There are times, like all this week, when I physically ache because I miss the routine of work so much. I loved my last position -- the chaos of managing a group of projects, of encouraging people to meet deadlines, of figuring out ways to make things happen when they absolutely cannot. I miss the noise of the telephones, the (sometimes) silly reports demanded at the last minute, but most of all I miss the people.
Volunteering has been an important outlet for me, and I was a committed volunteer when I was working 60 hours a week. Now, with the economy in such serious trouble and so many people out of work -- not to mention retirement savings having been slashed -- lending a helping hand is important.
Volunteering helps fill my need to interact and to solve problems. I get to meet great people, and I continue to make new friends. I know that sounds selfish, but those are important criteria to me when I choose where to spend my time. What is important to you? What are you missing about your prior job? People? Noise? Numbers? Quiet? Review those qualities missing from your life as you search for a job, then find an opportunity to volunteer to fill those gaps.
On Saturday, August 1, Emily Dodd, Resource Manager for Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley (www.rtsv.org), will share some ways to make the volunteer work you do add value not only to the lives of others, but to your resume. Join us at 9 a.m. at East Valley Church -- stay active, stay connected!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Job Boards - Some to Check Out
These job boards are a consensus among the group of the “best” job boards. Remember, there are multiple career specific job boards available –search for them on the Internet and USE them!
CareerBuilder.com
Career Builder is the largest of the job search boards. The site has 23 million unique visitors monthly and posts over one million jobs worldwide. It is an easily searchable database, and users can post a resume to be found by prospective employers. A job seeker can also create an automated alert to be notified of positions in their area of interest and within specific geographic parameters.
Indeed.com
The cleanest entry of all of the job search boards, Indeed aggregates from multiple employers and other boards. Like all of the large search boards, be sure to check out the “tips” section. Indeed is indeed a robust search engine, and allows a job seeker to create an automated alert to be notified of positions in their area of interest and within specific geographic parameters.
Hotjobs.com
Powered by Yahoo, this site also lists thousands of jobs. Its page is chattier than Career Builder, and also gives the user lots of options to go elsewhere in the yahoo world. It allows all of the services of the big boards, job alert, saved searches, resume posting, and lots of job search tips.
CalJobs (caljobs.ca.org)
This is the board powered by the state unemployment office. It contains useful information, but is somewhat limited in its search flexibility. The job descriptions are a bit difficult to read through, but if there is a position of interest, the site moves you quickly to the hiring company’s site. Another negative for those willing to drive a bit further is that the positions listed are only listed one county at a time, making navigation a bit slower. However, the positions listed are current, and there are jobs posted on the site not found elsewhere.
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
If a job seeker is actively maintaining their profile on LinkedIn, this site lists positions not found elsewhere. In addition, since you are already on LinkedIn, take advantage of its ability to help you find people in the company of interest. LinkedIn is the professional job seekers and professional networkers gold standard.
BAJobs.com
This board posts jobs specific to the Bay Area. The site is sponsored by local Bay Area companies. It is well worth having in your weekly arsenal of job boards to review.
SnagAJob.com
This job board is specifically designed for hourly employees. The only caution is to pay attention to a fairly significant number of commission-only positions. Several employers like Sears and Jiffy Lube almost always have positions posted, and for entry level or college students, this is a great source.
The following 2 job boards charge a fee and are for job seekers willing to pay for more exclusive listings.
TheLadders.com and Hound.com
CareerBuilder.com
Career Builder is the largest of the job search boards. The site has 23 million unique visitors monthly and posts over one million jobs worldwide. It is an easily searchable database, and users can post a resume to be found by prospective employers. A job seeker can also create an automated alert to be notified of positions in their area of interest and within specific geographic parameters.
Indeed.com
The cleanest entry of all of the job search boards, Indeed aggregates from multiple employers and other boards. Like all of the large search boards, be sure to check out the “tips” section. Indeed is indeed a robust search engine, and allows a job seeker to create an automated alert to be notified of positions in their area of interest and within specific geographic parameters.
Hotjobs.com
Powered by Yahoo, this site also lists thousands of jobs. Its page is chattier than Career Builder, and also gives the user lots of options to go elsewhere in the yahoo world. It allows all of the services of the big boards, job alert, saved searches, resume posting, and lots of job search tips.
CalJobs (caljobs.ca.org)
This is the board powered by the state unemployment office. It contains useful information, but is somewhat limited in its search flexibility. The job descriptions are a bit difficult to read through, but if there is a position of interest, the site moves you quickly to the hiring company’s site. Another negative for those willing to drive a bit further is that the positions listed are only listed one county at a time, making navigation a bit slower. However, the positions listed are current, and there are jobs posted on the site not found elsewhere.
