Employment questions? Join John Challenger right here tonight after the show!, Lost your job? Looking for a new one? Options

[OTM_Web_Guy]

Lost your job? Looking for a new one? Our employment expert, John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. will be right here in the Forums tonight after the show to answer your questions!!

Post your own topics in General Discussion or just reply to this thread if you have a question for John!

[DanaBrestel]

Lost your job? Looking for a new one? Our employment expert, John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. will be right here in the Forums tonight after the show to answer your questions!!

Post your own topics in General Discussion or just reply to this thread if you have a question for John!

I was laid off from my job as a truss designer during the first week of October. See www.danabrestel.com for details on what a truss designer does.

Since my industry services residential construction primarily, you can imagine what the job market looks like out there. Horrible. That said, I finally found a job in Australia, after sending out more than 700 resumes. Australia!!! I've never set foot outside of the US.

We all got ourselves into this mess by trusting our financial advisers, politicians, corporate executives, media pundits and anyone else we could offload our fiscal responsibilities onto. Now that our doom has come, we look to the same idiots to lead us out of the quagmire they themselves led us into in the first place! We should have been trusting ourselves all along.

When I hear about homeowners who are financially sound defaulting on their mortgages anyway in hopes of securing a better interest rate, when I read about Wall Street executives sucking up the fat of the land while broadcasting their incompetence for all the world to see, I wonder where we have brought ourselves. Is this the country I was raised in? Is this what we have been all along, or has there been some metamorphosis which turned a hard-working, innovative "can-do" nation into the handout capital of the world? My old man sure as hell did not do it that way. Neither will I.

Australia it is.

Dana

[theath]

John,

I am 24 years old and left my job as a property & casualty adjuster this past July. I left my job because it was 70 hrs a week, low pay, and I could tell I that claims handling wasn't for me. I decided to take a few months off to study for the GMAT to maybe give me some options in the future. I enjoy insurance and have been interested in it since I obtained my Risk Management and Insurance certificate during my undergrad. I also have a finance degree.

Anyways, I have been looking for an insurance underwriting position but can't seem to get any call backs to setup any interviews. I know it is a tough market and I am not sure what to do. Like I said, I have a solid background in working with numbers and also have Property and Casualty insurance experience. I have only lived in Georgia for a year and a half so I don't really have a network. I have posted my resume on insurance websites but haven't had any luck. Any idea how someone like me can build a network in this type of situation and get my name out there?

[hobbes04]

Dear John

Although I am happy with the fact Obama has been elected, I don't expect the economy to show drastic improvement for at least 2-3 years. The problem I currently have is that I am a college graduate with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, but have had trouble finding a job. I have lost my job just a week and a half or so.

I am maybe a slightly above average candidate for employment, but no employer wants to take a chance on me because of my lack of experience. I have been sending out several applications online daily, about 4 a day. I am also waiting to hear back from a company after my interview. I was wondering if I should try for a job at Raleys, or McDonald's or something similar to pay the rent until something chemistry related comes up. I am afraid they won't hire me because I am over-qualifed for such jobs. What do you suggest for my job search? Thank you so much for your help.

Sincerely


Noah
California

[mdomin]

I lost my job last year I was in Legal Management. I have interviews every single week but have been unable to secure a fulltime job. I have worked at various positions in temporary positions but these type of positions have come to an end. I find myself again to be able to find companies that are hiring fulltime positions. I live in the Chicago, Illinois area. Any tips on what companies are hiring. Thanks!

[InnerHeaven]

Dear John

The market is a tough thing right now, especially when trying to find a job. I'm 18 years old, freshmen at University of Minnesota Duluth, and majoring in Political Science.

I've previously worked for walmart for one year when I was 16 years old hoping that this would be an attraction for employment when in college. Right now I've applied to many stores in Duluth and none of them have replied back to me. I'm not really sure how I should handle this. What should I be doing to make myself look more attractive in the job market?

Also, this is really hard for me because I began the year with $2,000. Now, I'm half the way through the semester and I'm down to $200. Honestly I have no clue where all of my money has been spent. Money is really tight for me now and I'm trying hard not to spend a single penny when I can. So I thought you should know this considering my situation with a job.

~Brent

[itsajungle]

Lost your job? Looking for a new one? Our employment expert, John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. will be right here in the Forums tonight after the show to answer your questions!!

Post your own topics in General Discussion or just reply to this thread if you have a question for John!

I'm am 50 yrs old and have worked for the same co for over 25 yrs. I work as an equity sales trader and as you know the industry is in tough shape. Recently we had a change in management and the new boss bought in his own people therefore taking some of my better accounts. I would say I am being pushed out and I am looking to find out what would be the best way to find a job in the industry or better yet what type of job away from the industry would be a good fit

[JohnChallenger]

John,

I am 24 years old and left my job as a property & casualty adjuster this past July. I left my job because it was 70 hrs a week, low pay, and I could tell I that claims handling wasn't for me. I decided to take a few months off to study for the GMAT to maybe give me some options in the future. I enjoy insurance and have been interested in it since I obtained my Risk Management and Insurance certificate during my undergrad. I also have a finance degree.

