26 Feb 10 The hardest part of your job search

What is the hardest part of your job search?

Is it finding contacts to one of your target companies? Is it building a list of companies you’re targeting? How about preparing for interviews?

For me, the hardest part of my job search is also the most important part.  What I’m about to say is echoed time and again from people I’ve interviewed for the How I Got My Job job search success stories podcast. I believe it’s the most important part and most often the hardest. Because it requires so much work up front. (more…)

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Tags: 48 Days to the Work You Love, Employment, job hunt, Marketing, Seth Godin

19 Feb 10 On not hearing back after applying online

Ever felt snubbed by an HR department when you’ve sent in your application, having dotted all the i’s and crossed the t’s?

Here’s an interesting article shared on a LinkedIn group I’m a part of that might make you feel better:

Complaint Box | The E-Snub – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com

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05 Feb 10 A pink slip or a blank page?

Getting laid off and losing a job doesn’t have to be the end of the world.  It can be the best time to reinvent yourself. As one person in Lemonade: The Movie said, it’s not a pink slip – it’s a blank page.

Please set aside 36 minutes and watch this movie. I saw it on Hulu, and I’ve embedded it here for your convenience.

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Tags: attitude, laid off, lemonade, multiple careers, reinvent, video

16 Jan 10 Dealing with down days

crossposted to danieljohnsonjr.com/main

Yesterday was a down day. I don’t think I’ve felt so down like this in quite a long time. It was quite an emotional day of dealing with insecurity, anxiety, stress, and self-doubt.

As I think back to what contributed to this, I can definitely see that, among many things, I was very tired from having overextended myself earlier in the week. In addition, I haven’t been as active physically lately. I’ve loved taking our dog for long walks and using that time to relieve stress and haven’t been doing that as much.

I think down days are good for us, and I’m grateful that I saw it as only temporary. When we’re in those down periods, it’s good to explore why we’re feeling what we’re feeling to see what we can do to get back up.  For me, it was taking a long nap and getting out of the home and going for that long walk with the dog.

I’m grateful to have great emotional support from my family. I’m glad my wife encourages me the way she does, and that I have a daughter who thinks I’m the greatest Dad ever. Because it’s so easy for me to look in the mirror, or be told on the phone or in an interview or a rejection letter that I don’t measure up to expectations.

I’m grateful for a network of friends who think very highly of me and let me know. I need to be reminded of my accomplishments, to be encouraged, just as much as I encourage others.

So I spend time in prayer and meditation. I find that music to help me with my mind and listen. I watch funny movies. I check out these 37 Videos That Will Blow Your Mind (thanks again, Chris Ryan, for pointing me to the link!).

And I blog.

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Want to hear how others got their jobs? Listen to How I Got My Job - the job-hunting success stories podcast at http://www.howigotmyjob.com

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Tags: Add new tag, Anxiety, Emotion, Health, Meditation, Mental Health, stress

30 Dec 09 Top 10 Get That Job! posts you liked from 2009

I recently put together a composite, highly-subjective list of some of my favorite posts across all my blogs. It’s still interesting to see what you’ve enjoyed reading as well. Based on Google Analytics data, here are the top 10 Get That Job! posts from this year:
10. National Podcast Post Month series: job interview questions answered
9. How to prepare for your first job fair
8. Workshops, HARO, and Lowball Job Offers
7. Pursuing your passion
6. It’s time to move on
5. Overcoming rejection
4. Using social media for a job search | Rachel Levy – Boston marketing pro (social networking, Twitter)
3. How to find freelance and consulting jobs
2. I have a document like this and so should you
1. Promise Me Something

Hat-tip goes to Chris and John from Marketing Over Coffee for the idea.

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Tags: zeitgeist

22 Jan 10 Looking for a non-profit job?

Could a job with a non-profit be in your future? I’ve interviewed a few people who landed jobs at non-profits. They’ve shared that the biggest difference between working at a non-profit versus a for-profit is that at a non-profit you don’t work to make money; you work to make a difference.

