Friday, June 18, 2010

“7 obstacles to avoid in your job search” plus 2 more

“7 obstacles to avoid in your job search” plus 2 more

7 obstacles to avoid in your job search

Posted: 18 Jun 2010 09:18 AM PDT

If you've been conducting a job search for too long, or with too few results, time can seem like the enemy rather than one of your resources – especially if you're running out of cash. How can you turn things around? I've learned to watch for seven obstacles common to underperforming job searches. (A word of warning: None are market-based. These issues are "evergreen," cropping up in good times and bad, at all levels.)

♦

Lack of a plan. If you don't know what job you're seeking, or what companies you plan to approach, it's no wonder you're not making progress – you don't know what direction to go.

Solution: Create a plan that includes a target job, target employers and people to contact. If you can't, then your first step is to meet with a counselor to help you do so.

♦

Lack of commitment. Maybe you have a plan but you're not pushing yourself. In effect, this is the same as having no plan.

Solution: You can either make a new plan, or recommit to the original one by reminding yourself that you made this plan for a reason. Or, a little tougher: Recommit by remembering that you need the money, period.

♦Lack of structure. OK, you've got a plan you're committed to, but entire days still slip by with little or no productivity.

Solution: You need to create a structure, perhaps like this: two days a week focused on networking and meetings, one day on sending letters and resumes, and one day on follow-up calls and research. The fifth day is scheduled as needed.

♦Feeling overwhelmed. Being unemployed is definitely overwhelming; when we're overwhelmed we tend to avoid the problem, opting instead for housecleaning or overeating.

Solution: Break things into small steps. If tomorrow is the day to write letters, spend the last 15 minutes of today noting five people you'll write to. When you get up, allow yourself one hour per letter, then one hour for proofreading. Hit the send button, lay out the tasks for the next day and stop.

♦Loss of momentum. As in exercise, keeping a steady pace in job search is more important than spurts of activity at odd intervals.

Solution: Set a pace that works for you. One hour a day? OK – stick to it. If something happens to today's hour, start over again tomorrow, but don't let two days go by or the momentum will be hard to recapture.

♦Distractions. This is the big one for summertime, especially if the kids are home, be they grade-schoolers or college graduates.

Solution: Anticipate and manage the distractions. If you want to be outside at midday, get up early to do your job search. If having a teenager around bugs you while you're trying to focus, lay down the rules of the house: No one home during the day. Little kids? Form a baby-sitting co-op with another job seeker.

♦Loss of confidence. None of the other obstacles and solutions matter if you don't believe you can get work. Whether your feelings stem from the way you left your last job, the length of your unemployment or something deeper, you need to tackle this and move forward.

Solution: The best solution may be to seek counseling, especially if this has been ongoing. If it seems situational, then try this exercise: Each time you think of a deficit ("I don't know anything about databases"), force yourself to think of an asset ("I'm quite good with spreadsheets"). By refocusing your thinking on what you have to offer, rather than on what you're missing, you're making a habit of presenting yourself in a positive light. Since assets are the primary topic of interviews, you'll find that this exercise also leads you to stronger conversations with employers when the time comes.

Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

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Big turnout for 'Job Search Boot Camp'

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 02:21 PM PDT

WINSTON-SALEM -– Mike Prewitt was laid off as a systems analyst after 21 years at a textile company.

"I thought I was going to retire at Sara Lee," said Prewitt, 61. "It was a big surprise, you wouldn't figure a whole division would be dissolved."

And he's not alone.

IT specialist Rhonda Carson was laid off from banking giant Wachovia/Wells Fargo after 13 years.

"I've never been out of work for the past 24 years, so it's a new thing for me," she said.

Both attended Thursday's "Job Search Boot Camp," sponsored by Forsyth Tech's Continuing Education Division.

It was taught by Damian Birkel, who started "Professionals in Transition," a national support group, after being unemployed 4 times himself.

"When I was out of work I felt like I had 'loser' tattooed to my forehead," said Birkel.

The class helps folks deal with the emotions of losing a job.

Birkel says job-hunters need to develop a job plan based on past experiences, interests and strengths, work on a resume and interview skills. Then make their first job, finding a job.

"It gets very discouraging and it is easy to get down and, after multiple rejections, give up," said Birkel.

The seminar also provided another thing that's critical to finding a job these days: networking.

"Eighty percent of all jobs are hidden, and networking is the way for you to find a job," said Birkel.

He said only seven percent of jobs are found through the internet, so he advocates getting away from the computer and getting out in the community.

"I think anytime you're making networks, it helps with interviewing skills, to meet new people," said Carson.

Prewitt says he got a job lead from some he met in another class.

"Seeing people, shaking hands, that's the best way," said Prewitt. You can find more tips on job searching on the Web site for "Professionals in Transition."

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Search for young Spider-Man is on

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 10:07 PM PDT

Tom Long / The Detroit News

The hottest star search in Hollywood these days -- yes, even more fevered than the quest to find the female lead for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" -- is the hunt for a new webslinger. At age 35, original Spider-Man Tobey Maguire is simply too old to reprise the role, since the next movie takes Spidey back to his high school origins again. Director Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer") will be taking over the franchise, and the following faces are rumored to be major contenders for the prized role. We offer some background and our odds on who'll land the job.

Anton Yelchin ("Star Trek," "Terminator Salvation"): 2 to 1

Josh Hutcherson ("Journey to the Center of the Earth," "The Kids Are All Right"): 3 to 1

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Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot," "King Kong"): 5 to 1

Aaron Johnson ("Kick-A**"): 6 to 1

Alden Ehrenreich ("Tetro," "Somewhere"): 10 to 1

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