AZ JOB CLUB

Publicity Photo Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:50:00 -0700

JOB SEEKERS WHO USE SOCIAL MEDIA OR OTHERWISE USE A PHOTO TAKE NOTE!

Saving money with do-it-yourself photography doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on quality!

In this age with digital photography, digital manipulation and even digital delivery of the finished product, the need to use a professional photographer* almost disappears.   However the need for professional-looking photographs is still important to your overall success. The more I view photos for publicity and CD covers, the more it is obvious that point-and-shoot cameras can't replace knowledge.

Whether you are the subject of your own publicity shots, or you are the camera operator helping out a friend, here are some things you should know to help you get the best professional-looking pictures possible.   Even if you're trying the self-timer function of your camera, these tips should help. These were compiled from working with several professional photographers over the years and my own experiences. They apply to anyone; artists, authors, disc jockeys, speakers and anyone needing a professional photo for publicity - including those who may only want to post a portrait shot on a social media site like Facebook or LinkedIn.com.

CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON HOW TO DO-IT-YOURSELF

1) Chose your background!
It should be complimentary to your personal look (including your outfit) and your theme (artists have things like musical instruments, others may or may not have some sort of prop). If your theme is say, music, taking your professional picture in front of a child's playground just doesn't fit.   Your background should not be so busy as to interfere with the foreground (you).

2) Keep the background in the back!
Never stand flat against a wall - unless you're going for a Post Office Most-Wanted Look. If you choose a wall for your background there are two things you really need to do. First stand at least 6 feet away from the wall. This creates a difference between background and foreground and gives your picture some dimension.   Next, set yourself and the camera at an angle to the wall. This will give you even more dimension as the distance from one side of the wall will be a lot closer to the camera than the other side of the wall. If you find that you cannot stand far enough away from the wall, you're best bet is to choose another location. If that is still impossible, the second thing, putting the camera on an angle to the wall, will certainly help to avoid the "mug-shot" look.

3) Never face the camera squarely!
Positioning your body at about 45 degrees to the camera and then turning your head and face back to the lens will give you a better look. This is where the term "good side" comes from. Show your good side to the camera.

4) Close Up vs. Close to the Camera!
Unless you want to look like how you look in those round spot mirrors on your vehicle, get some distance between you and the camera. Zoom lenses can be your friend when it comes to great face shots.   Professional models know that the farther away the camera is, the better they'll look. Sometimes the camera is so far away, they use walkie talkies to communicate.

5) Group Shots!
If two is company and three is a crowd, then four is a police line-up. Why is it that anytime a group of people want a photo together, someone shouts "everybody line up here"?   Remember it's not a police line-up, it's a photograph. No one's really in a hurry but everyone thinks they have to shoot a quick picture and get back to ...what? ... chit-chat, cocktails...who knows. Take the time to put people in position. Arrangements of subjects in the photograph are just as important as flowers in a vase. Would you pay $50. for a bunch of oddball flowers thrown into a tin can? No, and no one wants to see a picture with everyone lined up against a wall either.   Get folks arranged according to a plan. Musical groups, family groups, it doesn't matter! Just don't let them fall into the trap. Take some authority and suggest a few different poses. Some standing, some sitting, some kneeling, some in front of others....anything but a straight line. This can take some work. We've all been indoctrinated with grammar school instructions when the teacher said "Line Up". Now all it takes is one person to say "everybody line up here" and we all follow along like programed zombies. Speak up immediately before everyone assumes their position in line. Start moving people out of line. Get some chairs....before you know it, you'll have them forgetting about the line up.

6) Getting the look you want!
Once you've taken the time to pose several folks in a position that works well you get a lot of impatience from the subjects. You don't want this emotion to transmit into the picture. It's time to pull out a bit of your entertainer personality. Here's a trick that works well every time I use it.   Once everyone is in position and I have the camera ready to go I ask every one to look down at their feet or the ground. I tell them when I say the word "Now" I want everyone to look up at the camera. Now they're all prepared to hear the word "Now" when I next speak. So the next word I speak is anything but "Now". I'll say "Christmas", "July"...anything. It doesn't matter what word I say, they're so prepared that everyone will look up and everyone will instantly realize their mistake and therefore have a fantastic surprised expression. That's when I snap the shot. You can do this a few times with the same group if you change the magic word. Play with the group a bit and tease them. Let 'em know you're fooling with them. Everyone has a good time and the pictures will show it.

Another trick is to tell everyone they need to have really glossy looking lips and you want everyone to take just a second before you shoot the picture to lick their lips real good. The instant they do, you shoot off a shot. That will get them all laughing out loud just thinking of what that shot will look like in print. Then you have a chance to shoot off some more quick ones with everyone laughing.

7) Don't be stingy with the shots!
Gee this is even better with digital photography since you don't have development and printing costs on everything you shoot. There is still an old-school mentality among amateur photographers to limit their shots. The laws of averages says you'll get a better finished product if you have more to choose from. Today's digital world even improves those odds to an almost guaranteed perfect shot. Say you shoot 10 shots of the same subject or group. None of the ten is just exactly what you want but with Photoshop® and other like products you can manipulate several shots into one just the way you want it.

