24 Jun 09 Local Job Search Focus Groups

: Image by Joe Dunckley via Flickr

I feel very privileged to be a job seeker in Cincinnati right now. I first found out about Cincinnati’s Job Search Focus Group last December from Steve Platt, a friend I first met at a LinkedCincinnati event last August.

The Job Search Focus Group is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that supports individuals searching for new employment opportunities. They meet Monday mornings at the Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church. Since 1992, over 10,000 job seekers have graduated from their program. This faith-based organization has been featured in the Wall Street Journal as well.

Do you have a job search focus group in your area? If so, please leave the details in the comments.

Churches add job search groups (news.cincinnati.com)

Did you like this post? Please consider subscribing for free. 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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12 Jun 09 Back in the job search!

photofunia_2054228

Key Dates

September 1994 - First day of full-time work after graduating from college
September 1997 - Last day of work at first job
November 1997 - First day of work at consulting company
June 1998 - Last day of work at consulting company
August 1998 - First day of work at second consulting company
June 2002 - Last day of work at second consulting company
January 2005 - First day of work at a Professional Employer Organization (PEO)
August 2006 - Last day of work at PEO
January 2007 - First day after being rehired at PEO
June 2009 - Last day of work at PEO

I don’t know what exactly made me want to present the dates in this way, except maybe to show that job transition isn’t uncommon and announce that I, too, am back in the job search.

I started this blog back in July 2002 as a way to document and share resources I’d found online in my job search. If it might be useful for me, it might be useful for you, too. This was before social bookmarking sites like Delicious were around, so some of those earlier posts just contain links.

I expect that blogging here at Get That Job! will increase over the coming months, and I’m going to look for other ways I can provide value to you who read this. As you might already know, I’ve been producing an internet radio series called How I Got My Job, where I share job hunting success stories from other people. The initial motivation was to help listeners keep a positive attitude while in transition. I need that myself now more than ever.

If you haven’t reached out yet, please do. Find me online at my About page. What successful job search strategies have you found?

Thanks again for accompanying me on this journey.

How to Find a Job Online (wealthyways4you.com)
Twitter: The Best Job Search Tool Ever (blogworldexpo.com)
How I Got My Job as Tech Center Manager at a Public Library - Christian Sheehy (howigotmyjob.com)

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Tags: laid off, Professional Employer Organization

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10 Jun 09 It’s Time To Move On

: Image via Wikipedia

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except for what you’re going to do right now and do it. — William Durant”

via QuotesBlog

(Rightly) Believing In Yourself (micasadenipa.blogspot.com)
When Failure Happens (a-startup-guy.com)
7 Failures That End Up Successful (healthmoneysuccess.com)

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Tags: attitude, failure, mistakes, overcome, quotation

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11 May 09 The Emotional Side of Job Search

I mentioned recently that in April I gave a talk about The Emotional Side of Job Search to some job seekers in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Below are the slides I used in my presentation:

The Emotional Side of Job Search

View more presentations from Daniel Johnson, jr..

If you haven’t seen some of the pictures from the workshop during my talk, you can find them here: Photos from Maximizing Your Job Search Workshops in Cincinnati, Ohio

And if you haven’t yet, please Promise Me Something.

Workshops, HARO, and Lowball Job Offers (getthatjobonline.com)
Promise Me Something (getthatjobonline.com)

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Tags: attitude, Business and Economy, job search, maxjobsearch

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29 Apr 09 Workshops, HARO, and Lowball Job Offers

It’s so great to be amazingly busy, and if you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know what I’m up to. Still, I know you like to have some good stuff to read from time to time. With that in mind, here are some things I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you.

Maximizing Your Job Search Workshop, Crossroads Community Church, Cincinnati, Ohio

: Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

In February I gave a talk in front of about 150 job seekers about the How I Got My Job project, entitled “Real People. Real Job-hunting Success Stories.” Last night I gave another talk to about 50 job seekers entitled “The Emotional Side of the Job Search” (links to slides coming soon). In addition to the photo on this page, there are some more photos from Maximizing Your Job Search Workshops held in Cincinnati, Ohio on Flickr.

Job-hunting success stories wanted

I recently submitted a request to Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter for individuals to interview for How I Got My Job. So far the response has been great. A lot of real people have genuinely interesting stories to share. If you would like to share one of your job-hunting success stories, please get in touch to set up a phone interview: successstories AT howigotmyjob DOT com. Please keep in mind that it can be any job that you’ve landed; I have collected stories from over 15 years ago!

Evaluating job offers

One of the questions I ask during the How I Got My Job interviews is how people have evaluated job offers. I believe advice on how to do this effectively is sorely needed, especially in the current job market. Check out this working guide for evaluating lowball salary offers from Liz Ryan.

When the Job Search Gets Too Frustrating (usnews.com)
TwitterJobSearch: Find a Better Job Today (blippitt.com)
Ideas to help you stay upbeat for your job hunt (halliecrawford.typepad.com)

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Tags: Business and Economy, Cincinnati, Employment, haro, higmj, howigotmyjob, Job hunting, Job interview, job search, maxjobsearch, salary negotiation, twitter

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03 Mar 09 Promise Me Something

: Image by paul+photos=moody via Flickr

I know you’re hurting.

When I was unemployed and underemployed in 2003-2004, those were very dark times for me. The stress of not being able to provide for my family overwhelmed me to the point where I became seriously depressed. Seriously depressed. The pain I felt was nearly unbearable. I found a psychiatrist and therapist and took some medicine and talked with other people. I was involved in a church community.

Depression clouds everything

Still, there were times I thought about ending it all. Yes, there were rare times of what they call “suicidal ideation“. I was open about those thoughts and feelings. I made myself accountable to others who would ask me:

“Are you taking your medicine?”
“Are you going to your appointments?”
“How are you really doing today?”

Depression clouds everything, especially in a job search. When you’re depressed you don’t feel like you have anything to offer anyone. Maybe this hits us guys more than the ladies because we get so much of our identity from what we do for a living. When that is taken away from us, we feel like part of our soul has been ripped out.

There are days you don’t even want to wake up. You want the pain to go away.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Stay in the battle

Promise me something. No matter how bad it gets - don’t give up. Stay in the battle. Look at yourself in the mirror - no, STARE DOWN the person in the mirror - and repeat these two statements of fact:

You are better than you think you are.
You can do more than you think you can.

The biggest reason I created the How I Got My Job project is for times like this. Surround yourself with success. Just hearing that someone else got a job can give you hope. Listen to these stories over and over again. Let them sink into your consciousness as you begin to believe in yourself again.

Read this excellent article from Christopher S. Penn about How Your iPod Can Protect Your Mind.

Get help

Finally, get help. No man is an island. We were made to be social creatures, and we need to get and stay connected with others. We live in an age now where connecting online is so easy. Even more importantly, though, get connected to people in-person. You need to find people to meet up and network with. Find people who will inspire and encourage you, people who are not afraid to tell it like it is. Heck, feel free to get in touch with me. I try to make myself as approachable as possible. Get some therapy if needed.

To share this post on Twitter, please copy and paste the following text:

RT @danieljohnsonjr: (via Get That Job!) Promise Me Something: http://bit.ly/promise-me

Respond to Depression (articlesbase.com)
Six Great Ways to Vent Your Frustrations (lifehack.org)

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Tags: Depression, job hunt, job search

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23 Feb 09 How to find freelancing and consulting jobs

: Image by TheSeafarer via Flickr

via ClarkHoward.com:

Feb 16, 2009 — New websites to find freelancing and consulting jobs

Clark is making it part of his new mission to be a resource for the unemployed and the underemployed during this tough economic cycle.

The conventional wisdom about education and employment — as your level of education rises, the less likely you are to be impacted by lay-offs — has been completely flipped on its head this time around. This recession knows no boundaries in terms of education, skill level, training or years on the job.

If you have skills of a certain nature, try picking up some consulting work (aka freelancing) on a per-job basis. The Internet offers a variety of sites that hook freelancers up with employers. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Tom Abate has compiled a list of such websites, including the following ones:

• eLance.com
• oDesk.com
• Guru.com
• crowdSPRING.com

These sites are being called “virtual hiring halls” because they’re a modern adaptation of the union hall idea where workers would go to await job orders.

