While employment is down from recent years in the state, the overall unemployment rate is 6.6 percent in New Jersey and 5.9 percent nationally, according to the latest data from state and federal labor departments.
A brief released at the end of 2014 by New Jersey Policy Perspective notes the “long-term unemployment crisis is a national problem” but found every other state except Florida fared better than New Jersey. Also, while the share of long-term unemployed in New Jersey has fallen from its peak in 2010, the brief found that drop has not been as sharp as it has nationally, and it stands at 46.3 percent. Only Florida had a larger share of long-term unemployed among the states in March at 46.5 percent.
For many individuals, the search for employment is long, difficult, and fraught with challenges. Many of those unemployed are coming from layoffs of job positions they held for decades. For others, getting back into the workforce means re-learning skills, acquiring new experience, and taking additional steps toward furthering educations, to be a contender in this competitive job market.
In addition to what a person may include in his or her resume, there is the whole other issue on how to find the jobs that are a fit, and market it to the working world. To give assistance in this arena, Samost JFCS is offering a free job search seminar on March 17, facilitated by Howard Joffe, Esq., regarding the keys to successfully getting a job. Topics covered include: strategies for landing the right job, figuring out the right job match, and mobilizing your real and virtual networks to help with the search.
“I’m looking forward to a dynamic, interactive, and practical workshop that will equip people with the tools they need to identify and land the right job,” says Joffe. “No matter their level of experience, people who attend this seminar will come away with new perspectives that will help them fulfill their professional goals.”
Joffe maintains confidence is every bit as important as technical skill when it comes to securing a new position. “As our economy heals, it’s a much better time than the recent past, to be in the market for a new job,” he says.
With the help of this engaging seminar, attendees will be ready to put their best foot forward, armed with specific job searching tools and strategies, with a renewed confidence in their pursuit of the ideal position for them.
For information on this seminar, or to register to attend this free event, please call 856-424-1333 or email Meri Seligman at mseligman@jfedsnj.org.
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