Reality Check

While it's important for both job seekers and companies to always remain positive, the current economy is certainly challenging. The CEO of a well established custom equipment manufacturer lamented to me that he hasn't seen the demand from domestic customers this low since the '80's. His solutions for weathering the storm include beefing up marketing efforts in Europe and using contract employees to fill gaps during the occasional spurts of activity rather than hiring full time folks who will be laid off in a short period of time. I hope any hiring managers and/or corporate directors reading this will think out of the box while business is slower than normal. Good luck!