Building Relationships and Keeping Them.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the entire meaning of life. As we go about our personal and professional (sometimes feeling unprofessional) lives, what is the one thing that binds us together as one common community?

Communication! Without clear, continual and cohesive communication, where would we be? Okay, right now we’re not working, so life as we know it seems a bygone failure, right? We’ve been talking, selling and interviewing our butts off and what do we have to show for all the effort? Uh, nothing. Bottom line here…why bother communicating if not a soul is listening?

Practice absolute persistence. Have you heard of anyone who’s been unemployed their entire life? I haven’t. I’m sure by now everyone has seen, heard and felt the story of the homeless dude with “that golden voice from God”. Yeah, he’s got million dollar pipes all right, but it was the choices he made, bad decisions, that put him on the streets of Ohio. By showing off his heavenly skills to each passing motorist and pedestrian, constantly, he is now knocking on the doorsteps of second chance.

Are you in Constant Contact with your Network? Are you building and nurturing those precious relationships? Whether it’s on the phone, on-line or on the street, you must position yourself at the forefront of the competition and in the eyes and ears of our target companies schmoozing with those responsible for hiring or forwarding you on to those whom they know that are.

Ya’ll know my tag line; Why Just Look For a Job? Create One!™. I have created a relationship with over 100 people who have signed up for my periodic Newsletters with an occasional offer to help you find work, additional stories of what I’m going through and more moral support. If you’re one of them, much thanks! If you’re not, now’s the time. Click Here and Sign Up for my Email Newsletter. The software I use is provided by Constant Contact; catchy, eh? Well, to more efficiently and effectively use this for my emails, I took a day-long seminar on the best and easiest way to build emails – hosted by Constant Contact. Fabulous and fascinating material. While you’re looking for work, learn something new! Be creative! Ya’ see where I’m going with this? Out of this seminar, by asking questions and networking, I was able to create an opportunity for myself that has revenue potential!

I am now a Constant Contact Business Partner. Here’s how you can help me and help yourself: We started this post emphasizing relationship building, communicating and staying…well, in contact with your associates and colleagues. We’re always sending email. We never know where it goes, we never know if it’s read. Real simple, Constant Contact allows you to send very professional, creative and effective email to your contacts. Every month you should be reaching out to those looking on your behalf. Instead of sending out these email individually (very time-consuming), you can build a targeted list of those you know in your chosen industry and send them an update on your progress as well as include articles related to your business keeping you and them current on industry trends. You can build this once, monthly or quarterly, and send it to your entire list with a click of a button. Now I know about sending stuff out addressed to you with a “bcc” to the world, but that could get stopped by spam filters, kicked back to you or maybe not allowed by your ISP depending on size. A myriad of things could go wrong. With Constant Contact, your content looks way better, you’re keeping up with technology and you can track the email! Yes, you can see who is opening up the email, when it’s getting opened, how many times they open it, if they are forwarding your information on to other contacts, if they are clicking on anything you include in your email…and more. Really neat stuff! Oh, and yes…if you do sign up for the program, I am compensated. Just a little, but hey…it’s something. It’s also a win for you because you are becoming a more valuable and educated communicator! Now look…you’ve just learned something new and you’re trying to create something that’s fresh. Few employers, if any, are getting this kind of stuff from prospective employees. Be daring and do something different; differentiate yourself from the crowd. The program is free for 60 days so you can play with it and familiarize yourself with the software on their dime, not yours. Start sending stuff out. At the end of the free trial, if you choose to stay on, it will cost $15/mo. As a job search expense, you can’t pay it any more forward than that! People will see that you’re proactive and thinking ahead.

So I leave it up to you; doing the same thing over and over expecting different results or you can put yourself out there a bit more aggressively and create some results.

To explore more about the Constant Contact program, please click here. Please use this link only so I can receive the credit and compensation. I thank you. And after you try it, you’ll thank yourself.

Happy and Awesomely Prosperous New Year!

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For a Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

Your phone, games and apps aren’t your only mobile resources anymore. Have you considered moving for a job?

