Farewell my fellow seekers August 23, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: career, career search, careers, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, reality, Viewpoint
add a comment
I have decided to devote my time to my passion which is leadership. My thoughts are to fix the top to make it better for those at the bottom and maybe in some round about way it will create more jobs for you my friends.
Therfore this will be my last post here.
I have also downsized my business to follow my passion as well so while the name Evolution Career Business Leadership wil remain for now my concentration will be on leadership only.
I wish you the best and much luck in your endeavor to fins that elusive position that you desire.
Thank you for following my posts.
The beatings will commence….. July 15, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: career, career search, careers, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, reality, Viewpoint
add a comment
Remember that old joke we use to hear when we worked and morale was low?
“The beatings will commence and will continue until morale improves”
It seems that they have adopted that to the unemployed, the beating will commence and will continue until you are empployed.
Like the old joke it was as if it was your fault that morale was low and that it is your fault that you are unemployed.
As in either case the one truly responsible will never admit that it is really their fault.
Lets take a twist on a Harry Potter character One whose name shall not be mentioned and adopt it to the situation and call him/her the one who shall not be named.
It makes it that much harder on concentrating on finding a job when you feel that companies are beating you down for being in the situation your in like it is your fault.
A number of you are probably still asking yourself what did I do wrong to deserve this and maybe I am not as good as I thought I was. Stop that type of thinking because it had nothing to do with you.
A company needs to cut X number of dollars out of the budget. They tell an accountant eliminate X number of dollars.
You are not Mary, Sam or Nancy you are a number a dollar figure to the accountant as they don’t know you just what it cost the company to have you there. They work their formulas and math until the X value is reached. If your number was in the equation then you are gone. It doesn’t matter how good you are you just happen to have the wrong number at the right time.
A company will get rid of deadwood and weight in the first round of layoffs. They will also get rid of what they consider pure overhead, HR and Quality are big hits for these.
So if you survived the first or second round before getting laid off it wasn’t that you did something wrong it is just you fit the equation.
Now the problem is that companies are doing a number of wrong things. Here is a list,
1.) Running too lean
2.) Hunkering down to wait out the storm
3.) Hording money
4.) Mergers and Acquisitions M&A (actually this is a good time for that it is what typically happens)
5.) not taking risk to continue to grow the company and business.
M&A is bad for the job seeker because it places even more talented people in the job pool which is already overcrowded as it is.
M&A is not helping the economy because there will be more people not spending because they need every penny to try and survive. Also the ones that still have jobs will not spend for fear that another round of cuts will be imminent.
Despite what the economist, business analyst and politicians say I do not think we have hit bottom yet and the ground we walk on is unstable at best.
I know that you don’t want to hear that but it helps to know the reality so we can better strategize how to move forward. This is war! Only the strong will survive!
Let me know what you think?
What is your story and how can we help?
Another slap in the face by Congress! June 15, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting
add a comment
Some of you may know already but for those that don’t. Congress is trying to push through a bill H1745 and S. 904 both sponsored by Republicans that would allow states to take the Federal monies earmarked for the unemployed and give it to corporations in the form of tax cuts. To what purpose this would serve is beyond comprehension. Unless the idea is quicken this country to becoming the next third world nation.
If this bill passes and states invoke it it will further destroy the economy. It will cause more bankruptcy and homelessness. It will destroy families already on the brink of destruction. It will increase heath care costs from stress related illnesses and burden tax payers as they people will not be able to afford the already high prices of health care so many will do with out.
Write directly to your Representative and Senator and tell them what an insane bill you think this is. Get your friends and family to write as well.
Do I go or do I stay? Part 1 June 13, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: attitude, career search, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, reality, stress, Viewpoint
add a comment
Upon typing the title I realized that it has two purposes one for job seekers and one for employed people thinking of jumping ship.
Part 1 will be for seekers and part 2 will be for employed.
As workers we do not have control over the markets or the shifts in markets. Sometimes the markets will shift geographically for economical reason for the company.
