Monday is the start of a new week. Let’s clean the slate- start from scratch- a big do-over.

Who’s ready?

Today is the first day for a new you. You can be who you want to be and do what you want to do! (Mind over matter kind of stuff!)

What do you want to happen this week? Do you want to land a job or land a promotion? It all starts today. No matter how long you’ve been looking or trying, today is day one!

This means you’ll have to leave behind some stuff.

First, no more complaining about the “black hole”, age-discrimination, the bad economy or anything else out of your control. Drop the “poor me” attitude.

Second, stop making assumptions. A fresh start requires a fresh outlook, untainted by your past experiences. If you are going to assume anything- assume positive intent.

Third, networking isn’t a dirty word. It doesn’t mean taking from others or asking for favors. You have to give to get.

Your List for This Week

Let’s start with a different kind of to-do list this week. Instead of thinking in terms of what you need to do for YOU, make a list of things you can do for other people.

• Support an organization that needs help.
• Visit someone who needs companionship.
• Forward an interesting article along to someone you know would appreciate it (include a note explaining why.)
• Say “thank you” with a smile to every store clerk you encounter.
• Give someone an unexpected gift (it doesn’t have to cost any money, think flowers.)
• Reach out to someone who you haven’t spoken to in several years. Only ask about their life!
• Do something kind for your neighbor; bring in their trash cans, or bring them a treat.
• Offer to teach someone something you know how to do well.
• Introduce people you know who would benefit from knowing each other.
• Share a job lead or company contact name with someone you know who is looking for work.

Good luck starting your week with a fresh perspective!

I wanted to have a little fun today and draw some parallels about how job search is like sex education! This is primarily addressing the role parents should/could/would play in educating their children on “how to.”

1. No one likes talking about it

No one likes talking about sex education and all its gory details, nor do people like talking about all the work that has to go into job search.

2. Ignore it and it will go away

As parents, deep down inside, we don’t want to admit that our children may be having sex, therefore, if we ignore it, maybe we can wish it away. Same with job search! Ignore it and a job will magically appear!

3. They’ll figure it out

Or on the flip side of the coin, isn’t having sex intuitive? Shouldn’t someone be able to figure out how to do “it?”

4. They’ll ask when they need the help

No one in their right mind would ever ask their parents for advice about sex. It is embarrassing. What about job search? Being unemployed carries a negative stigma and feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. Asking for help is often just too embarrassing.

5. Show them a video/Send them to a class

Sure, a video or class provides some information and education, but it isn’t the same as doing it! Nor can you just send someone to a job search class and hope they’ll figure it out.

6. Once and done

Phew, don’t we feel better once we’ve had the “talk?” Our work is done. Or is it?

7. The devil’s in the details

While we hope we’ve provided a solid foundation of ethics, values and morals for our children which will allow them to make “good choices”, it is often  specific scenarios (or peer pressure) that cause children to get confused or stray from their course. Who is reinforcing the message of career management, networking for a lifetime, how to behave during an interview, and business etiquette?

Two Separate Worlds

We live in a complicated world. One that is moving faster every day. Yet when we think about how we are preparing our children for the big real world out there, I think we are doing them a huge injustice. Parents and educators treat school as school and work as work and never the two shall meet.

Until we can blend the working world with the classroom, our children will remain isolated or worse, disengaged. They are unable to see the connection between what they are learning and how it will help them after grade 12.

Many parents don’t want schools to teach or mandate sex education, but they are doing it. Now, take a look at what your school is teaching your children about careers. It will frighten you, or should.

Image from U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Ask recruiters and HR professionals what their greatest resume/cover letter pet peeve is and the answer will certainly include spelling and grammar mistakes.

You only have one chance to make a first impression. Your written communication (email, cover letter and resume) is your chance to stand out for the right reasons!

I’ll admit, when I get ready to hit the publish button for my blog posts, I usually do not hit the spell check button first (Shhh. Horrible, I know!) As a result, I’ve been called out on some very basic errors that shouldn’t have slipped through. In the eye of the reader, these silly oversights discredit my professionalism.

Watch Out For These Grammatical Mistakes

Spelling Errors

I know you are in a hurry to submit your information. But haste makes waste! Take the extra couple of minutes to double check your work.

