I've got some good news and bad news here if you're over 45 and looking for a job these days.

You already know what it's like out there. We regularly talk about ways to combat this age-bias during our weekly "Over 50" job seeker teleseminars. Sometimes the bad news just keeps coming, though.

A new piece of research I saw from Cheezhead (Originally from Beyond.com) notes that more industries are "going young". Especially because of this economy, several industries are taking a decided turn towards hiring younger, less experienced workers. This often means candidates who only have from one to three years experience.

While the article noted that the retail and customer service sectors have always "hired young", now this trend is being adopted more in the Healthcare /Medical, IT and Sales/Sales Management sectors. While the research noted that in a better economy, these sectors typically sought out more experienced workers, in a tight economy, there is a noted preference for the young as there is less of a perceived "risk" (if it doesn't work out).

With that said, here is some better news, a contrary view from an article on CareerBuilder, Use Age to Your Advantage, citing research fron Jean Erickson Walker, Ed.D. who cites specific advantages of age over youth in several key occupations. This was from March.

So, while the debate continues, you still need to get a job again. That's why I still fell it best to get as close to talking about the money as possible. Get down to the actual Return-on-Investment you've provided your employers and back that up with several real achievements that are measureable. You can hear more about this in my Resume Writing Teleseminars.

Joe

Listen in as Joe hosts an exclusive interview with Shama Hyder, one of the 10 most influential and powerful women in social media about the most important things you need to do immediately after attending a networking event. 

Joe also introduces another new Twitter Job Search Application, called TwtJobs you can use to post a resume on Twitter.

Listen to Joe field a question from a job seeker who asks, "how much is too much follow up after a job interview?"

Job Search Guy Radio Show#7
Length 18:15

As the economy has worsened and millions of job seekers are chasing after fewer and fewer jobs, what you put on your resume has become more important than ever.  Before you send your resume anywhere, run it through this quick Five-Point Checklist to determine if it needs a tune-up or a complete overhaul.

1. Clear Objective

There has been a lot of debate lately among the resume writing "chattering classes" about whether today's resumes even need an objective.  After 15 years of reading resumes for my clients, my answer is definitely, "Yes". However, I should clarify.  By "objective", I'm not referring to the fluff that most job seekers concoct.  The objective should be your targeted job title and nothing more.  This focuses the resume and necessitates that you use the rest of the resume to support why you're the best candidate to fill this particular job title. It also leaves no doubt in your reader's mind about who you are.

2. Opening Statement

Does your resume open with a long paragraph titled, "Summary of Qualifications"?  Problem: Of the thousands that I've read over the years, most are nothing more than fiction.  Long laundry lists of skills and assorted keywords.  Two of the biggest offenders are "Results-Driven" and that ever popular, "Proven Track Record". 

If your resume looks like this, you might want to rethink your approach.  Don't bore your reader by emphasizing keywords and hackneyed clichés.  Employers want to know how you can solve their problem right now.  Don't annoy them by failing to answer this urgent question.

Instead, include a simple, concise opening statement.  This one sentence is usually called a Unique Selling Proposition.  It should define who you are, your single biggest strength and end with a benefit that you offer.  Ideally it should be something measurable, since everything boils down to dollars.  This strips away the fluff and quickly answers that critical question in their mind.  Do this and you make it easy for them to call you.

3. Measurable Results

OK, now you have a great opening statement.  For Act Two, you must back that up with added proof.  Don't rely on tired clichés.  Tantalize them with a bulleted list of specific achievements.  By achievements, I mean an end result that reaped some benefit for either your employer or the client you've worked for.

This may require that you think outside your box or cubicle. Regardless of your role, you have a bottom line impact on your employer.  Your job is to communicate your true value clearly and specifically to your next employer.  It may take a bit of effort to develop these bullets.  And that's all they should be.  No more than a one-sentence brief description of the benefit or result and how you accomplished it.

If you can put together a concise list of 5 to 7 good achievements that are Return-on-Investment (ROI)-oriented, you'll score a lot quicker than relying on those unexciting clichés. 

4. One Job Title, One Resume

Resume readers are very focused and they're looking for specific items.  They have very short attention spans and can be easily distracted.  When they get distracted, they start getting confused, and when that happens, they screen you out and reach for the next resume.

So, if you are looking for a position as a project manager, tell them why you're a great project manager.  That's all they want to know. Don't tell them about how you used to work as a carpenter or how you managed and ran your own consulting business. They don't want or need to know about your other unrelated careers or positions. Even if you were great at them.

Use one resume to sell one job title.  If the resume doesn't clearly explain why you're the best project manager in your city, then either drop the information or minimize it because it doesn't belong there.

Stick with one career on one resume and you'll have less chance of getting screened out.

5. "Above the Fold"

Place all of your most important selling information at the very top half of page one.  Most resume readers spend about 20 seconds of actual eyeball time before they decide to move to the next resume.  They are not going to waste their time looking through your resume to find critical information, such as how you "increased revenues $350K", or you "decreased labor costs by 12%".  This information should be polished like gemstones and presented on a silver platter at the very top of the first page.  Do this, and they'll be spending a lot longer than 20 seconds on your resume.

Today's show highlights how you can use Twitter in your job search. 

