The age-old question answered: Is Any Job Better Than No Job?

Resume and Cover Letter Guide

About.com has some excellent articles on resume writing, job search methods and more.

CNN.com - Dell cancels Indian tech support - Nov. 26, 2003: "AP) -- After an onslaught of complaints, computer maker "


Score one for keeping jobs in the US!

CNN Money: Vanishing Jobs

The subtitle for this article says: "Structural change in the economy means many jobs are never going to come back."

I agree. I believe that the recent economic downturn and its subsequent recovery will mean not only that some jobs will never exist again, but also that new ones will be created.

The Online Job Search Companion | Pam Dixon

This site has a fairly comprehensive list of job sites, associations and other career related resources which may be worth checking out. List includes regional job databases, high tech jobs, best sites for new grads and more.

Fast Company Now: What Happens When Your Job Is Taken By Someone in India or China? III

Blogging Increases Your Work Drive

John Moore cheers for what blogging has done for his enthusiasm at work:

I admit - prior to this FC Now guest host gig I was a blogging neophyte. I had read the occasional blog but never had I participated. That was then, this is now.

I am now a blogging convert. All praise due to blogging!

Seriously, this week has done wonders for my work drive. I haven't been this engaged at work in years. I credit blogging to helping me make sharper, more strategic decisions at work this week. And, I have been a better, more consistent mentor/teacher to my direct reports.

Other people get fired over blogging (see Blogger's "How Not to Get Fired Because of Your Blog").

I haven't read much of FastCompany this week to understand what it is about John's job that has got him so enthused, but it sounds worth looking into, doesn't it?

Thanks to Ian for pointing me to the link!

BLOGGER - Knowledge Base - How To Get A Book Deal With Your Blog

I think I could do this.

GFN Career Centraal

There are over 1600 jobs posted on GFN.com, the "alternative" job search engine.

'Tis the Season to Be Networking

Last week I mentioned this, yet I think the folks over at WetFeet.com say it even better:

It can be hard not to feel like a Scrooge when you're still trying to find a job during the holidays—you're poring over job listings and sending out resumes while everyone else is taking time off, shopping for gifts, and planning holiday festivities. But don't cry "humbug!" just yet.

For want of a permalink, head over to the post dated December 8, 2003.

Five Myths About Holiday Job Hunting via an emailed newsletter from Execs-Direct.com

by Sinara Stull O'Donnell

When I was an executive and a corporate recruiter, I found that December was my busiest and most stressful month. It's no exaggeration to say I often made job offers on Christmas Eve and came in the day after Christmas to do the paperwork so that an employee could start Jan. 2.

Yet, the misconception that nobody hires in December is common, as is the poor advice that "you might as well take the month off." It may seem counterintuitive, but the opposite is true.

Holiday job-search myths have been around for a long time and are repeated like mantras, but shatter when scrutinized. Consider the following:

Myth No.1: "Nobody hires in December"

December is still a month employees are being paid to work. There are five reasons companies may hire in December:

1. Many companies must spend the money in their budgets before the end of the year. Hiring "heats up in December because hiring managers are trying to reach deadlines to use budgets," says Susie Basanda, principal of Basanda Consulting, a recruitment management company in Ventura County, Calif.
2. People tend to want to tie up loose ends before the new year. Hiring managers, human-resource representatives and executive recruiters are like the rest of us who have that feeling of urgency as the year-end approaches. If there are unfilled positions on their staffs, hiring managers naturally want to fill them.
3. Positions open up in late November or early December because many professionals quit their jobs this time of year. As David Knowles, a senior recruiter with Excel Unlimited, an executive search firm in Houston, says, "The holidays can bring on a time of longing to be closer to family, roots and people. If no bonus is involved, people often will quit Dec. 1, and give two weeks notice so that they can be with family for the holidays."
4. Headhunters are more motivated to place candidates before the end of the year. Almost all executive recruiters are paid on commission. This commission is based on fees their company earns for placing professionals. What helps the December job seeker is that this commission rises based on overall yearly billing. One might start the year at 30% and graduate to 60% by December. The catch is that it goes down to 30% again Jan. 1.
5. Strong companies often want to start the new year with a bang. "Companies that are forecasting profits want to have key people in place to start the year off well," says Knowles.

