Start the Count Down!

Four New Job-Search Trends
Brigitte Yuille 02.23.10, 8:30 PM ET

Job seekers may have noticed that job boards and the traditional résumé just aren't cutting it these days. Recruiters and employers are choosing to post jobs online at sites such as LinkedIn and Craigslist. The online option has become a cheaper alternative to the job boards because they are free.

Recruiters and employers have also become more tech-savvy and whizzes at social networking. The traditional résumé is no longer the first impression. By the time a recruiter or employer sees it they may have already Googled the job seeker's name and/or looked them up on LinkedIn and Facebook in search of their online profile.

Most likely, this impromptu background check occurred on their mobile phone. Welcome to the digital age. Here's a look at four of the latest job searching trends and ways you can leverage your search.

Social-Networking Sites
If you don't have a profile on a social-networking site, you will need one. The sites have been the new hunting ground for job candidates.

Job seekers can use social-networking sites to showcase their skills. For instance, LinkedIn, a professional networking site, allows users to build an online profile that includes resumes, a recommendation and references. It also provides applications. Facebook has "Professional Profile" which allows you to upload your résumé or import your LinkedIn profile and recommendations. Job seekers on Facebook can also set up an advertising page to sell their skills.

The sites can help you learn about a company and stay current with its activities by following updates on Twitter and Facebook. They also enhance your ability to make connections. Since employers and recruiters are slowly moving away from job boards, the boards can be used as a resource. Author Dan Schawbel of "Personal Branding Blog" advises job seekers to find the job of interest on the board and then go to the social-networking site to locate a hiring manager or a person who may work at the company.

Smart Phones
No longer do you have to sit behind a computer scouring job boards. The job search has now become mobile. Smart phones, such as Palm Pre, Google Nexus One, the iPhone and the BlackBerry have made it easier to access the Web while running errands and receive e-mails from job prospects, and either conduct a search or follow your company of interest on a social-networking site. Most importantly, these phones provide apps. Apps, such as CareerBuilder.com and Craigster on the iPhone, streamline your job search by helping to track job listings and they create or enhance networking opportunities.

Podcasts
No time for an Internet search? Another option is podcasts. The audio file can be downloaded to your computer or onto your mobile. Recruiters are using these for audio presentations on topics such as preparing a résumé and interviewing tips. Employers are "jobcasting." They are using podcasts to advertise positions at the company and are offering interviews from current employees.

Job seekers can use podcast to help build their personal brand. They can include their 30-second elevator pitch. They can also further expand upon their accomplishments and skills by describing projects that they would like to work on and what they can add to the project, projects they are currently working on and projects that have been successfully completed.

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Blogs
Creating and starting your own blog allows you to share your expertise in your job industry. Job seekers can provide analysis on trends and further expand upon your accomplishments and skills listed in their traditional résumé.

Reading blogs from companies of interest keeps job seekers current on their activities and provides insight about the companies' culture.

Career-related blogs--such as Monster, Jibber Jobber and Personal Branding Blog--help with job leads, provide inspiring stories and give advice describing ways to conduct the job hunt and/or keep your job.

Conclusion
Employers and recruiters are looking for a virtual portfolio in 2010. As a job seeker, having an online presence is a must. These online platforms allow job seekers to stay informed about their companies of interest, the job search, and the platforms provide a means to build their brand and advertise their skills and accomplishments.

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

“When dining out for business, always keep in mind you are there to do business first and eat second.  During a business meal or interview, never ask for a doggie bag for leftover food, no matter how much food is left, or how much your dog would appreciate it.  (Your dog never has to know.)  Do not ask for it, even if it could save you from having to cook at home the next day.   

Do not ask to sample an interviewer's or client's food.  If an interviewer or client offers you a sample of his or her food, you may accept or politely decline.  Business first.  Food second.

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

2/25	Federal Reserve Bank Sign Up Deadline
3/1	Navy Presentation
	4:15 304 White
	What Can I Do With a Major in…?
	10:15-11 212 Union
3/2	UMKC Law School
	10-1 Atrium
	Teacher Fair
	1-3 221 Union

Quote from the Office:

“And God, Religion majors, I don’t know what you’re gonna do but you’re gonna love Jesus!” - Maggie

Busy Week!

Job Hunting Tips for Laid Off Workers
Psychologists say losing your job is equivalent to a death in the family on your mental state.  In the second part of her job hunting series, WHIZ's Katie Jeffries has tips for laid off workers.
"It was a shock, it was something that I was totally unprepared for, there had been rumors for the week prior to that, that there would be some kind of layoffs, but I had no idea that it was going to effect me at all," tells Shelli Stenz.

Shelli Stenz was laid off from her job as a distribution supervisor with the Limited Brands almost one year ago. She checks multiple job websites almost everyday and applies to any job she is qualified for, but she says getting up everyday and looking for work is beginning to take its toll.

"It is like you don't even have purpose. You know, sometimes I don't even get up or get dressed sometimes because what's the sense," says Shelli.

