I was laid off my previous job this past February.  Between then and now, I have worked three jobs.  I am currently employed as a seasonal worker at a major department store and hope to land a full time position with them come January.

For the past six years, I did administrative assistant work for a property management company - writing newsletters, word processing, updating Board minutes, correspondence, answering mail.

My career includes 12 years of teaching experience, 6 years of graphics design experience, some sales experience, and 6 years of administrative assistant experience.

I was on the list at four employment agencies in trying to locate/land administrative assistant positions.  While I let them know of my job availability, I got some response from them. Were they not hiring men over 50?

Here are my questions:  1.  I have passed the staff services analyst exam for the state.  I have received several job inquiries from a number of departments within the state but have received, to date, one interview.  How can I increase my chances with landing a job with the state?  When I do receive those job offers, do I then decide which of the departments I'd like to work for or just "go for any" of them because I would like to work for the state?  2.  While applying for jobs, I often fell into the trap of "apply for anything that looks good" because I wanted to work.   How can I turn that over to jobs that I am better suited for and what kinds of jobs could I apply for?"

Ultimately, I'd like to get a job that will bring in $35K - $40K a year.  I've included my skills above. How would I go about finding jobs that include my above skills?  I've heard of some people takng on jobs simply becasue they need the money to get back on top of their finances.  I am seeking jobs like that, too.  I enjoy graphics design, sales,

Lastly, I'd like to know how people organize their job searching so it isn't so time consuming and more productive and consistent?

Thanks for your replies.

David