Daria, i understand your frustration...also job hunting, i had few interviews, but still out there looking and applying for jobs...don't give up! something will come along.

in the meantime, since you have the time, if you wish to go for a coffee just drop me a line.

How times have changed. In 1963 applied for a job in CH, contract sent immediately. I asked to start in January, the company asked me to arrive in December - those were the days! Not that it helps you two at all. But then the whole world has changed since those times and it is so much more difficult. Keep on trying - doubtless something will turn up eventually.

Crisis are every where. these days it is not that easy to find the job. 

@Daria

As you have time on your hands, why not hone your written English?  It would certainly enhance your chances if you are applying for work in English.

And don’t give up hope.  If you keep on trying, you will find an opening eventually.   

@Sheila

Like most western European countries, CH has had its employment ups and downs.  The ’30s were very depressed as were the early ’50s.  The ’70s weren’t all that great but the ’80s boomed.  And thus the pendulum continues.

R.

Hi Daria,

Do you apply by yourself ? It might be helpfull to use the services of head hunting offices. Some of them contacted me through my LinkedIn account and I got a job like this.

Wish you good luck.
Pika 

Hi Pika,

I've completed my profile at recruting agencies' web sites, I'm also sending them my CV in case they have a matching vacancy, but there is still silence, they are not replying.. Could you please share any names/contacts of those who've contacted you, if possible?

And thanks for good wishes!

Hi Ritchie, and thanks for your wishes! As for my language skills - I'm not that lucky as you and my native language is not the one used for business matters all over the world :)

I'm currently studing both English and French; though I've already worked in Geneva for 2 years and nobody has problems with my language knowledge, so honeslty I dont think it's the main problem.

@ Ritchie

When I was employed by the Swiss company, we had 19,000 employees in the industrial city in NE Swizzle. Now there are 850 which just goes to prove how times have changed. Makes it all the more difficult for well qualified people to find openings but

@ Daria

keep trying Daria and hopefully something will turn up. As a tutor of English, your command of the language seems fine to me! Very best of luck

You're right Daria, good English is certainly an advantage, but most roles don't require perfection, so it's best to work on your technical skills. Some rather tratitional monoglot anglophones might dwell on spelling errors, but you don't want to work for them anyway.The other thing to do is concentrate on diversity of roles. A specialist has to look for a particular type of job in a very narrow range. If you can tweak your CV and skills to add breadth to your potential, you might have more luck. Unfortunately the best example in today's market is project management. There is a lack of people in that area. 

Hi Daria,

don't give up! I was looking for ages & thought the situation was hopeless. Then something came up... I'm sure it will be the same for you :-)

Also, I'd just like to agree with the advice of someone else who mentioned a LinkedIn profile. Make yours as good as you can and if possible get a few ex-colleagues to recommend you. It will really help. Even if it's just a few words saying "She was great to work with". I was contacted by recruiters this way & I could also see others checking whenever I applied for a role.

Also, same comment for Jobup. Put your CV on there if you haven't already. I was contacted by a couple of recruiters based on that. One said he was actually trying to avoid having to advertise as he knew he'd be swamped if he did.

Good luck!

you are right, things are always slow at present in the job hunting market. head-hunters just want a fast turn-around and will try and place the candidate that is an "easy sell". they too are under pressure to perform quickly. i have worked with over 1200 candidates and CV's , cover letters and interviews are today much, much more competitive. times have changed, and so you too have to change your approach. if you ask 5 friends to judge your CV, for example, you'll get 5 different replies of what you need to do!! act now, don't wait until you are feeling desperate, find a good specialist who will sit down with you and work through your Cv etc. yes, it will cost mney, but, if you don't want to invest in yourself......why should anyone else?

Welcome to the job-finders club. Things can seem pretty much depressing for most of the time, but the good news is that, as much as I see, the market is not on a standstill - it IS moving, there ARE job openings, even though it is slower than it supposedly used to be. A matter of time and patience, if you can afford staying in Switzerland just to look for a job.

What I have been doing (have been looking for a job last 4 months) is the following:

1) applying for vacancies that fit my skills and experience - and there are plenty of such vacancies posted on jobup and the agencies websites. I find it very annoying that they often mention "Anonymous company" and expect someone to write a strong motivation letter based on that. Those companies receive my motivation letter+CV based just on technical abilities.

2) identifying companies/organizations I would feel really excited to work with - and making my application for a position there extra carefully. Even if they do not have an opening at the moment, it at least gets your name around, and who knows - maybe they know someone who is looking for and will pass it on.

