Putting Veterans First in the Job Market

Finding a job is hard enough these days, and even harder for returning military veterans. Now Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, wants to put servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at the front of the line for job openings.

By Linda Saslow-
“Although in today’s economy it’s hard to foresee how many jobs we will be able to provide, the veterans will have first preference.”


Mr. Suozzi announced Warriors to Work, a program to provide job opportunities for those veterans. He said it was the first public-private program in the country to provide employment opportunities for returning veterans from the current wars.

“Over 3,000 Nassau County residents have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, and there are still hundreds more fighting for our country today,” Mr. Suozzi said after announcing the initiative. Federal Labor Department statistics for 2007 show the unemployment rate for veterans, including those 18 to 24 who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, was considerably higher than the rate for nonveterans.

Mr. Suozzi said he got the idea for the initiative from Fred Wilpon, the principal owner of the Mets, who, during a Dec. 15 meeting at a Nassau restaurant, suggested that Mr. Suozzi “do something for veterans.”

Mr. Suozzi met with officials of the Building and Construction Trades Council and the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and received commitments for jobs from them. Then he received pledges from four trade unions and a dozen other companies. The participants include the Long Island Federation of Labor, the Bethpage Federal Credit Union, CVS, King Kullen and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The unions and companies committed to placing more than 200 veterans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan in jobs on Long Island this year. The county’s Veterans Service Agency will work with human resources departments to help match veterans to appropriate jobs.

James Castellane, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council and a Vietnam War veteran, said in a telephone interview that the initiative was modeled on the Helmets to Hard Hats program, which since 2003 has been helping veterans find jobs within the 36 trade unions represented by the council.

“These jobs have to have a pension, an annuity, medical benefits and a union card,” he said, referring to the council’s commitment. “Although in today’s economy it’s hard to foresee how many jobs we will be able to provide, the veterans will have first preference.”

John R. Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor, which represents 135unions and 250,000 employees on the Island, said the county’s program would give business and labor an opportunity to work together to support veterans.

“We will be talking to different employers and affiliates to get as many jobs as we can,” he said in a phone interview. “Where there are already jobs available, we will help slot them for veterans, and we will also work with employers to help create new positions.”

Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System — the Island’s largest employer, with 38,000 employees — has already increased his initial pledge for 2009 to 20 jobs from 10. He said he expected to be able to provide even more jobs to returning veterans, at all levels, on a continuing basis. Since 2004, North Shore-L.I.J. has hired 94 people who identified themselves as veterans, said a spokesman, Terry Lynam.

“Being such a large organization, there are openings all the time, and we are committed to providing permanent positions with benefits and a career track,” Mr. Dowling said.

Two years ago, he said, North Shore-L.I.J. set up a family wellness center to help veterans deal with stress-related problems; for employees who serve abroad, jobs are guaranteed upon their return, with compensation for salary missed during military service.

Richard A. Cody, a retired four-star general who served as vice chief of staff of the Army from 2004 to last July, joined Mr. Suozzi to announce the new initiative.

“When soldiers return after 12 to 15 months away from their families, many haven’t had time to do job searches or think about their transition,” General Cody said. “Today, veterans return home with broader skill sets than ever. Many of the vets possess years of high-tech vocational training, leadership skills, and some have earned college degrees while on active duty.”

Mr. Suozzi said that he would continue to encourage businesses and agencies to sign on to the Warriors to Work initiative and that the county’s monthly newsletter to veterans would remind them of the program.

Source: Veterans Today

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Stable Demand for Sales Jobs

SalesJobs.net, a Beyond.com career community and Web site for job seekers and employers in the sales industry, reveals there is a stable demand for sales jobs providing hope for sales professionals and new college graduates alike in the face of today’s economy.

