Tuesday, December 31, 2002

HotJobs 2002 Year in Review

This Overview provides a look into the most popular Industries searched by job hunters, fastest growing industries, US states with the lowest unemployment rates, and US states with the highest unemployment rates.

Monday, December 30, 2002

USA Today - Entertainment | Resolution No. 1: Start with a workable plan

Karen S. Peterson reports that we shouldn't "dismiss New Year's resolutions as trivial." According to psychologist John Norcross, a pioneering change researcher at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, the key is that "You need to know how to execute a plan, how to form the specific skills to keep you there."

William Knaus of the Center for Creative Change in Longmeadow, Mass., and co-author of Overcoming Procrastination, offers suggestions for a plan for change. Read more...

Setting Goals, New Year's Resolutions: How to measure success

I almost forgot to encourage you to consider this...

Rapping with Small Talk

"Rapport is present when two people speak easily with each other, with a natural rhythm and flow of conversation..." more...

HotJobs.com's Top Five Job Tips of 2002

Sunday, December 29, 2002

Effectiveness Tip of the Week from a weekly email from the folks at FranklinCovey:

Me, Myself, and I

It's time to get a little selfish and focus on you for a moment. When was the last time you did something to make yourself feel good? (And we're not talking about that pint of Chocolate Dream ice cream.) A few tips to treat yourself and your body:

  • Physical: Get a good night's sleep, play your favorite outdoor sport or activity, and enjoy a well-balanced meal.
  • Social/Emotional: Call a friend you haven't seen in a while, volunteer time to charity, or do something nice for someone--anonymously.
  • Mental: Visit a library or museum, solve a brainteaser, puzzle or riddle, or watch an educational show on TV.
  • Spiritual: Spend some time in nature, research your genealogy, or go on a personal "retreat" (like a spa) to rejuvenate yourself.
Benefiting your mind and body - a solo act!

Saturday, December 28, 2002

BusinessWeek Online | What Will Revive IT Spending

According to tech expert David Moschella, "Simple applications for everyday things that everyone uses are key to getting the industry going again." Read more...

Some Good Reading

I was going through my planner, doing some end-of-year cleaning out, and I uncovered a list of books that I thought were worthy to be read at some time:

  • Business Beyond the Box - Applying Your Mind for Breakthrough Results by John O'Keefe
  • Competing on the Edge - Strategy as Structured Chaos by Shona L. Brown & Kathleen Eisenhardt
  • Leadership and the Art of Conversation - Conversation as a Management Tool by Kim Krisco
  • The Leadership Engine - How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level by Noel M. Tichy with Eli B. Cohen
  • The Last Word on Power - Executive Re-Invention for Leaders Who Must Make the Impossible Happen by Tracy Goss
  • The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley & William Danko

Monday, December 23, 2002

Six Steps to Conquering -- OK, Managing -- Procrastination

Follow Marty Nemko's model and you may procrastinate much less. Read more...

Yahoo! Dailytips - Uncovering a Cover Letter Myth

Your cover letter summarizes your resume, right? Wrong! Some people think that a summary of the resume attached to the resume seems a little repetitive. The purpose of your cover letter, then, is to add a warm handshake to your resume and zero in on why the employer should be interested in you. Your cover letter should put your resume in context, drawing attention to your strengths and present nonresume material that can make a difference between you and your next closest competitor when the interviewing decision is made.

Effectiveness Tip of the Week from a weekly email I receive from the folks at FranklinCovey

First... some relevant quotes, from QuotesBlog:

  • "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." -- Henry David Thoreau
  • "Awaken your sense, your intuition, your desires. Awaken the parts of yourself that have been sleeping. Life is a dream, and to live it, you must be awake." -- Rachel Snyder
  • "True life is lived when tiny changes occur." -- Leo Tolstoy


Mission Possible

Ever feel like a double agent, living one life and dreaming of another? Be the leader of your life! Sound impossible? It's not, when you have a Personal Mission Statement. Here are some clues:
  • Unique: It's different for everyone. It can be a sentence, paragraph or poem.
  • Focus: It's a clear guide based on your values -- what you want to be and do. Ask yourself this question: "What can I imagine myself doing if time and money were not obstacles?"
  • Passion: It's what excites you most in the world and lifts you up on your soapbox.
Take 5 minutes RIGHT NOW and write as much as you can about your personal mission in life. It doesn't have to be perfect. You can revise this first draft later. Keep it in your planning device and read it morning and evening for the next week. Decide what things you can do during the day to live your mission. (Warning! This message will "self-construct" in 5 minutes...)

Friday, December 20, 2002

Don't Catch the Negativity Virus

I need this one myself. Read on!

