[inquisitivegirl]

I live in CT and have some problems in my job search. How do you combat issues such as: I took 8 yrs off from FT work to work only PT jobs to raise family (I worked consistently for 13 yrs prior) & then, after a divorce in 2000, was unemployed for 1 1/2 yrs (God only knows how I survived that) due to a lunatic of a boss who fired me for no reason after helping her to triple her business in 3 yrs. BTW, she fought unemployment comp & I won and since her business was forced to scale down after 2 of her therapists & her own stepdaughter quit on her for being insane. Yes... the boss was a therapist! :eek: Funny huh?

Anyway, these are problems for me and I'm not sure how to work up my resume. I've been working in a nowhere office job that pays only 9.25/hr - disgusting huh? I haven't made this little since I was 20 and that was 27 yrs ago! But, I had to take the first job I was offered & have been in this position for last 2 yrs.

I was told by a couple of recruiters that I was basically worthless considering the "stay at home mom" venture and Oh... I never went to college. I was always tops in my class and am a very polished office professional with many years in a variety of office situations. I'm resourceful & prolific and can solve most any office problem to ensure that things flow easily & without errors. My office skills are exceptional and I have only heard good from all my past employers. I do wish I had asked them for letters of recommendation, but had not & now can't find them since most of those corporations moved or were closed since they were primarily manufacturing & technology companies. That's not unusual in CT.

Living in CT is very expensive and $18K doesn't go far. I need to somehow do the right combination of things to pull myself from this madness & move on! Oh... I would also like to know from "hiring folk out there", what is your feeling on the whole credit report on potential hires. I personally feel that it's none of their business. I am in debt, true. My credit's a mess! But to me, most importantly, I have never been arrested for any reason & am extremely honest... would never steal to fix my problems... that's why I need a job!

[phillysteakandcheese]

You need to turn your life experience into marketable skills.

Look for common skills that you used throughout various jobs and taking care of your family. If you should be able to come up with 3-4 significant skills you've developed over the years.

Then consider what you want to do with your remaining working years. Do you have a strong interest or passion in a particular subject?

Once you've identified what your skills are and what you want to do, you can think about how they can be combined together and applied to the job market.

For example - Managing kids may have taught you a lot of patience in dealing with children, parents, schools, doctor's offices, the PTA... You can use that life experience of managing behaviour and apply it to say, dealing with angry customers or negotiating collections.

It's not an easy thing to do, but if you sit down and take time to do it, you might be surprised at how much you have to offer, and what they may be worth to others!
:)

[Emland]

At 37 I had the same problem. I was hired by the TSA and realized after a month that I hated the job, there was no room to move upward and the management was nutz. I thought, "no problem" I have over 10 years of management skills. It was a BIG problem because I had no degree. I couldn't even get an interview for the job and salary I wanted.

I bit the bullet, filled out the financial aid forms and went back to school. I went to St. Leo university which has satellite campus' all over the country. I took 99% of mine online but only recommend online classes if you are well organized, have great reading comprehension and can set and meet deadlines on your own since it comprises mostly of self-directed assignments and a lot of reading and composition work. After 3 years I have my Business Admin degree and have been offered positions at 2 other companies. I ended up back at the place I started before leaving for the TSA but with a better position, more vacation and better pay.

There are a lot of grants out in financial aid, especially if you are a single female and over the age of 30. Check them out! If you think you are too old - well just remember this - you will be old with or without a degree.

~Em