This is not an indictment of those people who have been searching a long time. The current fundamental restructuring of the American workplace has made the average length of time spent looking for work the longest it has been since the Great Depression. These people are not lazy or unmotivated. On the contrary, they are courageous, focused and determined.

April 22, 2004
The first of the year flurry of activity appears to have receded. The three people attending last week's meeting reported a kind of leveling off in the activity seen in the job market place. We attribute this to the fact that many employers use a calendar year fiscal cycle and that many positions are filled in January. However, the overall rate of activity is higher than this time last year.

Still, the best method for finding a job right for you is networking. 85% of all jobs are filled without ever posting an ad in the papers or on the net. Whether you are working or not you need to manage your network. If you were laid off tomorrow, how many people could you call for information and advice? 10? 20? 50? How big is your network?

February 5, 2004
The job postings and requests for assistance in filling FM jobs has leveled off this month.  We don't see a general decline but rather a steadier growth activity after the year-end spike.

This week’s meeting had seven attendees.  Unfortunately, two of the attendees are from Washington Mutual where a 700 person reduction in force was announced last week.   Tracy Ryan was released from CB Richard Ellis as its client, WAMU, ordered the outsourcer to reduce the scope of the account.   Peggy Thompson was given her notice from WAMU as part of this reduction effort.   Other IFMA members may also be at risk of layoff. 

This turn of events demonstrates the volatility of the job market in some sectors. 

Note to FM's needing temporary help: The Job Search Group is comprised of members with a wide variety of skills available for your project. Project management, maintenance management, move management, CAD, financial and accounting skills are some of the skills and services available within the group.

January 22, 2004
The first of the year flurry of activity appears to have receded.   The three people attending last week's meeting reported a kind of leveling off in the activity seen in the job market place.   We attribute this to the fact that many employers use a calendar year fiscal cycle and that many positions are filled in January.   However, the overall rate of activity is higher than this time last year.  

(My search engines pull down 4 or 5 facilities postings on the internet each day.   Of course, the quality of these postings varies widely.   However, my records show that a year ago I averaged about 4 hits per week.  Joe Soter)

Still, the best method for finding a job right for you is networking.  85% of all jobs are filled without ever posting an ad in the papers or on the net.  Whether you are working or not you need to manage your network.   If you were laid off tomorrow, how many people could you call for information and advice?   10? 20? 50?   How big is your network? 

January 8, 2004
The first meeting of the Job Search Group for 2004 was held on Thursday January 8 with six facilities professionals attending.   Several job leads were discussed as the group got reacquainted after the holiday hiatus.   It appears that the new meeting time of 7:00 AM will work for most people.

We celebrated a landing!   Joe Soter  has landed the facilities manager position with the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda.