JOB HUNTERS HOPE THEIR SKILLS TRANSFER By David P. Willis • Business Writer • The Asbury Park Press • August 5, 2009 Howell resident Glenn Cantor worked for Pfizer for 18 years, selling products such as Listerine and Benadril to supermarkets and drugstores. After he was laid off in 2007 when his unit was sold to Johnson & Johnson, he went to work for a veterinary magazine, selling ads, until he lost his job again in May. Now the married father of two says his sales skills, training and marketing background will help him in his next job, whatever that may be. "It is experience," Cantor said. "It's through trial and error, learning how to listen to people and take a step back and understand what they are trying to say, what they would need in order to say yes." He thinks his skills could translate into the nonprofit sector as charities figure out ways to attract donations. "I am looking to expand those skills," said Cantor, 47. "I am pretty optimistic," he added, "With more people out of work, the job market has become more and more competitive, "said Barbara Davis, owner of Barbara Davis Employment Services in Middletown. "If anyone has an opening they have so many talented people to draw from, obviously," Davis said. "What we are finding (is) the employers are getting more and more difficult to please because they can." Now Davis' company is coaching people to be more flexible, directing people to look at their resumes and figure out where their skills might take them. For instance, if a candidate has marketing skills they can try to get a job in health care, a field where there are jobs. "We try to coach people to be a little bit more flexible about what they are looking for and think about what motivates them to succeed, what they are excited about doing everyday and try to figure out what might make them happy in their next job," Davis said. Good salespeople should succeed, even in this economy, because they are so hard to find, Davis said. A candidate's skills should be highlighted on the resume, showing accomplishments and using numbers, she added. Resumes should be tailored for the job. It's a full-time endeavor to find work these days. Job seekers should research and find the companies in the area they would like to work for. Look up their Web sites and check out various positions in the company. "What are the key words that they are going to look for in resumes," Davis said. Find out what temporary work agencies the companies use and sign up, she said. A person might get a customer service job and be in line for a sales position later. "People will hire who they know". Volunteer, gain new skills and meet new people, Davis said. "It is really, really important to be out there and not just be sending out resumes from home on the internet." Dustin Racioppi, 26, Howell, was laid off from his job at a Colorado newspaper in April. He hopes his writing and researching skills and ability to meet deadlines will help him as he looks for a new job, perhaps in marketing or public relations. But while he has credits for an associate's degree at a community college, he does not have a college degree so it's tough. Racioppi writes for a Yankees fan site blog called Yankees-Mix.com and also freelances for a local news Web site in North Jersey. "I believe that I can and will have a career in media, in journalism in some capacity, but right now, I have to look at any kind of options that I have," Racioppi said. Still, Racioppi said, there are bills to be paid so he has looked into different fields, such as sales. "In a lot of ways, I feel I have to start from scratch in order to make any money and to have a career," he said. "I am hoping that if I make a career move, a change, it won't be forever. I want to eventually get back to what I am good at, what I have a passion for."