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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Work

Another day of job hunting. Looking for work is a full time job. Tried to apply to a company's website (no names) and it decided to freeze up and now I can't log on there at all. Oh, well, I'll try tomorrow. Have to get the resumé(s) ready. Going to the library tomorrow to get a book on resumés. Had a couple but I think I mistakenly threw them out in the recycling. D'oh! I'll make copies of what I need and make good use of the book. I also start with a group from unemployment that helps professionals find work. I used to belong and now I'm back again. I need all the help I can get. Right now I'll take just about any job, just to have some money coming in and then go after the big stuff. I'm sure I'm going to hear a lot of "No" before I hear any "Yes" so I'm in for a bit of a slog. Hope any of you who read this who are looking for work can take heart that there's a lot of us and we're all in the same boat. Good luck, everyone.

Job Hunting

I'm back in the job hunt and things apparently aren't good. There are a lot of people out of work and not enough jobs. On top of that, there are reports of employers not even considering hiring anyone who is unemployed. Older workers are getting shafted, too. There's an enormous talent pool out there and these idiots are ignoring it. I don't get their attitude. If someone wants to work, fits the skill set and can start ASAP, what difference does it make if they're employed or not. As someone who's out of work, I can guarantee any employer that I will show up on time, work my ass off and not gripe about anything, except maybe the sky high price of gas. Get with it, people. We want to work, we're ready to work and you need our skills.