Below is a public service announcement (addressed to us, the unemployed) published in the careerbuilder section of the 7-Jun Des Moines Register:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear job seeker:
As we all confront the challenges of a difficult economy, it is more important than ever to recognize the tremendous opportunities Iowa's job market has to offer. We have not been immune to the current economic environment. Here in Central Iowa we are fairing far better than many regions across the country. Our unemployment rate is lower than the national average and, yes, employers are still hiring here as evidenced by the thousands of job opportunities highlighted today. It is crucial to connect you to central Iowa employers. If you aren't working, our region isn't working. We need a strong local work force to help our business community grow.
The Greater Des Moines Partnership joins other local organizations in focus and commitment on getting you back to work. Through new programs like Net2Work, we are helping you expand your networks, learn from local experts to better market yourself and navigate your search to ultimately connect you with your next job opportunity. With economic development at the heart of the Partnership, we are aggressively seeking to bring new employers here to help our local businesses grow and create new jobs.
Thanks to the Des Moines Register's careerbuilder.com, more information and options are available to connect you to new opportunities,
Sincerely,
Signed:
Steve Lacy, Chair, Greater Des Moines Partnership
Martha Willits, President & CEO, Greater Des Moines Partnership
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I agree, Central Iowa is fairing better than many regions across the country. It's easy to forget that sometimes when we're focusing on how we're going to pay our bills.
Yes, employers are still hiring. But are the positions they have open in line with our skill set? I feel that the majority of employers are hiring for positions that are outside of what we are qualified for/or want to do, otherwise they wouldn't have let us go in the first place. This is why we find ourselves in a difficult position; do we take a job that we don't like until we find something better or do we take a job that we're over-qualified for? Good luck getting hired in either of these situations because, believe me, the employers are on to us. They know we'll leave if we find something better.
The Greater Des Moines Partnership, Iowa Workforce Development and Grand View University are among those offering networking opportunities, classes and workshops to help us. Is what they're currently doing enough? When I started this blog, I posted a poll, "Do you think Des Moines is doing everything it can to help us get back to work?". 66% of you said no. What other community initiatives would you like to see developed to help us get back to work? I know that there are people at all three institutions listed that read this blog, so now is the time to let them know!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Suzanne I have arrived at an intresting conclusion here and wonder if the group who follows you in this blog might have an answer to this question.
ReplyDeleteI have found and engaged so many different services sources and etc. that it becomes dificult to keep up each day. Is there a better way to organize my search should I be more focused what is the answer and am I the only one with this situation?
Rodney, thanks for your note. From the beginning, I've kept all of my information in an Excel spreadsheet - and it is NOT very well organized. JibberJobber (FREE) started out as a job search spreadsheet to track and organize a job search, and has quickly evolved into a long-term relationship manager for your personal career management. http://www.jibberjobber.com/login.php. I've never used it but I've talked to people who have and they say it's fantastic. You never know when you'll have to look for a job again and this is a great resourse to use both now and in the future. Check it out - I'm very interested in hearing if you like it or not.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps...
Net2Work events seem to be just a public relations effort.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment; but in order for it to be useful, could you explain why you think it is just a public relations effort (have you been to one?) and make a suggestion as to what you would like to see done differently in order to get the unemployed back to work?
ReplyDelete