Several years before Taylor Hicks was crowned the 2006 American Idol winner at the famed Kodak Theater, it was a much smaller stage that he claimed in his native Birmingham, Alabama.  In a venue called The Open Door Cafe, Hicks and his band mates tossed up a mixed salad of classic-bluesy rock and Southern rock, a Ray Charles’ heartbreaker, and some of Taylor’s original material.  Peppering his set with observations tossed out to the audience, Taylor noted rather wistfully that, “The blues don’t pay.”  Quickly and prophetically, he then added, “But they will someday; they will.”

Although Taylor’s public pep talk underscored both his devotion to his music and his commitment to landing a lucrative record contract, it also presented a dichotomy.  The kind of music that swept commercial radio represented a calculated, formulaic route too narrow to allow the undeniably talented and diverse, albeit unknown, artist to set off on a path of his own making.  Taylor understood that in order to get his foot in the door, he had to reinvent or repackage himself, balancing the primal need to remain true to his musical roots with the necessity to market himself to a broader audience.  As demonstrated by his song choices and as demanded by the judges throughout the Idol process, these were the decisions that informed Taylor’s strategy.

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The process of confronting one’s own termination can be rather similar in its phases to the loss of a loved one.  This is especially true of employees long embedded in their career with one particular company.  The immediacy of disbelief is followed by a sense of betrayal, engendering the next stage, which is anger:  itself a two-edged sword.  Properly channeled, righteous anger can serve as the impetus through which you vow to succeed and begin to do so by devising a well thought-out job search.  Directed inward, however, with self-recriminations of – “What did I do wrong?” - anger may lead to depression and ultimately, inertia:  the inability to move forward.  The longer you are held captive by your emotions, the more difficult it is to resume your entry into the work force.

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If you are a single mother either gainfully employed or aspiring to reenter the work force, you know that the demands of daily life can be akin to scaling a mountain whose pinnacle seems well out of reach. Juggling the simultaneous and often incompatible needs of job or job search and family while stretching finances in a shaking economy, it can be easy for you to drop a ball.  To help you keep all those balls in those air, you will want to know about the broad range of resources available to assist you. The listing that follows is but a sampling of organizations that can provide tangible and no less valuable intangible support:

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Looking out on the morning rain,
I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day,
Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind,
                               But your love was the key to my peace of mind.
                                Aretha Franklin – “A Natural Woman”

Although the Queen of Soul first belted this hit over the airwaves more than three decades ago, its sentiments are as relevant now as they were then.  Today, every media vehicle teems with negatives.  Browser pages on our computers greet us each morning with news of natural disasters, violent crime, and the ever-sinking economy.  In such times, we grasp for and cling to encouragement wherever we may find it.  When truly fortunate, we are directed to something whose intrinsic worth is more far-reaching than immediate forms of respite and motivation.  Often, that “something” is a “someone:”  a role model.  Neophytes in business have dedicated mentors; sports figures have team captains and coaches.  While these are avenues and examples of traditional role models, we sometimes find our guiding lights through routes perhaps not as obvious as these.

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In an ailing economy, a rigorous job search can be can frustrating and intimidating, particularly as some sources state that as many as 85% of available jobs never appear in newspapers or Internet job boards.  While the statistics vary, the truth underlying this certainty has long been known among astute job seekers.  Candidates hoping to expand their opportunities by way of this hidden job market need to identify its most viable points of access.

Every serious candidate is aware of the significance of networking through direct contacts in the business world.  By attrition, however, the swelling ranks of applicants either unemployed or confronting imminent unemployment has diminished the potential openings available via this avenue of traditional career networking.  Consider using different approaches to yield greater results.
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Given the need to run leaner and meaner in an increasingly competitive environment, career professionals have streamlined the interviewing process.   Essentially a process of elimination for both interviewer and job candidate, it is no longer “business as usual” to conduct a first or sometimes even a second interview in person.  Instead, the telephone has become the medium through which a job candidate makes an initial, direct impression upon the recruiter or employer.

A calm, confident, and professional telephone demeanor infers that you conduct yourself in a similar manner in business settings.  In order to convey this image, be prepared.  Once you have submitted your resume, cover letter, and any other required documents to the headhunter or prospective employer, presume that you will receive responses via telephone.
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