The recent recession has caused a decline in jobs across a multitude of industries, creating a pool of highly qualified talent not seen in years. Many businesses are taking advantage of these candidates to fill sales positions that offer high-reward and low-risk to the company. This trend has allowed the sales sector to remain strong, experiencing close to a 10% increase in the number of sales jobs posted to SalesJobs.net in January 2009 as compared to December 2008. In Q4 2008, the top positions for sales jobs were Sales Manager (68%), Pharmaceutical Sales Representative (15%) and Cashier (5%), with the top cities for jobs ranked as Houston, New York and Chicago, according to SalesJobs.net. Of the sales jobs posted in Q4 2008, 67% were looking for a candidate with less than one year of experience and 63% required at least a four-year degree. With the increased quantity and quality of competition in the job market, SalesJobs.net reported a 27% increase in sales professionals looking for a job over the past year.

Source: Recruiter Trends

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Veterans Green Jobs Career Training Program Supports Veterans

Veterans Green Jobs announces that it has opened enrollment for the Spring and Summer 2009 sessions of the Veterans Green Jobs Academy™.

The Academy is a unique hybrid of classroom and on-the-job training designed to move the experienced, disciplined military veteran into a meaningful career in green industries. Veterans Green Jobs Academy™ programs include free or low-cost green job training; multiple industry-recognized home energy audit certifications; and job placement services to veterans seeking to help America restore its economy, environment and communities. All honorably discharged veterans are encouraged to apply now for 8-week training programs beginning in April, June and August 2009. The Spring 2009 session of the Academy focuses on home energy efficiency and conservation with an intensive Home Energy Audit Training (HEAT™) certification program. HEAT™ brings environmental education together with supervised on-the-job-training to meet the consumer demand for experts to help lower residential energy consumption. "Reports indicate that there are nearly 2 million returned or returning military personnel who now face the challenging task of transitioning into civilian careers after their tours in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere. Without effective support and viable economic options, many veterans and their families face serious hardships," says John M. Garcia, Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services. "At the same time, America has a rapidly growing demand for trained workers to implement a nationwide shift to more sustainable 'green' technologies, energy sources, business practices and lifestyles." The Veterans Green Jobs Academy™ has designed scalable curriculums in environmental industries, business management, and specific job skills that can be immediately applied to the marketplace. The HEAT™ Program is just one of several energy-efficiency-related programs being developed, and future programs offered by the Academy include renewable energy, green building, historic building preservation, and disaster preparedness, response and reconstruction. "Veterans Green Jobs is working to mobilize a highly-skilled population to lead the revival of a national service ethic to address our most pressing problems," says Brett KenCairn. "That includes setting a standard so that green jobs in this country offer a true living wage and job security, and so that careers in green industries lead to energy independence, ecological restoration, community renewal and economic prosperity for all Americans." In collaboration with a broad consortium of partners, Veterans Green Jobs is supporting veterans' military transitions through programs and support services that promote their personal healing, along with a community-based movement towards healing the economy and the environment. In doing so, Veterans Green Jobs is also mobilizing a dedicated field-tested workforce that our society has already invested in to help the US move quickly towards greater environmental and economic security. Academy programs will expand to 15 states in 2010 and are anticipated to be in all 50 states as soon as possible.

Source: Recruiter Trends

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Niche and Local Job Boards

Hong Kong job seekers and recruiters are set to benefit from the launch of a host of industry-specific websites serving the region.

The sites, led by Jobs-In-Hong-Kong.com, are being launched by The Omni Job Board Network, Inc. in response to changing needs in the internet recruitment market. The Omni network was created by a team of former recruiters, web developers, human resources (HR) and marketing professionals, "who had become disillusioned by the high cost and inconsistent results they experienced with traditional job boards." Their research reveals that the vast majority of internet job seekers have little loyalty to major job board brands, instead relying primarily on search engines to deliver relevant and up-to-date job listings in their area, according to the website. Despite being newly launched to the industry, the sites feature highly in internet search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and MSN Live, giving employers and recruiters a high level of exposure to high quality candidates from around the world.

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Part-time Opportunities

Most people (meaning job seekers) perceive part-time jobs as a waste of time and offer less than full-time positions.

Many part-time jobs pay just as much as full-time as a 40 hour per week job and there are number of part-time jobs that offer benefits such as health insurance, 401(k), vacation days and employee discounts. Here is a list of the best part-time opportunities.

