Are you being ignored by employers?

I’ve been told as long as I’ve been in radio that it’s easier to find a new job while you’re still working.  Why don’t employers look to available talent when looking to fill a job?  In response to my Blogs I’ve seen comments like “As a business owner it is very difficult to find good help or even decent applicants!” and “While there are some very talented Floridians out of work, there are many perpetually unemployed for good reasons.”

Others have argued that employers aren‘t “paying enough to attract them. Most that have done well in their career, have a safety net or are working freelance to find another job worthy of their skill level. He’s trying to find diamonds at the lime pit.  That’s why he doesn’t find what he is looking for, I must get 5 awesome resumes a day.”

Whatever the individual reason, most of what I’ve seen is proactive job seekers willing to work and trying to land any type of paycheck to survive.  As it stands now, companies that are rejecting candidates simply because they’ve been out of work for a year or more are not breaking the law.  But with job ads touting that a candidate “must be currently employed” in order to be considered for a job the legality of banning the unemployed will be tested.  The Miami Herald is reporting that there is a movement underway to ban discrimination against the jobless.  In Florida, Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich has introduced a bill that would ban businesses from discriminating against the unemployed.  Last April the state of New Jersey passed a similar ban on companies that were discriminating against the unemployed.  President Obama wants to make discrimination against the long-term unemployed illegal on a Federal level.  But for now, ignoring candidates simply because they’re unemployed is still happening.  As of December there were still over 900,000 people in Florida out of work.

Our Governor, Rick Scott, ran on a campaign platform of “Let’s Get To Work” and he promised 700,000 jobs.  In a January accounting of Scott’s campaign promise, The Tampa Bay Times’ PolitiFact finds that he still has a lot of work to do.  At first Scott promised a certain number of jobs would come from a few specific targets.  Now, according to PolitiFact, Scott is looking to create jobs from any and all sources.  So far each month he has added jobs for total of about 100,000 new jobs to the state.

I was out of work for exactly six months.  I know how difficult it can be, day after day, sending out resumes and getting ZERO response.  What I learned from the experience was that you can’t rely on anyone else.  You have to create opportunity for yourself by networking and being open to whatever comes your way.  I ended up in a place I didn’t target, exactly, but it turned out to be the best move for my career and an amazing opportunity.  There is hope.  There is a job out there for you but YOU have to get out there by whatever means possible and find it.  Be open to opportunity and it may just find you.

Keep the Faith!
Corey Dylan

Movement to ban jobless discrimination gaining steam
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/21/2653472/push-to-ban-jobless-bias-gains.html

PolitiFact Florida: Rick Scott jobs promise strays from campaign rhetoric
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/politifact-florida-rick-scott-jobs-promise-strays-from-campaign-rhetoric/1209507

Florida is the WORST place to lose a job!

The latest Census data reveals that Florida has the highest rate of long-term unemployment in the Nation.  More than half of unemployed Floridians were on the sidelines at least six months last year.  I was fired on July 1st and started working again on December 1st – exactly six months – and I busted my tail every single day to land this job.  We can blame the housing market or the oil spill but the reasons aren’t quickly fixed and the situation is CODE RED for many.

There are more than 900,000 unemployed in the Sunshine State and four applicants for every single available job.  While the debate rages on about the “real” unemployment numbers we do know that 130,000 jobs were created last year.  Employers are still slow to open up jobs, and when they do, the salary being offered is often less – an average of 25% less – than the applicant was last making.  Most of these “new” jobs are in low-wage and hourly-wage occupations: retail, restaurants, and theme parks.  But some higher paying jobs are starting to open up again.

Healthcare continues to be an industry seeing growth.  Tourists are flocking back to Florida.  However, Government and Information are industries that continue to lose jobs that pay an average of $40,000.  But Construction is bouncing back and we ended 2011 with a net gain of jobs.  If you’re in an industry that’s losing jobs I feel your pain.  I know people in the media biz that have been told to give up and find a new career!

I tell you this not to discourage you but to lay out the facts and steel you for the fight.  Focus on your skills, not your past, because those skills can be applied in many different fields.  If you’re beating your head against a wall sending out those resumes only to get NO response remember that WHO you know is going to help you faster than any nameless, faceless job search engine or website.  Networking has never been more important.  I would NEVER have landed a job as soon as I did without colleagues and friends.  You may think you know who your friends are, but I promise you, you WILL KNOW who they are when they help you land your next job and paycheck.

Keep the Faith!

Corey Dylan

Worst Place To Lose Your Job: Florida

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/235504/250/Worst-place-to-lose-your-job-Florida

Florida Still Losing Ground In Wages Despite Uptick In Jobs

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/workinglife/florida-still-losing-ground-in-wages-despite-uptick-in-jobs/1214142

Unemployment Insurance Maximum Duration Dropping To 79 Weeks

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/unemployment-insurance-jobless-benefits_n_1257731.html

What Doesn’t Kill You…?

It turns out that there may actually be an Upside to Unemployment and there’s research to back it up!  Losing a job, moving, even divorce – when life comes at you hard you just have to tell yourself “it’s temporary” because new research suggests that the hard times do, in fact, make you stronger.  You will come through this difficult time and be better for the experience.

Going through something difficult, science has found, changes your body and mind so the next time something comes at you sideways you’re less likely to be overwhelmed.  I think this may be why I handled my recent unemployment like a break and a chance to reinvent myself the second time around.  I wasn’t as stressed as I was ten years ago when I was told my by employer that they were “moving in another direction” that didn’t include me.

Be grateful for the difficulties of your past because they’ve instilled coping skills, hopefully you built a network of people you can turn to and lean on and you’ve even experienced “cell growth in brain areas relevant for coping.”  These are all things your next employer will benefit from!

Read more:  http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10138835-the-surprising-upside-to-hitting-hard-times
If your job loss is recent or if you’ve been looking so long you don’t remember the last time you were late to a meeting there’s always an opportunity to make sure you’ve covered your bases and you’re up on the “latest” when it comes to the job hunt, your resume, and interview skills.

Even though I’ve landed a great job I’m still working on my website, looking for ways develop my skills to make more money in my field, and networking.  Networking continues to be the most important thing you can do and there are so many more ways to network then there were just a few years ago.  Social Media is here for good, and because of it, employers now want to see you & sometimes hear from you, in addition to seeing what you look like on paper.

This article on Career Builder has great tips on how to make yourself relevant to the employer in the year 2012!  http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2862-Cover-Letters-Resumes-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9s-in-2012-Whats-old-whats-new/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42862&sc_extcmp=JS_2862_home1

It’s a new year and you WILL land that new job.  Be open to change.  Be flexible.  Be determined.

Keep the faith!

Corey Dylan

Should you give up the work search during the holidays?

It’s been a busy, successful and exciting first week at 970 WFLA. I’m learning a lot in an environment full of creative, supportive and really nice people. Right now I’m learning how to “dance” with two new partners and looking forward to the new challenges that will make me a better broadcaster.

I also want to take the time to again thank everyone who supported my search and congratulated me in landing this great gig. Believe it or not, I’m actually waking up at 3:30am each morning EXCITED to get to work. I’m having a blast and have a renewed love for what I do.

The day after I started at “AM Tampa Bay” word came that applications for unemployment aid dropped to a nine month low. This could be interpreted as a sign that our economy is getting stronger and employers are getting read to step up hiring new employees! I hope so anyway. The unemployment rate has now fallen to 8.6% nationally.

I think a common belief is that the holidays aren’t a good time to look for a job. While it’s true that people take vacations during the months of November and December, new budgets have only recently been set and you can be sure that there will be new hires after the first of the year so send that resume now!

Meanwhile, Congress is still debating whether to extend the benefits program. They’re running out of time to make that decision. If they don’t extend the length of time which you can receive benefits nearly 2 million people will lose them all together (out of the nearly 6.6 million currently getting unemployment).

My advice to you is to keep up the pursuit of your next job, even during this time of year. Make noise while others “take time off” from looking. And GO to those holiday parties where you’ll have a chance to network, meet new people and make new connections. Get business cards and phone numbers and follow up! 75% of new jobs come from a referral. Can you imagine a better time of year to mingle and get that referral? I can’t so go for it! People noticed that I was relentless in pursuit of a new job. They’ll notice if you are too.

Keep The Faith!

Corey Dylan

Let’s Make A Deal!

Though I’m still unemployed, there is an upside to this adventure: I get to meet people doing interesting things and I’m doing things I’ve never done before! This week, I was able to audition for a Guest Host spot on HSN, based here in Tampa Bay. It was terrifying and challenging and the kind of thing that gets your blood pumping. The hallways were crowded with merchandise and amazing looking food…and it was like being on a movie set with a number of different studios down every hall. I practiced my pitch for an entire day before presenting “on camera“ and I’m pretty happy with how I did! It could be weeks or months before I hear back from them but I’m grateful to friends who helped me get my foot in the door. Personal connections and contacts are everything in this economy and auditioning for a job on TV was a great experience!

Late last week I got word from a TV station in Tampa and a radio station in San Francisco that I didn’t get the job(s). Disappointing, but every interview I go to, every Program Director I talk to, gets me closer to that next job. In fact, station #1 in San Francisco didn’t think I was a fit but gave my resume and demo to station #2 down the hall and we had a very positive conversation. They may be looking to make a change in the next month or so! There are jobs opening up out there, one by one.

Unemployment has definitely become a waiting game. I have a few friends in similar situations to mine in the industry and there is a lot of talk of things that “may” happen. I’ve had colleagues call and email telling me there’s something “coming up” that they want to hire me for. But these jobs are slow to materialize. What’s really going on behind the scenes? I don’t know. I know there are job openings out there. It seems, though, that employers are very slow to pull the trigger. Are they waiting until after the holidays? Is there a hiring freeze until the 1^st Quarter of 2012? Are they buying time and holding off on spending money until the New Year? Probably. The good news is that I’m seeing many of you reporting new jobs and interviews on Facebook! I’m glad to see that happening before the holidays! And I’m glad I have enough cash to get myself into the next year so that I don’t do anything desperate.

And the big news I’d hoped I could share with you today? I still can’t because a deal is not a deal until all the finer points have been agreed to and the ink is dry. I’ve seen crazy, last minute things happen in this business so I‘m cautiously optimistic. But I can tell you this – I’ve had a couple job offers! I think one, in particular, is a fantastic job opportunity, a great career move for me personally, and I will be very excited to tell you the specifics when the time comes. Until then, I’m still sending out the resumes and talking to all interested parties. You can’t let up when you need a job to pay the bills and you want to work. Until next week, at least, the Champagne is on ice.

Keep The Faith!

Corey Dylan

Companies hiring for the holidays

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2800-Job-Search-15-companies-hiring-for-the-holidays/?SiteId=cbmsnmn42800&sc_extcmp=JS_2800_money&ocid=vt_fbmsnmon

Looking for Career advice?

www.asktheheadhunter.com

How To Negotiate For A Better Salary, Even Now

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/23/jobs-salary-negotiating-leadership-careers-basics.html