Well, the woman who owns the company that hosts this very website just had to move to the East Coast because her husband was unemployed (sound familiar?). Jon was looking for more than 18 months in LA and simply couldn’t find a job. His network just couldn’t land him anywhere locally; none of his efforts panned out. Jon also has a young family with a teenager and had to sell his house in this economy. His aging relative is his mother-IN-LAW! Now I personally know this wasn’t a guiding factor at all in the move, but I’m sure some of you might want to consider it! Okay, enough of the (attempted) humor…

They had a herculean decision to make, but Jon kept striking out. As it turned out, he had network contacts back east that started working for him; the story is quite interesting, but when push came to shove, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. It just so happens they have some roots in the Northeast, so that helps. They also are leaving mom with good friends in LA. Still, hard stuff; the child had to make new friends. Jon is doing well, but Deborah, my web host is finding the ride a bit bumpier than expected. Her business is predominantly virtual, but she can rebound much quicker than one who is corporate like Jon or I.

Take the time to look at and review your personal lifestyle and habits. Make a list of what you like and dislike about your surroundings and what it might take for you to make a move. Los Angeles is in the top 5 worst cities in which to look for work. Not pretty. Interested in the top 5 best cities for employment? The article linked to what you just read spells out the economics.

Employment is becoming increasingly mobile these days for many. As my tagline states, if you’re having difficulty looking for a job, be proactive in creating something for yourself. What’s your passion? If it’s what you were doing in the immediate past, I suggest a more creative way to do it. Take full advantage of what life has to offer; reach out to people–myself included– and look for ways to use your skills, experience and expertise elsewhere.

Do an internet search for work in your profession or industry in either another part of your state or a different state; if you have nothing to lose, you might have the world to gain.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

Yeah, I didn’t think I’d be out of work pushing two years now. So what do I have to show for all this time waiting around for long-term, paid work?

We’ve all heard and read those neat and carefully crafted marketing strategies and summaries of the 10 things to improve your skills and your 6 must haves to get you to the top of the hiring stack. It seems everyone is looking for instant fixes and easy guidelines to follow to get them back on the playing field. Here’s the catch: in today’s world, few know what game’s being played. So how do we prepare? How can we learn to participate in a game that is still in the minor leagues?  Well, it’s not as easy as a 12-step program anymore. Look at some of these celebrities going from rehab programs to jail, and back again; you do the math. And for those who give you the 5 greatest essentials to land your dream job, get seen by the hiring manager and negotiate the deal of a lifetime…that’s just a small part of it. Really, they guarantee nothing, so what’s in it for you? Do we follow all this verbatim?

Well, with countless people pitching every position out there, being the best and all you can be isn’t just for military recruits anymore. A lot of what goes into these “Top Lists” and recipes for career survival do have prime ingredients, but that alone won’t get you the job. They will help, but you need more than that; leave the Top 10 Lists to late-night comedy.

Lots of time and patience…a ton of it.

We can only do so much in a day, so enjoy each day while engaged in your future job search. We aren’t going to get a fabulous job offer overnight – it just won’t happen that way. This website isn’t designed for the handyman hurriedly looking for a missing tool or part to solve the problem. My thrust is to assist you over the course of time…that seemingly evil clock that won’t stop ticking away with each passing swing of the pendulum like a batter practicing his swing waiting for the opposing pitcher to accept the sign from the catcher and waiting what seems like forever to see what curve or fastball you get with so few throws to get a hit. The swing! Is there an instant connection for a home run?

Lots of time and patience…like an athlete practicing his game or a musician fine-tuning her instrument, finding a job today takes far more than necessary skills. It’s an endless waiting game to make it through the draft or hearing from your agent about the audition.

So what do I have to show for my 22 ½ months of unsteady, unpaid labor? I have a lot to be thankful for. No matter how bad it gets, and you know as well as I it gets nightmarish, we can all give thanks in our lives and for our lives. We’re all struggling in many ways as our lives have practically turned upside down. Look to your strengths and the support mechanisms you have (don’t tell me you don’t have any, it’s there if you look hard enough) to guide you through these times. I stay active in my religious, spiritual and service community, I’m involved with my son’s scouting experiences along with spending more time at home in general (not always a bad thing), and I catch up on my reading. I also spend a tremendous amount of time nurturing my network on the phone and through email. I even meet them for a cheap lunch. I apply for jobs. But this whole process starts with one basic thought, one singular mindset or attitude that will set you apart from the rest:

No matter what you do or how you do it, if you don’t fully and completely apply yourself first, that inner struggle to move forward and continue on will suffer and we’ve suffered quite enough. With struggle comes peace and prosperity. May we all get through life’s’ struggles as easily as possible so we may find real peace – and lasting work – in this world.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

You undoubtedly assume I’ve gone completely bonkers over my extended absence, yes? Before you throw your hardrive onto the streets along with what sanity you have left, please let me explain…

Unemployed: out of work. That’s all. Okay, that’s huge as work provides income and money speaks volumes.

