This isn't really the focus of this forum, but all in all I think it's the appropriate place to post this. While the forum is mainly for people seeking work (as opposed to discussions), I decided it would be appropriate to discuss this in this forum.

I received this email: > Hello Marc,
> In the past 6 to 8 years I have been working for small medical device
> manufacturers and contract manufacturers...I am again..(over 5 losses in the
> past 8 years) unemployed. As a single career mother of two I cannot take it
> much longer. I am presently in Ohio ...as you know very limited for folks
> like me for opportunities. I am looking to move to New Jersey...more active
> in medical device, combination, and pharma...bigger companies etc....
> I am having a hard time...with the state of the world not surprising but...I
> was hoping that I could make more contacts here in this regard...ie my search
> efforts...Can't seem to link people with location...I have a word doc resume,
> cover letter, and references and have been sending them using boards like
> career builder, medzilla, and many others....no luck...one interview- in
> person that is --in New jersey since August.....I am loosing faith and
> hope....Getting very hard to get up every day and keep looking and not getting
> calls....I put in to mid to large size companies...due to my fear of small
> company lack of quality dedication...can you offer me any words of wisdom to
> help me ?...I appreciate your time...
> PS...I can send you any of my docs if you like...

What would your advice be? What would you do? How do you keep your spirits up? Does anyone know of support groups for people like this who are having trouble finding employment?

By the way - I'm obviously posting this to keep the person who wrote it anonymous, however if any of you would like to communicate with this lady you can PM me (http://elsmar.com/Forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=1) or contact me (http://elsmar.com/Forums/sendmessage.php) through the forum.

I'm not joking around with this one.

USAF..........it's an option and it's family oriented (at least more than the other options), includes medical coverage and housing for dependants

Is this person on LinkedIn? It seems to be a good place to network with all kinds of people and companies, and there is a job search function, as well.

As for support groups, does she belong to any kind of professional society (ASQ, ASME, RAPS, etc.)? Local section/chapter meetings may offer some support to a degree. Or maybe her church/synagogue/temple, etc.? These are some of the things that come to mind easily.

I wish her the best of luck in finding a good job to support her and her family. :cfingers:

With conditions being what they are, it's seriously hard to know if there's a problem with her methods or what. When I was on the street I found it helpful to attend Unemployed Professional meetings through the Unemployment Office. But she needs the boost from the group less than she needs to be at work again.

I don't know how old she is or if she can get the support from family, but Randy's suggestion is a good one. In cases like this one I'd start wondering if I was meant to get on another track.

Please send her my best wishes and tell her to think outside the box.

One piece of advice: Looking for a Job is a Full-time Job.

The day-to-day routines should not change. Getting up at the same time everyday, just as if she was going to work, should be the driving force. Currently the job market is kinda bare. She needs to focus on networking, to include any Suppliers that she has dealt with, in her career. Contact friends and associates, and have them help her network.

It may take some sacrifice, but she may want to consider looking at the smaller companies. Then continue her job search. It is easier to find a job when you have a job.

Be prepared for a long time seeking. It can take up to a year or more, or even could happen during an interview.

Contact Recruiters, and Temporary Agencies. They can help a lot for the most part. She may even have to look at a different career, outside of Quality and the Medical Device arena.

It is not easy work to find a job, it needs dedication, effort, and perseverance. It won't happen overnight.

Just my humble opinion.

It may take some sacrifice, but she may want to consider looking at the smaller companies. That's what I was thinking. Or even considering other fields. My lady friend's husband died about 5 years ago and she hadn't worked in about 25 to 30 years. She took a low paying job as a medical receptionist and since then has worked her way up a bit into billing and financial aspects of a large practice (she's in her mid-50's and I call he 'grandma' when I want to tease her {she doesn't have any grand kids yet}). And I won't discount Randy's USAF idea. I might consider the Navy, too, but personally the Marines and Army are No-Nos to me.

And I won't discount Randy's USAF idea.

I wouldn't discount it, either, but the last time I checked they had age restrictions. When I was younger and was a single mom of a barely toddling child, this was something I considered briefly. However, the age limit at the time was lower than it is now (I think) and I was a little over the limit. So I ended up going into a completely different direction from my previous experience (which was Quality Assurance), and I've been in quality ever since.

I believe that even non-ASQ members can access their career center at http://careers.asq.org/search.cfm Besides searching for jobs, if I am not mistaken, they can post their resume (http://careers.asq.org/apply/advertise.cfm), as well. The current jobs in OH are listed @ http://careers.asq.org/search/results/?job_state=OH&ss=0&sec=browse

By State/Province

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Best of luck, in these difficult times.

