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July 9, 2011

Just ask Janet

Janet Gregg Jacksonville Daily Progress The Jacksonville Daily Progress Sat Jul 09, 2011, 07:28 PM CDT

JACKSONVILLE — The latest employment report, which came out on Friday, showed that non-farm jobs increased by 18,000 and private jobs increased by 57,000, far less than the increases of 80,000 and 110,000 jobs, respectively, that had been expected.

The unemployment rate rose from 9.1% to 9.2%, all of which serves to tell us what we already know, the economy is not bouncing back as hoped, jobs are still very hard to come by and uncertainty is holding back spending and growth.

I know what it’s like to be out of work. I was out of work for three weeks shy of a year before I landed the PR and Marketing job I had at Carter BloodCare in Waco; the job before this one.

I have friends who were either out of work for an extended period of time and went back to school, or changed careers, or took jobs they didn’t really want just to have a job. I have other friends who are out of work right now.

And while I totally understand the necessity of needing and wanting a full-time job, especially if there’s a spouse and children involved, I don’t understand passing up the opportunity to work because it’s not a job that fits all of the criteria or pays the desired salary.

I made it nearly a year being out of a job, after being laid off from my last TV News job, because I did freelance work in Dallas. I worked for a magazine, two video production companies, a newspaper, and in the marketing department of two hospitals… all at the same time, while also hunting for a full-time job with benefits.

Here’s the thing about part-time, contract and freelance work… it’s a foot in the door. If you do a good job with this type of work, it could very easily turn into something more: something that pays better, something with better or more hours, something with benefits. And even if it doesn’t lead to a job at that company, it still provides you with current work experience and references on your resume.

It seems as if half the population doesn’t want to work anymore. And those who do can’t get a job no matter how much effort they put into the process.

We have one full-time position open here at the JDP and several contract positions. And yet filling those positions has been like pulling teeth… very hard to do. We have managed to fill three full-time newsroom jobs. The advertising position is still open and we are interviewing.

We also have carrier routes available. This is contract work that can be done on the side around other work, just to bring in extra money. And yet, we are having a very hard time finding anyone to handle those routes.

I find it a bit amazing. So, if you’re looking for work, whether it’s full-time or just for extra money, call us. We’d be very interested in speaking with you. If you’re out of work and being picky about the job you’re willing to take, don’t complain about it too loudly. You won’t get much sympathy here.

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