Back to Work! is nothing if not multimedia. Now we’re taking the message into the world of talk radio. Thursday the book makes its official debut, and Friday we take to the airwaves with one of the country’s upcoming new talk radio talents, Denver’s Jim Pfaff on the Jim Pfaff Show–KLZ 560 AM. [Update: There’s been a change on the day. More to follow…)

Not in the Denver listening area? No problem. Just go to http://www.560thesource.com/ to listen live at 11 a.m. Mountain (1 p.m. Eastern) or go to http://www.jimpfaffshow.com/ for the podcast at your convenience. Jim was gracious enough to give us the whole hour to address a wide range of issues related to the personal trauma of job loss, as well as the national crisis it has become. Jim is one of the most insightful political observers, I know, as well as an astute analyst of economic trends. Thanks, Jim, for all you do.

This is just the beginning. Next week I expect a mid-week opportunity to bring the message to a national program on the Salem radio network. Yes, it’s one of the big guys. More as it develops. After that, we’re expecting some guest opportunities on affiliates of the Moody radio network.

Meanwhile, a preview of upcoming features here:

Who’s bearing the brunt of the current unemployment tsunami? If it’s been looking like a particuar problem for older workers, your eyes are not lying. It’s been documented that those hardest hit this time are Boomers, especially males.

There are reasons for this. The New York Times opined that it’s because some of the sectors hardest hit are traditional male bastions–construction, manufacturing and finance. (If you want a reminder of carnality, read the gloating comments of feminists who think it’s about time.)

That doesn’t ring entirely true to me, but there are some other factors that do. Once upon a time, labor unions used to be a major force in favor of the rights of employee seniority, but labor influence has been deciining in recent decades. Also, older (and male) workesrs tend to make more money, so companies needing to trim their bottom line can get there faster by eliminating those jobs.

Another anecdotal indicator is the fact that age discrimination complaints against employers are up 30 percent over a year ago. Problem is, most of these cases are losers because of recent federal court decisions making them almost impossible to prosecute. In effect, any other plausible business reason trumps the age issue. So, lawyers have been avoiding these cases. Some that have been in the courts for years are literally outliving some of the comlainants and witnesses.

For an interesting read on this subject, see “Tough times for older male workers” at USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2009-07-29-oldermales_N.htm?poe=HFMostPopular

THE GRIEF CYCLE

You can’t go over it. You can’t go around it. You can’t go under it. And you for sure can’t stay where you are.

You have to move THROUGH it.

This may look like a roller coaster, but it’s the classic Grief Cycle. The number of peaks and troughs may vary, but the same general pattern holds true whether it’s the death of a loved one, a divorce or the loss of a job. Some people bounce back and heal more quickly than others. Some never entirely heal.

In all cases, psychologists have observed this same sequence. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just go straight from Point A to Point B without all that other nonsense? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. The danger here is getting stuck at any point in the process. Stay in denial, and you risk losing grip on reality. Stay in anger, and you can become dangerous to yourself and others. Stay in sadness of loss and pain, and you risk depression.

Like the child who feels misplaced guilt over his parents’ divorce, we can struggle unnecessarily. I’ve experienced guilt during the “relief” phase of the grief cycle, feeling like I should be suffering more. An unknown wise man once said, “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”

Accept your own human feelings, and give yourself a break. Notice, too, that the low-energy trough gets shallower each time. This is the path to recovery. Christians should have a real leg up in this process, knowing there’s a heavenly Father who cares when even a sparrow falls. It’s why Paul in his trials and tribulations could say he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” and mean it (2 Cor. 6:10).

UPDATES

It’s here! My two advance copies of “Back to Work!” arrived this afternoon via FedEx. Check out the back cover:

You’re not alone–and there is hope!

Ohio-Bound: I’m tentatively scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Monday October 19 at Grace Church in Cleveland (Middleburg Heights) on the whole issue of job loss from a Christian perspective. Working on another venue as well. More as it develops.

STAY TUNED: I’m working on something extra special that you won’t want to miss. Next week I’m hoping to present a strategic alliance with a provider of services that promises to put some power tools for the job search into your hands. Is that enough of a teaser? Yeah, we want you to keep coming back here.

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Resources. We’re all about resources–practical helps for people who are looking for a new or better job or career, or even a new life direction. You’re not in this alone, friend.

Sure, we’re also about promoting the book “Back to Work!” and hope many people will buy it and put it to good use.  Moody Publishers worked hard to keep the package small and the price under $10 out of consideration for unemployed and out-of-work individuals who need to watch their expenses. Incidentally, the price also makes it a wonderful gift for someone you know who is out of work.

