Unemployment at 6.1% Should You Give Up?

It's time to get serious about your job search, and here's why. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released August unemployment statistics today (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf). The news is not good for the economy, but this is your call to action not an excuse to quit.

Don’t Quit: While unemployment increased from 8.8 million to 9.4 million, there are still almost 150 million jobs out there. New ones open up all the time as workers switch jobs.

Get Serious: There is more competition for the jobs. If you are just relying on Job Boards, you are hitting the sites with the most competition. You are better off looking at sources where others are not.

Refocus: Check where your job search is stalling now. If it's at the beginning, look at where you are finding your job leads and at your cover letter and resume. If it's stalling in phone or live interviews, consider hiring a career coach.

Be Creative: Try something next week that you haven't tried before. Maybe a completely different line of work. Maybe a different way of finding openings. This is an important next step, and worth taking some risks.

The statistics are about everyone else. You just need one job, and it's out there.