Jun 5, 2009 4:17 pm US/Central
Unemployed Keep Up Job Hunt As Signs Improve
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Former banker Deanne Liaros's job search is taking longer than anticipated, she says.
CBS
The number of out-of-work people is at its highest level in 25 years. Last month, employers cut 345,000 jobs.
But despite that number, some experts are seeing signs that the recession could be loosening its grip.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports.
Dennis Bermudez, by his own description, is entrepreneurial and resourceful. He's also unemployed. So are seven others who showed up for a downtown support group for job seekers.
For them, Friday's unemployment numbers are no surprise. Former banker Deanne Liaros has been out of work since September.
She originally thought it would take three or four months to find a new job, but now thinks it could take nine months to a year.
The rising unemployment and the depths of this recession means job seekers can't rely on want ads and computer searches to find new jobs. That's where resources like the
Career Transitions Center come in.
The non-profit center provides office-like facilities for job seekers, help in making a search plan and personalized advice from career coaches.
"We have over 43 volunteer career coaches, and we work with them to help them look at the big picture and recognize they have a lot of value to bring to the new job," Anita Jenke said.
Although he's upbeat, out-of-work auditor Dennis Bermudez says it's not easy.
"Employers continue to cut employees, therefore the opportunities have diminished," he said.
But at
The LaSalle Network, a Chicago staffing and recruiting agency, there are signs the worst may be over.
"We're starting to see the temporary staffing business really pick up and that's usually what most economists say is a leading indicator for economic recovery," agency CEO Thomas Gimbel said.
Still, any growth in permanent jobs could be months away. And Gimbel says it's no time to be greedy.
"You may have to take less money, you may have to work in a position that you feel may be beneath where you were," he said. "However, these are crazy economic times."
All the experts we spoke with said the key to finding a new job is networking. In fact, they advise job seekers to spend 85 per cent of their time networking, 10 percent on re-enforcing current relationships, and just 5 per cent searching those Internet job sites.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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