Encarta eLearning Center | Prepare for a career in
writing


"In today's information age, work for the nation's 340,000 writers and editors abounds. And, whether to fulfill old dreams or to satisfy practical needs, many Americans are moving into editorial roles... The outlook for writers is good. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that by 2008, editorial opportunities will have increased 21 to 35 percent over 1998, assuming moderate economic growth. Many of the available jobs will be in high-technology and electronics fields and in journalistic outlets in small markets..." read more...

Thursday, December 19, 2002

Interesting(?) Jobs I've Had

  • Computer programmer
  • Test analyst
  • Business analyst
  • Newspaper carrier
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Civil Engineering Co-Op
  • Laboratory assistant
  • City Highway Department Co-op
  • Santa Claus
  • Salvation Army Bell Ringer
  • Telephone Surveyor
  • Facilities Engineering Co-Op
  • Program Planning Co-Op
  • McDonald's Crew Member
  • Wendy's Crew Member
  • Taco Bell Crew Member
  • Lumber Associate for a Hardware Company
  • Pizza Delivery driver
  • Pizza maker

IT Makes the FBI Most-Wanted List

Tischelle George reports that "Amid the slump in IT jobs, the FBI has been hiring, and it plans to pick up the pace. It's even changing some of its hiring practices to get techies in the door... It's also using the Internet for the first time to find the right candidates, posting its agent application at http://www.fbijobs.com...More people are interested in government IT jobs, says Robert Lyons, president of GovITjobs.com, a new online job board specifically for IT consultants looking for government contract work. The amount of data 'the government tries to manage using advanced systems presents a lot of opportunity for IT professionals,' he says."

Wall Street & Technology Online Home Page | IT Career Center

I'm beginning to wonder if all these different career web portals all lead to the same stuff. Eventually we'll find out that McDonald's has their own IT Career Center. Well, maybe not.

Yahoo! Financial News | For Some Professionals, A Brand New Career Is the Best Way to Ring in the New Year

"Whether you use a New Year's resolution for an excuse or just a long-time desire to try out something new, a professional sabbatical may open the door to a new career and a new start in life..." read more...

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

Yahoo! DailyTips Cool Career: Broadcast Technician or
Engineer


"Broadcast engineering is the back door to a field whose front entrance is mobbed -- and you don't even need performing talent..."

Wetfeet.com > Weblog

Have I mentioned this before? Well, in the spirit of overcommunication, check out Wetfeet.com's weblog for some good career management advice.

Help Me Find Work

Strategies for Networking in Nontraditional Settings

I personally believe that networking needs to be where I place the most effort in my job search. Here's more advice from CareerJournal.com...

William Morin writes a great article with tips on 'Nonabusive' Networking...

CareerJournal.com | Advice for Job Seekers: Don't Stop in
December


In this article William L. Handler, the president of Handler & Associates, an executive-search firm in Atlanta, answers questions about job hunting and the dynamics in the marketplace at this time of year. Read more...

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Job Posting Sites Elsewhere on the Internet

Dick Bolles, author of the perennial "What Color Is Your Parachute?", writes:

The Internet is larger than just the World Wide Web. Outside the Web, lie USENET newsgroups, mailing lists, and a number of other modalities or protocols, as they are called. Many employers find these protocols – especially newsgroups – more effective than the Web, when they're searching for employees, most particularly when they're searching for technical employees. So it is to newsgroups you must go, and not just to the Web, if you're interested in those employers' job listings.

There are newsgroup metasearch sites (on the Web, paradoxically) that will allow you to search a number of these newsgroups or a number of Mailing Lists all at once, rather than having to go to each newsgroup one by one.


Google Groups has messages from several thousand newsgroups. If it's job listings you're looking for, just type in your query, like: jobs AND Bay Area and it will give you the actual job listings that match, in reverse order (most recent, first). You can search within specific groups or search all groups.

FoxNews.com | Yuletide Job Hunting

Marla Lehner reports: "Career experts say with the nation's unemployment rate at 6 percent, the holiday season is an ideal time to meet and greet those who might otherwise be difficult to reach." [emphais added] more...

From QuotesBlog:

"Remember -- you are your own doctor when it comes to having cold feet."

MSN Careers | How interviews are like first dates

MSN Careers looks at how these two different things are similar. An important quote from the story: "Faulty thinking about the competition is a mistake. You are unique and should be confident in your strengths and positive qualities."

Monday, December 16, 2002

How You Got Here

I've been looking through the referrer logs, and I found out that this website is currently third in the list of the Yahoo! search results for "job search websites in dayton ohio." Another Yahoo! search for "challenger job hunting method" shows this blog as second in the list. But it was 25th in the list of search results for "google job."

I sure hope that the Google Viewer gains popularity. With that tool, you get to preview the web pages in your search results.

Job-hunting expenses are deductible

In MSN Money's article, "The top 10 overlooked deductions," number 4 is "Let the IRS subsidize your job search."

