Revising Resume/Job Search Woes

[Skyblade]

So, today I got a nice rejection e-mail from a company that I had gotten to through to the 2nd round of interviews with. They said they were continuing their search w/ candidates that "aligned" more with their needs. If I didn't align with their needs, then how the hell did I make it to a second interview? I even did a writing assignment for them during my 1st interview. I'm just so upset and trying not to take this personally.
I then call my bf to tell him and he says, looks like you should expand your search to LA. And I'm like, are you kidding me? He doesn't get it that it would be horrendous for me to commute to LA everyday. So we got in a little argument over that, he checks the census and finds out that theres 1,500 people in Santa Barbara that commute to LA county everday. Woopdeedoo, they are probably getting paid a lot more than I would.
So, now I'm trying to expand my search outside of my career area, marketing, to maybe do some more clerical/administrative type work since it seems thats all the temp agencies have. Do you guys have any recommendations for how to modify my resume to reflect this? I do have administrative experience, its just been a few years since I've held an "official" administrative position.

[shimmer728]

Just out of curiosity, how long would that commute be? I thought SB was like three hours from LA.

If you're going after admin. positions, I would try to play up any and all past experience on your resume--get into some details about what exactly you did at those jobs via bullet points.

[Skyblade]

Well it really depends on the time of day...getting to work wouldn't be as bad...probably about 1.5 hours.....getting home is a whole other story though.

[winneythepooh7]

Commuting that far seems ridiculous to me Sky, especially if it's by car. When I drove up the coast from LA to SB it seemed like we were in the car for a really LONG time.

[shimmer728]

I also think a commute that long is crap. I know of a guy in Bedford who commutes 2.5-3 hours a day to work in D.C. I guess he makes good money, but why the hell would you want to do that?

ETA: 2.5-3 hours each WAY.

[WeirdBrake]

I also think a commute that long is crap. I know of a guy in Bedford who commutes 2.5-3 hours a day to work in D.C. I guess he makes good money, but why the hell would you want to do that?

ETA: 2.5-3 hours each WAY.

Holy crap! Not if you tied my dick to your tailpipe and drove me 80mph naked across a field of broken glass.

[shimmer728]

Holy crap! Not if you tied my dick to your tailpipe and drove me 80mph naked across a field of broken glass.

I know, I can never wrap my mind around it, either.

[Skyblade]

Yeah, I don't get why he thinks its feasible. My bf is originally from Philly and thinks that everyone in California is lazy because they don't commute that far. He says everyone back east commutes that far. I don't know if I really believe him. He tells me people commute from Philly to New York all the time.
Even so though, California doesn't have the public transportation that they have back east.
This whole job search thing is really bugging me.

[shimmer728]

I have never heard of people having long commutes like that in the Philly area. I know the guy who commutes to D.C. from south-central PA is NOT the norm.

[bridgetjones]

I know people that have long commutes. Personally I hate commuting. It will suck the life out of you if the job does not. If I had to move to shorten a commute I would. Heck location is important when selecting a job. Would you consider moving to LA?

[lilyflower]

Yeah, I don't get why he thinks its feasible. My bf is originally from Philly and thinks that everyone in California is lazy because they don't commute that far. He says everyone back east commutes that far. I don't know if I really believe him. He tells me people commute from Philly to New York all the time.
Even so though, California doesn't have the public transportation that they have back east.
This whole job search thing is really bugging me.

Um, what planet is he living on? Yes, we may have long commutes on the east coast but the biggest for most people (aside from crazy people who commute from South Central PA to DC - which is so insane, my GOD) is like an hour and a half.

Three hours? Hmm, I guess that's what a commute to a job in the King of Prussia area outside of Philly would be for me. I'd move first.

Actually, if I DIDN'T move I'd probably have had a 3.5 hour commute each way to my current job - after I landed it, I was moving out here regardless but the relocation helped immensely.

[lilyflower]

Oh, and re: the whole Philly to NYC thing. There may be ONE person that does that. Yes, people DO live in PA and commute to NYC every day (which is also insane) but they usually live in either the Poconos or the Bethlehem/Easton area , both of which are JUST across the state line. (Oh and those commutes have to easily be over 2 hours each way.)

[labrat2111]

Yeah a 3 hour commute is way too long. Back where my parents live we have neighbors and the wife used to commute 2+ hours one way each day on the bus to NYC because she worked in the fashion industry and made a lot of money. Even so I thought it was nutty then and I still do although she stopped it after they paid down their mortgage (plus she got bonked on the head by a piece of a billboard that peeled off and fell) so she could get a local job.

So unless you're making big bucks it will be a horrible thing to spend 6 hours a day in your car in traffic plus the horrendous cost of gas. Plus spending that much time away from home is going to tire and wear you out and put a big strain on your relationship too because you agreed with his bad advice. Stand up for yourself and tell him it is a bad idea.