While there are a number of indicators that the economy is recovering, we know that job creation is the last indicator to turn around. However, there are still jobs to be found in The Hidden Job Market. The committed job seeker must learn to penetrate that market to idenfity opportunities that are not posted on the Internet. But I encounter so many people who are blocked in their search efforts. In some instances, it’s a lack of information. In others, it’s a matter of fear and resistance. How long has it been since you received that dreaded pink slip? What strategies are you using in your campaign? What are the biggest challenges you face? Please contact me and schedule a free no-obligation session where I can learn more about you and share how I work with clients. Also, please consider purchasing my special report “What’s Holding You Back?”  It may provide that little push to get you back on track!

“Your resume is not an autobiographical essay of your entire life.” — Susan Ireland, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Resume.

Frequent visitors to this site know I discourage job seekers from limiting their job search to simply submitting resumes and cover letters to target companies. Most resumes simply never reach the eyes of a decision-maker who has hiring authority; they are ignored, weeded out and thrown in the wastebasket.  However, that does not mean that you can afford to not have a resume. Employers are conditioned to rely on a resume review to give them essential information about the applicant.

There are probably as many types of resumes as there are professional resume services. I offer a free consultation to anyone who does not have a resume, needs to revise their resume, or who needs feedback on their newly created resume. While reading books on resume development can be extremely helpful, many people still have trouble putting their thoughts on paper. My colleague, Jennifer Stockdale,  has extensive experience in writing winning resumes. She is willing and able to help you!

Please contact me for that free consultation. Let’s create a resume that shouts “hire me!”

In an article by Michael Luo in today’s New York Times, he cites a growing body of research that indicates the terrible toll that plant closings and pink slips can have on older employees. According to Luo, “One 2006 study by Yale University epidemiologists found that layoffs more than doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke among older workers.

“Another paper, published last year by sociology professor Katie W. Strully of the Sate University of New York at Albany, found that a person who lost a job had an 83 percent greater chance of developing a stress-related health problem, like diabetes, arthritis or psychiatric issues.” A third study in 2009 concluded that, in the short term, death rates for senior male executives during the 1980s recession rose 50 to 100 percent in the year after job loss. ”Even 20 years later, deaths were 10 to 15 percent higher. That meant that a worker who lost his job at age 40 had his life expectancy cut by 1 to 1 and1/2 years.”

The threat to health affects even people who are employed. My own clients cite worry over possible job loss or significant stress caused by added workload imposed by management to offset job layoffs.

Our good health is the most important element in our lives. Regardless of whether you are employed or laid off, I implore you to have a comprehensive physical examination by your primary care physician. Even if you are feeling OK, if you have not had a physical in the past two years, do so now. Furthermore, if you are experiencing anxiety, depression, or grief, talk to you PCP about a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist for counseling or medication. My recommendation goes double for you macho dudes who deny the warning signs. Life is too precious to be thrown away.

Losing your job is always an emotional jolt. During this Great Recession, those of us who work for an organization are always on edge, waiting to see if the axe will fall on us. However, nothing really prepares us for the day when we actually receive our termination notice and are told to clean out our desks. The current blockbuster film, Up in the Air, with George Clooney as the consultant paid to tell employees they have lost their jobs, brilliantly captures the pain people feel when they have lost their chief source of financial support.

Anger, grief and panic are some of the emotions we feel in the wake of this most bitter news. For many folks, however, the blow can be softened by a consultation with a trusted financial advisor. An advisor can bring detachment and perspective to the situation, help her client create a downsized budget, and suggest sources of transition income that the client, who is anxious and upset, may not be aware of.

Do you have a financial advisor? How often have you checked in with him during the past year? Has he served you well? Have you had any interaction at all? If you do not have an advisor, perhaps now is the time to find one. If you have an advisor, but you do not have a high level of trust in the skills and customer service he offers, perhaps it’s time to change advisors.

Regular visitors to this site know the value I place on Word of Mouth Referral Networking to generate informational interviews with decision-makers who can hire you.  Recruiting, educating and cultivating your current network members regarding your ideal job and target employers is invaluable for penetrating The Hidden Job Market. It remains a key strategy in any comprehensive job search campaign. The only caveat I find with this method is that it is always a challenge to arrange face to face meetings with people’s busy schedules. (Of course our recent winter blizzards have only intensified the challenge of arranging personal meetings.)

However, the power of social media networking is being  used to good effect by an increasing number of job seekers and business consultants to grow their networks and uncover valuable opportunities. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, are among the most powerful social networking tools out there. My colleague, Jennifer Stockdale has created a truly informative special report available on this site that details how you can best use these tools to best advantage. Click on my Neal Recommends page to find out more.

