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Tips for weathering a long job search
Zapoint Acquires Social Job Search Site Jobster From Recruiting.com
Professional guidance can help you stand out in the search for a job

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Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Tips for weathering a long job search

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 03:08 AM PDT

When Terase Salerno was laid off in January 2009, she wasn't too worried about landing a new job, even amid the deepening recession.

The former assistant director of information technology for Ernst & Young was sure that her 15 years of experience managing techies and projects would make her a good catch for any employer. "I'd never had a problem finding work before, " says Terri, 36.

More than a year later, she's a lot less confident. After applying for some 300 jobs, Salerno has had just six interviews and zero offers. "And I keep wondering, 'What am I doing wrong?' " she laments.

Terri's husband, Michael, 32, has kept his job as a software tester. But minus her $96,000 salary, their household income is down more than 60% -- forcing the West Milford, N.J., couple to dip into savings to meet obligations.

Their only splurge in recent months was a few Christmas presents for their son, Dominick, 7. Yet even after reining in their budget, the Salernos are down to their last $4,000. "We have only two months or so before we can't pay our bills," says Mike anxiously.

In the toughest job market in nearly 30 years, laid-off workers like Terri are becoming reluctant members of a fast-growing group: the long-term unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people out of work for six months or more remains at near-record levels -- now 6.1 million, up from 1.3 million in 2007 -- even as the economy shows signs of improvement.

As the Salernos are beginning to discover, long-term unemployment can have long-term consequences. Families in this situation often deplete their savings and rack up debt; at worst, they lose their homes. When the unemployed finally do re-enter the workforce, many earn less than they had in their previous jobs.

The Salernos are worried. Maybe you are too. Here's what to do when your severance and savings are running out and you need to jump-start a stagnant job search.

Evaluate your search

The fact that Terri hasn't received many calls back on her applications signals that she needs to reassess her strategy, says Kimberly Bishop, a New York City career coach: "If you've been out of work a long time with no results, you need to figure out what you should be doing differently."

That starts with soliciting an objective evaluation of your rÃ©sumÃ©, cover letters, and job-hunting strategies. Contact your college's alumni association or job-placement office, either of which may offer such a service for free. Or enlist a former boss whom you can trust to be honest. Bring your materials, lay out what you've done so far, and ask for input.

One mistake many job hunters make is not getting their rÃ©sumÃ©s into the right hands, Bishop says. Terri had been sending applications to the generic addresses listed in the job ads.

Instead, she should take advantage of networking site LinkedIn.com to search for a friend (or friend of a friend) at each firm who can help her identify the hiring manager. Another common misstep: not differentiating oneself from the competition. Terri could make her cover letters stand out by noting specific ideas she'd bring to each position.

Look for people, not jobs

Rather than relying on the web for job listings (as a lot of beleaguered job seekers do), "Terri should be out meeting people at least a few days a week," says Bishop. "She needs to establish relationships with people who can tell her about opportunities before they're posted."

Many who have been looking for work awhile feel they've exhausted their contacts. But you have to go beyond people you already know, Bishop says. She suggests joining associations related to your industry and expertise, and getting to know members by volunteering for a committee.

Also, use the Companies tab on LinkedIn to zero in on people at firms where you'd like to work. Mention the friend you have in common and request insight into what the company seeks in applicants. You're less likely to raise their hackles or feel awkward yourself if you ask for advice vs. asking about jobs.

Rebalance the budget

With savings dwindling, "the Salernos are in survival mode until Terri gets back to work," says Fair Lawn, N.J., financial planner Cary Carbonaro. Like many families suffering from a job loss, they've trimmed spending around the edges, nixing vacations and meals out. But now they must take an ax to expenses to avoid debt.

Carbonaro suggests that people in this situation look honestly at their biggest costs. Can you refinance your mortgage and lower your payment enough to offset the cost? If not, can you qualify for a loan modification to reduce your monthly payments? Are you willing to sell your home and rent? Can you live without two cars? Or can you trade one down?