Are you an "older worker"?

Don't feel bad, I am too. Hanging on in today's major recession has proven to be a monumental task. Many job seekers have lost that battle already.

It's a tough world today, much changed from a few short months ago. 2009 has brought with it the harsh reality of a changed landscape. According to a recent article by Michael Winerip in The New York Times, the unemployment rate for adults age 55+ was 5.2 percent in January 2009. That's the highest it's been since July 1992. That translates to 1.7 million adults 55 and older who are unemployed, almost double the number from little more than a year ago.

And get this - a recent survey by Nielsen Online states that the 65+ age group is the fastest growing group in the "career development" (i.e., job seeking) category. A few short years ago, this group was looking forward to kicking back to easy retirement years with maybe a part time job for fun or fulfillment. Not now. Today they're looking for jobs because they NEED a JOB.

I talk with older job seekers almost every day. Like their younger counterparts, they've been caught flat-footed by this economic recession. Whereas before, many were able to advance their careers through word of mouth, they now feel caught totally off guard in a job search world that seems foreign. While it's true that some employers believe that hiring older workers helps add more diversity and a new perspective to the company, don't count on employers beating a path to your door any time soon.

If you're new to this job search world, take the following actions right now to increase your chances of getting hired:

1. Widen Your Online Footprint

Job search has evolved tremendously over the past two years with the explosion of an Internet phenomenon called social networking. With the advent of social networking sites, anyone can upload and update their profile to the Internet. There are a number of these sites on the web today including LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and, of course, Twitter. The two that you absolutely MUST join first are LinkedIn and Facebook. These are great resources for building your online profile. You can also utilize their tools, like Facebook's Groups, to reach out and widen your network with others.

If you haven't done so already, visit both LinkedIn and Facebook to establish a profile page that describes who you are to inform others about you. Keep it professional, but spin it your way. Whet the appetites of visitors to your page. Describe yourself with a brief sentence, a Unique Selling Proposition. Explain what distinguishes you from others in your field. Include your previous employers as well as the briefest descriptors about you.

Once done, you'll have an online presence. This is important because almost all recruiters and most hiring managers today regularly visit both LinkedIn and Facebook to recruit new candidates and investigate referrals. If your profile is found on these sites, you'll improve your chances of winning a job in today's job market.

2. Stop Whining

With some employers there WILL be an age bias. That's reality and there's no getting around it. Too often though, older workers feel they have to apologize for their years of experience. Remind yourself that you’re experienced, not old. You’re seasoned, not over-the-hill. You’re here-and-now, not history. It’s all about spin and reframing, so drop the apologies.

You may be an older worker, but you’re not stupid, and you’re not dead. Use your savvy to sell against youth and inexperience. There are advantages to being older, such as having wisdom and common sense, and a long work record of accomplishments that can translate into benefits to the employer. Sell your track record. During the interview, take advantage of your successful work history to address the needs of the employer.

3. Talk MONEY, Not Years

We mentioned "track record" above. Realize that hiring managers today are looking for results, not years. Talk the language that an employer understands and appreciates, which is Return-on-Investment. Instead of citing 20-years of experience, identify your benefits to the employer. Put them into monetary terms as much as possible. Back up your accomplishments with facts that are benefit-based. Sell them from the perspective of the end result of your work, and how it positively impacted your present and previous employers.

Money talks, and it talks loudly. Here’s some good news: Money can trump age. As an employee, you either make money or save money for your employer. If the hiring manager doesn’t see your value in one of these two categories, then you don’t want to work for the company. In this recession, if the company isn’t concerned about its bottom line, then it may not be around for long, and isn’t a viable option for you anyway. Get as close to money as you possibly can through the language of your accomplishments, and list them on your resume.

4 . Modify Your Resume

Take another look at your resume. Ask, "Would I hire myself for this position?" You can’t do anything about your age, and you can’t change the cultural and employment biases against older workers. But you can stack the job hunting deck in your favor by reworking your resume to emphasize your strengths. Spin your story in your favor. Make sure everything relates in some way to your desired job objective. Drop old work history from your resume. You generally shouldn't need to show more than ten years' work history. Any prior work is most likely irrelevant now, bores the reader, and emphasizes your age. Remove obvious roadmarkers like dates. Remove college degree dates and professional training dates that may go back more than a few years.

Of course you've been around a while, but you don't have to shine a flashing light on this fact. Don't let your age make you feel one-down in the hiring process. Focus on the employer's needs by providing solid Return-On-Investment answers to their questions. Emphasize your strengths. Don't magnify your vulnerabilities. Do this to find a great job regardless of the economy.

Joe

Welcome to Job Search Guy Radio Show #5. 

Here, Joe hosts an exclusive interview with Tawny Labrum of BINC, a professional headhunting organization, as she shares some of her favorite 20 Facebook Applications that can help your job search.

Also, find out how a "Lunch List", courtesy of Coach'm Up Boni, can help your networking approach and finally, discover how Twitter's new application called TweetMyJobs can help you locate better jobs faster and why it just might be the way in which all jobs will be posted in the future.

Job Search Guy Radio Show#5
Length 20:55

If you've read books on resume writing, you might be confused by all the "rules". In fact, during my weekly resume writing teleseminar, I correct a lot of misinformation.

