Staying Positive in a Down Job Market

_Yesterday, we posted the "latest segment from Paul's Making Sen$e series":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2009/07/in-case-you-missed-it-finding.html. In it, he spoke to two very distinct groups -- laid-off white collar executives and ex-cons looking for work -- and was struck by what he heard from both groups: that staying positive in the face of constant rejection is the key to succeeding in this extraordinarily difficult job market._ _Today, we'd like to feature a few extended clips from the discussion with former executives in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook. Many have been out of work for months, and a few have been looking for jobs since the beginning of 2008._ _Barbara Tomczak, a former human resources executive, has been looking for a new position for over a year. What struck us was her discussion of how HR execs often use salary ranges that job applicants plug in to online applications as a means to winnow the field._ _And since we posted the resumes of the group of ex-convicts we spoke to in Chicago, we thought it only fair to also post the resumes of the out-of-work executives. We were also able to film them making short introductions about their past work experiences and how long they've been searching for work._ Resumes: "Chris DeMaio":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/DeMaio.pdf, "John Frech":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Frech.pdf, "John Kessberger":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Kessberger.pdf, "John Leone":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Leone.pdf, "John Lopata":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Lopata.pdf, "Peter Sturdivant":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Sturdivant.pdf, "Bharath Tolappa":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Tolappa.pdf, "Barbara Tomczak":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/RESUMES/Tomczak.pdf.