Friday, June 29, 2007

Test drive your dream job

This is interesting. One of my Twitter friends told me to check out Vocation Vacations.

Related tags:

Read local business journals for market info potential leads

Do you read the local business journal the city where you live or want to work? Years ago I started doing that, just to see what companies are doing in the area and as a potential source for job leads, a way to get an understanding of the job market. I can't remember whether the Cincinnati Business Courier does it, but the Dayton Business Journal publishes these lists every week of fastest growing companies, top minority-owned businesses, etc. I liked looking at those lists because it gave the name of the top official as well as other relevant information for generating leads.

I'm currently have the RSS feed for the Cincinnati Business Courier's Breaking News in my Bloglines collection. I often don't know what to make of some of the information I read, though.

On one hand I hear that unemployment rates are up slightly, but then I read that the job market for IT professionals is pretty good. I even saw this morning that Cincinnati is ranked 18th on Forbes magazine recent Best Cities for Young Professionals list.

Does it seem confusing to you? It does to me, sometimes. Then I look at the details and see that the unemployment article is talking about Ohio metro areas overall. I guess that's what we need to do - look at the details a bit more closely.

Also, I think it's a good idea not to let negative information put a cloud over your job search efforts. Doing so can lead to making excuses. You'll be tempted, as I am, to think and say things like, "Oh, the job market's just down; that's why I'm not able to find work." Let's think and believe bigger than that.

Related tags:

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Retrospective - Year-to-date and prior-year snapshots

From time to time, especially since I've been blogging for awhile, I like to look back through the archives of my blogs. I believe, however, that this is the first time I've done this for Get That Job!

Starting off by going back each month of 2007 so far:

Here's what happened as we go back a year at a time during this blog's history:Have you found anything from the archives that you'd like brought back up to the surface? Let me know, and I'll share it with the rest of the group here.

Related tags:

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Career strategies for using MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites

I've listened to Peter Clayton's interview with Steven Rothberg two days in a row, because it's got me thinking about my own career strategies for using social networking sites, as well as my portfolio blog. You need to listen to this, too.

From the shownotes at TotalPicture.com:

Did you know that MySpace is the 3rd most visited U.S. website and that the average age of a MySpace user is 35? Check out this interview, which covers an overview of CollegeRecruiter.com, and an in-depth analysis - from a career strategy perspective - of MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Second Life.
Click on the player to hear the 39-minute interview:


powered by ODEO

Alternate links that get you the content:Related tags:


Find thousands of Bilingual jobs at LatPro.com.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Ron Hittle inspired me with one sentence

"To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground." - Stephen R. Covey, via QuotesBlog
I met Ron Hittle about 3-1/2 years ago at a career workshop at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. I remember that it was an encouraging and inspiring time for me, since I was really struggling for direction in my career. The encounter and events since then have showed me how powerful connecting with one person can positively affect another.

That year I also met a recruiter in the Dayton area, and we've exchanged e-mails and phone conversations over the past three years or so, having become part of each other's professional network.

She mentioned early on that I must have met Ron Hittle.
"How did you know that?" I asked.

"From then ending of your voicemail message," she replied. "I do that, too."
Imitation, it's been said, is the sincerest form of flattery. This recruiter and I at different times had adopted Ron's way of closing a message as our own.

It's a little bittersweet that I share all of this, because a few moments ago, she called me to say that Ron Hittle passed away this weekend. He'd retired some time ago and had been dealing with some health issues, but it still came suddenly. My thoughts and prayers go up to the family, as well as those who knew Ron well. He will surely be missed.

As I mentioned, I didn't know Ron that well, but he left a lasting impression on me just from one statement from his voicemail message, because it points to my own ability to do something about my life versus letting something happen.

If you've received an email from me or have heard me sign off on my mostly music podcast, you probably already know what I'm about to say.

Most people I know usually end a conversation by saying, "Have a great day!"

Ron Hittle would say, "Make it a great day!"

Thanks, Ron. I think I will.

Related tags:


Find information on Diversity recruiting at DiversityJobs.com.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Overcoming Excuses in a Job Search (video)

In lieu of a text post, and as part of the testing effort for Blogger in Draft, I've uploaded a video about a book I've started re-reading. I also mentioned the Journey Inside My Mind Podcast but forgot to mention the URL: http://jimmpodcast.com.



Related tags:


Visit DiversityJobs.com for information on Diversity in the workplace.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Who is Daniel Johnson, Jr.?

I suppose it's time I should share a bit more about me, in case this is your first time here. Here's the latest version.

I've been blogging since January 2002 and podcasting since August 2005. I now have more blogs than I care to count. I started Get That Job! back in July 2002 because I was finding so much information online as I was going through my own job search. One thing I've learned over the past five years is how important it is to connect with others.

Here is more of me, in case you're interested:

And of course you can find me on MySpace, LinkedIn, and other social media networks. I'm always open to connect; just let me know how you found me.

Related tags:


Find thousands of Hispanic jobs at LatPro.com.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Edvisors/Student Loan Network Hiring Developers (video)

Christopher Penn, the Chief Technology Officer at Edvisors and the Student Loan Network in the Boston area, just put out a Jobcast, stating that they are looking to hire some developers. Find the job details at www.Edvisors.com/jobs, but also check out this video to see what might be in it for you:



Christopher also hosts and produces the Financial Aid Podcast, which you should definitely check out. Here's a tip that might help you rise to the top of the pile of applicants: why not record a response to the video, post it on YouTube, and send Christopher a link to it?

Please let me know how this goes for you. I love sharing success stories here at Get That Job!

Related tags:


Find Diversity employment at DiversityJobs.com.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Interviewing Etiquette - Let Your References Know

I just read a convicting blog post: Strategic Public Relations: "For Future Reference". I hope, now that I'm building my network and pinging more often, that I'm doing a better job at this.

Oops!
Oops!,
originally uploaded by loverfishy.



Related tags:


Learn about Hispanic Recruiting at LatPro.com.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Dads, the Grassroots Mentors

In her recent "Minding Her Business" column, Megan Dowd has some encouragement for us Dads this Father's Day: "Women in Business: Here's to Dads, the Grassroots Mentors". The best thing we can do for our daughters is to encourage, inspire, and give them hope that they can be whatever they want to be.

Related tags:

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

America's best jobs in the hottest markets

As spotted elsewhere in the blogging sphere:

The great American hiring boom is slowing down--but as labor cools with the rest of the economy, a few choice regions will stay red-hot. You just have to know where to look.
Check out the CNNMoney report here.

Related tags: