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.™

To receive a special $20 discount off the retail price (which is incredibly low to begin with) when ordering the CD Version or Online Version of TheHireRoad, please use these exclusive codes: TUM2010 for the CD Version & TUM2011 for the Online Version and relieve some of that job-search indigestion.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

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

This baby you’re reading will celebrate its 1st birthday on April 1 – I’d be a fool if I didn’t tell you I thought it would have been an easier process.  In any event, it’s really time to evaluate where I’ve been and where I want this website to go…to the bank would be nice, but charging you to read this isn’t the solution.  Major publications and entertainment conglomerates can’t get away with charging for content, so it’s a waste of everyone’s time to think I can.  The amount of information I’ve absorbed relating to how we prepare for and land a job is without question overwhelming, immense and on the level of an unemployed expert on unemployment…so what to do with it?

Well, my initial thought as I developed this site was to do just that – become an expert and consultant on helping others in their job search…except for one thing…I thought I was being original.  Oops!  My concept and layout is original, but there are several others blogging and sharing their stories and others’ much like I am in some form or another; some sites I rival, others are way cooler both in content and design.  The main thing is we’ve all supported and learned from each other which, truth be told, is what it’s totally all about.  I’m very pleased with the numbers my work has generated; if you do an organic Google search for unemployment depression, this website comes up on the first page – almost number one!

I do believe I’m close to cashing in on my idea here, but I want to take this opportunity to share what I judge to be essential ingredients to moving forward once you get that innocent and you’re-just-a-number-on-the-company-scoreboard call from HR telling you of your unwaged fate; once you get that deer-in-the-headlights look off your face, it’s time to stand back up, brush yourself off and check out:

Using Employment Resources In Your Job-Search.

As I researched how to look for a new job, I found myself researching how to research; before one starts looking for a job, one needs to know how, right?  At the same time, I figured I’d also apply a little creative juice and came up with a philosophy on creating a job for yourself as well as moonlighting for a “real” job…the premise for this blog.  Why Just Look For A Job? Create One! Today I am sharing some of that research with you by launching a new page encompassing what I consider to be expert, quality and time-saving advice on the subject.

Each site has its unique flavor and will honestly help you with every aspect of your job-search.  I have found them resourceful, beneficial and comforting.  As you go through them, you will see that others genuinely care about your crisis and how to deal with it and successfully see you though the ordeal of unemployment.

What I find incredibly interesting is if you take the time to research the developers and moderators of these sites, you will find a common bond we all share…reinvention.  All of us were doing something completely different before the economy turned sour; it’s all about making lemonade from the bitter we endure.  We were forced to be innovative and creative in our job-search and so we reached way out there for a different path to future prosperity.  Many of us are starting to see success, others like myself not.  My final point here is if you keep doing the same thing and get the same results…nothing…it’s high time to change your game plan and take it to a new level.  Don’t say what if it doesn’t work, because what you’re presently doing clearly isn’t working.  Please look at these employment resources and reach out to them; we are here to help.  We too are suffering, however by networking with one another we can find avenues of plenty, start feeling good about ourselves, start the process of thinking forward in the search, and making us top-notch candidates for our next position.

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

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

How about never.

Millions of Americans will go back to work, and millions more will not.  The millions that do return to the workforce will not do so in the same fashion in which they left; a good many will get paid below their income and skill level.  That’s not to say they won’t come back to what they once had, it’s just that it will take more time then ever imagined.  The millions who are currently out more than 2 years, I believe will need to start from scratch – build something from the ground up having no experience – sort of what I’m promoting…create a job instead of just looking for one.  Companies will no longer hire above or below what their looking for; if they say they need a person who types 123 words a minute, if you type 122 or 124…you’re screwed, baby.  It’s a buyers market, sadly and I think it will remain that way for the distant future.  This is not bitter speaking, it’s reality.  I know way too many folks in this boat.

When you have a textbook perfect way for the network to work, and it fails, it’s time to really look at what you’re doing and what you’re looking for.  Do not blame your network, blame the system because it’s failed you, miserably.

When I became unemployed, the first thing I did (among dozens of others) was send out an email to every soul who I’d worked with and for.  I have a nice group of people I admire, trust and with whom I’ve maintained super professional relationships.  I got many responses, both good and bad.  Now, this year did start out quite nicely…but.  Hope is in the air and things are truly turning around, however it is quite an effort getting the ball to move.

