I’m not an economist and don’t believe much of the stats I read (bunk and deception). I did a webinar with Mark Hovind of JobBait which was really interest (you can see the entire webinar here).
I know newspapers and the federal government are anxious to talk about any good news on the job front, but I’m just too skeptical to believe it. However, recently I have been talking to people in the construction industry and am encouraged at what I hear.
At Home Depot I heard that they are limiting the amount of a certain type of wood (looks like plywood, it goes on the side of a house) because the demand is so high but the supply isn’t there right now. This means there is a lot of building going on, which is different than the last 12-18 months.
I talked to a commercial drywall VP who said he’s running ragged managing 14 different commercial jobs. Awesome… this type of activity is a sign the economy is doing better… people are expanding, fixing, growing… at the very least, the people who are making decisions about these projects are optimistic enough to spend the money… that’s good!
I talked to a guy in the granite countertop business who said they are keeping very busy. They weathered the poor economy with some staple projects in a nearby high-end residential area, but now work is coming in from a lot of different places, and they are very busy.
As a job seeker there are a lot of little signs… some will be announced in the news, while you’ll see others signs of economic recovery from job search clubs as the people you meet get jobs sooner (and don’t come back to the meetings).
It’s time to make sure you are on your job search game! If you’ve been in a slump, and it shows in your attitude, make sure you change what you need to change so you can interview and present yourself well. Go to those network meetings you’ve been neglecting, make sure your resume doesn’t keep you out of interviews, etc.
It’s time!
