Beatrice Said:

Is working for employment agencies a catch 22?

We Answered:

I was a recruiter in technology for 10 years and worked with Silicon Valley [start-up] and $30m companies as well as 5 Fortune 500 firms nation-wide [just to give you the qualifications of my opinion].

The first advice you received to work temp. jobs was good advice.

Typically [when the economy hasn't bled 3.5 million jobs in the last 9 mos.] it would give you exposure to companies and they would have a chance to 'try you' [temp.] before they 'buy you' [ a perm job]. It is very typical of firms to use more temp help & contractors during down economic times b/c even though the upfront cost is higher, long-term costs like insurance, medical, dental & pensions considerations remove long-term obligations off the corporations balance sheet [hence 'outsourcing, 'right'-sizing', layoffs and all of the other lousy terms for getting cheaper labor to cut the expenses to their 'bottom line' = $profits.]

That all being said, it may be more difficult to land a 'perm' job for the next 12-24 months [until the end of 2010] as a result of a global contraction caused by banks globally being duped into buying 15 times more 'junk' assets than the world produced [$35 trillion global GDP / $490 Trillion worth of 'bad debt' outstanding] [See F.I.A.S.C.O. - by Frank Partnoy, "Fools Gold" by Gillian Tett].

As to the recruiters calling you back and saying you look 'unstable' on paper, I would simply make a note under your 'objectives' that you have worked temporary or contract assignments as a result of the difficulty in securing a permanent job in this massive global downturn. [it will make you look smarter and them acknowledge what every HR person and manager already knows - it has been a 'tough economy' and the recruiters who are telling you that you look 'unstable' on paper are 'newbies'. Few people are going to leave a long-standing job with relationships and tenure in this job environment and be the 'last-in' and 'first-out' [due to less tenure or established relationships in a new co. if layoffs come about].

Recruiting is typically a 'straight commission' job unless doing temp recruiting and the turnover is high as a result [1 in 10 make it more than a year unless they have a spouse working and their commission is just a 'bonus' for their situation if they gets paid. I worked with many house wives and single people over the years who had mom & dad or a spouse supporting them in this postion in Life Insurance Sales, Real Estate as well as the Recruiting Field.

I was one of the FEW who HAD to perform to survive to support a family on a single income, my wife and I chose for her to stay home and raise our child for a decade.

Keep getting whatever you can get, be glad you have the skills to get even temp work and register at as many agencies as you can so that your opportunities and offers are coming from different sources [often a company will have 5-10 agencies working on the same job placement, so don't be surprised if you get several calls for the same job]. If you have accounting skills as well as project management skills
there is always a shortage of accounting people with ongoing ads in Working World [workingworld.com] for the last decade [although companies hiring may have slowed as their clients needs have shrunk by 30-50%] across-the-board.

THAT is HOW IT IS... [keep your 'chin up', pray and keep 'up' for interviews, confidence always 'sells' and ask for each job at the end and tell them you want the job - EVERY TIME and WHY you want to work there [get info from their Web Site and 'nail it'. Learn to cope with 20-25% current [REAL] unemployment and try not to get discouraged because your goals are being blocked. There are a LOT of people in the same boat [who you are competing against].

Also, a good refuge is going back to school to further your education.

Once financial aid opens up a bit more again, we are going to have a generation of some really educated people who come out of school with more Masters degrees and Bachelors Degrees that are more 'functional' and 'hard skills' than ever before. Think in terms of "what isn't going away" [old people/Baby Boomers - Nursing/Home Health care = Admin for hospitals, medical providers/insurers etc.

Dorothy Said:

Need to know about NTI work at homeprograms?

We Answered:

NTI is as far as I know only of about 3 legitimate work at home firms. I know only a few things about them, the work is very fast-paced, you are paid on the basis of how quickly you work, you will not keep your employment if you cannot maintain a regular work schedule and a high level of performance. You must a landline phone and a quiet environment to work in.

I know people who love working for them and others who hate it. If you need flexibility, this is not for you. This is work-at-home, but you clock in hours just like you were going to an office.

Florence Said:

Pregnant and Need to Work From Home?

We Answered:

Aww. Joe, you sound like such a sweet and supportive husband!!

But, I heard about that company on a blog when I was pregnant. It’s actual a legitimate! They’ve got a TON of job categories and a TON of jobs available. I actually apply for a bunch.. Tried a few until I found the one that worked for me. The customer service is actually really good for a web business. I was pregnant and hormonal and had a ton of questions.. But they were always sweet and fast to respond. So, now I’m a paid author online. My min. payment is a guaranteed $1000 a month, but I get more for every article I write and how many ppl read them. It’s really helped my family tremendously! It’s a good company.

Rodney Said:

I'm trying to find a way to work from home that is for real and doesn't require I use my credit card

We Answered:

If you don't want to go into a home based business and make more than that, there are a few places out there that you can apply for the position. What is your work experience other than Data Entry? How many WPM can you do? You won't be making 12 an hour at a home job. They start you out at minimum wage. If you think you can qualify for a position, there's an article that you can take a look at on home based jobs with a couple companies that you can apply for, if you qualify for.