I was downsized back in 2001 in central Ohio. I was fortunate that my company paid for an outplacement service that I found extremely valuable.

I was also able to find a support group that operated out of Dublin, OH (a NW suburb of Columbus). If this is within range, I can probably locate the name and phone number of the guy that ran the group.

Note that this was more than people commiserating with each other. The guy running it providing training each week in different topics such as interviewing skills, how to write an effective resume, how to dress, how to answer the hard questions, considering career changes, etc.

The support group now has a Yahoo Discussion Group. Here is a link (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/st_joseph_league_oh/summary) with contact info at the bottom.

I would also advise them to read all of the great threads that Wes has started for us with how to find a job information, if they haven't read them already.

If she would consider living in Indiana, Zimmer & Biomet in Warsaw, IN are hiring; I'm not sure about DePuy (Johnson & Johnson).

I've got to throw in my two cents based on my experience.

I can't help but notice that this person is specifically stating "medical devices" and I have to ask why this person is limiting themself to this area. I am thinking back to one of the times when my world fell apart. I remember the cold manner in which my vocational rehabilitation counselor looked across her desk and told me, "Howard, jobs in quality control are not falling out of trees in the SC Lowcountry. You might have to do something else."

I had to come to terms with the fact that my job title was not my identity. (This was a bigger problem for me than I had realized.) With this done I could assess what I could do and what I would do and then compare it to what was available where I was in the world. This done I began to explore what I needed to do to make myself marketable where I was or where I could go where what I had would be marketable.

I could go on and on but the point I want to make is that the only thing a person has any hope of changing is themselves. If what the individual is doing does not work then the individual needs to do something different.

Sorry I couldn't cite resources, but I am seriously considering what I will do if my current job tanks and my alternatives are very, very different from what I am doing now,

During my daily review of my career search e-mails I found this article that directly links this feild with the individuals concerns...Here is the link to the article...http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?NewsEntityId=122828

Sometimes we all need to voice our concerns and just need ears to hear but those who know something about the area we are in...
networking seems to be the area this person is looking to increase...
Thanks to all those who respond...it will give ears ...
:agree:

She can look at trades shows in the area and attend for possible leads, most of the time it's free. Side note for SoCal folks, there's the MDM West ( mdmwest.com, westpackshow.com, atxwest.com, electronicswestshow.com, plastecwest.com) & other mfg expositions coming up second week of Feb at the Anaheim convention center with many possible leads..She might also considered an "intern" - no pay position some companies are looking for, this would keep her skills sharp and you never know if an opening comes up. I did that in the early 90's to be able to get a full time job at the same company two months later. Please send her our best Marc!

There have been many great ideas but I wanted to add my :2cents:.

In regards to military service, the limitation on age is enlisted (or commisioned) by 38 years old unless you are a doctor, nurse or lawyer. Other exemptions are possible but not many.

If she is interested in staying with med device, she should spend a lot of time on their websites completing on line applications and following up on new postings. Johnson and Johnson has new postings everyday which include (DePuy, Mitec, Ethicon, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Cincinnati, OH), ASP, OCD, and more). The same is true for Covidien (formerly US Surgical).

It is hard to provide good advice without knowing the whole situation. Some areas of question are:

Education?
Experience?
Specialty?

Keeping a positive attitude is half the battle. It can be hard, but a prospective employer can pick up on lack of confidence. In this market, only the strongest survive.

Perhaps some counseling or soul searching is in order to understand the total situation. Once you understand the situation, you are better prepared to take action to drive change.

I don't know if she is in "Quality " work but Q.C. Inspection Services has always been good to me.
Dan Medford - President
QCIS – Training Division
"We are Quality"
800-959-0632 toll free
952-895-1150 phone
952-895-1152 fax
dmedford@qcinspect.com
www.qcinspect.com
I am not affiliated with this company, but they have found me very good jobs. Good Luck.

In the search for a job I have found INdeed.com as a search engine one of the most complete in potential positions. Some of the matches to the key words entered might help identify possabilities that you never though of.
:2cents:

The only advice(s) I can give (from personal experience):

- do not limit to one field only. The one thing I like most about my work is that quality is the same being papercups or aircrafts. The same concepts apply. The same way QMS is. O/c there are differences in standards, methodologies, etc but the basic is the same. In 21 yrs of workk I touched: foundries, composite materials, heat treating, metal forming, etc.

- as someone said do not change your daily routine. Looking for a job could be more time consuming and challenging (in a good way) than it appears.

- network to extreme. You never know.

That being said I wish you good luck.