Anyone who's undergone a search for employment in the past year knows that job hunting is not easy. The recession has increased not only the number of competitors an applicant is up against, but also the level of experience and skills prospective employers are able to seek in candidates.
Ultimately, many highly qualified candidates find themselves in the heart-breaking position of hearing, "While we decided to go with someone else, we appreciated your time and we've enjoyed getting to know you." Growing up, my mom used to say, "Close only counts in horseshoes." In a job hunt, second place is perhaps the most difficult honor to receive. Second place doesn't pay the mortgage.
I recently applied for a Director of Marketing position in the city where I grew up. To date, I have had three interviews. In the last one, I learned that the company really hoped to find someone with at least some graphics skills. While I'm an ace at using templates, I am not experienced in graphic design -- and I was upfront with them about that.
As someone who regularly speaks and writes about the jobs market and the economy, I address people every week who are searching for jobs. This experience has made me more keenly aware of the personal experience that accompanies the professional search.
So far in the process, I've learned that companies are ultimately seeking smart, creative employees who bring a variety of skills and a zest for life with them. It's very hard to bring that "zest" or that "positive energy" when you've been job hunting for months and the unemployment is running out or you've moved in with family or friends to just get by.
When some of my friends found out I applied for this position, they suddenly got worried. I've made my living as an author and freelancer for so long. Was this a sign the economy was so bad that even I had to find a full-time position?
The premise of the Creating Job Security book series is that what's ideal for you today might not be ideal tomorrow, and it's okay to change your choices based on your needs at the time. For many years, freelancing made great sense to me. It was my ideal choice. But the position that came available, at the company I applied to, was such a wonderful opportunity, that applying was a personal choice that made sense to me. It was not my way of making a statement about the state of the economy at large.
I would love the opportunity to work with this company. It's a terrific company and it would offer me the opportunity to work as a Director of Marketing. Indeed "I believe" it would be the ideal job for me right now. Having said that, the process of applying for this position has increased my awareness and empathy. It has taught me new things that I'll write about here in the weeks ahead.
To get your hands on the Green Light Scoring Model, and discover your ideal job at this point in your life, visit www.graduategroup.com and select the featured title, "Creating Job Security, The 2009 All-In-One Workbook."
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
With the Rising Cost of Advanced Education
There are a lot of things people of my generation took for granted, and I took for granted, prior to this recession. One of them was the wide availability of a college education. As my 20-year class reunion steadily approaches, I look at my former classmates and most either went to college or specifically chose another route. In the early 1990s, a four-year degree was affordable at a state college. Today, that’s no longer the case.
Cut-backs have forced many schools to raise tuition fees at the same time that grants and loans are harder to obtain. What does this mean for high school seniors who are graduating in 2009?
And what does that mean for job seekers in the next few years who may not be able to get the grants and loans they need? For some of the most talented there are trade schools. Others will seek opportunities for training, advancement, and educational benefits through the Armed Services. For many, training will consist of certifications and a collection of college courses taken on an availability basis (when job seekers have the time and the money to take them.)
AOL Careers interviewed me yesterday about high-paying jobs that require little to no education, and which were projected to grow in the next five years. And so began my search. One of my favorite Web sites for this type of information is actually produced by the US Government in a partnership between the Department of Labor and the Department of Education. http://www.careervoyages.gov/
Over the next week, I’m going to pull out some of the positions that strike me as worth mentioning. The truth is that while there are good-paying jobs that do not require a college degree, the competition for all jobs these days is steep. Five years from now, when the economy has long recovered and the Baby-boomers (my parents generation) are finally feeling financially confident enough to retire, there will be more jobs than people to fill them. But of course, that is still four to five years away.
To find the job that is ideal for you today, the Green Light Scoring Model is a step-by-step approach to discovering your path to creating job security. It’s available exclusively in Creating Job Security, The 2009 All-In-One Workbook at GraduateGroup.com for US$30, including tax, shipping and handling. Best of all, you can reuse the scoring model every few years to determine your ideal job at that time. This one-time investment will be your career partner for years to come.
