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The Laid-Off Ladies: Reader Shares Her Mixed Emotions

SavvySugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:00:54 -0700

Despite optimistic news that approximately 38 percent of employers are planning on extending offers to some of their laid-off workers as business conditions improve, workers continue to be affected by layoffs and fear job security. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in September. Unfortunately, SavvySugar Community member PinkTulip is one of the many workers who was laid off recently. She shares her story:

I worked full-time as a professional educator in an elementary school - in a position where I was stretched very thin and rarely could make time for lunch. I'm going on five months of being unemployed due to budget cuts in the district I was working for. There are days I enjoy sleeping in and watching morning TV while searching the nearly 10 online job sites I frequent every day, morning and night, but then there are other days where I feel so bummed out. . . . Anyone ever feel the same?

A special thanks to PinkTulip for being honest about her situation and sharing her story. I know it isn't easy, and I have heard many friends express the same mixed feeling of being relieved to not face the daily grind while unemployed, but understandably stressed to find another position. I suggest checking out past job search coverage and advice for support and keeping up your healthy search efforts. It sounds like you are working diligently to remain upbeat and find a new position, and I applaud your efforts.

Have you or someone close to you been laid off? Join the Laid-Off Ladies group in the SavvySugar Community for support.

The 10 Best Online Job Search Sites

GeekSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:00:05 -0700

In this economy, it's pretty likely that some of you are out of a job. But if heading into your cube farm made you cry every morning, and you can't stand the idea of doing it all over again from the bottom up, then take this time off to really find what it is you're looking for in a job. Then get cracking. Thankfully, employers know the power of the Internet, and you no longer have to pound the pavement in your best Jimmy Choos to find a job - you can do it from the comfort of your PJ's and wrapped in the loving arms of your couch. Check out a few (or all) of these job sites to help you on your way to employment bliss.

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Big Job Hunting Boards Aren't Where It's at Anymore

SavvySugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:30:34 -0700

There's no time to waste on your job search. While you might become frustrated by time-consuming tactics, the quality of those strategies are much more likely to get you somewhere. According to The Wall Street Journal and several human resource experts, today's job search has to go beyond the job boards.

Traffic on sites like Monster.com, Careerbuilder and Yahoo’s HotJobs is up 37 percent from last year, which is great for those websites, but it makes those boards much more crowded for job seekers and hiring managers scouting quality talent. Mark Stelzner, a human resources consultant, explains, "Companies are asking, 'now that we are overwhelmed with talent, how do we attract the right talent?'"

In response to the flooded job boards, more employers are relying on their own websites to find premier candidates. They're making their own career pages more attractive to prospective employees by including videos and employee profiles, and they're syncing with sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It's not that big job boards should be ignored altogether, but it's clearer than ever that job hunters need to use all of the tools available to them.

US Cities With the Most Job Postings Per Capita

SavvySugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:30:33 -0700

Many Americans have been wishing upon a job opening, and whether or not those wishes come true has a lot to do with geography. Local economies rely on various types of employment and some cities have more concentration on certain areas than others. A heavy reliance on one industry or another can work to the advantage of some, like Washington DC and it's abundance of government jobs. For others, it can be a disaster, like Detroit and its disheveled auto industry.

Job search site Indeed.com ranked the 50 largest US cities in terms of job postings per capita. In line with the pattern described, Washington DC is ranked as having the most job postings per capita (133 postings per 1,000 residents in the second quarter of 2009), while Detroit is ranked last.

See the cities with the most listings per capita when you read more.

Washington, D.C.
Baltimore, MD
San Jose, CA
Austin, TX
Hartford, CT
Seattle, WA
Salt Lake City, UT
Denver, CO
Boston, MA
Las Vegas, NV and Charlotte, NC

A Simple Way to Organize Your Job Search

SavvySugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:30:35 -0700

Shooting out so many job applications that you're not spending time catering your résumé and cover letter to each position is simply counterproductive. However, an efficient job search includes dedicating several hours each day to the employment cause, and ideally this means applying for a handful of jobs each day.

Keep track of your daily job search by creating log. Maintain a spreadsheet with the following details and update it at the end of each day.

Applications sent: name of positions and companies.
Where you found the job.
Followup status.
A section listing the job sites you visited that day.

Organizing your job search will ensure that none of your efforts slip through the cracks, and looking at your full spreadsheet will make you feel accomplished.

Two Savvy Ways to Use Twitter

SavvySugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:30:04 -0700

Twitter (as with any social networking site) can get you into trouble with a prospective employer if you play your cards poorly, but it can also be a great tool for making headway on your job search or finding online deals for brands you like.

