Hired!. Getting a job in the auto industry.

The automobile industry has been rocked by layoffs, but Margaret McManus still managed to snag a job.

For the average American auto worker, these are desperate times. During the first four months of the year there were over 101,000 job cuts announced in the auto industry, according to the latest data available from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
The sector took another major blow when General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) announced plans to cut 23,000 jobs by 2011 and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy last week.

But McManus, 52, is just one of the people being put to work in West Point, Ga., home to Daehan Solutions Georgia, a new parts supplier for Kia Motor's first North American automobile assembly plant. Like McManus, most of the people hired by Kia and its suppliers do not have automotive experience, but were unemployed workers in the textile industry, which has been particularly hard hit in Georgia.

McManus was laid off in February of last year when the textile manufacturer she was working for closed down. With so many residents out of work and the local industry declining, new jobs were hard to come by. While collecting unemployment benefits, McManus decided to go back to school at Southern Union State Community College in Valley, Ala., to study information technology in hopes of finding administrative work.

Then, in April, she attended a job fair and interviewed with Daehan Solutions. The company sent her to a training session at Georgia Tech and she was offered a position as a trainer for the other workers making the noise, vibration and harshness (or NVH) system for Kia. She started the next day. Although working at in the automotive industry is unlike anything McManus has done before, "I think I'm going to like it," she said. Ultimately, she is happy to be employed again.
"Until you go through something like that you don't realize what kind of struggle it's going to be," McManus said of her year and a half out of work.

Her husband of 33 years was laid off from the same textile manufacturer and is currently working full time at Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500). "Things are looking up now."
Beating the odds John Weiss, owner of Atlanta Resume Service in Atlanta, Ga., believes other job seekers can also find opportunities around West Point. "That's going to be a very good area to be looking for a job," he said. And, like McManus, they don't have to have previous experience in the automotive industry to find success. "They have to train people for the right jobs as well as find people with experience."

"Job fairs are a great place to start," he said. But it is extremely important to make the appropriate impression, he cautioned, and that means wearing professional attire and having a polished resume. "If there is a job fair, then people are hiring," he said. West Point's Mayor, Drew Ferguson, estimates that the opportunities at the assembly plant, auto suppliers and in the surrounding city can bring about 20,000 jobs to the area.

Between retail positions, restaurant workers and other opportunities, Ferguson believes that the impact could be great. "We do have this opportunity which is right in front of us, people are becoming employed," he said

I Found My Job On Twitter

Forget the classifieds, these days unemployed workers are finding more job opportunities through social networking sites.

Not even. In the worst job market in 25 years, building an online presence is crucial to getting a job. Who you connect to, "follow" and "friend" can be just as important as conventional tools like résumés.
"Not only are employers looking for better candidates, but ones that are well versed in social media and seeking out opportunities," said social media expert and president of Affect Strategies Sandra Fathi. "These mediums are here to stay and also a great way to differentiate yourself."
Not only are valuable connections forged with potential employers and colleagues on sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn, but openings are also posted there, sometimes in lieu of job boards.

Making the right connections
LinkedIn, which has over 40 million users, is geared specifically toward professional networking. Expansive networks are built by posting a profile which acts as an online résumé, making connections and getting references from your connections that potential employers can view.
For Barbara Maldonado, LinkedIn was the gateway to a great opportunity. Maldonado, 32, participated in a professional group on the site for "Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators." Another member of the group posted a question and liked Maldonado's response. From then on they kept in contact.

"When I updated my status that I had been laid off, he referred me for a position that was open at his company, which is where I work now," she said of her current marketing position at the firm in a suburb of Chicago. "Without actively participating in that discussion, I would not have made the contact for the job."

Other sites like Twitter and Facebook, while popular among teens and young adults, have also been embraced by professional communities. Friends on Facebook typically share status updates, pictures and video. Twitter limits exchanges between people, also known as followers, to messages of only 140 characters.

If it weren't for Jen Harris' followers on Twitter, she would not have been notified of another job opportunity, only moments after getting laid off from Idaho-based MPC computers in October.
As Harris packed up her desk she sent out a tweet that read: "just been laid off from MPC."
"By the time I left the parking lot, I had a job offer from a friend that had a Web development company in town," she said.

First dibs on job openings
But job seekers don't have to rely solely on others for information about possible job openings. There are a variety of services associated with social networking sites to help too, like TweetMyJobs, which sends out automatic updates of new openings in a specific field and region sent to your cell phone or by Twitter. If you fan a company on Facebook or follow internal hiring managers on Twitter, you might be the first to find out about job openings at the employer of your choice.

When the Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick was looking to hire a junior Web developer, the digital strategy manager, Greg Swan, sent a 136-character tweet to over 2,000 followers which read: "Weber Shandwick Minneapolis looking for mid-level html developer and PSD slicer. Plus you get to work with me. DM or @ me for more info.

