The stormy seas of job searching

While millions of Americans across the east coast wake up to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we’re also left with some lessons from the storm the average job seeker can apply to their search:

 Be Prepared

There’s no doubt that warnings of the storm were sent out by people far and wide.  From public figures to the regular media, east coasters were made clear that the storm was-a-brewing and that everyone in its path should take all necessary precautions to stay safe.  As a job seeker, you can NEVER be too prepared when it comes to applying for jobs and more importantly, when prepping for the big interview.  Double check the spelling on your resume.  Do plenty of research on the company you’re interviewing with and confirm the names of those at the company you may come in to contact with.  When it comes to the job search, first impressions count and like with any powerful weather system, you can’t afford to take any kind of hit when it comes to your livelihood.

 Dress Appropriately

Galoshes, raincoats, gloves and hats are all articles of clothing required when braving a storm system like Sandy.  Consider the dress code of your potential place of employment when preparing for the interview.  If you’re hoping to obtain the store manager position at a posh clothing boutique, your interview outfit should be professional, yet chic.  If it’s a booming new startup where jeans and ball caps are acceptable, perhaps you leave the 4 piece suit at home and opt for a biz casual look for the interview.  However, if the job you’re interviewing for is with a Fortune 500 where traditional corporate culture paves the way for business suits and closed toe pumps, you’ll want to make sure you appear polished and poised when walking in to the office.

 Always Have Extras on Hand

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from a hurricane like Sandy, it’s to have plenty of extra supplies.  Whether it is an extra flashlight, a few jugs of water, or some packs of peanut butter crackers, the last thing you want in the wake of a storm is to be in the dark without any food or water.  Don’t be left in the dark when it comes to the interview.  Always bring a pad and paper for notes and also bring extra copies of your resume.  If you have samples of your work you’d like to showcase, bring those in as well.  Employers want to know what makes YOU unique so anything you can do to present yourself as prepared and competent will make you standout.

 Don’t Drown, Turn Around.

Although finding a new job requires sacrifice and commitment, remember to be smart when dealing with good ol’ Mother Nature.  In the event of a natural disaster, don’t put yourself and others at risk trying to prove you are a super dependable individual.  If a state of emergency is declared by Governement Officials, give your interviewer a call and ask to reschedule.  Your common sense will be appreciated and make a lasting impression.

There is no doubt that searching for a job can be more than a little stressful. Finding suitable positions, crafting a winning resume, and acing interviews are all activities that can make even the most veteran job seeker a little anxious. In honor of Friday, let’s kick back and take a look at a few ways to make your job search a little easier on you (and your nerves).

Know what makes you the best candidate for the job

It may not be easy to conduct your job search with the greatest of confidence, especially with industries and technologies changing rapidly. Remember what makes you an outstanding candidate is often found beyond a traditional skill set. Your dedication, leadership skills, or ability to learn new things quickly are intangible qualities that make you very employable, and should boost your confidence about applying for jobs.

Remember the interviewer is human, too

While it is important to maintain the utmost professionalism and courtesy while interviewing for jobs, it is easy to get nervous by putting the interviewer on a pedestal as someone who has power when you don’t. Remember, the person conducting the interview needs to find a good candidate as much as you need a job—that’s why you are there. Focus on the mutual benefits of the situation: the interviewer is seeking the right candidate, and you can prove to him or her that you are the person for the job.

The right job is out there

Though it make take a little more time and patience than you initially expected, the right job is out there and you will find it.  Knowing that the right job will come along makes the process less stressful and more enjoyable. Just because an interview didn’t go as planned or you aren’t finding as many openings in your field doesn’t mean your search is doomed. With persistence and patience, you will land the right job and be on your way to career satisfaction.

Show your job search some love

If job searching is really taxing on you, you may want to consider giving the search even more of your time and effort. It may seem contradictory to reducing your stress, but the more you focus your efforts, the more quickly you will get the hang of things—and hopefully, the sooner you will land that new job. Sometimes the procrastination, not the job search itself, can stress you out the most.

How do you take steps to make your job search less stressful? Let us know in the comments.

In this economy, sometimes getting a job—any  job—can seem like a challenge in itself. Even so, job seekers may have certain things in mind when they envision the right job, and it is not always about the paycheck. Job seekers are discovering that attributes of a worthwhile job are more diverse than ever, and some things, like extra time or a fun environment, truly are priceless.

