Career Chaos

JOB SEARCH TIPS FROM A CAREER COACH

Times are tough! Not exactly a news flash, huh? Massive layoffs, stock market losses, slashed retirement funds, companies sprialing downward - where does all that leave you, the worker?

Hopefully, if you have been laid off, you were fortunate to have received outplacement services paid for by your employer. However, if your company is going through bankruptcy, it probably doesn't have any resources to support the job transitions of its laid off employees.

If you are still lucky to have your job, despite the skyrocketing unemployment rate, you may be hanging on to it for dear life, stressed out and fearful of IF or WHEN the pink slip will hit your office door.

What can you do today to make work more worthwhile? More secure? More within your control?

LOSE THE FEAR! Become proactive. Take charge of your own career! Here are ten tips to help you do that:

1. Get your resume and cover letter in order. Don't wait until you need them "yesterday."
2. Start researching your options to learn what's available "out there" that you could really enjoy doing.
3. Get involved! Join professional groups where you can meet people with the connections for you to get that "perfect" job.
4. If unemployed, it's not too late to start networking. Join local free job clubs. Get your profile on LinkedIn. Let everyone you know among your friends and acquaintances that you are looking for a job.
5. Take a class. It's amazing what you can do when your mind gets stimulated.
6. Consider starting your own business. Future trends predict more people working for themselves from homebased offices within the next five years.
7. Think positive. The Law of Attraction brings us what we focus on the most. Really! (Have you read "The Secret?")
8. Identify a mentor. Find someone who will support you in your career. It helps to have a role model who takes an interest in your welfare.
9. Stay informed. Read business publications, attend seminars and talk to those "in the know." The best time to find a job is before it is ever advertised.
10. Hire a career coach! Your return on investment could result in more than six times your cost. This has been proven true by many who have done just that!

JOB FAIR STRATEGY

A marketplace frequented by job seekers and employers alike is the job fair. Some are hosted by employers themselves, while others are sponsored by third parties. Either way, this job matching can work to the advantage of the individual looking for that "right" job.

An employer-hosted fair usually has a tight agenda to find new hires for many open positions. You should attend one of these job fairs only if you are interested in working for this particular company and want a job they are seeking to fill.

On the other hand, a third-party sponsored career fair is usually a lot larger in scope and participation. Many employers share the stage, some with positions to fill and others just scouting the avaiilable talent - YOU!

Sometimes you'll find booths staffed with college representatives, headhunters and military recruiters. You may even find free career-related seminars to attend where you can learn the latest in hiring trends, interviewing techniques, job search methods, and more.

Prparing for a job fair is similar to preparing for a job interview. Get your resume written and print several copies - it's your calling card! Choose your attire carefully, a conservative suit or dress with appropriate dress shoes. A practical suggestion: take an attache or small briefcase to carry your resumes and any materials you may pick up the day of the job fair. Role play tough interview questions like, "Why should I hire you?" and "What are you looking for in a job with this company?" The night before get plenty of rest - this is not a good time to party!

When you arrive at the job fair, put on a smile and enter the door with self confidence on your face. Firmly shake every hand extended to you. Ask appropriate questions to company representatives. Since you have practiced your interview questions, you are ready to sell your skills to the employers that interest you.

When you go home, review your materials before filing them. Make notes on the back of business cards you collected to help you remember what you liked or disliked about a company. Within the week, contact the people you met to help them remember you.

Good luck!

I'M ADDICTED TO TWITTER

I admit it. I discovered Twitter and got addicted to posting tweets instead of blogging here. Sorry, but Twitter is so cool! Each post (called a tweet) can only be 140 characters or less, so it forces me to be succinct and focused in my post. I love being brief!

So far, the only other problem is I find myself slipping into Twitter shortcut language when writing emails. Oops! Not very professional.

Want to follow me on http://twitter.com/KCCareerCoach?

Here are fivelinks I've picked up from other tweeps' tweets this week:

1) Twittering Recruiter Directory (free). 250 recruiter links: http://tinyurl.com/cwdu5w

2) Ten Things to Do After Layoff: http://tinyurl.com/cf6xkd

3) Take Proactive Steps to Avoid a Layoff: http://tinyurl.com/cqd3cw

4) Why Your Job Search Isn't Getting You a Job: http://tinyurl.com/c3ba3l

5) Have a job search question? Need advice? http://jobsearch.about.com/

Explore!