" Doug Hamlin, 23, landed the job after responding with his résumé and information. Job seekers can also seek out and follow professional recruiters, like Shane Bernstein, to get first dibs on job opportunities.

GM notifies 1,100 of its dealers that they are out

General Motors notified 1,100 of its 6,000 dealerships today that the automaker is terminating their contracts, the first step in an even deeper 40 percent cut in its retail network. A GM spokeswoman said the dealers are being told their contracts will not be renewed in October 2010, CNNMoney reports.

Read More: http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/15/news/companies/gm_dealers/index.htm?postversion=2009051509

See which dealerships got the pink slip

It is official, Chysler closing 789 dealerships

Troubled automaker tells court it wants to shutter about a quarter of its dealers.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Chrysler LLC will close down 789 dealerships, or roughly 25% of the current number, according to a plan filed in bankruptcy court Thursday.
Chrysler had a total of 3,181 authorized dealers in operation at the time of its April 30 bankruptcy court filing, according to court filings. Just over half of that number accounted for more than 90% of Chrysler sales, according to the filing.
Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler does not believe closing these dealerships will adversely affect sales.
"After a period of time, and substantially improved marketing and investments, overall sales in the reduced network are anticipated to grow beyond current sales levels within the existing network," the carmaker said in its filing.
Chrysler's plans to close the dealerships must still be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Arthur Gonzalez, who is overseeing the government-led restructuring of the company.
The Obama administration, which has pumped more than $7.2 billion into the tottering automaker, has said it hopes the move Chrysler through bankruptcy quickly by creating a shell company that will be owned by a combination of the government, the United Auto Workers union and Italian carmaker Fiat.
In assessing Chrysler's viability, the Treasury Department found the automaker could not survive as a stand-alone company. Chrysler had already been in discussions with Fiat about a partnership. The current plan calls for Fiat to assist Chrysler by providing engineering for small and midsized cars.
General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) has said it wants to cut 42% of its dealership base to 3,600 by next year. Fritz Henderson, the GM chief executive, said on Monday that it would soon start notifying dealers as soon as this week.
For the automakers, closing dealerships is a tricky business. For one, Chrysler and GM won't save substantial amounts of money by closing dealerships, which are independently owned businesses.
At the same time, both GM and Chrysler have no choice but to greatly reduce their dealerships ranks, which have grown far larger than sales demand requires. The goal is a leaner, more profitable, network of sellers.
In ordinary circumstances, automakers' efforts to close dealerships have been stymied by state laws that protect franchisees. Bankruptcy court judges, however, can override such laws.

Salary Negotiation

Do… *

Respond to the question positively without stating specific amounts. (Examples: “I’m earning in the low 30s.” “As a student, my jobs to this point have been geared toward gaining experience and making money to cover my educational costs.”)

* Mention your desired salary, either saying that salary is negotiable depending upon the position or giving a $3-5,000 range (if you know the market value for the position and for someone with your skills and background). You may also use terms like “competitive” or “open” if you are responding to this question on an application form.

* Know your salary requirements as well as what you hope to make. You shouldn’t mention these in your response to the salary history question, but you need to give this some thought for when you get to the negotiating stage.

* Be prepared to respond to a request for previous salaries in an interview. It can be handled by responding without stating specific amounts. Avoid specific amounts if at all possible.

* Prepare a list of your positions (in reverse chronological order) for your own reference and just in case an employer in which you are very interested is absolutely adamant. (This will not happen often!) The list should include name of each company or organization, your position title, your compensation, and a brief synopsis of your position.

* Research Salaries in Your Field: Look at recent salary surveys, talk to others working in your field, and contact your trade or professional association to find out what other people are paid for doing the same work.

* Be Flexible: When going through a salary negotiation you aren't likely to get the exact amount of money you want. You will probably have to compromise. The trick is to figure out how much you are willing to compromise and what you will do if your boss doesn't offer you a salary you find acceptable.

Don't...

* Include your salary history on your resume. What you did in a job is much more important than what you were paid

* Look at How Much Money Your Friends in Other Fields Are Making: You may be envious of your friends who are earning more money than you are. If they aren't working in the same field you shouldn't make those comparisons.

* Talk About How Much Money You Need: When you are going through salary negotiations, don't tell your boss (or future boss) that you need to make more money because your bills are high, your house was expensive, or your child is starting college.

How To Answer 10 Tough Interview Questions

There's no worse feeling than when you're in an interview and the interviewer asks you a question to which you don't know the answer. The best way to handle this dreaded debacle is to go into the interview prepared. Familiarize yourself with a few common difficult questions and arm yourself with answers prepared ahead of time.

Check out these tough interview questions and some suggested responses in order to avoid an interview disaster:

Tough question No. 1: "Tell me about yourself."

This is usually the opening question in an interview and it's the perfect moment for you to toot your own horn -- not to tell your life history. Your answers should be a quick rundown of your qualifications and experience. Talk about your education, work history, recent career experience and future goals.
Suggested answer: "I graduated from University X and since then, I have been working in public relations with an agency where I have generated millions of PR hits for my clients. While I've enjoyed working on the agency side, I'm looking to expand my horizons and start doing PR for corporate companies such as this one."