1. Tax Preparer
2. Substitute Teacher
3. Private Tutor
4. Part-time Receptionist
5. Computer Technician
6. Copy Editor
7. Direct Seller

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Hiring Firms Gear Up for Finance Mop Up

The expected clean-up of the U.S. financial sector and an anticipated economic stimulus package has staffing firms preparing to find jobs for everyone from blue-collar workers to highly trained compliance officers.

While most headlines in the past few months have been about companies and industries eliminating jobs and closing factories, once these federal government programs roll out, demand within some sectors is expected to spike!

"Cleaning up the bad loans and reregulating the financial sector is going to be huge," said Brendan Courtney, Vice President of Mergis Group, a unit of staffing company Spherion Corp, which has set up a special group to handle hiring related to the U.S. financial sector bailout. "None of this is going to get done without armies of people."

The U.S. Congress is debating a nearly $900 billion economic stimulus package, including tens of billions of dollars for infrastructure projects to create jobs.

President Barack Obama has also vowed to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system, which may include stricter rules for hedge funds, credit rating agencies and mortgage brokers, to prevent a repeat of the credit crisis that has plunged the world's largest economy into deep recession.

And U.S. policymakers are considering whether to place toxic or virtually worthless assets left in the wake of the financial crisis into a bank cleanup program that some analysts estimate could cost as much as $4 trillion.

Although the exact form of these programs has yet to be decided, staffing companies say they are preparing to fill a raft of different jobs with accountants, engineers, lawyers, bankers, mortgage specialists and compliance officers.

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Job Seeker Support Groups

One of the best sources of job leads is other job seekers.

People who are unemployed or under-employed are finding strength in support groups. Members of these groups are the front-line soldiers in the battle for jobs, and as a group, know more about where the openings are than probably any other single source. Except in the rare instance when two people are looking for the same type of job -- at the same level -- in the same geographic area, most job seekers are eager to share their knowledge and leads with others.

That is why career strategist and counselors (and I) recommend all job seekers connect with at least one job search group. I recently created such a group.

It's called the Frustrated Job Seeker Lounge.There are no membership fees or other costs associated with the group. You can make friends, network, ask for and share job leads, exchange ideas and experiences, role-play with other job seekers, and you can participate in the group whenever you want from the comfort of your home. Membership is open to anyone who is unemployed, under-employed, or considering a career change.

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Wanted - Heavy Equipment Operators

Heavy equipment operators will have plenty of career opportunities in 2009.

Job opportunities for construction equipment operators are expected to be in abundance through 2012, due to the shortage of adequate training programs, according to the National Heavy Equipment Operators School. The National Heavy Equipment Training program is offered in two phases: distance learning and resident training. Resident Training requires a month of hands-on heavy equipment training, of which students are required to complete 201 hours of hands-on heavy equipment operator training in order to graduate. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, construction equipment operators held about 416,000 jobs in 2002. Jobs were found in every section of the country and were distributed among various types of operators. About three-out-of-five construction equipment operators worked in the construction industry. Many heavy equipment operators worked in heavy construction, building highways, bridges, or railroads. About one-out-of-five of all heavy equipment operators worked in state and local government. Others, mostly grader, bulldozer, and scraper operators, worked in mining, manufacturing, and utility companies.

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100 Best Companies to Work For In 2009

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2009/full_list/

Check out one of my online discussion groups. You may be able to connect and network with a current employee or former employee from one of this companies.

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Health Care Employers Are Hiring

While the recession injured many industries in 2008, health care was one of the few bright spots in the employment picture, growing by 372,000 jobs last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January 2009 Employment Situation Summary. The large aging population has health care employers in need of qualified workers: stat. Therefore, despite the current economic conditions, health care employers will continue to increase staff in 2009, according to CareerBuilder.com’s annual health care hiring forecast, conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive.

Close to one-in-five (17 percent) of large health care employers (50 or more employees) plan to increase the number of full-time, permanent employees in 2009, while 67 percent foresee either making no change in the number of employees or are unsure.