• Make sure you have the person’s name spelled correctly and their company name.
• Check to be sure you are using the right job title (especially if you are cutting and pasting information into your cover letter)

In today’s post on US News & World Report, I write more about spelling and grammar and mispronunciation of words plus there are some ideas on how to edit your work!

Here’s the link

Staying current sometimes is the last thing on your mind. After all, you’re working a job, (or looking for a job) and spending time with family and friends, who has time. Or maybe you find yourself overwhelmed by resources or don’t know where to go.

There are tons of opinions, angles, experts, gurus and professionals sharing their messages out there and not all provide the same advice. That is the good news! If everyone were saying the same thing, what a boring world it would be.

I’ve shared these job search and career lists before, so I won’t rehash. They rocked then and the still rock today!

Sites and Blogs

Top 11 Blogs for 2012

The Best Job Search Websites of 2011

Top 10 Blogs I read to stay Current

This list is about inspiration, motivation, deep thinking, bigger thinking, opening up to new ideas, and learning new things! Honestly, I regularly read them all. How do I fit it in…my little secret. I wake up at 4 am and start my day by catching up on the articles that catch my attention.

Personally, I used to use Google Feedreader which let me surf articles by topic, key word, or date. I recently migrated over to Feedly which is visually appealing, easy to use and does the trick. I don’t want my email clogged with blog posts (I get too much email already) so the reader lets me browse the material when I want it.

I hope you check these ten sites out and add your new favorites to a reader of choice (or if you prefer, subscribe to get their updates emailed to you!)

TedX- Ideas Worth Spreading

You can find all of the above on this one site! TedX is filled with new ideas, great thinkers, and just great information. It is truly the “thinking person’s site.”  Search around. You’ll certainly learn something new! In case you don’t know, these are videos of presentations.

Watch this: Angela Lee Duckworth: The key to success? Grit

Keith Ferrazzi

Keith is an author and thinker. He is also a huge advocate of networking and professional development. These are just some of the topics he addresses, you only need to look at the categories on his sidebar- they say it all:

Behavioral Engineers, conflict resolution, communication, goal setting, leadership, our values, relationship mapping, virtual teams…these are just some, to give you an flavor!

Read this: Lead With the Punch Line for More Effective Communications

LifeHacker

What a wonderful way to improve your life! They cover almost every topic, from how to de-fog your shower door to the best computer tricks and everything in between.  They’ve got career advice too!

Read this: This Week’s Most Popular Posts: May 3rd to 10th This week we learned why it’s hard to make friends, discovered some new Chrome apps, and gave ourselves a full body workout in seven minutes. Here’s a look back.

Mashable

This is one of the best sources for news and resources about social media.  If you have a question about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any network, Mashable’s got your answer. I’m a Gen Xer and have a mild obsession with technology, in order to stay up with all the changes, this is a good place to go!

Read this: 6 Apps You Don’t Want to Miss or maybe this: Gas Pump Prank Sparks Stunning Karaoke Session

99U

This site is brought to you by Behance and it is very career related.  It is visually appealing and offers practical advice and insights for productivity and personal and professional growth! If you aren’t familiar with Behance, it is a network that showcases creative work by designers etc. It offers online portfolios and a place businesses can go to source solutions from graphic design to website development.

Read this: A Conversation About Being Busy Is Barely a Conversation at All

Fast Company

Originally a magazine, they’ve grown into an amazing online mega media resource. Topics include business, innovation, leadership, technology, ideas, and more. Some of their fegular features include:

Dialed: HOW THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE MANAGE TO GET IT ALL DONE.

The Takeaway: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ENTREPRENEURS WHO LIVE IT.

Read this: 8 Successful Entrepreneurs Give Their Younger Selves Lessons They Wish They’d Known Then

Harvard Business Review

Where cutting edge thinkers write and review and share! I could spend all day on this site.  The short daily management tips are simple yet effective reminders for anyone (manager or not). While some of the materials and articles are only accessible for a fee, the majority of this site is pure gold.

Read this: How to Listen When Someone Is Venting

Smartbrief Your Career

What a great way to see some of the popular and/or important issues around careers. This content is collected from various sites by the Smartbrief career editors. A variety of voices and topics ensures this is always fresh!