Myth No. 2: "You won't find the job you really want in December"

You're just as likely to find the job you really want in December as in any other month. One reason is because you won't have as much competition, says Judy Kneisley, senior vice president and general manager for outplacement firm Lee Hecht Harrison Inc. "Because so many people believe in the myths, it's a perfect time to be out there," she says. It may sound logical that only losers would be desperate enough to look for jobs during the holidays, says Knowles, but "the fact is that winners are looking in December." Winners don't give up.

Myth No. 3: "Nothing ever happens after Dec. 15, so you might as well leave town"

Most recruiters advise job candidates to be flexible in scheduling interviews and meetings around the holidays. Eberhart goes a step further and advises candidates to avoid taking weeklong trips during the holidays. Basanda once held a round of interviews New Year's Day.

Myth No. 4: "Even if an employer has an opening, the hiring manager won't have time to meet with you"

The interviewing process can be slower during the holidays because of the number of days people are out of the office. But, as Basanda says, the process "will slow down but it doesn't stop."

Myth No. 5: "You'll have a better chance if you wait until the first of the year"

If employers have a need, they don't care whether it's January or December. "[Hiring] isn't focused on the time of year. It's focused on need," says Keith Mills, vice president for Aaron's Automotive, a manufacturer in Springfield, Mo.

Ms. O'Donnell is a free-lance writer and a career consultant in Springfield, Mo. This article was abridged from CareerJournal.com.

The Monster Blog

Rebecca says:

Welcome to the Monster Blog! This blog is dedicated to helping job seekers by providing career advice, tips, news, and information.

I'm a content producer at Monster, and while I will be providing links to useful Monster content in this blog, I will also be pointing to news and information from around the Web.

Thanks to Curt for the info!

Deloitte Fast 500: Technology Fast 50 - Search: "The Technology Fast 50 is a listing of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in a given geographic area based on five-year percentage growth"


Here's an interesting resource. Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 is a listing of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in a given geographic area based on five-year percentage growth. Select any region and year to get the list of growing tech companies in your area.

FunJobsReview.com - Realistic Reviews of Online Job Opportunities I came across this web site, served up by Google Ads. I thought it was actually sort of interesting, to see a 3rd party site that rates & reviews all of these "get rick quick / get paid to surf / get paid for your opinion" web sites. Personally, I always look at these as being a scam, but then again, I guess you never know...

MSN Women - Article: 8 Ways to Love the Job You Have

Now... if I only had a job to love!

Advice From Successful Job Seekers: Don't Neglect Your Network

by Caroline Levchuck (via My Yahoo! Daily Tip)

Curtis Potter wasn't even actively seeking full-time work when he was appointed creative director of an advertising agency. He credits his new job to his solid professional network.

Potter had left his most recent job on good terms and had stayed in touch with his boss when he moved cross-country.

"I would visit whenever I went back to the West Coast and have dinner with him when he came to New York," said Potter.

Potter also built a strong network in and around New York City.

"A former colleague from a local agency called me and told me about the opening, and I sent my resume in. She talked me up to her bosses and they reviewed my resume. It turned out that they knew my previous employer," said Potter.

"I had two strong references going for me -- a former colleague and a former boss. The agency interviewed tons of people, but I think these connections made all the difference," said Potter.

This is great news.

Success Quotations

Speaking of success, here are some quotations: QuotesBlog Google Search

Blog Housekeeping

I'm revising the blogroll, which you see on the left hand side. Cleaning it up, adding new sites, removing old sites, etc. It will be up sometime between now and when Jesus comes (*g*). Okay, before 2004, hopefully.

Job Hunting Success Story

Sue T. responded to a recent post and shared her job hunting success story:

Cheers !!!

I finally got a job!!

I got my job through a website called www.jobs.net.

I was doing my daily job search at my local workforce one in Florida, and I stumbled across this website, which I'd never heard of before. I decided to check this site out, and I found a position called yacht finance specialist (a.k.a administrative assistant). The funny thing about this position was it posted on August 18, 2003, and it was still on their site on November 12, 2003. I called the employer, and the reason why they did not find anyone was because none of the other candidates had passed the credit check. The company is owned by a bank, and passing a credit check is required.

In the post to which Sue responded, we posed some specific questions. Below we've listed the questions along with her answers.