Job-hunting expenses are deductible. If you're out of work, or even if you're still employed but looking for a new job, all of your job hunting expenses are deductible as miscellaneous itemized deductions. Such expenses would include resumes, phone calls, postage, travel costs and any other expenses related to your attempt to get a new job. If you’ve done a lot of driving in your job search in 2002, you can deduct mileage for your 2002 return at a rate of 36.5 cents a mile. For 2003, the mileage rate falls to 36 cents a mile.

Creativity here can be rewarding. For example, if you take a friend to lunch in an attempt to use him as a reference or referral, you can use the cost of the lunch as a job-hunting expense.

Effectiveness Tip of the Week from an email I receive from the folks at FranklinCovey

Your Personal Cornucopia

Take stock of your personal cornucopia. Is it abundant and bountiful? To live a rich life, it's imperative to believe in your ability to prosper -- that you are deserving. Once understood and embraced, an abundance mentality allows you to see your life and your relationships from a new perspective. It's about sharing the wealth and focusing on the universal truth that there is truly enough in this world for everyone. A few tips:

  • Ponder how and what it would take to interact more successfully in your every day life.
  • Let wisdom inspire you to become more generous with yourself and others in order to reap the benefits.
  • Get rid of "all about me" and develop an everyone-can-win-mindset.


Some related quotes, also posted at QuotesBlog:
  • "I am he as you are we and we are all together." -- John Lennon and Paul McCartney
  • "Can you stop viewing the world through I-glasses?" -- from The Portable 7 Habits
  • "This is your life, your one and only life -- so take excellence very personally." -- Scott Johnson

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

Job Search Agents

MSN Careers and other sites offer the ability for you to get targeted job openings by email.

At the same time, it is a good idea to find which are the best sites and learn what the limitations of all job opening sites on the Internet are. Dick Bolles' Job Hunter's Bible is a valuable resource for, among other things, the following:

MSN Careers | Ten Classic Resume Bloopers

Kim Isaacs recommends that we proofread our resumes meticulously and let others proofread it, especially for malapropisms like these ten real life classic resume bloopers.

Monday, December 09, 2002

MSN Money - CNBC | Secrets you can keep from your employer

Liz Pulliam Weston writes:

An employer's background check can dig up some pretty embarrassing dirt, but how much it will miss may be the biggest surprise. You can fudge on many things except your education and your most recent arrests.
Read more...

Effectiveness Tip of the Week from a weekly email I get from the folks at FranklinCovey

Rocks 'n' Roles!

Identifying roles and assigning specific weekly goals to each one will help you balance. A role is a key responsibility or relationship in your life. Here's what to do:

  • List at least two of your most important personal or professional roles, (i.e. parent, manager, volunteer).
  • Ask yourself "What is the one most important thing I can do in each role this week that will help me balance?" These goals or rocks form a solid foundation on which you build your weekly activities. Example: "Designer--Read 30 minutes from trade magazine."
  • Make specific appointments for each goal in your planning device. As things come up during the week, prioritize and schedule around your goals. Your week will rock!

Wednesday, December 04, 2002

Blogging the Christian Internet

Neat!

The latest Internet for Christians newsletter has a section about Christian blogging. Blogs4God.com is mentioned. My weblogs

are a part of that community.

Here's a Thought

Would you apply to work for a company who has been laying people off or otherwise hasn't been doing that well? I believe that it is possible to land a job inside one of those companies.

What do you think?

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Get Comfortable Networking!

Ooh! What a neat article from MSN Careers about Comfortable Networking! Read, digest, and become it!

Monday, December 02, 2002

blogs4God

Definitely something to add to the 'To Do List'.

Monday, November 18, 2002

MSN Careers | Knowing When It's Time To Go

Roberta Chinsky Matuson lists 8 signs that indicate it may be time to look for another job.

Sunday, November 17, 2002

Job Hunting Success Story

I have a job hunting success story to share. In September I attended a couple Job Fairs, one at the Dayton Convention Center and one at the Dayton Job Center. I cannot remember exactly which one it was, but I left my resume with the folks from Manpower Professional.

This past Wednesday I received a phone call about an opportunity with Lexis Nexis, doing some Excel VBA work, for which it sounds like I'm aptly qualified. I start working there tomorrow!

The assignment will last about one month, but hopefully I can extend my time there and use this opportunity as a springboard into something more permanent, especially once I see how things are going inside the company. I keep getting emails stating that they have a number of open positions, and I even applied for a couple.

Now, let's hear some of your job hunting success stories!

Thursday, November 07, 2002

New-teacher.com

"New-teacher.com is a resource site for education students, student teachers, first-year teachers, teacher certification candidates, and those who think maybe, just maybe, they'd like to be an educator someday. It is the goal of this site to help new and 'wannabe' teachers find information, inspiration, and tools to become fulfilled, effective, growing professionals for our kids."