If those cuts don't reconcile income to outflow, you'll need to find ways of drumming up money. Even though the goal is full-time work, you might ask around your network about free-lance gigs or seek out a part-time job. (Terri got her real estate license recently and has been showing homes in the evenings, though she hasn't earned anything from it yet.)

As a last resort, borrow from retirement savings. The Salernos can take up to 50% of Mike's $83,000 401(k), which they'd pay back to Mike's account with interest. They'll miss out on growth, and if Mike loses his job, he'll have to repay the loan immediately or owe income taxes plus a 10% penalty. Still, this option is preferable to building costly credit card debt.

Stay engaged

If you've been out of work for a while, as Terri has, employers will want to know what you've been doing with your time. It's not enough to say "looking for work." You must show that you're actively adding to your skills and experience.

Project work is a good rÃ©sumÃ© filler, but if you can't find any, volunteer your expertise to a nonprofit, says Roy Cohen, author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide." Charities are stretched thin, and someone like Terri could help by building a database, for example.

Another way to stay active: Seek out additional training. Some state and local programs will subsidize the costs; check with your Department of Labor.

Terri may go for a project management certification, which Bishop says "could be a home run for her." She's also revamped her rÃ©sumÃ© and plans to meet up with a project management group.

"This advice made me rethink some of what I was doing," she says. "And I'm excited to get a fresh start on my search."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Zapoint Acquires Social Job Search Site Jobster From Recruiting.com

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 12:02 PM PDT

Zapoint, a career and talent management platform, has acquired Jobster from Recruiting.com. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sites are planning to retain their separate identities, however; Jobster will offer new career management tools that are "Powered by Zapoint".

Founded in 2004, Seattle-based Jobster is an online job board that has had a rough time over the past few years. The company radically changed its business model and suffered several rounds of layoffs. In 2006, Jobster acquired the Recruiting.com domain name and blog, and subsequently operated its business-to-business online recruiting tools under that brand. Last year, Jobster officially changed its name to Recruiting.com. As part of the deal, Recruiting.com is selling Jobster and its technology to Zapoint; and Recruiting.com will remain as an independent company. We are told Jobster and Recruiting's CEO Jeff Seely will remain with Recruiting.com.

Zapoint develops SkillsAssessment, a technology that gives a quantitative value to the skills and value of employees and prospective job applicants. Additionally, Zapoint's SkillsMapper product helps employers identify potential skill gaps in the organization, giving hiring managers a guide more effective hiring. Zapoint says Jobster's talent profiling capabilities will be complimentary to SkillsMapper and will also add a number of users to Zapoint's technologies. Currently Jobster has around 800,000 users on its social job search platform. Jobster has raised a total of $55 million in funding since its launch.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Professional guidance can help you stand out in the search for a job

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 02:29 AM PDT

By Joey Nigro-Nilsen / CNY Works, Inc.

April 05, 2010, 5:21AM

Joey Nigro-Nilsen is business services representative at CNY Works Inc., Syracuse. She works with businesses, job seekers and employed workers to navigate changes in the work-force landscape.

Help During Hard Times
Central New York experts in career counseling, hiring, job placement and family budgeting share their advice on landing a job, moving up in a career, re-entering the job market or stretching a budget. Find their tips each Monday in MoneyWise in The Post-Standard and here on syracuse.com.Rapidly changing technology, offshore competition, mergers, bankruptcies and continual restructuring to cut costs are some of the forces that make the quest for lifelong employment complex and frustrating.

Our workplaces, work force and labor market are undergoing dramatic changes that some term "revolutionary." It's not easy to sort through conflicting forecasts — especially if you're unemployed.

Some say baby boomers leaving the work force will create skills shortages; others point out that retirees are returning to work because of the economic downturn and Wall Street losses. Layoffs are in the headlines. Other news stories report on companies that can't find workers with the skills they need.

One source will claim that employers value the experience and work ethic of older workers; yet there are reports of age discrimination and employers who prefer hiring younger workers they can train and offer lower wages.

There are jobs out there, some publicly posted, others quietly circulating through word of mouth, but the competition is stiff.

When I was laid off (twice) I consciously applied the adage, "Turn over every stone." I told myself, "I only need one job. I know it's out there and I'm going to find it!"

If I became unemployed today, I would take advantage of every resource that is available in our community. Not everyone does.

Recently, I got a call from an elected official asking if I would advise a constituent who had been out of work for some time.

My first question was: "Has she been to CNY Works?"

"Yes," he answered, "but she didn't think CNY Works had anything to offer her."

I asked him to send me her resume and, as I suspected, it needed a lot of work. I could see right away why she might not have gotten any interviews. She was an accomplished professional but the white-collar industry that had given her years of employment was disappearing from our local job market.

She needed to find a job in a new industry, yet she failed to express her achievements and skills in a way that would show how she would qualify for other jobs.

If she had attended a workshop on resume writing, she would have learned the importance of translating her industry-specific skills and expertise into transferable skills.
Michelle Gabel / The Post-StandardMarie E. Christopher is a senior employment counselor with the state Department of Labor in Syracuse.
That's not to say it's easy to do. Professional guidance and taking part in a workshop with other job seekers who might come from different industries and different occupational levels can give you a new perspective and make a world of difference.

Marie Christopher, a state Department of Labor senior employment counselor, conducts the Job Search Forum and Resume 911 workshops at CNY Works.

What's the most important piece of advice she offers job seekers in her workshops? "Follow up! Follow up! Follow up!" she said.

Getting an interview with a hiring manager who has probably received hundreds of resumes requires follow up. Marie advises job seekers to wait a week to 10 days after the resume is submitted and make contact by phone.

"It's a three-question process," she told me, "One, let them know that you're calling to confirm that they received your resume. If not, send another copy. Two, ask if the position is still open, and three, ask if you can schedule an interview."

It's not always comfortable to initiate that one-on-one contact, but Marie cites the 60/30/10 rule for a successful job search: When planning your schedule, 60 percent of your time should be devoted to face-to-face contact with people including informational interviews, casual conversations, job interviews or dropping off your resume in-person; 30 percent should be for telephone calls or contact by computer; and 10 percent for communication in writing.

Jane Helmer works with job seekers from every industry on every level on a daily basis in her work as Resource Room Coordinator at CNY Works.

"We see job seekers who skated by with minimal skills in their past jobs and are still not willing to learn. Many don't have enough computer skills — and not necessarily just older workers," she told me. "Some of the younger ones can play a video game but they can't effectively use Internet job search tools very well or remember their password."

Jane advocates what every work-force professional stresses. "Workers must be flexible and willing to learn," she says. Taking advantage of basic courses in keyboarding and personal computer literacy will make looking for work less frustrating — and it could land you a job.

Her advice: use community resources and ask for help.

Terry Smith, a career adviser at CNY Works, acknowledges that we are seeing more long-term unemployed.

"Staying motivated is vital but not at all easy when you've sent out resume after resume and you get few, if any, interviews," she said.

While Terry recognizes that a job search should be a full-time effort she suggests that fitting in volunteer work can help you stay positive.

"Volunteer work is a great activity to add to a resume, and you may learn new skills and make connections," Terry advised.

If you're receiving unemployment, check the online Q&A at the state Department of Labor's Web site. Volunteer work for a charitable, cultural or religious organization is permitted if it doesn't interfere with your ability to search for a job and doesn't limit your availability for work.

Terry, who also staffs the CNY Works' resource room, offers job seekers advice on which Internet sites to search and encourages them to network with other job seekers. She produces a weekly pamphlet listing jobs, recruitment events and job search tips.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Job Search

Monday, April 5, 2010