What do you do when there aren't any jobs available?

[Kim-n-Dean]

The custom home market in Colorado has completely disappeared! I've contacted four job services specializing in Architect/Engineering type stuff and they have zero leads. The on-line job searches return, "sorry, no matches for your criteria." Not even a simple drafting position (which I would gladly take!!)

Anyone have a janitor position open? I'm not kidding!!

It's been a year since my last gig and it's time to start shitting a brick!!

[Kristen87]

Take a lonnnngggg vacation out of country maybe Europe or Asia. Have fun and enjoy it while it last.

[Devaclis]

I started going online to make money. Selling stuff on eGay and Craigslist. I looked all over for deals, bought stuff cheap, fixed it, polished it, got it working, then sold it online. Hell, I still do that for supplemental income.

You are great with technical stuff. Think of something easy that you know how to fix that most people do not. Sell that ability. It does work. Just think simple.

[64BonnieLass]

I'm looking for a pool boy.

Dean, the jobs are scarce for many people I know. Check indeed.com as well as other boards. Go through the yellow pages, and call every darn recruiting company in town and see who specializes in engineering. Get a point of contact and get your resume in. Then call your list of recruiters weekly. Do you have a good resume posted?

[SOCAL4LIFE!!]

Thats a tough industry to be in. You may want to look into other parts of the country for short term stuff. I know there are some places that need custom homes. Work there a bit and keep your eyes open back here.

[DorJammer]

Drafting positions

I work for a local manufacturer of tepered insulation, we posted 2 jobs 6 months ago.

over 3000 applicants were recieved in the next 3 days

We now have 2 architects doing drafting

perhaps east colfax?

[Kim-n-Dean]

Take a lonnnngggg vacation out of country maybe Europe or Asia. Have fun and enjoy it while it last.

That's a great idea! Too bad I spent all my money during the last year trying to survive.

I started going online to make money. Selling stuff on eGay and Craigslist. I looked all over for deals, bought stuff cheap, fixed it, polished it, got it working, then sold it online. Hell, I still do that for supplemental income.

You are great with technical stuff. Think of something easy that you know how to fix that most people do not. Sell that ability. It does work. Just think simple.

Hmmm, that does give me an idea...

I'm looking for a pool boy.

Dean, the jobs are scarce for many people I know. Check indeed.com as well as other boards. Go through the yellow pages, and call every darn recruiting company in town and see who specializes in engineering. Get a point of contact and get your resume in. Then call your list of recruiters weekly. Do you have a good resume posted?

I've been doing all that. ...and what's a good resume? All the recruiters tell me to not send a cover sheet. So that just leaves a simple list of jobs I've done.

Thats a tough industry to be in. You may want to look into other parts of the country for short term stuff. I know there are some places that need custom homes. Work there a bit and keep your eyes open back here.

If I wasn't married or hated my wife, that would already be done.

Drafting positions

I work for a local manufacturer of tepered insulation, we posted 2 jobs 6 months ago.

over 3000 applicants were recieved in the next 3 days

We now have 2 architects doing drafting

That's exactly what I'm talking about!!

[asp_125]

Dean, try contacting construction companies. It may not be A&E but civil / structural work is not a stretch. As well CDOT & gubbmint agencies.

[64BonnieLass]

Email it to me Dean. You should already have my email addy. Cover letters are a thing of the past IMO. With the flood of resumes people receive, nobody cares about the blah blah on a cover letter. They are usually unread.

On a side note, if you know anything about simple pipes and drywall, I would pay you to handle a little problem I have. I could probably do it myself, but I don't like pipes, nor do I enjoy drywall.

[Devaclis]

Today is not a day to let pride get in the way of making money.

[Nick_Ninja]

Today is not a day to let pride get in the way of making money.

"Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale." --- ZZ

[sprtbkbabe]

Thought about farming marijuana? Ya got a greenbelt behind the house right? Its what all the kids are doing

[Kim-n-Dean]

Dean, try contacting construction companies. It may not be A&E but civil / structural work is not a stretch. As well CDOT & gubbmint agencies.

I've done tons of civil and structural. I've looked everywhere I know to look. That's why I'm looking for suggestions/ideas on here.

Email it to me Dean.

I'll sends it to ya.

On a side note, if you know anything about simple pipes and drywall, I would pay you to handle a little problem I have. I could probably do it myself, but I don't like pipes, nor do I enjoy drywall.

I do all that stuff myself too. I would need a ton of small jobs like this to make it pay. I would rather just come over and help you out. I only started charging for tires because it got out of hand when I was doing it for free! Call me, we'll see what ya got and I'll start to learn how to charge my friends.

Today is not a day to let pride get in the way of making money.

No pride here. Hand me a broom!!

