Labor Day, 2016

Today is Labor Day. We remember all work: wage earners, independent contractors, entrepreneurs, managers, clergy, and non-profit semi-volunteers. Work is done under a variety of organizations: unions, professional, and none at all. There are multiple paths to success and multiple ways to measure it.

For this year’s Labor Day, we remember the unemployed.

The Hardest Job in the World
by Jack Le Moine

The hardest job in the world is looking for work. That’s because those people are in sales and they are selling the hardest service there is: themselves. I know because I’ve been there more often than I would like to remember. Either I felt like crap, yet I had to convince someone to hire me (it felt like I was conning them) or I felt proud of my abilities and could not figure why so many hiring managers rejected me. Either way, it was hard.

So, this Labor Day here’s some tips for the unemployed.

First, get a speech. 30 seconds on why someone should hire you. When you encounter that someone and you don’t have anything to say, you just have to fall back on. your speech. Practice it until it becomes natural.

Second, get a business card. Managers may not want a full-blown resume but a card is not a big deal. It is something for them to remember you and contact you if anything opens up.

Third, get a fact sheet on yourself. Use it to fill out job application forms. Make sure you contact your references so that they won’t be surprised.

Fourth, the resume. It is a sales sheet on yourself. Depending on your experience, you may use the traditional or the functional type. One lists your education and job experience and the other lists the things you’ve done. For either type of resume, emphasize your strong points.

Fifth, dress appropriately. Office work, a business suit. Blue collar work, casual but clean.

Last, keep contacting potential employers. There’s a YES out there somewhere. Let this Labor Day be a new beginning.

Further information on: Labor Day.