"The health care industry continues to boast high demand for qualified workers. Employers are reacting to this need by continuing strong recruiting efforts this year," says Jason Ferrara, Vice President of Corporate Marketing for CareerBuilder.com. "Half of health care employers, the highest among industries we surveyed, have open positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates. In response, health care employers will have to adjust their recruitment and retention strategies to find and keep top talent."

Health care recruitment trends for 2009
1. More Flexibility. Flexible work options continue to be an important benefit for health care employers to provide in an effort to attract new candidates and to prevent employee burnout. Forty-one percent of health care employers will provide more flexible work arrangements for employees in 2009, including:

· Alternative schedules – come in early and leave early or come in later and leave later

· Compressed work weeks – work the same hours, but in fewer days

· Telecommuting

· Job sharing

· Summer hours

2. Recruitment Tools. As demand for qualified workers continues, health care employers will leverage a variety of recruitment tools to reduce the time-to-hire cycle and fill open positions. Health care employers plan to spend more money on the following recruitment tools in 2009:

· Online recruitment sites

· Newspaper classifieds

· Career fairs [click the "Job Fair Calendar" tab at the top of the page]

· Staffing firms and recruiters

· Social networking sites

3. Freelance Workers
To help alleviate their employees’ demanding work load, health care employers are hiring contract and freelance workers to help get the job done.

4. Green Jobs
Being "green" is a burgeoning movement within the health care industry as companies seek ways to run more efficiently. Health care employers plan to be more environmentally aware in 2009, as 14% plan to add "green" jobs, up from 7% in 2008. "Green jobs" are positions that implement environmentally conscious design, policy and technology to improve the conservation and sustainability.

With the growing job count in the nursing profession, NursingCrossing, a job site catering to nursing professionals, has reportedly added 12,255 nursing jobs in a single week, bringing the site's job count to a staggering 89,923.  As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs related to nursing and residential care facilities grew by 19,600 from January to August 2008.

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10 Cities for Growth Opportunity in 2009

If your job search strategy includes opportunities outside your local area check out this list of cities projecting job growth in 2009.

No. 1: Madison, Wis.

Unemployment rate: 3.5%

Madison has several things working in its favor, one being the University of Wisconsin, a major employer. The university's technology arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, supports scientific research at the school and helps drive breakthroughs in health care, biotechnology and medical devices, resulting in strong local businesses in all those fields. Adding to the city's optimistic job outlook is its highly educated workforce and the fact that it's the center of state and county governments--both big employers (city government is a big one too). Add to that an ideal mix of start-ups and medium and large businesses, and you have a city that is not reliant on one main employer.

No. 2: Washington, D.C.

Unemployment rate: 4.2%

That's a rise from 3.2% in October 2007, but still it remains well below the national average. The largest job growth has been in federal and local government. Other major employers include defense contracting, law and education. There are so many schools and colleges that education is the third largest employer, and the area is expected to add 30,000 more education jobs in 2009.

No. 3: Boston, Mass.

Unemployment rate: 4.4%

Boston's unemployment rate has risen almost a full percentage point since October 2007, when it was 3.5%, but things continue to look good on the job front there. All those colleges keep on employing thousands of area residents, and the many hospitals and research institutions make for a strong showing in health care. Not everyone who works at those institutions is a physician or researcher either--finance staff, managers and all kinds of back-office workers are always needed. With so many educated men and women wanting to stick around after graduating, Boston has become a hub for the tech and pharmaceutical industries. The city lost just 900 financial sector jobs in the past year--far fewer than other, harder hit places.

No. 4: Richmond, Va.

Unemployment rate: 4.4%

A year ago, Richmond's unemployment rate was 3.1%. But at 4.4% currently, it's still well below the national average. One reason is its healthy mix of industries and business sizes. The area doesn't rely on one or two huge companies to employ most of its residents. Public accounting, manufacturing and service remain strong fields, and with the nation's capital just three hours away, there are plenty of jobs in government contracting and defense. The military bases in the area contribute to a strong showing in government-related jobs.

