ECONOMY
GIGS
Looking for a Career? Bring It On ...
ur barometer of employer demand, the GIGS department is
a regional composite of companies and industries that are in
hiring mode. Job seekers should begin to feel the love again as
companies across all industries report increased hiring objectives.
0
HEALTH CARE
Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers
(rainbowrehab.com/index.php), which
provides services to people recovering
from brain and spinal cord injuries in the
metro Detroit area, is hiring direct care
workers in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Farmington
and Farmington Hills. Call (734) 482-1200
for more info.
AUTOMOTIVE
Chrysler Group announced plans to hire
1,000 engineers and other high-tech work-
ers over the next several months. Most jobs
will be at the company's headquarters in
Auburn Hills. The new hires will help to de-
velop new small and fuel-efficient cars, en-
gines and transmissions. Both experienced
and entry-level candidates are encouraged
to apply (chryslergroupllc.com).
General Motors also announced it will
add 1,000 engineers and researchers in
Michigan over the next two years to sig-
nificantly expand its vehicle electrification
expertise. The new jobs will build on GM's
strategy to develop, validate and manufac-
ture automotive battery, electric motor and
power control technologies in-house as
core competencies. Many of the positions
will be located at GM's Tech Center in War-
ren. Go to www.gm.com .
Tata Technologies in Novi announced
it needs to fill more than 400 automotive
engineering, design and product life cycle
management consulting positions in the
Regional unemployment seems to be slightly receding, which
could lead to additional hiring as the quarter unfolds. Go to
redthreadmagazine.com for comprehensive job listings and
additional career advice.
United States. The company has open posi-
tions for automotive engineers with experi-
ence in body, interior, trim, chassis, body-in-
white, vehicle integration, computer-aided
engineering noise, vibration and harshness
study, CAE durability and crash study, elec-
trical and embedded engineering, materi-
als, tooling, quality and other disciplines.
There also are positions open for PLM pro-
fessionals with experience in Teamcenter
Engineering, Teamcenter Manufacturing,
Inventor, Autocad and Enovia. SAP, Java,
.Net, DBA and Oracle professionals also are
sought. Necessary software experience
includes CATIA, UG NX, IDEAS, Alias, Partran
and other leading industry software suite.
Go to tatatechnologies.com .
Also hiring: Ford (ford.com ) has several
hundred current openings in Dearborn;
Toyota (toyota.com/about/careers/) has 27
open positions in Ann Arbor, most of them
for engineers; and Hyundai (hyundaiusa.
corn') has 16 engineering positions it's try-
ing to fill in Superior Township.
Tier 1 suppliers Magna (magna.com/
xchg/magna_com_careers) and TRW (trw.
com/careers) are also hiring engineers, as
is Eicher Engineering Solutions (eicher-
engineeringsolutions.com ), an automotive
company in Farmington Hills that is looking
for electrical engineers, contract techni-
cians and UGS designers.
If you're seekingan automotive engineer-
ing job, a great place to look is Waterman
International, where you can browse hun-
dreds of engineering openings in Michigan
(watermaninternationaLcom/jobs)„
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
NetEnrich (netenrich.com) is seeking
talented individuals for its new Ann Arbor
office. Open positions include helpdesk
engineer, tech account manager, inside
sales rep, pre-sales engineer, tech program
manager and customer services rep. Send
resume to jobs@netenrich.com .
DRIVERS
Metro Cars (metrocars.com ), a provider
of chauffeured sedan, limousine and group
transportation services, has openings for
van and bus drivers as well as customer
service representatives. Drivers must be 25
years old and posses a CDL driver's license
endorsement. Customer service reps must
be detail-oriented and friendly. You can
apply in person at Metro Cars, 24957 Brest
Road, Taylor.
American Tire Distributors
(americantiredistributors.com ) in Brown-
stown is hiring drivers and warehouse staff.
Those interested in the jobs can forward
resumes by e-mail to Devon Smith at DE-
Smith@ATD-US.com .
JVS
These jobs — and hundreds more — can
be found on ParnossahWorksDetroit.org , the
job search site of JVS.
Community Legal Resources in Detroit
is looking to hire a program manager, who
will be responsible for managing the direc-
tion, coordination, implementation and
execution of civic engagement activities.
For more information, contact Shamyle
Nesfield.
Dynamic Advisory Solutions in Troy
is seeking a corporate communications
assistant, who will be responsible for devel-
oping marketing and advertising content,
updating websites and brochures, main-
taining social networking profiles, creating
content for blogs, issuing press releases
and ghostwriting content for principals of
the firm. The initial term of this position is
three months, with a potential opportunity
for full-time employment at the end of the
initial term. For more information, contact
Ren Carlton.
