Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Lifelines in a Sinking Economy

Brick Wall: The economy

First, I know that I am blessed to have a job. I am also blessed to have a wonderful family that has offered to help me in my endeavors to get to Chicago. I admit that I did not pick the best time, economically speaking, to move to a brand new city and hope to get a job. This brick wall might not be so easy to get through.

Those who know me know that I am the eternal optimist. These tough times will end, and we will be a stronger country when they do. As much as I would like to stay optimistic, I accept the reality that the recession may last longer than I would like. Even now, it seems as if there is nothing to even apply for. Employers have their pick of candidates at this time. If I don't meet every single qualification, there is surely a candidate (or two) who does. Getting your "foot-in-the-door" is more difficult than ever before. That's why I'm counting on my strong networking skills to make connections, even if I'm not finding the job postings to apply for. There have been a few resources that I have come to use frequently in my search and regard as "lifelines" in this process:
  • http://www.marketingjobwire.com/; Sima Dahl has the marketing world of Chicago covered on this site.
  • @ChicagoWebJobs on Twitter; the best resource for Web jobs that I've found yet.
  • BNC_Chicago and LinkedInChicago yahoo groups; By joining these groups, I've been able to engage in intriguing conversations with professionals.
  • Christine Pietryla's Chicago B2B Public Relations site:http://chicagob2bpr.ning.com/; Although I haven't been as good about posting here as I should be, I've come to view Christine as THE public relations expert of Chicago.

In a difficult economy, these are just a few of the people and outlets that I am thankful for to provide useful information and job leads. I'll take any help I can get to make a dent in this brick wall.

Please let me know if you have further suggestions or "lifelines" that I should look in to. I'm also looking for recruiters in Chicago who specialize in online marketing careers. Thanks!

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