No. 5: Milwaukee, Wis.

Unemployment rate: 4.8%

Milwaukee's unemployment rate is barely changed from a year ago, when it was 4.7%. The aging population has helped health care jobs multiply; they've grown by almost 30,000 in the past 12 months. Many health care, energy and environmental companies that were based in Chicago have been moving to Milwaukee for its cheaper expenses. The city is only about an hour from Chicago by train.

No. 6: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Unemployment rate: 5%

This city's unemployment rate has climbed in the past year from 3.9%, with much of that job loss in manufacturing. However, it continues to have several strong industries, particularly education, health care and government. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is the city's largest employer, with 40,000 workers. Banking, technology and education also continue to keep the economy and job market lively.

No. 7: Baltimore, Md.

Unemployment rate: 5.1%

Though unemployment in Baltimore jumped from 3.6% the previous year, the jobs in education, professional services and business services have grown. The city's close proximity to Washington, D.C., means there are many government contractors around and many commuters who live in Baltimore but work in the nation's capital.

No. 8: Seattle, Wash.

Unemployment rate: 5.3%

Unemployment here increased from 3.7% in October 2007, but certain sectors have stayed quite strong, including biotech and health care. The area has a large elderly population and several Veterans Administration hospitals that employ considerable numbers. You'll do best looking for a job in Seattle if you're trained in the knowledge economy; the city has very few blue-collar positions to offer.

No. 9: Houston, Texas

Unemployment rate: 5.4%

The unemployment rate has risen from 4% in the past year. However, government jobs, particularly in oil, gas and other types of energy, continue to be strong. The city added 11,100 government jobs just in the last year.

10. Dallas, Texas

Unemployment rate: 5.6%

Dallas enjoys job growth very much like Houston's, concentrated in government positions related to energy. The city also has growing technology and information technology industries that are providing work, and it's home to many companies handling government contracts.

Source: Forbes.com

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America's Best Paying Jobs

High Paying Careers / Occupations

Management Occupations $96,150
Legal Occupations $88,450
Computer and Mathematical Occupations $72,190
Architecture and Engineering Occupations $68,880
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations $65,020
Business and Financial Operations Occupations $62,410
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations $62,020
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations $48,410
Education, Training, and Library Occupations $46,610
Construction and Extraction Occupations $40,620
Community and Social Services Occupations $40,540
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations $39,930
Protective Service Occupations $38,750
Sales and Related Occupations $35,240
Production Occupations $31,310
Office and Administrative Support Occupations $31,200
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations $30,680
Healthcare Support Occupations $25,600
Personal Care and Service Occupations $23,980
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations $23,560
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations $22,640
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations $19,440

Top 10 Highest Paying Careers

Anesthesiologists $192,780 = 4.6% (% Change)
Surgeons $191,410 = 3.9% (% Change)
Orthodontists $185,340 = 4.8% (% Change)
Obstetricians and Gynecologists $183,600 = 3.1% (% Change)
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons $178,440 = 8.3% (% Change)
Prosthodontists $169,360 = 6.6% (% Change)
Internists, General $167,270 = 4.0% (% Change)
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other $155,150 = 9.1% (% Change)
Family and General Practitioners $153,640 = 2.5% (% Change)
Chief Executives $151,370 = 4.7% (% Change)

Would you like to see more salary information? Visit the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How would you use ths information in your salary negotiations?

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US Employment will Grow in 2009

Despite the recessionary views of economists, workforce employment will grow in 2009. Job seekers in 2009 will continue to hear a lot of conflicting and sometimes confusing information about the state of the job market and the state of the economy overall.

If you are in the market for a job you need to understand the changes surging through the economy in order to determine which companies to pursue and which to avoid. The U.S. employment market is evolving quickly, and you must be both knowledgeable and nimble in order to position yourself to find promising careers

Schonfield and Associates, an analysis firm, predicts 2009 employment will continue to grow modestly in many industries with productivity, as measured in sales per employee, also continuing to grow.