3) And I think this for me has been the most important part - going out, and by that I do not mean party. Don't sit at home by the computer all day. Go out, see your friends, ask around. Even if they most likely will not be able to offer you a job, they will give you support. Stay away from "No, it is not possible to get a job in Geneva" people. Open your horizons - maybe you should apply to Lausanne, get new ideas going.

Where is a wish, there is a way and keep your spirits up. Good luck! (myself, am moving back home at the end of the month)

Hi Daria,

What I suggest you to do is to meet people and do networking, as in Geneva this is VERY important in order to find a job.  For instance, in Glocals there is an Entrepreneurs Group and a Day Activities Group.

Connecting through LinkedIn is also worthwhile, but not as much as human contact.

Best of luck!  And keep trying: 6 months isn't really a long time for finding a job nowadays.

My experience is that in Switzerland 80% of the job agents and companies do not reply to your application. With a little luck you get an acknowledgement that they received it, but for the only reason that it`s mostly automated. I can imagine that when you reach the magical age of 40 or beyond even this 80% will go up quick.

Most important is to get a chance to meet job agents. If you make a good impression on them, they like to contact you first when an opportunity arises, as they expect you to get them that bonus. Never piss them off, even if deep inside you think they are total assholes, always throw them a smile and thank them for their time.

It`s easier to find a job when you are working. If you get the chance to work even doing a lower level job, seriously consider it. Personally I accepted a horrible job 3 months ago, paying less than my chomage, however, within 3 months I found something that is at the right level with the right salary. The hiring HR department often look at it as: Someone who has a job doesn`t have a great need to accept their offer. The applicant chose their company and  are most probably very interested. Someone who is unemployed, just wants to get back to work and will continue their search for the job they really want.

Far from all jobs are advertised on sites such as jobup. Check company websites as well.

Have your CV reviewed by others. Have your contact at the chomage check it as well. Often they have a background in HR.

There are also enough examples to be found online on how to make an international CV.

Good luck!

I had the opposite problem.  I've been with my company for a long time and I needed to give 90 days notice plus the remainder of the current month.  I went on two interviews that were quite promising and I'm reasonably certain that my long notice period was a dealbreaker; they both needed someone rather quickly.  So I resigned.  With no new job.  I will enter 2014 unemployed.

#YOLO, right?

I heard the same thing actually - that in spite of it being "normal" in switzerland, recruiters are sometimes put off by long notice periods.

Good luck!

I'm kicking myself for not doing it in Janurary.  I could have been climbing all summer.

I always say that it's probably negotiable, which it probably is..

recruiters and employers often say, they want someone as soon as possible, but also, they are willing to wait for the right person.

go figure

Agree with all the comments above, especially the "go out" and "network".  Here is a perfect example of something that you may dismiss as "not relevant" - but if you're not doing anything else on Sunday, why not?

www.LemanExpatFair.ch

It's never just about "what you know", more often "who you know" and that can come from all sorts of unexpected sources.   Good luck!

I think it’s a good idea to visit the Expat Fair.  And collect all the business cards and literature you can.  You never know. . .

This is so true. But I'm soooo bad at networking. Sigh. 

I found a job in CH, with an international humanitarian org. Gave up my life in another country for this, including my pension. But it looked like the ideal job, I could have done it in my sleep.

Arrived. Was coached by a 30 year old incompetent (I am over 50, been an independent journalist and text worker all my life), the boss was a nutcase, OCD to the power of 10, but who managed to remain in the organization by the grace of heavens knows what, even got special coaching for that. I have met 28 people in GVA who would testify to this, they were all former colleagues...

I survived 10 weeks. So much for humanitarian organizations.

Well, I am looking for work again.

@ talleyrand: great story neatly told- your journalistec skills come through.

however, with your years of experience you should have seen it coming. as you said " it looked like an ideal job" ....and what do we know about that :-)

if it looks too good to be true.....it probably is.

You're actually right about the "should have".... In fact I did, but there was another boss there who was great, but went into retirement a few days after my start. That night I came home and told my wife: "There's a problem...". It just got worse when I realized the "coach" was an untrained upward striver with Polonius DNA... Of course, if I ever get another fixed job, I'll have had great training... But it did throw my family into a very precarious financial situation... But independents do have a knack for survival, the most mportant thing is never to betray yourself and become bitter.

That's totally true - the new employer has been waiting for my husband for 4 months because he was the perfect fit for the role.

Dear fellows, thank you so much for replying my topic so actively! I've got some really interesting tips and a lot of food for thoughts!