Happy Memorial Day, to those who celebrate the men and women in the Armed Services who have made the ultimate sacrifice (both with their lives and their time away from their families) to keep us safe. We honor your sacrifice and we salute you!
Cut-backs have forced many schools to raise tuition fees at the same time that grants and loans are harder to obtain. What does this mean for high school seniors who are graduating in 2009?
And what does that mean for job seekers in the next few years who may not be able to get the grants and loans they need? For some of the most talented there are trade schools. Others will seek opportunities for training, advancement, and educational benefits through the Armed Services. For many, training will consist of certifications and a collection of college courses taken on an availability basis (when job seekers have the time and the money to take them.)
AOL Careers interviewed me yesterday about high-paying jobs that require little to no education, and which were projected to grow in the next five years. And so began my search. One of my favorite Web sites for this type of information is actually produced by the US Government in a partnership between the Department of Labor and the Department of Education. http://www.careervoyages.gov/
Over the next week, I’m going to pull out some of the positions that strike me as worth mentioning. The truth is that while there are good-paying jobs that do not require a college degree, the competition for all jobs these days is steep. Five years from now, when the economy has long recovered and the Baby-boomers (my parents generation) are finally feeling financially confident enough to retire, there will be more jobs than people to fill them. But of course, that is still four to five years away.
To find the job that is ideal for you today, the Green Light Scoring Model is a step-by-step approach to discovering your path to creating job security. It’s available exclusively in Creating Job Security, The 2009 All-In-One Workbook at GraduateGroup.com for US$30, including tax, shipping and handling. Best of all, you can reuse the scoring model every few years to determine your ideal job at that time. This one-time investment will be your career partner for years to come.
Happy Memorial Day, to those who celebrate the men and women in the Armed Services who have made the ultimate sacrifice (both with their lives and their time away from their families) to keep us safe. We honor your sacrifice and we salute you!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Are Jobless Claims Peaking?
Jobless claims have historically peaked six to 10 weeks before recessions end, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. http://bit.ly/O5dSv "But the latest report shows job losses remain high. The four-week average of claims, which smoothes out volatility, dropped slightly to 646,750, about 12,000 below the peak in early April. Goldman Sachs economists have said a decline of 30,000 to 40,000 in the four-week average is needed to signal a peak."
For survival, many people take whatever job they can get. It's a good strategy to pay the rent. But for true job security, it's important to find the ideal job for you right now -- a traditional job or entrepreneurial position that considers your needs for income, opportunity, creativity, feasibility, flexibility, stability and longevity.
Imagine if there was a scoring model that could help you create the ideal job for you this month. There is. It's called the Green Light Scoring Model and it's available through The Graduate Group. www.graduategroup.com For only $30, including tax and shipping, you can truly discover the ideal job for you right now. (Career experts, contact me about a free PDF to make your own copies on site for your customers. Buy 25 copies in one order to The Graduate Group and receive a PDF to make an unlimited number of additional copies.)
SPECIAL NOTICE: Are you a Kaplan University student? Join me May 4 for a one-hour presentation on hot job resources. I'll be answering your questions live.
For survival, many people take whatever job they can get. It's a good strategy to pay the rent. But for true job security, it's important to find the ideal job for you right now -- a traditional job or entrepreneurial position that considers your needs for income, opportunity, creativity, feasibility, flexibility, stability and longevity.
Imagine if there was a scoring model that could help you create the ideal job for you this month. There is. It's called the Green Light Scoring Model and it's available through The Graduate Group. www.graduategroup.com For only $30, including tax and shipping, you can truly discover the ideal job for you right now. (Career experts, contact me about a free PDF to make your own copies on site for your customers. Buy 25 copies in one order to The Graduate Group and receive a PDF to make an unlimited number of additional copies.)