I received an email from a valuable friend in my network telling me of a temporary position in his department – a woman was going out on maternity leave.  He referred and recommended me to the hiring manager, his boss.  Emails went back and forth, and I interviewed in person and got the offer after an hour of discussions.  The hiring manager was not going to look any further as I was “perfectly qualified”.  The problem here was the position was not approved.  The hiring manager told me I couldn’t be on her books, so I was to be sent to a temp agency to register for the position.  I had absolutely no problem with that as I’ve done that before.  She practically swore on her own grave to trust her and all will be well with the world.  When would I start?

How about never.

The General Manager was not going to approve or fund the 4 months of work and the department would have to operate with the one person who told me about the job and the hiring manager who had the enormously humiliating task of telling me I had no chance.  Not only was the offer rescinded, several other high-level employees were laid off.  This is where networking pays off, one hopes.

This hiring manager is a very nice and helpful woman who mentioned that another company had called her looking for someone that fit my job description to a tea…fifteen years ago, but nonetheless she referred and recommended me to them.  The position was clearly beneath my current skill-set, but the pay scale looked promising, all things considered so I took the lady up on her offer (no pun intended) and called.  Let me say here that this was not my first call to this company as I made contact with them a while back and none of the calls were ever returned…until now.  I received a call back from the HR Manager apologizing for not having returned the call earlier; this is the power of networking, ladies and gentleman.  From never caring who I was to apologizing for not picking up the phone on the first ring.  They wanted to see me the next day.  From the onset of the interview I had a warm cozy feeling; reviewing my resume, the HR manger excitedly mentioned my alma mater.  I asked her what sparked her reaction and she replied, “My boss went to the same school!”  I personally thought this was a bull’s-eye.  Soon after the opening chit-chatter, the hiring manager walked in and we started right in talking shop.  I felt a nice fit.  It was more of a discussion as opposed to an interview – the way it’s intended to operate.  Having done my research, I interjected my acquaintance with one of her LinkedIn contacts who recommended her.  That was a Bingo.  I figured things were going in my favor.  When could I expect a call?

How about never.

The best consolation after being turned down (especially after an offer) is to get referred and recommended elsewhere.  We all knew I could do better, but I was as close to an inside deal as possible.  The pay scale was commensurate with what I left, heavy on the high side but doable if approached.  But no.  I was deemed overqualified.  The HR manager told me (after two follow-up calls) I didn’t know the software which the hiring manager specifically said with my experience and background would be, in essence, a no brainer to learn.  I didn’t buy that logic, in fact was eventually told I am more suitable for a “higher position”, hence overqualified.  I got the obligatory we’ll keep your resume on file, yada, yada, yada…  Nothing ever surprises me anymore; they could very well call on any number of things.  When I made the first follow-up call, I was complemented on my thank you note and was told I’m a fantastic writer.  That was nice and unexpected, so I’m getting used to the unexpected…like not finding a job and getting some much needed traction and recognition for this website and blog I’ve created…or not.

Always have a back-up plan folks and keep moving forward, never give up, and never think you have something until you get a paycheck.  Keep the plates spinning constantly even as you wait for one to pay off.  Keep all your appointments and continuously work around what might be so you don’t lose out on what can be.  Do not cancel on anyone thinking that phone will ring with good news; wait for the good news and then reschedule any outstanding meetings making others aware that you are in a position to now help them as they have helped you.

As far as what I’ve been put through…That’s Entertainment

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

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

Over the course of the last year, I’ve spoken to many groups and have listened to scores of people…bottom line?  What’s the point or value of blogging?  Where’s the money, the interview or the connection?  What’s in the blogosphere for me?

Plenty, and here’s how it works…

My goal is not to tell you or provide instruction on how to build or launch a blog, but to show you its intrinsic value; how and why it can land you a job.  The producing of it is up to you and your research skills.  There are plenty of resources out there fully capable of providing you with numerous options.

Back in the day of the landline telephone, speaking was the communication pathway of choice.  If you needed something, pick up the phone and call, right?  Over the course of the last several years, people have been emailing, texting or putting their thoughts in some other kind of written form to electronically send to one another requiring us to convert what was once the spoken word to the written one.  We needed to develop a persuasive communication tool that was the envy of every English teacher and probably most parents whose child was college-bound; how to write a cohesive letter.  Civilization no longer speaks, sadly – we write or use code (the archenemy of every English teacher!)  So, unemployed cohorts, if you want to get your message across, you’ll have to send it out via the computer or mobile device and don’t bet on being heard, but read.

