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Many Believe the U.S. Auto Industry is Dead; Experts Advise on Repackaging Yourself for Job Searches; People in the Big Apple Tighten Their Belts
Aired November 23, 2008 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Jobs: Whether you've lost one, you're looking for one, or worried about the one that you have. There's a lot of anxiety out there. In this hour, we're focusing on American jobs -- from the troubled auto industry and how cuts there could hurt you, to helping you find a new job, write a resume, or perhaps to sell yourself in an interview, to the best cities to actually look for to find work.
This hour is dedicated to jobs, job jobs,.
Well, first, the numbers -- 1.2 million Americans lost their jobs in the first 10 months of this year. And half of those losses occurred in August, September, and October. It's top priority for you and for the next administration.
So, we begin our special coverage in Chicago where CNN's Ed Henry is tracking Barack Obama and how the president-elect plans to attack this problem head on -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it's obviously issue number one. And the president-elect is talking about almost like a rebirth of the "New Deal." Massive public works projects, infrastructure projects in order to try and create 2.5 million new jobs during his first two years in office but it may come at an astronomical price.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): With the financial crisis deepening, aides to President-elect Barack Obama are now signaling his economic stimulus plan will be much larger than the $175 billion package he campaigned on.
DAVID AXELROD, INCOMING WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: The economic recovery plan we are going to bring in January has to be big enough to deal with the huge problem we face.
HENRY: How big is the question facing Mr. Obama, as he unveils his economic team on Monday with New York Fed Chief Timothy Geithner, the pick for treasury secretary. The chief of the National Economic Council at the White House will be Lawrence Summers, who's pushed for an enormous stimulus package of $500 billion to $700 billion. While Obama advisers will not be pinned down on a specific number yet, they're suggesting drastic action is needed to prevent millions more jobs from being lost. AUSTAN GOOLSBEE, OBAMA ECONOMIC ADVISER: It's going to be a number big enough that when they spell it out, it looks like, "Ooh," you know, with that many zeros on it.
HENRY: But Republicans are already warning the price tag may be too high in terms of government debt on the heels of a string of taxpayer bailouts.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to be facing $1 trillion deficit in his first year. And I know he's going to want to stimulate the economy at the same time, but, you know, we're going to have to cut back on some of the excesses government or the massive borrowing could cause some secondary effects that would hurt us long term.
HENRY: While Team Obama is open to the idea of an auto bailout, they're echoing congressional leaders by warning the Big Three will not get an infusion of cash without dramatic changes.
AXELROD: What we can't give is a blank check for an industry that isn't prepared to reform itself, to rationalize itself, and to retool for the markets of today and tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Now, there's going to be a robust debate in Congress early next year about exactly whether or not the stimulus plan is too large. But the president-elect yesterday said in the weekly Democratic radio address that without dramatic action there could be millions, he said, millions more jobs lost next year -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And that is so sobering. And, you know, Ed, the president-elect is talking about perhaps helping to create 2.5 million jobs, but that's kind of in the long-term. In the short term he is sort of creating some jobs, some what -- 7,000 jobs are open in the new Obama administration and I hear there already some 200,000 people have applied for them. So, how do you have your application stand out?
HENRY: Well, I think people are going to have to probably be supporters of the administration. That's always a plus. We see that, whether it's a Republican or a Democrat, and being an early supporter obviously. But you know, obviously, it's going be washed out because there are going to be a lot of Republicans looking for jobs leaving the Bush administration. So that's probably a wash.
But I think, you know, looking forward, obviously, what this incoming administration wants to do is to try to not just deal with these infrastructure projects, I mentioned, but they're also talking a lot about the so-called "green jobs." That's what you hear a lot of economists talk about in the future, not just what we heard in the campaign from both John McCain and Barack Obama. They're both talking about it -- in terms of sort of these renewable energy projects, these research projects, to try to create more environmentally-friendly jobs. I think that's the future, not just to create jobs but to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Fred. WHITFIELD: And, Ed, you know, this hour, we're committed to trying to help -- committed to trying to help people get jobs or prepare themselves for jobs. So, if they are going after one of those green jobs or any other jobs under the Obama administration, they have to also get through a pretty lengthy questionnaire and one that delves very deeply into their personal life.
HENRY: Yes, that's mostly for the senior jobs, you're absolutely right -- the upper echelon of the Obama administration. There's something like 63 questions in this questionnaire, where they've got to go through, you know, have you ever been involved in any controversial issue at your previous employer that could blow up at a confirmation hearing? Do you have anything embarrassing on your Facebook page? That's probably one thing you want to tell people.
Make sure those Facebook pages, make sure those blogs and all that don't have anything embarrassing because it's going to make it less likely you're going to wind up in the Obama administration or any future administration, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yes. You will stand out if only for your resume to end up in the trash can.
HENRY: Well, you may stand out but, yes, for the wrong reasons.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry, thanks so much -- in Chicago.