Remember, If a picture is worth a thousand words, you can't type fast enough and your reader would never read (in type) all that a picture says. Some of the biggest booking agents have told me the "photo killed the deal". Last minute fill-ins are quite common in the entertainment world. Without a quality promo photo, the booking agent has nothing to use and no time to get a better one so they move on to another act.

Now go practice before you need to do it for yourself. Family holiday shots, office parties or anywhere folks are getting together is a good place to shoot off some practice shots. Happy shooting and may all your pictures turn out to be prize winners.

Source:    Prescription Bluegrass Blog
*The use of a professional photographer is always recommended if you have a budget. You may be able to do it cheaper, but you loose the years of experience a professional brings to the job. Some photographers may be willing to barter your talents for theirs which really helps you to get the best even on a tight budget.

Prepare Prepare Prepare - for the Job Interview!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 1 Dec 2010 16:01:00 -0700

The Fear of the Job Interview

While fear itself is not rational, it is real. Very few interview candidates can say they have absolutely no fear. There’s the fear of rejection, the fear of embarrassment, fear of failure and the list can go on.

One of the best ways to overcome the fear of the interview is with preparation. The basic formula is this: More Preparation = Less Fear. Increase the first half of the formula and you automatically decrease the latter.

Preparation comes in all shapes and sizes. The variations can depend largely upon the type of industry, work, employer, geographic location, wage trends and more. The point is you need to know as much about the company, its personnel, policies and your potential new supervisor as you can before you go into the interview. Familiar territory is always more comfortable than strange territory. Your comfort level is directly related to your fear level. Obviously more comfort = less fear.

One of the most often asked questions from the interviewee is: “What questions should I ask if they give me the opportunity to ask questions?” That alone says the interviewee has not done nearly enough preparation before the interview. The preparation will lead you to all the questions and more.

Of course there are some questions you never want to ask at the interview. Those questions being; anything about salary, benefits or other perks of the job. Those are the types of questions that lead employers to believe you’re not sincere about your own performance, not really interested in the job or the company but only what’s in it for you. Questions of this nature are better held until after an offer of employment is made. That is the time when you have the most leverage to get a better deal if a better deal is possible.

If research before the interview answers most or all of the questions you have, it is a good idea to try and get some clarification. Make sure you have it right. The best opportunity to do that is when they give you the floor. You can preface the question with something like: “I understand the policy here for safety is highly recognized and I’m wondering if the extensive amount of safety training I’ve already obtained will be of value to you?”

Some of the best advice I’ve seen recently about job interviews came from Kevin Kermes at CareerAttraction.com in his piece entitled:

“What I’ve Learned About Interviewing From Dating”

“Focus on what you have in common and establishing a reason for a second date. Just like you wouldn’t expect to rush to the altar after your first date, the initial interview is about getting to know one another - giving the interviewer reasons to want to bring you back to learn more about you. Remember, you want to be defining yourself as an expert with the ability to solve problems – not as a job seeker. Being a job seeker is not why you are going to get hired or a reason for them to max out the compensation scale in your favor…just like being single isn’t the reason you get a second date.”

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Response to NEVER write a Cover Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 1 Dec 2010 13:46:00 -0700

The following is part of a piece written in response to a posting on LinkedIn.com Job-Hunt group discussion page where the writer offered his advice on why cover letters for employment are a waste of your time. It is important to note that only one other individual shared the same opinion. Of all the comments submitted, 99% disagreed with NEVER write a cover letter.

To read the full article click here. If you want to read the comments you'll need to have a profile on LinkedIn.com and join the Job-Hunt Group.

________________________________

Here is our response:

What we find astounding is the concept that any one person feels qualified to speak for "Everyone" such as: "no CEO or high level executive has time" or " thank you letters are not actually read" or "writing a Cover Letter ...sets you out.. (as) – old fashioned, quaint, probably very nice …..and unemployable" or "we are at total media saturation already".

How do we KNOW what happens or doesn't happen outside of our own small sphere of experience. There are places right here in America where it's a two-hour drive to a public library with Internet access and another hours to download one single audio file of less than 6MB. We don't think that qualifies as "total media saturation"

It's dangerous to stand out on such a limb and proclaim your way is the only right way.

Job search at best is a "trial and error" method. There are variables to the variables and the best advice is to learn and understand the "whys", "hows" and "whens" before making final decisions as to any part of the job search.

Cover letters, in this case, are like everything else in the job search tool box. They are only tools. Like any tool in the shed, cover letters can be miss-used, used the wrong way, used for the wrong purpose or in some cases, ignored. That doesn't make the tool bad, only the user. This tool is a proven tool in this or any other job market, in this time or any other. Whether mailed or e-mailed, a cover letter is a professional courtesy. It's never a bad idea to be professional and it's never a bad idea to be courteous. It may never be read, but I'll bet it's never overlooked.

What we've found to be true more often than not is the amount of seemingly conflicting direction and advice in any step of the job search process causes confusion and therefore more harm than good.

What we like to say is: "There is no wrong way and no right way - only the way that works and the way that doesn't". When we add all the variables into that statement, we find that the way that worked yesterday may not work so well or even at all today and the way that worked for you won't work for another....the way that worked with that employer doesn't work with this new employer...etc. etc.