To employ is to use, to occupy. When our companies kicked us to the curb, did they really render us useless and unoccupied? Did they somehow remove our brains as we left the parking lot?

No. So, in the broad scope of the term are we truly ‘unemployed’? Was everything taken away from us in one fell swoop? Indeed, it feels that way, but in reality – not so.

“It’s good to have hope, it’s the waiting that spoils it.”

- Yiddish Proverb

As long as we have hope, courage and strength, don’t let the waiting kill our future opportunities and dreams. Don’t just stop dead in your tracks and wait for the train to arrive; you’ll become paralyzed in time and get hit by your lack of motivation to move on.

In order for us to not feel unemployed, we must use our brainpower to stimulate and provide work for the rest of our being so that this whole process doesn’t wholly overwhelm and drown our souls and ambitions.

I did have a 10-week temp assignment at a major network that just ended. This experience, in and of itself, is several blogs that I will share at a later date. I was earning income 40 percent less than what I left. I am thankfully back on my final weeks of UIB after having to go through the ordeal of reopening my claim, but very discouraged at best to have to rely on it. I don’t call this assignment employment because I am always working whether I am driving an income from it or not. Obviously the income makes it all that much sweeter, but I am always working, on task, trying to create long-term, paid work.

“If there’s a bitterness in the heart, sugar in the mouth won’t make life sweeter.”

- Yiddish Proverb

So other than a 10-week gig, what’s new to report you so boldly ask?

Soul-searching, attitude refining and digging under rocks uncovering ways to look for paid work. All of that and more. Even reading. Taking classes focusing on looking inside ones self to become a more complete and positive individual that can generate better energy to move forward in the search to continue my career…new or old. I’m in this for the long haul and I confidently know that in the end, I will have a new beginning and ‘shine like the brightness of the heavens’ (sourced from The Talmud Brachot 17A as found in the book by Rabbi Naomi Levy, “Hope Will Find You”.) Look at what good you have in your life and how much worse it can be, and is, for millions of others. Strive to envision what you contain, not lack. It is clearly the strengths within that will bring you to a place of happiness and prosperity, not the weaknesses we carry around and unknowingly display and try to leverage to our benefit. Look at what we don’t have; pity and help us. This will not go far.

So you can see that although I am making minimal income, I am always working. The goal here, what I aim to accomplish, is to produce revenue from the work. Yeah, an ugly and gruesome struggle; but if we don’t endure the struggle, we will surely lose. The bottom line here is we truly are never unemployed as long as our brains, body and soul, are working.

“You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”

- Yiddish Proverb

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

Not only am I volunteering and pounding the pavement at networking functions, I serve on the Boards of most of the organizations in which I participate!  I’m involved in three job support groups – a must when looking for a job.  Of those three, I’m Vice-Chair of the Training Committee for one, and for another I handle the email marketing aspects sending out newsletters every week.

My time is also occupied by three service organizations: I’m the Executive Vice President of one, VP of Training for another (just returned from running a 2-day retreat) and have been asked to be Programs Chair for the third.

In one of my recent posts, I told you I was helping to manage and build out a company for a friend of mine…I’m still doing it.

Free…I’m doing all of this for nothing.  Why?  Why not?  Yeah, I’d like to be earning income from all of this, but the bottom line is simple.  What else would you be doing?  Playing minesweeper, solitaire or some farm game? No…we need to be pushing the flesh and pushing our limits to find a job. We’ve all heard it before – looking for a job is a full time position, right? Well, I’m simply working overtime because the search is taking much longer then ever planned.  Each day I come home, there’s always more work piling up for the next day.  Unfortunately, looking for work isn’t a job you can leave at the office; it’s an ugly and up-rooting situation that we need to live with 24/7.  Undoubtedly, you need to give yourself plenty of ‘me’ time, but the work can’t be handed over to some trusted associate; it’s all up to us to go out and do it.

