Careerist: Counselor, coach, employment specialist, job search specialist.

A rose by any other name…Whatever they call me while I serve the public, I continuously review my role in people’s lives who are seeking work.  My formal title doesn’t matter except for a government pay scale. What matters is what I do. Who am I and what is my role on my job? 

My job is to dispense help and keep hope alive. I recognize the painful fact of those who must start over because their former jobs may not return. There have been many layoffs but by far, this time has been the worst in sheer numbers and across all fields and industries—worse even than post 9-11 when lots of industries went down because of national morale.

So now when people ask me for job leads, I try my damnedest to find some, even if it means looking after hours. I even use my peers for contacts for some of them. I must confess that there were times in the recent past, during this economic crisis, that I felt like a deer in the headlights…

So now when people ask me for job leads, I try my damnedest to find some, even if it means looking after hours. I even use my peers for contacts for some of them. I must confess that there were times in the recent past, during this economic crisis, that I felt like a deer in the headlights.

Throngs of unemployed people come and go everyday like an avalanche or tsunami. I try to hang onto those who cross my path or sit in my chair, remembering names and occupations. But whether you want new skills or some how-to job search workshops, or it’s just a plain old job you’re after, I promise to try my best to help you find it. My services are all free-of-charge because they are administered out of non profit government.

Here are a few things you can do to help your career counselor whoever he/she may be:

1. Stay alive in my mind. There are so many of you. I battle with mounds of paperwork and distracting memos about new codes and statistics to satisfy audits and stay alive with continuing grants. Call me or email me. Don’t be afraid of being a pest. I will coach you for interviews, write a dynamic resume on your behalf and a mean cover letter, once I know who you are on an individual basis. Just you and me.

2. Follow through with info I send you. Consider a resource or link or tip as a plus. We just never know what will “work” in finding work! You are certainly overwhelmed; let me find something you might not have found because there are just too many places to look for information. “Thanks for all your help,” is music to my ears. I need the feedback to know I am doing my job well. You can air a beef as well and I will stand corrected and apologize and set about making something right. Whether it’s a lead or Internet tip on something pertinent to your desired field—a change or trend—I will be there with it. If it’s basic life needs like food or a home mortgage in trouble, I’ll do my best to find the resources to help you and truly give you what you need. There’s a lot of assistance out there. In desperate moments, I’ll even give you change for the bus or some lunch money and never ask for it back.

3. Be assured that I am learning everyday in the trenches. I am always seeking ways to be better at my job for you. My clients are my best teachers. They share so many things with me—like certain network groups, resume pointers, buzz words for certain fields, and other resources including freebies in the community for skills-building and training. I am constantly upgrading my own skills to remain relevant, effective and on the cutting edge. If I don’t have an answer, I’ll tell you and do my best to find the professional source that does. I’ll dig out the pros and cons to assist you. In order to stay relevant in the field of employment and job search, I must constantly update and read from other pros, like economists, scientists. IT professionals and predictors, because new occupations are emerging and new titles coming down the pike constantly that have yet to manifest. I attend seminars, webinars and read whatever I can get my hands on, especially business and news publications. Often, I read about a new business in town and then I contact certain individuals and encourage them to send a congratulatory letter with their resume and expressed interest in that business, telling them why they can benefit the new company.

4. If you are one of the lucky ones to receive training funds before they run out and be enrolled in school, please follow through with your desired courses, attend classes and graduate. Someone else may not be as lucky and you don’t want to waste funds because grants will not be bestowed down the line for the next guy if they are squandered. Government officials who dispense these grants may not take our requests seriously. Before you enlist in school, don’t choose a certain training because advertisements said you can earn a good living. Find out what employers are seeking in the “real” world, beyond the training, in the way of experience and try to fill that gap. Find out what the starting salary is for that field and at what level you must start out. It is your responsibility to get the whole picture and not blindly depend on hearsay. I think of a career change as a total makeover and way of being. There is no magic is just going to school. That’s just the beginning. Otherwise, you become disillusioned and the training goes to waste, along with the taxpayer funds that sent you there.

5. Consider the advice we give in good stead. It may sound crazy all the time to hear about pursuing a proactive, non-traditional job search. Take risks! Get out there, meet people, hobnob in groups in your industry, invest in a professional association membership, don’t isolate, ferret out companies you want to work for and introduce yourself in a letter and phone call, canvass companies and tap into the job market that has yet to advertise openings. Shore up your social media expertise, follow businesses on Facebook and consider writing a blog to link into your linkedin.com profile page. It might be a long shot in and of itself, but may indirectly lead to something. At the very least, it will prepare you and strengthen your concentration on finding eventual work. What have you to lose? Businesses are beginning to peek their heads out from the darkness and interview candidates a little more so than last year at this time and that’s a good sign. Have a little confidence in yourself and don’t be afraid to speak up in your own behalf.

6. There are limits to the situations at hand. I sympathize with jobseekers. I hate that employers are low-balling job candidates. I understand it but to offer $8/hr. I think is criminal. Employers are taking advantage of people’s desperation. You need someone in Congress with their inflated salaries to raise the bar to $10/hr. minimum wage so companies can’t pull the nonsense to the likes you see on certain sites asking for executive-level mentalities at $8/hr. Makes you wonder if anyone in high places has been to a supermarket lately. Probably not. Another bug of mine is that employers make such a big deal of “PC literacy” in their wants. If given the chance, most people would pick it up in a jiffy. It’s like riding a bicycle or driving a car. Once you learn it, you have that knack for life.

7. Regardless of the drawbacks, try to stop operating from the deficit of a defeatist mentality. Job hunting sucks but so does a lot of other things. It’s a necessary evil. Keep shaking the Employment Tree until a job ripens for you and falls off. Don’t be afraid to sweat a little. It’s a big heavy tree and the fruit is stubborn but together, we’ll keep shaking it!

-By The Job Enthusiast Who Won’t Rest Till Everyone Is Put To Work!

Read about more helpful resources from The Job Enthusiast here.