There's no replacement for learning the proper way to do something even if it brands you as "Old-Fashioned". Being "Old-Fashioned" doesn't mean that a person is technically out-of-step with the digital world. Garrison Keillor of "A Prairie Home Companion" is a well-recognized writer of merit and some may say a bit "old-fashioned" yet he sends out emails a-plenty on a daily basis. E-mails are just another tool afterall. There is still no validity in using the tool as an excuse for eliminating a tried and true step in the process.

Just because we have electric power saws now doesn't mean we can cut the board unsquare. The laws of proper carpentry still apply. The tool only makes it easier to saw the board.

Whether you write a cover letter as a separate document or include it in the text of the email are options each can choose for themselves but if you prefer email as an efficiency step, we only hope that doesn't equate to "cutting corners". There's no replacement for formality - even in the text of the email. If you want to be brief and efficient - why not send a telegram?

*Applying for Job - Stop
*Skills outstanding - Stop
*Contact Me Immediately! - Stop

That just about says it all with as much brevity as you can get. But what does it say between the lines? For some employers it might say you would get the job. For others, just a nuisance and therefore no job offer.

To Smile or Not to Smile!.....Emoticons in a professional document ???

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 1 Dec 2010 10:37:00 -0700

Smiles are wonderful and I don’t know of anyone who objects to a smile. However when it comes to a professional document of any kind, a resume, cover letter, thank you letter or any business letter, emoticons are misplaced.

The old version of the emoticon smile was something like a colon (:) followed by the closed paren ). It is now almost impossible to actually type those two keyboard strokes one after the other without getting (J) thanks to updated software. I’m using a slightly older version of Microsoft Word. Newer versions actually place a colored smiley face similar to the graphic used by a major discount retailer.

Regardless of the outcome, smiley face or punctuation, the effect is the same and generates a less than professional atmosphere around your document.

Typing a smiley face at the end of any sentence in a professional document is gimmickry and best saved for personal communication between friends and acquaintances.

In the case that you don’t have the updated software and actually can type the punctuation marks that represent the emoticon you run the risk that the reader will not actually understand. When in doubt, it is always best not to go over the line. Since we rarely know enough about the different employers who would be reading our communication it is best to be cautious and leave out the emoticon. There is also the fact that you may think you know the reader but then your letter is duplicated and passed to other hiring managers or interview panel members who do not understand.

It is never a good idea to pepper your document with abbreviations or acronyms. Abbreviations allow for confusion. Most folks know that FAA stands for Federal Aviation Administration. I recently reviewed a resume and cover letter that contained no less than 12 references to FAA without once spelling out or defining those initials. The problem here is the individual worked for the Family Assistance Administration which has nothing to do with flying. A quick search of the internet reveals that the Florida Apartment Association, college of Fine and Applied Arts, and Food Addicts Anonymous also use FAA as a designation. Talk about confusion. Which company did this individual work for?

The old emoticon falls into the same category with abbreviations and acronyms.

It is never a good idea to fill a document with useless graphics just because our word processors have clip art and WordArt ® capabilities. You don’t need to put in a picture of a horse because you used the word “horse” in a sentence.

The new smiley face emoticon J falls into the same category as graphics.

It is enough to say “I’m excited about the new opportunities we discussed”. It is not necessary to ad the J afterwards.

The one time you could actually break this rule because it may be the right thing to do would be if you were applying for a company that makes or sells emoticons. Even then it could be a very fine line you walk.

Workforce Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:10:00 -0700

Many JOB CLUB members were featured in the current edition of the
Mohave/La Paz County Workforce News.
Click on the link below to read the Newsletter.

JOB CLUB is featured on Page 4.

READ the workforce news

The Importance of a Routine!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:27:00 -0700

Not having a JOB SEARCH ROUTINE is comparable to jumping into the backseat of your car and setting the cruise control for 50 MPH.

Who's driving your Job Search?

According to Washington D.C Job Coach Jodi Schneider, who publishes a blog entitled DCWORKS, developing a routine is tantamount to success.

Jodi Says:
*Develop a daily schedule and routine. Set your hours for the next day. Then be ready at your desk — showered and caffeinated — at the set time to start on your goals. Come up with specific, measurable goals for the day and week. For instance, plan to make so many contacts via email or phone and then invite them to meet you for coffee over the next week. Figure out how many resumes you want to send out for that day. Plan to research at least two openings and follow up with people in your network about them. Also, plan projects to sprinkle out over a few days or a week — such as updating your resume and contacting potential references. Be organized — schedule these plans in an electronic organizer or calendar with reminders and daily to-do lists.

Advice for the Holidays !

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:12:00 -0700

Here's some fantastic advice from Marc Cenedella, Founder & CEO, TheLadders.com

Don't let this happen to you.

Employment Candidates, i.e., your job search competition, get very distracted during the holidays with all the family and friends and festivities to enjoy.

Turn this to your advantage.

Rather than allowing your holiday schedule to get in the way of your search, double down and make an extra effort to be proactive this December.

You see, for every candidate who misses a phone call, an interview, a job opportunity, there's a frustrated recruiter on the other side. And if you can be that golden ticket — the responsive candidate who makes life easier for the recruiter or HR department — you'll be that much more likely to land a gig before the end of the year.

