Yay! I Got My Job

You know, folks, journalists aren't paid to write stories that tell you the truth. They're paid to write stories that sell newspapers. So just like it wasn't the case that everybody in the country was making a mint flipping houses a few years ago, it also isn't the case that everybody is losing their jobs today. We certainly can't deny that unemployment is rising and earnings are hurting, but this daily drumbeat of negative news only tells part of the story.

Today, I'd like to share with you another part of the story, about finding the upside in a down economy. Here are six of your fellow TheLadders.com subscribers and their stories of finding great new jobs through TheLadders.com:

Hired! New Opportunities in Charitable Corner of Finance:

After Bear Sterns' collapse, Ron Dadina found work and personal fulfillment through FinanceLadder as the managing director and senior credit officer at Minlam Asset Management LLC, a New York investment firm that puts a unique twist on microfinance loans for no collateral to needy groups or individuals, usually in emerging markets. "There are many wealthy individuals who want to invest money," Dadina said. "They are not donating money: they want to invest money and make a good return, but at the same time, it has a social aspect to it."

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Hired! A Teaching Moment, an Ideal Job

Renea Morris, a public relations director in Cincinnati, waited for the right opportunity to make a difference. She found it as executive director of communications and marketing at Ohio University. "The implications of what I can achieve at Ohio University are far reaching," she said. "My position affords me the opportunity to bring the world to Ohio University, whether through its students, faculty, academic or research programs, and leave a legacy full of promise for future generations."

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Hired! An Open-Minded Job Search Delivers

Nothing in Andy Manning's 17-year career in industrial gas manufacturing should have led him to a VP post at Pitney Bowes. But the opportunity OpsLadder provided to consider an unlikely job and a dramatic career move paid off. Anyone who has done a significant amount of interviewing knows it's an opportunity to peek inside another company or industry, Manning said. "I find it a very interesting learning tool where you go to interview somewhere and realize, 'I didn't even know this business existed!'" he said. "And so when I heard about international mail services, I said 'This is amazing! I thought the Post Office moved all mail.'"

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Hired! Changing Lanes from the Auto Industry

Tired of taking the back seat as an operations manager at automotive plants, Sheri Olinyk ditched her job in the auto industry and took the wheel as plant manager at Saint-Gobain's coated-abrasives facility in Plattsville, Ontario. "When I went to engineering school, I was the one girl in a class of 600. It is an environment that I have known my entire life, so when I go to work and there is me and 40 guys - and everybody that reports to me is male, and there might be one administrative assistant on the other side of the office that I am sharing a bathroom with - this is just what I have become used to."

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Hired! Size Matters for Medical Marketing Manager

James Kasprzyk's diagnosis for a recession: Find a bigger company in Arizona's growing medical device industry. "(Arizona has) been consciously trying to attract high-paying jobs that are going to be around for a while," said Kasprzyk, now senior marketing manager at Ventana Medical Systems, a job he found through MktgLadder. "Much of Arizona relies on tourism and retail. So they are really looking to develop a couple of different biotech corridors."

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Hired! Finding an Oasis in Water Treatment

Mike Porter felt lost when he left behind his contacts and experience as a water and sewage treatment equipment salesmen in Mexico to follow his fiancé to New York. But within three weeks, he landed a job as business development manager for AutomaTech, a company that sells and services automation solutions for manufacturing, production and process control. "I had a basic understanding of the technologies and how to talk to customers," Porter said. "But I told them I would need technical training, and they said that is what they do with all their salespeople. They told me, 'We're looking for good salespeople, someone who could not so much speak (AutomaTech's) language but the language of the customers.'"

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Well, folks, those are just six of the happy stories that we've created here at TheLadders.com. Please let us know when you create yours...

Have a great week, Readers!

Warmest Regards,

Marc Cenedella
Founder & CEO
TheLadders.com, Inc.

p.s. Did I mention Happy Groundhog Day?!