Read this: 8 ways to stop being so average

Chris Brogan

Generating new business ideas, trying new things, leading the pack…that’s what Chris is doing. His is on the cutting edge of social media and how to use it to capture the attention of your market, whoever that may be. It is interesting to sea and hear what he’s up to and the way he writes to his audience makes me feel like he’s writing just for me!

Read this: Can You Work at Being Fearless?

Seth Godin

Author, marketer, and crazy creative out-of-the-box inspiration. My early days blogging were inspired by the the short, thought-provoking posts by Seth. Even today, I am moved and motivated by many of the posts he so succinctly writes.

Read this: Lead Up

I did it! That’s 10. This post was written as part of the Career Development Carnival monthly collaboration. Mine Top 10 post as well as many others will appear later this week on Elephants At Work.

Do you have a “must read” resource/blog that you never miss? Please add it to the comments! I love finding new content to read!

Would you pay the sticker price on a new car? The assumption when buying a car is that you can usually get a better deal if you ask for it! The same is true when you are offered a job. The truth is that many job seekers have been conditioned to believe that a company is making their best offer when they present a job opportunity and that just isn’t true.

Get Ready

During the interviewing process, your role is to gather information about the job: measures of success, tasks and duties, but you also want to gain intelligence that helps you understand the companies policies and procedures, for example, how promotions and raises are dished out and how often, and the perks and benefits the company offers. You may have to network with current or past employees to find out some of this information. If the interviewer perceives that you are overly focused on vacation time, they may question your interest in the job. This sounds horrible. We should be able to have an open conversation about all aspects of the job and the benefits, but the reality often is different.

Set

You can not, nor should not, try to negotiate until the job offer is presented. For example, if you really need an extra week of vacation, do not bring this up during the interview. Withhold this request until after the offer has been presented. If you don’t need their health insurance benefits because your covered under your spouse’s policy, keep this under your hat until you negotiate. This saves the company thousands of dollars a year and could translate into a greater base salary or perhaps even some extra vacation.

Negotiate

The offer has been presented, usually verbally, but sometimes in writing, now what? Show interest and enthusiasm towards the job and company first and foremost! Let them know you are excited then ask how long you have to consider the offer an when you can get back to them. Ask the question! Think about how many times you’ve met with them and how long the interview process has taken for them to reach this decision. Taking a couple of days to consider this very important decision seems logical.

This week’s US News & World Report post goes into greater detail so I hope you’ll have a read.

If you don’t ask, the answer will always be NO!

And here is a handy list of items that can potentially be negotiated.

In this post, you will find links to articles I’ve shared this week (mostly on Twitter). There is usually a theme or message that I’m trying to reinforce in this selection I share here and I hope you find the information helpful!

On a personal note, one of the highlights this week was meeting Jodi Glickman, (@greatonthejob), Founder and President of Great On the Job and author, speaker, and consultant on communicating and being great on the job!   If you aren’t familiar with Jodi, you can check out her site and of course her book, Great on the Job.

Jodi presented at the Simon School of Business on how to be great in your first days in a new job!  And the secret is…make people love you! Throughout the presentation/discussion, Jodi explored the different ways someone new to the job can develop relationships and create a reputation of excellence. Her four key points were:

• Generosity
• Initiative
• Forward Momentum
• Transparency

Now, on to what I want you to know!

Act Like A Leader Before You Are One from Harvard Business Review

Not everyone wants to actually LEAD. But, you don’t need to lead others in order to be seen as a leader! This post covers the proactive steps you should/could take if you are serious about managing your career and reputation!

• Knock your responsibilities out of the park
• Help your boss succeed
• Seize leadership opportunities, no matter how small
• Look for the white space
• Don’t be a jerk
• Be cautious when sharing your ambitions
• Find role models
• Build relationships

The Difference Between “I Can’t” and “I Won’t“ from Lead Today

This quote from the post sums it up pretty well:

Your success really begins with an understanding of the difference between “I Can’t” and “I Won’t.”

The world is full of mediocre employees. You know, because you worked along side them. What companies want and crave are exceptional employees! Be that!