Speaking of Clark Howard, I recommend checking out his website and consider signing up for his weekly newsletter for more tips on how to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped-off.

Clark Howard: There’s danger in your wallet (cnn.com)
New Website Helps the Unemployed Become Entrepreneurs (seomashup.blogspot.com)

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Tags: Add new tag, Business and Economy, Clark Howard, Freelancer

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05 Feb 09 Using social media for a job search | Rachel Levy - Boston marketing pro (social networking, Twitter)

: Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

I initially started this blog as a resource for myself. As I read and consume content that I think would be worthwhile sharing, I often consider it in that frame of reference.

Such is the case with this jewle jewel from Rachel Levy:

Using social media for a job search | Rachel Levy - Boston marketing pro (social networking, Twitter).

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Tags: job search, linkedin, rachel levy, social media, twitter

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30 Jan 09 I have a document like this and so should you

See what I mean A coworker just commended me on something through an instant message (IM):

“Thanks, you saved me today with your help.”

It reminded me that I have a document for comments like this, so I added it to the “Quotes about my Performance” document I have. You should have one, too.

Why you should have this

A document like this is important for several reasons. I’ll include some ones I have, and I encourage you to add to the list in the comments:

Credibility of your accomplishments. It serves as a record of your accomplishments in someone else’s words.
Recommendations. Comments like these can be used in promotional material for yourself.
Cover letters. Specifically, reinforce a point made in a cover letter with a quote from a coworker or client about what you’ve done.
Encouragement. When you feel down or discouraged, you can refer to this list and remember that you have done something others have found valuable
References. Chances are if people have praised your work before, they might serve as references. Feel free to remind them what they’ve said if they have forgotten.

Where to find them

I’ve identified some places where you find quotes from others about you. Feel free to add to the list in the comments:

E-mail. If you have worked where you send and receive e-mail, you probably have some messages with morsels of praise within. Find those messages. I have often forwarded work messages with content like this to my personal account for this very purpose.
Performance Reviews. Chances are, if your company does performance reviews, your boss or manager has said something nice about what you’ve done, and you have a copy of it somewhere.
LinkedIn Recommendations. If you’re on LinkedIn (and you should be if you’re reading this blog- we should even be connected!), you can ask your connections for recommendations. Not only are they useful on your profile over there, but you can include them in this list.
Blog/Twitter trackbacks. If someone whose opinion you value highly has commended you in a blog post, on Twitter, or through some other form of “new media,” you can use Google Alerts and Twitter Search to find those comments.
Audio. I may be reaching a bit, but, let’s say you listen to a podcast or interview, or have been interviewed by someone else. Chances are you’re being interviewed because someone finds what you have to say important.

Start creating one

There are a few ways you can start creating a list like this:

Handwritten. Get yourself a notebook and start recording these comments in it. I used to have a page in a Franklin Planner many years ago for this. This might get time consuming, though, and you’ll have to be careful not to misplace your notebook.
Word. Create a document in Microsoft Word or other word-processing software and start adding to the list. But you’ll need to save this document somewhere and hope you’re able to keep track of it.
Online. I use Google Docs for this purpose, since I’m able to carry my Google account with me wherever I go, even if I leave an employer and have to give the computer back.

RT @danieljohnsonjr: (via Get That Job!) I have a document like this and so should you: http://tinyurl.com/gtj-doc

Elements of a Good LinkedIn Recommendation (chrisbrogan.com)
Three Books to Check Out (chrisbrogan.com)
Open up most files with Google Docs automatically (news.cnet.com)

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Tags: Franklin Planner, Google Docs, linkedin, Performance Review, twitter, Twitter Search

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27 Dec 08 How You Got Your Job?

XKCD puts education and even post-secondary education in perspective:

xkcd - A Webcomic - 11th Grade

On Twitter, @hookedonwinter posted the link to this comic and said, “how I got my job.”

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Tags: Education, self-taught, xkcd

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24 Jun 09 Local Job Search Focus Groups