Strategies to Help Offset Diminishing Job and Income Security

With company downsizing and employee layoffs still looming at many companies, there’s no time like the present to act on strategies that can help prop up your current or future job and income security. To explore these CBS MoneyWatch.com strategies, click here.

Ways to Earn $100 a Month

In this struggling economy, more workers are finding it necessary to take on a second job in order to make ends meet. If you are looking to supplement your income, check out this list of 18 ways to earn $100 a month:

1. Artist


2. Bartending


3. Blackjack Dealer


4. Bookseller


5. Coach


6. Crafting


7. Freelance Writer


8. Music Lessons


9. Odd Jobs


10. Organizers


11. Referee


12. Pet Sitter


13. Seamstress


14. Survey Taker


15. Teaching Online


16. Text Researcher


17. Wait Staff


18. Web Site Design

Click here to access the full article from msn.com, which provides additional information and links to help you pursue the income opportunities listed above.

Job Searching Tips for Older Workers

“At least one in four older Americans are either postponing their retirement or seeking to return to the workforce, while 4 in 10 employers have designed programs to encourage late-career workers to stay past their traditional retirement age,” according to Art Koff, founder of RetiredBrains.com, a job and information source for retirees and those planning their retirement. Job searching later in life can be a difficult task, but Art offers these 6 helpful suggestions that can assist seniors with their employment search.

• Register with temp firms in your local area. Many temporary jobs turn out to be permanent.
  
• Try to get an interview with an employer you are not interested in working for to practice your interviewing skills. You don't want to go to your first interview in a long time with the employer you are really interested in working for and make easily correctable mistakes.
  
• Consider having your resume re-written or updated by an expert as the resume you used years ago is no longer appropriate.
  
• Put your resume up on those job boards that connect job seekers with employers seeking to hire them.
  
• Look for temporary or project assignments as they are much more available than full-time jobs.
  
• When applying for a job, tell the employer you are willing to work on a project or on a temporary basis. This often gives you a leg up on workers who are often unable to accept this kind of employment. Temporary employment can often lead to full-time work.

Clothing, Transportation Assistance for Job Seekers

Maintaining a professional appearance is one of the keys to making a good first impression at any job interview. Individuals who are unable to afford professional attire have the option of receiving assistance from one of several nonprofit organizations. Dress for Success, an international organization with nearly 100 chapters/affiliates, provides professional attire to women seeking employment. Each client receives one interview suit; additional clothing is provided when employment is secured. Men in need of business attire for interviews can receive assistance from Career Gear, an organization with affiliates in five states. State- and locally-based organizations such as The Career Wardrobe (Philadelphia) and Clothes That Work (Ohio) provide similar clothing services to job seekers in their areas, and the Salvation Army sponsors many local programs and events, such as this event in Phoenix, designed to help job seekers obtain the clothing needed to attend interviews.

Lack of transportation is another common obstacle for job seekers. Individuals who do not have a reliable form of transportation can benefit from the services offered by nonprofits such as Opportunity Cars, which helps individuals acquire an automobile to be used for finding and retaining employment. Similar programs include Goodwill’s Wheels-to-Work, a program that coordinates the efforts of local organizations to help individuals purchase low-cost cars. Other local organizations, such as The Saguaro Foundation in Arizona, offer job seekers free transportation to and from interviews.

If you are a job seeker in need of clothing or transportation, contact one of the national organizations listed above to receive information on how to apply for assistance.

Maintaining Self-Confidence During Your Career Transition

The stress of recently losing your job can at times be overwhelming. You may have feelings of grief, despair, and anger. As difficult as times may be, view this as an opportunity to reexamine your skills and see how they can apply to other occupations. Keeping a positive attitude and maintaining your self-esteem are important at this time. Professional social worker, Karen Rowinsky, provides these suggestions for keeping up your self-confidence.

• Expect and accept negative feelings
• Form a board of advisors
• Change negative thoughts into positive affirmations
• Take advantage of your time off

For more insight into these suggestions and additional tips on maintaining your self-confidence as you continue your job search, read Ms. Rowinsky’s article.

