Employment agencies

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Ah, you haven't seen as many resumes as I. Some are key word dumps to make the first automated screening but don't do a good job discussing the job at hand.

I will happily take your word for that. I do not want to have to sift through 100's/1000's of resumes over the course of my lifetime...lol.

[Nell Plotts]

I want qualified applicants to take their best shot at a position. Anything less is a waste of every one's time.

[heatherinaustin]

Originally Posted by wanderbygrace

I agree about using the State of Oregon and it's iMatch. I've had some minor success with that. I've had a couple phone interviews from Craigslist, but none have worked out.

I also wholeheartedly agree to tailoring the resume to the job applied for. Most agencies and even a number of companies use a matching database to look for key words on your resume compared against the job. The more words you have in your resume that match, the better your chances of getting at least a phone interview from what I understand.

Make sure you know exactly what kind of minimum income you need to make. I put together a proposed and detailed Oregon household budget to see what my wife and I really needed to earn to get by on the lifestyle we desire (aka the same as we have here). After checking into rent, utilities, state income taxes (its 9% in Oregon - egad!) and such, I found that we'll likely need about 10% more of income in Oregon than here in Ohio, because our cost of living in Ohio is one of the lowest in the country.

Wander,

Thanks for sound advice. I'm also compiling our PDX budge, hence all my annoying questions on this board re: utility costs. I also need to remember to factor in state tax, so thanks. We don't have state tax in TX, just an 8.25% sales tax.

[heatherinaustin]

Everyone - thanks for sound advice. I am working on my resume and spent all day yesterday on careerbuilder.com reading articles. I do have three different versions of my resume that are tailored to different fields (admin/paralegal/accounting).

I'm actually a licensed investigator in TX and trying to decide if I want to get my license in Oregon. I don't really want to stay in the private sector. Insurance companies often hire investigators. What are the big insurance companies in PDX?

Also, any recommendations on resume writing sites or companies? I'm sure mine can use an overhaul. The last time I had to apply for a job, "keywords" and electronic sorting weren't standard procedure.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by heatherinaustin

I'm actually a licensed investigator in TX and trying to decide if I want to get my license in Oregon. I don't really want to stay in the private sector. Insurance companies often hire investigators. What are the big insurance companies in PDX?

Also, any recommendations on resume writing sites or companies? I'm sure mine can use an overhaul. The last time I had to apply for a job, "keywords" and electronic sorting weren't standard procedure.

All the Insurance Investigators in Portland that I've dealt with have been third party contractors, FYI. A lot of Body Shops work with them directly, so that might be a way to find some company names.

Portland Community College and the Oregon Unemployment Office both have free resume writing classes. I found it somewhat helpful, but didn't get as much as other people as I already re-wrote my resume for each position. I ended up with about five basic templates that I modified slightly for each job.

Even then I still found my job via networking, although the initial step in the chain was through a contractor.

If you're already in Oregon, I highly suggest taking advantage of every resource the Employment office has. I have nothing but good things to say about how helpful they were, even when I did have to sit through some boring mandatory classes.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by wanderbygrace

I agree about using the State of Oregon and it's iMatch. I've had some minor success with that. I've had a couple phone interviews from Craigslist, but none have worked out.

I also wholeheartedly agree to tailoring the resume to the job applied for. Most agencies and even a number of companies use a matching database to look for key words on your resume compared against the job. The more words you have in your resume that match, the better your chances of getting at least a phone interview from what I understand.

Make sure you know exactly what kind of minimum income you need to make. I put together a proposed and detailed Oregon household budget to see what my wife and I really needed to earn to get by on the lifestyle we desire (aka the same as we have here). After checking into rent, utilities, state income taxes (its 9% in Oregon - egad!)and such, I found that we'll likely need about 10% more of income in Oregon than here in Ohio, because our cost of living in Ohio is one of the lowest in the country.

You may have to lower your standards a bit. Oregon employers in general are notorious for paying less for the same positions than other employers in other states. Unfortunately, the COL is most often higher in Oregon than other states.

Ironically, I am headed to Ohio sometime next year mostly because of that very reason.

[wanderbygrace]

Originally Posted by Minervah

You may have to lower your standards a bit. Oregon employers in general are notorious for paying less for the same positions than other employers in other states. Unfortunately, the COL is most often higher in Oregon than other states.

Ironically, I am headed to Ohio sometime next year mostly because of that very reason.

On the plus side (?!?!?), I'm well underpaid in my current position, as the duties I'm performing now are at a position at least two levels above the one I'm being paid for. I love my company and my coworkers, and that's the primary reason I've been here for twelve years, including the last five with numerous layoffs (about 40% of our company is gone from its peak in 2006), no raises & an increase in employee-paid healthcare premiums. Economically, I'm doing worse than five years ago, despite doing a much-increased level of work.

From what I'm seeing, the position that I'm truly qualified to do is averaging at least 10% greater than what I currently make, so I should be okay. The trick is to actually nail one of those done, being from 2400 miles away...lol.

FWIW - the job climate in Ohio is about the same as in Oregon, at least in general.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by wanderbygrace

On the plus side (?!?!?), I'm well underpaid in my current position, as the duties I'm performing now are at a position at least two levels above the one I'm being paid for. I love my company and my coworkers, and that's the primary reason I've been here for twelve years, including the last five with numerous layoffs (about 40% of our company is gone from its peak in 2006), no raises & an increase in employee-paid healthcare premiums. Economically, I'm doing worse than five years ago, despite doing a much-increased level of work.

From what I'm seeing, the position that I'm truly qualified to do is averaging at least 10% greater than what I currently make, so I should be okay. The trick is to actually nail one of those done, being from 2400 miles away...lol.

FWIW - the job climate in Ohio is about the same as in Oregon, at least in general.

It sounds like you will be used to the employment conditions you will more than likely encounter here. No raises, higher insurance premiums, layoffs, pay cuts, etc. So you know what you will be dealing with. That describes my former company exactly along with many others of which I am aware.

I am aware of the job situation Ohio. But my situation is a bit different from most. I am on a small pension and Social Security. I have a connection in Cleveland from whom I can get a part time job if I want/need one when I move there. With the high COL in Portland ever increasing, there is no way I can continue to survive here even with a part time job to supplement my other income.

I wish you luck in your job search. If you have a unique skill to offer, that may put you above the competition and you will have a better chance at employment.