Job Seekers Missing In Action

As a resident of the state with highest level of unemployment in the nation, you'd think I'd be tripping over job seekers right and left. Not so. Except for my clients, who actively network with me, I rarely encounter the unemployed in business circles. It's astonishing to me how hard it can be to find a job seeker at times. The few who cross paths with me because of their own efforts to be seen by the business community stand out.

Where are the rest? Hiding in their cave of despair? At home waiting by the phone for the call that's unlikely to come? Surfing the net so they can apply to a job 500 other people have spotted as well?

For those looking for a job, I can't stress how important it is to be visible. It really shouldn't be a rarity for me to rub elbows with a job seeker at, say, a Chamber of Commerce event. I understand those on a limited budget do need to be strategic in how and where they get out. What concerns me is the number of people not getting out at all. If you are missing in action at business events, you are missing THE action when it comes to being in the loop of opportunity.

My challenge to those of you on the hunt for employment is to get out there. The business community wants to know who you are. They want to put a face on those looking for work. There is a desire to band together to find a path to solutions.

Job seekers frequently tell me they feel forgotten. It's a tough place to be, but you have to ask yourself if you are doing what it takes be remembered.