Author: Steve Junker
June 2010
Software engineer Steve Junker of Miami Township is among the almost 13 percent of the Miami Valley work force that spent the winter and spring looking for work in a local economy that is only beginning to emerge from the longest and deepest recession
since the Great Depression.
Junker spent 20 years as a programmer, analyst and software engineer with Standard Register before a downsizing in 2004. A few months later, he landed a good job at Reynolds & Reynolds, but five years and an economic collapse later came another downsizing.
Like many in transition, Junker has learned a few important components of a job search. Talent and interest inventory: “A lot of people will tell you a transition is the perfect time to determine whether you’re doing what you were meant to be doing. I went to Sinclair for a career assessment, and I found out I’m right in the field where I belong.”
Networking: In November, Junker got right to work building his network.This time, he had new tools. At the invitation of a college friend, he built a LinkedIn profile and made some connections. He polished his resume and joined a handful of the well-established networking groups that multiplied with the unemployment rate. They offer programs, contacts, fellowship and often prayers – all helpful, Junker said.
Skills: While Junker has spent much of his career developing applications for enterprise resource planning systems, he enrolled in classes to tailor his skills in a market-leading ERP system, Oracle, and in the Java programming language.
For more information, see Junker’s LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenjjunker.