Job Fair, Again

Went to a job fair today and it was actually worth the time. I talked to a couple of people and dropped off some resumés. Got there early so I found a decent parking spot. By the time I came out, people were doing the "Parking Spot Search". I gave my spot to someone who had just arrived and he was very happy about it. Glad I could do someone a favor. Hope he had some success today. The place was mobbed. It was well run and well organized. Maybe something will come of it. Here's hoping.

Job Fair Nonsense

Went to a job fair last night. Total waste of time. The giveaway should have been the fact they didn't list the companies that would be there. Nothing but outside commission sales. No wonder they didn't list them. Not everyone wants to sell siding and life insurance. They grossly underestimated the number of people who would attend and more than a few people, including myself, walked out. If nothing else, I learned that if you want to attend a job fair, check out the company or organization sponsoring it. If they don't (or won't) list the companies looking for people, there's a good chance it's for sales positions with a fairly high turnover rate. Live and learn.

Been Busy

Been a busy week, between workshops, meetings and support groups. Finally got my resume ready and have started sending it out. I've also been networking and am returning a couple of favors to people who have helped me. Have some ideas about where to apply that are a little out of what I originally thought of but you never know what might happen. Have to start applying and will probably go to some local job fairs. Could find something there and if nothing else, I'll make some connections that may pay off in the long run. Have to keep plugging and working at it. Also have to make time for some other projects and trying to get back up to speed on some software. Got a lot to do and have to make the best use of my time as possible. Whew!

It's Monday

Had another required workshop today for the group I belong to. Now I've finished the required workshops. There are some other ones I want to attend to get my resumé finished and to learn how to research companies. Job hunting is a lot of work. It's even harder with the economy in the state it's in. There's a lot of people out there looking. I hope to find something soon.

Got Some Things Done

Hoorah! I got some things done today. Made some changes to the resumé and sent it to a friend to get an opinion and (finally) started setting up lists in Excel for my Zazzle products. That's going to take a while. My record keeping hasn't been the best up until now so I have to go through each design and see which product(s) it's on. A bit tedious but it's also a good way to get proficient with Excel. It's good to know Excel since it's used just about everywhere. I'm also working on getting better with Word and learning Power Point. Definitely keeping busy with that along with the job search and improving my job search skills. I will take some time for myself this weekend and do something fun. Not sure what, though. Maybe a walk in the park or something like that. I also need the exercise so that's fairly high on my list. Have a great weekend everyone.

Relaxing Day

Just a nice, relaxing Sunday. Applied for a couple of jobs, got a few other things done and went for a walk.  I think I'm ready to start walking longer distances. Next time I'll go twice around the park I went to today. Once that gets easy I'll tackle the longer route in the park around the river. I've definitely lost some weight and am slowly getting into better shape. I'd like to be running by this time next year or even sooner if possible. Have to take it one day at a time.

Continuing My Search

Well, I'm continuing with the job search. Met with the weekly support group and it was a good session. We're all in the same boat so we can offer support, advice and other useful information. Have to make a few minor adjustments to the resumé and start sending it out. Found out about some more resources to find job listings. It really helps to belong to a support group or two. Someone may know someone who knows someone or knows about a job lead somewhere you may not have thought of or heard of. It builds on itself. Have to keep working at it.

Learned Something

Had a couple of interview workshops today. The first was an overview of the interview process and some of the questions you might be asked and the second one was a "role play" kind of thing where you answered one of the questions you thought you might have trouble with. I actually did okay, so I think all the research I did on interviewing recently has paid off. I hope it pays off when I actually get some interviews. Also got some more insight and advice for my resumé. I think it should be ready soon and I can start applying for jobs. I've gotten a lot done in a very short amount of time. I hope I can find a decent job fairly quickly.

Easy Day

It was a relatively easy day today. Just had to do some shopping for my mom and meet with the facilitator at the PSG office. PSG is a group for unemployed professionals run by the NJ Unemployment Office. It helps professionals to find jobs. It's pretty cool. Getting some great job hunting tips. Should be a big help. I also belong to a support group at a local Methodist church. It's non-denominational and it helps keep your mood up since job hunting and unemployment are stressful and can make you depressed. I have to work on my resume and then email it to the PSG facilitator to get her input on it. Once I'm happy with it, I'll start sending it out. Here's hoping. Have a great weekend everyone.

Another Step Closer

Had a great morning. Met with a job hunter's support group and met some really great people. One of them is redoing my resumé for free. It needs work so I'm really appreciative of his efforts. I hope I can return the favor some day. There are a lot of people in the same situation as me so it's nice to meet them and try and help each other. What's great is that they also give you advice to help you cope with your situation. It can be very distressing and more than a little overwhelming. It helps to have others who know what you are experiencing to help you through the rough spots. I'm hoping to start applying for jobs by some time early next week. I really do need to find something right away and then I can work on finding the "dream job" later on. I think with the help from the groups I'm in, I should be able to do that sooner rather than later. I'll keep you posted.

Progress

Well, I've pretty much gotten the resumé taken care of. I'm going to a support group tomorrow to meet some people and maybe get a resumé critique and put a final polish on it before I start sending it out. I'd like to find a job ASAP but it'll probably take a while. I'm also going to work on resumés to help me change careers. That's the hard part. These days, most companies won't even talk to someone looking to change a career, especially if it's a big change. If I can find a "day job" to pay the bills, then I can take the time to get ready to make a career change. Lots of stuff to do and not a lot of time to do it. Story of my life. Always playing catch-up ball. Drives me crazy. But I'll work through it in the long run. I really don't have much of a choice.

Again, Resumés

Attended a great resumé workshop today. Learned a lot and found out a resumé I already have is just about ready to go. I have to add a bit more to the first part and it'll be ready to send out. That's a big relief. It saves me a ton of time and work. Now I can concentrate on finding a new job. Takes a bit of a load off my shoulders. Now the hard work of finding a job in this crappy economy starts. If any of you out there are looking for work, I wish you the best of luck. Times are tough everywhere.

Resumé Writing

Update on the resumé situation. I got a draft of the "functional" style resume done and now I have to wait until this week to go to the resumé workshop to get some input. I need something that will be "good enough" and get the job done. I need to find a job ASAP. I'm looking at retail since I have a lot of experience in it and it's a way to make money until I can find something else. As I stated before, I really don't like resumés since they really don't give the whole picture of who you are. It's difficult to show what your true talents and abilities are in a page or two of text. Unfortunately, that's what we've got so I guess we'll all have to deal with it. Here's hoping.

Resumé Writing

God, I hate writing resumés. I know they're a necessity but I wish there was a better way to show an employer what you can offer. I'm working on a new one right now and I'm not quite done with it. I need to get some feedback on it from people who know more about writing them than I do. I hate that we've been reduced to a few words on a page to convey who we are. There are limitations to the written word and most employers look at resumés for an average of 15 - 30 seconds. You have to really grab their attention or they dump it in the slush pile. Even if they put it aside for further consideration, you still might not get the interview. It seems they've gotten extremely picky about who they call. Have to keep working at it and start applying to places. Good luck to anyone else out there who's looking, no matter where you are.