15 Jul 11 The Pursuit of Happyness

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Few movies have moved me on such a visceral level like “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith. The movie is based on real-life events of Chris Gardner.

I recommend seeing it. Again. (more…)

Tags: achievement, attitude, interviewing, job search, movies, Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith

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25 Mar 10 What is unemployment teaching you?

: Image by George Eastman House via Flickr

Carla, a longtime blogging friend, posted this on my Facebook wall yesterday:

I want to pose this question, Dan, to you and some of your readers of your blog. I am pondering the answering to this in my own life because I need some perspective in my own family’s situation, and would like some thoughts from others on this too. “What is unemployment teaching you”–about how you see life, family, Faith etc. It’ll be interesting to hear answers to this question!

When I think about the times I’ve been unemployed (and even underemployed), they have been defining moments for me.

I think I’ve been able to see my life as more than just a job. Unemployment forced me to separate work from my identity. With so many other people unemployed, and with the “wounded animal” demeanor that often accompanies the announcement that one is unemployed, I resolved to not let it be the most interesting thing about me.

It has naturally been a huge strain on my family financially. Unemployment benefits are certainly better than nothing, but they are barely enough to live on. So it forced us to really consider what is important. As one friend told me, when it’s really boiled down, all we really need is food, shelter, and clothing. This friend has been seriously reconsidering the direction his life is taking and is making some changes.

Managing the emotional side of job search has been one of the key things I really went after this time around. I resolved at the beginning of 2010 to be an incurably tough-minded optimist. It’s been hard, but that resolve has helped me focus on protecting my mind from negativity and disappointment.

I’ve read so much more during this period because I knew I needed to continue growing and changing, and I look forward to continuing this habit.

Having emotional support, not only from my family, but also from my church community and local job search support groups, has been very important this most recent time around.

Now it’s your turn…

What do you think about what Carla has asked? What is unemployment teaching you?

Unemployment and Underemployment (jibberjobber.com)
Unemployed Networking – Free for Unemployed (friendswhocare.us)
TweetDeck Targets a Growing Audience: The Unemployed (readwriteweb.com)

Tags: emotional support, job search, Underemployment, unemployment, Unemployment benefits

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04 Dec 09 Series Wrap-Up – NaPodPoMo Day 30

Background

: Image by shawnogram via Flickr

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)

How have you demonstrated effective written communication skills? – NaPodPoMo Day 19 (getthatjobonline.com)
Mastering the Behavioral-Based Interview (timesunion.com)
Free Video Editing Tools: Guide To The Best Software And Web-Based Services (masternewmedia.org)
National Podcast Post Month (NaPodPoMo) (danieljohnsonjr.com)

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

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

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02 Oct 08 My First Real Job

Image by Valerie Everett via Flickr

This morning I was reminded of the first real job I had when I was in high school. I had a small paper route when I was in junior high school and the lawn-mowing jobs during the summers, but this was my first real part-time job.

My stepmother went to high school with the owners of an Angilo’s Pizza franchise in our neighborhood. Probably because she was tired of seeing me hang around at home so much, she had me go up and fill out an application. I got the job and began learning how to make pizzas and hoagies. I was 14 years old.

I worked part-time at Angilo’s during high school until after I graduated and went on to college. Over time I demonstrated my reliability and was able to open and close the store on my own.

We started doing delivery, and when I got my driver’s license, I became one of their best delivery drivers.

I think I went through a Nissan Datsun, a Chevy Chevette, and a Ford Granada during my time there.

I learned a lot about hard work, and somehow still managed to excel at school.

What was your first job, and what life lessons did it teach you?

This post originates from http://getthatjobonline.com

Tags: cars, high school, pizza

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24 Mar 08 7 easy ways to get fired

Inc.com produced a slide show listing 7 Easy Ways to Get Fired.

Be careful, folks.

—–
Check out my other blogs:
Daniel Johnson, Jr.
Journey Inside My Mind Blog
Journey Inside My Mind Podcast
QuotesBlog
Twitter.com/danieljohnsonjr

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19 Dec 07 How do you face intimidating opportunities?

Do you run toward or away opportunities that you know would require a change in your character? What I talk about here could be applied not only to job searching, but to life in general.

Links mentioned:

Mobile post sent by danieljohnsonjr using Utterz. Replies. mp3

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29 Oct 07 Craigslist Job Seeker Killed

I firmly believe in using social media and new media tools in our job searches; tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Craigslist. These and several others make it easier than ever to connect with people.

Having said that, we still need to be careful, as Steven Rothberg from College Recruiter.com mentions:

Front page news in the Minneapolis newspapers over the past couple of days has been the killing of Katherine Ann Olson. While any murder is tragic, this one is noteworthy to employers and job seekers alike because it appears to be related to the victim’s use of Craiglist to find a nanny position.