With the economy in the toilet these days, the last worry you need is whether you have the correct indent template or that you aren't using this year's approved action verbs. It's imperative that you deliver the right content to push a hiring manager's buttons now.

Forget the "rules"

From my years of experience on both sides of the interview desk, here are the critical points you must address in your resume:

Answer The Employer's Most Important Question

Most rules fail to address the critical question: WIIFM, or "What's in it for me?" This is the employer's primary question in a tough economy. If your initial paragraph doesn't immediately answer this question, your resume won't last 20 seconds with the person who's reading it.

A resume is a selling document. Unfortunately, judging from the advice I've heard and the "professionally written" resumes I've read, it's obvious that many resume "experts" have never sold a product or service in their careers. If they had, they would realize now, more than ever, that it's about money, not mission statements.

For this reason the opening statement on your resume must develop the reader's immediate interest and entice them to learn more about you. Drop the long-winded paragraphs filled with "results oriented" and "proven track record" clichés. Instead, address the specific benefits you bring to them. In today's recession, that means a short personal brand statement that clearly summarizes who you are, your biggest strength and the primary benefit you bring to an employer.

Prove It!

In the past you could sell yourself by promoting your skills and length of service in a profession or job. Those days are gone. Today, you must sell results. When you sell your skills, you're selling a commodity. It's likely hundreds (if not thousands) of other job seekers have your same or better skills. Here's the problem: when you sell skills, you've reduced yourself to a commodity and commodities always sell for the lowest price.

So get yourself out of that commodity game.

Today, you need to sell RESULTS by speaking the employer's language, which is RETURN-ON-INVESTMENT. If you can't do that, you can't answer their question, and you've lost their interest. They will move on to the next resume.

List specific, measurable results of activities performed for your employer or client. Place these activities in their own section under your personal brand statement. This strengthens the statement with measurable evidence including examples of problems that you've solved.

Don't Tell Too Much

Employers are typically going to look for the top three to five candidates. They'll weed out large numbers of resumes in the initial process, looking for an easy way to eliminate you. Don't give them a reason by telling too much, confusing them or taking them off track. These are called "screenouts". Yet I still see resumes that were written heeding the advice of "experts" to include too much information. Here's the point: Your resume is not a dossier. It's a sales document. Your resume's only purpose is to get the reader to pick up the phone to call you. You're only applying for one job title. If the resume doesn't clearly explain why you're the best project manager, executive assistant or purchasing agent, then get rid of the information or minimize it because it doesn't belong there.

As the economy has worsened and millions of job seekers are chasing after fewer and fewer jobs, what you put on your resume has become more important than ever before. Don't let yourself get rejected by following petty rules that may be obsolete. Think of your resume as a sales document that quickly answers the employer's biggest question, "What's in it for me?" Back that up with some compelling achievements and eliminate any information that might confuse, distract or turn them off. Then you can forget about all those "rules" you've been told.

Joe

This short new video has a Country Western flavor, and gives new meaning to the idea of prostituting yourself for a job.

I talk with people every day about their resume and their job hunting strategies. Many are concerned, rightfully so, about their prospects dimming because they've been out of work for 3 month, 6 months, some even up to 11 months.

As this economy continues to tank, I fear that figure will only grow longer. I have felt though, that in light of the sheer numbers of people affected, that hiring managers will be less inclined to automatically trash the resume of otherwise stellar performers solely because they've been unemployed for several months.

Finally, I have some recent research that backs this up.

In a survey released today from Robert Half Management Resources, 150 senior executives from the nation's largest 1,000 companys were asked, "How long, in months, can a top manager remain unemployed before it hurts his or her career?"

The mean response was nine months.

Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources stated, "Most hiring managers recognize the economy has sidelined many outstanding people", adding that they're now acting accordingly in fact by using the economic downturn as an opportunity to add experienced players who would have been unavailable a year ago.

The survey directed its responses toward top managers, but I feel this attitude will be reflected in the lower job titles as well.

The bottom line, though, is to stay relevant and stay marketable by doing such activities as volunteer work, project work or taking classes, etc. You may be unemployed but you don't have to wither away during unemployment.

Joe

Job Search Guy Radio #4 hosted by Joe Turner, the Job Search Guy. 

Today's show features an exclusive interview with co-founder, Laura Allen of 15-SecondPitch.com with a great and easy way for you to develop your 15-second "elevator pitch" that you can use to get noticed and separate yourself from the competition. 

Also, Joe shows you how you can use Twitter to find jobs with a new killer feature from Workhound. 

Is age bias hurting your job search?  Discover Joe's no-nonsense answer here.

Job Search Guy Radio Show#4
Length 20:30

Here's a blog that's now dedicating Fridays as Job Search Day.

If you're fairly new at the job search game, you already know about Monster, CareerBuilder and Craig's list as a place to find job postings.

A few days ago, I shared how you can now use Twitter to find jobs. 

There's actually a boatload of other sites to check out. (Go to my site and get the top 20 job site links.)

Actually, there are a lot more and here is a good source to find some of those lesser known sites where you can find job listings.  Check out 10 Links a Day .  This is a site dedicated to posting 10 "fun categorized links a day" on various subjects. 