SOS Community Services in Ypsilanti is
looking to hire someone to develop, moni-
tor and execute a strategic annual grant-
writing plan and a comprehensive grants
acquisition and management program,
including the scheduling, writing, and/or
editing of all grant proposals and reports.
Contact Michael Waite for more information.
The West Bloomfield Chamber of
Commerce is currently seeking an
executive director to develop and imple-
ment policies and plans to accomplish the
strategic objectives set by the board of
directors. Details are available on the JVS
job search site.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Comcast announced it will be hiring
100 people to fill call center positions at its
Advanced Product Service Center in Scio
Township near Ann Arbor. Candidates must
be able to work in a fast-paced environ-
ment and possess strong customer service
and sales skills. Minimum requirements
include at least two years of experience in
customer service, new business or residen-
tial sales, and a minimum of a high school
diploma or General Education Develop-
ment (GED) equivalent. Applicants can
apply online at comcast.com .
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Film Industry Training: The Stautzen-
berger Institute (SI), a nationally accred-
ited provider of occupational education
in Allen Park, is now offering Film Industry
Training classes, designed to provide
students a quick option to develop a
working knowledge of the jobs available
in Michigan's rapidly emerging feature film
industry. Upon successful completion of
the two-week, 40-hour training courses,
students will be presented with internship
opportunities in the film industry. If you are
considering a career in the Michigan film
industry, plan on attending a free informa-
tion session at Stautzenberger Institute.
For info session dates, check the calendar
of events on the SI website (sitoday.net/
content). RT
OH, SISYPHUS!
Wanted: Silver Lining for Seemingly Bleak Situations
Self-loathing is not pre-ordained when you look beyond the surface.
By Dr. Laurie Pappas
urrently, I personally know of several people who are
out of work. Indeed, it is near impossible to live in
our area without coming across someone who's lost
his or her job in the past few years — and we all recog-
nize the turmoil and instability that can cause.
While not always easy, I find it's less difficult to cope
with adversity if we can find meaning and purpose
within it. When we do that, we can often emerge stron-
ger, wiser and more fulfilled.
I have tried to use adversity as my impetus for learn-
ing more about myself, my world and the power within
me. It has also driven me to make new choices or deci-
sions that I wouldn't have considered before.
In short, it has always made me a better, more im-
proved version of myself.
My own experience with hardship has reinforced
within me the concept of a "God-force" or higher power
that resides within each of us.This miraculous reserve of
energy can help us through nearly anything.
When we mine this amazing force — I acknowledge
it's not always simple to retrieve its ore — we can realize
the things we need to feel safe (in this case, employment
and financial security) are virtually at our fingertips.
I know how it may sound to some, but [the human
collective] mind is our gift from this divine source and is
unequivocally the most powerful instrument we have;
why not use it to our greatest advantage?
Philosophers from John Duns Scotus to Rene Des-
cartes have examined man's conflict with the existence
of free will. Descartes said, "The will is, by its nature, so
free that it can never be constrained."
C
12 January 2011 I
RED TilltElID
Because we possess free will, we are capable of choos-
ing thoughts that create good feelings, leading to good
outcomes — while discarding those that create the
opposite.
When coping with the invariable ebbs and flows of
job seeking, I've found several immensely beneficial
"mind tools"that help maintain peace of mind:
Reflect on how you view traditionally"negative"situa-
tions. Instead of"I'm a failure" (for being laid off or fired),
consider that you may have not liked that job anyway
— and the divine source is creating a better work situa-
tion that uses your talents and gifts more effectively or
enjoyably.
Or perhaps you didn't like the people you had been
working with; you now have the plan to move into a
friendlier environment.
You can stay in the "present moment" without con-
tinuously worrying about your future. You can rope your
mind into the"now,"and take this one day, one hour or
one minute at a time. You can handle this — in small
increments. You don't have to solve everything immedi-
ately.
Refuse to quit! You can always scream, stomp your
feet or cry your tears, but you can choose to keep on
"keepin' on," and continue to send out resumes, connect
with people, make contacts where possible and believe
in possibilities.
Accept your situation (for what you do have) with
grace and gratitude. You can choose to look for, and
be thankful for, all the good you see in your life; and
remember that "spring always follows winter"— this
"condition" is only temporary.
Remind yourself — often — that you're not alone;
there are others who are facing similar circumstances,
and you can find them and talk with them, if you want.
Remember that others have gone through this before
and come out of it all the wiser.
There's a reason for everything that happens. Trust
that something amazing will emerge from this, and that
soon you'll be able to look back with greater under-
standing, knowledge, empowerment and peace. RT
LAURIE PAPPAS, Ph.D., is the author of "Loving Heart: Navigating the
Journey from Conflict to Peace." She lives in Franklin with her husband, Ed.
www.redthreadmagazine.com