Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was in federal court again today.

Last time Blagojevich was at the Dirksen Federal building, the media caused such a stir that this time U.S. Marshals decided to take extra precautions.

The U.S. Marshal’s office sent a memo to the press on Monday warning that wooden horses would be set up outside the courthouse and that the press corps should not attempt to follow Blagojevich out of the courthouse.

We were prepared to duke it out with cameramen and reporters from other news outlets to get our readers photos and audio but it turned not to be necessary.  There were maybe 10 cameramen outside the courthouse and another 20 or so inside and, for the most part, everything remained civil.

Here are some photos from this morning: Read the rest of this entry →

Paul Smith is next up in the “Give me a job, please!” series.  After you’ve read Paul’s entry take a second and leave him a job lead or some advice on finding a job. (If you’re currently unemployed and want to be a part of this series, email us here.)

Name: Paul AE Smith

Looking for work as: Quality/Continuous Improvement Manager or Production/Operations Manager in manufacturing, medical, hydraulics, automotive or related industry or corporate setting including logistics, customer and product development, & sales.

If you were to write a song about your dream job, how would the chorus go?

“Ooh, sha-la-la, turning the world into a better place;

lean it out, make it robust–

kaizen’s the action and our actions are just.” Read the rest of this entry →

Last week on the Hard Working blog Laura Browning, an out-of-work writer-editor, mentioned that she had gone to see “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” earlier this year and discovered a number of errors in the program. Check out what she found!

Laura Browning is the latest job-seeker to take part in the “Give me a job, please!” series.  Thoughts, ideas, leads for her, post them here .

(If you’re currently unemployed and want to be a part of this series, email us here.)

Name: Laura M. Browning

Looking for work as: Writer/editor (on a full-time or project basis) for non-profits, magazines, or organizations with connections to the arts or environment.

Please sum up your life experience in 140 characters or less.

I’m curious. Intellectually stimulating experiences open up my world and allow me to be storyteller, art lover, wordsmith, factory tour enthusiast and more.

What kind of job are you looking for?

Writing/editing for organizations with employees who work hard, have fun, and believe that what they are doing is making the world a little better. I love digging into long feature articles and finding stories in the everyday. I’m also experienced at cutting through jargon to write memorable member newsletters, annual reports, and other marketing collateral. Read the rest of this entry →

Illinois’ unemployment rate in October was 11 percent, the highest rate in 26 years.  The national rate topped 10 percent last month.

When do economists think the jobs will begin to return?

According to a report out today from the National Association for Business Economics, we might be talking months instead of years.  “While the recovery has been jobless so far, that should soon change,” said Lynn Reaser, President of the N.A.B.E. “Within the next few months, companies should be adding instead of cutting jobs.”

Great news, right? But if you’re waiting for a bunch of new jobs to spring up in the next few weeks, don’t hold your breath…there’s some fine print. Read the rest of this entry →

Jennifer Rice Epstein is the fourth job-seeker in the “Give me a job, please!” series. Jennifer worked at a industrial supply company before going back to school. She completed her MFA this summer and is currently revising her thesis, a novel called Mr. Eclipse.

(If you want to be included in this series, email us here.)

Read the rest of this entry →

We stumbled upon an interesting interactive graphic at the New York Times (thanks to a tip from The Chicago Reporter’s blog) that highlights how race, gender, age and education level affect unemployment rates.

It’s worth checking out.

Most startling: Black men ages 15 – 24 who hadn’t graduated from high school had the highest unemployment rate: 48.5% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prominent minority organizations including the N.A.A.C.P. and the National Council of La Raza are calling on President Obama for help in creating more jobs.

Which group is faring best in terms of employment?

The answer: White women, ages 25 – 44 who are college graduates.  They have an unemployment rate of only 3.6%.The news isn’t all rosy for women, though. Unmarried women, particularly mothers and caregivers, are among the hardest hit by the recession, according to the Center for American Progress.

Our series of interviews with Chicago area job-seekers continues with John Newfy, a project manager with more than 10 years of experience in web development.

John says, “My wife and I have been sustaining members of WBEZ since long before there was even a plan around that kind of member.  When I got laid off, we had to suspend our membership, but if I get a job, we’ll go right back to it.  So the way I see it, it’s win-win for you, help me find a gig and we’ll help support the station.”

Be sure to leave advice for John  in the comments section.

(If you’re interested in being a part of this series, email us here.)

Name: John Newfry

Looking for work as: Project Manager, preferably in Web Development

Please describe your work style and work ethic using only words that begin with the letter “P”.

Punctual, Probably perspicacious, pleasantly personable, plus purposely polished pithiness

What is your 5 year plan?

5 years is a long time for someone that’s been working mostly on internet related projects for a while.  Five years ago the idea of mobile phone development was barely a thought, now it’s clearly a concern. I would like to be involved in a big idea and want that idea to take off and will do what I can to help it along.

What is your plan for the day?

Currently I’m studying for my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, which I do between sending out resumes.   I also try to get in a good walk and do what’s needed around the house.

If you see another employee stealing someone else’s sandwich from the fridge, would you report it?  Why or why not?

Depends on what you mean by report.  I would confront the poacher and let the poachee know what happened.  Lunch theft is an aggression that should not stand, but there’s no need to run to management about it.

What else should we know about you?

My work history is available here. http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnewfry . Feel free to contact me atjohn@newfry.com.

Check out John’s resume here.

Our “Give me a job, please!” series continues today with 5 questions and answers from job-seeker Anna Kuma, who recently completed a master’s degree in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics.

Now it’s your turn, check out the Q&A and leave Anna a comment with a job lead, advice, a networking tip, whatever you’ve got.

Name: Anna Kuma

Looking for work as: a Marketing Executive
Read the rest of this entry →