As we celebrate our first full year online, I’d like to thank our friends, bloggers, job posters, and everyone else for your support once again.  We still have big plans for whatever-weather as we continue to do something different.

With the job board and the new video feature, jobs and information continue to be our focus.  In the beginning of 2011, we will start a campaign to raise greater awareness of our free job board.  In a recent US News and World Report list, meteorologist made it into the top 50 careers because of the expected growth in the number of jobs in the next several years.  With a job board where it is free to post and free to search, we see no reason that we can’t provide a great resource for employers and job seekers alike.

Additionally, we will continue to add interviews with meteorologists who work in different sectors of the field to our video feature “What’s your weather job?”.  Our goal is to educate the public, especially meteorology students and experienced meteorologists looking to expand their horizons, about the multitude of types of weather jobs out there.

Our expectation for 2011 is continued growth and new ideas.  Stay tuned to see what’s next!

It’s very hard to keep a positive attitude during a job hunt when we are constantly being reminded of how bad the economy is.  Recently, I’ve noticed some signs pointing in a more positive direction overall.  For example, the consumer outlook for the holiday season is said to be a little brighter.   While people are being smarter with their money, they are at least spending it again, which is always a good sign of recovery.

I speak from experience when I say that keeping your chin up can be tough in a flooded job market.  Look around and you’ll see more meteorologists than job postings.  That doesn’t mean that a job seeker should give up his goal of being a gainfully employed met.  What it means is that you have to set yourself apart from the others, be persistent in your search, apply to everything that you see for which you might be qualified, and don’t give up.  You never know when someone looking to hire a meteorologist has someone with your specific skill set in mind.  They might not know they are looking for you either until you take the time to point out why you are a great fit for their job.

The thing to remember is that if you tell yourself that you won’t be the most qualified candidate for this job or that one, and you convince yourself not to waste your time on the extensive application process (and I know some of those online applications can take over an hour to complete), then you have already lost your chance at that job.  The old adage that you never fail until you stop trying is true, especially in the case of hunting for and landing a job.  While you may not even make it into the top tier of candidates, you will have at least gained the experience of one more application, tweaking the resume that much more, and finding a way to market yourself as the great meteorologist that you are!

So keep at it and stay hopeful.  A positive attitude can lead to great things!