HENRY: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Of course, we're committed to helping you find a job. And now, too, the NBA is as well. They're getting involved in trying to help you locate something.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is in New York where the New Jersey Nets are taking a creative approach. Explain.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it's a very creative, bringing jobless or job-seeking fans to the arena a few hours early and hooking them up with potential employers, and then, also, throwing in some free ticket as a bonus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Rocco Supino has never been to a New Jersey Nets game, but that's not the main reason he's here. Before the Nets and L.A. Clippers hit the court, Supino and hundreds of others hit the arena looking for a job.
(on camera): Did you ever think you'd find yourself at this kind of job fair?
ROCCO SUPINO, JOB SEEKER: Absolutely not.
CANDIOTTI: The NBA team lined up hundreds of companies, registered resumes online, and threw in free tickets for applicants. BRETT YOMARK, PRES., CEO N.J. NETS: Over 3,000 applicants have come to us. People really could careless about the tickets right now. They're looking for jobs.
CANDIOTTI: Supino who's been a carpenter, plumber, electrician and a karate instructor drove from Pennsylvania to see if he could find a sports management internship.
SUPINO: I've been on disability. Disability doesn't pay much and I have two kids that need a fair shake at life and I have to provide that for them.
CANDIOTTI: Sports franchises are also in a battle to fill seats.
YOMARK: We are now competing with anyone, any product and/or service that you can spend a dollar on.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): The Nets is not the only team trying to give back to the fans during these tough economic times.
(voice-over): National Football League is cutting play-off ticket prices about 10 percent. St. Louis Blues hockey fans, when at every home game, can win $4,000 worth of mortgage payments.
ANNOUNCER: We want to be there for you that's why we are introducing a fan bailout plan that features...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dream job is to be a general manager of a sport team.
CANDIOTTI: Just starting out, Lamar Carter and Shanty Dixon are Nets fans who hope the job fair's database will pay off. And they wonder what player Josh Boone could offer. Boone is just a bit taller than this reporter.
JOSH BOONE, NETS FORWARD: Do something that you're passionate about and just, you know, make up your mind that you're going to do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: So, the Nets are putting job fair resumes into a database to share with their sponsors and if those free tickets impress fans enough, well, the team hopes they'll come back when times are better -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Wow. That is pretty impressive. I like that everyone is trying to be inventive to really folks out because a lot of folks need a lot of help -- 1.5 million jobs this year alone, Susan.
CANDIOTTI: They really are. And the people who came to this job fair, a lot of them, frankly, were overqualified for some of the jobs that were being offered but they felt good just getting their resume in because they said, you never know, it's all about networking.
WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Networking is a really just the tip of the iceberg. We're going to find out from a lot of experts that are with us throughout the hour to find out how to make your resume stand out and, for that matter, how to build your resume. So, what are the best and worst industries right now to be in or perhaps to find a job?
Jeff Rosenweig is an economics professor at Emory University. He's with us now.
And you're going to stay with us throughout the hour. So, that's interesting, that point that Susan was making is that there were a lot of folks who actually are overqualified because that is what this job outlook is -- seeming to be evolving into. A lot of folks who are overqualified for jobs, they are looking for anything at this point to find some work. So, where are the growth industries?
JEFF ROSENWEIG, EMORY UNIVERSITY: One thing that worries me starting on the negative side is when you think of overqualified people who need work, you always think of them ending up working into Wal-Mart or Barnes & Noble or Starbucks, and that is a sector that is declining very quickly, retail sales.
WHITFIELD: The service industries.
ROSENWEIG: Yes. And so, we have to split the service industries in two. It's been the goods-producing industries that have led the downturn -- manufacturing and construction and services held up. But as financial services and retail services go down, there's really three places people have to look -- healthcare services, government services, and education services. There's a boom of young people coming into schools. A lot of the teachers were kind of right after the baby boom. They're starting to retire. So, those are the three sectors I urge people to concentrate on.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, to me health industries and education means you'd better be qualified for those things. But it doesn't mean that a lot of us are going to back to school, trade school, something to prepare ourselves for those growth industries.
ROSENWEIG: Well, that's a great point. That's one reason education will grow because so many people will go back to school. And it ranges anywhere from evening courses, making up for high school, all the way up to grad schools. For instance, myself, being a business school professor, we're going to record applications to graduate business programs, MBAs, people are applying to law schools. And some say, in a sense, people are looking for a safe harbor to hang out in for the next two years, because I think most of us agree the economy will be much better in the next two years.
But I do hope society invests more in these two-year colleges -- the community colleges, these technical colleges, because that's often where the rubber meets the road, where someone who has downsized, for instance, needs to pick up more skills. And often, since state governments support those, it's the state governments that are making the cutbacks. Perhaps, that's a place where federal government can step in, help state governments, because that's where, again, to create jobs. We got to help people move their skills from jobs of the past to jobs of the future.
WHITFIELD: OK. So now, I don't want to pooh-pooh the idea of going back to school and trying to learn new skills, but if you've lost your job, you're probably on a tight budget, and you're trying to figure out how to make ends meet and feed the kids, in the interim when you're looking for a job. Who can afford to now go to college?
