Someone else may be out of a job

June Numbers

Bummed by the June job numbers? So is the president. A political scientist of our acquaintance said he thought Obama was a shoo-in for 2012 until the last job figures came out. Now our source thinks the prez has a problem.

For one thing, unemployment is 1.6 points higher than when he took office 2 1/2 years ago. (Mr. President, if you end up looking for a job, there's a free copy of How to Find a Job with your name on it.)

On the other hand, you can look at the numbers like Forbes does: " ... we’re continuing to see minimal improvement in job market." No, I have no idea what they're talking about.

Even more embarrassing, Alberta--a single province in Canada--added more jobs in June (22,000) than the whole United States did (18,000).

It's worse if you're a teen. California and Georgia are tied for "worst teen unemployment" in the US--34.6%!

Networking

Going for huge numbers of LinkedIn contacts is meaningless--people are only useful if you're working with them. Give and take. Lila in this cartoon strip makes the same point a tad more poetically.

Might want to consider a quick email monthly to your networking group. Presumbably you're interacting with them more frequently than that--but perhaps over specific issues. It may be a good idea to give them a short "big picture" every 4 weeks.

Cris Recruits a Company is an interesting look at what a blog can do to help the search. It's another chance for a company to see how you self-start, create and deliver.

Research

I advocate intensely studying a company to come up with 10 ways they can improve their bottom line. Another person says you should create a full "White Paper" and mail it to everybody. I don't go along with "carpet bombing" but we agree on research. You can't go in cold.


---brought to you by How to Find a Job ebook and free articles

Image courtesy of Marcus74id

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

Tough being teen

Teen unemployment for May was 24%--two and a half times higher than that for the general population.

If you're teen, black and male, the unemployment rate is 45%--four times higher than the general rate.

Many students give up after 5 to 7 applications. As well they should. They haven't heard about the right way to job search--targeting gets new jobs.

The time it takes to find a job and the number of people applying for each job have both doubled since before the rescession.


---brought to you by the people who know the right way to job search

Image courtesy of photostock

Teens, friends, and remember

Adults are taking jobs that used to go to teenagers, this speaker says.

Job hunting is tough and you should not solo--have somebody to talk you, to help keep you sane.

Longevity used to be good. Now, five years in the same job may cause an employer to raise an eyebrow What happened to this applicant's ambition?

They might have a point. Are you still learning anything from that job after that long?

So don't forget the job search skills you're learning now as you look--you'll be using them again in a little while.


---the step by step: How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50. Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. From Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download

Image courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn