What a vicious cycle - people who have lost their jobs and can't find another one easily sooner or later run out of money and now can't pay credit card bills and home payments which cause credit score decline. If not bad enough, employers are using credit background checks to weed potential employees out (as discussed in a previous article) so what are any of us suppose to do about this?
I have never seen anything like this in my life - to add insult to injury, anyone in this situation (there are millions I might add) are being treated like deadbeats for something they had no control over. Does any living person out there think that anyone would want to be jobless, default on their debts and live under enormous stress? I don't think anyone really cares how anyone feels or cares what most are going through, it seems employer's, banks, mortgage company's, etc., are out for number one.
The vicious cycle starts with the job loss, living off savings, retirement etc. while job searching and hoping something comes up before the money runs out. Money is running out, to stretch it further some bills can't be paid and now ones credit is being affected - now an additional worry sets in...when someone finally offers me a job will I get it now that my credit is damaged?
Are there any other avenues to make money? Let's face it, job boards & job fairs are pretty much a waste of time right now what with 15 million out of work and too few jobs to be had, and even networking, once giving a job seeker a good shot at a position, has weakened dramatically.
My theory is; try everything and hope something will stick and yes, this can be very frustrating when trying everyday doesn't bring much in the way of response - it starts to feel like defeat. I say, try other out of the box arenas like selling on an auction site (not ebay - it's too expensive) like etsy.com which is $5 bucks a month and you get your own storefront, shopping cart and checkout through etsy.com - you can create and set up in a couple of hours and it is sooooo easy to do.
There are alot of auction sites to use. What would you sell...anything you want like junk you find at yard sales, in the trash on clean up week, personal stuff you don't want anymore like video games, ipod, cds, records, tapes, books, clothes - you get the idea.
What about drop shipping - this costs pretty much nothing - you locate a reputable drop shipper online like doba.com, do your research on each one, when you settle on one that seems really legit, sign up with them (some want a $149 one time membership fee which is for life with no monthly fee or you can do the monthly membership fee which is usually between $29.95 - 59.95 a month, one time fee makes more sense) once you sign up you get to choose from 10's of 1000's of items you want to sell on your website that the drop shipper sets up for you or you can set your own up or you can sell on any auction site - options are there. The merchandise is at wholesale prices from the drop shipper - when someone buys something on your sight they pay through paypal, with a credit card or check which goes directly to the drop shipper, you send them the order and they will ship directly to your customer - no need to buy or inventory anything. The drop shipper will then pay you a commission on the difference between the wholesale price you get and the retail price the item actually sold for - Example: Ipod Mini - your wholesale price - $40.00 / Retail price you sold it for $95.00 - your commission would be $55.00.
The power sellers on Ebay have been doing this for years, that is how they became power sellers! Before choosing items to sell go online like Ebay and find out what is selling, what are hot items, now in 2009. Even in this economy people are still buying video games and game consoles, perfumes, cosmetics, skin care items etc. - DO RESEARCH before you start, but it is one way to start a business that has very little out of pocket. Most of us could scrape up $150 bucks if it means bringing in several hundred to several thousand extra dollars per month and relieve some stress. If you find a job this could still be done part time. Again, MAKE SURE TO DO THE RESEARCH FIRST! There are legit company's out there - GO TO: dropshipreview.com this is a site that has done all the research and tested these drop shippers - this will give you some insight into this opportunity.
Let me know what your thoughts are on this. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Networking and Job Fairs
I don't know about anyone else but Job Fairs to me are akin to being on a bread line, everyone is there because they need to eat and fearful that when it's their turn - no food will be left.
What one would find at most of these Fairs are tables where the Company Representatives sit waiting to speak with droves of people looking for a job. Dressed appropriately, resume in hand, you are waiting your turn to speak with a potential employer, hoping that you make an impression that will outdo all the others that are there for the same job and to boot...in the 5 minutes usually allotted.
Job Fairs - who came up with that idea? This idea works for Company's, it's cost effective - just one ad is placed showcasing all the employers involved, it's impersonal - no phone calls, you meet job starved candidates that came to you - for 5 minutes, take their resumes and their on their way without the need of a real interview, aah, any employers dream meet!
I personally see few upsides with this process - I have heard that a scant few who attend these Fairs actually get a call for these supposed job openings. I had a friend who was sent to a Job Fair by referral from a Company to meet with a representative for a job he was interested in - it really meant nothing, he got his 5 minutes just like everyone else there and never heard from the Company.
These Fairs are nothing more than fact finding ventures in my opinion, it tells a company what caliber of employee potential is out there, what salaries they can get away with offering and... resumes make for great marketing lists for potential customers. I know, I know that I sound negative, but I stand by my negativity on this front especially, how on earth can any employer make a determination whether a candidate is a fit for the position by speaking with them in a frenzied environment for 5 or 10 minutes??? My take is not far fetched, is it? So next time a Job Fair comes up and you go, pay attention to the process and jot down how many calls you receive for an interview. And by the way, if your still going to Job Fairs... I think you have your answer, time for a new plan.
Now, as far as networking goes I think we all have a little better shot at that job avenue. Grant it, it was a much better shot a couple of years ago. Now, with the recession it's much harder and only because company's have cut back on hiring and knowing someone in the company and getting a referral isn't a sure thing, but it's gives most job seekers a far better chance of being hired because many hiring managers, when given the option, would rather employ someone through referral than a total stranger.
Networking is by far a stronger option than the Job Fairs circuit - which in my opinon is just a waste of time.
What one would find at most of these Fairs are tables where the Company Representatives sit waiting to speak with droves of people looking for a job. Dressed appropriately, resume in hand, you are waiting your turn to speak with a potential employer, hoping that you make an impression that will outdo all the others that are there for the same job and to boot...in the 5 minutes usually allotted.
Job Fairs - who came up with that idea? This idea works for Company's, it's cost effective - just one ad is placed showcasing all the employers involved, it's impersonal - no phone calls, you meet job starved candidates that came to you - for 5 minutes, take their resumes and their on their way without the need of a real interview, aah, any employers dream meet!
I personally see few upsides with this process - I have heard that a scant few who attend these Fairs actually get a call for these supposed job openings. I had a friend who was sent to a Job Fair by referral from a Company to meet with a representative for a job he was interested in - it really meant nothing, he got his 5 minutes just like everyone else there and never heard from the Company.
These Fairs are nothing more than fact finding ventures in my opinion, it tells a company what caliber of employee potential is out there, what salaries they can get away with offering and... resumes make for great marketing lists for potential customers. I know, I know that I sound negative, but I stand by my negativity on this front especially, how on earth can any employer make a determination whether a candidate is a fit for the position by speaking with them in a frenzied environment for 5 or 10 minutes??? My take is not far fetched, is it? So next time a Job Fair comes up and you go, pay attention to the process and jot down how many calls you receive for an interview. And by the way, if your still going to Job Fairs... I think you have your answer, time for a new plan.
Now, as far as networking goes I think we all have a little better shot at that job avenue. Grant it, it was a much better shot a couple of years ago. Now, with the recession it's much harder and only because company's have cut back on hiring and knowing someone in the company and getting a referral isn't a sure thing, but it's gives most job seekers a far better chance of being hired because many hiring managers, when given the option, would rather employ someone through referral than a total stranger.
Networking is by far a stronger option than the Job Fairs circuit - which in my opinon is just a waste of time.
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