So I suggest becoming involved in your networking and job support groups and finding other such workshops and events where you have a bond and share common interests and start working on that.  Take a leadership role when and where possible; build and show off your strengths…get noticed. You never know who’s watching to give you a helping hand as you assist and give back to others.

That said, being effective on all these projects keeps my skills fine-tuned and adds to my overall learning experience.  I have kept myself engaged in so many things, once I land a paying position, I will be able to tap into the additional education I’ve received while unemployed.  You will not discover anything or move forward by sitting idle at a computer; if you’re reading this, thanks!  All I ask is that you choose your computer time wisely; this website is a solid choice and I, again, thank you for your belief and interest in it.  Hopefully it will encourage you to go out into your community and find ventures that interest you.  Exchanging ideas and knowledge with others will empower you to continue in a positive direction and help build your networking skills.

I’ve met hundreds of people over the last 16 months and the ones who’ve found jobs have done so mostly through their own network or via someone else’s.  It’s that crazy saying, the more people you know, they more folks they know.  It works; keep at it and contribute in what you believe.  But first you must believe in you; volunteer the time you need to improve your image and trust yourself more.  Be confident and find the individuals that will share what they know to guide you to success.

So on this Memorial Day Holiday weekend as I speed faster toward my second summer without employment, I sit and think pensively…yes, we have lost our jobs – temporarily.  But reflect for a moment on those who have lost their lives so that we may be able to, for the instant, live in a free society where we are able to choose from a vast assortment of employment opportunities.  Thank those who have fought for our lives and rights to have the capacity to do what we want and where we want to live.

We have no jobs, but we have our lives.  Get busy living it!   Let us give thanks and move forward.  Life is preciously short.  Make the most of our days and use the time wisely.  Think of what we might not have; there’s an abundance of which we have plenty. Use that to find renewed spirit to continue your search for your next chapter.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR - email@theunemploymentor.com

If you really think you’ve done everything you can to find a job and you’re still not employed, guess what?  Something is missing and there’s at least one stone waiting to be unturned.  Maybe it’s time to try something different?  I’m not sure, but whatever it is, what I’ve done thus far hasn’t paid off…yet.  In all my post-interview follow-ups, I’ve been told it wasn’t me. They just found someone slightly better suited to the position. So how do you become the bride instead of the bridesmaid?

Well, if you’ve sent out a million resumes and you’re not getting calls or interviews, it’s clearly time to tweak your resume; find your value and accomplishment statements and put those at the top.  Show employers how you can use the same tools others have but with better results.  If you’re being seen by companies and reaching your target audience, it’s just a numbers game and it’s not your time.

Keep Doing It!

After loading the bases for the umpteenth time, smacking a fast ball to the warning track yet again only to have the outfielder slam into the pavilion wall with the ball in his glove will at least show your opponent you mean business.  If you stun the players enough to show you have meat behind your swing, they’ll weaken and eventually you’ll succeed at hitting a grand slam.  You just have to remember one thing: We must always come out of the dugout swinging consistently strong and determined, but controlled.  Mark your target and keep at it.  You can’t make the All Star Team by giving up.

We must keep our mental state in the game as much as we prepare physically.  As sensational as our accomplishments are, if the employer sees we’re not concentrating and focused, they will catch us off guard and we’ll strike out.  Okay, so we’re batting against the worst losing streak of our career, but we can’t go down a loser; that’s the nastiest way to be remembered.  We’re not losers; we’re simply in an ugly slump…that’s all.

Indeed, looking for a job is a terribly strenuous and gut-wrenching activity, but if we don’t do it, no one’s going to come up to the plate for us – no pinch hitters in this game.  Continue attending all the job support groups for some coaching and motivation.

It’s true…when you feel beaten down, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get back up and stand tall as best you can.  Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and have at it again.  Yeah, it’s not the most exciting game in town, but there are plenty of players wearing the same uniform – we’re everywhere!  Time to huddle together once more to map out the next play…get back in the lineup.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

I’m back to square one.

