Job hunting in Portand is difficult
-
6/22/2006
I came to Portland 2 years ago and it took me 6 months to find work. I took dead end, minimum wage, high school flunkie jobs while actively job hunting, simply to keep myself fed and housed. After 6 months of submitting daily to all the employemnt websites in addition to the job fairs and pavement pounding, I ended up accepting a position at a salary well below market rate simply to have a source of working income. I'm a talented, incredibly experienced, and educated young professional with plenty to offer any company-and I'm incredibly diverse in the postions I can look for work...sales, marketing, technical, business management. Every single one of those positions were snatched away by people with local connections. It was incredibly disheartening and I've never been in a location(I'm well traveled) where my skills were not bid on by local companies vieing for my expertise. Luckily, once I had been here for awhile and made my own connections, I managed to land a job paying above market rate in a stimulating, challenging environment. For people who are looking to relocate to Portland, please have a job lined up before you get here. It doesn't cost much to live here compared to other metropolitan areas, but employment is difficult to come by-unless you're a stripper(there are more in Portland than Las Vegas).
Jesse | Portland, OR