As workers continue to strive for new definitions of success in a shifting economy, certain qualities of a job can make it much more valuable than the number on each paycheck, and job seekers are taking notice.

Flexibility

Work-life balance continues to be a hot topic for both employees and the companies they work for. Flexibility can mean different things to different workers—anything from a formal part-time arrangement to occasionally sliding out of the office early to catch your child’s baseball game can be considered flexible. Trends such as job sharing, where two part-time employees fill one full time role, or telecommuting, where employees complete work outside the physical office setting, are becoming popular in many industries.

Commute

Time is money. More and more, workers are discovering that the (mostly) unpaid time they spend travelling to and from their duties is expensive, and they are the ones footing the bill. Commuting, especially by car, also takes a toll on a worker’s health, the environment and the congested roadways surrounding major metropolitan areas. Some workers seek out jobs they can travel to and from using mass transit so they can use the precious commute hours for other tasks like reading the news, checking emails, or even catching some extra zzzs.

Opportunity

In an age of entrepreneurship and start-ups, it is tempting for some job seekers to take a lower-paying gig in exchange for the opportunity to become part of the “next big thing.” This is especially true in the technology space, with some new innovations becoming hugely popular just a few years after starting out in someone’s basement. While there is no guarantee that opportunities will turn out for the best, these roles also offer a great chance for first-timers to gain new experiences and build their resumes.

Positive Environment

Everyone likes a pat on the back. Optimism and positivity are contagious and can significantly contribute to a worker’s sense of fulfillment in the workplace. Environment and culture are so crucial that some employees would trade substantial earnings for more positivity and less stress in their work day. Some employers go to great lengths to create a positive environment, providing counselors to help troubled workers or allowing employees to bring their pets to the office to encourage stress relief and a sense of well-being.

Fun Perks

Does the office have free pancake breakfasts on Thursdays? Free fitness classes and health services? A ping pong table in the break room? Perks like these tend to contribute to any employee’s overall sense of well being by creating a greater connection between work and fun. Employers often find that offering these types of perks typically regarded as “distractions” from serious business actually result in workers being more productive and engaged and can also contribute to greater employee loyalty in the long term.

Just like the qualities of the employees themselves, definitions of what makes a job worthwhile are continuing to change with the job market landscape. What makes a job opportunity worthwhile to you? Let us know in the comments below.

Poll reveals 80% preference for Romney’s job plan following debate

In an ongoing effort to keep up with the opinions of job seekers about the upcoming presidential election, Job.com recently asked Facebook users: “Which candidate had the best response about job creation in last night’s Presidential debate?” More than 80 million viewers tuned in for the first presidential debate of this election season, which focused on domestic policy, with special attention devoted to the economy and job creation.

When the poll concluded, 4,152 people responded to this question, with the overwhelming

Image by Vectorportal

majority choosing Mitt Romney’s answers in the debate as the best way to promote job creation. Eighty percent of the respondents chose Mitt Romney, while 20% chose Barack Obama in response to the question.

The question asked by moderator Jim Lehrer of each candidate was: “What are the major differences between the two of you about how you would go about creating new jobs?” Throughout the debate, both the President and Mr. Romney highlighted ways in which their presidential plans would improve the current job market. The importance of the state of the economy—and specifically jobs—was highlighted by making it the first topic of the evening.

Both candidates outlined several strategies for promoting job creation, including working toward greater energy independence and improving training for workers. President Obama’s debate remarks regarding job creation touted the importance of increasing education and training. Mr. Romney’s debate position agreed with the merit of improving education with the stipulation that such programs were the responsibility of individual states. Both candidates emphasized how their plan would address the plight of the middle class.

While the response to this unofficial poll does not represent scientific statistical findings, it does indicate the opinions of job seekers who follow Job.com and what is important to them in this election. The findings are released on the same day that polls conducted by Pew Research Center have indicated Mitt Romney may be taking the lead in the race for the presidency. The poll represents a potential shift in sentiment among job seekers and voters in general following the October 3 debate.

“Job.com is continually striving to understand the thoughts and opinions of job seekers, especially about relevant topics such as the upcoming election,” said Brian Alden, President and CEO of Job.com. “We know many of the topics being debated this election directly affect job seekers, and we want to know what they have to say.”

Throughout this presidential election season, Job.com will continue to keep up with the pulse of job seekers about their stance on the issues that matter. The next presidential debate will be on October 11, 2012, and will focus on domestic and foreign policy.

