rriley58@yahoo.com



JOB SEARCH 101 – FINDING A JOB NOW!!

The statics are staggering… 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE WERE LAID OFF OR LOST THEIR JOB IN 2008.

NOW I read since Jan 1, 2009 another estimated 1.2 million received their pink slip. The worrisome part is there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. I see this now because I have been part of this statistic since June of 2008. Yes, I believe at some point the economy will turn around and blossom better than ever, but my question is “WHEN"?

A major question NOW more than ever confronts many of us, “what do I do NOW"? We know our mortgage, car insurance, medical bills, college tuition, our savings and retirement plans can’t wait. What about the monthly necessities?

The economic forecast for 2009 now cast a bigger shadow of concern, frustration and doubt for the millions of unemployed families as well as millions more still at their job. Few companies are hiring us now, while many more are downsizing with even more people getting laid-off or losing their jobs every day.

I have found that securing a job, furthering my career today in what I love to do is now like taking a science class, no kidding, “JOB SEARCH 101". To walk into a company right now, actually fill out an application, get an interview and walk out with the job is rare, very rare. If someone has done this recently congrats and please let us know how you accomplished this.

My situation now at 50 years old is like millions of others out there within their respected field of knowledge and experience. I believe it is safe to say that many of us became involved with a company or a specific field at an early age. We entered the job market without furthering our High School education. The pay was ok, we moved up the ladder quickly, the pay and benefits got better; we started a family and accumulated bills. After 10, 20 or for some 30 years or more of service sharing our knowledge and experiences we reached the high point. We planned our future and worked our plan. We loved our job. We were good at it. The pay, benefits, and retirement were sufficient. Then one day unexpectedly someone walks in with the dreaded, A PINK SLIP.

If you are anything like me the questions abound. What do I do now? Where do I do it? How do I do it? How do I take control of my financial status now to insure a healthy life for myself and my loved ones into the future?

Now with our school days 5, 10, 20, 30 years behind us it’s “Welcome to a New World" for so many of us. And the competition is now fierce, grueling, and worrisome!!

Remember the “science" of finding a job I was talking about earlier? Well the class “JOB SEARCH 101" begins now with unemployment filings followed by job/career research then sending resumes - hopefully they read them. The Interviews are next - if you get one, followed by Headaches, Worries and Frustrations - which you already have. Today if your knowledge and experience lies in a specific field you can’t write just one cover letter or one resume. Each cover letter, each resume has to be tailored specific to each respected company. It is a good idea to research a company to be better equipped as to exactly what they are looking for now and how you will be a good fit.

Ohhh yes, “JOB SEARCH 101" involves lots of work, lots of time and sometimes may even cost money to obtain the best results, any result. We now could be spending money on paper, faxing, long distance phone calls, postage, gas to and from interviews and maybe lunch. Because we are unemployed we cannot afford day care and the children are at home. We now have to pay a babysitter to go out and meet our obligations to collect our check if we are lucky enough to be getting one. Then there are the online job banks that offer services, some at a cost. And there are no guarantees. How crazy is that having to spend money we don’t have to obtain a job. Yes, all part of the class JOB SEARCH 101.

NOTE: Many of our local Labor services now offer programs and services including, phones, faxes, resume writing, computers and counselors for free. I do suggest everyone take advantage of all of these services when possible. The internet job banks do work too. They are not for everyone and again I also suggest looking into and using them.

What I have found whether I am paying or using the free services is this: My knowledge, experiences and accomplishments span 30 years in my respected field. I search the job banks looking for my specific niche which is management in the construction field. As I read through postings I see that I have the knowledge and experiences in what the daily responsibilities are. THEN I get to the section that says, “Job Requirements" and this is where I fall short. Many if not all require some kind of paper. Yes you have the right idea. That paper is in the form of a Doctorate, Masters, BA or Associates. I have a High School Diploma with 30 years experience. Now the lessons of JOB SEARCH 101 are getting a bit more challenging.

I do send my resume anyway. I am not telling anyone to do this it is a choice I make. Many say I shouldn’t because the one reading the resume will think that I can’t read and it will get tossed. I see it as if I don’t present it I’ll never know. Maybe the top dog, the one hiring got to where they are the same way I gained my experience and knowledge. Nothing asked is nothing gained.

Older or younger degree or GED I am not up or down playing anyone’s particular situation. Besides, aren’t we all either standing in that same line or have taken a number waiting for our name to be called by our local unemployment services personal. These lines are not discriminatory. These lines hold all of us – man or woman - medical professions, secretaries, sales, banking, construction, retail, transportation, factory workers, laborers, management, etc, etc.. They hold every age group, every ethnicity. Doctorate, Masters, BA, Associates, High School Diploma, GED and those whom never finished High School. We all stand in the same line and walk through the same classroom doors and learn the same lessons in JOB SEARCH 101.

There are those of us in that line right now holding that number and then there are those still at their desk or on the assembly line or leading that crew or operating that machine all of us wondering, wondering, wondering… What Lies Ahead…

There is no fruit falling from this tree yet so it is on to semester #2 of “JOB SEARCH 101".

I have become an avid reader of many online news and job-seeking posts in hopes of enlightening myself to the possibilities of a new job or maybe even career change now. Recently I came across The Recruiter Roundtable that collects career and job-seeking advice from a group of recruiting experts throughout the United States.

Analyzing what I have learned in semester one of “JOB SEARCH 101" I realized unless I got really lucky with my attempts of securing a job in a field I had most of my knowledge and experience in, a field I enjoyed tremendously but not holding specific requirements I could go many more months with no progress adding to the frustrations and more fruitless attempts. That article changed my thinking and set me on a new path.

What first grabbed my attention in this short article was the point “Flexibility Is Key". BE FLEXIBLE!! This alone set me in a new direction. The rest made it easier. “We have to stay open to opportunities in new and related industries. It could be either a larger company or possibly a smaller one. Maybe a company in a different location. That new location could be a home office working for someone else on the clock or from home with your own business. Be flexible!! Take a different title… All things being equal, if we are flexible around such topics our chances increase considerably. The bottom line is our financial stability, the ability to ensure the health and wealth of our families into the future.