Underemployed and still looking for work

When you see the unemployment numbers that come out every month you really have to wonder where they get these numbers and how accurate they are. Even if you lost your job and found another one, are you making the same amount of money that you did before or are you working part time at this job and looking for another. If you fall into this category you may be considered unemployed.



Where do the unemployment numbers come from?

Contrary to popular belief, the monthly stats don’t come from the number of people that are actually unemployed. According to the Department of Labor the Government conducts a monthly survey called the Current Population Survey, which is comprised of 60,000 households that are broken down into 2025 geographic areas. The survey participants change on a regular basis.

While it is understandable that the government only takes a sampling of the household, they couldn’t really count everyone unemployed every month, it should also be noted that we really don’t know how many people are unemployed each month.



So what is underemployed?

So what if you want to work full time and can’t find a full time job and settle for a part time job.

Then you are considered underemployed and that seem to be a big problem today that apparently no one can quantify. Another situation of underemployment is when you are vastly overqualified for a position but you take it anyway because you need a job. Once again this is probably happening at an alarming rate in today’s economy.

Unfortunately in this economy the probability of the number of underemployed will continue to increase till things get better, and there is not telling when that will be.



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Affiliate marketing as a career

A common trend among those looking for work or considering changing their career is working from home. Whether it is a small business that you can start and run by your self, or a job where you can work for a company without going into their office, the best part of this type of job is that you are at home, no commute and a relaxed atmosphere. Since the internet as become such a big part of our lives one occupation as become very popular and that is affiliate marketing.


Unlike other jobs where you have to sell things, in most cases with affiliate marketing you never see the buyer. Typically an affiliate marketer has a blog or a website that is about a particular item or an activity or really anything. On that blog or website the marketer will put ads on it in hopes that the visitor to the site will click on the ad and possible buy something from the ad.



Where do the ads come from?

The market affiliate has many choices as to what ads can be put on their website. There are many companies today that have an affiliate program. This program allows affiliate marketers to put the company’s ads on their website or blog. If someone clicks on the ad and buys something then the affiliate will make a percentage of the sale. One the biggest affiliate program is from Amazon which sells a lot more merchandize than just books. They have a well organized program that makes it very easy for someone to put their ads on their blog or website.

As you can imagine it takes time and research to find the best way to become a successful affiliate marketer. But it can be a very lucrative venture if you are good at it.

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Finding a job on Craigslist

Even if you don’t use the internet that much you probably have heard of Craigslist, an online market for just about anything, but have you considered searching for employment on Craigslist. You should because if you don’t you may be missing out on some opportunities.

Craigslist was started in San Francisco in 1995 as an small online community. Over the years it has spread to all the major cities in the country. It is ranked 11th in websites with over 20 billion page views per month. Compared to other sites Craigslist has a very simple design that lists things for sale, jobs wanted, and listings of jobs, rooms to rent and also has an extensive chat line and job search forum.

Most of the jobs that you will find on Craigslist will be for small local companies which account for a large percentage of the overall employment rate in this country.

As with anything on the web be careful to check out the company thoroughly before making any commitments and make sure to have your digital resume ready as well as a cover letter to send to any potential employer.



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Online presence and your job search

It seems that so much of our lives revolve around the web. If we have any kind of question about any kind of subject, we do a search and eventually find the answer. Social media sites keep us connected with people we haven’t seen or heard from in years. We also make friends out of strangers from all over the world. So it makes sense that your job search includes the internet. So hopefully you are comfortable with the internet and have an online presence.


What is an online presence?
In general terms without even considering looking for a job, an online presence is being actively involved in social media such as Facebook, LinkIn, and Twitter among other sites. Having your profile out there on these sites where everyone can see them is invaluable. They know you are looking for a job and they will get to know you by what you have written. Especially linkIn which is geared toward those who are networking for a job.


Having an online presence can also mean that you have a blog or a website where you can continually put yourself out there for folks who are looking for employees. But definitely belong to the social media sites.


While having an online presence is important, making contacts face to face is also vital to your job search. There are still some things you can’t do on the internet.

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The advantages of retail jobs

When you think about retail jobs you probably imagine someone working at Wal-Mart. While Wal-Mart is one of the biggest employers in the world they aren’t the only place that will need workers in the future. But you don’t want to work in retail, do you?

It seems that a lot of people have a negative view of working at retail jobs because the pay is lower than other jobs and working at retail isn’t exactly glamorous. But you know in these tough times you shouldn’t let your pride get in the way to finding a job.

There are advantages of working in retail.

• Probably the biggest advantage is that retail workers will definitely be needed in the future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most openings till 2018 will be in retail. 
• Learning people skills is an advantage of retail. Since you will in contact with the general public you will learn how to deal and communicate with all kinds of people. This is a skill you would need at just about any job. 
• Sharpening your sales skills. Not all but some retail jobs involves sales which is a skill you can uses anywhere. 
• Retail usually isn’t a Monday through Friday 9 to 5 occupation. The hours are flexible. 
• Employee discounts can add up to real savings depending on where you are working.

So keep an open mind about retail jobs, especially in these difficult times.

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What is stopping you from your ideal job?

I’m sure that everyone at one time or the other has dreamed about their ideal job. I know I have. The definition of an ideal job is certainly different from one person to the other. Some folks like to interact with other people all day, or maybe you want to be contributing to society and those less fortunate, while others might want to be their own boss. What is stopping you and me?

There are always excuses that stop us from doing what we want to do.

