Buyer's Market

Everyone knows we are in a "Buyer's Market." It doesn't matter if you are shopping for a house, looking at the stock market, or simply shopping, everything is on sale. The housing market is depressed with houses and interest rates both at an all-time low so anyone who is thinking about buying a new house or refinancing their current home should do it now. Stocks are also on sale so if you have extra cash, this is the perfect time to invest. And the stores - what huge sales! Again, if you have the extra cash, buy a new wardrobe for 70% off or more. All great bargains, don't you agree?

Well, the same holds true for the job market. Even though the job boards still show hundreds of jobs, the reality is there are so few jobs and so many people looking for a job that the imbalance is really difficult to envision. The employer's are experiencing a "Buyer's Market" and those of us looking for a job are simply on sale. The question is, should we devalue ourselves or is this the only option we have if we want to once again join the ranks of the gainfully employed?

As you know I had my first job interview yesterday since losing my job. I had talked with the recruiter several times on the phone. I had answered a 4-page questionnaire regarding my level of experience giving examples of my experience for each question so that I was prescreened for this position. I dressed for success. I took a clean copy of my resume just in case the one the recruiter had printed off didn't look professional. I took my letter of recommendation. I was told that the main concern for the company and the people doing the interviewing was that they wanted a high-energy person who understood the dynamics of a family-run business. I fit the bill and was ready for the interview.

The interview started out with a tour of the facility given by the VP of Operations. I asked questions and interacted well with this person. We moved on to the conference room and he left to get the owner/CEO of the company to sit in on the interview. While we waited for the CEO to join us, we looked at the final product the company sells and talked about how it is packaged and prepared for delivery to the customer. The CEO came into the conference room and introduced himself and the actual interview started. Or should I say ended. It lasted for less than 15 minutes. Apparently there had been a discussion earlier yesterday morning and this position had been redefined. I no longer met the minimum qualifications for the job. They now wanted someone with a minimum of 10 years manufacturing experience. I have none and they knew this. The recruiter who sent me on this interview didn't even know the requirements for this position had been changed so drastically.

This was a complete waste of my time and theirs; but, it is a buyer's market and they can take their time. The number of candidates they can interview is endless. The need of the company is their only time constraint. However, they should at least communicate with the recruiter.

On a side note - the CEO actually made the statement that I had to have typed the letter of recommendation because he knew Richard Petty didn't type it. Of course I requested the letter, but I didn't type it. How asinine and presumptuous! Do I really want to work for someone who jumps to those kinds of conclusions? Do you?

That Was Easy

Filing for Unemployment - now, that was easy. I am not sure what I expected, but I thought I would have to appear in person to sign forms or at a very minimum, they would mail forms to me that had to be signed and then returned. But no! I simply went online and completed the process in a matter of minutes.

One of my concerns though was that the first option for receiving your weekly payment is that the payment is put on a debit card and then the debit card can be reloaded each week so that there are no checks actually mailed out. Why would you want a debit card? Are you going to take it with you to the electric company, water company, or to your insurance company? Don't most people do all their banking and pay their bills online?

Thankfully they do allow for direct deposit. I immediately downloaded the form for direct deposit, but could not complete it online. I printed it out and was going to put it in the mail the next day, but these people are quick! I received the same form from the Employment Security Commission in the mail on Saturday. I completed it and put it back in the mail on Monday - now we'll see if they are quick enough to get my first unemployment check in my bank account or if I get that dreaded debit card before they process my direct deposit information.

I wasn't clear by the instructions online about letting the Employment Security Commission know that I was applying for my required 2 jobs per week. I tried to call half a dozen times, but kept getting a busy signal. This is actually what I expected with the number of people that are out of work so I ended up sending an email. To my surprise, I received a response within a couple of hours answering all of my questions. Yes, I do have to apply for two jobs per week, but I don't have to notify the ESC of this on a weekly basis. The only time they need to know what I am doing to look for a job is if I am chosen to be audited so I need to keep a record of the jobs I am applying for.

I really don't know when to expect my first unemployment check. Last week was my waiting period - you have to put in a week without pay once a year as a waiting period. The prior two weeks I was paid a severance check so this is my first eligible week to draw unemployment. I am a little concerned about losing my steady paycheck. I was the main bread winner in our household.

Wish me luck on today's job interview!!! Will post again to let everyone know how it goes. I am not the only one being interviewed today.

