It was only 7 PM, and already Kustom nightclub was packed with people milling about, drinks in hand, talking loudly to be heard over the music. But on this recent Wednesday, clubgoers weren't discussing how the Bears fared in the draft or working up the courage to ask for a date. These people were looking for work. About 200 job seekers and roughly the same number of hiring professionals were roaming this party, giving the lie to the conventional wisdom that all the good jobs have gone up in smoke. These employers seemed to be saying the jobs are out there.
People are creatures of habit.
That won't work anymore. Charles Sharpe was looking to link up with people like Austin. Lucent Technologies moved Sharpe, his wife, and their two small children from Nashville to Chicago ten months ago. The world was different then. Within two weeks a contracting company had arranged for me to move to Chicago, and if I hadn't taken that job, there were plenty of others I could choose from.