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
If a job seeker is actively maintaining their profile on LinkedIn, this site lists positions not found elsewhere. In addition, since you are already on LinkedIn, take advantage of its ability to help you find people in the company of interest. LinkedIn is the professional job seekers and professional networkers gold standard.
BAJobs.com
This board posts jobs specific to the Bay Area. The site is sponsored by local Bay Area companies. It is well worth having in your weekly arsenal of job boards to review.
SnagAJob.com
This job board is specifically designed for hourly employees. The only caution is to pay attention to a fairly significant number of commission-only positions. Several employers like Sears and Jiffy Lube almost always have positions posted, and for entry level or college students, this is a great source.
The following 2 job boards charge a fee and are for job seekers willing to pay for more exclusive listings.
TheLadders.com and Hound.com
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Job Boards -- Ewww
There are a number of tools a job seeker must use to be successful in landing the next great position. Using job boards seems to end up at the bottom of everyone’s list, and with good reason: the statistics say that somewhere between 7 and 12% of job seekers are hired through a blind submission. So, why should you use a job board, and which one(s) should you use?
A job board is very useful to see which companies are hiring. Combined with keeping up with the news and your networking, knowing where the jobs are is pretty darn important, yes? Most companies post on at least one of the boards and some don’t post on any. Besides, a 10% chance of landing a job through a blind submission is a lot better chance than winning the lottery.
This Saturday, July 18, we will be reviewing job boards and arriving at a “best” list for the folks who attend. There are a zillion of them – what are your favorites? We will also cover how to best fit the job board into your toolkit so that you stay sane in the process.
Join us this Saturday at 9 a.m. at East Valley Church, 2827 Flint Avenue, San Jose, CA . Send your questions to anne@jobinterconnect.com
A job board is very useful to see which companies are hiring. Combined with keeping up with the news and your networking, knowing where the jobs are is pretty darn important, yes? Most companies post on at least one of the boards and some don’t post on any. Besides, a 10% chance of landing a job through a blind submission is a lot better chance than winning the lottery.
This Saturday, July 18, we will be reviewing job boards and arriving at a “best” list for the folks who attend. There are a zillion of them – what are your favorites? We will also cover how to best fit the job board into your toolkit so that you stay sane in the process.
Join us this Saturday at 9 a.m. at East Valley Church, 2827 Flint Avenue, San Jose, CA . Send your questions to anne@jobinterconnect.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
Looking Through Your Lens
Each of us has a lens that we look at the world through. Usually we have several lenses – what do you think about your family? About working? About children, pets, trees? About God? Your view is shaped by a whole bunch of different experiences. Some of our views we consciously choose; others we just accept because that’s the way it always been; therefore, it’s fact.
I saw a movie last night, MINE, that caused me to think about how our point of view can be shifted. MINE is an independent film about pet rescue immediately after Katrina (www.minethemovie.com), and my sister is a hero in it. She is a passionate animal advocate, and that’s not something I’ve ever had any energy around. My point of view has been that animals are animals, and people are what are important. What I saw in this movie opened my eyes to the role pets can play in our lives – by caring for a creature that cannot speak in words, we learn about love and have potential to become better and more caring people. What shifted was not my world view, but rather I was able to add to that view. I have added dimension and depth.
My view of the working world has moved in the past few months. In my father’s time, men (and women) went to work, and they were judged by their stability – length of time in a position. Companies had pension plans, and it was common to retire from a company after 40 years. Roll that forward a few years, and having multiple positions became acceptable, and we moved to 401(k) plans, and 3-5 years in a job was a good tenure. Today, the work world has shifted once again, and we need to continue to adapt. Having a portfolio of jobs and being able to dial up and dial down may be the next generation of work. So, when your corporate job is demanding all of you, your Internet widget business slows down. When you are impacted by the next economic shift, you dial up your efforts in the widget business.
We have choices in the new situation. And, while one of the choices is denying things have changed, it’s been my experience that position slows down our personal progress. I have been helped by evaluating my skills rather than my jobs. What do I mean by that? My experience for the past several years has been as a program manager in financial services. The skills I have developed: managing people, analyzing needs, developing solutions, herding cats, tell me a lot about what I am passionate about and what I need to make sure I continue to develop. The exercise has also helped me realize that I am not my job, but rather a unique and valuable individual who contributes.
I am stronger as I interview. I am also continuing to look at other options – building our business (and that is also changing), developing my web skills (boy do I have a long way to go), and developing friendships and relationships that will continue into my next position. Which will happen – so will yours!
Join us on Saturdays at Job InterConnect to continue to share how we can adapt to this changing work world!
I saw a movie last night, MINE, that caused me to think about how our point of view can be shifted. MINE is an independent film about pet rescue immediately after Katrina (www.minethemovie.com), and my sister is a hero in it. She is a passionate animal advocate, and that’s not something I’ve ever had any energy around. My point of view has been that animals are animals, and people are what are important. What I saw in this movie opened my eyes to the role pets can play in our lives – by caring for a creature that cannot speak in words, we learn about love and have potential to become better and more caring people. What shifted was not my world view, but rather I was able to add to that view. I have added dimension and depth.
