Getting noticed and how to deal with anxiety

[mark foster]

Because of this thread (and the others from the un/under employed folks out there), I started a thread asking for stories of how people got jobs using other than the “resume/post” method.  It’s titled “How did you get that job?”.  Hopefully others will contribute and it will be of help. 

I graduated in the last great recession (1980) and it took years to land a LA job, so I know how frustrating it can be.  I remember asking some serious questions about my path in life when after 5 years of college I was back to supporting myself by painting houses and carpentry… 

If it is any comfort: From a business owner’s point of view,  I am seeing things in residential/commercial picking up.  There may be light forming at the end of this hideous tunnel……

[Boilerplater]

I’ve heard that if the application window is 2 weeks or less it typically means that they already have someone in the job or in line for it and they are just advertising to fulfill civil service requirements.

 

I recently got an email that my info was forwarded to a hiring official for a USFS job that I applied to months ago!  Can’t recall where it was located…I applied to so many of them!

[Chupacabra]

The 2-weeks thing is generally true.  There’s a bunch of clues you can sift out to tell weather or not they want people to apply.  Two other things that indicate that it is a “real” job posting are: a non-HR person’s contact number, especially if the person listed is the supervisor; if they say they will pay to move you if hired (not always the case for term positions).

 

I looked at that job posting and the short posting time makes me think they have somebody already in mind.  My guess is that it is somebody outside of the federal government that they know because they have it open to the general public as well as current fed employees.  It’s not the clearest job posting I’ve seen.  It’s usually more obvious whether or not they really want applicants.

 

However, there is a local contact number.  I’d call them with a few questions and get a feel for their reaction.  Consider asking the local person if there are many internal applicants. 

[mauiBob]

My fellow Vandals,

Let me give you a quote from one of my favorite movies: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies.” – Shawshank Redemption. I’m sure we all have our own stories to tell and others here already offered some great advice. I started out in the profession charting through rough waters! My first employer out of school wasn’t the best people to work for. Those first few months were so bad that I eventually left without giving my 2 week notice! It was either termination or I go out on my terms. And I’ve never mentioned that I worked for “them” again, not now or ever! Accepting their job offer immediately after graduation was a stepping stone for greater things to come. I encountered peaks and valleys along the way to my current dream employment. I may have gotten lucky in finding this position, but the preparation during those previous years is what helped me actually get the part. It’s tough all over…you just have to persevere and always believe in the choices you make.

 

As for your other question on standing out. This is what I did when applying for jobs. I never EVER sent out a mass type of resume and portfolio! You know what I’m talking about. I did research my target firms and what they did and only catered my portfolio around their type of projects. Do not include everything under the sun of projects you’ve worked on. I was quite selective then about where I wanted to work. In this time and economy, maybe that isn’t such a good idea now. And do remember this, sometimes you may be the best candidate…but the employer may feel you don’t fit in with their group. Life happens! Surprise…not everyone is going to personally like you. Because you are not able to freely move around, it may go against you staying in one area! However, if you truly love the city of Moscow, I think you should stay. I have traveled quite extensively and where you are geographically is as important as the position you hold. Example: I loved my job in Baltimore, but hated the East coast!

 

Treaty Grounds Brew Pub still alive? I worked there part-time nights as a line cook to pay for my rent during school. Good luck and best of all…Enjoy Life!!

[Heather Smith]

Could the Treaty Grounds be the Coeur d’ Alene Ale House now?

Good advice on not sending out mass mailings…Jon is very good at studying up on the firms he applies to…then again that takes HOURS away from paying work. Wait, it is middle of the winter in Northern Idaho…haha…not a lot of landscaping going on now.

We do love Moscow…but it is not and has never been our long range plan to do landscaping and stay here. 🙂 We want to do BIG things that have lasting impact on more then just our lives. We are learning that we have to keep our eye on why we went to school for this. We do recognize that Moscow is a better place to stay until we decide what would advance our careers. We intentionally stayed here for the quality of life as well as the ability to become licensed without working under someone else. Now Jon is licensed…so it is probably more discouraging to realize that most people around here don’t really care.  We have been spoiled…living in beautiful parts of the country and mostly college towns to boot! Missoula anyone?

Treading water is tiring.

[Heather Smith]

We know that LA may and often does involve long hours…and that clients drive the workload. Jon already has experience with this being a business owner. 🙂

I could redefine BIG to mean impact…not size of a project. We are not afraid of long hours…I am in fact not applying and as I believe it was Mark that mentioned…would be happy with part-time work at some point.

