Yet Another Career/Life Question
February 14, 2019 10:26 AM Subscribe
I'm frustrated with my job options and not sure where to go from here. Advice?
Apologies ahead of time for the block of text. I recently moved back to the U.S. and I'm temporarily living the city where I would ideally like to stay for the next few years.
Pros: I have close friends here (multiple! in the same city!), and housing is affordable! I might not have to live with Craigslist roommates!
Cons: I just finished grad school and I'm looking for jobs vaguely related to my field (immigration paralegal/international student advising/study abroad advising/jobs related to visas, etc.). There are a very limited number of these jobs in this city, especially for someone who doesn't have previous experience doing those EXACT jobs.
Complications: There are no internships available for these types of jobs, and I haven't gotten a response from the part-time/temporary jobs in these fields. I stopped job searching every morning because it seems I've applied to all the relevant jobs currently available. I'm also not getting interviews for the few jobs I find. I've tried working with staffing agencies, and they seem excited at first, but then some drop off the face of the earth, some offer jobs that last only 4 days, and none offer me jobs even close to any of the jobs I'm considering (they post ads for the jobs I want, but I think they may be dummy postings to get more applicants). Another complication is that I am passionate about a specific cause that I have a lot of previous volunteer/internship experience with, and sometimes interviewers ask me if maybe what I REALLY want is a job in THAT field? No. I don't, but I include those experiences on my resume because they require job skills that are highly relevant to the jobs I'm seeking. However, hiring managers always tell me that because the job tasks were not the EXACT SAME tasks in the EXACT SAME office environment as the jobs I'm seeking, they will not count as previous experience.
I just got pretty far in the interview process for a job in New York that was not really related to my field, and as interested as I was in the organization, I was VERY relieved that I don't have to move to New York - so I do know for sure that this city is where I want to be. However, my worry is that if I stay here I'll kill my career.
I have 2 weeks left in the apartment where I'm staying, and after that I see 2 options:
1) Get minimum wage job, sublet an apartment here for the next few months so I can do in-person interviews more easily, and hope to God there are more listings for jobs related to my field in this city in that time frame.
2) Put my career goals before my life goals, give up on this city in particular, move back in with my parents in a flyover state, and apply to jobs in a variety of cities that I am less thrilled about. (Note: Last time I applied for jobs from my parents' house, interviewers in other parts of the country sometimes thought I wasn't "ready" or "sure I wanted" to leave the flyover state. Interviewers make a lot of incorrect assumptions about what I want, for reasons not apparent to me.)
My question: If I pick option 1 and I don't find any jobs I want in the next few months, is that going to be a huge career misstep? Will potential employers see me as unhireable because I worked at a cafe/whatever for 6 months after graduation? What do I do? Advice appreciated.
Apologies ahead of time for the block of text. I recently moved back to the U.S. and I'm temporarily living the city where I would ideally like to stay for the next few years.
Pros: I have close friends here (multiple! in the same city!), and housing is affordable! I might not have to live with Craigslist roommates!
Cons: I just finished grad school and I'm looking for jobs vaguely related to my field (immigration paralegal/international student advising/study abroad advising/jobs related to visas, etc.). There are a very limited number of these jobs in this city, especially for someone who doesn't have previous experience doing those EXACT jobs.
Complications: There are no internships available for these types of jobs, and I haven't gotten a response from the part-time/temporary jobs in these fields. I stopped job searching every morning because it seems I've applied to all the relevant jobs currently available. I'm also not getting interviews for the few jobs I find. I've tried working with staffing agencies, and they seem excited at first, but then some drop off the face of the earth, some offer jobs that last only 4 days, and none offer me jobs even close to any of the jobs I'm considering (they post ads for the jobs I want, but I think they may be dummy postings to get more applicants). Another complication is that I am passionate about a specific cause that I have a lot of previous volunteer/internship experience with, and sometimes interviewers ask me if maybe what I REALLY want is a job in THAT field? No. I don't, but I include those experiences on my resume because they require job skills that are highly relevant to the jobs I'm seeking. However, hiring managers always tell me that because the job tasks were not the EXACT SAME tasks in the EXACT SAME office environment as the jobs I'm seeking, they will not count as previous experience.
I just got pretty far in the interview process for a job in New York that was not really related to my field, and as interested as I was in the organization, I was VERY relieved that I don't have to move to New York - so I do know for sure that this city is where I want to be. However, my worry is that if I stay here I'll kill my career.
