December Wind

A December wind

let me go to sleep

in your arms

Tis the Season

Is this the worst time to find a job? I've given up on looking in the month of December. There are the temporary options of course - seasonal positions - 99% of which pay less than the unemployment check that I'm getting each week. Everyone is busy trying to balance holiday obligations with their work-load. And if you are in the health insurance industry - its the last minute renewal rush making you frantic. Even HR people are pretty busy making benefit changes, etc that are going to be effective January 1st. What to do..

-Keep looking and applying. Even if no hiring will be happening in the month of December, it may look brighter after January 1st.

-Look for volunteer opportunities to keep networking opportunities alive.

-Enjoy the holidays. Relax and appreciate some of the most wonderful gifts of all - family and friends.

God

Who is God

A burning bush - autumn red

Old Testament flashback

Unemployed as a protected class

Someone mentioned to me that its possible that the unemployed could soon be considered in a protected class similar to minorities and women.

Apparently employers are found discriminating against the unemployed. Many employers see the stigma of unemployment as proof that there is something inherently wrong with the applicant - he's lazy, incompetent and so forth based on the belief that companies don't lay off top producers in the company. They would rather take their chances with people who are currently employed but are dissatisfied with their current employer. Which goes to show that the old adage- its easier to get a job while you are working, may be true. In fact, in interviews, many employers have asked an unemployed candidate - "What have you been doing since you've been unemployed". Preferably, we would like them to just consider our skills on the resume that we've provided, rather than assume that we've been testing memory foam on the living room sofa.

To this point - its important to show, on your resume, that you've been doing something productive during your unemployment. Yes, we know that we've been looking for work and all of that rather than plumbing the depths of the Netflix movies archives, but they don't. Put volunteer work on your resume, any educational pursuits, etc to "fill in the gap" between your last employer and now. It's important to try and stay current as well in your chosen field.

I'm told that its the ACLU that is considering classifying the unemployed in a protected class. Ideally, they would like to be able to approach employers and ask to see, for example, a 6 months backlog of applications, and then determine how many of the unemployed of the applicants were actually hired by the company. If it falls below a certain percentage, I imagine some sort of fine would be levied against the company. I can imagine, though, that employers would fight this sort of action with their heavyweight lawyers and well paid lobbyists in Washington before any kind of trickle down would affect smaller companies..

It remains to be seen. I'd sure appreciate anyone commenting on this and correcting/educating me with any current news.. Have a good day!

Absolution

I mourn for

mistakes that cost me..but..

freshly fallen snow

Career Change and Tests.

How do you know when you've worn out your welcome? When is it time to change careers, to turn from the road and rest for the night - and then never get back on the highway.

There are a number of career tests that a person can take that help to determine a path to explore that you'll feel a bit comfortable with. One of the oldest career inventory tests or interest tests is the Myers-Briggs Inventory. You can take abbreviated tests for free online, but the entire test will cost you. Take a look at http://www.personalitypathways.com/ to get a good explanation of how the test works. I first took this test when I started college and discovered that I was an INFP which translated into having similar interests as librarians, teachers, counselors and writers. I ended in the health insurance field where I enjoyed the feeling of "helping" people by providing useful information that made a positive impact in their lives. I didn't enjoy the sales aspect; however and found it difficult to overcome objections to my tepid sales pitches. A useful discovery for me has been that I may not pursue one of the recommended careers for my personality type, but I can use the strengths of my type in the job that I am working in. For example, an INFP is often described as "insightful" and very good at "understanding people". These traits would be helpful in a customer service position in anticipating and meeting the needs of a customer.

It's difficult to say when and if the time has arrived to make a career change, but in the exploration that comes with this question lies new discoveries to be made about yourself.

Somewhere

A place somewhere

Autumn colors muted by sunlight

brighter by tomorrow

Election Day

The phones aren't ringing quite as much now that Election Day Tuesday has passed. The election wasn't as big a deal to me as it was to the politicians. I voted, but halfheartedly. For too long, they were "here I am here I am here I am" - now it will be me saying Where are you?

I'm reading an interesting book called The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar. Its a book that examines how we make choices. What are the influences that affect how we choose? Did the political ads somehow influence the way I voted? Or was it something else? I'm one of the unemployed so I listened for a while when candidates spoke about jobs, but then I stopped - why did I choose to stop listening? I don't really see the relevance of politics to my need for a job - maybe I need a primer in how politics work - I don't know.

But here is something that I appreciate - the fact that I CAN choose makes me proud to be an American - and that includes the right to choose to vote or not. For that reason alone, I found myself at the local high school filling in my ballot and then proudly wearing the sticker that advertised my choice.

Religion

Religion has colors

of black, blue and red

sometimes found inside

My daughter's song

My daughter's song

is like watching a butterfly

spread its wings

Houses

The old houses

watch cars on cracked tar

they will stand

Philosophy

Reading philosophy today

where a=b=a

except in poetry

Ways to get hired

One of the ways to get hired these days into a permanent position is through a temporary assignment. Employment agencies have alot of clients on their books so this will increase your exposure to more companies. As well, you can "try" out a job for the duration of the assignment - its an excellent way to get a feel for a company's culture as well - is it a formal company, do the employees seem happy there and so on.

One of the differences between working an assignment now as compared to 10 years ago is that the clients of the agency will often want to interview you face to face. In the past, the agency simply told you of an available assignment and upon accepting it, you started working. Part of the reason for this change, according to a comment, from an agency that I am signed up with is the competition for jobs -unemployment is still over 9% in Connecticut (this only accounts for those still receiving unemployment benefits - those who have exhausted their benefits would probably add another 3% to the nine % figure). There are alot of people looking for work and quite a few are assigned to agencies. This surplus allows companies to work with a few agencies and to be able to pick among many candidates to find a close match for their needs.