• What position were you applying for?
  Administrative Assistant
• How did you contact the particular company?
  I called the company and then faxed them my resume
• Describe the interviewing process.
  It was pretty simple. They were only interested in me because they had already posted this position on careerbuilder.com and had not yet found anyone qualified for it.
• Did you work part-time or as a contractor/consultant with the company before being hired?
  No
• How long was the process from your first contact with the company to your first day of work?
  I interviewed for the position on November 18th. I returned on December 1st and was hired after I found out I passed the credit check.
• Describe your emotional state during the process. Were you anxious? Excited? Stressed? Impatient? Frustrated? Let us know.
  I kept wondering why the credit check was taking so long.

F**k That Job! takes a humorous look at the job market, highlighting the unusual, unreasonable, even ridiculous job postings out on the internet. From a Craig's List post "seeking a workaholic (and I mean workaholic) who is interested in total immersion in their job (if you are not inclined to this requirement with 24/7 availability do not respond to this ad)" to the jobseeker who is auctioning himself on eBay, this web site got a chuckle or two out of me.

VistaPrint Free Business Cards

When you're out networking for your next job contact, it's a good idea to have a personal business card handy. One method I've seen which is particularly interesting is to include sort of a mini-resume - some bulleted highlights of your specific job skills or areas of expertise.

The essentials to include on a networking business card include:
Name
Phone
Email address
Web site (where hopefully a description of your talents and your resume can be found)
Depending on your area of expertise, including a title or functional area might also be a good idea (i.e. Marketing Professional, Quality Specialist, Technical Consultant, etc.).

Re: the above noted URL, VistaPrint offers "free" business cards for the cost of shipping only (about $5), but these cards do include a text ad for vistaprint on the back. You can also print up cards on your personal printer (ok as long as you have a real paper cutter - the perforated edges on preprinted business card stock a la Paper Direct is sort of tacky), or check out your local Kinko's or Mailboxes Etc for low cost card printing options.

Yahoo! Groups : jobsearchsupport
Newsgroups, Yahoo Groups and Job related discussion boards are an excellent way of networking online with other job seekers, sharing support, job leads, search ideas, and more.

Dice.com - Job search for Technology Professionals
Today, I read through my automated job search agent for DICE.com, and found no less than 5 job postings by recruiters for the SAME JOB. 5 out of 21 jobs returned works out to roughly 25% of my time wasted reading the same job description.

The thing that I've learned about many of these recruiter posts is that if you do a little bit of research, often you can find the employer on the web and apply for the job directly. Since recruiters charge a fairly hefty percentage for their services, it makes me wonder whether employers are using them at all these days, or if they give preference to candidates that come to them directly, without the extra price tag.

This is not to say that I haven't found jobs through recruiters in the past - just that in today's market, I'm wondering whether they are still of any use...

Job-Searching During the Holidays

If you're looking for a job, then the holidays present some great opportunities to continue your job search. During the various get-togethers, you can network with those around you. Friends, family, and so on. Check out some past posts related to networking (Google search results).

Why? A simple question
a post from the Occupational Adventure (sm) Blog

I should preface this post with an explanation that I am a Passion Catalyst (sm) - in short, I help people identify their passions and create careers that ignite them.

When it comes to finding your passion in your career, there's no way around it. Self-exploration is where it all starts.

Want a short, simple way to squeeze exponentially more insights from those self-exploration efforts? The secret word o' the day is...

"Why?"

Just that one little word, vigorously applied, will give you incredible insights.

For example, take a look at a commonly recommended question for finding your career passion..."What do you love doing?"

A valuable question, but by itself it falls far short of the insights that could be gotten by following the answers up with, "why?"

Because "what" you love doing isn't the whole story. You can say, "I love doing _____," but whether you're conscious of it or not, what you really mean is "I love doing _____ because _____, _____, and _____." You and I could say we love the exact same thing, and the underlying reasons might be completely different.

Asking "Why? What is it about it that is so enjoyable?" lets you dig down and find the underlying characteristics of the things you love doing. Once you know those, you can start trying to incorporate them into your career, whether by making small changes where you are, or identifying a whole new direction.

Job Search Tracking - Keeping It All Straight

Does anyone else remember a time when you send in a resume and literally count the minutes between the time it was sent and the phone ringing? Well, back in the day, it was just not as difficult to track the old job search. A binder, a spreadsheet, even your Sent Mail folder would do.

When I embarked upon my most recent job search, just over a year ago, I realized that none of these methods were quite right. I kept
bookmarking job descriptions on the big job boards, only to go back later to find they had been removed. In order to better track the specifics of the jobs I was applying to, I ended up developing a very simple web-based job tracking system where I could store all of the job related information in one place (including the resume and cover letter I sent it), and retrieve it on demand. After using the application for several months, I turned it into a free public job portal so that anyone can use it.

With all of the job related web sites out there, I'm surprised that no one has done this until now. The closest thing I've seen has been on private career center sites which provide some job search tools for their paid clientele. Other than that, there are some sites that let you track the jobs you applied to through their interface, but none of them let you track all of your job inquiries, regardless of source. If you've seen anything else like it out there, please let me know. Also, if you'd like to share how you're tracking your current job search, please add a comment below.

Should You Tell Your Employer That You Have AD/HD?

The previous post is one of many examples that show that having ADHD affects how one performs in the workplace. This article explains, with specific examples, that it may or may not be in one's best interest to disclose to an employer:

The answer is, it depends on the facts of the individual case. Generally, we recommend disclosure of AD/HD to an employer if (1) you can document AD/HD, and AD/HD is a disability under the law in your case, (2) you are qualified for the job, and (3) you need job accommodations that are reasonable.

The writers share instances when you should not disclose ADHD along with when and how to disclose.

Guidelines for Succeeding in the Workplace with AD/HD crossposted to Journey Inside My Mind

This document, provided by the National Resource Center on AD|HD, a program of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder), is an excellent resource for individuals such as myself, who deal with the symptoms of AD/HD every day. The entire guide is available for downloading as a PDF file, too.

The symptoms of AD/HD create special challenges for the adult in the workplace, just as they do for the child in school. To date, very little research has been conducted that provides adults with AD/HD empirically-based approaches to understanding and coping with workplace issues. Until scientifically-based guidelines are available, it may prove useful to follow the procedures commonly used by career counselors to guide individuals in selecting a job and coping with AD/HD on the job. This information and resource sheet will:

• offer tips for improving on-the-job functioning
• describe the rights of individuals under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• provide guidelines for making career choices

The assistance of a career counselor or a psychologist, social worker, or other health care worker with career counseling training is extremely helpful in understanding and maximizing these factors. Some individuals, however, may be able to carry out the steps discussed in this information and resource sheet with the help of questionnaires, checklists, and suggestions given in the career counseling books on the reference list.

E-mail Can Be Key to Employment

Yahoo! HotJobs offers helpful advice on using email effectively in your job search.

Jobs Growth in Nov. Slower Than Expected

While that doesn't sound too encouraging by itself, I'd like to point to these paragraphs from the article:

The jobs market has been a weak link in the recovery, with companies hesitant to hire new, full-time workers out of concern that the improvements wouldn't last. Instead, employers worked their employees longer and harder, sending productivity to a two-decade high last quarter.


In Friday's jobs report, the services sector continued to drive employment gains, with health care and social services jumping by 25,000 in November. Hotels and lodging facilities created 13,000 new positions. Hiring also occurred in education, government and professional and business services.


In the goods-producing category, construction employment was up last month by 10,000.

Articles such as these are meant to describe overall trends, from a macroeconomic perspective. Jobs are available, and your particular circumstances may or may not be affected by what's reported nationally.

Go Get That Job!

Wanted: Your Job Hunting Success Stories

However it is that you got to this weblog, I'm encouraged that you've stopped by. Hopefully, you'll find what you're looking for.

Now, let me take this moment to ask you for something. I want to let others know about how you have successfully found a job. This may sound odd, especially if you're currently between jobs. Nevertheless, you probably have had a job before, and I (and I'm sure that many others) would like to know how you got it.

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[nospam]@yahoo.com(remove the [nospam], of course), and we'll get them published here at "Get That Job!"

Thanks!

Guest Bloggers and Other Contributors

I'm encouraged to have found some folks who are interested in guest-blogging or otherwise contributing to the content of this blog. Hopefully we'll be hearing from these individuals very soon!

To find out how you can contribute to this weblog, head over to the archive page for instructions.

About.com Career Center

From the folks at About.com, your guide to the Internet, comes the About.com Career Center, with info about job searching, jobs, resumes and cover letters, compensation, references, and more! Thanks to Curt Rosengren for the link.