For all those who are looking for work

[shenmue]

Don't give up.

I went on one interview today and have another tomorrow. I am lucky...

Keep a good thought for all those on the job search. Thanks.

[canuckledragger]

1. And never be afraid to try some small scale self-employment

If an opportunity presents itself to turn a hobby or such into something paying...

I took a general computer interest I had and managed to find a small niche market in a city I lived in, helping out a few friends and musicians get set up with their first computers for recording and such. I bought the computers from the local hock shop for $250 and under, tweaked as needed then sold to who needed them.

Another friend was a World of Warcraft buddy with a taste for LARPing (Live Action Role Playing...people dressed up in homemade costumes whacking away at each other with foam swords and such) who made his own costumes for friends and family, got real good at it and now fills big orders for conventions and other shows.

I've had a steady job now for only a few months, so the computer repair skills were pretty helpful in the meantime for grocery money!

Good luck!

[shenmue]

3. Thanks

I'm glad it turned out well for you.

[Snarkoleptic]

2. I read an article stating you're most likely to get your next job from someone you know,

which turned out to be true for both of the positions I've held since 2007. These were not ideal situations, but kept me continuously employed.
This in mind, I recommend setting up a profile on linkedin.com . It's free and you can expand your network very rapidly.

Indeed.com is a great job search site as it aggregates from several other sites. The downside is there's a lot of repitition and you need to use search terms to include/exclude jobs in their advanced search.

Also, if you post your resume on monster, career builder, etc, go in and update your resume once per week (add or drop a letter or punctuation, no major revisions needed) to keep your profile from sinking in the rankings. This is very important in the crab bucket job market we're in.

Lastly, keep several versions of your resume and cover letter so that only minimal customization is required when (truthfully) making your skills and background more relevant to the advertised position.

[hotrod0808]

4. Best wishes to you

and thank you for the encouragement, because I'm currently underemployed for the needs of my family, and the only thing stopping me from eating a bullet is the burden of a terminally ill toddler solely upon my fiancee.

[badtoworse]

5. Good luck!