But the larger goal here is ministry. To give you an idea: Moody didn’t hesitate to spend good money to hire the services of a professional researcher to compile a substantial appendix of useful resources for the job seeker from a Christian perspective. And then, guess what? When push came to shove, they were willing to scrap that appendix to keep the book to a lower page count.

That probably didn’t reflect too well on yours truly, as I had been the one making  both recommendations–both to undertake and then to scrap this compendium of resources. But there was some method to my madness. Since most of these resources are things to be accessed online, it just makes sense to make this an online resource with clickable links. Like you, I’m loath to sit and try to type a complex URL from a book into my Web browser.

And, of course, that’s what this Web site is all about. We’ll be posting these resources right here in logical increments. So, be sure to bookmark the site and make it a regular stop. To give an idea of the resources we’re talking about, here’s a sample–a list of job-posting Web sites, as collected by Right Management:

www.monster.com

www.careerbuilder.com

www.copernic.com 

www.indeed.com

www.jobcentral.com

www.employmentwizard.com

www.guru.com

www.careerjournal.com

www.job-hunt.com

www.simplyhired.com

www.hotjobs.com

www.careerexchange.com

www.careershop.com

www.careerweb.com

www.résumérabbit.com

www.retirementjobs.com

www.netshare.com

www.nationjob.com

www.kitlist.org

Government job-posting sites:

www.fedjobs.com

www.usajobs.opm.gov

www.bestplacestowork.org

Every time we think we’re turning the corner on the recession, it seems we just come to another corner.

When will the Great Recession be over? From my research, I don’t believe it will be any time soon–at least, not in a meaningful way for the millions who are out of work. We discuss in “Back to Work!” how many of these lost jobs may be permanent. Even when things do get better for employers, they will most likely increase the hours for existing workers and bring part-time employee up to fulltime first.

That’s one major difference between now and 1996, when this book was first published under the name “Reinventing Your Career”–and, of course, has undergone a major overhaul for 2009. Looking back on that orginal edition, I was struck by how easy it would have been for a reader to infer an anti-corporate America bias from what I had written (though none was intended).

So, I asked my good friend Jim Pfaff, one of the savviest observers I know, to address the other side of this story for “Back to Work!”–i.e., the role of the public sector in the current economic mess. Jim and I worked together for a few years at Focus on the Family, where we became friends. He is a family policy expert, political consultant, and host of “The Jim Pfaff Show” (Denver KLZ 560 AM). http://www.jimpfaffshow.com/

Jim was kind enough to write an article-length chapter segment for the book. For space reasons, we were only able to use about half of it, but it’s for just that sort of thing that this Web site was created. (Knowing that much of the audience of “Back to Work!” would be unemployed, Moody wanted to keep the book shorter to keep the price under $10.) Following is Jim’s analysis in its entirety:

This current recession is unlike anything we have seen in three generations. The surreal landscape on the back end of the “collapse” of financial institutions has distorted the way we have traditionally evaluated the job market. Post-Industrial America is quickly becoming Post-Post-Industrial America, where job seekers find the employment landscape in disarray.

(more…)

“Back to Work!” is out! Create new opportunities in the wake of job loss” by Moody Publishers. Watch this site for information about the book, how to order it, my own author speaking engagements and bonus content above and beyond the printed pages.

So, what’s it all about? I was blessed to have talk radio host and New York Times best-selling author Hugh Hewitt review and endorse “Back to Work!” Here’s what he had to say about it:

Stephen Adams has written a book that could be a life-saver for thousands and an encouragement for millions.  In a time when six months means 3 million lost jobs, a book on how to “treat unemployment as a job,” is beyond timely, it is crucial.  “Back to Work!” is “an exhortation to move on “and “to let go of the past,”  and if you have lost your job or know someone who has, you should read it. Many times over the past year I have sat down with a friend who has lost his or her job, and those who had adopted the right attitude were much farther along in their job search or career change.  The key tools to finding not just a new job but the right job are all here in “Back to Work!,” and written by a man who has lived through two such transitions and who writes from experience and from faith.

We also intend to make this site interactive and participatory. To show you what we mean, see the following 10-scale self-inventory. Give yourself 10 points for each “yes” and see how you score:

1. I know my Myers-Briggs type (or DISC or other).
2. I know what “What Color Is Your Parachute?” is.
3. I have heard of the “Occupational Outlook Handbook.”
4. I have had close encounters with Monster.com.
5. I have a personal mission statement.
6. I have a 30-second Elevator Speech.
7. I have an accomplishment-based resume.
8. I know my top two gifts.
9. I know in my heart what I really want to do.
10. I am at peace knowing God has a plan for me and my future.

OK, if you scored a perfect 100, go to the head of the class. If you scored 80-90, you’re really on your way. Below that, there’s only one thing to say: You must get a copy of “Back to Work!”

–Stephen Adams