Susan Norton ⋅ Southbridge , MA Harvard ⋅ 16 years experience

Hi. I did temporary work, working as an administrative assistant to several professors, at a university where I wanted to eventually maybe work, while I was a student (at a different college). It was flexible because I could turn down or not request assignments when I was really busy at school. Most of all, it gave me a foot in the door. People there got to know and trust me and know that I did good work. And I got a sense of who I would like to work with, and what department, if a job eventually opened up. Also, I could talk intelligently in interviews about the mission of the particular place, and the type of projects they worked on, and so forth, having already been there for awhile. I think many large companies and organizations use one temp agency over and over, so if you find out what that is for a place where you would like to work, maybe sign up with them?
Best of luck!

Edward Larkin ⋅ Racine , WI U.S. Army, Private ⋅ 2 years served

Hi Otis,

I suggest signing up to take clerical test for government jobs. I worked at a university through this method. and got points for being a veteran. There are a lot of opportunities in the government. Good Luck !

David "Reid" Fairburn ⋅ Rockford , MI General Electric ⋅ 29 years experience

Otis: most of the big companies are laying these kind of people off to reduce their workforce so it is not a good time to look at large companies. I would suggest take a VA course if elgible and upgrade your IT skills.

Logan Sankaran ⋅ Plano , TX Hewlett Packard ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Otis,

It is a difficult area to find a job quickly. But don't give-up. Learn some basic office skills such as developing spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations and MS word etc. (all MS office softwares). There are plenty of avenues in the internet to learn these at your own phase. Volunteering or taking up an intern position can give you a jump. In the long run, you may want to learn additional skills and move away from admin jobs.
Good-luck.
Logan

Ruban Sivanesan ⋅ Waukesha , WI General Electric ⋅ 15 years experience

Volunteering at non profits is a good way to get on the job experience good luck try pet adoption centers etc

Bill Nobles ⋅ Basking Ridge , NJ Exxon ⋅ 30 years experience

Otis, thank you for your service. This Wal-Mart initiative could be a good place to start:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/us/wal-mart-to-announce-extensive-plan-to-hire-veterans.html?_r=0
Good Luck, Bill

Charles McGrue ⋅ U.S. Army Reserve, Captain ⋅ 21 years served

Otis,

It may depend on where you live. You may find plenty of companies that have positions for admins/clerks, but where you live may be a determining factor. For example, if you live in an area that is heavy in the health care industry, they would more than likely have more of these positions than a place that is heavy in manufacturing.

However, you also have to keep in mind that a lot of these positions don't pay that well. So if are your focus is to build up your experience and your resume, then starting off with a job that doesn't pay as much as you would in techical area then it may not be an issue.

Then again, as mentioned in the previous posts, you may want to consider working on your technical aptitude. That will allow you to be more tech savvy and open up more opportunities for your.

Regards... Charles

Dennis Healy ⋅ Fairfield , CT General Electric ⋅ 15 years experience

Otis,

Financial services operation will employ people in call centers, etc. who have primarily administrative roles. In these jobs, the focus will be on your ability to learn, interpersonal skills and problem solving skills.

That being said, businesses need technical people: electronic technicians, advanced machine operators/programmers, etc. I would focus on building technical skills through specialized community colleges in order to build your earning capability.