Hampton Roads Jobs Still Hiring Amid Recession

by Robbie Foglia

If you are one of the estimated 10.3 million people without jobs in the United States, you are feeling the squeeze of an economic recession. While the picture may seem bleak across the country, and especially amid farming and manufacturing sectors, the area of Hampton Roads offers a shiny beacon of hope for those residents try to find a job this winter.

The national unemployment rate is at an average of 6.7% for large metropolitan areas according to the US Department of Labor Statistics, but Hampton Roads, with its plethora of government and military contracting jobs, is well below the national average at 4.3% unemployment.

According to a recent survey by a large staffing agency, 17% of local companies in the Hampton Roads seven cities plan to hire more employees between January and March of 2009. The companies most likely to hire include the durable goods manufacturing, government and military contracting, and business services industries. While this is good news for the unemployed in Hampton Roads looking for jobs, the unemployment rate is estimated to surpass 5% by the end of 2009, so the time to start looking for that new job is now.

In order to take advantage of the upcoming job availabilities in the region, make sure to prepare yourself to reenter the job market:

Update that resume. Make a few different versions of your resume or C.V. in order to highlight specific experience and skills that relate to various positions you are applying for
Practice Interviewing. If you haven’t been on a job interview for a while, now is the time to brush up on typical interview question responses. What are your greatest strengths? Explain a time you had to perform under pressure. What do you hope to achieve in the next five years? Talk to yourself in the mirror and practice annunciating your words.
Dry clean the suit. Make sure you have an outfit prepared for the interview when you get one. Ladies and gentlemen alike can’t go wrong with a well-pressed suit, some clean shoes, and shiny smile.

If the job search is a bit overwhelming at the moment, try using the services of a Norfolk staffing firm, such as Don Richard Associates, in order to streamline the process and get you back on the road to success.