[Cap'n Crunch]

Hey Dean - I work in the CAD field – but in commercial construction rather than residential. Things are really slow on the commercial side also, but if I hear of anything CAD related, I’ll shoot you a PM. A year ago I could have pointed you to 4 or 5 places that were looking for someone with your skill set – that’s just not the case anymore. Hopefully things will turn around soon. Good Luck!

[64BonnieLass]

haha, if I charged my friends for the amount of CSC resumes I've redone, I could pay bills for six months. I don't like doing it though.

[Kim-n-Dean]

Hey Dean - I work in the CAD field – but in commercial construction rather than residential. Things are really slow on the commercial side also, but if I hear of anything CAD related, I’ll shoot you a PM. A year ago I could have pointed you to 4 or 5 places that were looking for someone with your skill set – that’s just not the case anymore. Hopefully things will turn around soon. Good Luck!

Thanks, I appreciate that!

I guess I held on too long. There were a few times that things looked like they were going to turn around, but nothing ever panned out. I had a few offers for office jobs during that time and turned them down.

Hind sight... it's a mother fucker!!

[*GSXR~SNAIL*]

Dean-

Have you tried http://www.usajobs.gov/ for government type jobs? I'm guessing you have, but if not it may be worth a look.

Good luck.

[~Barn~]

Thursday the 17th.
11:00 to 2:00.
Crowne Plaza

Dress Sharply, be humble but confident, and before the conversation is over, make sure you already have your onsight interview scheduled with them! After you have as many follow-up interviews inked, as you've targeted, bounce.

Before you leave, return to the booths that you spoke to, and thank the people again, by name, for talking to you; explaining that you're going, but also that you're looking forward to "Next Monday", or whenever you're going in next. The most important thing to them, is be remembered as somebody who was friendly, real, and eager, and your 2nd interview will already have the table set for success.

You honestly can knock out sooo many competing candidates by doing those things (and of course knowing your shit). G'luck man.

[PhL0aTeR]

I started going online to make money. Selling stuff on eGay and Craigslist. I looked all over for deals, bought stuff cheap, fixed it, polished it, got it working, then sold it online. Hell, I still do that for supplemental income.

I remember when the "dollar tree" first opened up when i was living in texas.... i popped in and they had some good shit on sale... what really caught my attention were mongoose bicycle parts. they had a ton of gel bike seats (not just the pads, but the whole seat!) frame mounted air pumps, pedals, etc...

I spent about $40 on everything there, took it home and turned out over a grand in profit on ebay. unfortunately their next shipment of crap was all garbage.

[RajunCajun]

Like everyone else said, that industry is SUPER tough! I pretty much gave up on engineering. I'm waiting on results of a test to allow me to substitute teach in CA. I have a couple contacts out here that are teachers and will try to get me on as many preferred sub lists as they can in their schools. Pays $120/day in most districts in CA. Also, I'm talking a licensing course to sell life insurance. I know it sounds weird, but I actually know people doing quite well at it, and I'm talking 6 figures within the first 2 years, even in this economy. Pluss, it will give me some sales experienc in case I decide to try to get out of a desk and into engineering sales with my degree. Anyway, I just figured I'd have to think outside the box cuz there were 0 interviews inside the dammned box, ya know.

[asp_125]

I'll keep my eyes/ears open at work. We are a major EPCM and if they ever lift the hiring freeze there may be some civil work. Are you a designer or PE?

[TFOGGuys]

You could always join the Border Patrol...

[sky_blue]

Mr. Sky_Blue is also a CAD guy looking for work. Civil Designer. We're up in the Fort and there is just *nothing* in the way of leads...

[Kim-n-Dean]

Like everyone else said, that industry is SUPER tough! I pretty much gave up on engineering. I'm waiting on results of a test to allow me to substitute teach in CA. I have a couple contacts out here that are teachers and will try to get me on as many preferred sub lists as they can in their schools. Pays $120/day in most districts in CA. Also, I'm talking a licensing course to sell life insurance. I know it sounds weird, but I actually know people doing quite well at it, and I'm talking 6 figures within the first 2 years, even in this economy. Pluss, it will give me some sales experienc in case I decide to try to get out of a desk and into engineering sales with my degree. Anyway, I just figured I'd have to think outside the box cuz there were 0 interviews inside the dammned box, ya know.

My brother did the insurance thing for a few years. He was making $1,000/day on good days until the bottom fell out of that. He hasn't done it in over two years. This is back East, though.

I'll keep my eyes/ears open at work. We are a major EPCM and if they ever lift the hiring freeze there may be some civil work. Are you a designer or PE?

I'm an architect not an engineer, so that would put me in the "designer" catagory. I've held many designer/draftsman positions for engineering firms.

If my last job was an architectural job, the engineer doesn't want to hire me. If the last job was engineering, the architect doesn't want to hire me. It's all lines and circles and text when you're drawing with a computer. Why can't they see that?