I have 2 weeks left in the apartment where I'm staying, and after that I see 2 options:
1) Get minimum wage job, sublet an apartment here for the next few months so I can do in-person interviews more easily, and hope to God there are more listings for jobs related to my field in this city in that time frame.
2) Put my career goals before my life goals, give up on this city in particular, move back in with my parents in a flyover state, and apply to jobs in a variety of cities that I am less thrilled about. (Note: Last time I applied for jobs from my parents' house, interviewers in other parts of the country sometimes thought I wasn't "ready" or "sure I wanted" to leave the flyover state. Interviewers make a lot of incorrect assumptions about what I want, for reasons not apparent to me.)
My question: If I pick option 1 and I don't find any jobs I want in the next few months, is that going to be a huge career misstep? Will potential employers see me as unhireable because I worked at a cafe/whatever for 6 months after graduation? What do I do? Advice appreciated.
Potential employers are extremely unlikely to think less of you because you had to take a temporary job right after graduation. If you've gotten flack in the past for living in a small place (really? that's totally shitty) then living in Bigcity and having a crap job might look better to them.
I will note that often, especially for academic jobs, you might have a hard time starting in a bigger city with really good schools. I've got a friend in what sounds like it's either your field or one very closely related (working with international students), and the only job she was able to find was at a tiny little school in a tiny little town in a big rural state. She's hoping she can make that experience to get a job in a different, bigger, university in a less tiny part of the country but it's been a couple of years now and she hasn't had any luck with that yet.
Try not to worry about ruining your entire life with a misstep or whatever. You're at the beginning of your career, there's plenty of time to screw up and correct course later.
It may well be that you'll need to leave the city you're currently in if you want to pursue your career, but you might as well grab a temporary job for now and stay in that city for a time. It won't hurt you if you find a job elsewhere, including in not ideal states and/or small towns, and it might help you if there are jobs to be found in bigcity.
posted by sotonohito at 10:40 AM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
I will note that often, especially for academic jobs, you might have a hard time starting in a bigger city with really good schools. I've got a friend in what sounds like it's either your field or one very closely related (working with international students), and the only job she was able to find was at a tiny little school in a tiny little town in a big rural state. She's hoping she can make that experience to get a job in a different, bigger, university in a less tiny part of the country but it's been a couple of years now and she hasn't had any luck with that yet.
Try not to worry about ruining your entire life with a misstep or whatever. You're at the beginning of your career, there's plenty of time to screw up and correct course later.
It may well be that you'll need to leave the city you're currently in if you want to pursue your career, but you might as well grab a temporary job for now and stay in that city for a time. It won't hurt you if you find a job elsewhere, including in not ideal states and/or small towns, and it might help you if there are jobs to be found in bigcity.
posted by sotonohito at 10:40 AM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
Why is it that you think you're having trouble getting hired in jobs you want, or jobs adjacent to what you want/any job the temp agencies actually have, where you are now? Because I think that is going to tell you the right course of action here.
Are there just not a lot of jobs that deal with immigration, international travel, etc. in your area? Do you live somewhere without a significant immigrant community, companies don't tend to hire people on visas, far from the nearest international airport (so low international business travel/not a lot of multinational firms), or where there isn't really an ethos of stuff like study abroad and attracting international students? In that case, I do think leaving where you are now is probably going to make a difference for you, even if you like living there and have local friends. Some places just aren't good for the kind of career one wants to pursue. I love the Bay Area and have friends and family there, but I work in the entertainment industry, and there just aren't enough jobs in my specific niche. So I live in Los Angeles and visit San Francisco when I can.
Are you a new grad without a ton of qualifications, in a sea of other new grads all competing for entry level jobs in a smallish city? In that case, I don't think you need to leave town if you absolutely love it there, but you may need to either get additional qualifications and experience, or shift the specificity of jobs you'd consider. Could you get a paralegal or legal secretary job in some firm, any firm, and then after a year or so start applying for immigration paralegal jobs as they come up? It might be worth scheduling a meeting at the temp agency to talk seriously about what jobs you are qualified for and how to be a more attractive candidate for the jobs they have. Also, language skills are often a huge qualification for immigration law jobs. Could something like that be holding you back?
