LOOKING FOR A JOB?

The “so called” unemployment percentage in America is set at 9.6%. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (9.4 percent) and whites (8.5 percent) declined in December. The unemployment rates for adult women (8.1 percent), teenagers (25.4 percent), blacks (15.8 percent), and Hispanics (13.0 percent) showed little change. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted. And if you use the “real” percentage of those who are out of work and not collecting unemployment compensation, it is 17%. The sad reality of this means that nearly 2 out of 10 people are unemployed. And with the condition of the economy, a “sunshine day” is not coming too fast either.
Now before you get all out of sorts with me for such grim gloomy news, let me use this reality to challenge you from a view you may not have thought of. Namely, getting a job today like you used to know is out of the picture. What I am trying to say is the old way of getting a job that perhaps you are used to is not working and for the most part will not work today. If you are going to get a job today in this economy, you will have to “Think outside the box” and do something far different than you have done or are used to doing.
My advice to any “job seekers” today in this economy is to; First, Be aggressive. You must “Go after it.” The days of companies putting a “Help Wanted” sign out is over. Forget waiting for someone to FIND you. They are not looking. Literally there are NO “Help Wanted” ads in any Newspaper anywhere. And the internet Help Wanted ads are slim to none. If you get hired today, you have to become aggressive and very forth right about it.
Second, you must become Unrelenting in your search to find a job and get hired. There is no room for passive shy people getting a job. Put your timidity aside and “Hit the pavement” EVERYDAY. I mean, you must get up early every morning like it’s a JOB itself and put in six, seven hours a day – everyday all week until you get what you need, or looking for. You must be persistent.
Thirdly, you must become Organized. Get your resume done correctly. DO NOT do a multi-page resume. Learn how to write a successful, quality resume that HR people are wanting to read (not what you want to say). Create a One page resume. Reduce a sentence down to one word. Make your resume a “Bullet Point” style read. Tweak your resume to fit each company you are submitting to. Make it sound like you are what they are looking for.
And lastly, Be informed. Find out every business in your county that has hired in the past 12 months. Find out the companies that are expanding or adding a new division to their operation. Go to the local bookstore, library, Job Bank and find out the Do’s and Don’ts of job interviews, resumes and how and why companies hire. In short, be informed. Go online and Google key words that will assist you in learning how to find and secure a job interview.
I promise you that if you will do what I outlined for you in these few short paragraphs, you will absolutely find a job and get hired. I challenge you to invest the next few weeks and apply my simple principles of finding and securing a job. And when you do, and get hired, then PLEASE call or email me your testimony so I can share it with the more than a thousand people who get my Newsletter or read my BLOG. Please, forward this article to any and as many people as you wish – you have my permission.
By Dr Tim McClure