Resume Cards

By now, we all know that networking is a necessity. Every time I accept someone into my LinkedIn Group: NCACPA's, I email them about the importance of networking. So we are all putting ourselves out there hoping to meet our next employer or make a connection somewhere that can lead to our next career opportunity. Part of the problem though is that it isn't always appropriate to carry resumes with you let alone hand them out. The next best solution is the "resume card."

The resume card is simply a business card, but you are the business. You show your name and address where the company name and address would normally go. On the front side of the card, you list all of your pertinent information such as phone number, email, and website if you have one. Then get creative and add a tag line for your skills or the career you are looking for. In my case, a tag line might be, "Managing all of your Financial Reporting needs." On the back side of the card you then list your major accomplishments or skills.

Carry a hand full of these cards everywhere you go. Don't just stick them in your wallet or purse; put them in a card holder so that they don't get crumpled looking or dog-eared. The card will need to look crisp and new each time you pull one out to give to someone. These are convenient to carry and can be given out discretely anywhere, anytime.

You can order these cards from any printing company or online. You can also buy business card stock at an office supply store and make your own. Just make sure that the finished product represents the career you are seeking.

Now, go network!

Three Weeks and Counting

I have now been out of work for three full weeks and even though I still see lots of jobs posted on all the job boards/sites, I am not seeing a lot of response from submitting my resume. Of course, I am being very selective about the jobs I apply for. This is my opportunity to step back and analyze the world around me and to decide what my role should be.

I do have an interview lined up on Wednesday and I'll have to admit that I am a little excited about it. If I were to get the job, it would be a complete change from being in racing. There are similarities with this position and the work I have done in the past 12 years, the biggest being that this is a family owned business. Both the race teams that I have been with (Richard Petty & Richard Childress) were family owned. There is a unique dynamic involved with a family owned business. Trust me, you don't know this until you have been there!

I personally believe that a family has to work together to create a business and then make it successful. Even though the business may be run by just one spouse, the other spouse has to burn the midnight oil as well pouring over numbers and reliving the stress of the day because everything the family owns is on the line. In the early years, the family home may even be used as collateral to get the business going. There is a lot at stake here and the entire family deserves respect for the ultimate success of the business and the sacrifices it took to become successful.

Looking for a job is actually boring. You don't go out and knock on doors or hand out resumes. Everything is done completely online. There is no face-to-face time unless your resume has something unique that makes it stand out among the other hundred (or thousand) resumes submitted for that one job. Not being able to meet people in person and make that good "first impression" definitely puts one at a disadvantage. Sitting in front of a computer for hours every day, day after day, isn't any fun.

I've not even heard from the recruiters that I am working with in over a week. I applied for the job mentioned above online and was contacted by the recruiter that posted it, but I have never met him; however, he does have good communication skills. We have talked on the phone three times this past week. I realize that he is working on commission, but I feel that we have gotten to know each other through our lengthy phone calls and emails.

Looking for a new job is not all I have been doing however. I have a good friend (he actually introduced my husband and me) who is wanting to start his own business. We'll call him Greg just to protect his anonymity for now. Greg has been putting this idea together for the last 3-4 years and has finally reached the point where he is ready to seek financial backing or possibly even sell the idea along with all the research that he has compiled. My part in this was to help create the business plan and put together the financial information. We sat here at my dining room table and worked for 12 hours last weekend. We have communicated several times on the phone over this past week as well. Greg has a really (really) good idea and it should be very successful, especially in today's economy. I wish him the best!!!!

To end this post, I must admit that I have become very spoiled over the last several years. I very rarely cook dinner and when I do it is something quick that doesn't require much effort or thought. My husband does most of the real cooking. With my being out of work, our roles are reversing. I am having to actually think about dinner and prepare real meals. I am out of practice - but he seems to be faring well.

Tomorrow I have a doll house to put together - I may even post pictures. ;-)

Bait & Switch

I sit here with my glass of wine (those of you that actually know me just smiled, didn't you?) reflecting back on this past week - my first week of unemployment. I'm not depressed or stressed over not having a job. I personally think I really needed some time off so this week has almost been like a vacation, but of course without the beach.

I am trying to stick to my own guidelines. I get up and get dressed every day. I do a small amount of housework but not too much. I don't want to work my way out of another job! I have started exercising. We have one of those universal machines that allows you to do most everything so I have some slight muscle soreness, but it feels good.

Yesterday I called the school boards for Davidson County and Forsyth County to inquire about applying for substitute teaching in each county. I have discovered that my "earnings allowance" will afford me the opportunity to sub a couple of days a week and have no impact on my unemployment. It will be a great way to network and meet new people plus it will supplement the income so we can pay all the bills. Definitely three positives! If I could do this, I would also have time to think about the direction I want my career to go.

