Lots of irons in the fire, but no offers yet

[jrwilheim]

Okay...I've been sending out a lot of cold letters, and have managed to get a few irons in the fire, but no actual offers as of yet, which is making me REALLY, REALLY anxious as my unemployment runs out this week:

1) An office manager position, assisting a financial planner. Pay would be $40,000. I figured the position was mine when I got invited back for a second interview to meet the other members of his staff, but he told me he had invited 9 other people back (though he also told me I was at the forefront).

2) A position handling correspondence and other admin work for a financial planning firm, which is still deciding whether to do a full hire or take someone on on a consulting basis. It's not clear where I stand on their list of potential hires, but when I followed up last week, the person I spoke to did make a point of asking about my availability. No clear indication what the pay would be on either a hire or a consulting basis.

3) A position in the legal/compliance department of a mutual fund company. I really want to get out of legal, but this might be a good transition, since the hours are essentially 9-5 (unlike my previous paralegal jobs), and the people seem nice. I interviewed there Thurs--they're looking to have someone start probably after the 1st of the year. They seemed as if they were trying to sell me on the job, which is always a good sign.

4) A financial planner who may need an assistant is considering taking me on part-time starting in January, eventually to full-time as his business expands. He and his wife, whom I also met, will be discussing among themselves whether the business can support taking someone on, but there's no one else in the running for this if they can hire someone.

5) Another cold letter of mine landed across the desk of someone who was considering replacing his assistant. He decided not to, but he passed me on to a couple of other people in his office who need assistants, and I've met with one. Again, nothing definite here, but a strong possibility.

ARGH...Why won't someone JUST HIRE ME already?

[WorkInProgress]

All I can do is sympathize...and believe me, I do. But...Good luck! It sounds like you're looking at some real possibilities...keep us updated!

[winneythepooh7]

I don't have any advice either except to keep at it. Keep sending out resumes, keep going on interviews, keep networking. The best thing is not to get your heart settled on a specific job because it may not work out. The best thing is having multiple options, which it sounds like you have.......

[AshleyJordan]

I agree with the other posters to keep on truckin', and I know how nerve-wracking your situation is, believe me. Since your unemployment is running out very soon, have you considered a stopgap job in retail or waiting on tables, maybe? Since it's the holiday season, there are a lot of postings in the NYC stores I frequent for those sorts of jobs, and at least you'd have some money coming in, and probably enough time off during the business day that you could still schedule interviews. Think of it as something for the short-term.

[yankeeyosh]

Originally Posted by AshleyJordan

I agree with the other posters to keep on truckin', and I know how nerve-wracking your situation is, believe me. Since your unemployment is running out very soon, have you considered a stopgap job in retail or waiting on tables, maybe? Since it's the holiday season, there are a lot of postings in the NYC stores I frequent for those sorts of jobs, and at least you'd have some money coming in, and probably enough time off during the business day that you could still schedule interviews. Think of it as something for the short-term.

Agreed. You can get a job at Macy*s or another department store very easily this time of year (and as AJ said, usually you'll have some time during the day to look). It sucks, and I wish you the best of luck, but fortunately, this time of year, there are a lot of so-called "stopgap" positions available that will help you stem the tide.