Posted: 27 Mar 2010 01:59 AM PDT

No one likes to talk about their job search, especially when they're not making much headway, which is unfortunately the case for most unemployed professionals these days. But talking about your job search with your immediate family can be particularly frustrating. After all, they're the ones who have the most to gain or lose from it.

Several of the unemployed IT executives interviewed for the story, Can You Survive Unemployment, said that they didn't like talking about their job searches with their families because their efforts weren't going well. Plus, they didn't want to worry their families any more than they already were.

Another reason they didn't want to discuss their job searches with their families was because 'fessing up to the fact that they weren't getting anywhere made them feel even worse about themselves. They already felt inadequate because unemployment robbed them of their ability to provide for the material well-being of their families. Not making progress in their job searches-and having to share that with their families-exacerbated their feelings of failure and incompetence. Consequently, many just stopped talking about their job searches with their spouses.

The IT executives' partners (most of whom are women) generally reacted in one of two ways: Either they asked their husbands every day how their job search was going, or they didn't ask at all. Neither reaction is ideal, say career coaches.

"If your significant other is constantly asking, What have you done today? Are you getting out there?, it makes you feel like you're being judged, like you're not doing enough," says Michael Thompson, an executive coach and career counselor. "That becomes more destructive than not getting a job or an interview because it sets up a cycle of more yelling, more judgment and more negativity."

Yet job seekers need to take it upon themselves to communicate with their families, says Lisa Caldas Kappesser, a career coach and author of The Smart New Way to Get Hired: Use Emotional Intelligence and Land the Right Job (JIST 2010).

"Communication is so important," she says. "Letting each other know what you're doing and how your job search is going will help you gain your family's support and help them understand what's going on."

Kappesser advises newly unemployed professionals to set expectations with their families about their job search early on. Let them know that, with the economy still so uncertain and unemployment still so high, finding a new job may take a year or more. You don't want to scare them, but you need to be realistic. Reassure them that you'll do everything in your power to land a new job ASAP.

Tell your family that you want to be strategic about your job search and that before sending out any resumes, you may need to spend several weeks up front figuring out what you want to do next, how to brand yourself, and where you need to network, says Kappesser. Share with your family articles that explain how to conduct a job search in a recession (such as Job Search Strategies: Targeting Done Right) so that they can trust that you're following a sound job-search strategy.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Job search tips offered March 30 in Bernards Township (The Bernardsville News)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 07:22 AM PDT

Ruth Lufkin, supervising reference librarian, will feature creative ways to find opportunities through mining the library's resources. She will demonstrate online tools that allow discovery of useful magazine, journal and newspaper information on specific companies, key personnel and particular industries.

Resources that are available remotely to every library cardholder in New Jersey will be highlighted, as well as those specifically available at Bernards Township Library.

The meeting will be held in the Program Room located on the lower level. All are welcome at this free program.

Pre-registration is suggested but not required; those who register in advance using the Program Calendar at www.BernardsLibrary.org will receive an email reminder before the program.

For more information call the Library at (908) 204-3031, ext. 4, or email rlufkin@bernards.org.

Members of the Career Forum and Career Networking Group are especially invited to attend these meetings. Both of these local support groups offer programs of interest to those looking for work or contemplating transition and opportunities to network with other members of the group.

The Career Forum meets at the Somerset Hills YMCA from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings.

The Career Networking Group meets on the first and third Thursday evenings of each month at the Bernards Township Library.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Job Hunting Easier in KC Than Other US Cities (KSHB-TV Kansas City)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 10:37 AM PDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – If you're having trouble finding a job in the metro, you aren't alone.

However, experts say even though the task may seem impossible, folks in the Kansas City area have an easier time than other places in the U.S.

A job search survey conducted by JuJu.com ranks the Metro as the 27th least difficult place to obtain a new job. Kansas City was compared to large metro areas from across the country.

JuJu.com gives its results in numbers. The site divided workers in the 50 largest cities by the number of job postings online.

The findings: for every job advertised on the Web, five Kansas City job seekers apply.

So, when you're thinking you'll never find a job in the metro, know it could be worse some place else.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Job Search

Saturday, March 27, 2010

“How to Discuss Your Job Search with Your Family (Network World)” plus 2 more

“How to Discuss Your Job Search with Your Family (Network World)” plus 2 more

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts