Since Mayor Bloomberg's new budget is projected to cut 18,500 jobs, he's launching a reality show to help New Yorkers find new ones. In addition to propaganda for the city's jobs programs, the show—which poses the question "you lost your job, now what?"— will feature "expert advice" on resume-writing and interviewing and the real-life job quests of New Yorkers of all ages and stages. "Job Hunt" even tackles fashion! According to the press release, "Loehmann’s, a leading national, upscale off-price apparel retailer headquartered in the Bronx, hosted several fashion makeovers as job seekers find the perfect look for their interviews." more ›

The two-blocks long line around Federal Plaza, with about 800 job seekers on it, was for that venerable institution, the Internal Revenue Service. The NY Times noticed quite a few "laid-off Wall Street types in charcoal-gray pinstripe suits and trenchcoats" as well as a "woman with a new accounting degree on her resume and a 14-month old baby in a stroller." One applicant, laid off from Lehman Brothers without a severance, said, "You could get a lucrative job in the financial market right now, but how long can you keep it? Everywhere I look, I see layoffs. If I take a $10,000 or $20,000 pay cut, in the long run, I’m ahead. The government is not in the trading business. It will be around.” But the competition for IRS positions is tight: Another told the Post, "You talk with recruiters, and they get anywhere between 200 and 500 résumés for one job." more ›