Volunteering Your Way to a New Career

While volunteering for an organization is generally considered an altruistic gesture, it is also a valuable learning experience that can lead to different career opportunities. Steve Vetter’s friends thought he was losing two years of his life by volunteering with the Peace Corps after he graduated from college in 1966. His training with the Corps led to a satisfying career in international development. He’s now president and chief executive of a group that connects U.S. residents with people throughout Latin America on projects such as agricultural development and youth programs. "About 12 percent to 15 percent of professional jobs are in the nonprofit sector," Vetter said. "Almost all the people who work in those jobs began as volunteers. It's like baseball's farm team system. You can check out an employer and they can check you out."

To see how others have advanced their careers through volunteerism, read this interesting article from The Washington Post. You can also visit VolunteerMatch, an online database that pairs volunteers and nonprofits.

Recession-Proof Industries

We are in difficult economic times, but there still are many opportunities available in the job market. Whether you are currently out of work, or looking to make a career change, look to these recession-proof industries as possibilities for future employment.

Gaining Valuable Experience Through Apprenticeship Programs

Apprenticeships provide paid on-the-job training in more than 1,000 career fields. Offered in addition to classroom learning, apprenticeships are a great way to get a feel for the field you’ve been studying, while earning money and oftentimes, college credit. Apprenticeships can be valuable to both current students without any work experience and to those already in the workforce looking to change career paths. Possible careers range from electrician and plumber, to fire medic, chef, law enforcement agent, and over-the-road truck driver.

Career Voyages.gov, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Education, offers information on what to do once you’ve narrowed your field of choices down and how to obtain an apprenticeship in your location.

If you’re worried about working full time on top of taking a full-load of classes, don’t be. Many apprenticeships offer flexible scheduling of in-the-class learning and on-the-job training, varying by industry, educational institute, and employer. The average length of an apprenticeship is four years; however, depending on the field, apprenticeships can last as long as six years. An apprenticeship should be considered an investment in experience which can set you apart from the rest of the field when applying for positions with potential employers.

Visit the U.S. Department of Labor and Registered Apprentice sites for more information on apprenticeships.

Affordable Schooling Allows Job Seekers to Chase Their Dreams

For some job seekers, making the decision to transition to a new career will involve a return to school. Programs created via federal stimulus money have made going back to school--whether that be a community college, university, or other specialized training program--an affordable option for many. One example of stimulus money in action can be seen in Michigan’s No Worker Left Behind initiative, which provides qualified individuals with up to two tuition-free years at any community college or university in the state. Similar programs are popping up at colleges throughout the country. At Lorain County Community College in Ohio, the “Make Your Lay Off Pay Off” program offers individuals the opportunity to enroll in tuition-free continuing education classes, college credit classes, and job training workshops. Rebound, a program recently implemented by South Suburban College in Illinois, provides tuition-free classes to help train dislocated workers for in-demand occupations such as pharmacy technician, teacher’s aide, and computer technician. While the focus is often on the negative consequences of the struggling economy, job seekers and dislocated workers have discovered the silver lining--the chance to explore a new career and chase their dreams by going back to school. Check out this article for a list of other colleges offering free or reduced tuition programs.

Self Assessment, the Key to Successful Career Planning

The self assessment process is an integral part of career planning whether you are embarking on your first career or preparing to transition from one occupation to another. A self assessment of your values, interests, personality, and skills can help guide you to a more fulfilling career. Career planning professional, Dawn Rosenburg McKay, stresses the importance of a values inventory. “Your values are possibly the most important thing to consider when you're choosing an occupation. If you don't take your values into account when planning your career, there's a good chance you'll dislike your work and therefore not succeed in it.” Visit this site for more helpful information from Dawn on the self assessment process.

Un-Retirement: Renewing Your Career After Retirement

It’s never too late to transition to a new career or to follow your passion. A recent survey showed that some 9.5 million retirees are currently considering re-entering the workforce. Some retirees are headed back to work to secure extra income, while others are simply looking to fill their time.

If you are one of the retirees considering a return to the workforce, there is reason to feel optimistic about your job search. In addition to the valuable resources you’ll find in Career Transitions, there are numerous job sites that specifically target retirees and the over 50 professional. There are also programs designed to assist retirees, such as AARP’s National Employer Team, which consists of over 40 companies that actively recruit mature workers. Retirees and mature workers in a lower income bracket can receive assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides work-based training at non-profit and public facilities, including schools and hospitals.

While the idea of un-retirement may be daunting for some, it is important to keep in mind that your skills and experience are incredibly valuable assets!

To help narrow your job search, be sure to check out this list of the top 20 retirement jobs and industries.