The slumping economy the past 18 months has spawned a plethora of problems for millions of unemployed men and women that will be only solved by gainful employment. The pain is particularly acute for job seekers who’ve experienced trouble transitioning from decaying industries into more modern occupations. However, Carmelle Robert, the employee marketing representative for the Georgia Department of Labor, says there are occupations that are rarely affected by the economy, or may even experience an upswing during adverse market conditions, such as nursing positions.
“There are a lot administrative, clerical, customer support and a high volume of security positions available,” says Robert, who serves as the liaison between corporations and job seekers and work to match the two sides together. “Because of the economy, there are a lot of companies that are facing or have experienced theft and things of that nature. So we’ve been getting a lot of security positions, looking for security officers, both armed and unarmed.”
An ailing economy is also good news for teens and young adults, says Robert, who fields calls from employers looking for cheap labor.
“[Employers] wanted more information about youth working for the summer because they found they had to cut several of their positions because they just don’t have the revenue in order to support keeping full-time employees,” she says. “I’ve had several employees who had to recruit and hire youth, in order to save money and to still provide the service that they offered for their clientele.”
Robert implores those who are unemployed, underemployed and/or seeking to transition into other fields to adhere to the following job advice:
Marketplace Flexibility:
“More than ever, job seekers have to have, I would say, a diverse set of skills and be flexible because it’s not like it was 10, 20 years ago and you have one position and be able to perform in that particular job set or duties,” Robert says. “You have to be able to do the administrative, the paperwork, the typing and the corresponding, you also have to excellent customer service, as well as being able to also resolve problems. … You [must show that you] can perform in different areas within the organization.”
Job seekers need to view things from an employer’s standpoint:
“Employers are going through a lot right now. Financially, the company is not bringing in the revenue that they used to. So how are you going to be an asset by coming to their organization? They will not have the funds … to hire four people. But you have to let them know ‘hey, you don’t have to hire four people. I can do A, B, C and D and I’m just one person.’ ”
Blue-collar workers, especially, must attain technical and/or computer proficiency:
“They want someone who is knowledgeable of different software: Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. You may be working in accounting. You may be working with the CEO of the company in reference in coordinating travel arrangements for that president or VP. You may be responsible for coming up with the PowerPoint presentation for the sales team or sales manager.”
–terry shropshire
