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January 14, 2009
Things You Can Do During Difficult Economic Times
"Barack Obama succeeded in one of the most lengthy and public of all hiring processes, in part because he kept his cool and kept his eyes on the prize," says Tom Musbach, author of "Career Do's and Don'ts from 2008."
Good advice. We know that we need to focus and not let adversity or distractions keep us from achieving our goals. As Jim Hasse has often written, "You need to find your niche and be persistent."
This week, let's focus on the things you can do when you are out of work in a slow economy.
For instance, Jake told us last week about his experience finding training. He recommends the Hadley School.
He says, "I took a few courses from them and loved every moment of it. The approach at Hadley is excellent, and I'm going to enroll in more courses there."
Explore what Hadley has to offer.
James Elekes offers the following resources to help you with your job search:
"I'd like to suggest a Website that many who I work with are using to find part-time, telecommuting, temporary assignments and even full-time employment in the present economy."It's indeed.com and, it enables the individual to conduct a search by Job Title, Region, Salary, Newspaper, Corporate Website, Corporate Publications, Professional Journals and related publications! You can search by any combination of the aforementioned, post a resume and get timely Career guidance that's a bit more realistic than Career Builder, Career News or Job Search Weekly.
"Another site becoming extremely timely is usajobs.gov. (Yes, I know what the stats are related to employment of PWDs in Federal service). In spite of this, the Wall St. Journal on-Line, Washington Post and Federal Times have all acknowledged that with the incoming Administration's desire to quickly develop infrastructure projects, enhance health care and continue the present Administration's focus on educational alternatives for youth and adults who need training to be competitive for 21st Century jobs, there is a clear need for individuals in Federal/State government entities to provide the functional guidance in order for these services to be available in local communities.
"Finally, in late November (2008), The "Plum Book" was released by the Government Printing Office. For those not familiar, the "Book" provides a listing of all Direct Appointment positions available in each state and the Federal Government to Advisory Boards and Commissions. These positions will be filled during the next four years because those appointed by the present Administration in the past four years (since 2005) will expire routinely and since, it's a new administration, re-appointments are highly unlikely. gpo.gov has additional info on purchasing this Federal Government Publication.
The United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions has been made available in its entirety, as a single PDF file.
In addition, the entire report is also available in TEXT format (1.91 MB).
For those in Ontario, laid off workers can find help in re-training at the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Many other provinces and states probably have similar programs or programs for those over 40 or women or for first jobs. Don't hesitate to check out the opportunities.
Return to your state's Vocational Rehab programs. Things may have changed. You just never know what may turn up. For those in Canada, check with your provincial employment office or ministry of social services and community development programs.
Consuelo Mack's recent program on public television, "What Do I Do Now?" provides practical help when "...the economy unravels, unemployment soars, and the market swings wildly."
The show also has developed a list of resources for those in the New York/New Jersey area.
Morning TV news programs have been giving tax tips you can use during this down time in the economy. For Americans, you can join a professional association in your particular field and the fee may be tax deductible. Talk to someone who has knowledge of your state tax code, such as an accountant or IRS personnel to see if there are refund opportunities.
By sharing resources and advice we will be helping each other and also not be so isolated and alone.
What do you think is the most productive thing you can do to advance your career during this time of high unemployment?
Add your comments to this posting
Posted by Liz Seger at January 14, 2009 03:22 PM
Comments
Hi Liz and all. I did in fact enroll in more Hadley courses. However, there was a minor problem. During the enrollment process, each potential student is asked to choose two other courses just in case their first choice is unavailable at the time of enrollment. I chose two courses in the newly-created "Foods" series, and my third choice was "Using Raised Markers." I need to better my skills in the kitchen. The following morning I received an email from Student Services welcoming me to "Essentials of Nemeth." While this wasn't one of my choices, I am taking a positive approach. It's been a long time since I've used my Nemeth code skills, so I think this course will be a refresher. There are also a few symbols which are new to me. In addition to Hadley, I've joined an email list having to do with all forms of audio description. That is something which I am very passionate about, and I'm currently working on spreading the word. I'm also continuing to work part-time at Center for Independent Futures, the nonprofit organization I've mentioned on here previously. I occasionally fill in for other people, and my parents and I are hoping my hours can be increased. Whether I'll ever go back through the state VR agency I don't know. My state's VR agency just seems extremely stubborn and not willing to expand their horizons. But who knows, perhaps we Illinoisans will start to see positive change once Barack Obama and Joe Biden really get things rolling with their administration. I've been told miracles do happen. Perhaps the Illinois Council of the Blind and the NFB of Illinois will eventually see the light, and maybe our political situation will shape up.
Posted by: Jake at January 15, 2009 11:57 AM
"Awaken the Giant Within" by Anthony Robins was first published in the early 90's and, is still available from NLS and its Library Network. The book is focused on changing paradines and maintaining positive attitudes in order to promote positive outcomes in whatever we attempt.
Another great read to maintain one's perspective is, "The Power of WOW" by Tom Peters. The book examines those positive attributes that make great organizations great. While some of the references may be dated, the implications can be applied to the economic situation being experienced today.
A final Reading Suggestion to maintain a positive perspective is "Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do" by Rev. Dr. Robert Schuler. For those who are unfamilar wih Dr. Schuler's work, he has long been a motivating component for his Church Members. His Church, located in Southern California, "The Crystal Cathedral" was built based on his "Can Do" attitude.
As noted, these books are available from NLS and have been in circulation for sometime, proving their message has outlasted both good times and the economic downturns experienced during the last quarter of the 20th Century and the infancy of the 21st Century.
Posted by: James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM at January 16, 2009 11:21 AM
I wanted to mention another volunteer job that I have been doing. There is a transitional school that meets two floors down from me in my building, and every other Monday I've been accompanying them to a soup kitchen. We perform various tasks that are needed by the staff. This soup kitchen is located in a church basement. My task is usually sorting bags of candy, but a couple weeks ago I also tried my hand at making bags which the others were filling with canned goods. We come and go by train, and a one of the instructors at the school goes with us. I only recently started doing this, but it has been and will continue to be very rewarding. I'm also getting to practice traveling by train, which is very good since I hadn't done that in several years.
Posted by: Jake at February 4, 2009 10:15 PM