• I am too old to start anything new. While it is true that it might be a little more difficult to follow your dreams when you are older, it still shouldn’t stop you. Late bloomers make the news all the time for doing things that are usually considered reserved for older folks. You could be one of those late bloomers. 
• There are too many things at risk to make a leap into something completely different. Well, you don’t have to quit your job today and start looking for your dream job tomorrow. That would be risky. Take your time, do your research and then see if you do your dream job part time. There is no risk in that. 
• I have to pay the bills. This is one of the risks that you don’t want to take. See number 2. 
• What if I don’t like my dream job? That certainly is a possibility but you have to be willing to take that chance. You don’t want to go through your whole life wondering if you should have tried to do something different. 
• Will I have my family’s support? You need to discuss it with them and tell them how important it is to you. I bet they wouldn’t have any objections. 

So stop making excuses and start thinking about changing your life for the better. Pursue your ideal job! You’ll be glad that you did.

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References and the job search

When you go about a job search, you usually get the resume in shape first. Update all the important information, have someone check it or even have a resume service look at it. Then you might think about the cover letter and how you need to tailor it to a specific job. In reality your resume should be kept up to date at all times and you should also make sure that your cover letter skills are sharp. Something else that doesn’t need to be left to the last moment is references. Don’t just grab three names out of the hat at the last minute. Make the right choices concerning who will be a reference.


Well, who will it be, your Mom or Dad, or maybe your best friend, I’m sure they would all say nice things about you. No, let’s think about the people you worked with and the people you worked for. The vital aspect of choosing references is not to just find someone who will say nice things about you about will relay information about how you work, if you are a team player, if you are self starter. You need to make sure that the references can be related to a successful part of your career, something that you were a part of that was beneficial to your old employer. A specific project maybe or maybe a money saving idea that your reference can write about, anything that shows what value you maybe to the potential employer.


Take your time and make sure that your references will be of value to your job search.

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Is your job search driven by goals?

Your ultimate goal is to find a job, hopefully soon, right? Do you have any goals in the mean time or are you just looking to reach that singular goal of employment. Maybe you should break that up into smaller goals so you have a sense of achievement in the meanwhile.

 

Having only one goal, especially a goal that is difficult to achieve, can be very discouraging and can eventually sidetrack your employment search. Most people need and response to reaching small goals along the way of their ultimate goal. “Small victories” can keep you spirits up and help you push forward when things in general don’t look promising. Setting goals will also save you time.

 

 

What kind of small goals are there for someone who is searching for a job?

• The easiest goal is to have a resume ready and samples of cover letters.  
• Set up a schedule to contact so many companies a week enquiring about job openings. 
• Set up a informational interview, this can be done at the same time that you contact companies about job openings. 
• Set up another schedule to search the web on job sites, so many per day. Don’t get sidetracked by surfing the web. 
• Constantly learn new skills either by taking online classes or classes at community colleges.  

 

Theses are just a few of the goals that you should consider while looking for a job.
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Research and job hunting

Research is an important part of job hunting. Without research you really can’t have a plan because you don’t know where to look for a job and you don’t know who is hiring. The way the economy is now you can’t afford not to do your research.

 

What kind of research…

 

• What do you want to do? Stay in your present field of employment or try something else? At this point in the job/career search you need to carefully consider this question. Can you see yourself working 8 hours a day in this job? Will you make enough in this field to survive? What are the job prospects in this field? All of these are valid questions that need to be answered. 
• So you know what you want to do now you need to make sure that you have the job tools ready for work. Resumes are first on the list, not just one that you send to everyone, you need a digital resume that you can adjust to a particular company. You also need a cover letter which has to be different for every company that you send it to. 
• Researching potential employees is has important as anything else that you will do. Is your potential employer in good financial shape? You don’t want to hop aboard a sinking ship. Researching a company is pretty easy. Don’t just look at the company’s website, do a web search and see if any ex-employees or present employees have written anything the company. But a word of warning, don’t believe everything that you read because ex-employees sometimes have an ax to grind with their old employers. 
• Keep up with the economy in general and your field of employment. It’s a good idea to know where the economy is picking up and where it is lagging behind. 

 

Where do you do your research?
You can probably do all your research on the internet and maybe the library.
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Are you willing to make a career move risk?

The idea of taking any risks in this economy sounds too foolish to even mention. With unemployment high and economy stuck in a rut you shouldn’t even think about taking a chance, or should you? Are you willing to make a career move risk?



By definition of Webster’s dictionary, risk is “the possibility of loss or injury.” So what is the loss or possible loss you would have in making a career move? Lets first talk about what would be a risky career move. Leaving a secure job, albeit a job you don’t like, for something that you think that you may like. If you were young and you didn’t have a family and you had marketable skills, this might not be risky. If you are a few years away from retirement (Is anybody a few years away from retirement??) and had a family to support it would be risky. But what are you risky by not taking a chance? Well, being happy at work, being more fulfilled as a person and the boost that you would personally feel from taking a chance and succeeding. That doesn’t sound bad, does it?


One way to minimize the risk is to do the research, find out all you can about that dream job and how you plan on getting there. Don’t jump into anything without a plan and also make a back up plan if things don’t work out.


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What is a job club?

You have always heard that there is strength in numbers and that can include the process of finding a job. Of course your success at finding employment will ultimately fall on your shoulders but it is always good to have a little help. That’s why you should consider starting or joining a job club.

 

 

The concept of a job club comes from the practice of networking which is a very popular job hunting device. A job club serves two main purposes:

1. One reason a job club is a good idea is the information that you receive from others who are in the same situation as you are. By sharing information about companies or employment fields you are helping yourself as well as others. 
2. The social contact and encouragement that you receive will help you stay positive and driven through the difficult time of looking for work.

 

Where can you find information about a job club? 

Do a search on the internet for job clubs in your area or check the local newspapers. Also contact the public library to see if there is a club in your area.

 

Can’t find one then start a job club. Put an ad in the paper looking for people who want to join a local job club. If you can’t find enough participation in a local club start one on Facebook or other social media sites.

  

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