Today they've started # Job Friday.  Each Friday they will post 10 additional job search related sites so you can expand your job search.  Starts today.

On Fridays, Check them out.        

Joe

Here’s a new short video from Sue on experiencing crazy interruptions during a job interview. You saw Earl play havoc in “The Interview Pest”. (View this one by finding "Our Videos" on the sidebar and clicking on the video). Now watch Candace reverse roles in Earl’s interview with Kelsey.

You’ve heard of speed dating. Now it’s time for speed interviews.  Check out Sue’s new short video about interviewing for a plant manager position.

Joe

If you've never used Twitter before, here is a reason to start today!

That ultimate geek fest called "South by Southwest Interactive", better known as SXSWi, is happening as I write this. This is where the most technologically advanced among us usually trek to Austin to find and share new ways to "meet up, socialize and consume media".

Yesterday at this conference, Workhound announced its launch of their Twitter job search engine that will list all the jobs that have been "posted" in one way or another to the platform.

This is big news and here's why: although there have been over 1.3 billion tweets posted to Twitter, there was no really effective way to draw together, with any coherence, information like job postings from recruiters, executives or whoever. Workhound, UK's largest search engine, has solved this problem by developing specific contextual search engine algorithms to tap into these random bits. As a result, you can now get massive job posting information on Twitter.

I tried it out by going to twitterjobsearch.com and typed in "Sales Manager San Franscisco". This drew 7747 responses.

I next tried "Executive Assistant San Francisco" and received 2654 responses.

"Project Manager Chicago" received 3480 responses.

"Project Manager Portland" 3481 responses.

You can further focus your searches by date, title, skills and job type for any search you perform.

This is a HUGE advance over previous Twitter search capabilities that you would have had on search.twitter.com. For example, my search there for "project manager job New York" yielded only 3 responses. My search for "project manager job Chicago" yielded absolutely NONE.

Here are a few things I noticed:

The most relevant jobs appear near the top of the search results (similar to a Google search). The postings further down appear to be out of the geographic region selected.

The page continually updates by adding more listings to the page as you move the scroll slider bar to the bottom of the page.

As if this weren't enough, here are some really great things about this:

You get job listings that aren't necessarily seen on the conventional job boards. These are from recruiters as well as companies. I also noticed many from CareerBuilder's ChicagoTechJobs and NewYorkTechJobs on my particular searches. I guarantee that this will be even more relevant as companies cut back on their recruiting advertising budgets and place more emphasis on social media like Twitter and Facebook. This capability will only hasten that outcome. I pity Monster and CareerBuilder's account reps.

You can scroll through the listing and find individual sources (like ChicagoTechJobs, JobShouts, Career Advisor, etc) and select them to follow. That's one way to find their newest postings.

The other, easier way is to subscribe directly to the feed of the particular search that you set up (like Project Manager Boston or whatever). That way you'll get continual updates of any and all new postings as they occur.

This is a beta version so there will be some bugs to be worked out, but it also means that there will be a succession of improvements and enhancements to come.

If you've never used Twitter before, here is a major reason why you need to jump in and tap into this huge social netwoking ocean today. The nice thing here is that it's free and you don't have to be signed up on Twitter, although, after this you'll probably want to sign up and set up your profile.

Keep me posted on what you're finding on YOUR Twitter job searches.

Joe

With almost 12 million unemployed today, many will NEVER get an 8-to-5 job again. Could self-employment be a right move for you?

Find out if you have what it takes and some steps you can take to move forward as Joe Turner, the Job Search Guy, hosts an exclusive interview with "Serial Entrepreneur", Barbara Atkinson.

You'll also learn how an Informational Interview strategy can help you in this down economy with tips and strategies from Alexia Vernon, certified coach and trainer on exactly how you can do this.

Finally, if you're depressed with your job search, hear a few words of wisdom from Dan Johnson, author of "Get That Job" blog. 

Job Search Guy Radio Program #3
(Length 27:30)

We've got Job Search Guy Radio Show #2 for you.

This show highlights Networking, with cool tips from three experts. You'll get an exclusive interview with networking pro, Jessica Miller-Merrill on 7 Ways to Network on a Shoestring Budget.  In addition, you'll also get 5 cool tips on how to grow your network online and offline from Jacob Share of Job Mob blog, plus one great tip from the Brazen Careerist, Penelope Trunk. The show begins with the latest trend in sources of hiring and why that will make it even more imperative that you network MORE in 2009.

Enjoy!

Joe

Job Search Guy Radio Show#2
Length 22:50

Take a few minutes to view Sue’s new short humor video. Kelsey interviews for a job that just isn’t right for her. How much are you willing to conform to win a job?

Joe

We have our first show up!

Now you can listen in as I host a series of informative shows that highlight the latest updates and "how-to" info you require to get your next job in today's economy.

Show #1 debuts today.

On this show you'll hear my answer to a timely question about post interview follow-up from Sarah, an actual job hunter; 3 tips from Guy Kawasaki on how to better leverage LinkedIn; and an exclusive interview with JibberJobber's Jason Alba, author of "I'm on Facebook, Now What?" on how you can use Facebook to develop your personal brand and increase your networking opportunities.
(Length: 21:03)  

Founders Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler of CareerXRoads just released their 8th annual Source of Hire Study, subtitled "What Happened in 2008 and What It Means for 2009".