Bob Mercer the Executive Director of the Career Opportunity Center in Zanesville says the center is seeing an all time high of 2,000 people a month. For those laid off and looking to get back into work, Mercer says your employment history on your resume is very important.
"Try to have no gaps in that history and so I think when people are laid off they need to think about volunteering and doing some other things that might enhance their resume," says Mercer.
So take the jobs skills you have acquired and work with a non-profit. It shows iniative and you are still actively using your job skills. Also, it is important not to be alone in your search. Mercer says every person has a network that can be activated during a job hunt.
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"The very first thing we talk about is trying to activate that network and for some people they have been on the job for many, many years and that is hard to do, but it is as simple as saying 'if you hear something that might be a good fit for me would you think about me, let me know'," tells Mercer.

For workers with an extensive amount of experience, Mercer recommends using the website OhioMeansJobs.com. The website is a job matching service that matches experience and education level to jobs throughout Ohio. In this recession, it is beneficial to expand your search to surrounding counties and even further.

"We have started looking nationally, outside Ohio, which is unfortunate because we are very happy here, but if i have to relocate that is what i have to do," tells Shelli.

Shelli and her husband, Tom, are currently supporting their family on Tom's salary and Shelli's unemployment benefits. But when those run out they are not sure what they will do. Though the situation is not ideal, Shelli has tried to see the glass half full and use it to spend more time with her family.

"My children have been able to be involved in some more extracurricular activities, I have been home with them more we have been able to do more things together on the weekends," says Shelli.

By: Katie Jefferies

Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 8:55pm

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

“When invited to someone's home for dinner or for a party, bring a hostess (or host) gift, such as a small box of quality chocolates, attractive note cards or anything you know your host or hostess has an interest in, such as a book, DVD, kitchen gadget or gourmet coffee. Send flowers ahead of time, such as earlier that afternoon.  Bringing flowers with you may impose on an already busy hostess, who must find a vase and get the flowers into water.  And she may already have flowers or a centerpiece on the table. 

A hostess gift of food or alcohol is to be enjoyed by the hostess and host at a later time or served at the hostess's discretion.  Do not bring a food gift with the intent of sampling it yourself.

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

2/22	The Fed Experience
	9:30-11 Yates Dining Rm rsvp
2/23	COSMC-KC Interview Day
	8-3:30 KCI Expo Center
	Health Professions Career Day
	1-3:30 Union
2/25	Federal Reserve Bank Sign Up Deadline
3/1	Navy Presentation
	4:15 304 White
3/2	UMKC Law School
	10-1 Atrium

Quote from the Office:

“I’m gonna be the only doctor in med school!” -Manny

More Excitement!

10 job-search habits to break in 2010 from the San Francisco Chronicle

Here's the challenge: Are the things you're doing to find a job the right things? Are your activities producing results, or are you doing things you've always done and getting little in return?
It's not that you set out to develop job-search habits that don't work. Often, these habits develop over time, until they're barriers, not productive tools.
Experts agree that habits can be formed as little as 21 days, and the more repetition there is, the stronger the habit becomes until a pattern is established with little thought. Once a routine becomes a habit, it can be challenging to identify.
Habits really can make or break your job-hunting efforts. Some habits are easier to identify than others, but you probably need to examine what could be blocking your success, if you aren't make the results you had hoped.
Job search habits can be deceptive
Think about what happens to a job seeker who has stayed behind a computer screen for weeks searching for posted jobs. That's a habit. The result of this habit probably will produce some forward motion, if they rely on this habit continually, they probably will get frustrated waiting for the ideal job to be posted.

The habit in question is not searching for a job online; it's the amount of time devoted to one job-search method. Applying for positions online is a vital part of a job search -- it's only when you start examine how much time you are spending on one search method that you see the habit.
Habits are powerful, and we often discount the role they play in daily life.
Here are some habits job candidates have said kept them from moving ahead with their search. They may help you identify areas that might be affecting your own search.
1. Thinking like a Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger wasn't really alone, even he had a buddy. Trying to job search on your own is a long process.
2. Focusing on what others think. In reality, most people are not thinking about your career or what happened. Spending time trying to guess what others might be thinking is a lost cause. You may not want to know what they are thinking!
3. Obsessing about your job search. If you wake up thinking about your job search and go to bed thinking about your job search, you may be obsessing.
4. Avoiding risk-taking by guessing about the end results before you began implementing a new job-search activity.
5. Staying in a place of grief about your job loss rather than working your way through the process of letting go and moving ahead.
6. Being negative. Negativity is contagious, and negative company thrives on negativity. If you hear yourself putting up barriers every time someone offers an idea or suggestion, stop.
7. Not establishing a routine. Without a daily routine, it's easy to lose track of time and feel unproductive. "(During my job search) I set my alarm each day at 6:30 a.m., I got up and dressed for work. This helped me with keep a structure, and kept me focused on my daily goals" said a job seeker who recently landed a job.
8. Living in "tomorrowsville". Procrastination goes something like this, "I will call them tomorrow and just wait, because I had planned to the grocery store, finish organizing the garage .." You get the idea.
9. Striving to be perfect. This can be counterproductive. It can result in feeling that your resume always needs to be stronger, for example. Yes, you need a strong resume, but after the tenth revision it's probably not the resume that is standing in your way.
10. Letting fear be in the driver's seat. Fear is one of strongest habits known to job seekers. It can dominate an entire job search and keep you from some of the best opportunities.
If you can identify with some of these habits, it might time to re-examine your job search and change habits that are not helping you land the job of your dreams.
The good news about habits -- if they aren't working for you, you can break them and replace them with habits that are more productive.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gettowork/detail?entry_id=56813#ixzz0fGThh49f