Here’s a comprehensive list of job boards for non-profit job seekers:

http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/tips-and-tools/nonprofit-jobs

I wish you the best in your search. Let me know when you’ve landed so that we can share your story with others.

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• Posts tagged ‘non-profit’ (howigotmyjob.com)

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Tags: Business and Economy, Employment, job board, job search, Non-profit organization

07 Jan 10 Overcoming the dread of resume writing (BOOK REVIEW)

I made a confession on Twitter and Facebook yesterday: I hate writing resumes and cover letters and sending them off to people. I realize it’s a necessary part of the hiring process, but I’ve found it tedious and in some ways overwhelming.

I think the reason for this has to do with changing a career. I have a resume that somewhat worked for what I did at my last job, but, since I’m now moving in a different direction, I have to come up with a different resume. In my mind that often seems to be like an insurmountable task.

Last week I went to the library and browsed the books in the job hunting section for inspiration. I noticed this thin, tall book by fellow Cincinnatian Andrea Kay, entitled Resumes That Will Get You the Job You Want (affiliate link). This book was first written in 1997, and it contains a lot of things that are helping me overcome my dread of writing a resume.

Andrea writes in a real, down-to-earth style, and I love the approach that the book takes. She starts from having us inventory our strengths, expertise, and experience. Then she helps us get to the core of what we want to do and how we can make a difference, combining this into a thesis statement and objective. Once we do that, we’re able to put the accomplishment statements that support the thesis on the resume.

I’m still reading the book, but I wanted to let you know about it right now, because it’s actually given me hope that I can overcome my dread of writing a resume. I also have no problem recommending you check it out and use my affiliate link. Check it out at the library, or get it here.

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• Using Social Networking Sites for Job Searching (timesunion.com)

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Tags: Andrea Kay, book review, Cover letter, Resumes and Portfolios, Writing

04 Dec 09 Series Wrap-Up – NaPodPoMo Day 30

Background

As part of NaPodPoMo, I’ve released a video (preferred) or audio (if needed) segment every day in November 2009, where I practiced answering a typical interviewing question.  Were my answers perfect? Probably not.  This experiment had the following objectives:

• Practice answering typical interviewing questions
• Produce content for the internet on a consistent basis
• Develop some rudimentary skill in video production

Here, then, for your enjoyment, is the last installment of the series, as Day 30 of 30:

NaPodPoMo Day 30: Series Wrap-up

Feedback

Dawn from Cincinnati sent in a great critique of how I did with the videos, mentioning that the idea was great and shared some suggestions for how I could get better. Chris Meyer from Las Vegas sent in some audio feedback that this series came out at a time that he was interviewing for a job, and the interviewers commented that he was well-prepared. This series helped him be prepared for the interviewing questions.

Lessons Learned

• Seeing the return on my time investment. Producing video content to go out every single day was rather strenuous. If I didn’t see the benefit of me getting practice answering job interview questions, I probably wouldn’t have done it this way.
• Producing in bulk, scheduling to be published later. Many of these videos were recorded and produced in bulk, and then scheduled to be published on the days they went out.  Creating content, whether video or blog posts, in bulk while in a creative frame of mind, was very helpful.  Being able to schedule the blog posts ahead of time was also very helpful.
• Learning to produce and edit video. I feel much more comfortable recording, editing, publishing, tagging, and in general producing video now. The tools I used were
  • Lenovo Easy Capture for the webcam recording, built-in laptop mic
  • Windows Movie Maker to edit, add titles, and publish
  • Free Video Converter utility to convert WMV files to MP4
  • iTunes to add ID3 tags
• Promoting through social networking. Promoting the videos on Facebook and LinkedIn, and occasionally on Twitter, helped drive traffic.
• Would I do this again? I don’t know if I’d commit to producing video every day like this. We’ll see. NaPodPoMo 2010 is a ways off.

The background music for this series is called “Dodging Buses” by Derek K. Miller. Check out his Penmachine Podcast.

