Writing a Résumé for Your Next Career

This year, the news has been dominated by job loss news and unemployment statistics. (Well, that and Susan Boyle.) But an interesting trend and bright spot is emerging amidst all of this turmoil: Some workers are taking the time between jobs to re-evaluate their lives in terms of purpose and direction. Many have been stuck in careers that gave them little to no internal satisfaction or reward; instead of standing around clutching their pink slips, they are using this opportunity to reinvent themselves. (Read our recent story Exquisite Reinvention.)

And once you figure out what you want to do? It’s time to officially launch “You, Version 2.0,” repositioning yourself career-wise. Many people dread overhauling their résumés, but it’s especially important to do so thoughtfully if you’re trying to leap into a new field. You need to successfully convey the skills, abilities and expertise that you bring from your old line of work. Here are some guidelines to follow…

Capital Thrift—Finding Clothing Bargains in Washington

One of the first things I gave up when I lost my job was buying clothes. Since I only needed jeans and t-shirts to wear around the house and a few suits for interviews, I didn’t have a valid excuse to shop. But, within a few months, I was itching to refresh my wardrobe. The weather was warmer and I wanted to add some color to my closet. So I decided to bend the rules. I called my friend Frances, who’s also unemployed, and asked her to join me for some shopping—thrift shopping. D.C. isn’t the most obvious place to find cool clothes, and I wasn’t sure if we’d find anything worthwhile, but at least for the afternoon it would be a distraction from the job hunt…

Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets See Gloom Lifting

In a report published last month, Endeavor, the nonprofit group that helps entrepreneurs in developing countries, revealed one group’s outlook on the global economy. The organization surveyed 65 of its entrepreneurs, the bulk of them in South America. Companies had revenue between $500,000 and $20 million. Their answers were surprisingly upbeat, and contrasting even with their December responses to the same questions, which were also not as bad as you’d expect. Entrepreneurs around the world, particularly those working with Endeavor, seem to be in fairly good standing.

Key results:

Has the global crisis had any impact on your business to date?…

Recession Briefing 6.10

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Congress has approved a “cash for clunkers” bill that aims to boost new auto sales by allowing consumers to turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for vouchers worth up to $4,500 toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. (Associated Press)

Nigerian email scammers have adapted to the recession and are starting to target job seekers. (Gawker)

Seventy-one percent of high-school guidance counselors this year saw an increase in the number of their students who chose a more-affordable option over their “dream school,” according to a survey. (Chronicle of Higher Education)…

Screwed: 1,660 at Lloyds Banking Group

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s partial total: 3,793

Lloyds Banking Group Plc. plans to lay off 1,660 employees and close 164 branches… General Motors will cut 887 workers at its Wentzville, Missouri, plant. … Chicago Public Schools plans to lay off 500 administrative staff. … Ford Motor may commence with its 350 employee layoffs at its Louisville Assembly Plant early next month… Swedish cell phone company Ericsson is laying off 167 workers at its North Carolina plant… Capital Group lays off 94 employees in San Antonio… Irish construction company The McAvoy Group has temporarily laid off 35 employees.

The Recession Will End… This Summer!

Says who: Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist.

“I would not be surprised if the official end of the U.S. recession ends up being, in retrospect, dated sometime this summer,” he said in a lecture today at the London School of Economics. “Things seem to be getting worse more slowly. There’s some reason to think that we’re stabilizing.” (via Bloomberg)

Why it might be false: Who are we to say, he’s Paul Krugman, plus, we’re fans—even if the National Bureau of Economic Research (the gold standard of such economic things) might not be, since its head of Business Dating Cycle Committee Robert Hall said just last week that it’s “way too early” to decide that we’re coming out of the recession, rather than just having a “pause” in a “longer decline.”…

Recession Lexicon: Bridge Job

/n. Unlike many of the terms that have wiggled into our vocabulary during the downturn, this one isn’t new (or one that we invented sitting around our living rooms). Economists have used it to describe the work that people took to transition from their careers to full retirement—consulting gigs, part-time jobs, whatever. Sometimes they needed to money; other times they just didn’t want to go from 60 m.p.h. to zero.

Now, bridge jobs tide you over if you’ve been laid off and can’t find another job in your profession.

Listen Up, Old-School Journalists

It always makes my heart skip a little beat each time I see even a reference to “themediaisdying,” the Twitter feed that has tracked the steady, eerie erosion of the media industry. For 15 years or so, I’ve made my living as a journalist. And yet, now, people are writing stories for free and few full-time writing positions are left. Sure does sound like “dying” to me.

But after hearing a few of the folks at the Mediabistro Circus conference last week, I got a little hope back – journalism and writing jobs are not going away, but thanks to the recession, they’re undergoing a swift, head-spinning transformation, and the profession’s new iteration will take some hard work.

The changes underway aren’t simply in the domain of journalism, though. New work and new careers are emerging in the recession based on approaches that everyone needs to pick up in order to survive and thrive, and emerge from this downturn intact and better than ever…

Recession Briefing 6.9

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Some airlines are dropping cutlery from their meal kits — or making spoons and forks fractionally smaller — in order to shed weight and save money on fuel costs. (Daily Telegraph)

“I would not be surprised if the official end of the U.S. recession ends up being, in retrospect, dated sometime this summer,” Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said yesterday. (Daily Finance)

For fine art, the recession may turn out to be inspirational. A wave of small-scale, independent initiatives is leading a shift toward a rediscovery of accessibility and classical skills. (New York Times)

Screwed: 800 at LDV

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s partial total: 1,181

More than 800 employees have been let go from British van maker LDV… Electrolux shifts some of its production to Mexico, resulting in about 150 layoffs… Windmill blade maker LM Glasfiber plans to lay off 80 employees at its Little Rock port location… New Britain School Board is projecting 60-70 staff layoffs… In another round of layoffs, Caterpillar plans to layoff 66 workers at its Pontiac plant within this month… HSN lays off 15 employees in Roanoke…