Leaping Forward

Since today is February 29, I decided to come up with some ideas to help job seekers leap ahead in their quests for success. What follows are some suggestions, in no particular order, which some of you might already employ. Feel free to share other methods which you have found helpful as this list is extremely open ended!

~Networking is key to getting your name out to as many people as possible. Find one new networking group, professional association, job seeker support group, etc. and attend a meeting or workshop this month.
~Staying with the networking theme, contact at least 3 or 4 people you know from any walk of life and schedule a 30 minute meeting with them to discuss your job search, their impressions of you, how they have been successful and so on. You will be amazed at the knowledge you could gain!
~Make a diary of an entire week's job search activities and see if you are spending at least 3-4 hours per day. Also determine whether or not you are mixing up your week or doing exactly the same thing each day. Keys to success include dedicating enough time and also varying what you do to avoid becoming complacent.
~Dig up your notes for the past 3+ months and go back and contact every company you have applied to in the past, or at least check their websites, to see if something new has developed which you could qualify for.
~Finally, try something new and different to add some new energy to your process. I admit I am an old dog at times but did learn a new trick from my daughter recently. Check out Pinterest through Facebook. I am not an expert yet but there are some great pieces of information for job hunting on this site!

That is probably enough to keep you busy for a while! As I said earlier, feel free to share other ideas if you wish. I will do my best to have a new list ready to go by next February 29!!

Why Change?

Facebook..Twitter..Plaxo..My Space..LinkedIn..Droid..ITouch..SmartPhone..Texting..and now, the newest way to communicate---the TELEPHONE!!!!

Yes, I have become somewhat addicted to LinkedIn and am becoming more comfortable sending out tweets. No, I do not have a Smartphone (or similar toy) as I would undoubtedly use it more for play than business. I like Facebook but not as a business resource. Some people I know believe I am old fashioned but I tend to live within a comfort zone and am not someone who changes very easily. I even dress pretty much the same at age 53 as I did at age 23 albeit with less hair on my head which has become much more grey than brown!

Believe it or not, I considered caving in a few weeks back and almost starting making some changes. Some younger colleagues on a committee which I chair tried to sell me on the merits of one of the more advanced phones. I was told I could easily check my email at all times, conduct business online with my clients, and run my daily business through Facebook right on my phone. This device would allow me to hardly turn on the computer, throw away my newspaper, and rarely need to talk to anyone live. In fact, the term talking could really be replaced by the term texting! Wow, my whole world could fit in my pocket (assuming I did not drop my world in a parking lot where it could get smashed by a passing vehicle!) and follow me everywhere! Sounds great!!!!................WAIT a MINUTE!!!...I really don't want to read email while out to dinner. I don't necessarily want to chat with clients while at a Somerset Patriots baseball game. Reading the daily newspaper is one of my favorite activities. Most important, my clients do still like live interaction from time to time and some have actually complained to me about how impersonal their vendors are becoming.

Make your own choices. Whatever works best for you is the method of operation you need to follow. Please make sure the clients you value, the bread and butter of your business, are comfortable and happy with how you treat them!

The Perfect Resume?

In 1979, I attended a workshop at Franklin and Marshall College on resume writing. It last about 20 minutes and we received a mimeographed (if anyone needs a lesson on what that is, contact me) list of what to include and a list of secretaries on campus who, for a small fee, would type it up professionally. With this information in hand, I hustled to my room, took out some lined paper and scribbled for maybe an hour. I then attempted to type it on my portable typewriter and then stopped by a trusted professor's office for some input. He corrected some grammar and advised me to find someone else to type it as my skills were not too sharp! For $10, I received a professionally type resume and 20 copies! That was the only tool used to get my first professional job. In 2011, we are able to post resumes to Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter, Monster, etc. We are free to change our resume in a matter of seconds before each submission. Some of us can even carry it around in our cell phones! One important thing has not changed. No matter what method of distribution you use, make sure your resume is accurate, interesting to read, and related to the job you are applying for!

ETC.

~As my back gets ready for yet another round of snow removal, I have to wonder what happened to all the teenagers who used to grab $10 to shovel people out. Facebook seems to have overtaken all of them!
~Today, I had clients contact me about resumes I sent them on November 6 and November 30. One candidate has taken another job while the other is still available. Time can eliminate your candidate pool so I urge hiring companies to act quicker if at all possible.
~There seems to be a gradual trend toward hiring for permanent positrons rather than just contract assignments and I take this as an upbeat indication for the economy.
~Attention candidates: Speak clearly, concisely, and intelligently when leaving voice mails for potential employers or recruiting firms!!
~ January is 11 days old. Have you updated your resume yet???