Yes, it’s been a more active year job search wise than last year thus far, but nothing has stuck.  The phone is ringing, emails are being exchanged and meetings are aplenty, but one resounding and eerily common thread has been in the forefront:

More empty promises.  More rejection.  More rollercoaster rides that end at the bottom forcing me to find my own way back to the starting platform.  More agonizing over what to do next.  More of nothing.  I don’t want anymore.

Can we say that hope is missing, but not lost?  We can indeed, but that begs the question, “If we can’t find hope, reside in the comfort that we are determined and capable enough to find it, then we have an even bigger question of where is it?”  When is something truly lost?  Unless somebody physically threw it out, it has to be somewhere, right?  If our hope is to find a job, and if we give up that hope, it will be lost.  Forever.  We undoubtedly know it has not been trashed.  Yes, our hopes have been dumped on, but hope has not been tossed in the dumpster.  Only we can do that; let’s not go there.

I recently received a comment on one of my articles. The individual quoted his dad as saying, “Tough times don’t last; tough people do.”  These are golden words by which to live.  I couldn’t have said it better, nor could I have taken the credit for such wisdom.  After doing some modern day research which would have taken hours of painstaking detail to perform years ago, after 30 seconds just now, I was able to ascertain that Mr. Gregory Peck originated that quote.  If we say these words everyday, than we can stay tough, maintain hope and keep our dreams alive.  If we let hope fade, then we have given in and all will be lost, sadly.  I would like to thank the reader for bringing his experiences to my attention and enlightening us all with his father’s way of thinking.  It is all in the attitude.  They say for each no, we get closer and closer to the yes. I’m waiting – we’re all waiting.  Still.

We drive. Our cars approach empty.  We fuel our cars, and yet we continue to hover over empty.  It’s almost like a habit we never think about.  We fill up and just go only to have to fill up again with only one fleeting, yet stabbing thought: I just did this, but now I’m paying more for the same privilege.  So we ponder the thought, why bother?  If all we do is just drive, go along our merry way only to run out of gas, why bother?  Well, to properly answer this we need to see where all this driving has taken us.  Has this driving been productive?  At the end of the day, can we say all the driving, aggravation and constant annoyances have all been worth it?  Do we take the time to evaluate and see where we’ve been to make it worth the effort?

I hope…just some fuel for thought.

In order to bring about and cultivate hope, we need to plant something out there to give us hope.  As long as we try, we can hope that what we do will succeed and flourish.  But we need to keep refining and watering our tools and skills; even the best artists in the world continue to train to keep up with the latest in their craft.  Practice does make perfect, but to maintain perfection one must continue practicing.

So in the end, I was right; I was either going to get both jobs, or not.  Sometimes being right isn’t good.  It’s easy at this point to give up hope; what I suggest is to practice hope and to stay tough.

“You have to dream, you have to have a vision, and you have to set a goal for yourself that might even scare you a little because sometimes that seems far beyond your reach. Then I think you have to develop a kind of resistance to rejection, and to the disappointments that are sure to come your way.”

~ Gregory Peck

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

The first quarter of this year has been good to me.  For those unemployed more than nine months (15 for me), hopefully you are able to say things are picking up. Last year at this time was far worse than now.  I have several friends who have interviews and job offers coming out of the woodwork from seemingly nowhere.  Well, maybe it’s from all the seeds we’ve planted over these many moons that are now germinating and blossoming.  It takes plenty of hard work and anguish to find and create job leads; this, by far, is the biggest and badest fight I’ve had to battle in my lifetime – and I have dozens of post-war bruises to prove it but nothing comes close to what I’ve endured since my layoff.  It’s been one complete personal nightmare with all the trimmings.

But Spring is here anew.

As every new day births opportunity, we need to seize it.  I’ve often said to myself what would happen if I designated one single day to do nothing…no shower, no getting dressed – go on a “labor” strike for 24 hours.  It seems that all the work I’ve put in of late hasn’t done much, so what’s the harm in intentionally playing hooky for a day?

You’ve gone this far with the investment kid, so as the seeds grow, if you don’t water what you’ve sowed, your garden will die.  Then what!  This begs the question, “Do we need to water every day?”  The answer is yes as we don’t want to develop bad habits.  It’s terribly easy to give up for the moment, but then all we have is one more missed opportunity.  As salespeople, we’re always looking to close the deal.  If you plant something and nothing grows as often seems the case, then dig up yet another trench and start over.