Ms. Olson was looking for a nanny job. She had successfully used Craigslist before and so searched it again. She found an ad of interest responded. She told her roommate that she was going to meet the family from the ad. After she didn’t come home, police initiated a search and found her dead in the trunk of her car at a park in Burnsville, Minnesota late Friday night.

I believe in the power of meeting up face-to-face with others, but I also strongly believe that these meetings must occur in public places like food courts at shopping malls or coffee shops, especially when meeting up for the first time.

What about you? What do make of all this? Join the conversation below.

Update: Craigslist scam avoidance tips

DiversityJobs.com has thousands of jobs from employers committed to diversity.

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25 Jun 07 Ron Hittle inspired me with one sentence

“To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground.” – Stephen R. Covey, via QuotesBlog

I met Ron Hittle about 3-1/2 years ago at a career workshop at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. I remember that it was an encouraging and inspiring time for me, since I was really struggling for direction in my career. The encounter and events since then have showed me how powerful connecting with one person can positively affect another.

That year I also met a recruiter in the Dayton area, and we’ve exchanged e-mails and phone conversations over the past three years or so, having become part of each other’s professional network.

She mentioned early on that I must have met Ron Hittle.

“How did you know that?” I asked.

“From then ending of your voicemail message,” she replied. “I do that, too.”

Imitation, it’s been said, is the sincerest form of flattery. This recruiter and I at different times had adopted Ron’s way of closing a message as our own.

It’s a little bittersweet that I share all of this, because a few moments ago, she called me to say that Ron Hittle passed away this weekend. He’d retired some time ago and had been dealing with some health issues, but it still came suddenly. My thoughts and prayers go up to the family, as well as those who knew Ron well. He will surely be missed.

As I mentioned, I didn’t know Ron that well, but he left a lasting impression on me just from one statement from his voicemail message, because it points to my own ability to do something about my life versus letting something happen.

If you’ve received an email from me or have heard me sign off on my mostly music podcast, you probably already know what I’m about to say.

Most people I know usually end a conversation by saying, “Have a great day!”

Ron Hittle would say, “Make it a great day!”

Thanks, Ron. I think I will.

Find information on Diversity recruiting at DiversityJobs.com.

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27 Mar 07 Job Searching vs Career Management

Jason wrote a great article about changing the way we approach job searching and career management:

I frequently think about how we think of our job transitions – we are supposed to have lots of them during our career.

I’m completely intrigued by the people who have forgotten what a forced transition is like, or by those that feel totally secure in their job (or their ability to find a new job) – and their reactions to a “job search.”

I’m finding that Career Management was easier when I was looking for work. Now that I’m working, it’s harder and harder for me to stay in that mindset. I’m spending more time thinking about projects at work than my own career management.

But I try to do a little bit every day to manage my career, whether it’s setting up a lunch appointment with a friend, or use my LinkedIn URL as I comment on this and many other posts. I also maintain a portfolio blog. I also look for other ways to share what I’m learning about career management.

I don’t want to be misled into a false sense of job security. Right now work is going strong, but I still need to keep my eyes on the big picture.

What practical things do you do every day to manage your career?

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26 Dec 06 You’ve Fallen – Now Get Back Up

During some recent mild weather this past week, my wife and I spent some time outside, trying to teach our daughter how to ride her brand-new bike. The experience reminded me of something about life:

I told our daughter that, as she learns to ride her bike, she will fall down. She needs to get comfortable with that fact and not be afraid of it. We got off the bike and went over to the grass. I then told her to fall down. Then I did. I got back up and told her to get back up. The ground is softer than pavement, so it was a good starting point.

Then I had Keisha run at me and knock me down. When I got back up, I told her to do it again, and this time when she pushed, I pushed back. We both fell down. I got back up, but she got upset and sat there on the ground. She was mad at me and wanted her mother, who tends to baby her more than I.

I’ve heard it said that the best way to practice martial arts for self-defense is to experience getting hit. Pulled punches don’t really prepare someone for the real thing.

I think there’s a real good lesson about life here, even to a job search. We will fall down and we’ll get knocked down. Circumstances will happen that knock the wind out of us. We shouldn’t be so afraid of this happening that we don’t do anything. I think I’ve been prone to that behavior in the past I have missed golden opportunities.

When we get knocked down, we get back up and try again. When we fall down, we get back up. That’s the only way to get better.

crossposted to journeyinsidemymind.com

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15 Jul 11 The Pursuit of Happyness

25 Mar 10 What is unemployment teaching you?