This creates situations that will instill fear into the hearts of brave men and women. The decision to stay or to go.
For the new graduates entering the work world your family is your security blanket your fall back plan until you have established yourself enough to be on your own. To be independent.
For the experienced worker. You have bought a house you have have a family you have friends….you are comfortable in your surroundings. Your family needs you to be close so that you can watch out over them. It is a tough world and you want the best for your children and you want to see your grandchildren grow up.
When I was working in the electronics industry I knew that I had a limited choice of places to work. What I called the hot spots, Boston, Phoenix, California, Washington(state), New Mexico and Texas. That changed in recent years and has seemed to dwindle down to Silicon Valley as being the last hot spot for electronics. Yes there are small scatterings of electronics throughout the country but it isn’t like the hubs of old when you could feel more secure about going to an area where there may be multiple opportunities.
So the choice boils down to this; do I stay and find a new field and struggle to work my way to the top or do I follow my passion and move to where the job is?
You have a choice of moving the whole family or going out by yourself and just rent a room. You can come home once in awhile while you establish yourself and get comfortable enough to bring the rest of the family out. This allows you time to find the right neighborhood with the right schools before bringing everyone out.
You always have a choice to stay find lower paying work and struggle or not find work because you are overqualified or not qualified for the new field and wind up homeless. Who have you served by doing this? Your family situation is not one of love peace and harmony. The stress is effecting everyone. Your wife may have to go out and find work to make up the difference between what you used to make and what you are making now and in most cases that isn’t enough either. Then who will watch the grandchildren because their mother has to work to make ends meet.
Fear is what holds you place. Fear of the unknown, meeting new people making new friends, selling the old house and buying a new one in an unstable market.
The alternative is maintaining the job you are passionate about, the one you are qualified for, the one that may still have upward mobility opportunities with it. The ability to still support your family.
Distance isn’t the enemy not in this age of text messages, video calls, Skype, Internet, and transportation.
I told my children 2 years ago I love you to death but I have to go where the jobs are even if is off-shore. They understood.
The easy decision isn’t always the right one and the tough ones are the hardest to make but usually are the best because they have been well thought out and planned.
So do you stay and everyone possibly suffers or do you go and embrace a new world and opportunity?
What are you going to do?
What has been your experience if you stayed?
What has been your experienced if you went?
Rapture is a bust get back to your job search! May 23, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: career search, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, reality
add a comment
I am sure that most of you were hoping that at 6 PM last Saturday that you would be floating up to heaven and no longer had to worry about searching for that elusive job.
Well, I didn’t see any souls going to heaven and I didn’t feel any earthquake as I left my part time job at 6 PM for the walk home. I am glad I didn’t purchase the anti-vibration pads for my shoes for the stagger home!
I know some of you will tell me but we can hope can’t we? My reply would be without hope we cannot persevere through these trying times.
Hope is what drives us to keep getting up every morning and applying for more jobs. We all hope today will be the day.
I know the ones that have been unemployed for more than 99 weeks ( or 27 monthers as we call ourselves around here) may not have had enough worldly positions left to sell to make a dent in anything so I hope you didn’t succumb to doing that because now things are even worse.
I am hoping that no one drank the Kool-Aid Saturday!
Some may have felt that this was the escape for the worries and drudgery of job hunting. Some may have wished real hard that this guy was right and that there misery here on earth will come to an end. That they and their family could rejoice in heaven and live in peace. It is a nice dream but it isn’t reality as there is no proof that heaven even exists it is all based on faith in the belief that it does not on facts.
The reality is that we are still here and the we have to continue the struggle.
In closing I will just say be aware of those who would prey on people such as us and take advantage of us while we are desperate. DO NOT BUY any tickets to the Real Rapture, date to be announced later. It is a scam and I would hate to see any unemployed people fall for it.