Then I started the job search in full force on the job boards. So many job boards - so many jobs! But how could all these jobs be available and we still have people unemployed??? It doesn't make sense, does it? Reference "Survival 101" regarding the unscrupulous recruiters posting jobs that either don't exist or that have already been filled. Things that make you go, "hmmmmm."

But I drudged on. Some job boards charge a fee to the employer to post jobs such as Career Builder and Monster. But other job boards pull their listings from competitor job boards so they have several listings. The problem here is that you have to complete all your information on these boards from uploading your resume to filling in the blanks on all sorts of personal information and then when you find a job that you are interested in and click the "apply button," you are taken to a new job board which then requires you to upload your resume and fill in the blanks on all the same personal information again. This is the old "Bait & Switch!"

I actually found the PERFECT job listed on one of these sites. I clicked on the apply button and was redirected to another site. I filled in all the appropriate information and uploaded my resume so that I could apply for this PERFECT job. But guess what - I was redirected to another job board site. And you got it. I had to upload my resume and fill in all the appropriate information so that I could apply for this PERFECT job! I hit the apply button and was given the option of preparing a cover letter, which I did. It was actually a really good letter, if i do say so myself. I immediately got an email acknowledging my application but then I got a second email. The second email stated that I could not apply for the job directly through their website because they were neither the employer nor the recruiter so I had to go back in and click on the link that took me to the correct site to actually apply for this PERFECT job. Even though I was frustrated, I really thought this was the PERFECT job so I clicked the link. "Oh, please tell me it isn't so." Now I was at one of those sites that requires you to pay before you can apply for that PERFECT job! Bait & Switch is alive and well.

It tempted me, boy did it tempt me. But all they wanted from me was for me to fill in my information once again and I could have one month free and with my free membership I could apply for this PERFECT job. So I did, but then it said my password wasn't valid and wouldn't let me in. I tried again and still could not get in. So I went back to the page to check my information. I re-entered the password. Now I did not have the option of applying for the PERFECT job with the free trial membership, but it didn't matter, it still would not accept my password and let me in. I clicked on the "forgot password" button and ask them to email me the password - but then I got an error message that said my email wasn't valid. I was not allowed to apply for the PERFECT job!!!!

At one point, one of the job boards actually had a comment posted that if you were limiting yourself to just your state (which I thought was a pretty good stretch) that you were limiting your opportunities. And they convinced me! I actually chose to have my resume made available all across the country, not quite sure why I didn't choose the "world" as my target market - which was one of the options!

And now you should see the inbox on my email. I am in job board hell and being inundated with notifications from all of these job boards.

I think I will drink another glass of wine - tomorrow is another day!

Survival 101

Ok - I no longer have a job so now what? I have put quite a bit of thought into this, especially since I knew it was coming. We all have to have a reason to get up in the morning. Now that I don't have a job, what is that reason? I don't have kids to make breakfast for or get off to school. My husband is a full time student at UNCG but he is out for the break between Fall and Spring semesters so I don't have to get up to see him off.

Being unemployed has it's advantages also. Take today for example. It is rainy and cold with the temperature hovering in the low 40's. I don't have to get out in this mess. If I were gainfully employed, I wouldn't have a choice. I would bundle up in a coat and grab an umbrella and out the door I would go. Another thing, if you are sick and really couldn't work even if you had a job, you can just simply stay in bed and recover. And of course there are those things that have should have been done a while back but they could only be done during the hours that you were at work. Now you can get all of those things caught up.

But I do need a routine to keep me going. Here are some things I have come up with. These are in no particular order of importance, but necessary to keep you motivated.

1. Get up as if you had somewhere to be or something to do. Take a shower and get dressed. Unless you are really sick, do not lay around all day in sweats, pajamas, or comfy clothes. Don't spend your entire day in front of the TV. If you normally do your hair and makeup, then do your hair and makeup.

2. Find a way to network. In my case, I have had an account with LinkedIn for a couple of years now. I am very active with my account and have even created my own Group that allows for even more networking. The members of my Group know I am unemployed now and they will let me know if and when they hear of something. Even if it is something that is not (and will not) be known publicly. This is a great resource.

3. Update your resume. You can find several good resources online or at the library to help you prepare a great resume and it has to be great because you are not the only person looking for a job. You have to stand out. Try to get a Letter of Recommendation from your previous employer. You won't submit this when you apply for a job, but you can definitely take it along for the interview.