Many foreign companies will also show employment growth.

Among the twenty largest public corporations, ten of the largest employers will be non-U.S. headquartered firms.

According to Schonfeld & Associates, the largest U.S. based employer will be Wal-Mart Stores with over 2.4 million employees in 2009, up 5.8 percent.

The largest non-U.S. based employer will be Gazprom, Russia’s largest company, with 611,000 employees, an increase of over 10 percent.

The Commercial Banking industry will be the largest employer with 4.4 million employees in over 500 banks, reflecting a 8.8 percent increase.

Variety Stores will be second with 3.7 million employees, up 6.1 percent.

The medical services sector will be a continuing source of employment growth. Home Health Care Services, Skilled Nursing Care Facilities, as well as Offices of Medical Doctors are all growing at over 11 percent.

As in the past, areas of computer software development continue to show workforce growth.

The Prepackaged Software industry, growing at 9 percent, includes over 280 companies employing 674,000 workers.

The future is not as bright, however, for all sectors of the economy.

Employment by Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, Air Courier Services, as well as the large diversified food manufacturers, will experience negative growth.

These predictions come from the 2008 edition ofWorkforce Ratios & Forecasts by Schonfeld & Associates.

The study contains historical employment for 2007, an estimate for 2008, and a forecast of 2009 for over 7,200 individual companies and summaries for over 400 industries.

In an era of downsizing, right-sizing, mergers and acquisitions, the numbers are encouraging for job seekers.

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The Secrets of Successful Networking - Part 1

Looking for a job is a job in itself. We've all heard this. So those on a serious job quest polish their resumes and dutifully distribute them around town.

For many, the concept of networking conjures thoughts of calling up people they know and having lunch or coffee with them and talking about opportunities that may exist in that person's company. Aggressive networking carries this a step further.

First, make a list of people you know who have jobs in your line of work or related to your line of work. Then sit down and call each person on your list and suggest that you meet for a coffee or something equally brief. There are two reasons for this. One, you don't want to take up a lot of the other person's time and two, lunches and dinners get to be expensive if you have many of them to buy.

Take networking seriously. That is, don't spread the meetings with your list of contacts out over a month-long period. Start on a Monday morning and call everyone to book a get-together for later in the week or at the latest, early next week.

When you have the meeting, keep it light. Don't show up with your resume and ask, "Do you know of any jobs?" This is simply a reconnaissance mission. The person you're having coffee with is in the business and knows what's happening. Ask for this information. Try saying something as simple and straightforward as: "You're plugged into what's going on around town. Any suggestions on who I can talk to about what might be coming up in the future?"

By the end of the week, you may have a couple of dozen names of people in the industry. Sit down the next Monday morning and call them. Introduce yourself, explain where you got their names and ask if you can have 15 minutes of their time. Suggest meeting for a coffee near their office. Often, the person will say something like, "Why don't you drop in around 3 p.m. We can talk here in my office."

Schedule your week, filling in time slots to meet people. And again, get three names from each of these people. After a while, you may notice an overlapping of names as your contacts give you names of people you have already contacted.

Don't ask for a job. Just the same as meeting with your acquaintances, keep it light. Say that you're looking for a place in the industry and in the meantime, you're making an all-out effort to keep plugged into what's happening.

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Niche Job Search Sites

Once you have built a solid résumé, you need to get it out there where people can see it. Post it to all the major job sites and to the niche sites you have identified for your industry or profession.

Q: Why should you bother with all the work it takes to find and post on niche job sites?
A: The big job boards important, but they aren’t enough. Niche job sites offer many advantages, both for employers and for job seekers. Employers receive far fewer resumes for each job listing than they would on Monster.com or Yahoo! HotJobs, yet the resumes they do receive are often more qualified and more targeted simply because they are focused in their job search. Job seekers deal with fewer competing applicants and therefore have a better chance at making the short list of candidates to be contacted for the next step in the hiring process. The big job boards should, of course, be a part of your overall job search strategy, as many employers only post on one job board or only a few - by having your resume on as many relevant job boards as possible you maximize your chances of being found by your ideal employer.