You can certainly read the whole 29 page survey of 45 large (5000+ employee) firms who employed 1,863 recruiters and filled 309,600 openings in 2008. I just want to point out a couple of important trends this study uncovered that you should be aware of:

Internal transfers and promotions make up 38.8% of all full time positions filled.

Referrals make up 27.3 of all external hires.

Job Boards make up 12.3% of all external hires.

This only confirms what we've known: the job boards have not grown much as a source of new hires, holding steady for years at around only 12% of total hires.

Here's what should be disconcerting if you're hanging out too long at the Monsters and CareerBuilders, and other job boards though:

The most visible trend they found is the "pressure to reduce hires and associated costs attributed to third-party recruiters, newspapers and traditional job boards. A steady growth of sourcing tactics especially social networks and search engine marketing is also evident."

This is all the more reason to develop less of a reliance on the Monsters, Hotjobs, CareerBuilders, Ladders, et al, job postings for your job search food.

Widen your diet (to extend the metaphor). Put more emphasis on social networking sites. Especially start with your LinkedIn and Facebook time. Give it some time and you should start to see some new results in your job search.

By the way, check out my latest radio show where I share some great tips from Jason Alba of JibberJobber and Guy Kawasaki on how you can make more effective use of both LinkedIn and Facebook.

Joe

Time for a brief break from your job search.  This new short 4-minute video from Sue will remind you that your job interviews could be a lot worse.

Joe

Joe Turner talks with Kathryn Troutman, author of "Ten Steps to a Federal Job", about how you can use your private sector experience to find and land a job with the US government.
Length: 15:07

As this economy collapses on the private sector side, guess what?  The Federal government is expanding! 

The current multi-billion dollar economic stimulus bills are requiring the government to expand to oversee and manage the multitude of areas that these complex and spendy bills will cover.

Now, most of us on the outside perhaps never really thought of getting into the government as employees.  It's a complex labyrinth with a maze of special requirements and hurdles to overcome.

Not so fast! 

As government grows, this means more jobs are available.  Many of these you may be qualified for. 

I recently interviewed Kathryn Troutman.  Kathryn is a person who knows her way around the Federal maze.  She's spent years writing resumes for and advising clients on how to work their way successfully through the process of landing good jobs in the Federal government.  

Listen in as Kathryn describes how you can locate jobs in your area that you might qualify for and how to successfully apply online for these jobs. 

Normally I don't sell stuff in my posts, but you may even want to buy her new book, 10 Steps to a Federal Job.  Here's why: it's step-by-step information on how you can land a Federal job during the Obama Administration.  As a $20 investment, it's peanuts if it can get you on the inside with a good job with great benefits!

Check it out. 

Joe

Just for fun. 

OK, you've had a tough day in the real job search world. Let's escape for a few minutes. Take a look at Sue’s new short video on job interviewing with a twist.  It creates unexpected challenges for Rick, the job applicant.

BTW, E.E.O.C. wouldn’t approve of this interview. Do you?

Enjoy.

Joe

Play or Download Gothic Interview .mp4 (8477.3K)

We have a new video. For a change of pace from the serious work of job search and interviewing I invite you to view Sue’s new short video about an applicant who’s desperate to find employment.

Kelsey interviews for a job that she’s clearly not qualified for. Would you ask your old high school boyfriend for a job?

Find out what happens here.

Joe

Joe Turner talks with Senior Recruiter, Neil McNulty, on how to deal with the touchy subject of salary in these tough economic times.
Length: 13:10

When previously untouchable companies like Microsoft and Starbucks are now laying off workers by the thousands, how do you approach the subject of salary in today's interview?

I recently talked with Neil McNulty about this.  I like Neil because he doesn't lay any BS on people and he often goes against "conventional wisdom" - you know, outmoded advice that no longer applies.

As the economy enters further down uncharted territory, just how do you handle salary these days?  Most of what the "experts" have been saying for the past many years just doesn't fly anymore.

Listen to Neil describe some practical ways to handle this sensitive area without getting yourself blown out of the water today.

Joe   

These are scary times. We’re in a recession, and the job market is shrinking while the ranks of the unemployed are growing. Everywhere we turn we read and hear bad news. We are confronted with announcements of more layoffs, more companies going bankrupt, and more houses going into foreclosure. Everybody is worried about not having enough money. It’s enough to scare anyone.

It can easily take us off balance. And when we’re fearful, it’s hard to think straight, and hard to function well. It’s hard to focus on finding a job. In fact, it’s pretty easy to become immobilized by our fear and anxiety.

So, how do we ground ourselves? How do we return to a state of faith instead of fear, and to a consciousness of abundance rather than lack?

One major way is through the art of gratitude, that is, focusing on, and being grateful for, the positives in our lives. When we’re in a state of gratitude, everything is easier, including finding a job. This is because finding employment is a job itself, and it’s basically an inside job.

