Rethinking the Application Process

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Last night I lost a lot of sleep because I was up 'til the wee hours of the morning doing job searches. During of all this, I then realized that I needed a better game plan than the one I have. Then, I started thinking about the things I could do to 'really' improve my chances of finding a job. I am tempted to apply for everything and anything as long as I do have an income, however I know that I should not only apply for a job that I am qualified to do, but also a job that I would be interested in doing. Then I started thinking about what I wanted my next career move to be and funny enough all I could think of was teaching, only because it's the safe thing to do!However, truthfully... I would love to take some writing courses and explore my natural skills as a writer. Nonetheless, I am clear that I need to rethink my career choice.

Something else I realized is that I have had the same resume layout for some time and I know that I need to update it. However, I am not sure how or what changes to make in terms of the layout. Now, I am wondering if that is part of the reason why I was not getting the reply I expected. Now the research begins... What exactly do employers expect in terms of one's resume layout, how many pages and what is most appealing or attractive to a potential employer?

Now I am wondering about what else am I not doing to make myself more employable." I think it's only natural to ask yourself those questions after job hunting for some time and not getting enough replies or interviews. I have a lot of details on my resume and a long history of work experiences, but although I highlight relevant experiences I still include all my 'volunteer experiences.' Do I need to include my volunteer experiences at all or simplify it? I am not sure how important volunteer experiences are to an employer. Additionally, I don't have any references listed on my resume and I have never included any. Now... How important is it to have references when initially applying for the job? There is a lot to consider.

I have almost always researched the company’s history, which I have found to be necessary not only when applying for the job, but especially during the interview itself. Plus it's interesting to find out all those neat facts about the company that you will potentially be working for!

The encouraging thing is that there is also a lot of knowledge and experience to be gained when job hunting, no matter how tough it might be.

The Job Hunt Continues...

I have been actively looking for a work at home job, and although this is no walk in the park, I am very hopeful that I will find the job I am looking for soon. At this point in my job hunt every employer I have applied to has turned me down with the promise of "We will still keep your application on file, but with all the applications we receive, there is no guarantee that we'll be able to hire you. However if there is an opening for this position we will contact you."

This can be discouraging, but in a weird way it is encouraging, because at least employers are responding and still reviewing applications. I don't know... I have made job hunting a full time job; I have applied to long list of companies; I have been to all the popular sites; careerbuilder.com, monster.com, hotjobs.yahoo.com etc. yet no luck.

The bottom line is that there is no real job security anymore. Teachers are getting laid off, construction workers, engineers and the like. The top 3 jobs at the moment are in retail (groceries), health/life insurance and collections. Well, I guess I really need to rethink my career choice during this recession. As a result I, like many others, have come to realize that this is the perfect time to start my own business. If you are like me, you probably have had many creative ideas and have not done anything about them; well now is the time. It seems like the only way to guarantee an income in this economy.

Thus, I have come to realize that maintaining a positive mindset at this time, networking, updating my resume, and getting out there and promoting my skills to potential employers is a sure way to put a 'face to the resume,' and increasing my chances of getting hired. At the end of the day it's about being proactive in the job hunting process to increase the probability of getting a call back.

What is 'recession proof' really?

How do we 'recession proof' our lives? In this economy I am not sure what that means exactly when most of our States are in recession or at risk of being in recession. More so, most of us are at risk of losing our jobs, being laid of or have lost their jobs.

I was speaking with a friend of mine recently and she was almost hysterical because she had been demoted. I was taken aback for the reason that I have never seen her that emotional before. I allowed her to talk and I listened attentively because I realized that she needed to vent. I was apprehensive about what to say since she was a single mom who was doing it all on her own and I did not want to say the wrong thing or be insensitive to how she was feeling. After listening to her vent for some time I realized that I was not really helping, but promoting her self-pity. I decided the best thing I could do in that moment was to be 'real' or honest with her. My hours had been cut recently and knew that it was just a matter of time before I was out of work, my husband had just started a new job after months of unemployment and so many friends and family members out of work. I then opened up and shared with her how truly fortunate she was to still have a job. After sharing much with her, I then reminded her that although she was doing it all on her own, that if she is able to pay her bills, mortgage, or take care of her family financially and emotionally, then she has a lot to be thankful for. The irony is that she could not see it in that moment, but I also understood that she was just dealing with the initial shock of her demotion.

This is a really tough time for not only Americans, but for so many people around the world. I also know that for those who are challenged by the current state of the economy, that in the end we will come out on top and will be better for it. There are days and nights when I think my game plan is on point and other days when I am overwhelmed and am discouraged. Thus, the fact that others are going through this encourages me to keep moving forward.