Anyways, I have been looking for an insurance underwriting position but can't seem to get any call backs to setup any interviews. I know it is a tough market and I am not sure what to do. Like I said, I have a solid background in working with numbers and also have Property and Casualty insurance experience. I have only lived in Georgia for a year and a half so I don't really have a network. I have posted my resume on insurance websites but haven't had any luck. Any idea how someone like me can build a network in this type of situation and get my name out there?

Sending resumes to companies or posting one on the Internet are necessary, but the least effective tool in the job seeker's arsenal. You have the right idea in terms of wanting to expand your network, because your network is the most powerful tool you have.

Start with people you already know -- friends and family. Chances are, many of them have insurance agents who are either part of large company or farm out underwriting duties to other firms. Start by meeting the agents "on the ground." Don't approach them about job openings. Instead, approach them as someone interested in a career in the insurance industry and ask for their guidance on where to start. You will find that people are much more willing to sit down with you for 30 minutes to dole out advice versus sitting down to conduct a job interview. In addition to sound advice that pertains to the insurance industry, you may walk away with a couple of new contact names. You will find your network growing exponentially. Sooner than you think, one of these contacts will say the magic words, "I can put you in touch with so-and-so, I think his company is looking for new people."

The other way you can quickly expand your network is to get involved with local trade or professional associations related to the insurance and underwriting industry. These groups often provide mentoring opportunities and typically conduct networking and professional development events.

Good luck.

[JohnChallenger]

I was laid off from my job as a truss designer during the first week of October. See www.danabrestel.com for details on what a truss designer does.

Since my industry services residential construction primarily, you can imagine what the job market looks like out there. Horrible. That said, I finally found a job in Australia, after sending out more than 700 resumes. Australia!!! I've never set foot outside of the US.

We all got ourselves into this mess by trusting our financial advisers, politicians, corporate executives, media pundits and anyone else we could offload our fiscal responsibilities onto. Now that our doom has come, we look to the same idiots to lead us out of the quagmire they themselves led us into in the first place! We should have been trusting ourselves all along.

When I hear about homeowners who are financially sound defaulting on their mortgages anyway in hopes of securing a better interest rate, when I read about Wall Street executives sucking up the fat of the land while broadcasting their incompetence for all the world to see, I wonder where we have brought ourselves. Is this the country I was raised in? Is this what we have been all along, or has there been some metamorphosis which turned a hard-working, innovative "can-do" nation into the handout capital of the world? My old man sure as hell did not do it that way. Neither will I.

Australia it is.

Dana

It is definitely a difficult time to be in any occupation tied to residential construction, particularly in Florida. Relocation is a great way to expand the job search net and increase the odds of success, but there are some drawbacks. And, while I would not discourage you from your decision to take a position in Australia, keep in mind that international relocation can be especially difficult, considering that you will be thousands of miles from your established social and professional network if things do not work out.

If you indeed move forward with the Australia plan, I would recommend that you immediately begin to establish a new professional network as soon as you hit the ground in Australia. Make an effort to find professional associations related to architecture, engineering, residential and commercial construction and become a member or at least attend their events. Find out who your new employer's competitors are and make an effort to meet people in those firms. Go out of your way to become friends with your new co-workers, thus re-building your social network.

If you decide to stay in the U.S., you may still find relocation to be the fastest way to reemployment. There are pockets of the country where residential construction continues to move forward, albeit not at the pace we saw over the last five years. You might also be able to transfer your skills to commercial building design and construction, which has not slowed as much as residential construction. With some re-tooling of your technical skills, you may also be able to branch out into other areas of design and building engineering and construction.

Whatever you decide, move forward with a positive attitude. There are many complex reasons for the current state of our economy and job market and plenty of blame to pass around. It is definitely a frustrating time to be a job seeker, but don't let the negativity take you over. That negativity can come across in interviews, cover letters and networking discussions, whether the job seeker intends it to or not, and it could prevent that person from building the type of positive relationships that lead to employment.

Good luck.

[ltrap]

My husband lost his job of 20 years. He has always worked in the residential construction field and worked for one of the nation's top builders (in the top three) for the past two decades. His reputation is stellar and he has "done it all" - construction management, purchasing, sales, etc. We live in the Mid-Atlantic area. My question is: what training should he look into while he has this "down time" that may make him more marketable? I keep hearing that green building, infrastructure, government and healthcare are the waves of the future. What can he do to build on his experience and reputation that can strengthen his chances for employment? Also: He's getting severance pay; does he have to wait for that to run out before he applies for unemployment benefits?