Would you take any job in this economy?

[rafiki]

.

[mazakaal]

It would really depend. If I had only been out of work a short time and still had some savings to live off of or had a spouse that was still working, then I might turn the job down and keep looking. But if I had been out of work for some time, had been looking without success for a while, and was barely scraping by financially, then I'd take the job.

 

I don't think it's necessarily wrong to take the job and keep looking for another job, but I don't have any idea how it would look on your resume. I think a lot of that depends on what line of work it is and what the expectations in that occupation are. Personally I wouldn't look for another job right away. I'd try to make it work at the new job, and if, after some months, I knew it wasn't going to work out long term, I'd begin the job-search again.

 

Hope you figure out what is best for your family in your situation. :grouphug:

 

If it makes you feel any better, the UK is officially out of recession as of today. Maybe that's a good sign that things will start to look up in the US as well.

[G5052]

If the job market in the new area was such that if I lost than one, I'd probably find another, and if family life was decent, I'd take it.

 

IMHO it will be years before the economy recovers, and I think that a lot of people are dealing with less-than-ideal situations because a job is a job.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I agree.

[ConnieB]

Well, moving is a way of life for my family so that part of it wouldn't bother me as much as it might some.

 

But, yes, if it meant the difference between my family "making it" or not, I'd take just about any job that would pay enough to keep us going. If it meant that you'd be working full time and still not making it, then no I'd probably not upheavel my family to go under somewhere else, but I'd be looking hard at my budget to figure out exactly where my minimum needs end.

 

As for looking for another job at the same time, yes, I'd have no qualms about that. Of course that's also why some people are having trouble finding "anything"....because their skill set/resume are quite high above the position they are seeking and the employer knows that they'll leave as soon as something better comes along. But....there is absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to try to better your employment situation. Ask yourself this....if you had enough income to sustain your family and be a little comfortable, would you not still seek out better? In other words, look back and year or two when life was a little easier.....if the right opportuity came along would you not have taken it? Were you not keeping your eyes and ears open for that better opportunity? You have not changed in your need for advancement/improvement.....you just have perhaps grown more content to simply HAVE a job right now.

 

Do what you must to survive, but always look to improve yourself. That's not always about money, though...sometimes it's about finding the job that makes you happy in life even if it means a little less in the bank.

[Tess in the Burbs]

we are in a similar situation. If you have a job I would not move for a new one of same salary unless you really hate the old one. Moving costs money. It's stressful. So if your heart isn't in it, don't do it. It won't mess up your resume. But you may be stuck there awhile....

[Crimson Wife]

Sometimes doing what's right for one's family means spending a few years in a place one hates. If I can survive 5 years in the middle of the Mojave desert, you can survive wherever it is your DH has been offered a job.

 

Sorry to not be more sympathetic, but as a former Army wife, your OP just comes off as whiny. Be happy that your DH has been offered a job, many families would jump at the chance to find a decent paying job in this economy...

[Tutor]

We've moved for almost every job change dh has had. You just do what you need to do. He also took jobs that were not his ideal, but he always took them assuming that he would be working at them for at least two years before seriously looking for something else (although he has a knack for finding media start-ups that fold under him in a year or so :glare: ). Multiple job changes (especially if you are at jobs for short periods of time) can hurt you. Because of dh's knack for having companies fold up under him, he has had to explain many times why he left jobs after only 9 months to a year. These employers are very concerned that dh will not be fully committed to the new company. They have a right to be concerned; sadly, we know many people who change jobs frequently because they are unreliable and immature in how they treat their roles as employees. You would have to put the company at ease that this is not your intention.

[Night Elf]

I asked my DH, who is experienced with hiring/firing, about these questions.

 

What if it involves relocation, would be of comparable salary, but your heart is just not there? Would you walk away and pray something else opens up?

 

He says this question is situational. Like the other responses, taking the job because your family is in great need of an income would likely be the right thing to do. If you have a cushion and some space to wait it out, and are willing to take the risk of finding a similar financial position, then wait.

 

Would it be wrong to take it, after all you need to look out for your family, but continue searching? Would doing so mess up your resume? WWYD?

 

DH says this could be construed as taking advantage of an employer. If the new job relocates your family, they've invested in you. Even if they don't pay relocation fees, they are likely training you in something that will benefit you in the long run. DH says that he's seen that situation happen lots of times in his company, HP. People come into the job, get trained, and then leave for a different job using those skills. He says he would work at least 6 months in the new position before looking for another job. Be prepared to have a good reason if interviewers for new jobs should ask reasons for leaving.

[Danestress]

 

Sorry to not be more sympathetic, but as a former Army wife, your OP just comes off as whiny. Be happy that your DH has been offered a job, many families would jump at the chance to find a decent paying job in this economy...

 

As a former Marine Corp wife I have great sympathy with not wanting to spend money and years moving somewhere you don't want to go, especially when you don't have the light at the end of the tunnel of a different duty station in a few years. I will say, however, that the station I least wanted to go to resulted in some of the best years of our lives, so it's hard to know sometimes what really awaits around the corner.

 

But the part I disagree with is that the OP sounded whiny. It just sounded to me a like a straightforward question or two - is it wrong to take a job and still be looking for another job in the meantime? Is it worth it to settle for a job that you don't really want in a place that you don't really want?

 

Perfectly good questions.

 

If DH were unemployed and wanted to take that job, I would do it. I would not encourage him to take a job he didn't really want if it required a major move that we didn't want to make, though. I would need him to make that choice and not do it because I was in a panic about money. Work is a big part of life. If he doesn't enjoy it, it's sort of a drag for him, especially if there is work out there that he really would enjoy.

[ConnieB]

Sometimes doing what's right for one's family means spending a few years in a place one hates. If I can survive 5 years in the middle of the Mojave desert, you can survive wherever it is your DH has been offered a job.

 

Sorry to not be more sympathetic, but as a former Army wife, your OP just comes off as whiny. Be happy that your DH has been offered a job, many families would jump at the chance to find a decent paying job in this economy...

 

I didn't find OP to be whiny....I read it as someone having to make a decision that they're not sure which direction to take and hoping for some perspective from those us who have been there done that but aren't so close to it that we can't see the forest for the trees.

 

I think it's a common lot in life to not love every job you have.....or everywhere that you have to live. My family has endured a lot of moves due to the military.....we have had some that we were very excited about taking only to find we were just as happy to be leaving there, lol. Sometimes it was really about getting your head set on this is where you will be living for a while, so our choice was to make the most of it and be happy or refuse to accept it and be miserable. If you find that you just can't make the best of it work for your family, there is no reason that you shouldn't look elsewhere for greener pastures (or snowy meadows whichever fits you, lol).

 

As for the resume....obviously in the military your resume isn't quite the same as the rest of the world....but requesting transfers does tend to put red flags up for some commanders. They don't want to take on members who can't be happy in the duty assigned (or requested). In our case, my hsuband made it clear that he was requesting transfers for the challenge that each new mission would offer him.....he wasn't and still isn't, one to be able to work on mundane or "same" type tasks. For some commanders this was a great thing and they worked to get him in on their next mission...for others they saw an overly ambitious officer who might not work well with his current team. We knew his ambition wasn't always a good thing, but it is who he is, so we had to go with that so that he could continue to be happy in his work, which in turn continued to make us happy at home.

 

I would think that employers would be of both sides as well....some may see his looking for another job after only a short time on the previous job as dangerous for their company, and not want to invest the time and effort into training him only to see him do it again. On the other hand, some employers may see that as a man who is willing to do what it takes to reach his goals.....and that employer may ask him very pointedly about those goals if they hire him.....and find that ambition is a highly prized skill for that particular employer. Some employers want worker-bees....some want the ones looking to shake up the hive a little with new ideas. Think about some of the high profile CEO jobs that change rapidly with the ups and downs of the economy.....some companies have fired CEOs of many many years because they need something other than the status quo. And some stick with the tried and true.

 

If your husband's field is one in which upward mobility and ambition can be a good thing, the short stays at companies may be seen as a positive. If he job skills are for worker-bees, then yes, jumping ship too often can be a negative. Maybe it's time for him to shake up the hive, lol.

[Crimson Wife]

 

I think it's a common lot in life to not love every job you have.....or everywhere that you have to live. My family has endured a lot of moves due to the military.....we have had some that we were very excited about taking only to find we were just as happy to be leaving there, lol. Sometimes it was really about getting your head set on this is where you will be living for a while, so our choice was to make the most of it and be happy or refuse to accept it and be miserable. If you find that you just can't make the best of it work for your family, there is no reason that you shouldn't look elsewhere for greener pastures (or snowy meadows whichever fits you, lol).

 

If life deals you a hand you don't want, you suck it up and keep playing as best you can until you get dealt a better one. Very few situations are so bad that somebody can't put up with them for a couple of years. By then, hopefully the economy will have rebounded and jobs in your preferred location will be much easier to come by. Take one for the team and kwitcha*****in ;)