ABC to Lay Off 300

A Recessionwire reader sends this tip about a looming mass layoff at ABC:

High level sources at ABC News say that large staff cuts are pending, with the announcements coming as early as Wednesday. One ABC network anchor said that 300-400 permanent staffers will be let go. The cuts will come from staff positions at all of the networks news shows, including This Week with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, Nightline and 20/20. It’s also expected that some executive producers will get the axe along with the network’s entire special events department…

How to Map Out Your Dream Job

Ah, recession…a perfect time for career reassessment. Especially when you get tossed out of our job and need to figure out your next move — but also when the economic shakeup makes you realize you’re not all that satisfied with your work.

We’re loving this handy chart from the book How to Keep Your Cool if You Lose Your Job. (Full-sized version below.) You probably haven’t seen it, since author Kathryn Jackson lives in New Zealand. But it’s a wonderful way to visualize and measure all the different aspects of your work…

Screwed: 600 at Continental Airlines

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

Today’s Total: 1, 277

Continental Airlines is eliminating 600 reservation agents by April 11 since online flight-booking has surpassed call-in reservations…In Houston, TX, Innovative Consultants LLC are cutting 287 jobs this month…Last week, Monster Worldwide Inc. began laying off 200 employees out of their 5,600 global workforce…In Illinois, Bunge North America will cut production of a soybean production line by April 23, and laying off 100 employees in the process…Meanwhile, Goodrich Crop is cutting 60 workers at a manufacturing plant in Virginia…In North Carolina, Invista will be eliminating 30 jobs in the next 60 days as it shuts down a production line.

A Personal Branding Roadmap That Just May Work

We’ve been thinking a lot about “personal branding” here at Recessionwire. In an economy where there are more people looking than jobs—and it’s expected to stay that way for years, if forever—we’ve all got to take things into our own hands a bit more. Do what we can to stand out, and create a roadmap and profile for the careers we want. “Personal branding” is a big part of that.

Of course, it’s something that seems to make more sense for those who have a track record to shape into a story behind a personal brand. But even college students and grads should be thinking about how to position themselves and create their own platform, whether it’s to get a full-time job or chart an alternative path through starting a business or consulting or freelance work.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is doing a good job of addressing this issue, with a program called “Personal Branding Week.” It’s online and it’s free. There are instructive tips and accompanying worksheets that are really quite brilliant. But even though PwC says it’s focusing on students and grads, everyone should spend some time going through this process…

Five Reasons to Love the Olympics in a Recession

Whether you love (or hate) ice dancing, luge or curling, as the economy limps along, we’re feeling like it’s a great time for the Olympic games. Here’s why:

It’s Motivating

So you lost that job you hated. Lindsey Vonn bruised her shin and went on to win gold and make history. Shaun White keeps doing the tough tricks, even after he bashes his face in. These athletes know that when you’re bruised and battered, you train and try again. Buck up, train hard and be ready for the next race…

Screwed: 1,020 at Boeing

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

Today’s Total: 1,196

Boeing gave 60-day layoff notices to 1,020 workers in Washington, California, and St. Louis, Missouri last Friday as part of a larger plan to cut 10,000 jobs…In Nevada, Anheuser-Busch InBev cut 90 jobs last week and plans on cutting another 350 in the next few months…In Williston, VT, Triosyn laid off 35 employees and attributed the decision to a low demand of their anti-bacterial product caused by the marked end of the swine flu pandemic…In California, the city of Corona eliminated 31 government workers and a few city buildings…After having cut more than a quarter of their workforce, Viking Range Corp in Mississippi laid off another 20 employees.

Beefing Up a Thin Resume

When you’re short on experience, play up your strengths.

The Problem: Recession or not, you’re job hunting. Trouble is, aside from some internships and a few part-time gigs, the work experience section of your resume is, well, thin. You know that you could nail a job if given the chance – but with the national unemployment rate hovering around 10%, how to get a foot in the door with so little to go on?

The Solution: A resume redo. The key is highlighting your accomplishments, regardless of how you got them. Definitely include when you graduated and whatever positions you’ve held since – employers want to see that. But, also list volunteer organizations, student clubs, sports teams, or any group in which you’ve held a leadership position or made an impact. Detail projects completed, funds raised or other positive outcomes; you want to point to anything that shows your capabilities, especially if…

Screwed: 3,100 in Texas

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

Today’s Total: 5,976

Texas legislature proposed a cost-cutting plan to close privately-run prisons, cutback in treatment and rehabilitation programs, and eliminate 3,100 state correction employees…Yesterday, Humana Inc. announced its plan to layoff 2,500 employees, 5 percent of its total workforce, by the end of this year…Cal State East Bay is considering a job-cut of 140 non-teaching staff…In California, Pajaro Valley Unified School District approved a plan to layoff 130 employees in MarchIn Pennsylvania, Moses Taylor Hospital gave pink slips to 61 workers in their first round of layoffs in 17 years…In Florida, Tampa City Hall plans on laying off 30 finance employees in the city’s budget office by next week…In Philadelphia, Kimmel Center Inc. plans on cutting 15 jobs as part of a restructured budget plan.

How to Make Quick Cash (Including Some Ways That Aren’t Embarassing)

So you’ve lost your job — or maybe you’re running out of unemployment. In any case, you need to make some fast cash. The people over at Coupon Sherpa put together a list of resources to do just that–and while some of them we’d do in a second, others would be a real hit to the pride and reputation.

Sure, you’ve got to do what it takes to pay the bills. And yes, there are wonderful people who deliver phone books and clean houses. We know some. But guess what? They’d rather have better jobs, too. Here’s a handy guide to what you can do without feeling embarrassed, and what you’ll want to wear a good disguise for.

Say It Loud and Proud

Monetizing your web site or blog
Selling your unwanted stuff
Flipping web sites

Fine…As Long As Nobody Finds Out

Becoming a human guinea pig
Giving blood…

The New Normal: Jobs Barely Won

Remember the days when finding a job meant scrolling through an overflowing career board, submitting a dozen resumes, interviewing with a handful of employers, and accepting a job offer just a couple days later? Oh, how things have changed.

The average length of time it takes an unemployed person to find work these days sits at 30.2 weeks—an incredible 17.5 more weeks on average than it took a job hunter looking for work back in 2001. While you may find a job eventually, it probably isn’t going to fall into your lap like it may have in years’ past—just one of many “new norms” for job seekers that have been created by the recession.

After the jump, we have put together a roundup of five new norms for those searching for jobs, which you can either choose to embrace or ignore at your own peril….