tangent4ronpaul

[QUOTE=tangent4ronpaul;5190706]Glenn,

I PM'd you back when you brought this up in S&T. Never heard back.

Jobs:
I see you are 30 min out from Raleigh and probably a bit further for Durham, because of the roads.
Consider consulting. I see Aerotek has an office in Raleigh and they have always been good to me. Try them.
If you have previously held good level clearances, there are a handful of consulting firms that specialize in this type of work.
As you are a former USG employee, you get priority for gubmint jobs. Have you tried this route?
If you've sent 80 resume's out and gotten no bites, that indicates a problem. If you want to PM me a copy, I'd be happy to offer suggestions. I hope you send out an individually tailored cover letter with each. One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten here is to always use action words in describing your past jobs, never passive voice. You want to come off as a doer.
OK, lets talk temp work:
You have PC skills? print up a bunch of fliers and put um up within a travel range. In house PC repair, get rid of viruses, upgrades, etc.
I've done my own business by approaching small businesses and offering a flyer delivery service. Design the ad, get it printed, hire a bunch of teens and get um delivered in the area the customer wants them - and btw, if you need a delivery driver... (though pizza delivery kills cars). Variation: find all the restaurants that do not offer delivery. Work out a deal where you develop and promote a web page with their menu and hopefully computerized ordering and do the deliveries yourself. When business picks up, hire others and remove yourself from driving. Second variation: You have schools in that area. One thing that is getting more popular is all night long food delivery to college students. Either find and partner with a 24 hour diner or a privately owned convenience store (less health dept hassles on per-packaged stuff). Advertizing in college papers/radio is cheap to free, also flyers around campus: "We open when everything else shuts down - and WE DELIVER!". Business is better around exam time.
Periodic work:
carnivals and fairs: These folks travel with a skeleton crew who know how to unpack the rides and hire locals to man the booths. Be there when they pull up and start unpacking (night before they open - usually). Ask to see the boss and tell them you are interested in a little temp work. Should be good for 2-7 days and probably under the counter.
Convention centers: They are generally in hotels. They generally do not advertize and are often hiring. Just walk down to that part of the building and ask to see the boss. Tell them you are interesting in a catering job. That means setting up chairs and tables, laying out glasses, plates, napkins, silverware, etc. and serving people or making sure the buffet trays were always full. You get called in once or twice a week. Generally once. Tips are good, esp if you are handling alcohol.
Pass a hot dog stand? Inquire if they are hiring. They don't advertize.
What about sporting events? Those guys working the isles yelling "hot dog, hot dog, ice cold beer" make out well for a days worth of work a week.
You should have a couple of soft drink distribution companies in the area. They have periodic sales. Cold call them and ask if they are looking for temp workers for there next promotion. It's usually good for 1-1.5 weeks and pays well. It's really physical, but you will feel sooo good afterwords! This involves going from grocery store to grocery store stacking displays of soda.
School starts in 5-6 weeks. Contact the schools about rush week. Bookstore is usually a good bet. Contact them in ADVANCE!
Christmas: both UPS and FEDEX hire temp workers for the holidays. Heavy work, I believe they pay around $28 an hour, and they keep the best workers on permanently. Should be worth 1-1.5 months of employment.

OK, lets talk housing:
Do you live with anyone?
How many bedrooms is your home capable of supporting?
Do you have a part of the house, like a basement, that has an individual entrance?
What about a guest house, or a large shed (we bought a 10x10 and put 2 4x10 lofts in it with a ladder in between for a bit under 200 sq feet for 1K... I've lived in more confined quarters..)

Basically what I'm saying is that you need to get someone else paying for your mortgage and then some. Looks like you are into it about 1K+ a month. We are talking about ROOMMATES! Or at least someone else living in your house with you living in a separate part of it or in a nearby building... You could make an arrangement where you have access to common spaces like kitchen, shower, etc., but give them central occupancy to the main house. They will want electricity, Internet and cable. You are 30 mins out from Raleigh, but only about 15 out from Wake Forrest (which I believe is home to a major private uni). In the former case, you will have to offer a discount - maybe $100-$150 under the going rate, and in the latter - charging full going rate would be reasonable. Though charging under, slightly, will give you your pick of tenants. Keep in mind transportation costs. Ask if the school has a deal with bus companies that will get them "home" and for how much for a monthly pass. Otherwise you hit the last mile problem and their needing a car will reduce the tenant population. Though landing one with a car means car pooling.... It's a price point thing. And your place thing. How nice is it?

Stay away from freshman!!!! Been there, done that - JUST DON'T! Grad students are good. You never see them, they pay their bills. Just GOOD!

Hope that helps,

-t[/QUOTE]