I think perhaps you are confusing what the original intent of this post was…I certainly hope I haven’t made it look like we are looking for a firm to hire us that will work around OUR schedule. 🙂 And most people do have or want to have families…this hardly stops them from being successful professionals in any field. Otherwise all doctors, nurses, military families, as well as architects, landscape architects, etc. would be childless. As far as I am concerned having a family makes us even MORE driven to succeed. We have people relying on us and are willing to make sacrifices (and did…going to school as non-traditional students) in order to offer them more then we had. In general, my classmates that were non-traditional with children were some of the best students in studio…and this pattern is repeated year after year. Additionally, when I speak of making an impact…I think that because we have children we realize personally that it is up to us to pass on a healthier planet to the next generation. For us, working for a firm/firms that deals with environmental issues would be a gift that we could give our children. Would that take some sacrifice? Sure. But most things worth anything take sacrifice.

When I mentioned having a family…I did not mean it as a negative that would hold us back. I mean it to be a positive for a firm in that we are not going to jump ship at the first sign of a job in the tropics. 🙂 Some may look at a family as a detriment…to me this equals employment stability to an employer…and most likely an employee that is going to take his/her work very seriously.

Sorry if I misread…when I read this:

Like it or not, landscape architecture, architecture, planning, etc. is not family-centric.  It is client-centric, directly or indirectly.  I’m far from an expert but have you considered a career counselor or general counselor to discuss these issues?  Perhaps you can find alternative ways of deriving satisfaction apart from landscape architecture.

My radar went off.

[Boilerplater]

Maybe it was you that I heard the 2-week thing from, Chu!  You work for the Forest Service, right?

[Heather Smith]

Yes, you are correct that providing food = success. My original post was really about looking for encouragement and we have gotten some great suggestions from this post, including from you. We are/have been successful especially considering starting our own business during the recession in a small area. We meet this standard for success.

I have no doubt that you are very passionate about landscape architecture…and so are we. This has nothing to do with family status…which is one reason why I rose to the defense of landscape architects with families. Just like I believe it was Russel mentioned feeling like a leper due to his age…I don’t want us pigeonholed because of a perception people may have about a man or woman applying for work that have a family.

I do feel that having children gives us a certain…urgency that I did not feel in my early twenties when I was foot loose and fancy free. Having children does make me see things differently then I did before…and it should.  I see you moved to a state a month after being laid off with apparently no new employment…this is generally not something a family could do. And perhaps that is a plus to some employees. We each have our strengths. So I am sorry if I offended you.

Cheers and good luck in your job hunt! Also, I hope no one will take my opinions as my husbands. I am all too aware that there is the possibility that employers could look on this site…and this makes me sensitive too. I am not making arguments against hiring single folks…I know many extremely talented LA graduates that are unmarried with no children…in fact, that is the majority. I was trying to make the argument for landscape architects with families. Again apologies for being insensitive to your own situation.

I am going to bow out of this conversation before I misspeak any further.

[mauiBob]

Read my comment in the UILA Vandal message board in regards to making money other than landscape architecture. You and nrschimd’s conversations veered off the subject. Ahh yes…the old “I wanna change the world” attitude often said from recent graduates. Been there, done that. In 10 years, ask yourself that question again. All of your goals can be accomplished right there in Moscow. You can make significant contributions in shaping the region’s future. Since I’ve been both in landscape architecture and planning…I find that I can make a greater impact in general as an urban planner. Around here, no proposed developments make it past conceptual stage without the Planning Committee’s approval. So I have more power in shaping how Maui County will look than any wimpy landscape architect. And the large scale Master plans I used to do as a team member, by the time it actually got to construction, it was so watered down that it didn’t resemble the “healthier planet” concept plan.

Now getting back to your original question of getting noticed. It’s very important for you to know that sometimes the best candidate doesn’t necessarily get the open position. Think of it like the NFL draft where teams pick based on individual need and not overall talent. When I worked in Nevada several years ago, I sat in on a few interviews the department had for an entry level position. There were several candidates who had excellent, digital samples. Sketchup, 3D studio, photoshop and some savvy web page building skills…but those were not our immediate need to fill. We already had people with those skills in the firm. And we never knew she was a single mother with 2 kids until after she was hired. Those kinds of family questions are never brought up during interviews. Most firms know that the chance an entry level person begins their career and stays there for 10 years is quite remote. This almost never happens. Don’t think a firm will hire you based on the idea you may be with them for many years, because “you have a family to support and it makes you stable”. You are watching too many Disney movies. You are “At-will” employee…meaning they can terminate you for any cause at any time. Firm loyalty is a thing of the past. The sooner you figure it out, the better.

Off the subject now, but why spend over $1k of your own money to take the LARE? Most firms and government offices pay for the cost of the first exam sitting. Or have an annual continuing educational fund where you can use it to pay for LARE, ASLA conference attendance, photoshop classes at local college or whatever you choose to do with it. It’s fantastic you are licensed early in your careers, but not really helping you obtain employment either.

Treaty Grounds was off the Pullman hwy at the edge of Moscow toward Pullman. Anyway, again good luck and Aloha!

[Chupacabra]

It may have been.  The federal hiring system is a joke for both people who want jobs and those with positions to fill. 

 

I work for another agency, not USFS.

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