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&lt;div&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s September 2011 and yet it feels just like September 2008.&amp;nbsp; The economy and the job market are still in shambles.&amp;nbsp; The 2012 Presidential Election will hinge on the same issue that mattered most to Americans in 2008 &amp;ndash; Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;rsquo;s a broken record that has little people feeling motivated, optimistic and/or hopeful about the future.&amp;nbsp; But there is hope if you look hard enough.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 4px 9px; float: left;&quot; title=&quot;Finger pointing&quot; src=&quot;http://www.vault.com/VCM/blogs/pointing_finger.png&quot; alt=&quot;Finger pointing&quot; width=&quot;271&quot; height=&quot;185&quot;&gt;I have received some comments from those who read these blogs.&amp;nbsp; Words like negative, depressing, and disparaging have been used.&amp;nbsp; However, it is not the intent of the blog to make people think we believe it is easy to find the job and that the current economic difficulties are just a fad.&amp;nbsp; The aim of the blogs is to motivate readers to continue their job hunt despite the scary numbers.&amp;nbsp; When I write that unemployment may be the best thing that happened to you, I meant it.&amp;nbsp; Here&amp;rsquo;s a bit of my story.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Taking risks.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; I had been an editor for a local newspaper, but had a desire to be something more.&amp;nbsp; However, every time I thought of quitting, I was offered a new opportunity &amp;ndash; whether it was to start a brand new sports section, create a new website, or lead the paper after it was purchased by a major media conglomerate.&amp;nbsp; I continued to receive raises and promotions.&amp;nbsp; It was hard to say no; especially because I loved the people I worked with.&amp;nbsp; Eventually, I took a risk and took a job at the New York Public Library, starting a new career as a public relations representative.&amp;nbsp; Journalism seemed like a natural pathway into public relations and I really enjoyed my job.&amp;nbsp; The problem: it was a temporary position and any thought I had of making it permanent was taken away from me when the economy tanked.&amp;nbsp; I had a job with an expiration date and I was counting down the days until unemployment.&amp;nbsp; Everyone said, &amp;ldquo;You&amp;rsquo;ll be fine&amp;hellip;you&amp;rsquo;ll get a job soon.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; I hated that, because I knew I wouldn&amp;rsquo;t.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Desperation.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; My girlfriend was in the process of starting her own business, so losing my job came at the most inopportune time.&amp;nbsp; There were bills that needed to be paid.&amp;nbsp; Applying for jobs became a 24/7 aspect of my life.&amp;nbsp; The stress led to mistakes &amp;ndash; such as copying and pasting a cover letter to the wrong person for a job I really wanted.&amp;nbsp; Still, calls were coming in and I was entertaining all possibilities, including moving to Beverly Hills to work as a book publicist and even taking on a job with a pro-marijuana activist group whose values did not match my own.&amp;nbsp; I was willing to do anything to earn a paycheck.&amp;nbsp; Unemployment numbers were scaring me.&amp;nbsp; There seemed to be no opportunities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Swallowing my pride.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; I went back to journalism.&amp;nbsp; I was an award-winning journalist and here I was taking on a job putting together community calendars for tourists coming to the Bronx while thinking that a job on the graveyard shift at my local CVS was not such a bad idea.&amp;nbsp; I wasn&amp;rsquo;t making much at all, but before I went back to the type of retail job that paid my way through college,&amp;nbsp; I looked at other freelance possibilities, and took on special projects for my former employer.&amp;nbsp; I even took on public relations jobs with a paycheck that would come when the employer felt I had done enough to earn one.&amp;nbsp; Whatever I could do to expand my resume and skill set became priority No. 1. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stepping up.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; I reached out to every contact I made at the paper and garnered higher-profile freelance assignments that sharpened my writing and public relations skills.&amp;nbsp; I decided to ignore the unemployment numbers and not let statistics hold me back.&amp;nbsp; I made sure that every step I made took me one step closer to a new job.&amp;nbsp; Informational interviews started to replace regular job interviews.&amp;nbsp; A contact I had made set them up for me and I wanted to make sure she knew I was serious about my job search and could accept the constructive criticism I needed to move forward.&amp;nbsp; Strategy was important.&amp;nbsp; I could not settle on just being a nameless jobseeker.&amp;nbsp; I needed to set myself apart.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Breaking through.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; That same contact that set up informational interviews &amp;ndash; she got me a job interview for a part-time job.&amp;nbsp; No more unemployment and still no health benefits, but it was a start.&amp;nbsp; They gave me the job based on the reputation I had earned with my contact.&amp;nbsp; I worked hard to make her proud and turn a part-time position into a permanent role.&amp;nbsp; I received attention for my hard work and eventually was offered the full-time role I had coveted.&amp;nbsp; And every opportunity I can, I take on a new role, because while I know everyone is replaceable, I want to make it hard to be replaced.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;rsquo;s all about persistence, humility, a strong work ethic and an unwavering passion to always improve and never stand still.&amp;nbsp; I was unemployed&amp;hellip;just like you, but I am working now, and you will one day, too.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;--Jon Minners, Vault.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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