Job Search Advice

Stepping Up to a Better Career was created to help job seekers nationwide find fulfilling employment by providing advice on resume writing, interviewing, job searching and more.  For the past year, I have upheld that goal by creating topics that I felt would be interesting to the 100 loyal readers I have each day.

Now I feel it is time to turn over the reigns.  I want to hear your specific questions and concerns and provide you with advice that will aid you in finding fulfilling employment and fast.

Have a question about transitioning careers? Looking for employment while keeping your old job? Networking to find employment? Moving from nonprofit work to the business sector?

Explaining laid-off or fired status? Job searching on the internet? Keeping a job after your company has been bought out or your department is being phased out?

Creating a resume? Formatting a resume? Specific resume samples? Types of resumes?

Following up on an interview? Negotiating your salary? Creating a cover letter?

If you have any questions about your job search…

Contact me!  You can choose to comment directly on this blog or you can e-mail me your questions at Resumes@AyeshaWrites4u.com and see your question appear in my next post.

All I ask is that along with your question(s), you send your first name and an e-mail address where I can contact you to let you know that your answer is being posted on the blog.

As always, good luck on your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Why Moonlight?

In response to yesterday’s post, a friend of mine asked me why do I suggest moonlighting before leaving your job permanently.  First, let me redefine moonlighting.  Moonlighting is when you continue working at a job you plan on leaving until you find a different position or in the world of freelancing and entrepreneurialship, your new salary is larger than your current one.

Why Woonlight?

For most peope, the answer may be obvious such as “A bird in the hand beats two in the bush”.  Not reacting impulsively prevents people from spending six months looking for a job without any source of income. The key is to search, while you still have a sure thing on hand.

This rule even applies when you are laid off. Be realistic. While you are searching, if you get a job that is not in your desired field, position, or income level and have not been receiving very many calls from employers at your proper range, then take the job until something more appropriate comes along.

Moonlighting makes all transitions easier.

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long
www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

“Faith in America Restored”

Barack Obama was bashed in the last days of his campaign for using these very words.  But I, like most Black Americans, understood what he meant.  I grew up as a child understanding the limitations to black skin and knowing that while we might be citizens and have earned the right to vote, we were still not viewed as equals.  I grew up watching police get away with brutalizing African Americans and seeing our school systems consistently fail poor and black children.  I grew up thinking that it was the norm for all black children to want to be sports figures, actors, dancers, or models.

By the time we were ten, none of us had inspirations to be in politics or medicine or law.  We didn’t think it was possible to be anything more than what we saw on television or in our own neighborhoods.  So if a little nine-year old black child said, “I want to be president of the United States,” his classmates laughed and said it was impossible. 

We were cynics before we even knew what the word meant.  We understood before adolescence that the world was based on an “us versus them” mentality.  We knew that in order to survive in this country and to fit in in our own communities, that we had to conform to our societal restraints.  Yet, Barack Obama showed us differently.  

At 11:17 pm when I saw that check mark appear near Barack Obama’s name, my faith in America was restored.  To see black and white faces band together to vote and celebrate the election of the first African American president was a time for great joy and renewal of the mind.  No longer can we say we are limited by our skin color, because if Barack Obama can do it, so can EVERY little boy and girl regardless of race or creed.

Finally, when I look at the Declaration of Independence and I read the constitution, I will no longer feel like these documents do not represent my history.  I can now say with great emotion that I am proud to be an American.

As always, good luck with your job search.  And may God Bless America.

Halloween Scare

The economy has record numbers of unemployment, homelessness, and foreclosure.  But of course you knew that.  So why am I wasting your time by posting this blog?

Simply put.  Even though we know it’s getting worse, we are still a big part of the problem.  On speaking with employees in transit, education, and retail in New York, I’ve noticed that none of the people I’ve spoken to have tightened their belts.  Even though they know there are a surplus of looking, qualified unemployed people (compared to job openings) most have admitted to showing up late to work, not going to meetings,  and calling out for non-emergencies.

Now I can understand that the newspapers make it seem like only Wall Street is under financial failure, but just wanted to ground a few of my overly confident buddies out there with some earth-shattering statistics:

• In the month of September ONLY, 1,464 newly admitted homeless people have entered the shelters in New York City, reports the National Coalition for the Homeless.
• The national average of unemployment is at 6.1% and in New York it is 5.6% with the gap continually closing.
• With rising transportation costs and rental prices, store owners have had to raise the cost of household products – causing us to push our pennies even further.

So if you are a member of the “I don’t care” group – my job is safe and if not I can always go on unemployment, you might want to think more carefully.  Unemployment for a lot of people lasts anywhere from 6 months to a year.  In times of economic uncertainty, that time nearly doubles.  Your unemployment benefits end in your sixth month.  So let’s be professional, hard-working, and a little more eager to please in this decaying economy.

And if you are forced out of your job, be sure to not waste time trying to do everything on your own.  Seek guidance immediately.

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long

President of Marketing,

Ayesha Writes 4 You

www.ayeshawrites4u.com

Pensions

Okay, I know this goes against my traditional topic, but I found this both intriguing and absolutely terrifying.  I was wondering if anyone saw the Barack Obama thirty minute commercial…Well, I know that’s a silly topic.  EVERYONE watched it.

  While I did find this usage of media engaging, I was more struck by the 72-year old man who had been retired for 10 years.  He was expecting a pension of up to $3,000 a month because he had worked hard, trusted his company and believed in their longevity and good faith.  But for a good portion of his retirement, he had to work because instead of earning $3,000 a month, he was earning approximately $400.

I wonder how many people have suffered this fate?  Are pesions really the best place for your money? Are 401k’s any better?  If your company claims to match your funds, but tanks or invests in failing companies,  how can you get back all of the money you’ve invested over the years?

While I’m not one to say don’t invest, I do believe it’s time we were more actively involved in our investments.  Yes, matching 401 k’s are great, but how can we keep ourselves from suffering a fate similar to this man?  If anyone’s a financial expert, I’d truly love to hear what you have to say.

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.ayeshawrites4u.com