There’s an article in today’s San Diego Union-Tribune about the dearth of job opportunities in that market.  With unemployment now above 10%, there are far more job seekers in Southern California than there are jobs.

You can read the article (although I’ll warn you it’s a bit depressing), but here are my takeaways.

If you’ve been looking for a job for more than 6 months and haven’t landed any interviews, something isn’t working.  It’s probably time to consider a new strategy.  A job coach may be able to help, but there are now a lot of free job search resources out there, so be sure to scour them for new ideas.

In San Diego, they are starting to see an uptick in demand for recruiters.  This is good news because in most markets, the recruiting industry has been hit particularly hard due to the lack of open positions to fill.  When the recruiters go back to work, everyone else will follow.

Follow the recruiters, they’ll lead the way.

Open that window

The article offers some great tips for preparing for your job search and then getting out there.  Many of these tips have appeared in this blog, but the article does a nice job of summarizing a few of them.

Bottom line:  I have no idea if this “window” is fact or fantasy.  But what if you decided to take the next 90 days and energize your job search by updating your resume and your Linkedin profile, by applying for one job a day, by going to one networking event every day, by making 10 calls to recruiters/friends/your network every day, by creating some “out of the box” job search tool like a personal newsletter, by joining one new group that may help with your job search and by taking advantage of some free or paid job search counseling.

If you did all of these things you just might find a job while the window is open.  And even if you don’t, what is the downside? You just might find the job on day 91 or day 101, but I’m willing to bet you will feel better knowing that you’ve done the best you can.  Now throw open that window!

No Stress!

There is a great article in yesterday’s New York Times about the stress a person feels after losing a job and how that stress can help sink the job search process. 

This reminded me of my own job search stress.  I had been unemployed for a few months and my stress was growing daily.  One day out of the blue, a recruiter called and what seemed like the last company in town that was hiring had called them and wanted to see me.  I sweated through three interviews and sat on pins and needles for every piece of news, assuming the worst during periods of silence.  Finally, the day for my fourth and last interview came.  I was so stressed out I drove right by the company, and arrived a couple of minutes late.  Nervous and assuming I was cooked, I soldiered on and got the job inspite of myself.

So I understand how stress, anxiety, depression, a sense of self doubt and all the rest can play havoc on the job search.  These are real feelings and they shouldn’t be ignored.  But they can be managed. 

My advice is to ask others to help you:  friends, colleagues, family, healthcare professionals, recruiters, job search experts and anyone else you may respect.  In many cases, just talking about your feelings can help enormously.  When you’re in need and you ask for help, help can come from the most unlikely places.

GoSavant (savant is the French word for “knowing” and has come to mean an “expert”) is a job search coaching site that offers a number of tools to help the job searcher.  Included among a host of other items are courses on “Job Search – Knock ‘em Dead ($49.95),” Write Effective Resumes ($19.99)” and “Winning Job Search Tactics ($19.99).”

But what I like best are the free networking and interviewing tips.  I especially like the networking tips because I think good networking is the key to a successful job search.  Many job seekers don’t realize that they already know people who can be helpful in their job search.  Recently I told a friend about a business associate who I thought might be helpful in her job search.  It turns out she already knew him but not in a professional context. They’ve now connected professionally and it’s a valuable connection.

Mine your entire network, let them know you are looking for a job and ask them for leads or introductions that may be helpful.  You may already know the person who will lead you to that next great job.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal tells the story of Rachel Levy and her job search. Rachel was laid off from a Boston non-profit and thought she should have a fairly easy time finding a new marketing job. Her job search took a year, longer than anticipated. She found her new job by a rather circuitous route. One of her followers on twitter located her resume on-line and forwarded it to her brother-in-law, who was an investor in a company that needed someone with her skills and experience.

 From the WSJ:

In addition to networking, she used her free time to learn about social media including Twitter, where she currently has more than 5,000 followers. She also worked did social-media consulting work.

 Ms. Levy says that potential employers were impressed by the blog; at times, she listed her latest blog posts in her email signature and linked to them on her own Web site.