Companies' needs for professionals don't slow down during the holidays.

Companies' needs for professionals don't slow down during the holidays. Recruiting budgets don't shrink in December — if anything, there's actually a push to get headcount in before the annual budget expires. And HR people and recruiters are still coming to work full-time every day and need to keep performing for their clients and hiring managers.

Make their lives easy and they'll make your job search come to an end more quickly. Return their call the same day. Work hard to juggle your schedule to make it convenient for them to interview you. Follow up with your thank you notes the same day.

If your competition is half as responsive, and you're doubly as active as normal, you'll be four times more likely to get the interview, get the offer, get the job!

I know it's a challenge during the holiday season, but the best gift you can give yourself and your family is a new position that sees you happy, productive, and content in the New Year.

JOB HUNTING AND THANKSGIVING

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:26:00 -0700

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Here's some good advice from Joe Turner (JOBDIG.com)

This is just a snippet...the full story is linked at the bottom.

Gratitude and the Law of Attraction

Because Gratitude is critical to the success of our job search. According to Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, we attract what we think about and concentrate on through the universal Law of Attraction. When we focus on our cup being half full, we attract more abundance and prosperity. This includes job opportunities.

Conversely, when we think that job hunting is hard, and focus on the jobs we didn’t get offered, we attract more rejection and disappointment. It’s been said that, “Attitude is everything.” That’s especially true in job search. Although we may not control anything outside of ourselves, we are in control of what we think, feel and do.
This Thanksgiving, why not try these 4 simple gratitude steps to improve your job search from By Joe Turner?

1) Start a Gratitude Journal

2) Focus on Prosperity

3) Visualize Without Limits

4) Be Grateful When a Job Falls Through

READ MORE

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A JOB CLUB MEETING

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 10:09:00 -0700

JOB CLUBs are like any other group, organization, club or body of people who gather for a purpose. You get out of it what you put into it!

Article by: AZ JOB COACH

That may not be actually true. With JOB CLUBs, I like to think and have witnessed that you can actually get MORE out of it than what you put into it.

First, examine what your purpose is. Why are you attending JOB CLUB meetings? If your answer is to find help, support, advice, ideas, tools, networking options, social options, etc. etc. you are in the same group as all the rest. JOB CLUBs can provide all of that an more but if your purpose is two-fold, to gain as well as to GIVE, then you will be in the other group...the group that get's much more.

Now let's assume that you've come to several JOB CLUB meetings and have listened, asked questions and provided some feedback occasionally. But for the most part you've come to find out what's it's all about then left the meeting only to return the following week to repeat the process.

READ MORE

Career Tips & Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:36:00 -0700

Understanding the Roles of Others in the Workplace: "Trading Places"

One key to all successful relationships is to understand all sides. In the workplace, this also holds true. Everyone has different responsibilities and priorities and understanding where each person falls on the workplace spectrum will help you start to improve your relationships significantly!

Why are roles so important? What happens if they aren’t clearly defined? Each role at work reflects a different angle and piece of the puzzle. A clear understanding of roles can help with your personal career development, team building, relationships with colleagues and just an overall better understanding of everything around you.

Click here to read more.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:58:00 -0700

ALISON is delighted to announce the release of a suite of Diploma-level courses.

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Diploma in Multimedia Development
This free online Diploma in Multimedia Development course covers the skills and techniques needed to create professional-looking videos, visual effects, motion graphics and animations. The course offers a rigorous exploration of key multimedia tools including Adobe Photoshop, Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Flash, Audacity, Director MX and Adobe After Effects.
The video-based tutorials are delivered in a non-technical and step-by-step manner by the award-win ning multimedia teacher Russell Stannard. The Diploma course is ideal for those who want to gain a thorough knowledge and understanding of multimedia development tools and techniques and who want to enhance their career prospects in the process.

Diploma in Web Development
ALISON's free online Diploma in Web Development course is ideal for you if you've always wanted to create your own Website but lack the skills or knowledge to do so. This course explores the essential tools for Web page development including HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and Adobe Dreamweaver. It also examines the practical steps needed to build a Web site such as registering a domain name and choosing a hosting account.

The course is ideal for both the novice and intermediate Web-developer to enhance their understanding of Web development tools and techniques. On completion of the course, learners can obtain a Diploma-level qualification to enhance their skillset, CV and career prospects.

ARIZONA Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.5%

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:53:00 -0700

Above Average Employment Gains in October

Overall, Arizona’s employment situation is beginning to show indications of welcome improvements according to a statement from The Arizona Department of Commerce.

This is the third consecutive month of over-the-year gains in Total Nonfarm employment, with the rate of gain increasing each month. Arizona has moved up in ranking in the past three months compared to other states from number 36, to 32, to 18 in over-the-year employment growth based on preliminary September data.

Get detailed information, graphs and charts on Arizona data at http://www.workforce.az.gov/.