I think leaving your area for another city with more jobs might be counterproductive if the reason you're not getting the jobs in your city is that you're not considered qualified for them. Meanwhile, if there just aren't really any jobs in your area where you live, leaving would be the right option.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 12:33 PM on February 14, 2019
Are there just not a lot of jobs that deal with immigration, international travel, etc. in your area? Do you live somewhere without a significant immigrant community, companies don't tend to hire people on visas, far from the nearest international airport (so low international business travel/not a lot of multinational firms), or where there isn't really an ethos of stuff like study abroad and attracting international students? In that case, I do think leaving where you are now is probably going to make a difference for you, even if you like living there and have local friends. Some places just aren't good for the kind of career one wants to pursue. I love the Bay Area and have friends and family there, but I work in the entertainment industry, and there just aren't enough jobs in my specific niche. So I live in Los Angeles and visit San Francisco when I can.
Are you a new grad without a ton of qualifications, in a sea of other new grads all competing for entry level jobs in a smallish city? In that case, I don't think you need to leave town if you absolutely love it there, but you may need to either get additional qualifications and experience, or shift the specificity of jobs you'd consider. Could you get a paralegal or legal secretary job in some firm, any firm, and then after a year or so start applying for immigration paralegal jobs as they come up? It might be worth scheduling a meeting at the temp agency to talk seriously about what jobs you are qualified for and how to be a more attractive candidate for the jobs they have. Also, language skills are often a huge qualification for immigration law jobs. Could something like that be holding you back?
I think leaving your area for another city with more jobs might be counterproductive if the reason you're not getting the jobs in your city is that you're not considered qualified for them. Meanwhile, if there just aren't really any jobs in your area where you live, leaving would be the right option.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 12:33 PM on February 14, 2019
Penguin48: "I recently moved back to the U.S. and I'm temporarily living the city where I would ideally like to stay for the next few years."
Penguin48: "I just finished grad school and I'm looking for jobs vaguely related to my field"
So you went to grad school outside the US? That might be a red flag for employers -- "Penguin48 doesn't understand the way we do things here," etc.
Generally, I think you'll get more useful advice if you're more explicit about what you went to grad school for and what your field is.
posted by crazy with stars at 1:14 PM on February 14, 2019
Penguin48: "I just finished grad school and I'm looking for jobs vaguely related to my field"
So you went to grad school outside the US? That might be a red flag for employers -- "Penguin48 doesn't understand the way we do things here," etc.
Generally, I think you'll get more useful advice if you're more explicit about what you went to grad school for and what your field is.
posted by crazy with stars at 1:14 PM on February 14, 2019
I can't comment on your specific industry, but whenever I've been job-hunting, I've always found it easier to get interviews if I am actually living in the place where the job is. From the employer's point of view, they have 300 resumes, and eliminating the people who don't already live there is an easy way to make the pile smaller. If you were a more senior applicant or had the exact experience requested, that might not be the case. But when you're competing against a lot of other junior applicants, being local will help.
I also can't tell from your question whether you are trying to do any networking. You have friends in your small city so you should be asking them if they know anybody who works at company X or academic institution Y. Also not just your friends but anybody your friends know-- relatives, co-workers, etc. Having even a tenuous connection will up your chances of actually getting an interview.
posted by tuesdayschild at 1:50 PM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
I also can't tell from your question whether you are trying to do any networking. You have friends in your small city so you should be asking them if they know anybody who works at company X or academic institution Y. Also not just your friends but anybody your friends know-- relatives, co-workers, etc. Having even a tenuous connection will up your chances of actually getting an interview.
posted by tuesdayschild at 1:50 PM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: To answer your questions: I went to highly-ranked grad school for immigration, and I'm looking for jobs vaguely related to immigration i.e. immigration paralegal, international student advising, study abroad advising, government jobs related to visas, etc. I have years of experience working with refugees and doing legal forms like citizenship forms. A master's degree is sometimes preferred, but not required for most of these jobs. Maybe I'm simultaneously overqualified because of the degree, but underqualified because my experience is in a different sub-field of immigration? I'm in Chicago. I really expected there to be more immigration-related job postings after the holidays, but there's still not a lot. I don't speak Spanish, and that's the only language, if any, I ever see required on job postings here. I'm starting to wonder if the only two places I can go in this career are NY or DC, and I don't want to move to either city.
posted by Penguin48 at 2:41 PM on February 14, 2019
posted by Penguin48 at 2:41 PM on February 14, 2019
If you look at the people who have the jobs you want (eg on LinkedIn), what are their work history and qualifications? This will give you a sense of how far away you are from that. I suspect that not being able to speak Spanish fluently will be a hindrance. Do you have any languages other than English? If so, you might be better looking at an area where people who are native speakers of that language typically immigrate to.