Temporary work is one of the bright spots in the employment picture these days. Companies are more willing to "try out" a potential employee before risking the expense of hiring an employee to a more permanent position. As well, they aren't required to provide benefits - health, dental, 401k, to temporary employees thus saving them money.

When you contact an employment agency, they will want you to come to their offices to interview and to assess your skills. This is done through an interview, answering written questions and computer tests to assess your software skills with products such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Your skills are then "matched" with a job from one of the Agencies clients. You have the option to accept or refuse an assignment once it is offered to you.

Depending on the agency, some offer health benefits after you log a certain number of hours working for their clients. As well, training is offered for sometimes hundreds of skills.

Well, this is just a bit of information that I hope will help. Some of the good agencies out there, in my humble opinion are :

OfficeTeam: www.officeteam.com They are part of Robert Half

Adecco - www.adecco.com

Kelly Services - www.kellyservices.com

It's a scary scenario out there in the employment world, but there are still some choices to keep that three headed monster (despair, discouragement and depression) at bay.

A white house

A white house

freshly painted amid red roses

has its secrets

Birch Tree

The birch tree

with its white peeling bark

embraces the pine

Watching tv

Legs, abs, hair, lips, teeth

which of these

are more important than kindness?

Poem for today

I collected this yellow leaf

to show you

Fall's bounty is the sun

Monday Blues

Most everyone at some time or other has sung the Monday Blues after contemplating the week of work ahead of them. Without checking, I imagine lottery ticket sales have soared early in the week, and the skies have been clogged with fantasy air travelers longing to recline on sandy white beaches.

For some of us who are members of the LTU club (Long Term Unemployed), the Monday Blues include verses about quiet empty neighborhoods, silent houses, silent phones, and the weekly claim for unemployment checks.

But we have a job..now. We're told that searching for a job should take up 20 hours of our time each week - ok, its not the standard 40, but its part-time employment. How can a person work 20 hours a week searching for a job? Here are a few suggestions that may bring a whistle or two while you work.

-Network. Linked in is one of the most popular networking sites. I discovered that Linked in also connects you with jobs closely related to your industry (providing you have given ample information in the profile section of your account). You can reach out to your network contacts through Linked In.

-Apply. Follow-up. Apply. Follow-up. I was told recently at a networking session via CT Works that perseverance is paying off. One suggestion was to re-apply for a job if you have not had any feedback from an earlier effort.

-Work on your elevator speech. This is your 1 minute blurb about you - what you have done, what you are looking for, etc.

-Work on certifications that will enhance your chances for consideration. In the HR and Insurance field, for example, a CEBS designation is very valuable indeed.

I hope to get comments, suggestions and ideas from other LTUs and non-LTUs so that one day we can all be singing (and garnering strange looks) our own version of "Whistle while you work".

-

Monday Blues

Most everyone at some time or other has sung the Monday Blues after contemplating the week of work ahead of them. Without checking, I imagine lottery ticket sales have soared early in the week, and the skies have been clogged with fantasy air travelers longing to recline on sandy white beaches.

For some of us who are members of the LTU club (Long Term Unemployed), the Monday Blues include verses about quiet empty neighborhoods, silent houses, silent phones, and the weekly claim for unemployment checks.

But we have a job..now. We're told that searching for a job should take up 20 hours of our time each week - ok, its not the standard 40, but its part-time employment. How can a person work 20 hours a week searching for a job? Here are a few suggestions that may bring a whistle or two while you work.

-Network. Linked in is one of the most popular networking sites. I discovered that Linked in also connects you with jobs closely related to your industry (providing you have given ample information in the profile section of your account). You can reach out to your network contacts through Linked In.

-Apply. Follow-up. Apply. Follow-up. I was told recently at a networking session via CT Works that perseverance is paying off. One suggestion was to re-apply for a job if you have not had any feedback from an earlier effort.

-Work on your elevator speech. This is your 1 minute blurb about you - what you have done, what you are looking for, etc.

-Work on certifications that will enhance your chances for consideration. In the HR and Insurance field, for example, a CEBS designation is very valuable indeed.

I hope to get comments, suggestions and ideas from other LTUs and non-LTUs so that one day we can all be singing (and garnering strange looks) our own version of "Whistle while you work".

-

Unemployment

I've been unemployed for 18 months now - it isn't like crossing days off a calendar until Christmas arrives or something like that - its open-ended. And I'm not sure Christmas will be the end result either.

But I want to share a few things that I've learned - nuts and bolts. Some may already know, but I'll post them.

-You can still work part-time and collect unemployment benefits. At least that is true in CT. 2/3 of the gross of your part-time job will be deducted from your unemployment benefits. See the ct department of labor web-site for more information.

-Volunteer. Although I'm not yet employed, I did land an interview because of my volunteering experience. Make sure that you put any volunteer experience on your resume. Its a way of showing prospective employers that you are actively in touch with your community during your unemployment. And no, I'm not too positive that viewing the 80 gazillion movies on Netflix qualifies as a valid volunteer experience.

-Education. Make sure you put any certifications, even courses that you attended at the local department of labor (CT Works, etc locations) such as resume writing, interviewing techniques, on your resume. It serves to show that you have been "doing something" during your unemployment.

Remember that you are not your job. There is so much more to us!

Some web-sites to type in your browser and investigate:

ONET

CT Department of Labor

There are free college courses online. You won't receive credit for them, but its an interesting way to investigate and learn - subjects range from Accounting to Religion and more. Yale, Stanford, etc are only a couple of colleges that offer these free courses. Just type in free college courses online in your browser.

Have a good day!!