How do you find the niche job sites specific to your industry or area of expertise? Just go to your search engine of choice and search for (your niche) + “job sites”. For example, a search for accounting job sites will yield a number of sites specific to accounting jobs. You may even try localizing your search, such as searching for “Accounting job sites New York” (with or without quotes).

Try a few different variations when searching so you’ll find more good sites to use. You can even try your target title such as “fixed assets manager job sites Los Angeles”.

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How to Survive a Layoff

Every time I tune my TV to the news (my favorite news channel is CNN) someone is commenting on the economy and the total number of job losses. It's depressing news and I can empathize with those who are out of work. It triggers a time when I was laid off during a recession period in 2001.

I was seeking a career with a company that would have a strong business plan and provided an unique service to consumers. I found my ideal company 20 minutes from home. It was a start up company that was in business 2 years prior to me joining. The company offered resume writing, job search and job placement services to people who were long termed unemployed or laid off. Goal -- get people back to work. My recruiting experience and background was a perfect fit.

It was the summer of 2001. It was a Friday and I wanted to get an early start on the day. I arrived at work an hour before anyone else. Activity during the day was normal. It was also payday. All of us were looking forward to getting paid before going into the weekend. As he normally did the President of the company had our payroll checks prepared in the morning and would come by our desk with our checks right after everyone came back from lunch. He would always spend a few minutes talking with each employee (only 7). It was his 1:1 connect time with his staff. But the conversation on this day was different. We got the news that the company would be closing it's doors (going out of business) at the end of the day. Talk about a shock! No one saw it coming. We were instructed to contact every one of our clients before the end of the day and inform them that the business was closing due to lack of funding. We were about to find ourselves in the same population as our clients. Our clients relied on us for support and assistance in getting back to work. How ironic and weird!

I collected unemployment insurance for 3 months while looking for work everyday. I got up every day the same time I did when I was working and I focused on finding my next career. I planned my day and I was deliberate in executing my plan.

1. I would get up every morning confident I would find another job. I kept reminding myself that I have skills!
2. I started my job search the following Monday. If you can afford to take a couple of days off before searching use that time to rest, refocus your energy, reassess your career goals and strategize your search.
3. I made a list of targeted companies, searched their career sites for openings and tailored my resume to fit the opened position(s).
4. Not only did I post my resume to national job boards like Careerbuilder, Monster, and Yahoo!Hotjobs but I also subscribed to their email alerts so openings would come to me.
5. I contacted my references let them know that I was back in the job market and that I was counting on them. I provided them with a copy of my resume.
6. I asked my ex-boss to write a recommendation letter that also explained why the job loss occurred and how it was not my fault.
7. I practiced my interviewing everyday to keep my confidence level up.
8. I applied to temp positions. Sometimes they can lead to a permanent position.
9. I filled out at least 5 applications per day and/or passed out 5 resumes per day.
10. I attended local job fairs with a list of companies that I wanted to target. I arrived before the doors opened. My strategy was to speak with the recruiters/hiring managers before they were bombarded by other applicants. Having attended hundreds of career fairs as a recruiter I could remember how drained I was after 2 hours into the event. I made it a point to stop by the booths of those companies I was interested in before I left the fair.
11. Network - I was always networking. If I shopping, getting my car repaired, or eating at a restaurant I was always asking people if they knew of anyone needing my skill sets.
12. Newspaper - I did not limit my search to the classifieds. I searched the Business News section and (this may sound morbid) the obituaries. Sometimes I would find job leads.

My plan paid off. I secured a job in the first week of September the same year. And I successfully negotiated my salary increasing it 50% more than my previous salary.
I shared some methods that I would agree sound desperate but these are dire times. You must have a creative and aggressive job search plan in order to secure a job in these volatile times. And just as important you must keep your chin up and stay positive.

If you decide to use any of these methods please come back and post your success so others can benefit.

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