I am rejoining the workforce shortly

[Cirque du So-What]

I have seen a PDF copy of the offer, which I like, so I will sign the letter when it arrives and return it via overnight mail. By the first of next month, I will have rejoined the workforce after enduring a layoff lasting over seven months. Despite having to relocate, I am overjoyed at the prospect of being able to support my family at a standard somewhat less stressful than a tenuous hand-to-mouth existence.

I want everyone who is currently out-of-work to know that my newfound employment represents hope. The industry to which I am returning is pure rust-belt toolmaking, which means that the fruits of my labor will enable other companies to manufacture goods of their own - right here in the USA. This may be the first signs of an economic tide that will lift all boats.

Thanks to DU for helping me maintain my sanity during the long, dry days of searching the internet for signs of hiring activity in the economy - accompanied by unanswered employment applications, dead ends, and rejection letters. DU was an oasis where I could take a break from what seemed to be a neverending exercise in futility, where I could join like-minded individuals in condemnation of conservatism and the economic policies that contributed directly to my own unemployment as well as that of my DU compatriots going through their own economic downturns.

Over these past few months, I have lost my inhibitions toward asking for assistance, and today is no exception. As I've been a donor ever since joining, it's terribly frustrating to lack the ability to conduct research in the archives. If anyone is considering making a contribution in someone else's name, please consider my request for assistance. For your efforts, you can rest assured that I will pay it forward in numerous ways once I start earning a living wage once again.

For those still looking for work, hang in there. My new job represents hope, as it means manufacturers are preparing to make capital investments. At least from where I'm sitting, things are turning around!

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Thanks for the good news today. Tool makers are the backbone

of all civilization. I donated in your name/honor.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. Many thanks to you!

Rest assured that I will pass along your generosity as soon as I am able.

[babylonsister]

2. Congrats on the great news; thanks for giving me some hope, too.

:hi:

[LibDemAlways]

3. Congratulations! So good to hear. Would you mind

sharing how you found out about the job. My husband is a talented, experienced software engineer who has been out of work since January and has mostly been scouring company job listings on the internet with no luck at all. He's exhausted his contacts. Craigslist leads nowhere. Recruiters won't call him back. I'm just curious as to what avenue was finally successful for you.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. I'm not entirely sure how it happened

A corporate recruiter called me out of the blue and told me that he had seen my resume online. It never even occurred to me to ask where he had gotten it, but I hadn't subscribed to any resume-distribution services - certainly not those which charged a fee. I suspect he came across it at Monster.com or perhaps CareerBuilder.com.

Anyway, he talked to me for quite awhile in order to see what I knew and what I had done and then started calling me to ask whether I was interested in a specific place & position. I participated in phone interviews with three separate companies, and something clicked with the one where I start next month. With one company, I knew instantly that I didn't want to work for them, and I got a vibe that they weren't interested in me either. I called the recruiter within a couple of hours after that interview, and sure enough, they had already called to say 'no thanks.'

I found my last job, which also involved relocation, through a corporate recruiter as well. After getting laid off this last time, I contacted him again, but he was despondent over the state of the economy and never had anything to offer. After a few months, he told me that he was retiring - getting out of the business altogether. I'm thankful that the one who helped me land this job wasn't so pessimistic!

On edit: I don't know if this is relevant to all industries, but in my line of work, none of the jobs that were suggested by recruiters ever showed up on any of the internet job boards - not one! Also, I came to believe that many of the job postings I found on the internet were worthless - even those from major corporations. I applied to more of these positions than I could count, and even with impeccable qualifications, I received rejection e-mails or else heard nothing. When I actually called HR departments, I received dismissive answers and was never able to arrange a follow-up of any sort. One company (a Fortune 100 company) in particular advertised numerous temporary positions in a R&D facility near where I lived, each one bearing a slightly different title and each one going through a different temp agency. I never received so much as a nibble on any of them, and after doing a bit of research, I found that the company had laid off over 75% of their full-time engineers & scientists a little over two years previously. It may be that the company was attempting to identify prospective replacements whom they could pay a pittance of a wage compared to the high-paid employees who had been laid off and whose talents would be needed in an economic upturn.

[LibDemAlways]

7. It's great that you managed to hook up with a recruiter who was

actually interested in finding you a job. I've always thought recruiters were a good bet because their livelihood is dependent on going to bat for their clients. I guess it just depends on finding the right one, which obviously you did!

[BonnieJW]

5. Thanks for sharing this great news.

It means a lot to many people. Congratulations to you and your family.