What sort of entry-level business-related jobs are there?

[High_Order1]

I'm a bit surprised too, and it's the first (can't find work). This was hardly what I expected to happen with my background and experience, but life is throwing me a real zinger of a curveball. I've been applying for anything I'm even remotely qualified for in my area, from Helpdesk to Jr. Admin stuff.

I'm hesitant to move for monetary reasons. That said, whereabouts do you live? If the market is truly favorable, moving may be my best choice.

Southeast TN. Think like the area surrounding Oak Ridge. Lots of GoCo IT support; Boeing, SAIC, Leidos. I see it on indeed.com, which honestly is my main fishing hole.

Hm

The real key to my suggestion is the networking on LinkedIn.    I swear by it.    Some people hate it, but recruiters are usually open to connect with anyone.  Every time you connect you can write a message - use it.   I've had conversations with people I don't know on many occasions this way.    Also, join groups on LinkedIn - you can easily meet people who will be willing to help - if you're sincere and show that you appreciate their words of wisdom.

(toddles off to start thread on this in the Off Topic forum...)

[Bibby]

An interesting question indeed. While there's definitely some demand for people with IT skills, especially IT security, I also know a lot of smart, talented people with IT skills who've had difficulty finding a job in the field. Getting an internship helps a lot - internships give companies a chance to "try before you buy," and it gives you valuable experience working in the field. This isn't always feasible, but depending on where you live, you might want to consider moving to another city where there's more demand for your skillset.

I think burbuja0512 offers good advice. Shooting applications into online tracking systems ("black holes") makes you feel like you're doing something, but your odds of getting past the system are very low. Many job postings get dozens or even hundreds of applicants, and even if you put all the right keywords in your resume, the odds are stacked against you. Worse, just because a company posts a job opening doesn't mean they'll even hire someone to fill it. Pretty much every career opportunity that's come to me involved word of mouth or LinkedIn, and it's important to take advantage of the "hidden" jobs market.

As for Thorne's original question, different jobs are more common in different places. Take a look at which Fortune 500 firms and other major employers are located in your area. For example, if there are lots of big banks based in your area, banks hire lots of people with finance backgrounds and not so many logistics people. What companies are growing? What companies are moving to your area? All this information can help identify which industries are hiring.