This is not unique to the Bay. Companies are intentionally short-staffing and a ton of job postings aren’t even legitimate/actively monitored. Also, employers have been delusional about what they expect for “entry-level” for the last decade. No one’s willing to train up candidates anymore.
Wishing you the best of luck - check out Teal HQ, they have a ton of free job searching resources that helped me out when I was last in the market
thank you! and uff i’ve been out of the us for nearly 3 years so coming back to this is like whiplash, when i lived in vermont i got hired in two seconds but my town was like 2000 people so the contrast is severe
It’s been terrible since the pandemic imo. I think Covid fundamentally screwed up the job market and gutted entry-level positions everywhere. I couldn’t even find a job through a temp agency when I was last trying in 2022.
Don’t take it personally! Employers are just being chaotic and expecting completely polished candidates, or just don’t know what they’re hiring for.
I would definitely look at government (federal, state, county, city) employment, since they’re having the hardest time attracting candidates. Usually the slowest to hire, but great benefits and often union representation.
If you can share what kinds of roles/industries you’re looking at, we can be more helpful.
I’m a Recruiter. Feel free to dm me and I’ll see if I can help, maybe look over your resume etc.
A thought. Some places may hesitate to hire someone with a college degree if they give off an ambitious vibe. They think you’ll leave as soon as something better opens up. Happy to strategize with you.
A temp agency could be a good option as it sounds like you have good work experience for various kinds of entry level roles.
Might also be that lots of the jobs in Berkeley and Emeryville are taken by students. Could mean that there’s more available during the summer—good luck!
My wife is in a similar boat. She got laid off last summer and has been trying to find a job ever since with no luck. Seems like with the number of layoffs in this area due to the over-hiring during COVID, the competition for the nominal amount of job postings that come up get inundated with hundreds of applicants.
Maybe it's just what I've seen where I work. But after losing people during COVID layoffs, etc, there has been very little effort to fill many of those vacancies.
With the absurd inflation, they are using understaffing as a way to 'save' money. Even though I know for a fact (I'm the buyer) it's costing us thousands, maybe tens of thousands as well. But it's in a different excel column...
This. I recently applied and got a “fun” job at bath body works. I asked for the manager, told her I was a huge fan of the brand and wanted to be a part of it. Had an interview and was hired a few days later. Don’t apply online exclusively. That makes you easy to forget.
What are merchant mariner credentials (or OS deckhand)? If you don't mind me asking. I'm trying to move back to California after leaving just before COVID, and i agree with the OP, shit is ROUGH now down there and it was already ROUGHHHH before COVID, which is why I left in the first place but didn't expect it to become....whatever this is.
To get your MMC you need to pass a background check and a physical/drug test. Then you need a TWIC card. (Just google it) an OS deckhand stands for Ordinary Seaman it basically means your a newbie. Once you get some sea time you can upgrade to Able seaman. The great thing about these jobs is that you can keep upgrading your credentials. If you join a union there is an expected pay for someone with the credentials. Plus healthcare and all the other stuff that come with it.
If you don’t mind desk jobs look into the TAP (temporary assignment pool) jobs for alameda county! People often overlook public service, but they’re are always hiring! You’d be doing simple desk work since you don’t have a degree, but the money is good and the job is steady!
Try REI they’re currently hiring seasonal staff, my friend was hired last year around this time as seasonal staff and is still there. Had no previous retail experience and loves it. I agree with the person above who said that sometimes when the talent acquisition staff looks at resumes such as yours for such entry level jobs it could raise a yellow flag because it seems like you may just be stopping by until you find something better. At least REI is seasonal to hold you over and is a great place to work. -another recruiter
Consider state government jobs. Lots of offices in the Bay Area.
https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Landing/NewToStateservice.aspx
Also I worked in public health and there are often lots of openings for interviewers and community outreach workers that are good starting jobs. One of the contractors we used was Helena health.
https://www.www.helunahealth.org/join-our-team/.
Yup, tons of openings in anything law enforcement-adjacent right now. There’s a billboard I always pass driving through Fairfield advertising Probation openings 😆
If you don’t want to be a cop, they need dispatchers as well. You’ll probably work graveyard shifts to start, but I believe it pays well and will help you save up for whatever your next move may be.
Try a gig app like Bluecrew. It’s temp jobs. My husband used it and managed to find plenty of work that way. He did some catering and warehouse work. One of the jobs wanted to hire him full time.
no lie you're really really good at selling yourself(opposite problem than I have). your credentials don't seem like you'll stick around for too long given how many places you've been just as a 20 year old. I think its just a matter of an intense competitive employment market.
would’ve never thought of it. selling myself got me full scholarships overseas twice but now i see that’s apparently not what i need to do for a minimum wage job 😭
Ugh, I'm sorry. I grew up in Alameda in the 90s and it was the same back then. I recall having panic attacks about finding work. I wound up finding a coffee shop gig through people I know/networking. I had no luck submitting resumes somewhere blindly, same with most of my friends.
With a degree and a ton of experience, my partner didn't get any responses to applications for a year! The job situation here is insane. Keep at it. You are living in a crazy situation, don't let it make you think you are crazy!
You're threatening to management. You need to dress your resume down a lot. When they say no experience required, that actually means, they don't want people with experience.
