Job Seekers Must Further Their Education

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the unemployment rate in Ohio was 10.8 percent as of May 2009. At that time, Greene County reported 9.5 percent unemployment, one-tenth of a point higher than the national average.

As these numbers continue to climb, many people in Greene and surrounding counties are hoping the BRAC initiatives at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will bring new jobs. BRAC is the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission established by Congress to ensure the integrity of the base closure and realignment process. As military installations are reorganized, closed or expanded, BRAC serves as oversight to the entire process.

The realignment of these facilities can drastically affect the surrounding. Fortunately for the Miami Valley, the BRAC changes at WPAFB will result in about 1,200 new jobs, approximately half of which are civilian. Additional off-base facilities will also generate additional high-tech civilian jobs. Of course job prospects with WPAFB are not limited to BRAC realignments.

Employing over 23,000 workers, WPAFB has many employment opportunities available to civilians. According to Darryl Mayer, a spokes person in the WPAFB Office of Public Affairs, "People can often find the process of applying for a federal job at the base somewhat intimidating."

"People who are interested in civilian employment on the base should visit the Office of Personnel Management web site, www.usajobs.com," Mayer said. "The site lists current jobs and application procedures for positions throughout federal government." Mayer said the application procedure is generally what frightens off job seekers.

"It is a very involved process," he said. "There is a specific format for everything, even your resume, which must be followed precisely." Mayer said that if people are willing to do the work, it might just pay off. Mayer suggested that anyone interested in applying for jobs with the U.S. Government, should go online to www.wpafb.af.mil and click on "employment."

In searching today's job listings, many displaced manufacturing workers may be confronted by the need to acquire new skills in order to be competitive with younger, more educated candidates. Even today, many jobs go unfilled because of a lack of proper training.

Dr. Jeanette Davy is a professor of business management at the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University. "The biggest problem these companies face is a lack of people with the right skills and education for the new jobs," Davy said. "The last employment estimate I saw from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce reported 20,000 positions that went unfilled because candidates lack the proper skills to do the work."

With revenue down and companies doing everything they can to streamline operations, employer-provided training and tuition reimbursement may not be an option. Job hunters who are interested in a particular position should contact the employer directly to find out what educational background is required.

In addition to upgrading technical skills, some people will have to brush up on the etiquette of business and how to make themselves stand out from all of the other job candidates. Like the saying goes, there is only one chance at a good first impression which could mean the difference between a high-paying job with an engineering firm or flipping burgers at a fast food joint.

Once employed, the individual needs to know how to behave in order to keep the position and, indeed, progress. Leah Hawthorn is an expert in this area. "Eighty-five percent of the reason you get a job, you keep a job, and get promoted is because of your social and people skills," she said.

Hawthorn is a certified business image and etiquette coach and owner of Advanced Business Image & Etiquette (ABI) in Dayton (www.advancedbusinessimageandetiquette.com). She suggested that people who lost a manufacturing job will most likely need to look for work in other industries and different work environments. That, she said, will require some adjustment on their part.

"Candidates have to be able to walk into the interview with confidence and know how to enter the room properly," Hawthorn said. "They need to know how to dress properly for that interview, how to make eye contact and use their other soft (people) skills." Knowing the right people can help to advance a career.

"In a professional business, networking is the key, Hawthorn said. "Take the initiative and utilize social networking on the internet, like LinkedIn, that's the way everything is going." She noted that social networking sites are also an excellent resource where people can post resumes and advertise their skill set to potential employers.