How to find a job in a bad economy

by: Davo Oslo

FINDING A JOB IN TOUGH TIMES

Whether your financial situation is pretty good or pretty dismal, you need to approach a job search with the same enthusiasm and dedication that you would apply to any new and challenging task. The fact that everything you read about the plight of the unemployed in this job market is downright depressing doesn’t mean that your prospects are bleak.

Sure, you’ll be discouraged by the rejections, but you will succeed sooner rather than later as long as you sustain your effort. Rather than focusing on the bad news, think about the tales of multimillionaires who started out unemployed. Economic contractions routinely breed opportunities. Old companies that failed to work are replaced with new ideas and new energy. You’ll feel better if you look at those possibilities rather than at the negative factors that may have led to your need for work.
YOUR JOB SEARCH

Your first job search task should be to determine where the job opportunities lie. In the United States, for example, jobs are growing in the fields of health care and energy, to name just two. Get organized and mobilized. Examine your income, expenses, savings, and investments.

Determine whether you qualify for placement assistance or job retraining. Apply immediately if you qualify for government benefits like unemployment insurance. If your spouse or partner is working, that should help. Set up a daily action plan and stick to it. Consider taking these steps:

• Target companies that you feel could use your services and might hire you. Do Internet searches for job banks. Many government unemployment offices have links to state, private-sector, federal, veterans, and military transition job banks, as well as résumé and interview services.

• Be alert for jobs in industries that may soon be growing, such as infrastructure and alternative energy, homeland security, the defense industry, and research industries that are experiencing job shortages. www.CareerBuilder.com has quarterly job forecasts. Check the Bureau of Labor

• If you’ve tried all these tactics to no avail, there are a couple of other options that may bear fruit. First, consider doing volunteer work. This should prop up your spirits and keep you busy between job interviews. Also, a volunteer job can account on your résumé for the period of your unemployment, and employers may be impressed by your resourcefulness during a time when far too many unemployed people sit at home feeling sorry for themselves.

Another option to consider is whether additional education and/or training might improve your opportunities. Analyze what low-cost training options might beef up your skills or prepare you for a promising new career.
HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND PART-TIMEWORK

Another unfortunate by-product of a weak employment market is that it’s likely to be tough for high school and college-age children to find summer jobs and part-time school year jobs. Local, state, and federal grants to nonprofits that provide summer jobs to students are being slashed. Plus, many adults who are out of work are taking jobs at fast-food restaurants and retail stores, leaving fewer opportunities for teenagers.

• The key is to get your children psyched up. Today’s economic environment can teach them helpful lessons about courage and perseverance. They will become particularly strong and resistant to life’s hard knocks if they can learn at a young age how to bounce back from rejection.

• Like out-of-work adults, teenagers and young adults need a game plan. They should have a well-written résumé and cover letter ready to show employers.

• Kids can go to www.Myfirstpaycheck.com for a free résumé.

• To get a summer job in this competitive marketplace, young adults must be persistent and polite. They need to dress well and make eye contact with interviewers to make a good first impression. Plus, they should follow up with a thank-you after each interview.

• They should check for jobs around administrative offices at school. Parents and kids should also network with friends, relatives, and neighbors.

• Even if they are unsuccessful, a little creativity can help. Cutting lawns, delivering newspapers, babysitting, and running errands for senior citizens are always great ways to make some money. Consider that billionaire investor Warren Buffett started his career by selling chewing gum. Then, he saved up his profits.

Tips to survive to economical chrisis

by: Lian T.

OTHER TIPS TO HELP YOU SURVIVE A SCARY ECONOMY
Maintain Your Insurance

If you begin to feel a financial pinch, you may be tempted to save money by dropping some of your insurance coverage, but this is penny-wise and pound-foolish. Always, always main tain your insurance coverage, particularly your health insurance. For persons 65 and over, this usually means keeping a Medigap insurance policy in force, which will protect you against incurring many large health-care bills. It is essential that you keep this coverage. Also, most retirees will benefit from Medicare Part D drug coverage. If you have a long-term care insurance policy, do your utmost to keep the coverage, even if the premiums increase.
Beware of Scam Artists

Sadly, seniors are all too often the victim of scam artists who will try to sell any number of services or investments to them. They are easy marks and are often too embarrassed to complain to anyone. There are two ways to avoid being taken. First, ask the salesperson to put whatever he is suggesting in writing. Second, mention that you need to check with a family member before making the purchase. Just telling the salesperson that you have to check with a relative before making a decision is enough to make most reprobates flee. We have a “$500 rule” in the Pond family. If parents are going to spend more than $500 on anything

that someone else has suggested, they first check with one of the kids. This has worked very, very well.
Make Use of the Many Programs for Senior Citizens

Be sure to take advantage of any money-saving opportunities available to senior citizens in your local community and elsewhere. There are a great many valuable and money-saving programs, but it is up to you to uncover them. A variety of organizations that represent retirees, including your local or state council on aging and the AARP, will be able to direct you to discounts.
Don’t Hesitate to Seek Advice

Many retirees have been hurt by the Great Recession. If you become very troubled about your financial future, or if you are already experiencing financial problems, by all means seek the advice of qualified professionals or family members. They may be able to help allay your fears, provide a plan that will help you cope with your financial problems, or offer other needed guidance. How do you find experienced and trustwor thy advisors? Don’t go to the yellow pages or, worse, a “free” lunch. Ask your acquaintances or your family lawyer for a recommendation. As with all professionals, word-of-mouth referral is the best way to assure that you get the high-quality advice that you deserve.