Archive for July, 2009

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Next Thursday, the state Labor Department will report Georgia’s unemployment rate for June, and the news is likely to be rough — it could hit double digits.

In May, the jobless rate was 9.7 percent — almost 4 percent higher than a year before. Officially, more than 460,000 Georgians were looking for work, and the state had lost more than 210,000 jobs over the previous year. The number of job seekers outnumbered the number of available jobs 5-to-1.

Have you lost your job during the past year? What has life been like? Are you actively looking for work? Have you had to consider something completely different to make a living? Have you found a new job? If not, what are you doing to cope? And what do you think your prospects are for finding work?

Share your story here, and/or e-mail it to mggray@ajc.com if you’d be interested in talking with a reporter for a story in the AJC.

Continue reading Will Georgia’s jobless rate hit 10%? »

How much are you worth on the job market? Author and speech analyst Richard Zeoli, who wrote “7 Principles of Public Speaking” says there are 3 key steps:

1. Communicate Your Capabilities
2. Communicate Your Vision – In Terms of Others
3. Communicate Your Value to Your Audience

Zeoli states in a recent article, “Self-promotion does not have to be about self-aggrandizement, and it is possible to advance your career while maintaining humility. In fact, not only is it possible but it is also beneficial.”

How do you communicate your value as an employee to your boss or to hiring managers when you go on interviews? Do you have any tips for others?

Continue reading How much are you worth on the job? »