Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Bad News for Long-Term Unemployed


The Dallas Morning News, December 25, 2013, edition has two articles dealing with long-term unemployed.   First on page 2D, an article by Michael Kanell from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Long-term unemployed find it harder to get hired than newly jobless”, cites statistics and anecdotal examples which support this claim.  Hiring companies frequently ask “Why hasn’t someone else hired this person?”  Or perhaps they wonder if the applicant still has the capability to perform.  There is some good news, however.

Another article on the same page, “At a Glance Red Flags” also by Michael Kanell, gives some advice to smart job-seekers trying to avoid giving a company reasons to toss out his/her application.  Here are his suggestions:

1.   One red flag is being out of work for a long time.  To reduce the time gaps in a resume, one should include any activities during the job gap.  For example, volunteer work at local NFP organizations should be mentioned.

2.   The No. 1 piece of advice to applicants is to read the job description. It is a good idea to fine-tune your resume to include experience and training that fit with the job being sought.

3.   Many job-seekers complain of throwing scores or even hundreds of applications into the web. A suggestion by Elizabeth Gill, owner of an Atlanta franchise of Express Employment Professionals is that job-seekers should aggressive make connections through social media, friends, and neighbors.  Does the term “networking” come to mind?

Please share your suggestions to assist the long-term unemployed find jobs by commenting in this blog or emailing me at glynjordan@gmail.com.


Thanks, Glyn

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