As long-term unemployment takes its toll on the psyches of millions of laid-off American workers, career consultants like Bill Jeffries of Tucson, Arizona, are being inundated with clients who are desperate for any tips that might help them find a job in this economy.
Jeffries, a senior career consultant and former broadcast executive, has been successfully helping people land jobs and reengineer their careers for ten years but he says his job has significantly changed since the recession.
"We used to see almost all people who wanted to upgrade their careers," Jeffries said. "Now, we see about 30 percent those people and 70 percent people who are unemployed, usually for an average of about 7 months. They come in exhausted, in tears... it's heartbreaking."
Jeffries said his success rate has dipped from 80 to about 65 percent since the recession, but he still manages to put the majority of his clients in satisfying, full-time jobs with a little coaching and grooming. The difference between finding jobs for currently employed people versus unemployed people boils almost completely down to confidence, he says.
"Anyone that comes in here wanting to upgrade their career, we're with them less than 3 months, because they're much more secure, confident, and their self-esteem hasn't been shattered, and employers know that," he said. "Out of work, people lose their skill sets and they begin to undervalue themselves. It's tragic."
Jeffries says he is confident that anyone can get a job with the right amount of effort and coaching, and he has offered HuffPost a list of his most important and useful jobseeking tips.