Gratitude is about seeing the good in our lives and feeling appreciation despite outer circumstances or conditions. Our happiness isn’t about how much stuff we’ve accumulated. Rather, it’s about feeling grateful for who, what and where we are right now. It’s about gratitude for how far we’ve come, what we do and for the challenges we’ve worked through.

Gratitude and the Law of Attraction

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 believe 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.

Try these four simple gratitude steps to improve your job search.

1) Start a Gratitude Journal

Love her or hate her, Oprah Winfrey has achieved a phenomenal level of success, having become a major corporation into herself. For all of her achievements, she has credited her success in part to keeping a gratitude journal, logging in at least five items each night for which she’s grateful. This shifts your energy. "What we think about and thank about, we bring about", according to Dr. John Demartini, The Secret.

Why not adopt an "attitude of gratitude" and start writing down five items each day for which you are grateful. This gets easier after a few days and soon it starts to shift your mindset from lack to prosperity.

2) Focus on Prosperity

Jack Canfield, co-author of the book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul, suggests focusing on prosperity and abundance. Focus on inner joy, peace, vision, and the outer things appear naturally. "Your voice and vision on the inside", he adds, "must be louder than the noise outside." This is especially true with today's constant noise level of negativity, hysteria and doom.

3) Visualize Without Limits

Joe Vitale, also featured in The Secret, suggests closing your eyes in the morning and visualizing what you want without limits. Then focus on what you’re grateful for. He mentally reviews a gratitude list in the shower. He then releases all of this to the Universe, while breathing deeply. Canfield adds that, "Energy flows where attention goes". Instead of focusing on limits, why not start visualizing on the things that you want.

This may sound strange at first. When you pursue job opportunities, always leave the Universe the option to deliver the "right" job to you. It’s important to acknowledge that you don’t know which exact job is best for you. Be grateful when a certain job opportunity falls through, and always detach from a specific outcome. When job opportunities fall apart, the job wasn’t right for you. Who knows why? No matter. Surrender to the Universe, knowing that the best job for you, will come to you at the right time.

The wise give thanks for what most of us take for granted. Spend a few quiet moments to try some of these simple, yet powerful steps. Based on gratitude and the Law of Attraction, they will help move you toward the right job at the right time.

Sue

Joe, the “Job Search Guy” and I discussed the best gift we could give you during this holiday season to refresh your faith and help you succeed at your job search.

We chose James Arthur Ray’s “Ten Tips for Thriving in This Economic Winter” as the very best gift to share with you during these holidays. James Arthur Ray is featured in the popular book, The Secret. He is a trainer and coach on the subjects of true wealth, success and human potential.

Joe and I look forward to being of service to you in 2009. We wish you a peaceful holiday that’s full of possibilities.

Sue.

Ten Tips for Thriving in This Economic Winter

by  James Arthur Ray

Many of you have read and commented on our recent conversation about how it's a season to sow, how there's so much fear in our world right now and how it's related to some of the universal laws that modern society has forgotten.

Well, you asked for some quick, easy-to-apply tips on how to thrive in this economic winter and on how to apply the knowledge you learned during our conversation... So here you go!

1. Clearly define what inspires you.
   There's a big difference between taking action out of inspiration versus desperation. Use this season as an opportunity to hibernate into the recesses of your own mind and define what you choose to create in your next spring.
2. Control your focus.
   Energy flows where attention goes. Are you focusing on lack or opportunity?
3. Feed your mind.
   What's your constant mental diet? Do you spend hours in front of the scare news or are you reading good books, attending more positive seminars, watching uplifting DVDs and listening to powerful CDs?
4. Strengthen your body.
   Your physical health and vitality have a tremendous impact on your performance as well as your mental and emotional fitness. Exercise releases stress as well as strengthen your body and mind.
5. Inventory your friends.
   Doom and gloom attracts more doom and gloom. Jettison those "energy vampires" around you and surround yourself with opportunity seekers.
6. Quiet your mind.
   Take time to meditate daily and to slow down if only for a few minutes. Ten to fifteen minutes of meditation will relieve hours of stress and increase creativity and resourcefulness.
7. Rid your life of escapist activities.
   Overindulgence in TV, sleep and alcohol only accelerate the problems you're attempting to avoid.
8. Make a daily gratitude list.
   Focusing on all the good, gifts and God in your life puts you in the right line of thought, feeling and their subsequent actions, which will attract and create more good, gifts and God.
9. Change your attitude.
   Realize that everything that's happened in your life thus far is here to serve you, teach you and help you grow. Find the lessons in your past results, forgive yourself for anything you could have done better and apply the lesson to move forward and create a better future.
10. Get resourceful.
    For the next three days, go to a place where you can have uninterrupted time... Come up with 20 new ideas to grow your income, create new results and improve your life. You cannot leave your spot until you have twenty. And no editing! All ideas are good ideas. Do this for three successive days with 20 new ideas each day.
    
    Now take your list of 60 unique ideas and pick the three to five most powerful and leveraged ones to put into action. Pick these three to five based on: ease of implementation, rate of return and speed of return.

And so during this winter season, remember: It's not about resources... there are plenty of them. It's about resourcefulness. Get resourceful and get busy.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International

Joe Turner interviews Scott Deschene, a financial consultant specializing in debt management and debt elimination about critical areas you need to know about your debt and strategies you can use to mitigate potential financial losses while keeping your credit clean.
Length 22:50

Is your credit sinking?  Is your financial picture dimming?  Is your debt beginning to overwhelm you and keep you up at nights?