ROSENWEIG: And that's one reason -- I think, one thing the president-elect should do is step in and do something much more about student loans, although you're right, people still have to earn income, it's a different thing. But we have to at least make student loans available because it's dried up into private sector, banks, et cetera, who would give student loans.
But the other thing is, evening programs for instance are very popular and they could grow. Also, if people are part of a couple, we have to hope that at least one still has a job and the health benefits, and then the other one can increase their skills. As important as your question is, the fact is, if someone is unemployed anyway, they may as well as they're searching for a job also be getting education.
WHITFIELD: OK, great. You're going to be sticking with us for the next hour because we even got a lot of e-mails that are coming in, a lot of questions that people have, whether they've lost their job, they're worried about holding on to their job.
And, you know, another tough thing is trying to figure out how to build your resume. A lot of folks haven't had to do that in a long time. These are some of the things that are going to help push our hour toward helping you locate a job. You don't want to miss any of that. Josh Levs is going to be joining us, too, with some of your e- mails that he's going to be reading on the air.
All right. Meantime, mounting layoffs in the auto industry as well. And across the nation jobs are being lost as plants close down
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The layoffs are mounting as U.S. automakers struggle to survive in this economy. G.M., Chrysler, Ford -- all seeking a $25 billion bailout. But before they even get a penny of that, Congress is demanding blueprints on how they'll reorganize and repay American taxpayers. In the meantime, the job cuts continue.
Reporter Mylous Hairston tells us about the latest layoffs at G.M.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MYLOUS HAIRSTON, WIVB CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The news keeps getting worse. General Motors is extending its holiday shutdown.
KEVIN DONOVAN, UAW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (on the phone): It is going to affect the plant here in Western New York.
HAIRSTON: He's talking about the powertrain facility in the town of Tonawanda. The impact could be felt here as soon as December 8. Among the moves, some production lines are expected to be reduced to one shift. UAW Region Nine assistant director, Kevin Donovan.
DONOVAN: The company, the management there has notified the workforce that there is a possibility that in the second week in December, they could be shut down until completely the entire New York operation until after the holiday.
HAIRSTON: Donovan said that could happen by mid-December. Meanwhile, with the nation's unemployment at its highest level in nearly two decades, President Bush signed a measure extending unemployment benefits for several weeks. Wall Street rallied even though many investors have serious questions about the financial help of banking giants like Citigroup. And with consumers holding onto their money, there is concern about the upcoming holiday season and people waiting for better deals.
MIKE LOMAS, FINANCIAL ADVISER: It's deflation. And deflation is sometimes scarier than inflation. And you think, how could that be that prices are getting cheaper?
HAIRSTON: Financial adviser Mike Lomas believes people who don't spend are actually hurting the economy. Here's why...
LOMAS: If people are waiting to make a purchase, then they're not making a purchase, and that means companies aren't making money, it's hurting the earnings of those companies, and they start to layoff people to make up their profit margins.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That was WIVB's reporter Mylous Hairston reporting on the layoffs at G.M.
So, getting and keeping a job in such tough times requires a whole lot of creativity it seems these days. To help us with that we turn again to Jeff Rosenweig of Emory University's business school.
So, is there such a thing as a recession-proof job?
ROSENWEIG: Healthcare is the closest thing. You know, we still have that nursing shortage. We have a shortage in pharmacists. But also, as people age, you know, as the baby boom ages, we'll need a lot of healthcare workers focus on that direction.
The other thing as I -- I noticed something interesting in preparing for this.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: Do you know that more babies were born in the U.S. in the last two years than any year in history?
WHITFIELD: Wow.
ROSENWEIG: Even the peak of the baby boom. So, to listeners who are out there, I almost urge them to be creative. But, you know, what kind of job can you either find or come up with or even start a business, if you've been downsized and given a lump sum payment, that can cater either to families with these kids or to older folks? Because it's almost like a barbell if that makes any sense.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: You know, try to market some services to the very young or to the older.
WHITFIELD: So, that's interesting because -- while we've been talking about a recession, are we even in a depression, I've heard a lot of economists say that, you know what, now is the best time to start your own business, because we're hearing because, if there is loan money to receive, you can for a small business. So, this is exactly in line with what you're talking about.
ROSENWEIG: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Think about, you know, the audience here and how you can craft something for them.
ROSENWEIG: Yes, and I think that's what people have to do, is they have to say to themselves: Is there some slice of the market out there? And that's the thing. It's a nation of 300 million people. You know, if you can just find the slice that you're best at. I used to tell my students that. Just be best at something. You know, and then sometimes it does take a risk.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: You might have to borrow or use some of your money. But, again, a lot of people, you know, and you had mentioned before these terrible downsizings.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: But, you know, some people can take those lump sums and whether they get involved with a franchise business and use some of that lump sum or start their own business, there are often in recessions a rise in self-employed, mostly because, as you said before, people don't have any money that they can't go back to school, they'd better do something. So, it does take some risk-taking but it also takes...
