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