My view of the working world has moved in the past few months. In my father’s time, men (and women) went to work, and they were judged by their stability – length of time in a position. Companies had pension plans, and it was common to retire from a company after 40 years. Roll that forward a few years, and having multiple positions became acceptable, and we moved to 401(k) plans, and 3-5 years in a job was a good tenure. Today, the work world has shifted once again, and we need to continue to adapt. Having a portfolio of jobs and being able to dial up and dial down may be the next generation of work. So, when your corporate job is demanding all of you, your Internet widget business slows down. When you are impacted by the next economic shift, you dial up your efforts in the widget business.
We have choices in the new situation. And, while one of the choices is denying things have changed, it’s been my experience that position slows down our personal progress. I have been helped by evaluating my skills rather than my jobs. What do I mean by that? My experience for the past several years has been as a program manager in financial services. The skills I have developed: managing people, analyzing needs, developing solutions, herding cats, tell me a lot about what I am passionate about and what I need to make sure I continue to develop. The exercise has also helped me realize that I am not my job, but rather a unique and valuable individual who contributes.
I am stronger as I interview. I am also continuing to look at other options – building our business (and that is also changing), developing my web skills (boy do I have a long way to go), and developing friendships and relationships that will continue into my next position. Which will happen – so will yours!
Join us on Saturdays at Job InterConnect to continue to share how we can adapt to this changing work world!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Comcast Job Fair this Saturday (6/27)
I am excited to post this information from comcast -- even if it means you don't come on Saturday! Comcast is hiring, and there is a job fair this Saturday. They are hiring for Reisdential and Business Account Executives. The Job Fair is this Saturday (June 27) from 10-2 at: 1900 South 10th St. in San Jose. They are requesting you bring 2 copies of your resume. To apply online visit www.comcast.com/careers. Base Salary is 32K.
Resumes can also be e-mailed to: Southbay_Recruiting@cable.comcast.com. The subject line of the email must indicate: Residential Account Executive" Referred by Jose Jimenez. Source: ww.comcast.com
This looks like a sales position, and I don't have any details about the responsibilities. But my friend, Patricia, wanted to make sure we got the word out. Good luck!
Resumes can also be e-mailed to: Southbay_Recruiting@cable.comcast.com. The subject line of the email must indicate: Residential Account Executive" Referred by Jose Jimenez. Source: ww.comcast.com
This looks like a sales position, and I don't have any details about the responsibilities. But my friend, Patricia, wanted to make sure we got the word out. Good luck!
Monday, June 22, 2009
LinkedIn Basics
This Saturday (June 27) we will be reviewing LinkedIn and how to use it for job searching. Before you arrive, get yourself onto LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and build a basic profile. This article How to Find a Job Using Linked In is written for folks new to LinkedIn, and covers the basics well and thoroughly in an amazingly brief format.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Excitement and a Challenge
My excitement for this week's session is almost out of bounds. A friend of mine, who is also a mentor, will present DARE to be Excellent his Saturday, June 20. Anthony will be offering a unique opportunity to the attendees– if you step up to the challenge, you will be eligible for a drawing for a seriously awesome gift.
Anthony Metten is an executive coach and trainer and has worked with JP Morgan Chase, the City of San Jose, and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department, among others. It’s been a privilege to watch his business grow. His success reminds me that we do need to manage our own future, and if we have a dream, we owe it to ourselves to hang onto that dream – even when it looks impossible.
Being excellent matters. Rarely do we achieve a perfect 10, but by paying attention and focusing on something that is bigger than we can even begin to imagine, we can go farther than we ever expected. Certainly we can go farther than we imagine in our insecure selves we deserve.
So if you are in the Bay Area on Saturday, attend from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Anthony will present at 9:30). It’s worth a bit of your time to renew your enthusiasm and rebuild your energy as you look for the next job or business opportunity.
Anthony Metten is an executive coach and trainer and has worked with JP Morgan Chase, the City of San Jose, and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department, among others. It’s been a privilege to watch his business grow. His success reminds me that we do need to manage our own future, and if we have a dream, we owe it to ourselves to hang onto that dream – even when it looks impossible.
Being excellent matters. Rarely do we achieve a perfect 10, but by paying attention and focusing on something that is bigger than we can even begin to imagine, we can go farther than we ever expected. Certainly we can go farther than we imagine in our insecure selves we deserve.
So if you are in the Bay Area on Saturday, attend from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Anthony will present at 9:30). It’s worth a bit of your time to renew your enthusiasm and rebuild your energy as you look for the next job or business opportunity.
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