US Labor Department study underscores positive impact of unemployment insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:50:00 -0700

"Two million people stand to lose benefits before the end of the holiday season if Congress does not act to extend federal benefits. Four million more would lose benefits early in 2011," added Secretary Solis. "While the economy and the job market are on the road to recovery, the loss of consumer sales from removing billions of dollars in unemployment benefits will set us back. Now is not the time to turn our backs on the families that rely on these benefits and the businesses that serve them."
Full Story

10 LinkedIn Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:50:00 -0700

Here's a posting we found on LinkedIn.com which comes from a blog called New Grad Life Many of the points made in this article are also applicable to any resume

LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found as a job seeker. And that is why you need a LinkedIn Profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile. I see many people making fundamental mistakes as job seekers that actually work against them in this aspect. If you’re going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?

With that in mind, I have created an easy-to-understand list of a few things to check for with my reasoning. Just like any website owner, you want your LinkedIn profile to stick out and be found! As a job applicant, you want the same thing, so read on.

Enjoy my LinkedIn Profile Tips!

1. Not Displaying Your Personal Photo

It all really comes down to having social media credibility or not. There are too many fake profiles on LinkedIn, so you want to show that you are real. If you have taken the time to complete your LinkedIn profile, why wouldn’t you display your photo? It just raises too many potential questions. And company logos or photos of pets obviously have no value here

2. LinkedIn Profile Headline is Not Branded Enough

See that space underneath your name? That is your “Professional” or Profile Headline. It will appear in search results next to your name, as well as next to any questions you ask or answer. It is, in essence, your elevator speech in a few words. Are you just putting your title and company name here? Don’t! This is the place where you need to appeal to anyone who finds you in a search result to reach out and look at your profile. Your Profile Headline is the single most important piece of real estate on your LinkedIn Profile, and you need to brand it as such. This really ties into personal branding as a job applicant.

3. LinkedIn Status Update is Not Appealing

This is that “What are you working on?” box that I refer to as a “Status Update.” Assuming someone finds you and looks at your profile, chances are they are going to be looking at what you write here simply because that it appears just underneath your Headline Profile. What do you write here? Many people in transition note that they are looking for a job here. What do you use your LinkedIn Status Update for? It is part of your branding exercise, and it should be something appealing that will both inform the reader of your latest activities as well as hopefully add to, not subtract from, your LinkedIn Brand.

See the Full Story at New Grad Life

Tips for the “More Experienced” Job Seeker

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:42:00 -0700

Tips for the “More Experienced” Job Seeker

Mike Perry is the President of Szarka Financial Management in North Olmsted, OH. With twenty-five years of leadership experience working at large national banking companies, along with management consulting experience as president of Leading Edge Solutions, I have been a hiring manager for over 30 years and used that experience to provide job search and career/transition coaching to hundreds of people.

Perception is everything, as the saying goes, and that applies to many things – including job seeking. Let’s talk about how to use your age, if you are 45+ years old, to your advantage when seeking employment.

Many of the people with whom I’ve done transition coaching have fallen into the trap of feeling that being “older” was something of a curse when it came to seeking employment.

Not so! And here are some tips/strategies for you to consider using to get past the fact that you are older:

Don’t apologize for your age, just present specific accomplishments rather than how long you have been working. The adage of “you’re not older, you are just wiser” is the key. You are not “old”, you are experienced!

Talk results, not years of service by discussing how you successfully handled the multitude of challenges thrown your way and how that ultimately benefited current or former employers (i.e., what impact did you have on their bottom line – More sales? Reduced expenses? Improved operational efficiencies?). Remember, hiring managers are judged by the results related to the people they bring into the organization - thus, they are seeking someone with a solid history of strong accomplishments.

Keep your eye on the ball by focusing on the opportunity at hand. Don’t feel compelled to ramble on about ALL of the different experiences you’ve had (what you did for an employer in 1988 is of little interest. Hiring managers are only concerned with what you have actually accomplished in the last five to ten years, and only about those skills that directly relate to the open position). Unless you are applying for a position that requires you to wear a dozen different hats, stick to what you are best at doing – that which differentiates you from the competition.

Act like you have “been there before” by talking with the hiring manager in terms of your being able to make an immediate impact upon their group/division/company’s bottom line. The key is to demonstrate that you have a solid history of consistently exceeding expectations as a result of your thorough knowledge of the job/industry and the ability to successfully apply that knowledge.

Show that you have a global view of the industry and an understanding of how the position being sought interacts with others within the company. Prove to the hiring manager that a candidate with only a few years of actual work experience would not have as deep an understanding of the industry as do you. Such global thinking is critical to making good judgments/decisions. Again, remember that the hiring manager wishes to bring someone on board that will ultimately make them look good to their boss!

As they say, “it’s all in the presentation.” Tell your story with a resume focused on accomplishments that reflect a solid history of strong performance. Then seal the deal by using the interview to provide, with passion and confidence, specific examples of your ability to make a significant impact with the company.

If you don’t concentrate on your age…neither will the hiring manager.

Here are a couple questions for you…If you knew/could tell that the hiring manager/company DID discriminate based upon age, would you really want to work there? Don’t you really want to be working for an employer that values your talents, abilities and skills, regardless of your age?

A couple of days ago I turned 56 years young. “Fifty-six and fabulous”, I keep telling my children. I don’t apologize for my age, I’m proud of it.

