Being optimistic about job growth nowadays is just about impossible. Almost 17 million jobs would be needed to bring the unemployment rate down to 5 percent. That's not likely to happen anytime soon, which is a sobering prospect to ponder.
However, if you are a person who is looking for work, remember, you don't need 17 million jobs to be created. You just need one employer willing to provide you with one opportunity. Talent, strong work ethics and the ability to adapt quickly are still valued by smart, worthy employers.
If you are lucky enough to get a job interview, realize that employers do not have to settle for just one or two of the aforementioned traits. The competition is fierce and a sharp portfolio or well-tailored suit alone won't do the trick. Bring your integrity, your experience and confidence to the table. Ask intelligent, thoughtful questions that show you can think outside of the box but still be respectful of certain workplace traditions. Don't be afraid to show some personality, but don't raise any red flags with it either. If you're older, target employers or industries known to value experienced workers. Seasoned professionals shouldn't waste their time on companies only looking to cut corners by hiring unqualified, inexperienced and cheap labor. It will frustrate you to no end.
On this Labor Day, I extend my best wishes to all of those former workers looking, hoping and praying to get back in the game. I hope part-timers can go full-time soon. I hope college graduates will be given a chance to use what they invested a lot of time and money to learn. I hope mid-career professionals who are bagging groceries to get by can find work that is more suitable to their talents. And I hope the elderly who are still able and in need of work will be permitted to do so with some sense of dignity and job security.
We're all in this together. Millions of us. Some have lost jobs already. Some are under constant fear of being laid off.
There are many flag-waving, gun-toting politicians who say they are focused on jobs and country, but their records and agendas tell a very different story. It's a story worth following.
On this Labor Day, we in the middle class should commit ourselves to getting rid of the false patriots and self-serving nuts who are driving us off a cliff. We may never get 17 million jobs back, but we can turn off the Rush Limbaugh show and think for ourselves. We can elect officials who are in our corner and finally put to rest this myth that if we keep catering to the wealthy that somehow that will create jobs.
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