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Tough question No. 2: "Why did you leave your last job?"

This is your chance to talk about your experience and your career goals, not to badmouth a former boss or give a laundry list of reasons for your exit. Instead, focus on what you learned in your previous position and how you are ready to use those skills in a new position.
Suggested answer: "The company just wasn't a good fit for my creativity, but I learned that organizations have distinct personalities just like people do. Now I know where I'll be a better fit."\

Tough question No. 3: "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Let the employer know that you're stable and you want to be with this company for the long haul. Keep your aspirations to take over the firm with which you are interviewing, own your own company, retire at 40 or be married with five children to yourself.
Suggested answer: "I want to secure a civil engineering position with a national firm that concentrates on retail development. Ideally, I would like to work for a young company, such as this one, so I can get in on the ground floor and take advantage of all the opportunities a growing firm has to offer."

Tough question No. 4: "What are your weaknesses?"

The key to answering this age-old question is not to respond literally. Your future employer most likely won't care if your weak spot is that you can't cook, nor do they want to hear the generic responses, like you're "too detail oriented" or "work too hard."
Respond to this query by identifying areas in your work where you can improve and figure out how they can be assets to a future employer. If you didn't have the opportunity to develop certain skills at your previous job, explain how eager you are to gain that skill in a new position.
Suggested answer: "In my last position, I wasn't able to develop my public-speaking skills. I'd really like to be able to work in a place that will help me get better at giving presentations and talking in front of others."

Tough question No. 5: "Why were you laid off?"

This question will become more common as the economy continues to slow down. It's a tough question, however, especially because many workers aren't told exactly why they were laid off. The best way to tackle this question is to answer as honestly as possible.
Suggested answer: "As I'm sure you're aware, the economy is tough right now and my company felt the effects of it. I was part of a large staff reduction and that's really all I know. I am confident, however, that it had nothing to do with my job performance, as exemplified by my accomplishments. For example..."

Tough question No. 6: "Tell me about the worst boss you ever had."

Never, ever talk badly about your past bosses. A potential boss will anticipate that you'll talk about him or her in the same manner somewhere down the line.
Suggested answer: "While none of my past bosses were awful, there are some who taught me more than others did. I've definitely learned what types of management styles I work with the best."

Tough question No. 7: "How would others describe you?"

You should always be asking for feedback from your colleagues and supervisors in order to gauge your performance; this way, you can honestly answer the question based on their comments. Keep track of the feedback to be able to give to an employer, if asked. Doing so will also help you identify strengths and weaknesses.
Suggested answer: "My former colleagues have said that I'm easy to do business with and that I always hit the ground running with new projects. I have more specific feedback with me, if you'd like to take a look at it."

Tough question No. 8: "What can you offer me that another person can't?"

This is when you talk about your record of getting things done. Go into specifics from your résumé and portfolio; show an employer your value and how you'd be an asset.
Suggested answer: "I'm the best person for the job. I know there are other candidates who could fill this position, but my passion for excellence sets me apart from the pack. I am committed to always producing the best results. For example..."

Tough question No. 9: "If you could choose any company to work for, where would you go?"

Never say that you would choose any company other than the one where you are interviewing. Talk about the job and the company for which you are being interviewed.
Suggested answer: "I wouldn't have applied for this position if I didn't sincerely want to work with your organization." Continue with specific examples of why you respect the company with which you are interviewing and why you'll be a good fit.

Tough question No. 10: "Would you be willing to take a salary cut?"

Salary is a delicate topic. In today's tough economy though, how much a company can afford to pay you might be the deal breaker in whether or not you are offered a position.
Suggested answer: "I'm making $X now. I understand that the salary range for this position is $XX - $XX. Like most people, I would like to improve on my salary, but I'm more interested in the job itself than the money. I would be open to negotiating a lower starting salary but would hope that we can revisit the subject in a few months after I've proved myself to you."

You Can Take My Job, But Not My Joy (Article 2)

So you waited countless hours in line at the unemployment office and finally got everything taken care of. So what is next for you, yes many people plan on going back to school or maybe picking up a new hobby. Before you go registering for that new class or spend time on that new and exciting hobby that you found.

You can spend hours on the computer looking for a new job on numerous job boards. Buying newspapers and looking through the want ads, the bible says in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous; and all these things shall be added unto you". So that means I must seek God first before anything is to happen. If you are not putting in anytime with God, how do you expect for God to open up that next job for you. I have learned that it doesn't matter how good your resume is or how many degrees you might have. We must put God first before anything in are life, yes that means your family, wife, husband, children and jobs.

Psalms 24:1 says,"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. So pretty much that means everything in the world belongs to the LORD OUR GOD. Your wife, husband, children, car, house and even that job you might have, or the one that you lost.