WHITFIELD: That's a huge risk because something tells me, you know, if I lose my job tomorrow, the last thing I'm looking at is -- what kind of job -- what kind of business can I create because I need to feed my family next week, tomorrow...
ROSENWEIG: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And when you talk about starting your own business... ROSENWEIG: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... that sounds kind of long term. It's going to take a few months before you ever make any money and that's after you actually start the business.
ROSENWEIG: Yes. And that's why I feel, you know, very worried about people right now because -- let's face it, there are still ages in our society.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: If someone loses their job at age 55...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: Again, they might get a lump sum but they're not going to get a job in the next two or three months.
WHITFIELD: It's harder to get a job.
ROSENWEIG: You know, and I don't mean to make people feel nervous out there.
WHITFIELD: Forty or 50 really.
ROSENWEIG: Yes, really. I mean, 40 is the new 50 in that regard. It's the opposite of how people look. Sixty is the new 40, you know. So if someone is, for instance, 55 and they need money because , not many at 55 have put away enough money...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: And that's so our 401(k)s are down so much. You know, it's very depressing. The whole time you had all these resumes...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: But they make no responses on 300 resumes.
WHITFIELD: And their experience is very enticing and interesting, but the problem is a lot of businesses want younger because they want to pay less.
ROSENWEIG: They do. They pay less, maybe no health benefits.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIGH: It's a -- I think it's a national tragedy, but I'm not sure it's going go away soon.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: It's disrespecting people's experience, age 55, 60, 65. And then you look at examples, the two people who almost became treasury secretaries -- Paul Volker and Warren Buffett, over 80 and going strong. So...
WHITFIELD: Right. Their experience is being valued.
ROSENWEIG: And so, we should realize that people over 70, often they should receive more value.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROSENWEIG: And especially, how do we throw away people in their 50s?
WHITFIELD: And, Jeff, you're going to stick around for the hour. I also want to ask you coming up, about kind of that younger generation. Business colleges are now being flooded with applications. Do they see economy bad? As well as technologically, you know that IT crowd...
ROSENWEIG: That's right.
WHITFIELD: That's the way of the future and it's the now.
ROSENWEIG: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff, thanks so much. You're going to stick with us for the rest of the hour.
And we're hearing a lot from you, too, about your survivor stories, about what kind of jobs you're looking for, and how you go about getting those jobs. Josh Levs is right there going through a lot of it and he's going to bring it to you live right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We want you to find a job and keep it. Josh Levs has been hearing from you.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred...
WHITFIELD: You're hearing folks then.
LEVS: You said the word "jobs" before, and if it were possible for an email inbox to explode, it would have just happened. It's incredible what we're getting.
WHITFIELD: Yes, because it's a huge need right now.
LEVS: We have so many responses, unfortunately, some people sending us their resumes. But in general, they're sending us their questions.
WHITFIELD: Hoping that we can pass them on to someone we know.
LEVS: Yes, I know. But I understand the desperation people are feeling, right? Well, we're going to focus on that. It was kind of (ph) good news, those of you who have actually managed to find a job in this economy, how did you accomplish that? Weekends@CNN.com. We're grabbing them. We're throwing them off on the board.
Take a look at this. Starting off with Diana, "I found a job two months ago through networking and I'm very happy with my current post. I work in the online advertising industry as an account manager.
Now, look at this one from Tom. "I recently found a job in Computer System Administration. How'd I do it? I moved to a different city." He's in Chicago now.
Check this one out from Rob. "Use free tools like Plaxo and Linkedln. My boss now edited his Plaxo account showing a new job title. I reached out, and the rest is history." And he says he works in the telecom industry for government markets.
We like to put that in there because it will lead you to look in to that kind of market.
Well, a couple more. "I recently found a job in technical support. I actually have two job offers. I double-checked with colleagues on proper resume and I presented myself confidently in each interview."
And let's end with this one. "I've been working as a math tutor for the past three years. There's always a demand. Unfortunately, it's just part-time. You can only tutor students between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 o'clock p.m." That's from Andy Sterioff.
Now, we encourage you to weigh in on that. Also, coming up in just a few minutes, we're going to have your questions about resumes for our special guests of this hour.
And, Fred, we've already gotten a lot for that as well.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's perfect. And, in fact, some of those e- mail touched exactly on what we're going to be delving into, relocating as one prospect...
LEVS: Right.
WHITFIELD: ... to help your chance of getting a job and that proper resume. I want folks to remember...
LEVS: It's hard these days.
WHITFIELD: How do you build a good resume? What should be in it? We're going to go through all those with the expert that you just talked about, also coming up.
LEVS: I feel too old to know what a good resume is these days, you know?
WHITFIELD: I know because it's no longer like just here, resume on one page...
LEVS: You have to have your own like Web sites and blogs and so on. WHITFIELD: That's right. And even think about your, you know, digital presence as well on these resumes.