Occupational Outlook Handbook

Have you checked this out? This site is developed and maintained by the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. A virtual clearinghouse of all types of occupations, you can search for any occupation and find out the following types of information:

  • Significant Points
  • Nature of the Work
  • Working Conditions
  • Employment statistics
  • Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
  • Job Outlook
  • Earnings
  • Related Occupations
  • Sources of Additional Information, and
  • O*NET Codes

Interesting Quote found at The Job Hunter's Bible:

"Know then thyself; presume not the Web to scan, until you know what you love to do, and have evolved a plan." - Richard Nelson Bolles (with apologies to Alexander Pope)

also posted to QuotesBlog

FireHunt - The Web's Blazing Portal

This website happened to be set as the homepage for the PC I am using at the Job Center today. I have never heard of it before. This begs the question: is there a metablog or some type of site that just has portals?

Monday, October 28, 2002

Job Hunting Success Story

Steve K., who works for the USAF, emailed me recently:

Hello all,

As some of you have known and some not, I put in for
cross-training to a different career field...Into
computers to be exact. Well, I opened up my VMpf
(Virtual Military Personnel Flight) and it said

APPROVED

I will start school in June and finish up in
September. From there I find out my assignment.

God does bless those who are faithful

Decisions, Decisions

This post is reprinted from an email I get every week from the folks at FranklinCovey.

You’ve been working intensely on a project for several hours and you feel your effectiveness dwindling. You have the thought that taking a break to read a little or eating an early lunch might regenerate you. But you have a deadline, and you’re not sure whether the break is really renewal or escape. How do you decide?

  • Ask with intent. This is an essential act to become principle-centered. Ask your conscience, not out of curiosity, but out of commitment to act on the wisdom of the heart. “What’s the best use of my time right now?” “What is life asking of me?”
  • Listen without excuse. When you hear the first whispering of conscience, you’ll either act in harmony with it, or immediately begin to rationalize making another choice. Choosing the first option will bring you inner peace.
  • Act with courage. Some of the greatest acts of courage are in that instant between stimulus and response in our everyday decisions in life.
Effective decision-making - something to decide upon!

Tuesday, October 22, 2002

Job Opportunities Abound

The jobs are out there. We just have to know where to look. On a recent radio show, Clark Howard commented that Business Week reports on towns that are begging for workers.

WetFeet.com

A little bit more about WetFeet.com --

The Contractor's Handbook Appendix A (printable PDF) states that

WetFeet.com has established a reputation as a trusted source of inside information on companies and careers. Research companies and expand your career possibilities. Access editorial articles and advice from the experts at WetFeet.com. Get instant advice from job seekers and experts in the WetFeet.com community.

WetFeet.com > Weblog

"Each week, WetFeet.com scours the Web looking for news of note for those looking to manage their career more intelligently, and links to WetFeet.com resources that will help you deal with hot career issues."

Saturday, October 19, 2002

Job Hunting Success Story

Gregg B. emailed me his job hunting success story:

Prayer actually worked for me.

I was looking for a job for 5-6 months I was going on a lot of interviews and nothing was happening... And I was being prideful - not praying about it a lot or consitently... Then when one day I just begged and begged for God to get me a job loudly in prayer... A day later I got a call for an interview and by week's end I had the job... I was humbled by God's power.

Wanted: Your Job Hunting Success Stories

That's right, gentle readers. I want to let others know about how you have successfully found a job. It may be your current one or a previous one - it doesn't matter. I want to encourage other job seekers with your success. You will receive no reimbursement from this, except for the gratification that your story has helped to inspire countless others who are where you once were.

Be specific, but don't mention any company names. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, and you may disagree with this approach - let me know and I may reconsider. Instead, use a generic title, such as "software development consulting company", "global consumer products company", and so on. If you would like some help, then let me know.

I will only use your initials or first name and last initial when presenting your success story. I am specifically interested in answers to the following:


  • What position were you applying for?
  • How did you contact the particular company?
  • Describe the interviewing process.
  • Did you work part-time or as a contractor/consultant with the company before being hired?
  • How long was the process from your first contact with the company to your first day of work?
  • Describe your emotional state during the process. Were you anxious? Excited? Stressed? Impatient? Frustrated? Let us know.


So email me your job hunting success stories at danimal0416 AT yahoo.com (replace the " AT " with the "@", of course), and we'll get these published here at "Get That Job!"

Friday, October 18, 2002

Informational Interviewing

Read this brief article and apply it where needed.

Growing your network

One excellent way to grow your network of professional (and personal) contacts is to join mailing lists. As you participate, sharing information and helping others solve their problems, you'll be creating an electronic network.

Topica is one website that has something for everyone. You can explore their mailing lists by topic.

JobStar Central | Hidden Job Market

The best jobs are never advertised. Find out why and what to do about it.

Contract Employee's Handbook

From the Home Page

The Contract Employee's Handbook is a veritable gold mine of information that can help you:
  • Find your next assignment and the one after that . . .
  • Increase your earning power . . .
  • Deal effectively with employment agencies . . .
  • Manage your money . . .
  • Build your own benefits package . . .
  • And much, much more.

