Upsides to the Down Economy/ There's No Wiggle Room in this Tight Economy

A recent study showed 73 percent of almost 30,000 potential employers have no plans to hire new workers and other companies are still cutting jobs. January has been a particularly cruel month- with the highest cut in positions in the last five months. What does this mean for people looking for work? Potential employees are agreeing to concessions they wouldn't have dreamed of before, such as long hours, commuting and working nights and weekends. During interviews job candidates are advised not to bring up routine questions regarding: flexibility, vacation time or job hours, lest they risk losing a shot at the job. And the longer a person has been out of work, the more willing they are to put up with less than ideal conditions. I called my friend, the lawyer seeking a part time job, to tell her about the article. On both of the interviews she had been on, she asked if the hours she worked could be more flexible to accommodate picking her daughter up and playing tennis. This kind of inquiry is a major red flag for employers and should be avoided at all costs. It could also explain why, despite her fine qualifications, she was not called back for a second interview. Get your foot in the door, get hired and once you're there a while, then you can explore your wiggle room. In the meantime, my friend went to a Legal Eagles meeting, of high school alumni who are lawyers. She has decided to get certified to become a foreclosure mediator. There are not enough in South Florida as it is now and a new law (starting March 1st) requires banks to mediate with owners re: their foreclosed houses. She will be certified by the end of March- perfect timing. In the meantime, she is freelancing editing work and tutoring for Spanish (a listing she found on Craigslist) to make ends meet. The mediation work is flexible and pays well, which is exactly what she needs. So, another word of advice for job-seekers is Networking. By going to this meeting, she talked to people and came up with this brilliant idea for a career. Just remember, with this tight economy, there is no wiggle room in interviews. Get in first, wiggle later.