The mirror...

The Mirror...

We can sometimes be our own worst enemies... Victimhood, insecurity and denial can get to the best of us from time to time. If a job search goes on for long enough one or all of these things begin to creep in.  A job search is 100% self marketing and when we start to think less of ourselves it gets worse and worse... We deny our own part in why we are not getting a job looking for a cause everywhere but the most obvious... the mirror. This is the hardest part of going between jobs. It is good to question yourself but not blame yourself. Ask what can I do better and do not say or think I cannot do better. 

Try to think creatively, make different resumes and try to think of hidden skills you may have. A man came into see me one day looking for "anything." After talking with the guy a few minutes I learned he was from Afghanistan and knew Farsi and Pahstun in addition to being fluent in English! I told him he could tutor (there is a lot of military in this state), go work for an NGO or perhaps even the federal government with those skills. When they leave me I do not know what happens most of the time. Hopefully, I showed him a new door to open. 

Look in the mirror, keep it positive and creative and overcome...           

   

THE WALL Education...

So for whatever reason you are thinking about dropping out of high school. This is still a bad idea even if you are about to become independently wealthy. If you are a regular shmo, this terrible idea. No high school diploma equals, cleaning lady, laborer and fast food guy. Not that anything is wrong with these professions but ask any of them if that is how the plan to spend the rest of their lives. Room for advancement- forget about it. A person with a high school diploma may be pretty sharp but that is not the point. The point is completing something. High school can be pretty dismal but you can survive it. Now if you want to make better money some post high school training or college is going to be necessary. College for the most part, is a weed out tool employers use. For whatever reason they want somebody with a degree and they are willing to pay extra for it for the most part. A young guy is the IT field making nice bucks now with out a degree may think he does not need it and in the short run he does not. But when he is 45 with no degree competing against younger people with his same knowledge and a degree it does not take a Las Vegas odds maker to figure who will win out. Yeah yeah I know your brother's cousin's sister in law made it big with no formal education at all. There are exceptions to every rule! But if you want the odds maker on your side, finish high school and then some...               

A BIG barrier....

A BIG Barrier - The Holidays! 

There is no good time of year to lose a job. But this has to be about the worst time.  There is all of the family drama unfolding, the constant unrelenting drive to shop, and now... no job. That is bad enough but the kicker is few companies want to make any hiring decisions this time of year. If they do hire it is because they have to. Some shmo has left or got the ax and has to be replaced. However, this is not a time of year for growth. If you think seasonal help- too late! They have hired for it in October. But take heart, there is a new year just around the corner and with that comes new budgets! If we have not sunk into an outright depression by then, the job market will open up in early spring. It always does. In the mean time, checkout monster.com and where ever else you like and see what happens... Keep this in mind... Do you still want to go to work in Corporate America? If the answer is "NO", think about doing your own business by the first of the year... 

See ya soon! 

   

INTRODUCTION

Hello and thanks for reading. I'm Paul and I have 10 plus years experience in helping working class people find jobs while working at a North Carolina unemployment office. I have learned a lot in that time. I would like to use this space to share some of what I've seen. Barriers to working can be many things from a criminal record, physical handicap, to age discrimination or plain old poor social skills.. I hope to write on these from time to time and hopefully help out a little along the way. Feed back is welcome.