To each of us loss means something different. To some loss is most thought of in connection with material things, the loss of a home or wealth. To others loss is closer to home and deals with the brokenness one feels when they lose someone they love.

For my niece the loss of her soul mate and true love after 20 years and 4 sons was devastating. She knew that he wouldn’t have left if God hadn’t deemed it his time but still there was a certain amount of anger that he had left her behind. Yet, she knew that she still had work to do on this earth and managed to pick herself up and move on. I give her enormous credit that she was able to put her grief aside and focus on all the good that she could do on this earth until it was her time to be reunited with her one true love.

For my ex-mother-in-law the loss of her husband of 50 years was equally devastating but she has been unable to get past it and daily lives her life missing him and wanting to die. What a waste of a life that could be so helpful to others.

For me? To date God has been good to me and my soul mate and children are still with me. That is not to say that I have not lost people that I cared about but never have I had to deal with the loss of someone that I had lived with day to day and loved beyond measure.

What surprised me then was how hard I took the loss of our pet, Frankie. True we never viewed him as just a dog. We got him when he was 2 weeks old, the runt of the litter and abandoned by his mother. He was only 8 oz and no one expected this feisty little guy to survive. However, we took him home, bottle fed him and loved him and he was the best friend any of us could have ever had for nearly fifteen years.

The brokenness that all of us felt was unbelievable when we knew that we could no longer let him suffer when he couldn’t stand on his own to go to the bathroom and his big brown eyes begged us to help him. I never knew such heartbreak as when we stood there saying good bye to him as the vet administered the medicine that would end his life. It was so hard to be there but there was no way we would let him leave this earth without being surrounded by those who loved him.

It has been nearly a week and thinking of him still brings on the streams of tears but now we can remember the joy he brought to our lives as well. We will get through this but I know that if this was so hard for me to deal with I will be a total basket case if God calls my mate home before me or decides to take one of children or grandchildren. I pray that if that happens He gives me the strength to be as my niece has been a positive and strong person so that those around me can handle the pain they are also forced to deal with.

So why did I write this? I guess so that people out there know that they aren’t alone in experiencing the pain of loss and that there are different ways to handle that pain. I hope that all of us can look to a stronger source than ourselves, in my case it is my God, and come out better people for the pain we experience.

Tags: loss, pain, god, brokenness, heartbreak, surviving loss, death, pet death

It seems as if not a day is going by when the American consumer is not faced with yet another cry of doom and gloom from the economic factors that control our economy. How much of this is due to the poor leadership in Washington and how much to the natural ebb of flow of economics still appears to be uncertain. It cannot be denied, however, that in the last seven years of the Bush Administration’s war on Iraq, or as they choose to call it Terror, the trillions of dollars that have been spent has not benefited the average American consumer.

In the last several months we as Americans have been subjected to fear from all economic angles from job layoffs, high gas prices, mortgage failures, and a falling stock market. This fear is being ingrained in the consumer and could easily lead to a great depression, worse even than the 1930s if consumers continue to hoard what little they have. Our economy is dependent on consumer spending so when we don’t spend more jobs are cut and the cycle of desperation begins.

In the 1930’s 25 percent of the population was without jobs. Currently our unemployment rate, while the highest in many years, is still under 6 percent. That means that we are not in a depression at this time even though there is little doubt that we are suffering an inflationary recession. Of course, if you listen to the current president he will tell you inflation isn’t too bad. Did you know, however, that the consumer index does not figure in fuel and food costs stating that they are to volatile to be included?

To show you what is now happening consider the following:

• By the end of 2007, 36 percent of consumer’s disposable income went to food, energy and medical care. This is the largest amount since record keeping began back in the 1960s.
• Economists are telling us that people are treating themselves much less often showing up in restaurant forecasts that state that 54 percent of all restaurants are reporting declining business and the government states that eating at home has increased in the last year for the first time since 2001.
• The economy has also forced grown children to return to their childhood homes after losing a job and/or being unable to make it on what they are earning. This has forced Mom and Dad to try and figure out how to make it on less as well.
• With the surging mortgage foreclosure rates waste management, thrift stores, and salvage companies are seeing less reusable items such as furniture and/or appliances as consumers are holding onto what they have.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though as one saw when Bear Stearns came down causing investors to fear a run on the bank. The problems are  multi-faceted, however, and include the housing crash, the credit crunch, and a loss of confidence among investors and consumers alike.

For those in the job market the fear of losing your job is causing you to squeeze your wallet a little tighter but for investors it means the credit crunch is keeping corporations from borrowing as easily they could a year ago. That is forcing them to delay big projects, which cuts into the job market putting more people out of work.

On a positive note, however, the economy has always had its ups and downs. However, this is the first time since 2001 that our future jiggled on the end of recession. That year though investors bore the brunt of the downturn as the stock market adjusted to balance the excessiveness of the 90s technology boom. In this instance, all survived because consumers were fortified with tax rebates and encouragement from their government instead of the doom and gloom that is being broadcast on all news stories today.

