12-12-03 - Just in time for Christmas, one of Gainesville's largest manufacturers is closing their doors. 80 employees at the Valenite plant learned Wednesday that they will be out of a job come next March.

After almost thirty years in the community, the company is consolidating operations to their South Carolina plant.

They've been downsizing for years, going from 200 employees to the 80 there today. But Gainesville city leaders say it wasn't an easy decision and Valenite is doing everything they can to help employees with the transition, including offering severance packages.

Gainesville economic developers say they've already had some interested buyers for the Valenite plant, which they call prime manufacturing space.

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The Fine Art of Surviving the Job Search

The Bad News:

Experts have called job hunting "the hardest hob you'll ever have" and the job market has been affectionately called a "mindless monster". Individuals in the field have documented the stresses and strains that can be side effects of this most challenging task.

The Good News:

Those who have been there have survived to tell the tale, and luckily for us, have passes along some important strategies for surviving and thriving in the job market. The strategies below may help.

13 Lucky Guerilla Tactics

• Focus on the process of the job search, not just the end goal. Give yourself credit for positive steps taken along the way (e.g., developing a good resume, conducting a terrific interview, calling someone you've been avoiding).

• Keep a job hunting log. Record daily tasks. This helps fight the sense of "nothing's happening".

• Develop a hobby or activity that gives you a sense of control and competence (running, gardening, woodworking).

• Practice telling people you're out of work. You may decide to re-label the out of work experience (e.g., sabbatical, moratorium, field experience in the career exploration).

• Get support. Ask for support from friends and family. Tell them how they can be of help. For instance, passing along your resume, shoulder to cry on, making a job contact for you, buying you a triple scoop hot fudge sundae.

• Consider starting a job search group. Begin with one, two or three other job hunters. Put an ad in the classifieds for interested job hunters.

• Consider part-time work or an interim job.

• Get out of the house. Approach the job search as a job. Make appointments, and keep a schedule of tasks.

• Avoid becoming isolated. Interacting with others helps you see yourself as a whole person, not just a job hunter.

• Consider taking a course, credit or non-credit.

• Treat yourself. Build in rewards and uplifts during the job hunting process. This can be especially important after a rejection. Plan a reward (e.g., meet a friend for lunch, take a long walk, hot bath, etc..) after a difficult task.

• Practice stress management. Stress management includes relaxation, exercise, proper nutrition, and laughing frequently. Many useful resources exist to help you learn how to deal with stress that is a normal response to your situation.

• Keep in mind the "Zen" of the career search. Howard Figler, in The complete Job Search Handbook, coined this phrase to remind us that for all our rational and objective goals and life plans, there is an element of luck in landing a job. So, use your imaginative instincts and favorite good luck charm as additional tools for the job search. Remember, too, as Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind".

  Source: University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Adult Career and Educational Counseling Center, 2000.