The Recession Job Market

Posted by Lorren on October 8, 2009

“The Best Social Program Is a Job” by cowboyannie
View other ‘ronald Bumper Stickers

Times have been tough for many people, and the 2009 job market has been the worst in years. Unemployment is at levels that many people have not seen in their lifetimes. Yet… opportunity remains.

I graduated from high school during an economic downturn. I tried to get a job after graduation, but couldn’t find a job. I didn’t understand why, after applying at 50 different minimum wage jobs, I couldn’t get one bite. I gave up and joined the military, but I now realize that I should have sent out 500 applications, not just 50. If I was determined to get a job, I should have put in an application at every minimum wage location in the city.

The same holds true today. Jobs are hard to find, but people are finding them. A few scenarios come to mind, and it really shows you that today, there are still opportunities to be had, for people that are willing to grab it. Just like my failed fast food attempt after graduation, others may just need to try harder. Three different scenarios come to mind:

Friend A lost his job earlier this year. He posted his loss on Facebook, and we felt bad for him. This guy was determined though. He submitted thousands of job applications to positions all across the country. He got a few interviews, and surprisingly enough, he was hired within weeks.

Me and my husband had our hours cut back a month ago. Things have picked up quite a bit, but it was tough for a while. We didn’t sit in the corner and suck our thumb, we worked harder. My husband went out and got another job (he is a student and is starting up a business, in addition to his writing job and the new job). I ramped up my freelance production to make up for the loss of hours in my regular job.

Friend B lost his job earlier this year as well. He has looked for a few jobs, but he hasn’t found anything yet. He hasn’t looked that hard, however. He has freelance opportunities, but hasn’t really grabbed the ball to run with it yet. Could he find a job? I’m sure he could; perhaps not in the area that he used to work in, but in some field that he was capable of working.

There has always been opportunities for people to work. In times when opportunities were scarce, people made them. I remember reading in the Little House series how Pa would walk hundreds of miles, into the next state, in order to find work. People would barter the skills that they had for help or for goods. The same opportunities exist today. There are freelance opportunities. People need babysitters. Some need their lawns mowed, or houses cleaned. It may be harder to find, but like I should have done when I graduated from high school… if 50 jobs turn you down, maybe it’s time to apply to 500…