More men and women in mid-life are choosing to leave the corporate rat race and start a consulting practice or business or their own. In so doing, they are faced with many issues to resolve. One of the most fundamental is whether to start a venture from scratch or secure one of the many franchises that available in the marketplace. With a franchise, you are (hopefully) buying a proven system for making money. Finding the right franchise, however, can be a very daunting challenge. John Tubridy, a consultant and advisor with the Franchise Network of Pittsburgh aka FranNet, has helped numerous individuals find the right franchise for their needs and budgets.

I’ve known John for many years. He combines a thorough knowledge of the franchise industry with a dedication to his clients that positions him as a true resource for those considering a business of their own. For more information, please click the Neal Recommends page on this site and download a free FranNet article on John.  You won’t be disappointed. Better yet, contact John for a personal consultation and see what he has to offer.

At times, and they seem to occur with ever more frequency, I despair for the future of our country or — more specifically — for our political system.  Democracies are inherently inefficient, unwieldly, and chaotic. You want efficiency, get yourself a dictator. Democracies function best when party politicians and the constituencies they represent are able to hammer out a compromise. Unless you have been living in a cave in Tibet for the past 20 years, you may have noticed the incandescent implosion of our political system.

Our political representatives, and I use that term gingerly, stumble through the wilderness searching for creative ideas. Instead we get tired rhetoric. Please spare me the “rightness” of any particular political philosophy. A plague on all your houses. Click on Amazon and buy Eric Hoffer’s classic The True Believer and then talk to me about your political philosophy.

Last night President Obama gave his State of the Union address. He seemed to put aside the non-starter health reform package, itself a prime example of how misinformation can come together with intransigence and political incompetence to prevent any possibility of rational discourse. Instead,  he focused on the need for jobs. How brilliant! While the recovery has staggered forward, politicians of both parties have done nothing substantive beyond extending workers’ UC benefits. How creative! 

I guess I must be somewhat dim. With our nation’s infrastructure deteriorating, with the need to sever our reliance on oil, , with our public schools unable to compete with those of our global competitors, with our ascendancy in technology being eroded, I fail to understand why government and the private sector can’t come together to create and sustain a true national jobs program. It’s long past due; it’s a crucial step toward a robust recovery; it’s essential to maintain our position in the global marketplace.

This is an election year. Make sure the politicians of your persuasion understand we will hold them accountable for reaching across the aisle and hammering out a jobs  program worthy of the name, worthy of our workforce, worthy of our nation.

Psychologists tell us that losing a job can be one of the most wrenching emotional events of our lives. Many of my clients who come to me carry with them deep wounds that must be addressed before they are willing to take up the work of rebuilding their lives and careers. For some, the key emotion is anger. For others, it’s frustration. For still others, it’s grief so deep it threatens to plunge them into the abyss of depression. Many men lose all sense of their identity. Many women shut down completely and remain isolated in their homes.

As a chaplain I work with the dying and their families. For several years I led a bereavement group, offering support and encouragement to those who had lost a loved one. Losing one’s job can be a kind of death. Sad to say, there is no timetable for recovering and entering into healing. I have never purported to be a psychotherapist. When I encounter someone who has issues that are beyond my expertise, I refer them to one or more of the psychologists, clinical social workers or therapists in whom I have the higest confidence.

 Fortunately, I am able to deal with most of the psychological and emotional issues my clients bring with them. As a chaplain I have been trained in various body-centered approaches which can, with commitment and ongoing practice by my clients, bring healing and self-empowerment. Crisis brings with it opportunity and renewal. Please feel free to contact me if you are finding yourself at sea because of the loss of your job.

If you are a frequent visitor to this site, you know I am laying a foundation for an internet-driven business. I am reaching out to individuals and businesses who focus on career development, resume writing, job placement, and career resources (guides, sourcebooks, etc.) with whom I can develop affiliate partnerships so that together we can mutually market our products and services. I want to find out more about how I can help you. I am also interested in marketing my new e_Seminar Find That Job Fast, which helps job seekers dramatically shorten the time it takes them to find the right job with the right organization. Find out more at www.findthatjobfast.com.

If you are at all interested, let’s talk!

As many of you know by now, the results of a report released January 5, 2010 by the Conference Board research group showed that in 2009 only 45 percent of Americans were satifsfied with their jobs. This was down 4 percentage  points from 2008. The 2009 results were the lowest recorded by the board in 22 years. (Of course, many Americans would kill to have any job, but that’s another story.)

While the Great Recession undoubtedly plays a role when job holders are underemployed, worker dissatisfaction, according to the report, has been on the rise for the past two decades. Among the findings:

• Fewer workers found their jobs interesting
• Incomes have plateaued in the face of inflation
• Rising health care costs have reduced the amount of take home pay job holders retain

Employment researchers and market economists are concerned that this job dissatisfaction will reduce labor productivity and thus erode the nation’s ability to compete in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. 

What’s your job satisfaction level? If you are truly dissatisfied, maybe it’s time to sit down and examine your options. Maybe you need a career insurance policy. As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback.