Job seekers face challenging economic climate
By Kevin Smith, Staff Writer© Pasadena Star-News, March 14, 2009
The job losses have been ramping up.
It seems that nearly every day more people are losing their jobs - sometimes by the thousands and other times in drips and drabs.
And the big ones sure get our attention.
Like Boeing's announcement that it will cut 10,000 jobs, or Caterpillar's plan to trim 22,000 positions. It's enough to make any job seeker want too crawl under the covers and hide.
So what's the best way to approach the process of looking for work in today's deepening recession?
"People are having the most success by networking or going through someone they know," said Pete Tzavalas, vice president of the Southland region for job-placement and consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
"And they are also showing what they can bring to an organization for a job that might exist a month or two from now."
In the current economic downturn many businesses have been in a holding pattern, delaying expansions and new hiring. But by tapping into a company's pipeline and finding out what's planned for the coming months, a jobseeker often can get a jump on the competition, Tzavalas said.
"If and when a position does open up, you want to be top of mind," he said. "And you should doing this with multiple organizations."
It's generally agreed that there are more jobs available in health care, education, government and agriculture.
Julie Hughes-Lederer, a nursing instructor at Mt. San Antonio College and interim director of the Regional Health Occupation Resource Center of Los Angeles County, said job prospects in the nursing industry are looking good.
"I would say it's very healthy now and will be for the next 20 years," Hughes-Lederer said recently. "Part of it is the aging population. More than 50 percent of our population is baby boomers and many of them are pushing into their 60s."
Hughes-Lederer also noted that many veteran nurses will be retiring over the next five years.
Education, by most standards, appears bleak in California at present.
On Friday, school employees throughout California warned of severe classroom cuts as local officials faced a deadline for issuing layoff notices to educators at risk of losing their jobs.
The state Department of Education estimates that preliminary pink slips will have been handed to as many as 26,500 teachers by today's cutoff
But there are still some job opportunities to be found at colleges, universities, and in some cases, private schools, according to Gary Kaplan, president of Gary Kaplan & Associates, a Pasadena-based executive search firm.
"The nonprofits and education aren't exactly percolating, but there are opportunities," he said.
Job opportunities also exist at music centers, museums, zoos and other entertainment venues, as well as at some computer and video gaming companies, Kaplan said.
"That's a form of escape," he said. "Consumers are still looking for a way to escape today's reality."
And you can't blame them.
Cost-cutting employers slashed another 651,000 jobs in February, a move that pushed the U.S. unemployment rate to 8.5 percent - its highest reading since 1983.
Those losses extended a sobering trend that saw 681,000 jobs cut in December and another 655,000 in January.
The numbers are bad. But there are still things prospective employees can do to increase their chances of getting hired, according to Kaplan.
"Network, network, network," he said. "You've got to network with virtually everyone you know personally and professionally and get as many doors open as possible," he said. "And you also have to have a resume that presents you accurately and in the most favorable way."
Falsifying an academic record or omitting jobs of any significant tenure aren't advised, he said.
"At the time of the interview, you also need to present yourself in the most favorable way," Kaplan said. "Go in looking sharp and with a positive attitude."
Kaplan advises job seekers to do their research on the company they are applying for - and ask intelligent questions.
And it's imperative to remain positive throughout the job-hunting process, he said.
"You've got to literally appoint yourself vice president of sales and marketing for yourself," Kaplan said.
