screwed - ya im a chick

Thanks so much! I'm checking it out! Looks like a good place...and nearby.

Most people have to get that second job and most companies realize that they aren't going to be able to get references from current jobs. I don't think that is going to be a big problem for you. Like it has been said on here numerous times it is so much easier to look for a job when you already have one, you are definitely more attractive to potential employers.I would guess you have old friends email addresses or coaches from high school or college (assuming you ran in school), teachers, high school jobs, something like that.Get anyone like that. They rarely call those before an interview anyway so you will be able to make an impression before it even comes to that. Most of the jobs I have applied for they didn't call my references anyway. I can only remember one, and I didn't get that job.....hmmm, I wonder what she said?!?!. Anyway, don't sweat the references. Your experience, resume and interview will speak volumes more.

no references wrote:

That's where some problems come in. There is definitely no HR in here and it's obvious they all do real estate because they have to - not because they want to. I can't talk to them AT ALL. It's strange. I'm here to be seen (not in a vanity sense) and not heard or something!

I'm just curious how important references really are out there now?

Holly Golightly wrote:

no references wrote:

I'm just curious how important references really are out there now?

People don't use references other than to establish that you were in a particular spot at a particular time. Legal liability, you know.

holly is right. it's really unusual in this day and age for an employer to give more than confirmation of the dates you were employed. an individual boss, rather than the employer as an entity, might do more to help. that is a sort of plus factor that can help you find a job in a tough market or field.

however, i don't think any potential employer these days expects to have positive recommendations from a prior employer. it is just not very common. (there may be exceptions in certain fields, perhaps academia?, where the field is relatively small and the competition for positions is intense).

plus, it sounds like you don't think your current bosses could help you find the type of job you want.

so you should definitely just start looking for a new job. classified ads, internet searches, asking friends if their employers are hiring, ask your parents if they have friends in the field you are interested in, etc.

finally, depending on what area of the country you are in, real estate professionals are getting hammered economically. that could play a role in your personal interactions with your bosses at work.

Why would you take a graphic design job at a RE company unless it was a huge company which did a lot of advertising? There are a lot of jobs out there. Get some freelance, build up your portfolio and then land a new job. Check out mediabistro.com for jobs.

Good luck

JEH wrote:

It appears to me that you have marketing potential. You probably had hundreds checking out this thread based on the title alone.

I may be a girly wimp..but I'm no moron. Lot's of guys on this board!

AND Thanks everybody for not tearing me a new one after my bitching! I really needed a push and, even if this is just a message board, I knew runners were the crowd to turn to - as usual! You definitely reduced the stress that was killing me.

JEH wrote:

It appears to me that you have marketing potential. You probably had hundreds checking out this thread based on the title alone.

I may be a girly wimp..but I'm no moron. Lot's of guys on this board!

AND Thanks everybody for not tearing me a new one after my bitching! I really needed a push and, even if this is just a message board, I knew runners were the crowd to turn to - as usual! You definitely reduced the stress that was killing me.

I'll be taking lots of advice from here!

designer wrote:

Why would you take a graphic design job at a RE company unless it was a huge company which did a lot of advertising? There are a lot of jobs out there. Get some freelance, build up your portfolio and then land a new job. Check out mediabistro.com for jobs.

Good luck

It was advertised - and then explained to my face by my bosses - that this was a busy office with a lot of advertising through print, online, listing sheets...and then I sat and found that it was a phone answering / coffee fetcher job. I expected that to be part of it but I was told I'd have tons of stuff to do on top of that. I wonder what the last girl did to make them think this was a hectic job?

I'm working on my own print/web portfolio now.

Best of luck! Hope it all works out.

IMO, I think you should work on getting out quickly, and as explained well enough, the references are not SO huge. That said, I also agree with others that it there may be an opportunity to foster relationships and improve your image (not that you have to be best friends to politely work with others) regardless of how you think of them or how difficult you may find the task of putting on the happy face. You may feel insincere, but it is a good experience for you in the area of office politics/dynamics.

Sounds like a sweet situation to me, you do almost nothing and get paid for pretty much sitting around. What are you looking for....75 hours a week? What am I missing?

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It's far, far better to be looking for a new job while employed than to be "laid off" and then have to look for a job, so get with it. Ask your running friends who they know. They might not work in marketing, but they may know someone who does. Or, they may know someone who knows someone. All you need is a foot in the door. If you can talk someone into creating a position for you, that's even better because you won't have to compete with other applicants. -Good luck.

Get creative and positive and show your skills to whoever you report to. Show you have some interest in the company and think you bring value to it. Don't be a girl and sulk. That will get you nowhere.

If you don't think you fit in with the company, you can always quit.

Real estate is a tough market to be in right now.

While you're in this job, make something of it.

The world of real estate is changing. Sign up for Inman News (www.inman.com) and read it daily. Check out this blog:

http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/

. Start your own blog about marketing real estate in your area - you can connect through that. Get active on the many new real estate web sites: Zillow, Trulia, Active Rain, etc.

There's a lot you can do with your free time. Grab the bull by the horns.

leehamster

You can always move to Albuquerque and work at Fleet Feet. But then your running will go to &^%$!

It sounds like a tough situation. I don't know if you have any geographical preferences, but most companies (including mine) routinely have openings for marketing positions. Your work would be more interesting and you would likely get to do some travel.

Make the best of your current situation while you are there. One thing that I can add and i've heard it alluded to here: this is a good introduction to the professional/office world. Mark this up as further experience in the real world and let it be an example of something you never want to turn into. You're going to come across countless lifeless pathetic mid to late 30plus somethings that are filled with bitter regret that they didn't make their hopes and dreams come true and will blame others for holding them back. They had their time and let it pass them by. Identify what has led them to their negative attitudes in their jobs, divorce, lonliness and general meaninglessness and then get the hell out of there. Take something from it. You will run into these kinds of people wherever you go. If you approach it in the right way, you will learn how not to make the same choices they have made and will appreciate your success that much more. If you stay honest to yourself and strive for better, their opinions soon won't matter as they rot in their jealousy.

Why are you so worried about references? Truth be told, the chances are 50/50 at best that the new employer will even check the references. References are not valid indicators of future job performance, because they suffer from a halo bias (basically, every reference says good things, that's why you picked them as a reference).

Don't put references on your resume. If the company asks you for references, give them the same ones you used for your current job, and 1 from this job; preferably a person who you know thinks at least decently of you (even with your obvious paranoia). Unless they are a huge jerk, they won't say bad things about you.

I would worry more about your skills and knowledge eroding from a do-nothing job than about whether you are going to get a good reference. Leave that job immediately!

Any job that is worth anything will check references. I worked in the recruiting department for a major design firm and the first thing I was taught to do was check references after the first interview if there was a match. They tell you much more about a candidate than they will readily admit themselves. I feel terrible for the incredibly candid references who make it clear that a person is not prepared for a job, though.

And, not to be too big a jerk about it: when you do apply for another job, triple-check everything (resume, application letter, etc.) before you send it out. Get another pair of eyes on what you write, if you possibly can.

I realize that this is just a casual board, and people rarely proof their posts; but the OP has had multiple misspellings and mispunctuations in her posts so far. Just one of these can kill you when you apply for the next job.

Otherwise, may I suggest that you bring in food for the crew? It might not be the kind you'd like, but occasionally bringing in doughnuts or a coffee cake--for "no particular reason," but just because you're such a swell person--can often make the atmosphere more pleasant.