Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith of Chicago has been job hunting on and off for five years–with no results. That’s why she needs a Job Search Makeover.
“I’m looking for work in public relations, marketing or advertising at a large company,” said Koopersmith, who has been trying to make a go of her home-based communications business to make ends meet.
Though she has had her own business on paper since 1979, she says the events of Sept. 11, 2001 virtually put her out of business. “In 1992, I was laid off from my job in public relations and sales for a radio station and tried to build my business. But now I need a full-time job,” said Koopersmith, who has a bachelor’s of arts in sociology and fine arts and has worked in advertising, marketing and public relations. “It’s a full-time job getting a job.”
And Koopersmith has devoted her considerable intelligence, energy and creativity to getting one. I met her on a recent Saturday afternoon at a career talk I was giving at a bookstore. That morning, she also had attended a free career workshop at the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library. Then, for the next few hours, she used the library’s computers to search job banks and e-mail resumes.
“I got a list of Web sites for jobs from the career workshop, and next went to the library’s research center–I don’t have a computer–and sent out 10 resumes,” Koopersmith said. “Later, at the bookstore, I got ideas about how to market myself and to network with other people. I was inspired.”
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That was just one day in her job search. She also answers newspaper want ads, networks with friends and goes to public workshops. Koopersmith spends weekday mornings at the State of Illinois’ employment office in Evanston, where she takes free classes to update her skills. And in the afternoons, she’s back at the public library, searching job sites and sending resumes.
“I spend six hours a day on my job search,” she said. “I’ve had a few job interviews but no job offers. When the interviewers–who all seem to like me because I joke with them–see when I graduated from college, they call me `Ma’am.’ I think my age is against me.”
Koopersmith is working hard at getting a job, but to be successful, to direct her energy in a more focused way, what she needs is some direction. So, here is her Job Search Makeover:
First, she should continue attending career seminars, doing Web searches, reading the ads, networking and getting help from the state employment office. But she should target small companies–they’re more likely to hire public-relations people than large ones. And sending out multiple resumes is counterproductive: Instead, Koopersmith has to pick out two or three ads a week to focus on and learn all she can about the hiring company. Then she can send a resume tailored to that specific company. She shouldn’t list every job she has ever had and should omit her graduation date.
More makeover suggestions: She should stop joking around and not talk so much in the job interview. Instead, she should be more laid-back, confident and professional.
And she should try to relax. It takes a long time to find jobs these days, but eventually she will get one.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Tuesday’s Business and Wednesday’s Working sections. Send an e-mail to [email protected].