Anonymous wrote:This is a long shot but it worked for a friend. He found a company that he was really interested in working for, in his field. And he took a position as a receptionist/secretary in the firm and waited for an in-house position to open up. While he was in the receptionist/secretary position, he befriended some of the people in his field and slowly started working on assisting them on some of their work. Sometimes it was menial, sometimes it was borderline technical. And he slowly became recognized as having the appropriate skills and work ethic. When a position opened in 18 months that he was qualified for, he applied and got it before it was advertised out-of-house (it was posted internally first and he applied and got the job). Most times, it doesn't work out so nicely, but he made it work for him. Good luck.

OP here. Great story. Actually I am doing the same thing, though I am working as a volunteer receptionist at an organization I really want to work for. Have only been there a few months but I'm hoping to do the exact same thing.

Wow. I admire him.

This is a long shot but it worked for a friend. He found a company that he was really interested in working for, in his field. And he took a position as a receptionist/secretary in the firm and waited for an in-house position to open up. While he was in the receptionist/secretary position, he befriended some of the people in his field and slowly started working on assisting them on some of their work. Sometimes it was menial, sometimes it was borderline technical. And he slowly became recognized as having the appropriate skills and work ethic. When a position opened in 18 months that he was qualified for, he applied and got it before it was advertised out-of-house (it was posted internally first and he applied and got the job). Most times, it doesn't work out so nicely, but he made it work for him. Good luck.

Wish I had something more helpful to say, but you are doing the best things you can be doing in this situation. I've been there (SO been there) and know how you feel. It's frustrating. If your field is super competitive, to the point where you can' even find volunteer work, maybe you could expand your search a bit and think about other things you might like to do?

How have you moved forward during long periods of unemployment? I am starting to feel really down and I feel wiped out all the time because my job search efforts are not going anywhere. I notice a lot of people on this board seemt to be job searching. I'm a new poster, I've been looking for 14 months with no luck. My field is very competitive and I need to stay in this area, which is limiting me. I have been working on expanding my skill set while being unemployed but emotionally I have lost my self-confidence. Any tips for how others have kept moving forward during a long period of unemployment? I have trouble structuring my day beyond doing housework. My house is spotless and I cook great meals every day but not growing during this time is getting to me. I am volunteering and getting out a lot and networking, I also attend continuing education events. But I haven't been able to find volunteer work that is directly in my field.