Employment in uncertain times

One thing is “for sure and for certain” — if you lost your job due to any number of circumstances (lay-off, restructuring, down-sizing, outsourcing of your job to a foreign country, the list can go on and on), it doesn’t help very much to hear that other people are in the same boat as you are. It might seem like it should help, but it doesn’t. The bottom line is that you don’t have a job now.

People who suddenly find themselves without a place to call “work” are generally smart, hard-working loyal, creative professionals who had been doing what they had been asked to do for several years, believing that they were secure. That is a belief that quickly fades after a layoff happens to you. “Fair” is not a word used in these cases. For IT and scientific professionals, among others, this is certainly painful because you have a lot of education, special training, certifications, etc.

There is rarely a sense of calm or patience or understanding that accompanies this worrisome event. You may have so many questions, and very few answers, it seems. You ask “Why?” but then realize that it really doesn’t matter. The job is gone, and you have to find another one, and quickly.

GOOD NEWS!

The good news (yes there is actually good news!) is that there are plenty of companies in the U.S. that still have to do business, and they need smart, energetic, articulate professionals just like you to help them get it done. In the IT and scientific community, these jobs are crucial, and you who are involved in these jobs are highly trained, highly educated, highly motivated, and highly paid (subject to interpretation!). Some of the very companies that layed off people in the past (perhaps Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and many others) are realizing that the company’s work simply isn’t getting done, and it really has to get done. To be generic, even though their off-shore idea seemed good at the time because it saved lots of money, either the quality wasn’t as good as it used to be, or maybe the communications angle just didn’t set well with their strong customer base, or perhaps the call-center training wasn’t as comprehensive as desired, and therefore they start hiring people again…people just like you!

There are many ways to go about the job search process, and no one has the magic bullet to find a job, but I will share my ideas with you in another conversation. One last thought for today…conversation is crucial! Please share your thoughts and ideas, your frustrations and successes. Thanks.

I almost forgot…another link to peek at that discusses how to find a job in a bad economy:

http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/find-a-job-in-a-bad-economy/

Contact me anytime!

Greg Miller, CRSP
IT and Scientific Recruiter
919-451-4501
milga1@aol.com
My LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorykmiller 

 

Tags: Add new tag, Cisco, employment, GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, IT, off-shore, Scientific