Job Front: Treat your search like it's work

Look for work. Walk the dog. Then look for work again.

James Statham, is a tall, stocky aircraft sheet metal worker and former Air Force sergeant who followed the job: Sacramento, Chico, then, last July, tiny Oscoda, Mich., a one-time military town on the shore of Lake Huron off Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Four months later, he and 300 other contract employees were laid off. He returned to Sacramento, where he’s been jobless since.

Network, network, network.

This isn’t work for the faint-hearted. You need perseverance and patience.

You need backbone and a cast-iron psyche.

And you need to sell yourself.

You can make your own hours, but you’d better seek opportunity in every one. The pay? Your next lead, that follow-up interview.

Welcome to your job search. It’s work that’s as tough as any out there.

"If you’re looking for a job, you’ve got to treat it like work," said Jasen Williams, director of career fairs for Ohio-based RecruitMilitary, which connects military veterans and employers. "You’ve got to be a good steward of the time you have."

Job Front visited the RecruitMilitary Career Fair at University of Phoenix’s Rancho Cordova Learning Center last week to talk with job seekers on the work they do to land their next job.

Look for work. Walk the dog. Then look for work again.

James Statham, is a tall, stocky aircraft sheet metal worker and former Air Force sergeant who followed the job: Sacramento, Chico, then, last July, tiny Oscoda, Mich., a one-time military town on the shore of Lake Huron off Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Four months later, he and 300 other contract employees were laid off. He returned to Sacramento, where he’s been jobless since.

Here’s his daily routine: Walk the dog. Hit the online job boards for two hours. Drive his wife to work. Then it’s back to the Web and the phones to work follow-up calls and send e-mails.

"I keep track with who I talked to in the past 90 days. If I have an interview, I prep for that and make sure I have my clothes ready to go," he said.

"CalJOBS, sologig.com, USAJOBS – that’s pretty much my day," he said, referring to Web sites that list work for the state of California, contract-for-hire employers and the federal government.

"I go to fairs like these. I always make sure I have a list of résumés and references at all times – phone numbers and addresses in my hands."

This isn’t a part-time gig. After four months, Statham, 44, knows all too well.

"I’m constantly looking for work. If you’re not out there looking, you’re not going to find it," he said. "It’s tough, you have to seek and network to find the job that’s open."

Together in tech, now

together in a quest for jobs

Susan and John Ridilla won’t soon forget the day: Jan. 28 – the day John, 51, and Susan, 54, lost their jobs after six years at the Silicon Valley offices of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Inc.

"It’s a new phenomenon – more husband-and-wife teams are being laid off," Susan said.

"And times aren’t going to get any better soon," John said. "It’s scary."

The couple, a pair of former Army majors, made the trip from Gilroy to Rancho Cordova for the job fair.

"When we got laid off, the bad news was that we got laid off and the good news was that we got laid off," John Ridilla said. "You make lemonade."

Since February, the two have been attending job fairs, combing through Web sites, drafting dozens of letters tailoring their skills in information technology and supply chain to specific openings.

The challenge is that "every day is Saturday," John said. But they have a routine.

"We check our e-mail in the morning. You get up, work out, then do your job search – two, three hours a day," he said.

They break up the Web searches by networking with old colleagues and attending free and low-cost job seminars.

"You find ways to network – there is time to contact people. We spend more time with (networking Web site) LinkedIn," he said.

Most important, both said, is mapping out short- and long-term needs.

"You have to take stock of where you are financially and medically, so we made a to-do list," John said. "What do we need to do quickly? What do we need to do six months from now? In the next three weeks?"

A social worker scours

the health care network

Karen Choate, 51, of Orangevale lost her job as a social worker for a local foster family agency in August, but she flashed a bright smile as she chatted with recruiters at the job fair booths.

It was early afternoon, but she’d been on the clock for hours.

Her day starts at 5 a.m. on Internet job sites. But "I can’t stay at the computer too long. It’s too depressing for me," she said.

She breaks up the routine with workouts and by visiting with a women’s fellowship for support. Newly married, her husband has also been a source of strength.

Then it’s back to the online world: Career Builder, Indeed.com, Monster.com. She works the phones for more leads.

An Army veteran, she drills down into corporate sites, doing her homework on medical groups like Kaiser Permanente, Mercy and Sutter Health, places where her experience in social work might take root.

"I never have used my computer as much as I do now," Choate said.

For her, balance and optimism are key to chasing leads – and chasing away the jobless blues.

"You’ve got to keep a good attitude," Choate said. "All this economic stuff will pass."

WEEKLY PLANNER FOR JOB HUNTERS

How should you plan your job search? How much time should you dedicate to finding that next job?

Plan your schedule like a workweek, said career counselor Terri Carpenter of Sacramento Works Inc.

"The ideal is to put 40 hours a week into your job search. You need to start your search on Monday like it’s a regular job," Carpenter said.

A suggested weekly planner:

MONDAY

Morning: Organize your day. Make follow-up calls. Generate computer job leads.

Afternoon: Send out résumés and e-mails. End the day with more follow-up calls.

TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

Network, network, network.

Morning: "Spend time at a career center so you can stay in that work mode," Carpenter said. "It encourages motivation and hope."

Get outside, meet new contacts, follow leads. Check listings of professional events. Take advantage of networking groups and association luncheons.

"You have to stay in touch. You’ve got to get outside of your home. You don’t have to spend the bulk of your time online," Carpenter said.

Afternoon: Mix it up. Business organizations and chambers of commerce often have free or low-cost evening mixers. "They get you in front of people," Carpenter said.

FRIDAY

Wrap-up day. Follow up on your Tuesday-Thursday outreach with phone calls and e-mails. Plot your course for the next week.

By Darrell Smith