It?s a story playing out all over the Tri-State: Layoffs or budget cuts force professionals out of jobs in their chosen careers.

 Andy Burns was working as an IT project manager for Luxottica Group?s retail division when he started planning a career fair for the Cincinnati chapter of the Project Man­age­ment Institute (PMI). When the June 6 event was held, Burns attended as a job seeker. Luxottica let him go in early May.

 If only divining rods worked for career searches, some of us might discover there is more water around us than we think.

 The U.S. and global economies might be in the midst of the biggest downturn since the Great Depression, but the nuts and bolts of looking for a job are much the same. Focus. Network. Make a good first impression.

 Across-the-board, the companies named as Best Places to Work cited respect for employees and attentive management among the most highly valued. However, many of these workplaces have benefits that range from generous to truly unique. Below are a few highlights of the perks employees of the 2009 Best Places winners enjoy.

 Joe Price Vice president E.E. Reed Construction LP Talent and capability to fulfill their respective responsibilities are essential, but having the ability to effectively communicate and having an understanding of customer service are key elements.

 American General Life Cos. confirmed this week that it will lay off 124 Houston employees as part of a major nationwide reduction in its workforce.

 Millions of stimulus dollars are hitting the street for the summer youth employment programs at the region?s public employment agencies. Thousands of kids are getting entry-level jobs through South Florida Workforce (Miami-Dade and Monroe counties), Workforce One (Broward) and Workforce Alliance (Palm Beach).

 South Florida insurance brokers, attorneys, accountants and their employer-clients are on the edge of their seats about proposed federal health insurance mandates.