Twitter as a Job Resource: Mashable recommends three main points for making your presence appealing to employers: "Put your job pitch in your Twitter bio (which is 160 characters); use a professional looking avatar; Tweet about your job search." You can even sign up to receive mobile alerts for jobs in your fields of interest.
Twitter as a Deal Finder: Various brands have started to offer deals via their Twitter presence, so if you're keen on particular brands or stores, search for them on the microblogging site to start receiving alerts. If you're more interested in deals in general, sites like Coupon Tweet round up the most popular coupons posted on Twitter for your perusing.

I've been tweeting away on Twitter; what about you?

Applicant Tweets Herself Out of a Job

SavvySugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:30:48 -0700

We’ve been talking lately about what not to do in an interview, but a recent Internet phenomenon got me thinking about what not to do during your job search in general. As Connor Riley found out the hard way, the Internet is not exactly, um, a private place to express your honest feelings about your quest for new employment.

Connor’s little slip-up is (unfortunately for her) a good example of the catch-22 of our social-networking-heavy culture. You never know if your friend’s friend might have a connection at the company where you’re applying, and while that connection might come in handy when you need an in, it can also ruin your chances if you’re publicly snide about your interview experiences.

Also remember, it’s not always just chance that a prospective employer happens to stumble upon your latest Facebook status update - social-network stalking is a popular way for employers to learn a little more about you before they take the plunge by offering you a gig. Although that can sometimes work in your favor, it's probably best to learn from "Cisco Fatty's" mistakes and confine your job-hunt snark to nonpublic conversations.

Has a comment you made on a blog or social networking site ever come back to haunt you during a job search?

Source

Are These Unusual Job Search Strategies Unprofessional?

SavvySugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:30:09 -0800

When the going gets tough, job hunters get creative . . . or is it desperate? With the weakest job market the US has seen in decades, some unemployed Americans have invented ways to set themselves apart, though staffing professionals are divided on whether or not the tactics used are professional.

According to CNN Money, here are a few ways job hunters have tried to attract attention.

Jacob Share, 33, sent his resume to his family and friends and offered a $150 prize to the person who led him to a job. Jacob happily reported, "It only took one friend's forward beyond that initial mailing to get a referral that lead to the ultimate job offer."
Peggy Greco, 53, is looking for a job as a private duty registered nurse. She wears a T-shirt printed with her Web site and contact information and wears it while bike-riding.
Kelly Kinney, 29, landed a few interviews by wearing a shirt with her resume on the front and cover letter on the back.
Other methods: renting a billboard, printing contact information on cocktail napkins, and wearing a sandwich board.

While some staffing experts support unconventional job searches, others think they can be unprofessional and time would be better spent tailoring a message to each employer and position. What do you think?

Source

What Travelers Should Know About Layoff Insurance

SavvySugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:30:05 -0700

Most of us could use a vacation right about now, but it's tough to feel confident spending money on a trip when the economy continues to shed jobs by the thousands. Travel insurance providers have seen a huge uptick in travelers asking for an extra layoff insurance provision, designed to reimburse vacationers who plan big trips then lose their jobs. Here are a few things you should know before deciding on a travel insurance package and provider.

Read the fine print: Most travel insurance policies include a layoff provision, but they're usually restricted to employees who have been with the same employer for one to three years.
"Cancel for work reasons" may not include a layoff: According to Chris Harvey, CEO of Squaremouth.com, policies including a "cancel for work reasons" add-on cover circumstances like a company move but usually do not cover layoffs.
Shop around for a policy that meets your needs by comparing several policies at once on search sites like Squaremouth.com and InsureMyTrip.com.
Bob Chambers, director of operations for CSA Travel Protection, recommends skipping the expense of cancel for any reason packages and encourages consumers to visit the Better Business Bureau or ustia.org to check the legitimacy of the insurance company they're using.

Source

Find Free WiFi Hotspots and Internet Cafes in Your Area

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:33:45 -0800

I know I have a tendency to go on about beautiful new devices and hot new Nintendo DSi colors, but at the end of the day, I know that we are all in this financial crisis together.

Yesterday I created a list of six websites to help you better manage your finances, and today I wanted to share some more useful tools and sites that will help job seekers search for employment opportunities.

If you don't have Internet access, but you do have a laptop or cell phone with WiFi connectivity, OpenWiFiSpots provides a directory of over 24,647 free WiFi hotspots in the US.

The Internet Cafe Guide is great if you don't have a computer or laptop and you need to use the Internet. This guide provides a list of cities across the US (on left-side of page), where you will find the name, address, and phone number of Internet Cafes.

And just announced yesterday, the One-Stop Career Link Center in San Francisco will now offer free support and the use of computers for job seekers. To find a career center in your area, visit Service Locator.

Source