Grande."

[foxglove6.livejournal.com]

Whatever you choose, I highly suggest something with benefits. It sucks not to have health insurance. And even if you get a job that has benefits, they may not start right away. My job's benefits did not start until the first of the month AFTER I had worked 90 days. So because I started on the 6th, I had to wait almost 4 months.

Also, try craigslist. I find a lot of jobs there and you may be able to line up interviews before you get out there.

Option 1: Sounds pretty good, I admit I've never considered the post office but on paper it looks like a good option.

Option 2: It's hard because you're guaranteed with a friend's recommendation. But I've worked in foodservice and I've had friends at Starbucks and I don't recommend either. The one perk (hehe) is that you get free (or maybe discount) coffee. which doesn't make a difference to you or me. Apply and use it as your fallback if nothing else pans out and you start to get desperate. It would be a decent way to tread water while you find better work.

Option 3: Apply to all that you can find. This one sounds like the one you'd most enjoy.

Option 4: I think what they are suggesting is administrative, ie secretary. But can also include filing and other such things. There is an administrative section on craigslist. This could be good but also could be very iffy. A lot depends on the company itself and the type of work they do and the people who work there. Maybe try your hand at something else before doing this.

Option 5: A good option but will not have benefits. And since I think benefits are the most important thing, I would recommend against this option unless you're desperate for "anything but starbucks!" I worked for a temp agencey called Ameristaff in Philly. It's a franchise and they may have them in Seattle since I've seen them here in StL. I was tested on my skills for various programs and based on my scores I was offered certain jobs. Temp jobs CAN lead to full time employment but it's not something to rely on.

Option 6: Even without certification, you can be a substitute. I have a few friends who do that here in StL and it seems to work for them. Again, no benefits but you make your own schedule so it could work for cash while you still look for a full time job. IIRC people here in StL make ~$60-$100 a day for substituting. So it's not too bad but not great either. YMMV

In any event, good luck! And my couch is still open if you want to make a StL detour on your way to LA.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

> Option 5: A good option but will not have benefits
Not necessarily true. When Nick worked for a temp agency, not only did they give him benefits (albeit limited), but they started right away, IIRC.

[foxglove6.livejournal.com]

okay and what was the name of this agency? ::pen and paper ready::

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Spherion. May be Boston-only -- they're the temp agency that serves Harvard.

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

You don't want to work at the post office. I remember talking to my uncle (who had worked in a post office before), and he said: "I wouldn't even tell an enemy to work for the post office."

Apparently they're very strict and you have to be able to handle not only long hours, but a crushing workload, and a supervisor/higher up barking in your face to go faster. It's sorta like being in a sweatshop, but for mail.

[nekojita.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd go for post office or book store myself. Even if the pay is low you at least will enjoy the bookstore. If you get the post office job it would be great because of being a government employee (meaning benefits) and all. Or office work... time to get the Sunday paper? Or to put something up on a local job-finding site?

[diatomacearth.livejournal.com]

I dunno, working in a bookstore is not guaranteed fun. It can be, but not always; at times, I've found it entirely hellish, when management was bad. It's retail with books, but it's still retail, and the environment is less self-selecting for lovers of reading than most people think. Working in a bookstore is often depressing to me as a reader, since it puts me in situations that make it impossible for me to ignore the sad, estranged relationship so many people have with literacy.

[sukino.livejournal.com]

I say bookstore, but that's where I work so I know while they can get on the nerves some, they aren't that bad.

[suzu.livejournal.com]

#4) Check out your local government JobLink website. (or whatever it may be called there. Basically, the unemployment agency.) Usually, that's the only place you'll find county jobs, and those can be good for office work. You could also possibly qualify for some kind of Income Maintenance position with Social Services, which is decent pay. Our IM positions where I work have a lot of turnover, so openings are always popping up. You may want to look into that. (and again, I don't know about there, but here they want to see mention of negotiating with people and compiling information on apps. I expect it's probably similar there.)

#5) In regards to temp agencies, after having worked for one: 1) Any benefits you get will probably be exceedingly expensive for an absolute crap policy. You would probably be better off seeing if you could get AFLAC or something. 2) If there is anything at all they don't like about you, they won't use you. Only they won't tell you they aren't using you, leaving you floundering in joblessness while depending on them for something they have no intentions of doing. 3) You will need to check in with them at least weekly, if not twice weekly. They say they have computer systems set up to find available workers, but in my my place's case, that system was full of suck and fail.

If you do decide to go this route for office work, call around to various offices and ask them who they get their temps from. Don't call the temp agencies and ask them if they place for office help - chances are they will say yes whether they do or not. They need as many people in their databases as they can get to keep numbers up. (I found this one out from both ends of the spectrum: trying to find office work via a temp place, and actually working at one. I lost almost a year of job searching after having gone to a temp place that advertised itself as a premier office placement agency, only to find out once I started working at a competitor that 98% of their placements were manufacturing.)

[oakenspear.livejournal.com]

replying too late, but.... #5 can be a nice option, monetarily (my temp agency in boston didn't give benefits but as ayelle commented, others do).

also, steve started out in seattle by temping, after he spent two years teaching english in japan. it worked out pretty well for him, as he wound up spending eight happy and very financially independent years there before grad school, so you can certainly ask him for more details if you like. :)

[oakenspear.livejournal.com]

oops just saw your subsequent posts re: sbux, so never mind no worries!