JOB SEARCH WITH TWITTER

From one of my LinkedIn Groups I found a great post on how to use Twitter to help you with a job search. The following is from Mary Pat Whaley who has her own blog, "Manage My Practice." Mary Pat has been in the healthcare field and is now looking for a new opportunity. You gotta check out her blog.

Here's one of her job search strategies:

1. Join Twitter ( www.twitter.com ) for free. You can use Twitter on your computer, or on your phone, or both.

2. Click on the "SEARCH" link at the bottom of your new home page.

3. Enter these hashtags (or pointers) in the search box to find tweets relating to jobs: #rtjobs #jobangels #job

4. In the box where you can answer the question "What are you doing?", enter info about the job you need to fill, or the job you want (in 140 characters or less.) Here's mine: #rtjobs Desire job managing lg doc practice that is interested in SM & innovation - my blog is managemypractice.com, will relocate

5. Feel free to Follow me - my name is @mpwhaley and you can go to my home page by using this: http://twitter.com/mpwhaley What innovative ways are you finding to address your needs in the new job market?

BTW, follow me on Twitter, too, @KCCareerCoach - happy networking!

NEW JOB SEARCH SITE

Want to by-pass recruiters? Check out LinkUp, a free job search site for "Searching jobs from 17,408 company websites." You may even contribute to their website on their forum at http://linkup.uservoice.com/ and follow them on Twitter @linkup.

USE A BLOG TO POST YOUR RESUME

Tip for job seekers: Start a blog and post your resume on it to get found. Typepad even provides you a tutorial to get this done quickly and correctly. Do it yourself or contact a professional resume writer for assistance.

A TRULY "GREEN" JOB FOR SOME

I just read an article about landscaping that got me thinking about this as a possible transition position for some workers - especially those who've gone through layoffs in the construction field. Additionally, the spin-off jobs related to landscaping, such as in the retail sector, are also potentially hot areas.

"Landscaping Emerges as Sound Investment Amidst Recession" discusses "a new report just released by leading industrial market research publisher SBI, (that) provides an in-depth treatment of this under-investigated market." (While this article looks at "green" from a financial investment perspective, read this article from a career transition perspective.)

As this trend toward "green" continues to grow, start thinking about what you can do to plug into this new opportunity for job growth. Here's a tip if you are in the job market again: set up a Google Alert for "green jobs" and watch your email box for new career ideas. These times we're in demand creativity when it comes to your job - get that thinking hat on now!

LIFE AFTER LAYOFF: HERE WE GO AGAIN

Seems like only yesterday that I wrote the article, "Life After Layoff: Three Keys for Speeding Up Reemployment." Actually, it was 2002 when it was first published - and now, unfortunately, it is in vogue again.

This morning, major layoffs are in the news, e.g., General Motors. Workers begin to wonder - am I next?

If you find yourself facing a layoff, your mindset will become the biggest factor in how quickly you get reemployed. As you shift into job search mode, take care of yourself - exercise, eat healthy, get plenty of sleep - and look at career management as your new temporary full time job.

Today I was interviewed on Kansas City's Fox 4 TV morning news about how to survive a layoff. Watch this interview, read my article, and if you are currently employed, take immediate steps to safeguard your job security.

In other words, don't take your job for granted. Now is the time to touch base with your network of contacts, dust off and update your resume, and become alert to what's happening in the marketplace. You never know when your time may come, when you need to make your next career move. It's a lot easier to change jobs by choice, not by default.

YOUR CAREER VALUES VS. YOUR WORKPLACE

Are your values in alignment with your workplace? Or do you cringe sometimes because your values don't just quite fit in where you work?

Over the years of coaching many people about their careers, I've seen the values piece come up over and over again. I've learned that when you feel out of sync with your employer, you tend to feel out of place in your workplace. This will contribute to your discontent with your job and can become a primary reason for starting a job search.

Take the Workplace Values Exercise to see where your own "disconnects" are.

JOB SEARCH TIPS

Wouldn't it be nice if job search was easy? Unfortunately, it isn't. It's hard work that takes a long time to see its rewards. Here are a few tips to make it a bit more manageable:

Job Search Is a Numbers Game

Throughout your job search, ponder this - You must collect your share of "No's" before you get your "Yes." And it only takes one "Yes" to get a job!

Ready My Lips

Interviewing is not just a question and answer session with a potential employer. Body language plays an important role, too. Shake hands with the interviewer, sit up straight, look the interviewer in the eye and SMILE! Smiling relaxes your facial muscles making you appear at ease and receptive to what the job interviewer is saying.

Grab more job search tips on the Abilities Enhanced resource page.