LEVS: I'm worried.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's so complicated. That's why we're devoting this entire hour to just that. And we want to continue to hear from you. We've got career experts that are standing by ready to delve into -- how do you sell yourself so you can get a leg up on the competition.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Americans deal with the economic downturn, an international vacation may seem like a luxury many just can't afford. But there are ways to see the world and save if you're ready to set sail.
BETSY SELL, AAA: Taking a cruises is a great way to go. You pay in dollars so you know ahead of time what it's going to cost you. So, our accommodations are all included and your three meals a day are included.
CAREY: Avoiding exchanges in currency exchange rate can be a real benefit but you may want to finalize your plans as soon as possible.
SELL: While it's the last thing that you might be able to get a bargain, for example, on the cruise, but there's always the risk that you might not get the departure you want or you might not get the cabin you want.
CAREY: And don't forget a passport or other documentation. Get some help from a travel agent to know what you need to have and when.
SELL: If you go to Africa, you need shots. If you go to some Eastern European Countries, you need a visa. If you got to Russia, you need a visa. All that takes time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: All right, we're focusing on jobs the entire hour, how you get one, how you hold on the one. Some believe that we're actually witnessing the slow death of the U.S. automotive industry. Those who live in the so-called company towns are already hearing the death nail.
CNN's Gary Tuchman takes us to one town that is bracing for the inevitable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When a decision is made in the skyscraper in Detroit, it can change life in towns far away, very badly, very quickly.
In the small town of Moraine, Ohio, near Dayton, it's easy to figure out what industry is the lifeblood here. And that's even before you see this place, the G.M. plant, the town's dominant employer where more than 4,000 people worked in its heyday, and 1,000 now.
But a decision has come from Detroit. This factory is closing, forever, two days before Christmas.
What does that mean for the rest of this town? Cain Goodwin is a local union leader.
CAIN GOODWIN, LOCAL UNION LEADER: It's really bad, very bad.
TUCHMAN: At a different factory, the Jamestown-Moraine plant, not owned by G.M., they store and transport car parts to the G.M. facility. Certainly, they can ship parts to other G.M. plants or other car companies, right?
TONY MURPHY, R.M. SUPPLIER EMPLOYEE: What am I going to do? That was my very first reaction.
TUCHMAN: One, Tony Murphy works here as a forklift driver. When that G.M. factory shuts its door on December 23rd, the plant where he works will also close forever. He and more than 60 others will have to find new jobs in a region where there are fewer and fewer.
(on camera): Have you started working for a job already?
MURPHY: Oh, yes. I've been to an interview before.
TUCHMAN: How did they go?
MURPHY: I don't know. They haven't called me back, so I guess it didn't go too well.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): The labor contract at the small supply plant has no provision for any severance. And the cheap medical insurance disappears the day after they walk out of the factory for the last time.
MINCHELLE WASHINGTON, G.M. SUPPLIER EMPLOYEE: I might end up losing my car. I don't want to lose my house, but I know I might end up losing my car.
TUCHMAN: Minshelle Washington is a single mother.
WASHINGTON: Drawings, Jada (ph) made a drawing at school.
TUCHMAN: A scared single mother.
(on camera): So what happens if you get sick or your daughter gets sick?
WASHINGTON: That's the bad part because, if I get sick, it's downhill because I have diabetes. And I've got enough medicine probably for an extra month after my insurance is gone.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Even for businesses that have nothing to do with cars, the future is frightening. The Upper Deck Restaurant and Bar right next to the G.M. plant used to be jammed every day at lunch. Now you can almost hear crickets.
UNIDENTIIED OWNER, UPPER DECK RESTAURANT AND BAR: I used to have a bartender, plus three waitresses at lunch. Now, we have one bartender and she waitresses.
TUCHMAN: Back at the parts factory, the employees seem to understand why this man, the owner, is pulling the plug.
UNIDENTIFIED FACTORY OWNER: We have no other choice but to go down because there's nowhere to send the material.
TUCHMAN (on camera): How does that make you feel, sir, for your employees?
UNIDENTIFIED FACTORY OWNER: Oh, it hurts like hell.
TUCHMAN: What the employees don't seem to understand...
(on camera): Who are you angry at?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The executives at G.M.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): ... are the decisions made in the skyscraper.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Moraine, Ohio
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So, now you're out of work, you need to build a resume, get noticed, get back into the interviewing side of the business. So Josh Levs has been taking a lot of your e-mails that address those very concerns and maybe providing some tips from some of you out there about building your resume and also help us kind of repackage yourself.
We're joined by Michael Erwin of careerbuilder.com, out of Chicago, and then Emery University's Jeff Rosensweig from the economics department.
Josh, let me begin with you. What are people saying about how they are or are they not prepared with their resume building?
JOSH LEVS, CNN BUSINESS ANALYST: They're giving us, sending us so many questions, it's incredible. So many questions about resume and what to do. Let's just zoom in on the board. What we're doing this afternoon, if you just wrote them, we're grabbing them and throwing them up here.