A tuff row to hoe!! May 5, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: career search, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, reality, stress, Viewpoint
1 comment so far
Well I am sure that the latest news of unemployment jumping up have some of you pulling your hair out or becoming despaired. It certainly isn’t making your life any easier especially if you are a 27+ weeker.
It may be time to face the reality that our nation is in deep trouble and the end doesn’t seem to be in sight. You may have to face the facts that the job you use to do is not going to be available for some time. The last I heard was 2018 to get back to prerecession numbers and that may not be that solid now.
I am not being negative here I am being realistic and it is time for you to do the same. What was your fall back plan your plan B? Did you have one?
It is time for some deep reflection and skill analysis and ask yourself what else can I do that would get me hired somewhere.
I myself am having a hard time having been a 27+weeker and took a job at Lowe’s working weekends and holidays. I work $20 hrs a week for about $11/hr. It isn’t as living but I can survive with the help of my oldest son.
My background was in electronics and management but I have come to the realization that those jobs are gone and that companies are no longer interested in what is being deemed servant leadership.
I have the business I started in 2010 just before my benefits ran out and it is a struggle in this economy to find work but yet I refuse to give in.
I will find a way to get back on my feet and be proud again. I am sure that you can do the same. It is time to re-invent yourself in order to survive.
We cannot rely on corporate America to fix themselves any time soon as they have learned to operate lean and mean and are going to stay that way. The mergers and acquisitions that are still going on will mean less jobs not more.
Until they realize they are killing themselves slowly corporations will continue to operate with their heads in the sand.
We cannot wait for them to get their heads out of their …..well lets not go there!
It is time for us to move on and forward!
The end is in sight!? April 22, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: career search, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, Viewpoint
add a comment
The purist will note my double punctuation but there is a reason for it.
Watching a news segment yesterday on the McJob Fair a employment specialist said at the rate of jobs being created we will be back to pre-recession rates by 2018. What she neglected to say is that the vast majority of people will go from unemployed to under employed which really will not be helping the economic recovery.
There are still mergers and acquisition’s going on which usually means more layoffs. Companies are now starting to try and shed their poor earners by offering them up for sale. Or like Cisco just shudder the doors as the company doesn’t fit in anymore.
So yes it may take another 7 years to get America to work but don’t expect the economy to be as robust that will take much longer.
On another note, I get much enjoyment reading conflicting reports on the same day in the same location from different sources. While on Yahoo I read that the new home market is up 11.7% which sounds good if there are people to buy these houses. Why do I say this? Because further down the page was another article that stated people are shying away from home ownership. How can there be both?
I can understand people wanting to shy away from home ownership due to the loss of value in their home when the market collapsed. Also the people who bought high and then were forced to sell low. So the question to ask is the new home market is that based on speculation? More than likely! Also the whole home mortgage fiasco with there being so much confusion on who really owns your mortgage or the parts of it. So there will be a long running fear that even though you have been sending your check in you could still loose your house. So why buy into this mess?
I know that I really don’t want to buy a home. I would rather be a full-time RVer. The cost are less for insurance, maintenance, taxes, etc are less than homeownership. If I need to go elsewhere for work I would be able to just unplug and go. Do not have to worry about if I could sell my house, would I be able to make a profit, would I make enough on the sale to pay a bigger portion of the new mortgage?
Anyway the end is in sight you just may have to tough it out for 7 more years hopefully!
LinkedIn profiles April 5, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, LinkedIn Profile
add a comment
There seems to be a little confusion between resumes and your LinkedIn profile. Many of you want to make them the same as to even doing a copy and paste. This is wrong!!
Your profile is not limited to space like a resume may be.
Your profile can use plenty of white space and bullets to emphasize your accomplishments.
You can talk about your accomplishments in greater detail on your profile than you can on the resume.
You do not have to use dates for your work history if you think your past experience enhances your ability to attract others to what you do.
Your profile is not just about landing a job it is about telling your colleagues what you have to offer in the way of helping them with their problems.