So, even while we are not in a declared recession, this time around (mainly because it takes two consecutive quarters of shrinking economic activity to be declared) the pain is no less real. Richard Sylia, of Stern School of Business, believes that this current financial crisis looks like the worst one since the great depression. However, he adds that this doesn’t mean that this current crisis will be anywhere as bad “since Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is a student of the Depression and appears to be steering the Fed toward avoiding the mistakes of back then.” Additionally, being part of a global economy should help to insulate us to a certain extent. This is something that was not the case in the 1930s when the depression was America’s problem alone.

On the other hand, Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan stated in the Financial Times that “the financial crisis would be the most wrenching since World War II and would only end when housing prices stabilized.”

To help the economy to this point the Fed’s have slashed interest rates. A good thing for people needing to borrow money but not so good for those who are relying on the interest they earn on their savings. Then too we can look forward to the upcoming tax rebates and tax breaks for businesses, even though this money must be  borrowed since our national debt is in the trillions of dollars already. Overall, though economists believe that something has to be done soon to slow down the number of foreclosures which are the cornerstone of the economy’s woes.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that if we wish to avoid a recession and its effects financial institutions are going to have to provide the needed credit to keep the economy moving forward. If they don’t we all lose.

Tags: great depression, economic downturn, credit crisis, foreclosure, recession, national debt, economic cycle, alan greenspan, federal reserve, tax rebates, interest rates, ben bernanke, richard sylia, stern school of business, stock market, bear stearns, mortgage crisis, unemployment 

When interviewing for that position that you so desperately want, careerbuilder.com  says that there are fifteen mistakes that you must avoid.

1. Don’t shotgun out resumes to jobs you are not qualified to accept.  Instead aim for those positions that fulfill your career goals and for which you are trained. 
2. Don’t automatically send out a video resume. These are often of no interest to hiring managers who have no desire to see you act. However, if the position is one in which you will be acting then a video resume would be called for. 
3. Never assume that you are on a first-name basis with the interviewer even if they are younger than you. It is considered appropriate to wait until the interviewer provides you with their first name and gives you permission to use it. 
4. If you really want a position it is best to keep your private life private. Make sure that you have nothing embarrassing to be found on MySpace or Facebook. 
5. Make sure that you are prepared for the interview, don’t wing it. Every hiring manager will appreciate the effort you made to find out about the company that you are hoping will hire you. You should know what the company’s product or service is, who the company president is and where the company hopes to be in 10 years. This along with an idea of how you can fit your skills into their corporate structure will help you appear more practiced and passionate than candidates who are not prepared. 
6. Definitely dress for the part that you hope to acquire. That means you should not dress too sexy, too casual, or too outrageous. In addition, be aware that cheap and the overuse of perfume can often be a turnoff to the interviewer. 
7. Don’t just apply for any job. When you do find the one you want though go after it like an athlete in training. 
8. Don’t just answer the interviewer’s questions with a yes or no. They want to hear a direct response from you to the questions that they ask. In answering it is permissible to support your point with specific examples. Remember, that talking too much portrays nervousness and/or the inability to deliver a direct response. 
9. Do not appear unprofessional by suggesting that the interviewer contact you at an inappropriate email address such as letsparty@aol,.com . 
10. It is important that you keep your resume short. A ten page list of all your accomplishments is a huge mistake so try to abridge your efforts into a more manageable version or the interviewer is likely to put it to the side as too much trouble to review. 
11. Make sure that you don’t forget to network with those people who can help you. Jobs are often awarded on the basis of who recommends you or on who you know. 
12. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance in finding the perfect job for you. In actuality, asking is one of the best things you can do and shows you as a person of courage who really wants to get the job that you are applying for.  
13. Don’t forget to thank the interviewer for their time regardless of the outcome. This should be done in the form of an email to the hiring manager. You can use it as an opportunity to make another impression on him that may move you up on the list of possible hires. In some cases you can ace a job interview and even get a job offer only to have it revoked by a carelessly worded or inappropriate thank you not. 
14. Also important is that you do not bad mouth your last employer. No matter how bad he was remember that the person interviewing you must look out for the best interest of the company that you want to hire you. If you bad mouth one employer they may well wonder what will keep you from bad mouthing them if everything doesn’t work out the way you want it to. 
15. Lastly, be prepared with a list of good questions. Not asking open-ended questions is a sure-fire way to show that you don’t care about the company. Questions like “Where do you see this position going?” or “What is going to make the person who takes this position successful?” are good possibilities that will make it look like you have given the position a lot of thought.

I sincerely hope that this recap of Careerbuilder’s information will help you to achieve your employment goals in an economy where jobs are becoming harder to find.

Tags: employment mistakes, careerbuilder, employment goals, economy, interview questions, networking, resume