Finding the Right/Any Job In A Tough Economy

Well after being in a job search for more than half this year putting a number of my previous advise and suggestions to practice has assured me of one thing it hard work trying to find work. After doing my own thing since 2005 it has been an awakening to re-visit the possibility of re-entering the regular workforce. The level of flexibility you have being self-employed seems to be more than a typical 9-5 but it really depends on what you are doing. I believe there are many that would say doing your own thing is like working 7-24 because when you are not working it, it is working you. So as I have mentioned before don't be too quick to believe the grass is greener doing your own thing but at the same time it may be the best answer for you. I left the regular workforce for a number of reasons over and above another lay-off. It was also a realization that if you could combine a job or career with something you loved, than doing it wouldn't seem like work at all. I opened not one but two discount dollar stores between 2005-2009 and while I enjoyed every minute of the operations of the business making enough to stay in business was a whole other subject. Timing is everything they say and that was no exception in this case. The economy was taking a serious downturn and while on the surface a discount store would sound like the place to be at the right time. However in reality the competition increases in hard times with everyone getting into the game because every customer counts and discount areas started to appear in every store in the community. Yes not just Wal-Mart but every store like Target, TJMaxx, Michael's, Party City and the list goes on. This is not to mention true dollars stores that have a corporate source buying in volume from the same suppliers as an independent discount store owner like myself at 20-30% of the cost. Then to make matters worst is the age old small business start-up adage of location, location, location coming into play big time. We were able to acquire a space at about 1/3 of the cost per square foot our neighbors were playing but lesson learned, start small and grow big versus the other way around. It all seems so obvious after the fact but my belief it is only a mistake if you don't learn something from it. So considered a store like Dollar Tree that is practically the only true dollar store left because they can purchase out a volume that most other stores cannot compete. It is my observation that Dollar Tree has actually expanded the size of their stores, product lines and advertising a right move given they will be seeing a whole new customer base that at one point had no idea what they carried and could really care less. Amazing how times change and in so many cases remain the same, there are probably quite a few people who still remember the old discount store of the past Five and Dime, long before Kmart, Wal-Mart and the like.

Tony May

Energy

Illinois, United States

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Market and Industry Trends for 2011

So what are the job market and industry trends for 2011? It clearly depends on your source of information since the analytical assumptions may vary somewhat regarding what are the strongest indicators. However, if you do the research several areas of assumptions seem to surface as the primary indicators of growth, sustainable increase and expanding opportunities. There is a great deal of focus on this area by the information super highways since this information is essential to high school seniors, first year college students, career minded professionals and job seekers across the country. The information is readily available via most of the media outlets of television, worldwide web, newspapers, billboards, magazines, radio and networking and recruiting organizations to mention just a few of the available channels. The challenge then becomes once I have that information how do I use it to determine if I’m on the right track, to get on the right track or to get off the wrong one? Many times it comes down to are you looking for a job viewed as just a way to pay the bills or a career that provides true job satisfaction in the opportunity for competitive salaries, promotion/career advancement, work-life balance and a benefit package that brings it all together. Almost any job can become a career but most jobs that are not viewed and treated as a career are highly unlikely to be one. Going back to the earlier questions with the before mentioned things in mind what are the career and industries trends for 2011. Here is a list developed from varies sources to at least help you navigate in the right direction as you confirm and make decisions about your education, job or career?

Industry Trends for 2011:
Healthcare
Education
Elder Care and Services
Digital Media
Federal Jobs
Human Resource Professionals
Software Engineering
Data Administration
Financial Planning
Investment Banking
Energy (Green) Environmental Jobs

Career Trends for 2011
Network System and Data Base Communication Analyst
Physical & Medical Assistant
Software Engineers
Physical Therapist
Pharmacist
Human Resource Managers
Financial Planners
Register Nurse
Dental hygienists
Management Consultants
EDP & Internet Hosting
Computer system design
Environmental Consulting

The above list is not intended to be all inclusive, the intent is to stir the pot as to encouraging those that are researching the career and job market to do the research and take control of your destiny. It is back to the old adage of those who fail to plan, plan to fail. So as we kick-off a new year approach it with a spirit of change and new opportunities because as history confirms there will always be change and with it new opportunities.

Job search with cover letters and follow-up

What are the main ingredients of a good cover letter and why is it important?

Want to set yourself apart from the masses sending resumes to every open position open on the worldwide wed? The proper development and use of a cover can do just that for you. The cover letter is a letter of introduction that allows you to highlight your major accomplishments and why you believe you are a fit for the position, company or organization. The cover letter allows you to personalize content in such a way that demonstrates you understanding of the responsibilities of the position you are applying, as well as highlight those skills and abilities that would suggest you are a good fit for the position. The cover letter provides a method of you being specific about what you are looking for in a job and how your background and experience aligns with the position. The same rules apply to a good cover letter as a good resume. It should be clear and concise and to the point. There should be no misspelled works, run on sentences and should focus specifically on value you believe you could add to the team and why your background and experience makes you a good fit for the position and the company.
As with a resume it is important to follow-up on those position you have a special interest with a phone call to verify the resume and cover letter were received and if the position was still available. The use of a cover letter to accompany your resume is a personal and professional call on your part to assure your interest in the position gets noticed.