If you would like to download this file directly, you can do that as well. Direct link (mp4, 8:27, 16.4 MB)

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• How have you demonstrated effective written communication skills? – NaPodPoMo Day 19 (getthatjobonline.com)
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• National Podcast Post Month (NaPodPoMo) (danieljohnsonjr.com)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (16.5MB)

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Tags: Derek K. Miller, feedback, interviewing, job search, lessons learned, NaPodPoMo, video, video production

29 Nov 09 When have you had to deal with an upset customer or coworker? – NaPodPoMo Day 29

Background

As part of NaPodPoMo, I’m releasing a video (preferred) or audio (if needed) segment every day in November 2009, where I’m practicing answering a typical interviewing question.  Will my answers be perfect? Probably not.  This experiment has the following objectives:

• Practice answering typical interviewing questions
• Produce content for the internet on a consistent basis
• Develop some rudimentary skill in video production

Here, then, for your enjoyment, is the next installment of the series, as Day 29 of 30:

Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.

I will be reading your feedback on Day 30 of this series, so please send in your comments. Has this series been helpful to you? Was I truly crazy to do this project? etc.

The background music for this series is called “Dodging Buses” by Derek K. Miller. Check out his Penmachine Podcast.

If you would like to download this file directly, you can do that as well. Direct link (mp4, 5:30, 10.6 MB)

Related articles by Daniel Johnson Jr and Zemanta

• How have you demonstrated effective written communication skills? – NaPodPoMo Day 19 (getthatjobonline.com)
• Mastering the Behavioral-Based Interview (timesunion.com)
• What would your previous coworkers say about you? – NaPodPoMo Day 05 (getthatjobonline.com)
• Persuade me that you have strong analytical skills. – NaPodPoMo Day 17 (getthatjobonline.com)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (10.6MB)

Did you like this post? Please subscribe right now. Get this and other job-hunting and career-development content from the source at www.getthatjobonline.com.

Want to hear how others got their jobs? Listen to How I Got My Job - the job-hunting success stories podcast at http://www.howigotmyjob.com

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Tags: customer service, Derek K. Miller, interpersonal skills, interviewing, job search, NaPodPoMo, video

28 Nov 09 When have you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done? – NaPodPoMo Day 28

Background

As part of NaPodPoMo, I’m releasing a video (preferred) or audio (if needed) segment every day in November 2009, where I’m practicing answering a typical interviewing question.  Will my answers be perfect? Probably not.  This experiment has the following objectives:

• Practice answering typical interviewing questions
• Produce content for the internet on a consistent basis
• Develop some rudimentary skill in video production

Here, then, for your enjoyment, is the next installment of the series, as Day 28 of 30:

Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

I will be reading your feedback on Day 30 of this series, so please send in your comments. Has this series been helpful to you? Was I truly crazy to do this project? etc.

The background music for this series is called “Dodging Buses” by Derek K. Miller. Check out his Penmachine Podcast.

If you would like to download this file directly, you can do that as well. Direct link (mp4, 4:52, 9.4 MB)

Related articles by Daniel Johnson Jr and Zemanta

• How have you demonstrated effective written communication skills? – NaPodPoMo Day 19 (getthatjobonline.com)
• Mastering the Behavioral-Based Interview (timesunion.com)
• What would your previous coworkers say about you? – NaPodPoMo Day 05 (getthatjobonline.com)
• Persuade me that you have strong analytical skills. – NaPodPoMo Day 17 (getthatjobonline.com)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.2MB)

Did you like this post? Please subscribe right now. Get this and other job-hunting and career-development content from the source at www.getthatjobonline.com.

Want to hear how others got their jobs? Listen to How I Got My Job - the job-hunting success stories podcast at http://www.howigotmyjob.com

Check out Daniel Johnson, Jr. on LinkedIn.

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Tags: Derek K. Miller, interviewing, job search, mistakes, NaPodPoMo, problem-solving, video