When I set up my profile as a seeker I kept in mind that I didn’t want to have to go through a major change when I landed so I made it for my colleagues to show my area of expertise and ways that I could help them. I did this because that is what the hiring manager would want to know. If an HR or recruiter type were too lazy or ignorant to figure it out then I didn’t want to work for such a company anyway as it reflects on how the company is run and the culture.
Please do not do a copy and paste of your resume as your profile. It shows that you are lazy not efficient. Besides you are doing yourself a disservice by not fully highlighting your accomplishments.
Distance March 31, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: career search, job hunting, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, mentor
add a comment
When you are unemployed distance can mean many things. It is the measure of travel to get to that interview. It is the feeling you get from those around you. It is what you are told to do to negative people.
Well I can tell you that I have flown half way across the country for an interview. I have taken phone screens from the other side of the country.
I just recently distanced myself from a number of job hunt groups for being either ineffective or too negative.
The worse thing I feel that we have to go through is the distance we feel from those closest to us.
If you are familiar with Boston Harbor there is a lighthouse at the entrance of the harbor. It is on a little pile of rocks they call the Graves. It is close enough to barely be seen on a clear day and far enough away to be forgotten. Yet it shines it light to let you know it is there.
Most days I feel like graves light. Shining my light trying to get the attention of companies that could use someone useful like me. But I also know that I am a distance away from the other lighthouses and from the ships in port or coming to port that I am alone. Yet I shine on, I persevere through good days and the storms that try to abuse me. I stand alone.
I have time plenty of time to stand there trying to make sense of all this. But it seems that a fog has rolled in and is clouding my ability to shine. To see clearly, to wonder if I am still needed in this age of GPS and other technology.
Yet still I stand and still I shine my light to give others safe passage into my harbor.
I normally try to have some underlying moral to my blogs or some bit of hope or a good piece of information. I am not sure what that is in this blog. I guess the meta fore is the light and that I am reaching out to you so that you let me know that I am not alone and that my beacon is still needed.
Our worst adversaries! March 21, 2011
Posted by jvmullin in Job Searching, Job Searching.Tags: attitude, career, career search, careers, job hunting, Job Search, job seeking, jobs careers job hunting, reality, stress, Viewpoint
1 comment so far
I will say that most of you reading the headline will think I am going to talk about recruiters and HR.
While they are formidable opponents they are not our worse but any stretch of the imagination.
We are our own worse enemies! Our two biggest adversaries we need to be fighting every second of every day is negativity, desperation and depression.
These three evil forces work much the same way as cancer does. They start out small and unassuming. Then they start to grow and fester until the change who we really are.
They can turn the best professionals into the cranky whiners that you would not want to hire on your worst day.
We have to understand that these three adversaries carry with us everywhere we go we wear them like a well fitted suit. The problem is the well fitted suits has print on it that says warning warning stay away from this person.
It carries with us into every phone screen and every interview. It clouds our thinking and effects our body language and our attitudes. They will turn the most intelligent person into the biggest dumbass in a matter of weeks.
These are also highly contagious especially in groups of like individuals. Yes misery loves company. But will take someone in the group who is positive and drag them down into the murky depths of despair and gloom.
As intelligent professionals we of all people should realize this and know full well what the ramifications of these adversaries are. We should know full well what it means to our chances of getting out of the situation we are in.
The answer is to maintain a daily regiment of positive thinking with a large dose of confidence and self reflection.
Not to dwell on what isn’t working but to learn and move forward. We are not in a position to have a reverse our only direction is forward.
We need to kill the three adversaries and replace them with good things so that we will prevail through these hard times.
I am looking for positive people to join me in my quest. My role will be from here forward to be positive to a point where it is contagious and to distance myself from the naysayers who have been too overwhelmed by these cancers. This is by no means an easy task but anything worthwhile comes at the end of hard work and effort.
So are you with me or against me. Excuses not allowed on solutions and results.
What are your comments?
Job seeking from a hunters perspective Blog 