4. Now that you have your resume, you need to contact at least 2 good recruiters. Meet with them. Make sure they know you as a person so that they feel even more compelled to help you find a job.

5. Post your resume on several job boards. There are numerous job boards available online: http://www.monster.com/, http://www.careerbuilder.com/, http://www.indeed.com/, http://www.simplyhired.com/, and
http://www.theladders.com/, just to name a few. I have no proof that any of these actually land you a job and I have serious reservations about paying to have access to their job listings. When you go to these job boards, you will find that the majority of jobs have been posted by recruiting firms and not the potential employer. You will also find that some unscrupulous recruiters will post jobs that don't really exist or jobs that have already been filled. They do this so that they can get your resume on file - in other words, they are not worried about helping you, but helping themselves. If you have applied for a position and find that the recruiter did not actually have that job available, ask immediately that they destroy your resume and don't do business with them. They will never have your best interest in mind.

6. Volunteer to work for your favorite charity - you're sitting at home drawing unemployment so why not? You don't want to do this 5 days a week, but find more than one charity that you would like to help out and volunteer a couple of days a week. This is a great way to network. You could potentially meet your new employer - either another volunteer or someone who looks at this charity as their philanthropic endeavor. You will also have new contacts through the staff that work for the charity. Not the least important, though, is that you are doing something really good.

7. The job you have just lost will be hard to replace but while you are looking, the Employment Security Commission has determined what your unemployment benefit amount is and what your weekly earnings allowance is. Work part time at a job that you perceive is fun but doesn't offer enough pay to replace the salary you have lost.

8. Exercise. Why? Not only will it take up part of your day, it makes you feel better and look better. It will quickly become a habit and something you look forward to. It will give you energy. Pick your own routine - look online, go to a gym (volunteer at the YMCA and maybe you can work out free), walk. Just do something - take care of yourself.

9. Keep in touch with friends and co-workers. They are part of your extended family. They can lift your spirits when you are down. They can get you out of the house when you are going stir crazy. And if they hear of anything remotely close to what you want for your next career move, they will call in a heartbeat.

10. Do something creative. We all have it in us - make something, write something, start a blog, make a garden, paint! Find a creative outlet to keep you busy. You might just be surprised at what you are capable of. Look at me, I started this blog! ;-)

The Carpet Walkers

The first round of layoffs was November 18, 2008 - 26 people. It was supposed to be 30, but a few people had actually turned in notices to quit so the actual layoff didn't sound quite so bad to the public and to the media. The people that got laid off worked in the shop. They were just told that the economy was so bad there wasn't any other choice. Supposedly we were going to try to run two teams in 2009 when race season started back up, but with sponsorship in short supply, we were forced to cut corners anywhere we could so that the team could ultimately survive.

Then the second round of layoffs happened December 8, 2008. This time there was almost 50 jobs cut. Again, this affected the shop guys only but included some managers as well. None of the carpet walkers were affected. (This is the name that the shop guys gave the office staff - Carpet Walkers. It sounds like something from a horror movie.) Everyone was told this time that the layoff was due to having lost a major sponsor and that we were now forced to cut back to just one team for the 2009 season. We actually lost this sponsor back in November. I have no idea why it affected the second layoff and not the first, but management made sure they used the proper language from the "WARN" act in the letters they issued those that were affected by the layoff.

Rumors started flying. The investor group that had bought the team earlier in the year was supposedly trying to sell what was left of the race team to another team. If this didn't happen by the end of the year, they were simply shutting us down - but it didn't matter if they sold the team or not, we were effectively being shut down. If someone else bought us, they wouldn't need the hand full of employees that were still at the race shop - especially the carpet walkers.

They shut the shop down for Christmas and left us with the belief that there was a slim chance that we would still run as a one-car operation in 2009. We actually had enough sponsorship to run one team - but the investor group didn't want to be in racing. They refused to listen to any proposals to keep the team alive. And even though they had promised millions of dollars to run the team without sponsorship, their words were empty.

While we were off the week of Christmas, the deal to sell our team to the other race organization closed. Everyone knew it was over, but management still didn't tell us. You can't keep this kind of news quiet in our industry. We all went back to work December 29, 2008 waiting to get the news first-hand from management. They actually waited until Wednesday, New Year's Eve, to call a meeting and tell us that we were shutting down and all of us were out of a job. They sent us home immediately and deactivated our key fobs so that we no longer had access to the building.

I wonder how long it will take the sport to forget what this team has accomplished and the part we had in bringing racing to the level of popularity it now knows. Of course, our "car" will still be on the track - but it will never be the same.