Originally posted in:

In the Business of You

Job seeking tips from a hiring manager's perspective

________________________________________________

Employment Reference Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:12:00 -0700

While it is a good idea to have them, it is also a better idea to know how and when to use them!

References are a necessary part of the job search process but may be more necessary and more appropriate later rather than sooner.

There are several reasons why Employment References are misunderstood, misused and somewhat less effective than intended.

First, let’s distinguish between the 1.) List of Names one often sees under a heading of "References" on a resume and 2.) Letters of Reference. They are two different elements of a job search and therefore it stands to reason that they would have differences in the way and the reasons why we use them.

Take the List of Names first. In the job market picture today, it is just simply too pre-mature to assume that any employer getting 100’s if not 1000’s of resumes will actually take the time to call 3 references on all or even ANY of those job seekers. A list of names starts to look like a “name dropping” issue now. Also consider that you have such limited space to “sell” yourself, do you really want to use that valuable space for material that you could provide later?

The biggest oversight that occurs is the common line of:

“References Available Upon Request”.

Never use this line. It is absolutely unnecessary. Employers know that if you are on their “short list” for interviews that they will eventually need a reference check and they will ask for names to contact if you are in the final running. Some employers will only check references AFTER the interview on the top one or two candidates.

There is one possible exclusion to this school of thought. If you have a good acquaintance or relationship with someone who actually works for the company you’re applying with, you may want to use that one name as an “Inside Reference”. It’s easy for the hiring manager to casually check it out and it advertises that you possibly know a little bit about the company.

Next, consider the Letters of Reference. This is a highly recommended method of getting past the whole “reference section” on the resume. Almost all employers will want to do a reference check. If you already have letters from previous employers, co-workers, professors etc. you’ve just saved the hiring manager a lot of work. Letters on company letterhead carry a lot more weight than a phone conversation. Some employers will never make those calls if they have letters. It also makes you look very thoughtful, detail oriented and self directed to know that they will need them and have them ready when they ask.

Sometimes the folks you want letters from are just too busy to write it themselves and may ask you to write something - after all, you know your skills better than anyone - and they'll sign it. Be careful here. You may need to do this but be factual and honest. There is help for writing reference letters and you may wish to study up a bit. One good source is E-How.com. About.com also has good help available.

Employee Turnover at the Top - Vacancies for Job Seekers at all Levels!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:01:00 -0700

Zions Bank is exploring how to retain employees hired during the economic slump.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting a shift in the labor market trends. Based upon last years supply and demand for top-level talent, employers were able to shop for and buy the Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce quality at the Volks Wagon prices. Now those employees are getting anxioius for a new garage and doing some shopping on their own. Overall, turnover remains low but is inching up. When adjusted for seasonality, the percentage of total employees who voluntarily quit their jobs in September was 1.6%, up from 1.3% in September last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now, as the job market slowly loosens up—and those overqualified hires become more frustrated—some of them are considering greener pastures.

Employers who snapped up top talent on the cheap in the depth of the recession should start worrying about defections, according to recruiters and managers. Companies that continued to hire during the slump found they were able to nab talented but recently laid-off workers at bargain salaries, or into jobs for which they were overqualified.

"Last year, the focus was getting a job, period. Now those who had little or no choice of employment before are regretting it," according to the recruitment firm East Wing Group Inc.

On a larger scale, Google Inc.'s move last week to give all employees a 10% raise underscored the risk of defections among highly sought-after talent even in a weak overall job market.

Management watchers say those low rates mask a risk of future defections, and that many companies may be caught off guard when the labor market improves more robustly.

"They'll be surprised when these overqualified folks get up and leave," says Peter Cappelli, management professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Mr. Riendeau, the recruiter from East Wing Group Inc.says about one in five candidates who call him now say that they are trying to get back to their previous salary after having been in their current job for a year or less. Last year, fewer than one in 10 candidates said that, he says.

Over the past six months, recruiter Nick Corcodilos, who also publishes jobs advice site AsktheHeadhunter.com, has seen a "significant increase" in chatter among headhunters on his site about overqualified hires looking to improve their situations. "Employees try first to pitch for higher-level roles within their companies, but if they can't get that, they're looking elsewhere," he said. Some companies are taking pre-emptive steps as the case with Google last week demonstrates.

Read the Full Story at WSJ

Job Seekers Of A Certain Age

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:08:00 -0700

....This story came from an email sent in by the Raliegh Media Group......

The article below is from a great job site called "The Ladders". It's not aimed at media professionals, but the advice given can certainly apply. This article is excerpted from a recent posting and can resonate to anyone over 40 looking for their next opportunity.

By Debra Donston-Miller

Job seekers in their 50s may be stereotyped as counting the days to retirement or running up health-insurance costs. Older professionals describe how they've fought those perceptions on the job search.

TheLadders has spoken with many job seekers and workers age 55 and older who have found themselves unemployed and waiting by a phone that just won't ring. Read the full story.

How to Start a Job Club

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:36:00 -0700

Guidelines and Advice for

Getting a Job Club Started in Your Community

__________________

It doesn't cost a penny to start a Job Club. To get your group going, all you need is a commitment of time and the genuine desire to succeed. It can take as little as a few hours to a week to form your group and coordinate your very first meeting. See the full story:
FROM: ABC News:

__________________

How many members should you have?