Take a look at this. This is a really interesting one. "I heard recommendations on both ends of the spectrum. Should I include references on my resume or leave them off and only provide them if the employee requests them?" That's the first question on resumes, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Let's bring in Michael real quick.
Because this is something that you guys focus on at careerbuilder.com, how to build those resumes. This is something you focus on, on careerbuilder.com, how to build resumes and how to get noticed. Michael, a lot of times when people lose their job, they've been at that job for 10, 15 years. They've been out of practice on what to put on the resume. So what do you put in it? What do you leave out?
MICHAEL ERWIN, CAREERBUILDER.COM: That can be a scary time to have to all of a sudden sum up your years of working into one document, but what we tell people is make a little plan. Go through your resume, try to fill in all of the areas that you possibly can, and put in a lot of quantifiable details because you really need to show how you are affecting the bottom line. And then once you have it all written up, have a come people proof read it for you and then it should be ready to go online.
WHITFIELD: Yes, because you don't want to have things like spelling errors on there. It's that first impression which is a lasting impression in a lot of cases.
And you know what? Resumes are not just on hard copy anymore. People are sending their resumes via the Internet, e-mail. So how do you introduce yourself to someone that may never get a chance to see you or hear your voice?
ERWIN: That's really correct. You're now talking to people who you used to be able to send a paper resume to or you talk to them on the phone, and now you're just e-mailing them. You need to make sure your resume is in a clean format, which means there's not a lot of graphics and indents. You want to keep it as simple as possible because hiring managers are getting a lot of resumes and they don't spend a lot of time going through each of them. So you want to grab them at the top. You want it to be simple for them to go through. And you really want to high light your experience so you get to the next step and get in for an interview.
WHITFIELD: Michael, we may have a question or a comment or observation being made by someone who's sent us some correspondence through the e-mail, so Josh Levs is handling that.
Josh, what do you have?
LEVS: Hey, Michael, let me start off with this question from Ben from Charlotte, North Carolina. "What about those references? Do you list them on the resume? Do you not? Only provide them if somebody asks you for them? How do you handle that?"
ERWIN: I think sometimes it's a personal call. You can put them on there. It's great to give the hiring manager all the information they need but you may also just be taking up space on a piece of paper. Maybe instead of putting the three references on, you build up more what you've been doing and how the results have impacted your team.
LEVS: Let me ask one more questions from one of our viewers. "Do professional head hunters increase your chance for finding a job that will pay you really well?"
ERWIN: I think recruiters are very important. Recruiters focus on specific industries. They know what's out there and they know how to find a job. If you're online and you're not finding something, they're a great option to look into.
LEVS: Michael, thanks a lot. We have a lot of questions. I know we're going to keep doing this today and in coming weeks.
Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: Michael, there used to be an edict of being persistent. Maybe you want to call a number of times or show up so that nobody forgets you in terms of the place you want to get hired. Can being a pest kind of backfire or is that what you need to be? Be really persistent these days?
ERWIN: I think you really need to make sure your resume gets you into the door and gets you to the interview. I think hiring managers have a lot going on right now. They're looking at a lot of resumes. Unfortunately, they're having to let people go. So it's a time where they can't be taking calls from you. So you really need to make sure you sell yourself and you sell your brand on your resume and let the resume do the talking and walking for you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Erwin, thank you so much, of careerbuilder.com.
We continue to receive a lot of your e-mails, questions. You've got comments. And we've got our experts here ready to take on some of your questions.
Emory University's Jeff Rosensweig is still with us here and he's going to be addressing and answering some of your questions coming up. And Josh will be bringing a lot of those emails to you.
We want to help you survive the times because everyone, indeed, certainly has a story and everyone is looking for a job right now.
Much more straight ahead.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Let the travel games begin. Weather may be quiet today, but will that hold throughout the week? We'll let you know, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We are at the start of a workweek. We were talking about finding a job, holding onto your job through this entire hour.
Jacqui Jeras has the weather picture of what this workweek -- new workweek might look like.
JERAS: Hey. You know, we talked to you yesterday a little bit about how weather impacts the economy and whether or not you get out and do things. And today, for the most part, things have been really fantastic. We have a lot of travelers. Even though the weather hasn't been impacting you at the airport, volume and other issues certainly have.
We've got a ground stop in effect right now at Newark and that has been extended until 7:00. So that means nobody can take off to get into Newark. So if you're wonder why you haven't left yet on your flight yet, that would be the reason why. We also could see some delays in the northeastern corridor over the next couple of days.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. The forecast, whether you're heading to work or the job interview tomorrow or the next day...
JERAS: We wish you good luck.
WHITFIELD: We wish you good luck and good weather.
Jacqui, thank you so much.
Much more ahead as we focus on the economy this weekend. The "NEWSROOM" straight ahead with our Don Lemon.
DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Really? Jobs? People have jobs lately, I mean, job interviews? We've been hearing just how badly the job economy is. We hope they do.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's so frightening and scary. We hope to encourage peel in the gloom and doom kind of times.
LEMON: There's always hope. There's always hope. And speaking of the economy, we're going to continue this conversation, Fred. Continue our focus on the struggling economy, taking a closer look at some of the big U.S. companies in crisis, Citigroup, G.E., the big three automakers. What is going on and how will their problems affect all of us?
We'll also like ahead to President-elect Barack Obama's announcement tomorrow on his economic dream team. Who are the players, and how soon will they get to work? They say they want to be ready on day one. We shall see. Plus, a sign of the times here. One man's mission -- look at this -- to reduce waste this holiday season. He's saving his family's trash for an entire year.
WHITFIELD: Why?
LEMON: That's right. You see it piling up in the basement. He's documenting that experiment and he's hoping to raise awareness. It sounds nuts.
WHITFIELD: Is it part of the composting there? He's composting, oh. I know this is a tease. I'm not trying to give it all away. But this is really curious.
LEMON: I've never seen that video. It looks a little bit weird. Four to five pound as day, the average person accumulates in waste and garbage.
WHITFIELD: I believe it. I believe it as we bag up our trash at home.
LEMON: I like the look. It's very good. It's the weekend. It's good. Anyway...
WHITFIELD: Anyway, that's what we're doing.
WHITFIELD: I think all families can probably reflect, and individuals, and say, you know what? I produce a lot of garbage and we need to all figure out how to...
LEMON: Especially coming up this time of the year.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
LEMON: Even more. So send us what you think, you know, it's Twitter, Facebook, i-report.com.
WHITFIELD: You're all over.
LEMON: Yes, Tell us your thinking. We'll get your responses on the air in a few minutes.
Thank you, Fred. Always good seeing you.
WHITFIELD: Thank you, Don I appreciate it.
Mr. Rogers has always been cool. That's all right if that's Mr. Rogers as you see it.
LEMON: It's a beautiful day in the news room. It's a beautiful day in the news room. Would you be my mine?
WHITFIELD: OK. Thanks, Don. Appreciate it.
Speaking of cutting back, not just on trash, but cutting back, in the whole, in the Big Apple. How New Yorkers are cutting back in one of the nation's priciest places to live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Everyone agrees, tough economic times. So we are all looking to save, right? Richard Roth tells us about the belt tightening in the Big Apple.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bad economy is causing Americans to change their ways to save money.
UF: I'm definitely staying in more.
UF: I am taking less cabs.
UF: Drive $3 or $4.
ROTH: Belt tightening forces emotional decisions.
UF: I may not buy those flowers for my mom right now, which is pretty sad.
UM: Usually, Christmas time, we either go to my family or my wife's family. But we will stay here this year.
ROTH (on camera): No Christmas?
UM: Yeah, no Christmas. No Santa this year. Sorry, honey.
ROTH (voice-over): Shoppers like Shalene Snowdon (ph) are smiling because they are taking advantage of one major store, Kmart's revived installment purchase plan.
SHALENE SNOWDON (ph), SHOPPER: Because in this economy we have now, with no money, this is the best thing to do.
ROTH: Shoppers can take eight weeks in the layaway program to pay for their gifts and then take them home.
PAM DOFFONT, SHOPPER: Instead of paying $400 up front, I come up once a week, pay it off little by little and it's a lot better and more convenient.
ROTH: The store once known for its blue light specials sees a red alert now that consumers need help.
LINDA CHIAN, KMART MANAGER: We would get 15 customers in a day. Now we are getting 50 customers in one day, 60 customers in one day just using layaway. So we are very much increased.
ROTH: Elsewhere, in Manhattan, other consumers are coming in to sell their own unwanted clothing.
UF: That's my rule, if I haven't worn it in a year, then it's time to sell. ROTH: Business is up at the Inna (ph) Consignment Store. Nancy is a frequent customer and is watching her budget.
NANCY FORSHAW-CLAPP, CUSTOMER: It's a nice way to clean out your closet, put it back into buying new clothes for the new season.
ROTH: The store has noticed more upper-income people are bringing clothing in to sell.
RUBY ANDREOLLI, STORE MANAGER: We are getting better items, more high end, more current, and we're getting -- because if people are looking to make money, so they are bringing their items in.
ROTH: But Americans will run out of things they can sell to raise cash.
(on camera): Are selling anybody? Selling relatives? Anything?
UM: No. I haven't started selling my wife or my children yet. But who knows what's going to happen over the next nine months to a year. Anything is possible.
ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. In New York and everywhere else across the country, a lot of people are cutting back because they are a little concerned about the job scenario, which is why we've devoted the last hour to talk about jobs, how to get one, how to secure the one that you have.
Josh Levs has been taking in your e-mails.
Still with us now Jeff Rosensweig with the economics department at Emory University.
Josh, let's begin with you. What kinds of emails now?
LEVS: They are sending us so many questions, it's really incredible. I'm grabbing them off the e-mail and throwing them to the board behind me.