Honorably Mentioned!

A hearty welcome to those visiting from blogs4God's "Zines Cache of the Day".

Thursday, October 17, 2002

ElectronicsWeb | How to Get Comfy Networking

Heather Stone writes a 'must-read' article on how to do better networking. Here's a brief excerpt:

Mac Carter feels like a hero. As a HR administrator for a nationwide retailer, he has opportunities to serve people in a variety of capacities. But never has he felt better about helping someone than he does now.

Mac has a daughter in the Girl Scouts and while at a function with her, he met the father of one of the other kids. They got to talking over cookies and punch, and Mac learned the man was an unemployed distribution manager. Knowing that his company was in need of distribution management, Mac gave him the name and phone number of a department head that had hiring authority with his company. Within days the man called to express his gratitude, explaining their situation was fast becoming desperate. It made Mac feel good to know that he helped this man to find a job and helped his company to meet a need at the same time.

This scenario is illustrative of a typical networking success. It demonstrates the power of having contacts. The rule of "who you know" has long been a key job search component. Statistics have consistently shown that over 80 percent of jobs never get advertised because they are filled through the vague technique of "networking."

TestAndMeasurement | Recession? Who Cares? Take Control of Your Career & Tune-up Your Resume

Kerry Spivey offers advice on why and how we always need to keep our resumes current.

Association of IT Professionals - Dayton Chapter

I may want to attend their November 14th meeting. Must RSVP by November 11th.

AITP National Website

Making Contacts

I'm learning that it's important to know people in order to get that job. I've enjoyed going to career fairs and attending other functions that are geared toward meeting other people. I want to be aware of other functions that come along, too. There is also the benefit of meeting someone "cold" at the library, for example. I met a young man who knows someone from a local Dayton company, and he gave me that person's information so that I can contact her.

But the great thing about networking is that it's a Win/Win situation. I need to look for some way to help someone else in addition to my getting help. To be honest, it's been difficult to keep that perspective when I'm eagerly looking for a job. Even then, I need to keep in mind that someone will be hiring me because of skills that I can contribute to make them money.

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

Transferable Skills Tests

Career Storm and Career Storm Compass. Dick Bolles, of What Color Is Your Parachute? fame calls this "probably the best skill identification instrument on the Internet" (page 175 of the 2002 edition). It examines interpersonal, practical, information, and creative skills.

After completing half of the assessment, I was able to email the results to myself, since I am currently online at the public library.

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Job Hunter's Bible

This website is the companion website to Richard Nelson Bolles's phenomenally popular book:



The site began on the site of the Washington Post in 1996, and everything on the new site is completely free - you don't even have to register!

Also, in the site is an article entitled "Job Hunting After September 11th", in which Bolles offers some advice about searching for a job in the new world created by the events of that day. Worth a read.

Monday, October 07, 2002

Ohio Job Prospector

I found this link, but I'm not sure if it works. Testing it out...

Greater Dayton IT Alliance | 2002 Ohio Information Technology Salary Survey

Salary information for technology professions in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland.

Friday, September 27, 2002

The Silver Lining

Mike muses the upcoming 1-year anniversary of being laid off, after having lunch with some former co-workers:

"when i think about it, as challenging and stressful and tiring as teaching can be sometimes, i can't imagine not doing it - going back to my former career as a software developer...i had felt stagnant in that career for a while, though i still enjoyed aspects of it -including mentoring less experienced developers - i.e. the education process. i was considering switching careers to teaching for quite a while, and had applied for the teaching job i got months before i was laid off - at a time when it was clear the economy wasn't at it's best - but i never would have dreamt of being laid off...the rest is history - i guess timing is everything...."

MSN.com | Lamebrain things managers shouldn't say to employees

Thursday, September 26, 2002

Greater Dayton IT Alliance

View the list of current members either alphabetically, by industry, or the entire list. Each entry consists of the company website, address, a description of what the company does, along with the person to contact for more information.

Cinergy, P&G make the Working Mother list

The Cincinnati Business Courier reports that Cinergy and Procter & Gamble, two Cincinnati-based companies, were again named to Working Mother magazine's annual best workplaces for mothers. Cinergy is a utility company. P&G manufactures and markets a variety of well-known consumer brands, including Tide, Downy, Charmin and Folgers.

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Personal Reminder: I met a lot of people at the job fairs. Should I let the readers know about them and my other experiences?

Noticed!

Get That Job! was recently mentioned in blogs4God.

Sunday, September 22, 2002

Business Network International

"BNI, or Business Network Int'l. is a business and professional networking organization that offers each member the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and referrals. With over 2,500 chapters worldwide, BNI is the world's leading professional business networking organization."

"Belonging to BNI is like having dozens of sales people working for you."

(All links open in new windows)



Wednesday, September 18, 2002

The Interview

Definitely a different kind of interview.