Having financial issues can be a burden anytime, but when you're in the middle of, or soon to start, a major job search, they can crush the life out of you.  In these troubled economic times, assests have evaporated and cash flow has dwindled for most all of us, but if you're in job search mode, you're probably losing sleep and losing ground.

It may not be necessary.

Listen in as I talk with Scott Deschene, a financial consultant who specializes in debt management and elimination.  Learn why you needn't fear losing your home or heading for bankruptcy if you act NOW to protect yourself. 

Learn your rights.  Find out why universal default can cost you money as well as your credit and why you should avoid "credit repair" firms.  I ask Scott about the in's and out's of debt management, even debt elimination. Discover several strategies you can employ right now to protect your credit and save your assets.

Your credit and financial picture can also determine whether you can be hired.  Learn what you need to do to prevent any financial issues you might have to stop you from being hired.

Joe

Joe Turner interviews Helene Sigman, Personal & Corporate Branding expert on why you need a personal brand and how you can develop your own unique brand statement that can cut through the white noise of the increased competition you're facing today.
Length 19:10

A good personal brand can make the difference between getting that phone call for an interview or getting lost in the resume discard pile.

There's been alot of buzz around "personal branding" lately.  Some of it is true, some of it misconception.  We've already talked about this topic several times in past columns over the months in this blog.  Recently, I interviewed Helene Sigman, an expert on personal and corporate branding.  Helene consults with major corporations as well as individuals on crafting and modifying their brand. 

We already know that a good brand can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a corporation, but what about an INDIVIDUAL JOB SEEKER?

Find out how you as a job seeker can benefit from having your own personal brand.  Listen to Helene as she walks you through the steps to define and craft your own personal brand that you can use to gain attention from potential employers that you're NOT getting now. 

Joe

With all the doom and gloom surrounding the economic scene, now is a perfect time to step back and reflect on the bigger picture. And what better time than Thanksgiving to do this? 

Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday, a time to focus on everything for which we’re grateful. Especially while job hunting, Thanksgiving is about seeing the good in our lives and feeling appreciation despite outer circumstances or conditions. Our happiness isn’t about how much stuff we’ve accumulated. Rather, it’s about feeling grateful for who, what and where we are right now. It’s about gratitude for how far we’ve come, what we can do and for the challenges we’ve worked through.

Gratitude and the Law of Attraction: 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, especially in these challenging times. 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?

1) Start a Gratitude Journal: Oprah Winfrey has credited her success in part to keeping a gratitude journal, logging in at least five items each night for which she’s grateful. This shifts your energy. “What we think about and thank about, we bring about”, according to Dr. John Demartini, The Secret. Adopt an “attitude of gratitude” and start writing down five items each day for which you are grateful. This gets easier after a few days and soon it starts to shift your mindset from lack to prosperity.

2) Focus on Prosperity: Jack Canfield, co-author of the series of books, Chicken Soup for the Soul, suggests focusing on prosperity and abundance. Focus on inner joy, peace, vision, and the outer things appear naturally. “Your voice and vision on the inside”, he adds, “must be louder than the noise outside.”

3) Visualize Without Limits: Joe Vitale, also featured in The Secret, suggests closing your eyes in the morning and visualizing what you want without limits. Then focus on what you’re grateful for. He mentally reviews a gratitude list in the shower. He then releases all of this to the Universe, while breathing deeply. Canfield adds that, “Energy flows where attention goes”.

4) Be Grateful When a Job Falls Through: This may sound strange at first. When you pursue job opportunities, always leave the Universe the option to deliver the “right” job to you. It’s important to acknowledge that you don’t know which exact job is best for you. Be grateful when a certain job opportunity falls through, and always detach from a specific outcome. When job opportunities fall apart, the job wasn’t right for you. Who knows why? No matter. Surrender to the Universe, knowing that the best job for you will come to you at the right time.

Summary The wise give thanks for what most of us take for granted. Spend a few quiet moments during this Thanksgiving holiday to try some of these simple, yet powerful steps. These steps, based on gratitude and the Law of Attraction, will not only help move you toward the right job for you at the right time, they’ll also enrich your Thanksgiving weekend and last well beyond the turkey leftovers.

Sue

Joe Turner interviews Jason Alba, the man behind Jibber Jobber, about how to better manage the information overload in your job search process.
Length 14:10

Once your job search extends beyond a few weeks, you've most likely amassed quite a few notes, names and contact info.  Over time, this builds up and important details tend to fall between the cracks.  This can not only drive you crazy, but it can be disastrous as you miss out on important follow-ups and potential call backs you need to be making.

I recently caught up with Jason Alba.  You may recall the last time we interviewed Jason a few months back about his recent book, "I'm on Facebook, Now What?" 

This time, we talk about his primary job search tool called Jibber Jobber.  You can check out his website as well as listen in here as he talks about what the Jibber Jobber tool can do for you in helping you better manage your job search for life. 

Joe

Hi, Joe,

Any hints for someone who has been out of work for the second time in 2008?