SPECIAL NOTICE: Are you a Kaplan University student? Join me May 4 for a one-hour presentation on hot job resources. I'll be answering your questions live.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A Bright Spot in a Dark Economy
The weather in my home town this week was an awful lot like the news about the economy. First it was sunny and lovely. Two days later we had hail that looked like snow as it covered the ground. The next day, we had snow -- big white flakes the size of quarters -- for several hours. A day later it was cool but not cold, followed by today which offered up full sun and 75 degrees. I took a chance and moved my topsy-turvy back outside from over my kitchen sink. But I covered the tomato plants tonight, because no one seems to have any idea what's going on with our silly weather that's all over the map.
It's a snapshot of what we've all experienced with the economy for the past year. The stock market was down, way down in early March. Now it's back up but job loss is still a concern and housing starts are down. People are saving more, spending less, and no one can figure out why gas prices are climbing at the pump when the barrel rate is at a record low.
An unlikely star emerged this week to offer up an unexpected bright spot in a dark economy. Her name is Susan Boyle and her audition on Britain's Got Talent is the biggest thing on YouTube. Indeed she has the voice of an angel, but I don't think that's why she's a worldwide hit. I think she's a hit because we all feel like she looks -- ordinary and imperfect. And yet inside of her is something so unbelievably beautiful that it pushes her to the front of the line.
This economy and the state of the job market have brought out the Susan Boyle in each of us. And for those in desperate need of inspiration (and jobs!), her voice may have offered up just enough encouragement to help keep going. (Not to mention the fact that the words of “I Dreamed a Dream” describe exactly how a lot of people are feeling.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU Is it possible that while we stood up and cheered for her, on some level we were also cheering for ourselves?
How long will this economic winter last? Will it snow again just when we think spring should be well under way? Maybe it will. But like a candle in the dark, even those most uncertain of what tomorrow holds next can for one brief moment, stop and listen to the music, and feel somewhat assured that despite the odds, there is hope, there is light, there is music -- and if Susan Boyle can captivate the world, we too can find a talent or two to share.
For job resources you can depend on, Creating Job Security Resource Guide is available for $8.95 at www.Amazon.com. To discover the absolute ideal career for you right now, Creating Job Security, The 2009 All-In-One Workbook is available at www.graduategroup.com. Follow us on Twitter @ Job_Security.
It's a snapshot of what we've all experienced with the economy for the past year. The stock market was down, way down in early March. Now it's back up but job loss is still a concern and housing starts are down. People are saving more, spending less, and no one can figure out why gas prices are climbing at the pump when the barrel rate is at a record low.
An unlikely star emerged this week to offer up an unexpected bright spot in a dark economy. Her name is Susan Boyle and her audition on Britain's Got Talent is the biggest thing on YouTube. Indeed she has the voice of an angel, but I don't think that's why she's a worldwide hit. I think she's a hit because we all feel like she looks -- ordinary and imperfect. And yet inside of her is something so unbelievably beautiful that it pushes her to the front of the line.
This economy and the state of the job market have brought out the Susan Boyle in each of us. And for those in desperate need of inspiration (and jobs!), her voice may have offered up just enough encouragement to help keep going. (Not to mention the fact that the words of “I Dreamed a Dream” describe exactly how a lot of people are feeling.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU Is it possible that while we stood up and cheered for her, on some level we were also cheering for ourselves?
How long will this economic winter last? Will it snow again just when we think spring should be well under way? Maybe it will. But like a candle in the dark, even those most uncertain of what tomorrow holds next can for one brief moment, stop and listen to the music, and feel somewhat assured that despite the odds, there is hope, there is light, there is music -- and if Susan Boyle can captivate the world, we too can find a talent or two to share.
For job resources you can depend on, Creating Job Security Resource Guide is available for $8.95 at www.Amazon.com. To discover the absolute ideal career for you right now, Creating Job Security, The 2009 All-In-One Workbook is available at www.graduategroup.com. Follow us on Twitter @ Job_Security.
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