Heels.com Gives Free Shoes to Job Seekers in Morganton, NC

Some positive news how a local company is helping out job seekers:

Amber Bollinger stood with her mouth open and smiling on Tuesday at the Employment Security Commission in Morganton. That's because Heels.com showed up there to give away lady's shoes. Heels.com is a North Carolina-based online shoe retailer.

The company has been in business for a year and a half, say company representatives. Company representatives arrived just after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, surprising those who were there looking for jobs or filing for unemployment. The idea was to give away a new pair of shoes to women so they could wear them to job interviews.

"Being a bootstrapped startup, we know what it's like to work through adversity and against the odds," Heels.com spokesperson Linda McCoy said. "Our goal here is just to do what we can to help others work through their difficult period and hopefully bring smiles to a few faces in the process. During times like this, it is often the smallest things that make the biggest difference."

Read the full article By Sharon McBrayer from The News Herald in Morganton, NC.

A Positive Perspective

Guest Post by Len Montgomery and Photo by respres

In these days of gloomy of prognostics, I feel it is important to find and acknowledge as many positive aspects of our economy as possible. In doing so, we can offset the pessimism that seems to follow the mainstream media news. In this spirit I would like to share some of the facts that have been skimmed over, or totally overlooked, concerning North Carolina.

Let me begin with our state’s population. North Carolina saw more newcomers to our state versus loss of residents than any other state. For every 100 people who moved away, we saw 180 people move here according to Relocation.com, a moving services website. Now I do not have the exact numbers of the comings and goings, but it has been a significant enough change that the federal government has announced that North Carolina, along with South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, will each receive an additional seat in the House of Representatives.

A good number of those relocating are buying homes. Our office gets a fair number of client relocation referrals. The typical family relocating will finance their home. That means there will be inspections, repairs, insurance, appraisals and a plethora of other services that may be required in the process to approve a home mortgage. Real estate generates a tremendous cash flow into our local economy over and above the cost of property.

With a growing population, new housing will be a necessity. In fact, just this week, Washington reported that new home starts increased over 22% in February all across the nation, with the exception of the west coast. This is still below last years new home starts, but is a very positive step. New housing is typically followed by new shopping centers filled with grocers, banks, restaurants and merchants of all sorts peddling their wares. And who will work, manage or own these new businesses? Sure, some will be big corporations. But more will be folks right here in our own communities.

With a growing population, new jobs are created. Or is the population growing because of the new jobs? Either way, we acquire a larger tax base to draw from for our state and local governments. Spreading out the tax liability helps to hedge off tax increases.

Many of our local residents have been watching the housing market carefully, waiting for the market to hit bottom and so they can swoop in and take advantage of great opportunities. Well, I don’t have a crystal ball, but I feel confident in saying that the time to act is now. Are homes at the lowest prices we are going to see? I don’t know. But I can promise that by the time we’ve all figured out that we are at the very bottom, home prices will be going back up.

One last observation to share: the glass is half full. That’s right. I said it. Although there are many naysayers among us, every fiber of who I am sees the best for our state. I was at a meeting this week where the keynote speaker kindly informed the group that she has chosen not to participate in the recession. What a novel idea! I have adopted this philosophy myself. We have a choice, we can change our attitudes and we will see a change in our results!



Len Montgomery is a REALTOR for GMAC The REALTY Team in Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem area. Website: www.LenMontgomery.com or call at 336-812-8128.

Job Fair Today Gets A Lot of Traffic -- Still One More Day, Thursday!

Photo copyright Davie Hinshaw/Charlotte Observer

Today it was apparent that there certainly is a need for jobs in the Queen City. Our Charlotte Employment Guide job fair attracted approximately 1,700 people. If you were unable to make it today, we still have added a second day to meet with employers. You can check out that information here or by clicking on the Charlotte Job Fair banner above.

The second day of our event will take place this Thursday, February 19th from 9:00am - 1:00pm at the Hilton Garden Inn on Statesville Rd. I-77 exit 18 off of Harris Blvd.

Here's media coverage that we received for the event today:
Charlotte Observer: Charlotte Job Fair attracts huge lines, or view the Photo Gallery
WBTV: Charlotte Job Fair today
WCNC: Line wraps around building for job fair (Video)
WSOC TV: Unemployed Seeks Scarce Jobs in Charlotte Job Fairs (Video)

Employers who are hiring, we've still got some last minute space available so please feel free to contact us if you'd like to attend Thursday. And if you're a job seeker we suggest that you:

• Come prepared and bring plenty of resumes
• Show up early so that you are sure to make it in to see the recruiters
• And check out more job fair information and advice on our blog
• Prepare a 30-second pitch for recruiters

If for some reason you cannot attend, or would like to send your resume, you can email it to us. Just put Charlotte in the Subject line. We'll give your resume to every employer that attended.

Update 2/18/09: Here are additional helpful news articles.

• WCNC: Recruiter says Dress to Impress at Job Fairs
• DigiTriad: Making Yourself Standout at a Job Fair

Part Time Work is Tougher to Find

The job market is changing. Well, we didn't have to tell you that. But recently the Fort Mill Times reported just how things are changing, particularly restaurants. They asked local restaurant managers about the situation in Fort Mill:

The food industry, typically an area where part-time work is available, has been closing its doors to new workers in recent months.

... Although many food service workers are high school or college age, there has been a recent shift in the types of people applying for part-time work, according to Patel. Many of the applications Subway has received come from people with full-time jobs looking for extra work on the side. Some come from people who have been laid off from corporate offices, Patel said.

