More Bang for Your Buck: Job Market

(WSVN) -- "We've added 759,000 jobs since August," says president George W. Bush. "The economy is strong and it's getting stronger."

Talk about classified information.

If you're looking for a job, you're not alone.

Hundreds of thousands of South Floridians are hoping to rejoin the workforce.

"The first thing you do is get down in the dumps... and you don't want to tell anybody I'm not working because society has told us that's not a good thing," says Vicki Agustus-Fidelia, who was an executive director before her company declared bankruptcy.

Now, she's getting training at the professional placement network to see how she can make herself more marketable.

"We have a lot of transferable skills and of the transferable skills you can develop another position or positions," says LeeAnn Dizon of the Professional Placement Network.

That's important because job seekers need a solid strategy.

You have to be willing to change fields and - take a deep breath - maybe even relocate.

"Secret is networking, networking, networking," says LeeAnn. "Remember 90% of the jobs are not in the newspaper."

But once you find an opening, tailor your resume to the position.

"Present yourself as the perfect fit for that job," says LeeAnn.

Hot fields right now include nursing, teaching, and accounting.

"Number one is health care," says LeeAnn. "The baby boomers are retiring. We have a big shortage of nurses or any other health care job positions."

However, the competition is about to get fierce.

If you're college grad, you have to be willing to work for less... or sometimes for free.

"Internships are really valuable tool for students," says Matt Cardin of Florida Atlantic University. "Statistics quote about 70% of interns turn into full-time employees."

Matt suggests first-timers stay focused.

"In terms of my major tip for college students is to make sure they really have some kind of career goal," Matt says. "It's hard to search for something if you don’t know what you're looking for."

And don't think grad school offers any guarantees.

"What people do is they make the mistake the MBA is going to be their soul ticket to the executive lunch room," says Matt. "The MBA is really only useful with work experience."

Vicki understands how important it is to be well-rounded.

She knows it's not just about getting a paycheck, it's about finding a labor of love.

She says, "Because we're out of work does not mean we're out of the game, it just means we're getting back in."

Contact: lmartinez@wsvn.com