Tis the time to search for a new job

Around this time every year, companies across the country begin planning for seasonal shifts in their business.  Cooler temperatures signal the upcoming holiday season, and, for many companies, the end of the fiscal year.  Whether you’re looking for long-term employment, or searching for opportunities to supplement your income, there are a variety of job openings available for you right now.

Retail stores are well-known for increasing their payroll staff during the holiday months.  Although the shopping mall and big box stores come to mind for holiday employment, also consider specialty shops such as Halloween, Christmas and party stores.

With so many items being shipped throughout the holiday season, companies like UPS and FedEx need all the additional help they can get.  Traditionally known as “Driver Helper” or “Package Handler”, these employees are hired to assist full-time drivers with distributing packages

Depending on the region you live in, hotels and resorts may reach peak business during the holidays.  From housekeeping and room service to accounting and event coordinating, there are a wide variety of positions hotel establishments hire for.  Don’t forget that popular ski destinations are also gearing up for the winter season, so if you love to hit the slopes, a hospitality job at a ski resort may be for you.

Finally, don’t rule out traditional job opportunities throughout your search. Research companies that experience upticks in business in the New Year.  These businesses strive to hire all new employees before November and December rolls around so that they can be trained and ready to hit the ground running come January 1^st.

Keep all this information in mind, and you will be on your way to finding that great seasonal job!

Ever wonder about all the wonderful things you can do on Job.com BESIDES searching for the job of your dreams?  Here’s a list of tools and resources you can find on our site that are designed to help you in your search for a better career:

SUPERIOR TOOLS & SERVICES  

Continuous Resume Coverage

If you’re not happy with your resume or don’t even have one, Job.com has the solution for you!, Job.com has the solution for you! Have one of the professional certified resume writers from Job.com’s Awesome Resume service write it for you.  In the hiring world, impressions really do matter and with an Awesome Resume you’ll be sure to make the first one count!

Want to take a stab at creating a professional looking resume on your own?  Use our step-by-step Resume Builder Wizard to compile a winning resume that can be uploaded to your Job.com account and distributed to employers. Once you create your resume, you have the option to become a subscriber, which will give you full access to print, download, and distribute your resume beyond Job.com–for job fairs, networking, interviews, and more. To get started, log in to your Job.com account and click on the Manage My Resumes link from the Jobseeker Menu.

Find a New Career Using Job.com’s Job Search Services

Once your resume is up-to-date, you will need a fast and effective way to get it out to as many recruiters and hiring managers as possible.  Job.com’s resume upgrade feature will place your resume at the top of our resume search listings so that you can be found by employers searching for candidates like you!  For maximum exposure, be sure to choose the Platinum Plus upgrade service.

If you really want to speed up the time it takes for you to find a new job, Resume Zapper can help!  In just a few simple steps, you can “zap” your resume to 1000’s of Recruiters looking for candidates in your industry and location.  The ResumeZapper resume distribution service is an excellent way to untap the hidden job market and find unadvertised jobs.  Learn more today!

Our fifth and final product designed to speed up your job search is known as Resume Reach. Powered by our partners at Resume Rabbit, Resume Reach is another exceptional resume distribution service that will cross post your resume to over 80 different resume databases in just minutes.  Now you can forget all the pain and aggravation of having to “do-it-yourself.”  If its fresh job leads that you need, both our Platinum Plus upgrade service and Resume Reach are two great ways to kick start your job search.

Career Assessment

You can also improve your job search by narrowing it down and seeking a career that you’ll truly love. The LiveCareer free career analysis test reveals the real you: your natural motivations, interests and talents for work.  Learn about the types of jobs that suit your personality and avoid costly career mistakes.  Take the free LiveCareer test now!

Free Salary Information

Want to know how much you’re worth?  Job.com has partnered with Payscale.com to provide you with career tools such as a free salary report to gain compensation information from peers in your field.  Click on the Free Salary Report Link on the Career Tools tab to create your very own customized salary report.

Career Advancing Centers

Whether you’d like to go back to school or just brush up on the latest news in your field, there’s something for every job seeker on Job.com.  Each individual Career Center has been designed to provide further information on a variety of topics from online degrees and franchise ownership to job search advice and industry news articles.  No matter what dream job you’re in search of, keep coming back to Job.com to manage your job search and your career.