In terms of people needing help with immigration paperwork, then your best bet is cities with lots of immigrant. I would guess New York, Miami, Los Angeles but there will probably be others.
On the other hand for international student advising or study abroad advising, then any reasonably prestigious university or college might have jobs. Good locations would be Boston, DC, New York, but there will be others. Chicago maybe, but I'd have thought the main options would be UChicago or Northwestern.
Finally, government jobs related to visas means federal government, so you should be looking at USA jobs. There are probably jobs in DC and in the visa processing centers which in a small number of locations are across the country (California, Texas, Vermont and Nebraska).
posted by plonkee at 3:06 PM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
In terms of people needing help with immigration paperwork, then your best bet is cities with lots of immigrant. I would guess New York, Miami, Los Angeles but there will probably be others.
On the other hand for international student advising or study abroad advising, then any reasonably prestigious university or college might have jobs. Good locations would be Boston, DC, New York, but there will be others. Chicago maybe, but I'd have thought the main options would be UChicago or Northwestern.
Finally, government jobs related to visas means federal government, so you should be looking at USA jobs. There are probably jobs in DC and in the visa processing centers which in a small number of locations are across the country (California, Texas, Vermont and Nebraska).
posted by plonkee at 3:06 PM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Your post reminds me so much of where I was when I came back from abroad that I finally made a MeFi account. I've since been in the field of education abroad for a little over 10 years, and let me say that it is a bit of being in the right place at the right time. Being willing to move would dramatically open up your options, but Chicago should have opportunities opening up regularly as long as you have the patience to wait (and maybe do something tangentially related to keep building experience in the meantime).
As far as the looking in the right places piece, are you searching NAFSA jobs, the Forum on Education Abroad's job site, and subscribed to the SECUSS-L listserv? Those are the most common places for both study abroad and international student advising jobs to be posted. NAFSA is showing that currently a coordinator position is open in what appears to greater Chicago. The challenge is that I see that position, like many similar, is looking for some experience working at a university. If you had an assistantship during your graduate program be sure to highlight it. If you don't have that kind of experience, you might want to consider applying for any intro-level staff job at a university near you just to get that higher ed office experience and then pouncing on any international-related positions you see.
The other recommendation I'd make is something I saw in our most recent round of hiring. In addition to a cover letter and resume/CV, several of the applicants included a chart listing all of the requirements for the position and how their experience fit for each one. I know it caused people to be ranked much higher than they would have been otherwise simply from having something very clear to evaluate . At my university, if a person doesn't meet all of the minimum requirements, they are ineligible. So, as you are applying, be as clear as possible about how you are meeting requirements to make sure that something small isn't causing you to be dropped from consideration.
posted by past unusual at 1:01 PM on February 15, 2019 [1 favorite]
As far as the looking in the right places piece, are you searching NAFSA jobs, the Forum on Education Abroad's job site, and subscribed to the SECUSS-L listserv? Those are the most common places for both study abroad and international student advising jobs to be posted. NAFSA is showing that currently a coordinator position is open in what appears to greater Chicago. The challenge is that I see that position, like many similar, is looking for some experience working at a university. If you had an assistantship during your graduate program be sure to highlight it. If you don't have that kind of experience, you might want to consider applying for any intro-level staff job at a university near you just to get that higher ed office experience and then pouncing on any international-related positions you see.
The other recommendation I'd make is something I saw in our most recent round of hiring. In addition to a cover letter and resume/CV, several of the applicants included a chart listing all of the requirements for the position and how their experience fit for each one. I know it caused people to be ranked much higher than they would have been otherwise simply from having something very clear to evaluate . At my university, if a person doesn't meet all of the minimum requirements, they are ineligible. So, as you are applying, be as clear as possible about how you are meeting requirements to make sure that something small isn't causing you to be dropped from consideration.
posted by past unusual at 1:01 PM on February 15, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by Penguin48 at 10:34 AM on February 14, 2019 [1 favorite]