48 Days.com: Finding the Hidden Jobs

"The most effective job-hunting method is this: know your skills, research the potential company users of those skills, arrange to see the person who has the power to hire you, and request the interview. This method, faithfully followed, leads to a job for 86 out of every 100 job-hunters who use it." read more...

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Job Searching Chat

About.com Job Searching Chat Schedule: Monday - Friday Noon - 1:00 PM Eastern Time

"You're invited to join the Job Searching chat room. The chat room is always open, but, most often not moderated. Join our job seekers Lunch Hour Chat on weekday afternoons or drop by anytime to see if others are chatting. Also feel free to arrange a time to network with other job seekers and meet here to chat about jobs, careers and finding work. Employers and recruiters are also welcome to share career advice and job opening information."

Wanted: Your Job Hunting Success Stories

That's right, gentle readers. I want to let others know about how you have successfully found a job. It may be your current one or a previous one - it doesn't matter. I want to encourage other job seekers with your success. You will receive no reimbursement from this, except for the gratification that your story has helped to inspire countless others who are where you once were.

Be specific, but don't mention any company names. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, and you may disagree with this approach - let me know and I may reconsider. Instead, use a generic title, such as "software development consulting company", "global consumer products company", and so on. If you would like some help, then let me know.

I will only use your initials or first name and last initial when presenting your success story. I am specifically interested in answers to the following:


  • What position were you applying for?
  • How did you contact the particular company?
  • Describe the interviewing process.
  • Did you work part-time or as a contractor/consultant with the company before being hired?
  • How long was the process from your first contact with the company to your first day of work?
  • Describe your emotional state during the process. Were you anxious? Excited? Stressed? Impatient? Frustrated? Let us know.


So email me your job hunting success stories at danimal0416 AT yahoo.com (replace the " AT " with the "@", of course), and we'll get these published here at "Get That Job!"

Losing Your Job via spacemonk

Mike and others are commenting about what it's like to lose your job. It's worth a look. Be sure to especially check out the comments!

Overcoming Procrastination

Let me recommend you a book that I've begun reading, entitled The Complete Idiot's Guide to Overcoming Procrastination by Michelle Tullier, Ph.D. The first chapter is an eye-opener about the effects procrastination has on ourselves and others. At its worst, it causes serious problems on our finances, career, mental and physical health, relationships, and personal safety (paraphrased from the book).

Ms. Tullier is a career counselor who has witnessed numerous examples of procrastination in people who have put off managing their own careers.

Don't put this off until later! Go get that book today, even if from your local public library or Half Price Bookstore!

Thursday, September 12, 2002

Our New Career Values

"Money. Security. Power. Advancement. Until September 11, 2001, many Americans defined their careers by these very common and pervasive American work values..."

MonsterTRAK Coach Peter Vogt writes about how much our career values have changed since 9/11/2001.

Greater Dayton Job Center Expo 2002

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
10 A.M. - 3 P.M.
1111 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd.
Dayton, Ohio 45408-2033
(map)

Successful Job Search Tips


  • Professional Attire Required
  • For Your Safety... PLEASE, NO BABY STROLLERS
  • Bring a Typed Resume


Sponsors
Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services
The Job Center
Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
St. Vincent DePaul Society (Dayton)

Announcement from Status.Blogger.Com: Blog*Spot Web Server Maintenance

From midnight to 3 AM Eastern time on Friday, 13 September 2002, the Blog*Spot file server, which contains this and other weblogs with "blogspot.com" in the URL, will be down for maintenance. So, from that time - midnight to 3 AM EDT - Get That Job! will be unavailable.

Wednesday, September 11, 2002

Professional and Technical Cultural Diversity Career Fair: Dayton, Ohio

From the ad found on ActiveDayton.com

Date: 9/17/2002
Time: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Venue: Dayton Convention Center (map)
Area: Downtown Dayton
Contact: (937) 225-7450

Get your steps in order and find the job you are looking for at the career fair!

• Free admission
• Free resume reviews
• Professional Attire required
• Resume Database Available
• Free Seminars will be offered on the half hour
• Read the Dayton Daily News for more information on September 15.

Monday, September 09, 2002

Find Your True Calling

MSN Careers has an article today entitled "Discover the Work You Were Born to Do." It's a good opportunity to find out if you're climbing the right ladder after all.

Bartenders Wanted!

Call 1-866-291-1884 x9962 for more information.

1-877-HIRE-YOU

When prompted, enter code EG500. Go Get That Job!

Be Proactive!

From QuotesBlog: "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." -- William Ernest Henley

One of the most incredible things about our Creator is that he has made us different from the rest of the animals in that we are not controlled by instinct; rather, we have the ability to choose how we respond to any stimulus, any circumstance, etc. So, today, and for the rest of our lives... let's go forward as "Captains of our souls!"