The summer season brings to mind a lot of things: lounging by the pool, weekend barbeques, family vacations, and sunny days. And while you’re daydreaming about fun summer activities, finding a job may be the last thing on your mind.

But don’t let your lackadaisical summer mindset derail your chances to land a new job this season! Summer can be a great time to be on the hunt for a job, and you may even find less competition for position when other candidates are wrapped up in their summertime activities.

According to a report released on Thursday by ADP, private payrolls added 176,000 jobs in the month on June, when only 100,000 had been predicted by analysts. Though the job reports have brought mixed news over the last few months, this new report provides job seekers some reassurance that there are jobs to be had. The best news of all is that the right job is out there waiting for you to find it!

Make sure you take advantage of the summer job market by getting your head in the game well before the leaves start to change color this fall. Here are a few tips to make your summer job search more effective:

Make sure you follow all application instructions
Each job application is unique, and you will greatly boost your chances of consideration if you’ve made sure to follow instructions to a “T.” Does the job listing request a cover letter? Does the company want you to complete an application on their own website, instead of the listing where the job was found? Make sure you follow all instructions and answer all questions to the best of your knowledge and ability. The time spent making sure your application is thorough and complete will be well worth it—incomplete applications are rarely reviewed in the first place!

Keep up with your emails
Even if you haven’t heard back on some of the applications you submitted, be sure to check your email regularly to make sure you don’t miss an email job alert or application response, especially if you have a secondary email account set up just for job searching (which is a great idea, by the way!) Checking often ensures you won’t miss an opportunity to apply for a great job in your job alerts or catch a response from a potential employer.

Stay professional
Sure, summer may bring out the laid-back beach bum in us, but it is important to keep your attitude toward your job search and interviews nothing but professional. Respond to emails in a timely fashion, keep your resume up-to-date, and be ready for an interview at any time.

If you have fair or sensitive skin, it is also important to wear sun protection while you’re enjoying outdoor activities. Besides the obvious health reasons, you don’t want to risk showing up at an impromptu interview inadvertently red in the face.

Follow this guidelines and this summer just may be remembered as the one you landed your dream job!

Guest Post by Peter Weddle

The recent Time Magazine cover story focuses on the American Dream. What is it and what is happening to it in the post recession economy? This guest post by Peter Weddle explores that idea further.

Politicians and pundits alike have been debating just when the “recovery” will finally pick up steam. They all have different theories, and they’re all wrong.

Recovery suggests that we will, at some point, return to an economy similar to the one we had before the Great Recession. We won’t. Why? Because of something I call the Economic Singularity.

The term “singularity” was coined by a science fiction writer and academic, Vernor Vinge. He created it to designate that point in time when machines would become smarter than humans. So, what’s the Economic Singularity? It’s the point in time when the employees in companies outside the U.S. become smarter than American workers.

According to Vinge, we haven’t yet reached the singularity. We have, however, passed the Economic Singularity.

By every measure, workers in China, India, Korea, Germany and elsewhere have more up-to-date skills and more current knowledge than many of us do. As a result, American companies are no longer competing organizations with cheaper labor. They’re competing against those with more capable labor.

That reality has opened a new era in the American workplace. As I explain in my just published book, A Multitude of Hope: A Novel About Rediscovering the American Dream, this emerging epoch is often described as an Information Age. It’s not. Information is worthless unless it’s put to work effectively. So, what is actually occurring is the dawning of the Informed Age.

The more capable each of us is in using the latest information creatively and productively on-the-job, the more valued we will be by our employers and the more secure our future will be in the global economy.

When you are informed, you excel at your work. And, excellence is the new definition of “qualified” in the American workplace. Whether you’re looking for a new job or trying to hang onto the one you currently have, it’s no longer enough to be able to do the work; now, you have to excel at it.

This redefinition of workplace qualifications and a host of other changes represent a societal shift that is every bit as profound and permanent as the transition our nation made from an agrarian to an industrial society in the late 19th century. It is frightening, disruptive and unforgiving.

As with that earlier shift, however, this new era also holds great promise and possibilities. It holds more opportunity than has ever existed in the land which invented it. For the U.S., therefore, there won’t be a recovery, but there will be lots and lots of discovery. And, discovery is the energy source of the American Dream.

To read an excerpt from Peter Weddle’s new book, A Multitude of Hope: A Novel About Rediscovering the American Dream, please visit www.AMultitudeofHope.com. The book is available at Amazon.com and in bookstores nationwide.