Experts recommend anywhere from two to 30.
How often should the club meet?
The usual model is weekly. If it's difficult to find a place or time to meet when all interested members can attend weekly, you could conduct the bulk of job-club activities virtually -- via phone and e-mail. Members can phone each other for support. A member who had a job interview could call other members to debrief about how it went.

Where should you meet? You can always gather at members' houses. Refreshments are a nice touch; you can ask members to take turns bringing goodies, or everyone can bring potluck. If your membership is too large for a private home, see if your local library, community hall, or place of worship will provide space for your club. You might also meet at a restaurant and conduct at least part of the proceedings over a meal.
See the full story
FROM: Quintessencial Carrers

__________________

Six Simple Instructions to Start:

FROM: E-HOW See the full story

Why Join A Job Club?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:14:00 -0700

Job Clubs are springing up all over the country. In some locations Job Seekers have the advantage of attending more than one Job Club in any given week.

One great reason Job Clubs are so prevalent is: THEY WORK! Job Clubs are a proven method of returning to work sooner rather than later. Job Clubs provide a way to learn and grow in an informal setting contrasted with workshops and seminars.

Job Clubs provide a certain peer-to-peer Support Network and professional networking opportunities. Networking has been proven statistically to be the #1 way to find a job.

It’s a well-known fact that the best way to find a job is through networking. JOB CLUBS - enable you to expand your network of contacts and also serves as a support group. Job clubs tie job seekers together in the need for mutual support and encouragement and the common need or desire to find new employment opportunities. Some people are energized by social situations and tend to procrastinate the lonely tasks of job-hunting. Those folks will likely benefit from the social aspect of a job club. Those who are shy, insecure, or ashamed of having lost a job can get support-group type help from other job club members in overcoming these mental roadblocks.

Job club activity can stave off the depression that sometimes sets in during a lengthy job search. Not only will you feel supported in a job club, but chances are you will be more successful than you would with a solo effort.

Nationwide, those who’ve been involved with job clubs report that their efforts are strengthened by belonging to the group and their job searches are shorter. That's JOB CLUB SUCCESS anyway you look at it.

Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the classic  What Color is Your Parachute?, (the Job Hunter's Bible) notes an 84% success rate when job search techniques are conducted in groups, compared with a 15% lower rate when the same techniques are followed individually. The exchange of job leads, business cards, resumes, ideas, and information that occurs in a job club can energize members and teach everyone valuable career strategies and techniques.

What happens at a typical job club meeting is just as individual as the attendees. What you can get out of your job club largely depends upon what you contribute to it.

Don't have a local job club?   Why not start one?   SEE THE POST ON: STARTING A JOB CLUB.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:51:00 -0700

F R E E WEBINARS

Why the End of the Year is the BEST Time to Job Search

November 18th @ 1:00 PM CST

How to book interviews during the holidays
Why is the end of the year a great time to interview?
What you need to do right now to accelerate your search

_____________________

The Importance of "Changing Things Up"

November 22nd @ 11:00 AM CST -

Change is the one certainty in life. Throughout your search you need to analyze your activities and make changes to improve your results.

Analyze the results of your current search
Review actions that need to be discontinued
Identify and implement necessary changes

FROM YOUR CAREER ADVISOR...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:42:00 -0700

.... A NOTE THE JobbinUp.com

CAREER ADVISOR

It’s Time to Conduct a Thorough

Review of Your Job Search Efforts

If you have been conducting your search for more than 120 days you need to identify where to make changes.You can’t continue to conduct your search in the same way and expect different results.

It might be time to change your job targets, it may be time to revise your resume, it may be time to expand your location criteria, it may be time to accept a temp, contract or consulting opportunity.

You may need to attend more networking events or join a job club in your area. For the next week track the number of hours dedicated to your search process. Often to obtain better results, you just need to dedicate more time to your search.

SEE OTHER POSTS ABOUT UPCOMING WEBINARS

& TAKE ADVANTAGE - THEY'RE FREE

No Job Prospects? - How about starting your own business?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:52:00 -0700

21 Steps to Building a Web Business
The award-winning internet marketing provider Chris Farrell has teamed up with ALISON to offer a new course on how to set up your own Web business. The video-based tutorial introduces the fundamentals of creating a website and then outlines how to generate revenue from this resource. The course is delivered in a non-technical and step-by-step manner and is ideal for those who would like to start making money online within weeks.

Your Resume is Your Curb-Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:51:00 -0700

Your Resume is Your Curb-Appeal

Just like selling a house,

your job search process needs to have “Curb-Appeal”.

Article by Brian Sigler, Career Coach

When you decided to list your home on the market, what was the first thing you did or started thinking about…sprucing up here and there, disguising some of the blemishes, and in general giving it a bit of a face-lift?

Now think about a time when you were shopping for a new home. What attracted you (or not) about the various homes you considered? Did you ever get to the front of a new home and decide to keep on driving solely because of the outward appearance and general condition of the yard and front of the home?

If these homes were RESUMES, which would invite you to go to the next step?

Real estate agents will tell you of the hundreds of cute little places on the market that just haven’t moved due to lack of interest in prospective buyers caused by some form of disappointment in the first impression.