Blogging keeps you current, busy and technologically hip as you go about your job-search.  A blog will accomplish what resumes don’t…getting to the eyes of a hiring manager without looking like you are desperate for a job.  When you were getting paid to work, were you keeping up on the latest trade publications for your industry?  Did you read case-studies or product reviews?  Were you up on the latest sales numbers?  What did you do with that information?  Did you discuss opinions and results at the water cooler, coffee kitchen or over lunch?  Most likely, without realizing it, you were actively involved volleying information back and forth with your co-workers sharing beliefs over the latest trends or procedures you read or heard somewhere.  Are you doing that now?  Probably not; are you even reading what’s brewing in your sector like you were?  Most will answer no to all of this.  Well you should be…and you should be throwing your 2 cents in like before.  But how can you do this when you’re at home and everyone else (well, not everyone…) is at work?

Blogging in Your Job-Search!

By developing a blog or website devoted to what’s happening in your particular business, you can remain on top of your game and strategically target those with whom you worked by periodically sending them and your professional network your writing.  No longer do you need to bother people with a phone call disturbing their work, just send them a link to your blog that they can enjoy at their leisure.  Make sure to ask for their comments and thoughts; doing this will keep you on the front burners of those that can hire you when things come back.  You will consistently be on the minds of all those you’ve interacted with before your job elimination and you will also remain current and connected with your skills by using today’s technology.  It will seem like you never left!

By writing a blog, you will keep your expertise sharp, you’ll stay on top of your industry and you will be able to effectively communicate this in style to all who care about you and can make a difference when an opportunity arises.  Blogging will also be a sure-fire win when you are asked that nauseating interview question, “So what have you done during your time off?”  You can confidently answer that you have been productive and highly resourceful during your job-search by sharing your views on your profession.  You will add tremendous power and leverage to your meetings by starting a blog.

Again, it’s all about being creative, pro-active and innovative about your job-search; what are you doing different that will get you noticed?  What will single you out from the crowd?  What can you offer and bring to the table that no one else can?  Why should a company hire you?

Why don’t you start a blog and tell us!

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

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

Where?

I’m trying, really!  This story just posted today.  Is the Media hiding the silver lining from us?  Am I simply not looking hard enough, am I just not getting it?  Am I searching improperly?  Tell me!

This week I heard a locally popular speaker tell one of my groups that it’s still a pretty bleak picture and will continue to be for most of this year.  There are some up-ticks and people are starting to get placed; there is a breath of fresh air on the horizon.  Today is certainly better that last year at this time…unless you just got the axe, in which case life has left the building and you are feeling pooped on.  I am actively involved in three job support groups and every week we go around hearing good news from “veterans” and getting introduced to the newbies.  In today’s group we heard more positive stories and people landing offers than we’ve ever seen…and got introduced to more first-timers in quite awhile.  So it’s really where you stand individually in this global epidemic we call unemployed.

Telling a person fresh on the street you’ll find something tomorrow ain’t gonna help their psyche, ‘cause you and I know it ain’t true.  We must be real to each other; I can say if you lost your job this month, you might stand a better chance of getting your feet back on the ground than those that came before you, but the sheer fact of the matter is we all have to go through the same hoops to get a new job regardless of where we’ve been and there is no crystal ball.  We’re all in the same boat; if your port of call is on the itinerary, grab a life vest and congrats!  If not, grab a midnight buffet and try to enjoy the cruise, nausea abounds!  Certainly losing a job as we speak might be a shorter term sentence, but then those folks will have to work and apply themselves that much harder and quicker because of the foreseen increase in hiring.  If so many of us are supposedly riding a potential hiring wave, those that just got beached will have a lot of dog paddling to do to catch up.

So to be positive, just have a good attitude through it all at any level you find yourself being furloughed.  Build your network, maintain it, go to as many outreach and support groups possible, join on-line professional job clubs…all the things I and others have suggested.  As uplifting as things appear to be shaping, let’s hope it’s not some false sense of security.  Those getting laid off now will feel the sting much stronger as the workerbee pool has overflowed and honey is a rarity.  But, like I said, the picture is getting slightly clearer which is positive and good news.  This is the message we must stress and lean upon.  Now is not the time to give up and wait for it to show up just because the sun has risen in some small corner of the world.  Our world is still a dark and murky one; we must continue our efforts just like this happened yesterday…if it did happen yesterday, rest assured the good news for you is that there are plenty of us to go around helping you in your grief and depression.  The support you have now is overwhelming; one year ago, many of these organizations to which I and countless others belong were just starting or didn’t exist.  You have dozens from which to choose aided by the knowledge and mistakes already made to give you the time-tested assistance you require.

Please let me know what it is I can do for you and I will pass along what information I have and by supporting others, you can support yourself.  Today you have the company to share experiences that you might not have had last year, so take advantage of us and reach out for help.

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan, 1893

As Always, Thanks For Surfing My Wave!

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