Job searching: the new lifestyle

Get used to job searching. It will probably be a way of life as the workplace changes. Workers are likely to work for far more companies than in the past.

Only 20% of jobs are ever advertised, this astonishing estimate says.

Why is Monster so ineffectual at finding jobs? Employers may just be building their databases--they've purchased a block of ads and they have to use them. The listing doesn't mean there's a real job underneath.

Your skills have to remain current. This is especially true for older workers if they find themselves reluctant to update to new technology.

The nationwide 9.1% unemployment rate hides that in some areas, things are even worse. In Benewah County, Idaho, for instance, unemployment was at 15.1% in May. It's 15% in Kern County, California.

Of course, double that for teenagers (16-19). In Nevada, the teen unemployment rate is 36.2%.

One Florida man left a $90,000 job a year and a half ago to move nearer to family. He couldn't find a job at even $20,000 and have gone back to school.

Bad news doesn't mean give up--but it's different than it used to be out there.

---new ways to job search for 99 cents

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti