It's eye-catching and cheap.

In the latest incarnation of those silicone bracelets stamped with uplifting phrases, a pair of Florida women are manufacturing wristbands with this make-or-break message: "I need a job."

Consider it the perfect accessory for these challenging times.

The bracelets, available in yellow or pink, also direct folks to LaidOffNeedaJob.com a Web site started by Barbara Bourn, a self-described, underemployed interior design sales rep, and Stephanie Aucoin, who lost her job in an accounting firm.

Within the last three months, the pair sold 5,000 to 6,000 bracelets for $3 apiece (with discounts available for bulk purchases). They've already recouped their initial investment.

"We're just trying to help," says Bourn. "All the feedback is very gung-ho and very positive."

Besides selling bracelets, the duo's Web site provides job-seeking tips and economic news updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Bourn, a native of Elkhart, Ind., says one of the keys to finding a job is networking, keeping yourself active and visible, and letting people know that you're looking.

Ted Vick of Lake Orion, Mich., who was a national account sales representative for a maker of photographic equipment before his January layoff, calls his bracelet "a good ice breaker."

"I've had some people ask me about it," Vick says. "It hasn't led to a job yet, but it's good to have the advertising out there."

In Cass County, near the Michigan/Indiana border, Diane King bought 40 of the bracelets to pass around, including to her son, daughter and a son-in-law who are all laid off from jobs related to the RV manufacturing industry in Elkhart.

"It gets conversations started," says King, 56. And it got her son a job interview.

Her son, Jeremy King, was at a restaurant when another diner inquired about the bracelet and told him he knew of a manufacturer who was starting to hire again.

King considers the bracelets bargain advertising and personal billboards, adding that if the economy gets any worse "maybe they should do T-shirts, too."

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January 31, 2026