Mastering social media while writing an engaging blog is a great use of time while on the job hunt. Good job Rachel.

To learn more about what Rachel did during her job search, check out her guest blog on the WSJ.

There are a lot of people looking for jobs, and there are a lot of people looking to scam the job seekers.  Two things are working for the job scammers.  First,  the number of people looking for jobs online is unprecedented.  Never before have this many people been unemployed at the same time there so many web-based job search resources.  Second, many of the people looking for jobs have not been unemployed during the era of the job board and are not savvy about the dos and don’ts of the online job search.

When I was job hunting, I found Craigslist to the be the most useless and scammer filled place to try and find a job.  The legitimate job posters are so bombarded with resumes yours has little chance of being seen and at the same time the scammers are quite sophisticated. 

The goals of job scammers are diverse.  Some may simply be hiding a come-on for some product or service, others may try to get your personal information for marketing or even criminal activities.  Many disguise “work at home” scams as legitimate employment opportunities.

Here are a few lessons I learned, mostly thanks to my experience with Craigslist.

I always suspect ads that make you follow a link to a website.  There are plenty of legitimate ads that want you to apply at a website, but you should proceed with caution.

Be careful when submittting personal information.  I wouldn’t divulge my birthdate or my social security number to anyone online.

Don’t pay for anything.  There are scams asking applicants to pay for credit checks in order to be considered for a position.  Don’t fall for it.

Grammatical errors, poor spelling and the like generally point to scammers, many of which are scamming outside the country.

If the offer seems too good to be true, it is.

Happy job hunting and stay safe out there.

Online social networking can be a key component to finding that next job. In fact, nowadays, online experts say using some sites, like Facebook, is almost mandatory. KING 5’s Deborah Feldman reports.

The unemployment rate has hit 9.5 percent and this recession has gone on longer than any recession since the 1930s.  Nearly half a million jobs were lost in June alone.  This has made the job search even more challenging.  Successful job searchers will need to use every tool at their disposal to rise above potentially hundreds of others who are vying for the same job.

Episode 13 of Job Search Radio on the Small Plate Radio Network has some great tips about using Search Engine Optimization in your LinkedIn profile and in your resume.  Employers and recruiters are using keyword searches to find the right candidates.

As I’ve blogged before, twitter is the ultimate job search tool.  You can search for jobs on twitter using a twitter interface like TweetDeck.  You can also send out your own tweets about your job search.  

Social media has made great job search tools available to the masses.  Put those tools to good use.

Joe Jones of Career Ministries is the guest on Episode 12 of Job Search Radio on the Small Plate Radio Network.

Joe talks about the four stages of stress that a person goes through when they lose their job.  The first phase is a combination of shock, denial and isolation.  Stage 2 is anger and guilt.  The third stage is frustration which can lead to depression.  The fourth stage is acceptance, hope and the desire to move on.  Joe talks about the need to move through these stages so that you are in stage 4 when you begin interviewing for a new job.  If not, these stages of stress may show through during the interview.

A good use of time while going through these stages of stress is to think about where you are in your career and think about where you want to go.

Many churches around the country are now offering Job Search Workshops and weekly Job Search Support Groups.  Career Ministries helps churches set up Quick Start Workshops which may last 7 hours and weekly support groups which may go 2 hours.  Churches interested in setting up this service for their members should contact Career Ministries.

Like a lot of folks out there, I put in my time in the trenches of the restaurant business.  While I have no desire to relive those days, I’m grateful that the jobs I had gave me a chance to pay my bills, not starve and make some great friends along the way.  I also learned a lot about how to relate to people and more importantly, how to sell to them.

On Episode 11 of Job Search Radio on the Small Plate Radio Network, Kyle O’Brien interviews Dianne Hosford, principal at Portland, OR’s Two Lucy’s View.  Dianne gives great tips on how to find a restaurant job and the qualities you’ll need to be successful in that industry.

The restaurant business can be a great way to make some quick cash while you’re looking for a more permanent position and it also makes a great second job for entry level workers doing the 9 to 5 thing.  Good luck and don’t be afraid to sling that hash.