Life style alternatives

Think you have had enough of the nine to five and are ready to take the leap into small business ownership. What are some of the first things you should do before you quit your job? Based on past experience that list could be a mile long. But say if the plan isn’t to talk your-self out of doing it then you don’t want to make it too complicated. However, at a minimum the list needs to be reduced to the critical decision making and planning factors to position your-self for success. The first things that come to mind are do you have enough capital to start and sustain a start-up business, have you selected an area of expertise, is it something you have a passion for, do you have a specific location in mind, have you done your research industry and locally? Have you looked out 5-7 years and tried to access what would be success for you? Have you developed a business plan that is comprehensive enough to generate capital if you need to do so? All of the above are essential even if you are buying an established business because you need to build your model of success not someone else’s.

What's in Your Job Search Tool Box?

The challenges of a job search today are very similar to what they were even in a good economy. What I mean is similar but not the same, because weather you are in a search for your first job as a teenager, high school senior, college graduate, displaced worker, career changer or promotion to a higher level within your current environment a job search requires a certain level of focus, tools and resources to be effective. What are some of the basis requirements to mount an effective job search and why?

- Internet Resume
- Paper Resume
- Cover Letters
- Job Search Resources
- Networking
- Key words
- Branding
- Social Media
- Positive/Optimistic

As you can see there are items in the above list that are traditional and others that reflect newly developed resources that assist in a job search in 2010. Well in a tough market like today it is incredibility important to utilize every available resource to position your search for success. First what are the goals of your job search are you looking for a job or career, part-time or full-time, level of pay, benefits, environment, ability to leverage yourself and your skill set. All of these factors play into the preparation of your search. Another important factor is how long can you realistically afford to be in a job search? This usually depends a great deal on your professional and personal circumstances. The length of time will vary and it goes without saying the more focus, time and effort you apply will ultimately shorten that window. The truth being more times than none, time becomes the primary driver of finding a job and many of the goals and objective of your search get overlooked because your response is I just need a job!

Realizing this maybe the case it doesn't change the importance of the attributes required to launch an effective job search. First things first, a well written resume is paramount in gaining a foot hold in market. Most of us probably had our first resume writing experience in high school or college which in both cases we would have had limited amount of exposure to the workforce and what is essential in writing an effective resume. The resume is like the key to get into the door, once inside you have an opportunity to take the tour and experience the possibility of acquiring a position or job that will hopefully meet your goals. However, there is an expectation by the employer that this is the minimum requirement to gain their attention about you and what you might have to offer to their company. Most of us have heard the statement spare no expense (which ever applies money, time and effort) well in the case of have a well written and effective resume needs to fall into this area. This is not to say you have to spend a month salary on your resume but then again consider how much you want to make a month and maybe you should re-consider. What I'm saying is you need to asset your goals and objectives of your job search and invest appropriately in the development of your resumes and related documents (Cover Letter) to assure you are positioning for success. You should tap into every available resource to acquire the best resume possible for your search. The resume takes on many forms today electronic, digital, email, template based, experience based, career based, skill based just to mention a few. Each requires techniques and approaches that focus on what is effective in today’s job search marketplace. The list of job search resources (online, books, job placement specialist and organizations) seems endless and focusing on the right ones and utilizing them appropriately can reduce the time you are out of work looking for a job significantly. Branding what is that you say. Well it is marketing who you are, what you have to offer and what you are looking for in return. There are so many ways get the word out about you and branding is very much on the radar screen. It allows you to engage in the fast track internet marketplace utilizing things like social media (Face book, My space, Twitter, Plax to mention a few) keywords (Words that will result in getting you to the front of the line in searches) and networking (Engaging people you know and don't know with similar issues and objectives) at a whole new level.

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Thinking About Doing Something New

With a tough job market many are switching to doing their own thing in the way of a small business ventures. The time between being released from a job and getting re-employed has gotten longer and using that time to re-invent yourself might be the answer. The best strategy is continue looking where you have proven track record of performance and experience but at the sametime investigate some alternatives that would provide job satisfaction, income and a match for your acquied skill set. There are no lack of opportunities in this area but determining the best fit for the investment of time and effort to research it, is the key.

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New Age Job Search

With un-employement at the highest rate across the country since the great depression what is the anwser to getting re-employed in a tough economy.

First you need to focus your job search efforts and leave nothing to chance by covering the basic of having a targeted well writtern resume and cover letter. Then make sure you utlize all the resources available, to perfect your search starting with a computer and the telephone. It is essential in this day and age to utilize online job search tools however, a mistake many job searches make is they put all their effort into sending out resumes using the online tools but forget the important of a age old tool the phone for job availability confirmation and follow-up.

A brief call after sending out a resumes and well targeted cover letter to hopefully speak to a decision maker in the process, to re-enforce your interest in the company and position and verify the position is still available and your resume was received. There is no assurance you will get a decision maker on the phone in all cases but in the ones you do, it provides the potential opportunity of setting yourself apart from the hundreds of resumes and cover letters they get a day from in some cases from people who have done little to no real research about the company and if it is a place they would really want to work?

Use the well known online job search engines and distribution tools to get your resume out there and save time. Create a list of references. Contact these people in advance to ask their permission to be used as a reference and gain insight into just what they will say when called to provide inputs to your performance, skills and professional attributes.

Utilize your network of friends, family and previous co-workers to make sure the right ones know you are in a search, what you do and how to contact you if they get a lead. There is a great deal of truth in sourcing of canadiates about it is who knows you in many cases being viewed and more important than what you know.

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