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

“Sometimes when you go to a banquet or an event, there are two wine glasses on the table -- one slightly smaller than the other.  White wine goes in the smaller glass and red wine in the larger glass. If you do not want wine, do not turn your glass upside down, simply say to the server, "No thank you." 

Never feel like you have to drink alcohol.  At a business event, it is better not to drink alcohol and keep a clear head.”

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

2/9	Career Mentor Orientation
	5:45-7 304 WSC
2/11	Public Service and Nonprofit Career Day
	2:30-4:45 221 YCGU
2/23	COSMC-KC Interview Day
	8-3:30 KCI Expo Center
	Health Professions Career Day
	1-3:30 Union

Quote from the Office:

“I’ll come sneeze on you later.” - Manny

Another Week at Jewell

Job seekers advised: Seminar speakers say key to job search is transferable skills

By Aaron Dome | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

February 04, 2010, 7:59AM

 KALAMAZOO — Wilma Wilder found herself out of work after being laid off from General Motors, her employer of 23 years.

“I thought I was going to walk out on the street and land another job,” she said.

Wilder did eventually find another job, but it was quite different than working for GM. She is now program manager for Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan.

On Wednesday, she led an “Adults in Transition” seminar for the unemployed, attended by more than 70 people, at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Most people will change careers six times during their working life, with the average position lasting 3 1/2 years, according to Wilder, who suggested that job-hunters focus on their transferable skills.

“Transferable skills are the foundation of everything when it comes showing what you have to offer when you’re trying to find a job,” she said. “It’s tough and it takes a lot of soul-searching.”

Rather than technical skills that may have used in a previous job, transferable skills are personal qualities and achievements — like showing up to work on time everyday or designing a system that saved the company money, she said.

“(A job applicant) needs a 30-second summary of their transferable skills, and transferable skills need to go on a resume. You need to look for jobs based on what you can do, not what you have done,” said Wilder.

Employers in today’s crowded job market are looking for personal stories and character attributes that can help their company, she said.

“The meat is in your examples,” said Wilder. “(When preparing a resume) write out a list of what you did and how you saved the company money. Don’t write duties, write what you accomplished.”

Beyond skills and accomplishments on a resume, Goodwill Industries career coach Brian Parsons said at Wednesday’s seminar that confidence, appearance, and demeanor can put one applicant above the rest. “The applicant’s presentation makes all of the difference,” he said.

© 2010 MLive.com. All rights reserved.

Job Hunting Tips ·   Go on “informational interviews.” Find people employed in the position you are looking for and ask them over coffee how they were hired and what skills they have. ·   Don’t have unrealistic expectations. Times have changed and employers have many more applicants from which to choose. ·   Be flexible. With more applicants available, employers can pay less. Taking a pay cut is better than being unemployed — and you may never find a job that pays what your old one did. ·   Proofread your resume. Resumes with typographical errors are often thrown in the garbage without a second look. Have a friend or relative look over your resume to check for errors. ·   Prepare for your interview. Plan to arrive an hour early. If you’re stuck in traffic or something else sets you behind, you’ll still be on time. Be courteous to everyone, including the doorman and secretaries. The interview starts the moment you walk in the door. ·   Follow up. After the interview, stop to critique how you performed — what you did right and wrong. Put a typed thank-you note in the mail that day.

Source: “Adults in Transition” seminar

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

“Ever get one of those voice mail messages where you couldn't quite make out what the caller was saying?  The person could have been mumbling or talking like his house was on fire.  Perhaps the person was calling in from out where the elephants go to die and cell service was a little spotty.

When leaving a voice mail message, speak clearly with a smile in your voice.  State your name, company and phone number at the beginning of the message and repeat your name and phone number at the end of the message.  Say the phone number slowly each time, as if you are standing in front of the person who is writing it down.  That way, the person listening to the voice mail message does not have to keep replaying the message to take down your information.  Or if the number was hard to understand at the beginning of the message, the repeat number will confirm it.”

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

2/9	Career Mentor Orientation
	5:45-7 304 WSC
2/11	Public Service and Nonprofit Career Day
	2:30-4:45 221 YCGU
2/23	COSMC-KC Interview Day
	8-3:30 KCI Expo Center
	Health Professions Career Day
	1-3:30 Union

Quote from the Office:

“I GOT IT! I GOT THE ORANGE! Oh hi.” - Manny