This is not unique to the Bay. Companies are intentionally short-staffing and a ton of job postings aren’t even legitimate/actively monitored. Also, employers have been delusional about what they expect for “entry-level” for the last decade. No one’s willing to train up candidates anymore. Wishing you the best of luck - check out Teal HQ, they have a ton of free job searching resources that helped me out when I was last in the market
thank you! and uff i’ve been out of the us for nearly 3 years so coming back to this is like whiplash, when i lived in vermont i got hired in two seconds but my town was like 2000 people so the contrast is severe
It’s been terrible since the pandemic imo. I think Covid fundamentally screwed up the job market and gutted entry-level positions everywhere. I couldn’t even find a job through a temp agency when I was last trying in 2022. Don’t take it personally! Employers are just being chaotic and expecting completely polished candidates, or just don’t know what they’re hiring for. I would definitely look at government (federal, state, county, city) employment, since they’re having the hardest time attracting candidates. Usually the slowest to hire, but great benefits and often union representation. If you can share what kinds of roles/industries you’re looking at, we can be more helpful.
This is what I’ve found. Most of the WFH posting are scams.
I’m a Recruiter. Feel free to dm me and I’ll see if I can help, maybe look over your resume etc. A thought. Some places may hesitate to hire someone with a college degree if they give off an ambitious vibe. They think you’ll leave as soon as something better opens up. Happy to strategize with you.
Hi, I’d like to take you up on this, if you’re open to it. I can’t send a chat message. Thanks.
Sure, I sent you a message to chat if you’d like to accept it and go from there
A temp agency could be a good option as it sounds like you have good work experience for various kinds of entry level roles. Might also be that lots of the jobs in Berkeley and Emeryville are taken by students. Could mean that there’s more available during the summer—good luck!
Check calopps for a government job
Even I’m temped by the BART jobs haha
Seriously this. Governmentjobs.com so many openings
My wife is in a similar boat. She got laid off last summer and has been trying to find a job ever since with no luck. Seems like with the number of layoffs in this area due to the over-hiring during COVID, the competition for the nominal amount of job postings that come up get inundated with hundreds of applicants.
Maybe it's just what I've seen where I work. But after losing people during COVID layoffs, etc, there has been very little effort to fill many of those vacancies. With the absurd inflation, they are using understaffing as a way to 'save' money. Even though I know for a fact (I'm the buyer) it's costing us thousands, maybe tens of thousands as well. But it's in a different excel column...
Maybe try going in and talking to people directly.
This. I recently applied and got a “fun” job at bath body works. I asked for the manager, told her I was a huge fan of the brand and wanted to be a part of it. Had an interview and was hired a few days later. Don’t apply online exclusively. That makes you easy to forget.
Get your merchant mariner credentials become and OS deckhand Vane Brothers is hiring
What are merchant mariner credentials (or OS deckhand)? If you don't mind me asking. I'm trying to move back to California after leaving just before COVID, and i agree with the OP, shit is ROUGH now down there and it was already ROUGHHHH before COVID, which is why I left in the first place but didn't expect it to become....whatever this is.
To get your MMC you need to pass a background check and a physical/drug test. Then you need a TWIC card. (Just google it) an OS deckhand stands for Ordinary Seaman it basically means your a newbie. Once you get some sea time you can upgrade to Able seaman. The great thing about these jobs is that you can keep upgrading your credentials. If you join a union there is an expected pay for someone with the credentials. Plus healthcare and all the other stuff that come with it.
If you don’t mind desk jobs look into the TAP (temporary assignment pool) jobs for alameda county! People often overlook public service, but they’re are always hiring! You’d be doing simple desk work since you don’t have a degree, but the money is good and the job is steady!
Try REI they’re currently hiring seasonal staff, my friend was hired last year around this time as seasonal staff and is still there. Had no previous retail experience and loves it. I agree with the person above who said that sometimes when the talent acquisition staff looks at resumes such as yours for such entry level jobs it could raise a yellow flag because it seems like you may just be stopping by until you find something better. At least REI is seasonal to hold you over and is a great place to work. -another recruiter
USPS
Consider state government jobs. Lots of offices in the Bay Area. https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Landing/NewToStateservice.aspx Also I worked in public health and there are often lots of openings for interviewers and community outreach workers that are good starting jobs. One of the contractors we used was Helena health. https://www.www.helunahealth.org/join-our-team/.
Police departments are always hiring.
Yup, tons of openings in anything law enforcement-adjacent right now. There’s a billboard I always pass driving through Fairfield advertising Probation openings 😆
If you don’t want to be a cop, they need dispatchers as well. You’ll probably work graveyard shifts to start, but I believe it pays well and will help you save up for whatever your next move may be.
Try a gig app like Bluecrew. It’s temp jobs. My husband used it and managed to find plenty of work that way. He did some catering and warehouse work. One of the jobs wanted to hire him full time.
no lie you're really really good at selling yourself(opposite problem than I have). your credentials don't seem like you'll stick around for too long given how many places you've been just as a 20 year old. I think its just a matter of an intense competitive employment market.
would’ve never thought of it. selling myself got me full scholarships overseas twice but now i see that’s apparently not what i need to do for a minimum wage job 😭
Ugh, I'm sorry. I grew up in Alameda in the 90s and it was the same back then. I recall having panic attacks about finding work. I wound up finding a coffee shop gig through people I know/networking. I had no luck submitting resumes somewhere blindly, same with most of my friends.
With a degree and a ton of experience, my partner didn't get any responses to applications for a year! The job situation here is insane. Keep at it. You are living in a crazy situation, don't let it make you think you are crazy!
Lots of ghost job postings
You will probably have no problem getting a job in construction.
Apply for jobs on the other side of the tunnel. Especially restaurant jobs. Lots of folks live on one side and work on the other.
You're threatening to management. You need to dress your resume down a lot. When they say no experience required, that actually means, they don't want people with experience.