I was laid-off May 16th and have been on a roller coaster ever since. I am down to buying food and TP. I have two young adult children to provide for and an ex who says he cannot help them.

Thanks,

Kerri

You’re in a tough situation. You need to do some crisis planning at this point. You don’t mention the age of your two young adult children, but if they’re sixteen or older, they’re old enough to find  part-time jobs to contribute toward the bills. If they’re out of high school and not going to college, they need to work full-time to help you pay the bills.

In terms of your own employment situation, some additional crisis planning is in order here. You need to develop income to stay in your home and to put food on the table. If you have no income now, make a list of your strongest skills. Then make a list of jobs that you can find that would solve your immediate financial problems.

If necessary, contact a credit counselor to help you to see your situation more objectively and to identify resources and solutions, both short and long term, to your financial crisis.  They'll also describe the rights you have and present you with some options that will allow you to keep your credit rating intact.

Once you have a short-term job that’ll meet your immediate needs, take a deep breath, and start planning for the longer term. You’re in the same boat as a lot of other people out there seeking jobs. Your challenge is to rise above your competitors. To do this, frame your work history in terms that employers want to hear.

The operative term is “Return on Investment”. Forget trying to sell your skills and cite “results” instead. Sit down with a legal pad and go through your work history. Start to ask the “so what?” question after each role, project or task that you performed for your employers.

Track each role, project or task back to its relationship to money. We all touch money as employees. We do this by helping employers to either save money or make money. Make a list of examples of how you were effective in one of these two roles.

This is a way to start differentiating yourself from your competitors. It will help you to overcome the stigma of two layoffs this year. One part of your challenge with finding a new job is the economy. The other part involves your own perceived limitations. We feel we’re not worthy or that something is wrong with us, or we’re failures or “rejects”. The challenge is to stay positive and to always sell our achievements in the real world, a world that seems to be losing its head while our own clock is ticking.

This is no easy feat, but when you start to realize that you are an important part of the profit and loss picture, you can begin to articulate your value to the employer. You’ll start to gain the attention of potential employers.

Why? Because they don’t have job opportunities, they have “problems”. That open position means the company is losing money that they can’t afford to lose. When you can talk in these new terms (ROI, Save $$, Make $$, etc.) you become a Problem Solver, not just a job applicant.

Check out my free resume teleseminar workshop. I offer more detail about these points to help you to build a more effective resume to sell yourself in today’s economy.

Joe

As a change of pace I was the one who was recently interviewed. Jim Peake, who runs a site you might want to snoop around in called "My Success Gateway", spotted one of my articles when it appeared on MSN's homepage a few weeks ago.

My interview was just posted a few hours ago. This is a great site to find resources on investing in yourself and expanding your network, two areas of importance to job seekers. There are a number of good podcasts available, all free! Check them out.

Joe

Joe Turner interviews Kay Stout, seasoned career coach and blogger, about moving your job search in a tough economy.
Length 14:10

Is the sky falling?

With the current hysteria over the bailout crisis, one might think. Listen in as Kay Stout, seasoned career coach, talks about her experiences living through the Oklahoma City Oil Bust of 1982 and the similarities of then versus today. 

She also offers 5 pointers to further you job search in these tough economic times.

Joe

New report today from ExecuNet lists the top 11 executive job functions currently in most demand. This is according to a recent survey of over 250 employer organizations. ExecuNet is a private network linking C-level talent with recruiting firms.

Getting top honors were Business Development (14.8%), Sales (12.9%), Operations Management (12.9%), General Management (10.3%), Finance (9.1%), Engineering (9.1%), Marketing (8.7%), MIS/IT (6.2%), Consulting (6.1%), R&D (5.7%) and Human Resources (3.5%).

Amid all of the doom and gloom hysteria over the recent finance and credit market tankings, it's encouraging to note that the demand is on the upswing for talent in key areas. True, this is for 6-figure C-level performers, but the important take away here is that the demand is now increasing in companies across the U.S. After hitting a bottom in January, a recent survey of 138 executive recruiters showed that 4 out of 5 expected at least a 10% increase (in search assignments) in the second half of 2008. That means demand for top talent in the executive suite is rising in spite of all the bad economic news you hear today. (source http://www.execunet.com/m_releases_content.cfm?id=4024)

So, if you're not a C-level player, what does this mean for you?

In all the areas mentioned above, these movers and shakers will need to build and manage superstar teams to revamp or bolster a new corporate entity that can compete more effectively in the next decade. These are not jobs that will go away or just be outsourced. But it will take a new mindset to compete. To be attractive today you need to think superstar. Superstars don't just think of jobs as paychecks. They think of a job as an opportunity to achieve results that can enhance their company….a project as a chance to go the extra mile…a crisis or challenge as a reason to change or improve on the status quo.

Take a look at your work history. Does your resume have examples that can fit into some of these criteria? If not, why not? If it does, then congratulations, because it's budding mindset of confident competence necessary to carry you through to the hire.

Are you a superstar?

Joe

Our first video by Swenson Turner Productions has been launched...

Tired of imperious interviewers who hold all the power?

Just for fun, watch a job interview where the human resources director goes crazy when the "bug guy" interrupts and spoils the interview.