Life's blessings: family, health, faith, community and hope. - The Story of Scott Furlough
August 7, 2009

A year ago, I was working as a tenured Art Director for a national publishing company. I had been with the same company for 11 years, which is rare these days, and had worked my way up. I had a great boss, a flexible schedule, and was making a great salary. Then, I went to work one day and found out my department was being eliminated.

To some people, losing their job might seem like the worst thing that can happen. I saw coworkers get upset, and some got angry. I understood that it wasn’t personal; it was a business decision made in an increasingly tough economy. When I was laid off last year, I knew my family would get through this. After all, my wife and I had been through much worse.

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Job hunting gets harder as jobless rate climbs
February 6, 2009

Recession-battered employers eliminated 598,000 jobs in January, the most since the end of 1974, and catapulted the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent. The grim figures were further proof that the nation's job climate is deteriorating at an alarming clip with no end in sight.

The Labor Department's report, released Friday, showed the terrible toll the drawn-out recession is having on workers and companies. It also puts even more pressure on Congress and President Barack Obama's administration to revive the economy through a stimulus package and a revamped financial bailout plan, both of which are nearing completion.

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Breaking out of the pack
January 27, 2009

If you want to land an interview these days, it’s not enough to fire off your resume and hope for the best.

Yesterday another wave of 60,000 layoffs swept the nation. For job seekers, that means more competition in an already sparse job market.

So even if you find the perfect position, one that YOU know you were just made for, you still need to find a way to break through the “noise” of all the hundreds of other applicants who think THEY were made for it, too.

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