New Year and Still No Job

This is WAY outside your field but have you ever considered putting your name on care.com as a senior helper, pet sitter, tutor, etc.?

We recently needed help for a few days for my MIL. We couldn't find anyone for under $15 an hour. The lady we did hire rudely informed my MIL "I don't clean" when my MIL asked her to help clean out her fridge(basically just pitch old stuff). This was after the caregiver listened to me specifically tell her my MIL's needs (which did not include any heavy cleaning but did consist of light cleaning and organizing). My MIL is pretty low-key and easy to work for typically (my former cleaning lady loved her). Go figure.

I'm thinking of putting my name on there as a tutor! That might be a good temporary option for you with your background.

Just a thought . . .

Are you limiting your location? Are you able to relocate? Some areas of the country are doing better than others. I don't know your situation but if you aren't able to relocate that could also be a factor.

Join linkedin and network that way as well. I don't know what your salary range is but you have been unemployed for a while. Even though you have 7 years experience, that experience could be considered outdated. You might have to start lower and work yourself back up. That is what I had to do when I was out of the job market for several years. Remember, you are competing against candidates whose skills are newer than yours.

Also, you might practice your interviewing skills. Maybe there is something you are projecting that is turning the interviewers off. While it is not a crime to target an industry, the publishing industry is not what it once was, thus the opportunities are fewer. You need to branch out.

I am now an HR Manager and it took time to get where I am. You can do it!!!!

I would meet with a career counselor. Check with your state employment agency/workforce center if this needs to be free, otherwise Google for "career counselor" or "career coach" or "outplacment" in your area.

I work as a career consultant for an outplacement company and work with private clients. It seems like you've "tried" all the right things. With the employment rate the way it is now, it is not unusual for a job search to take a year or even two. Persistence is very important.

Create a one page "self-marketing plan" for yourself that details your abilities and experience and the roles you would be best in. Then include the criteria of the companies that would be a fit for you and a list of companies that you are targeting. If you haven't used tools like www.manta.com and LinkedIn.com to find new companies to target, I would suggest doing that. I would also suggest broadening the list of companies to include those related to book publishing, if you can indentify these.

Put together a weekly search plan that includes research time, networking time, job search group meetings time, submitting application time, etc with goals for each. Track all of your activities and all of your successes. Revamp your plan each week based on new information.

Join LinkedIn.com if you haven't already and use it! If you don't know how to use it in your search, there are tutorials and free classes available.

Revamp your 30-second commercial/elevator speech and try it out on people for feedback. It should clearly state your strengths and abilities, the work you are looking for, and the specific benefit you will bring to the organization that hires you. Ask to see others' resumes and when you find one that actually states RESULTS not just tasks and job responsibilities, ask them who wrote it for them and hire that person.

Good luck to you! PM me if you have more questions.
S.

webdesign is a hot and to this non-publishing mom seems like the 2 industries might have things in common. My sister has a degree in architecture and does web design for her church and loves it.
A neighbor started doing the school news letter for free and from that experience created a home business by word of mouth.
I would also list myself with lots of temp agencies, they are specific to their industries, so make sure you not only list with publishing agencies, but perhaps customer support or marketing type agencies too.

Many people are having to leave their industries to even find work.

You can also join linked in and network there with people you know and those who are in your field through forums and meetups. Joining your city's chamber of commerce networking meetings is a good resource as well.

Have you gone to a career counselor? They offer great resume/dossier/interview/networking advice and have lots of information on career fairs.

My church offers this service for free by professional counselors, no pressure and open to anyone of any faith. My husband went to them for help when he was laid off and they gave him some great pointers:

to find a career workshop near you:
https://www.ldsjobs.org/ers/ct/articles/the-career-worksh...

for some of their tips on line:
https://www.ldsjobs.org/ers/ct/articles/writing-a-resume-...