This is what I’ve been advocating and precisely what I’ve practiced.  Since the beginning of this year, it’s starting to pay off for me.  Many prospects, interviews and offers have come my way, but still nothing has solidified into a signed deal.  Something is always better than no activity at all, true?  Take the positives out of everything for what it’s worth – especially now.

January and February sent me in one direction with hope in the air, and then March sent me in a completely different one as I continue to help my friend build out his once-thriving company allowing me no time to work on my website (can’t you tell?!).  Nobody is having fun; no one is enjoying this ride.  The month of April is springtime and the smell of new beginnings is crisply and palpably in the air.  I can strongly sense the shift, but will it amount to anything?

This week I was called by two entertainment firms requesting interviews on the same day at the same time.  These guys have had well over a year to grab me, and this is what I face?  I’ll take it, gladly!  Obviously I can’t be that accommodating, so I’m meeting with them on different days; I don’t recommend interviewing with more than one company per day for many reasons.  One, traffic is a killer, second you don’t want to feel rushed going from one to another in possibly different ends of town (thus the traffic factor) and you want to allow yourself all the time you need at one location in case last-minute meetings develop with that company.

With my luck, I’ll get one offer and have to call the other to push them along for a decision and try to keep them both afloat long enough to weigh whatever is in the balance without losing either of them.  This would be a good thing; just pray you make the right choice, eh?  Well, let’s just worry about making it through next week intact and then let the spirits do their magic.

So if you’ve read my whole ugly story, I’m sure you’ll find similarities to yours, but the main thing to remember and persevere is just that…persistence; the guts, willingness and courage to continue the fight.  This isn’t some deadly disease, it’s unemployment…we can beat this thing, but you need to stay in the game.  All this year I’ve been complimented by recruiters and HR folks on how fabulous my follow-up and follow through is.  My response is always thank you, that’s what I do.  You can do it too, just keep diggin’ the trenches, planting the seeds and drink plenty of water.

Again, thanks for surfing my wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™

TheUnemployMENTOR - email@theunemploymentor.com

At all these family gatherings we socialize, catch up on things and just plain enjoy each others’ company.  People come and people go.  Interestingly enough, over the course of several years my family struck a friendship with another family at these events.  We don’t always attend every one of them at the same time, but that’s understood.  We have children roughly the same age and the dad of the other family and I share many common interests.  I don’t remember seeing this gentleman at my colleagues’ fathers’ memorial, but I did at her moms’.  We’ve never been close, purely casual, but we’ve always managed to stay in touch which is the point here.

We commiserated over what crappy professional lives we lead and basically cried in our champagne.  Everyone both he and I know are suffering, gravely.  He’s been in and out of his industry for 25 years.  About five years ago, a regional director in his industry contacted him to start up a local office; he hesitated, and then indulged…then the economy tanked.  He’s had assistants, managers, sales people…all let go as a result of changing business models and infrastructures.  Recently production has picked up; one month proves great, and then nothing for months at a time.  That said, still nothing consistent or solid.  He’s been so busy trying to chase leads, keeping things up and running, he’s had no time or financial resources to find another person to start managing it again.  It’s been downright awful.

Just my luck.

The two of us are worlds apart professionally, but we’ve always managed to inquire about what we do and how we keep going and stay above water; not easy to say the least.  He asks me what I’m good at and I ask him.  He’s an operations guy and I’m a detailed, follow up and follow through guy.  I manage.  He runs.  I’m defense, he’s offense.

Just his luck.

We chatted awhile longer and then departed wishing each other well after, of course, exchanging business cards yet again.  Several days later my phone rang.  Guess Who?  We spent several days playing telephone tag; I was busy trying to manage my life, and he was busy chasing his.  He always wanted to get together that second…like what’s the deal, drop your stuff and…run.  Something didn’t quite fit together, didn’t sound right, too last-minute and not thought out.  But again, he’s a runner and I’m more stable.  I wasn’t sure, he sounded fraught with distress.  Well, things in my life aren’t quite fitting together or resounding spectacular either.  He called me again on a particular day which I had set aside to catch up on things – like breathing and making sure I still had all ten fingers and toes.  He asked me what I was doing, can I meet with him.  Now!  I told him I was wearing a sweat outfit, hadn’t shaved and I hemmed and hawed.  He responded by saying, “So?”  I grabbed a portfolio, resume and strength and went to meet my next opportunity.