Tribune.com

Tribune.com is the website for the Tribune company, owner of, among other newspapers, the Chicago Tribune. Carol Kleiman reports on employment. To read her column you must register -- it's free!

Outplacement as an employer-paid benefit

James E. Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, Inc.. pioneered outplacement as an employer-paid benefit.

In the September 3, 2002 edition of Employment Plus, a marketing publications supplement to the Dayton Daily News, he has an article entitled, "Climb up the ladder starts with Day One at new job." Some of the many highlights worth noting include


  • "The demands of the New Economy have employers bringing in employees who will make an immediate contribution."
  • "Resign yourself to arriving early and staying late. No employer likes a clock watcher."
  • "Go out of your way to assist peers to show that you can be depended upon."
  • "You might consider finding out what your supervisor's favorite civic or charitable activities are and volunteer to work for those organizations."
  • "Calculated bragging means to pick your spot and be subtle when showing superiors specifically how you are doing."


In addition, when you venture to the CGC website, be sure to download the guidebook entitled "How to Find a Job in a Jobless Recovery."

The Five O'Clock Club

Kate Wendleton is the founder of The Five O'Clock Club, a national career-counseling network. If you are an individual needing severance help, an employer looking at severance packages, or even a career coach looking to advance your training and private practice, then stop by!

"One organization with a long record of success in helping people find jobs is The Five O'Clock Club " -FORTUNE MAGAZINE

Employment Guide

In Dayton and probably many other cities as well, we can get a hard copy of the Employment Guide, which is like a separate classifieds section. The online version appears to be a portal, and it appears that the goal is to match job seekers with employers. Check it out and let me know what you find! Good luck!

Monday, the day after Sunday, merits a summary of sorts of information gleaned from classifieds and so on. Just a heads up as to what's coming.



"Weblogs4Hire.com is a free job site for webloggers. If you're looking for work as a personal trainer, chef or landscape architect then use one of the other job sites. If you want to weblog professionally, this is the place to post your availability."

Way to go, Dane!

(P.S. Thanks to MeanDean over at blogs4God for the link!)

Resume Writing Firms

Yesterday I browsed through a local magazine and found an ad for a resume writer. While at the PC tonight, I couldn't remember the exact URL, so I looked up both resumesplus.com and resumeplus.com. Resumeplus.com is the one from Dayton, Ohio.

Tuesday, September 03, 2002

State of Ohio Job Search

The State of Ohio web site has a search page.

QuotesBlog now has comments.

Monday, September 02, 2002

Preview from QuotesBlog

There are going to be some really good quotes posted about work in the upcoming days. For starters, try these out:

Careers

Entrepreneurship

Owning your own business means that you get to call the shots, for one thing. Entrepreneur.com has a myriad of resources.

You must also, however, remember to count the cost:

From QuotesBlog: "The only thing more overrated than natural childbirth is the joy of owning your own business." -- Anonymous

Gear for your Career

Sunday, September 01, 2002

Information Overload from FranklinCovey Weekly Quotes email

Talk about bulking up. Pitney-Bowes, the maker of postage meters, did a study in 2000 that found the average U.S. office worker sends and receives 52 phone messages, 36 email messages, 36 pieces of regular mail, 14 faxes, and eight pager messages each day. All of this information can cause stress, memory problems, and difficulty maintaining one’s attention and ability to focus. So what do you do? Slim down and start the Information Overload diet! A few tips:
  • Overcome any reluctance you might have to throwing away files, paper and other things. The fear of discarding something that might be useful later-much, much later-holds back many of us from getting rid of stuff we’ll never use.
  • Develop good habits. For example, handle your paper work at the same time each day, look at what is in your in-box no more than twice a day, etc.
  • Find a planning system that works for you. Whether it’s a binder to carry your planning pages, wireless phone, and handheld, or software to keep all your information synched together, FranklinCovey offers hundreds of solutions to keep you organized and productive.


Information Overload - try the low-fat version!

Ohio Libraries Get Database Access from the Dayton Business Journal

The state of Ohio is spending $2.5 million to give all state residents access to 22 computer databases from EBSCO Publishing, indexing articles from more than 6,000 sources.

The collection debuted Monday.

The collection includes more than 3,000 journals, 1,900 periodicals and 240 other news sources. About 2,600 peer-reviewed journals, suitable for advanced research, are included.

It will be available at all of Ohio's schools, colleges and public libraries — and library cardholders will be able to access it over the Internet.

HealthCareSource.com

"With over 20,000 unique jobs and hundreds of new postings daily, HealthcareSource.com is one of America's largest, most effective job sites on the Internet today."

Friday, August 30, 2002

Viva La Library!

Your local public library is a great place to do research. Voila two such public library sites:

Thursday, August 29, 2002

Credential Files: Make your transcript, letters of recommendation, references, portfolio, credentials and more available online!

