RE: CL Program -- MIDRANGE-L

My sympathies, too. Been there, done that.

I have a tip to offer to you, and anyone else in your position. I don't know 
you or your skill set, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and 
assume that you are a very capable AS/400/iSeries guru. The problem I 
discovered is exactly what Joe refers to, end users are picky about who they 
hire/contract with. So how do you make yourself stand out from the crowd?

I firmly believe that it's worth taking the time to learn to sell yourself. It 
starts with developing a proper resume, and that is not a quick process. Pick 
any book from the library and it will take you through a process where you 
detail all your previous job experience, then for each of those 
responsibilities, you list as many accomplishments as you can. Eventually, that 
list of accomplishments is what appears on your resume. The other piece of this 
is learning to interview, and again there are a myriad of books on the subject. 
I would pick one resume book, and one general job hunting/interviewing book, 
and read.

I've been on the hiring end, and believe me, it's not all about what you have 
done in the past, it's about what kind of person you are. Are you creative, 
innovative, quick-learning? Do you seem like a nice person? A lot of hiring is 
done based on those criteria. But first, your resume has to get their 
attention, and with a fine list of significant accomplishments, you'll get that 
attention.

Indeed, there are other factors, but this is a big piece of the puzzle, and it 
sounds like you have the time. Personally, I hate sales, even if it is selling 
myself, but it's a necessary evil.

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Pluta [mailto:joepluta@PlutaBrothers.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 10:38 AM
To: midrange-l@midrange.com
Subject: RE: CL Program


> From: alan shore
>
> John - first of all, my apologies. I just re-read what I had
> written, and realized that it could have been interpreted in a
> different manner than I had intended. I have no excuses.
> Searching for a job is just getting me down.

Alan, my sympathies.  It's especially difficult during the holidays.  I
don't have any warm and fuzzy platitudes to offer you, but I can say that,
at least from my experience, the market is slowly (emphasis on slowly)
starting to pick up.

It's going to be a different market.  End users are going to be pickier
about who they hire and who they contract with.  The days of mass spending
are over.  But if you like computers and are willing to learn some new
technology, I think there will be work available in the coming months.

I know that doesn't help much now when you're between paychecks.  All I can
tell you is that you're not the only one in this position, and that
hopefully this too shall pass.

Joe

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