We spent five hours that day brainstorming over what he’s going through and how he thought we could help each other reach the light at the end of our respective tunnels.  Again, we’re poles apart professionally, but seeing that both our tunnels were quite gloomy, I thought I’d give it a shot.

So here I am learning a brand spanking new industry transferring every possible skill I can muster from the depths of my soul working on building out my friends’ company, developing strategies on every departmental level from the ground up.  For nothing.  For the time being.  For now.  So isn’t it better to actually do something where you can see progress attained with income potential than just chasing after opportunities that have a greater chance at failing?  Try creating opportunities.  My friend is getting tired of chasing business; he doesn’t want it to fail.  He wants to create a sense of balance and peace of mind with his company. And if someone approaches you with an offer that requires you to put on your running shoes to exercise your brain for a few weeks, find some way to manage that.  Take some risk, a possibility that if you put your mind to something completely different and allow yourself to run with it, you just might score the next touchdown.  I’m the glue and his ball is unraveling.

Just Our Luck.

Time for a huddle.  I’ll keep you posted.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™
TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

Fire your resume.  Lay off your cover letter.  Give the boss a new attitude.

You’re the boss, so why put up with shoddy tools?  Stop using a knife, a cheap pair of scissors, a letter opener or a nail file when it’s a screwdriver you’re looking for.  All it’s going to do is dull everything else you attempt using and will render it ineffective next you try to cut your steak or remedy a hangnail.

Stop creating dull instruments and sharpen your job-searching tools by using a specifically tailored hammer that will squarely hit the custom-fitted nail on the head with one single blow without cracking or splitting the job you’re after.  Say goodbye to those Hiring and HR Managers telling you they already have 24,354 of those plain Jane nails, 17,476 hammers that were last used as a riveting irons, and why are you using a pile-driver or jackhammer when we’re looking for something that will fit into a piece of plywood?  It’s hard to make much sense of this, correct?  Exactly!

Simply put folks, why are you continually hitting yourselves over the head when all you’re going to get is a cold shoulder?  Is that going to make you feel better?  How would you look like walking around with a cold shoulder on your head?  Instead of swallowing painkillers along with your pride and sanity, why not eliminate the headache all together?

Put your job-search into overdrive and sink your battered teeth and sore head into TheHireRoad and experience your pain melting away like snow on a temperate, crisp spring day as your jobless storm passes over you heading for some poor soul looking for lightning to strike on the same golf course your neighbor hasn’t shot a par on in 18 months.

After hearing the pundits, professionals and experts shoving the same thing down our throats, I am finally full – no more!  How can we do something different using the same devices?  You can’t!  TheHireRoad revolutionizes, invigorates and catapults your job-search in a completely new direction that will finally position you for that success you’ve been craving.  When everyone’s going in the same direction, you’re bound to get lost and trampled over in the process.  Want to avoid the stampede?  Turn around, avoid the mess, and go where few have thought possible before.

TheHireRoad is the single most comprehensive job search tool available today.  This unique, in-home seminar focuses on differentiation as the key to success, and introduces innovative tools and strategies to help you accelerate your job search and quickly find reemployment.  It is, again, a completely revolutionary and strategic approach that teaches an entirely different methodology.  TheHireRoad will teach you how to go beyond your resume; you will learn a style that will empower you to broadcast your immediate value instead of throwing out a resume which is merely historical.  What have you done for me lately?  No!  TheHireRoad will show you how to determine your value without reiterating what you’ve done in the past as a resume is trained to do; you will be able to target a Company and broadcast to them how you can apply your skills, experience, expertise and style to your desired position right now.  Look…we’ve all been through relationship breakups.  Does the new partner you’re dating really care what you’ve done for your ex’s?  Uh, I don’t think so; they want to know what you can do for them this very second and they want what you have in the worst way.  They want you, baby!

So why historically tell them what you’ve done?  Show them what you can do!

Take the best test-drive of your life: TheHireRoad…Providing Direction For Success.™

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As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™
TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com