Can you afford to have disappointment caused by your first impression when you’re seeking new employment?

In many cases, (today it could easily be the majority of the time) your resume is your first impression.

The potential new employer knows nothing about you other than what your resume states about you. Have you taken a good look at your resume? What does it say about you? More importantly, what does it say about you to someone who doesn’t know you, or who knows only a little about you?

Test your Resume!

Many real estate agents will do a courtesy walk-through and point out some areas of concern that will help the “curb-appeal” of your home be all that it can. They are the professionals that know what to look for in “curb-appeal”. The job seeker can have the same professional walk-through on their resume too. Every state in the country has One-Stop Career Centers and job search professionals who do this work at no cost to the job seeker. For a list of One-Stop Centers, visit the Career One Stop page of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) at: http://www.careeronestop.com/ .

Sprucing up the outward appearance of your home does not always increase it’s value. It’s not really designed to do that. Giving your home an enticing appeal from the initial contact helps toward the ultimate goal of getting an acceptable offer from the prospective buyer.

Acceptable offers of employment from prospective employers never come if the “Curb-Appeal” is less than what they may be expecting. As a mater of fact little or nothing may come after that first impression which is why employment specialists hear an awful lot of comments similar to: “I keep applying for every job I can, but I never get called to an interview”.

Sometimes homeowners never really know just how many prospective buyers have passed them by due to a negative “curb-appeal”. Vehicles pass their property and their “For-Sale” sign all day long, but how many may have been interested or how many were just traveling is never known.

Job seekers on the other hand should know how many applications or resumes were submitted and therefore could calculate how many “prospective buyers” have passed them by. Or do they?

New technology allows job seekers to electronically “post” their resume on various career and job boards. Hundreds or even thousands of employers and recruiters may be looking at or bypassing your resume. If you were counting cars that passed your home you could actually come up with a number of “missed opportunities”. However you may never know just how close you may have come to getting an offer or being passed by for a job opportunity. All you know is that your resume is there for employers to review.

Real estate professionals can tell you that a really sharp “curb-appeal” can actually sell the home for you. Make your resume sells your skills! Salesmanship 101 teaches that the buyer will “buy” for their own reason, whatever it may be, in spite of the actual benefits of the purchase or how many they may number.

It is the same with the employer. They have certain key skills that are important to them and the job they need done. If your resume skirts around those important skills or has them buried under lesser skills or mundane “job description type language” then you’ve allowed them to “drive right on by”.

Resumes today can be and should be targeted toward the specific job and employer you are aiming for. Generic resumes or the one-size-fits-all resume are as passé as 78rpm phonograph records.

In order to target your resume you may need to learn to speak the employer’s language. That doesn’t mean that you actually learn a new foreign language, but something that may be even just as difficult.

All industries have their own vernacular. In the real estate profession they use terms like “turn-over” (which has nothing to do with a French pastry) or fixed vs. balloon (which has nothing to do with neutering your dog or a birthday gift for a child)

What the job seeker needs to understand is how to translate the terms and descriptions of skills from one job into the language of the prospective employer who will be reading their resume.

Imagine that you knew the employer only spoke French, but you typed your resume in Russian. Is it even possible that the employer would understand one single word? Likely not.

Would you wonder why the employer never contacted the job seeker? Of course not, you’d know exactly why. So it is with most resumes reviewed by most employers. It’s no wonder the national average of the length of time an employer actually looks at a resume is less than 20 seconds* and some will say less than 10 seconds** before that applicant has been screened out.

Maintaining Your Curb Appeal

If you’ve been unemployed for a length of time, it can be much like having your home first listed a while ago. Back at that time the curb appeal was really something…but look at it now. How’s your shinny new updated resume doing by the way? Remember when you gave it the overhaul back when you first started looking for new employment? Imagine if you hadn’t mowed the lawn for 6 months. What happened to the sparkle of your curb appeal? Sure it’s easy to see with something so tangible as our home, our lawn our possessions but have you really done anything new with your resume?

Perhaps you’ve completed a training course during your time off, or began volunteering at a community or charitable organization. Not putting that stuff on your resume is like doing the facelift on the back side of your home when it’s the front side everyone will see first.

Just as you’ve been busy keeping the lawn mowed, weeded and watered; your resume needs that same careful cultivation to maintain the best curb appeal.

Look for things to add to your resume that show you are still involved, still out there using your skills and gaining new ones.

Mass Appeal

Your curb appeal is infinitely more important and demanding of your immediate attention if you have your resume posted on-line. (Even your LinkedIn Profile is a resume.) In this case millions of potential “buyers” are passing by every day.

When you used to pass out hard-copy resumes one at a time, it was easier to gauge the need for an overhaul. Now with the volume of traffic the internet is driving to your door, you’re curb appeal is the make-or-break document that will give you the thumbs up or thumbs down.

Footnote:

* LinkedIn.com (http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/resume-writing/CAR_RSW/641709-36846283)

** Dice.com http://career-resources.dice.com/technical-resume/10-second_rule_what_employers_look_for_in_IT_resumes.shtml

(Image of Curb Appeal #1. by brokersaunders, CC 2.0) (Image of Curb Appeal #2. - qwickstep.com/)

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