This just means that those of you seeking out hourly jobs need to be on your game too.

"What the employers are looking for is the right attitude," Stone said. "Is this person going to be a good fit, or an irritant? If the people at the counter don't care if you're there, they're not going to keep their jobs."

This news isn't so that you will panic but realize that there is some competition out there, even for part-time employment. The story even tells accounts of some places getting up to 4,000 resumes from walk-ins in one day. It just requires a little more effort on the job seeker's part and fine-tuning of your job search strategies.

Read the full article from Fort Mills Times.

Related Stories:

• Recession Recruiting: What to do when the budget is cut
• WCNC: Where to apply for work in Charlotte

- Rosie Reilman, Photo by Bob Jagendorf

Explaining a Layoff to a Recruiter

We all know that there is a recession. Companies are scrambling around to make sure they make it through the tougher times. But what happens if you're unfortunate to be one of the people who are cut?

At first thought you wouldn't think there is much need for explaination - times are tough, people are cutting - but sometimes recruiters want more insight into your particular circumstances. The Wall Street Journal has a great article for how to deal with the, "Why were you laid off from you last job?" question when you're interviewing for your next place of employment. The gist of the article says that job seekers need to skip the details of their departure and keep self-pity and bitterness out of the interview. Focus on how the transition can be a good career move for you and a better, stronger worker.

Check it the full article here: Explaining Your Layoff to a Recruiter

Also, you may want to check out these related articles:
Am I Going to Be Laid Off?
Keeping Your Spirits Up: Dealing with Dissapointment in Your Job Search

Any other recruiters or those who are currently interviewing after a lay off - sound off: let us know of any tips that you have found helpful or not-so-helpful! Email us at ncjobs@employmentguide.com or leave a comment!

- Rosie Reilman

WCNC: Where to Apply for Work in Charlotte

WCNC reports on where to find available jobs.

A slumping economy and you need a job. Experts say in a job market, there are
fields that will be hiring. You just have to be searching in the right way.

Watch the video here.

Charlotte Featured on 60 Minutes

If you didn't get to see the 60 Minutes episode this weekend featuring Bank of America, you can watch the video below and check it out. Despite fears that Charlotte will be one of the cities that will be hit the hardest in the financial crisis, 60 Minutes seems to paint a little stronger picture with Bank of America CEO, Kenneth Lewis, heading up one of the largest banks that is headquartered here in the Queen City. The story focuses on the financial crisis and it's relationship to Charlotte and Bank of America, the government bailout and what the banks intend on doing with the money. (Hat tip CLTBlog.)



Watch CBS Videos Online

Charlotte's Identity and Employment Situation after Wachovia's Sale

Last week a friend of mine sent me this Times Article: Postcard from Charlotte. It paints Charlotte as America's best kept secret. That was last week. This week you'll see talk about crisis at the gas tank and questions raised about the recent sale of Wachovia.

My friends over at CLTBlog have some interesting discussions going on about Charlotte's identity and whether or not it's only a banking city. The Charlotte Business Journal's Erik Spanberg also has a commentary on how quickly things changed. Whether Charlotte's identity is lost because one of it's major banks' downfall, the consensus on this poll at least is that Charlotte will bounce back... That things aren't as dire as maybe they seem right now. Today's ERE Daily also has a great article that suggests that companies are less likely to hire and folks who already have jobs are deciding that now isn't the time to make a job change.

Now, I am no financial analyst or economist... So it's time for you to sound off on your thoughts in general about what's going on in the Queen City. How is the Wachovia Sale effecting your company? Your job search?

Also, check out some 'brazen' tips on how to 'bullet proof' your job during a poor economy.

- Rosie Reilman

Am I Going to Be Laid Off?

These things are really hard to predict. Supposedly we're in recession and this may mean more lay offs, more cut backs on budgets and less spending. So how do you know that you're not going to be the one being cut?

George's Employment Blawg has a post Lay-Offs - Are You Next? (hat tip) that gives some good advice on what to look for to help predict how secure your job is.

So what to look for per George?

• Listen to the company. If they say they’re having financial challenges, believe it!
• Look at raises and bonuses. Are they the same as last year? Are they gone? Are they token “don’t worry” raises and bonuses?
• Watch the ebb and flow of business. If the company runs on contracts, and it lost one or didn’t get the numbers it needed, be wary. Also, if it recently made an acquisition that put it beyond its means, this could spell trouble.
• Beware outsourcing. If the company is now outsourcing a lot of things it used to handle internally (areas like accounting, HR, IT, tend to be hit first), using temp agencies instead of hiring full-time employees, or is considering or has already started sending jobs to India or China, this means it’s having trouble affording its workforce –- which can be a serious sign of trouble.

So then once you determine that your company might be in danger of making lay offs - how do you know you're not personally in danger?

• Are you openly unhappy? Have you been outspoken against company policies or openly complaining?
• Are you expensive? Have you cost the company money or created an inconvenience?
• Are you highly paid?
• Are you getting along with your boss?
• Are you in a bad-luck department? Are you working in a department that was unprofitable or troublesome over the last year for whatever reason?

Read the full article here for more indepth descriptions on the points above.

In somewhat related news, Charlotte's WSOC TV 9 came to our Job Fair last week to interview some of our job seekers about the recession and economic downturn and how it's effected their job search as well. I think what's helpful here is maybe one industry is suffering more than another but some are thriving.

Read the text version or watch the video: 9 Investigates: Some Niches Thriving In Economic Downturn, Jobs Remain Plentiful.

-Rosie Reilman