The Jobless Rate
and How it Effects You

The jobless rate seems to keep getting worse. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Employment Situation as of August 05, 2011 showed that the "Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 117,000 in July, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 9.1 percent. Job gains occurred in health care, retail trade, manufacturing, and mining. Government employment continued to trend down.

In another featured news release, on June 24, 2011, "In 2010, 18.6 percent of persons with a disability were employed, compared with 63.5 percent for those with no disability. The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 14.8 percent, compared with 9.4 percent for those with no disability."

Those numbers are stunning.

Many of those (possibly you) who are unemployed were laid off, terminated, downsized or let go through no fault of their own. Even knowing you didn't deserve to be let go, it is still difficult to handle. It is also not easy to handle the questions that come your way from friends, family and neighbors - not to mention prospective employers.

In this era of corporate mergers and a struggling economy, we've all come to realize that job security is quite rare these days. Everyone understands that no job is going to last a lifetime. Companies aren't loyal to their employees the way they used to be several decades ago.

The good news about losing your job in this day and age is that, while losing your job is still very painful, it is no longer considered a career-ending experience. It doesn't carry the stigma that it used to in years past.

So when you're interviewing and that question about a gap in your employment comes up, there's no need to lie or try to wrap the story in a pretty bow. Just tell the truth. Even if you were at fault in some way, just be honest. Explain that you have learned from the mistake and won't make it again.

Keep your answer brief, state what you've learned (if anything positive), and express your desire to move on. It shouldn't be the focal point of your interview.

Employers want to know about your talent, skills and capabilities, so emphasize those, assure them that you can help solve their problems, and convince them that you will be a hard-working, loyal and dedicated employee.

If you have the skills an employer needs, your past employment situation won't keep them from hiring you. Keep a positive attitude and exude energy wherever possible. :)

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Additional Job Interview Q&A; Info

For even more information about job interview questions and how to answer them, consider the "Job Interview Success System."

One of the 5 key components of this system is a 31-page report entitled "How to Give Job-Winning Answers to Interview Questions." In addition to giving more tips and strategies on general answering techniques, it lists 45 of the easiest, toughest, silliest and most common job interview questions as well as how to respond to them.

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