5 Steps for Retooling in the New Job Market

I’m not sure if we should call it the “new” job market or the reduced, redefined, elusive job market.  Too many people who have worked for years with relevant skills and valuable experience now can’t find employment where once their talents were in demand.  This dilemma isn’t limited to the industrial workforce that has watched American production ship out to foreign shores. For twenty years there has been public debate and wringing of hands over teacher shortages and the lack of trained nurses.  Today there are licensed teachers and RNs that in some regions, can’t find work.

This condition of not-quite-depression and not-quite-recovery has created a job market where employers are reluctant to hire, government agencies are facing budget cuts, and talented people are running out of unemployment benefits.  A lot of frustrated unemployed people have had to redefine their goals.  When it comes to looking for work today, sometimes that means redefining your personal skills.  Instead of looking for a position that fits your experience, try redefining your skills to fit what’s out there.  Here are a few suggestions for realigning your abilities to match a morphing economy. Read the Rest of This Article »

The 5 Essentials Of Reinventing Yourself

While Wall Street claims that the recession has run its’ course, the jobless rate continues to hover at more than 10 percent and millions of people are experiencing prolonged unemployment.  In fact, in a recent report put out by Rutgers University entitled “No End in Sight: The Agony of Prolonged Unemployment,” experts state that economic improvements have had little to no positive effects on those still searching for work.  Eight in ten people who lost their job in the recession have yet to find a new one, and those that have found work have been forced to take a pay cut, work without benefits or take a job they don’t like.

Unemployment itself is bad enough and prolonged unemployment, described as those who have been searching for more than 6 months, is quite simply put… a nightmare of the very worst kind.  People have lost their homes, sold valuable possession to make ends meet, borrowed money from friends, dipped into their retirement funds, overlooked medical care and the list goes on and on. Read the Rest of This Article »

6 Things You Need to Consider Before You Quit Your Job

If you’re unhappy with your current job, there’s no reason that you have to stay there the rest of your life. At the same time, you don’t want to make any rash decisions and just storm out of the office one day without a plan. There are a few things you should consider before you quit your job.

Here is a list of things to consider before you fire your boss:

1.    Have a Plan. When you’re unhappy with your current situation, you may be tempted several times a day to just storm off and say “I quit”. However, you need to avoid letting yourself get to this point of burnout.

    First you’ll want to do a thorough evaluation of your life and why you’re unhappy. Are you struggling because you hate this specific job and would like another one, or are you struggling because you don’t like the idea of working for someone else? The answer to this question will help you to determine your next steps.

    Next you need to decide what you’re going to do if you’re no longer working at your job. You should shoot for doing something that you enjoy that also makes money in the process. Remember that you can always start your own business. The best way to fire your boss is to become your own boss!

    Think about what you’ll do if everything doesn’t go according to plan. It’s always a good idea to have a back up plan too. It’s difficult to muster up the courage to leave the security of a job, but if you plan properly and have a back up, you should be in good shape. Read the Rest of This Article »

The Upside Of The Economic Downturn: Why Being Unemployed Isn’t So Bad

Image courtesy of Roy Lichtenstein

With the economy being as tough as it is, and so many people struggling to find work, including many who will read this, it’s very easy to fall into a dark hole of depression and despair.  How will I find another job… when will I find another job?  How will I pay the bills, feed my kids, afford the rent? When will this economy improve… will it EVER improve? As we spend hour upon hour on Craigslist and other sites searching for jobs, sending our resumes into a black hole called the internet, these are the questions that crowd our minds.

Then, of course, there is the interview process.  Our hopes held high with that first phone call: “We were looking over your resume and really like what we see…” only to be shattered later with the second or third call (or better yet, a very impersonal email): “After going through the interview process, we have decided to go with another candidate whose skill set best fits the qualifications of the position.  We wish you the best of luck in your on-going search for employment.”

It’s almost worse than getting laid-off.  Rejection is never easy.  Uncertainty never comfortable.  Unemployment never fun.  Or is it?  Could it be?  If we looked at it from a different perspective, is it possible to find an upside in all of this?

Maybe so. Read the Rest of This Article »