You can have your credential files maintained and processed professionally, using a professional credentials processing service. There are a number of fee-based services available. With one such service, Reference Now, you can send your entire file, including confidential letters of recommendation. It's worth a look.

University of Cincinnati Career Development Center

UC's Career Development Center (CDC)'s website provides useful information to University of Cincinnati faculty, staff, students, and alumni. In addition, it contains information for employers who may want to find out about recruiting, accessing the CDC's resume database, and so on.

From QuotesBlog:

"If you hate your job, either change your job or change your attitude about the job. One or the other." -- John-Roger

Friday, August 23, 2002

From MSN Careers: Sizing Up A Potential Employer

"You finally found the right job. Or so you thought. Now that you have been on the scene for two weeks, you notice how people treat you. Your boss consistently calls meetings during lunchtime -- sans food. Yesterday, you received a proposal at 4:45 p.m. to type up by 9:00 a.m. the following day. And although the company is teeming with people burning the midnight oil, there is little joyful interaction among employees." more...

I can't understate this enough myself. You may feel desperate for a job, but why would you want to work for just a paycheck? You're worth more than that.

Tips for Using Office XP to Manage Your Job Hunt

"Looking for a job can be a big job in itself. Whether you need to write a resume, track your networking contacts, or build a portfolio, Microsoft Office XP can help you do that and more. Try these tips for using Office to help manage your job hunt.

"Graduates and other job seekers who use these tips also show prospective employers that they are proficient in using the same software tools that an estimated 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies¹ use. So once you're on the job, you can continue to use these tips to help you shine..." continued...

Thursday, August 22, 2002

IT Careers from Encarta



Is There Something We Should Know?

The front page of MSN.com this morning has links to a story about warning signs that you'll be fired. The following text refers to the same link:



Guess what? As of this morning, the links don't work! Is there something that we should know??

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

So, You Wanna Work?

RegionalHelpWanted.com

"RegionalHelpWanted.com started with one regional site, HudsonValleyHelpWanted.com launched on 5/1/99, and has grown exponentially since then: our family of websites is now 246 strong."

Firstgov for Workers

Firstgov for Workers - Services and Information for America's Workforce has information about Jobs, a Career Spotlight, a Pay Calculator (especially good for when you're filling out those applications and need to convert an annual amount to an hourly amount or vice versa - I've had to do that), and much more!

Government Jobs

"Welcome . . . to govtjobs.com the nation's leading web site devoted to helping individuals find the jobs they are seeking in the public sector. govtjobs.com is designed to make your job search efficient. There is no fee to search this web site." [italics added]

Search for businesses and more using SuperPages.com!

Thursday, August 15, 2002

O*Net

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration. This site includes links to Occupational Job Titles, job opportunities, a guide to tests and other assessments and more...!

Thursday, August 08, 2002

Panic Page!

At Careerbuilder.com, I found a Boss Button, i.e., a link to click so that something else will open in order for you to hide the fact that you're looking for another job when your boss is near. I don't necessarily advocate this practice, but the content on the Panic Page was humorous.

Dayton, Ohio Job Center

The Dayton, Ohio Job Center is a place where my family and I have been quite frequently as of late. I've included the main link under the Job-related Websites list at the left. They have resources for employers and job seekers. Among the resources for job seekers is a list of other job-related websites, which includes some of the major ones (like Monster Board, Hot Jobs, etc.), as well as more local links for Ohio, Montgomery County, and the Greater Dayton area.

Friday, August 02, 2002

Abundance

Joseph Murphy once said: "Infinite riches are all around you if you..." more>>

I refuse to believe that, because certain jobs are not just popping up, obvious to be seen, that there are no jobs for me.

Thursday, August 01, 2002

Job Outlook 2002: You'll Work Hard to Find a Job

JobWeb.com: "The foosball tables are gone. You won't be offered a four-day work week. And that sweet little sports car you were prepared to accept as a signing bonus? You'll have to pay for this car the old fashioned way—with savings from your weekly paycheck.

"The job market for college graduates isn't as bright as it was this time last year (or over the past three years)—however, it's not as dismal as you might believe either." continued...

I've seen this myself. Four years ago, there were a lot more obvious opportunities than there are now. I still believe that the jobs are out there, however. Just because overall the job market may be a little soft, does not mean that today, tomorrow, next week, someone won't quit or retire or do something else that creates a job opening for what I am looking for.

Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Update

I've added links to other weblogs, my weblogs, and some job-related websites. I am still looking for contributors.

Thursday, July 25, 2002

Welcome to Get That Job!

This is the initial post for this weblog. I am soliciting contributors in order to make it a more collaborative effort, very similar to The End of Free. So... if you're interested please send me an email to danimal0416 AT yahoo.com (I intentionally wrote it that way to prevent my email address from being automatically harvested, since this has happened to me in the past.

Additionally, I maintain a few or more other blogs. I know that may sound like a lot, but since this weblog is a collaborative effort, I won't need to spend much time on this... right?