Let's take a look at this. We want to help you as much as we can, get you some information. Let's zoom in on this.
I want to toss this one to Jeff because it's representative of what we are getting from a lot of people.
"I've been a loan senior for 17 years. I'm 48 years old and need to find a real paying job. How do I stand out from the crowd thousands? And how do I get into another industry when I have been pigeon holed into this one for so long?"
We are hearing from other people as well who said they have been in one industry for a decade, two or three maybe. What do they do? Let's bring that one to Jeff now?
You can tell us maybe, what can they do to make that kind of a change.
ROSENSWEIG: I think the first thing they have to do is emphasize the skills they do have. For instance, that was the successful and long career. Probably has some quantitative skills, some technology skills, a lot of personal relationship skills. And that's what I liked that adverse before from Michael at career builder.com.
In today's world, everyone is hassled, including the hiring managers. Get to the point, the quantification. What are the skills? Don't put it at the bottom of resume, available upon request. They'd better be or you are not going to get a job. Put down language skills, computer skills. Someone with 17 years successive experience, they have to spell out what they were good at and where they can plug that in.
WHITFIELD: I know someone with that kind of experience may not be excited about going back to school. But we are already seeing that business schools are right now being flooded with applicants who are saying, you know what, tough economic times, that means you are going to need my expertise in a few years. Same with the technological type of jobs. So what do we do with this kind of information and how encouraging is this for a lot of folks looking for jobs?
ROSENSWEIG: I think the one thing that is encouraging is this is a country that has an optimism in it. I think as long as people look past the current problems and not wallow in it or let others depress them, again, build skills and be ready. We are getting record applications at the top business schools. And I like to think the way our business school is, people are heading for law school.
Again, if that's not realistic for some people, there's been an explosion of different types of adult education and evening education. The one thing I know is it's very depressing for people who aren't working. I think a perfect strategy is to use careerbuilder.com and things like that.
Also, you can't do that eight hours a day and wait for a rejection. And I think to go and hassle hiring managers is negative, as we heard. Take a two-part strategy. Keep looking for a job because you need the income. But also, how are we building skills so we can highlight that and also highlight that we're dynamic individuals looking into the future. So I think both are important things.
In terms of the IT jobs, what will pull us out openly is innovation. IT training and IT jobs are the future. And that is something the president-elect is on top of.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. We're going to try to delve into that a little more.
Josh, what else are people saying? LEVS: Another thing we're hearing a lot about, concerns about gaps in employment time. If someone took some time on to be with family -- let me zoom onto the board behind me.
"By choice I have had two GPS in employment each about three years because I could afford it and because I wanted to take time out to take care of my spouse and my personal life. Any suggestions on how to handle this on a resume?" That's from Mary in Texas.
WHITFIELD: When you have that, two months and three months or time off...
LEVS: You do. Or years, three years.
WHITFIELD: ... people say, well, what were you doing all that time? Will they accept in value that you took time to be with your family?
ROSENSWEIG: I worry about it. I think it is true that maybe people should face it right up front. Some time with family or some investment in education, for instance, but if you see a gap of more than about 18 months, without an explanation, you might begin to think, is this person unemployable? Do they have a very limited passion to working?
WHITFIELD: So you can't just say -- instead of saying I've been spending time with family, you can't just say I've been looking for a job. Everyone will understand that, won't they? Or is that a demerit against you?
ROSENSWEIG: It is a demerit. That's why I feel so badly about the job market. Let's say someone, again, is 52, 54, and has been looking for six months. You would think, it is a tough economy. But often it is a demerit. And again, I don't mean to hit the same point, but you can show you're getting education, doing voluntary work. By the way, when people have these gaps, even if it's to raise their family, you've got to be doing volunteer work. You've got to be showing something.
WHITFIELD: We could have done two hours on this because it really does hit a nerve with a lot of folks.
Jeff, your input has been invaluable, as have been the e-mails coming in. Jeff, I know you're very encouraged about the next administration because you already like the look of the economic team that's being built. and that's a nice note on which to end on.
And, Josh, you've been incredibly instrumental as well fielding all of these e-mails.
LEVS: And thanks to the viewers.
Thank you.
And your responses are amazing.
WHITFIELD: And thanks so much to all of you. Thanks for tuning in during the "NEWSROOM."
Don Lemon is coming up next.
They are screaming in my ear, but we know jobs, jobs, jobs are so incredibly important.
LEVS: Very good job.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much for being with us.
And Don, you can empathize. you don't mind that we are jumping into your hour now.
LEMON: No. Go into my hour.
WHITFIELD: We are helping to build the economy, right?
LEVS: Seriously? We can do this another hour?
WHITFIELD: We'll keep going.
LEMON: All right.
WHITFIELD: All right, much more of the news room coming up with Don Lemon.
As your self-described, what, Mr. Rogers?
LEMON: What? Mr. Rogers.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Won't you be my neighbor.
LEMON: I will.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
