UPCOMING FREE JOB SEEKER WEBINARS
July 8th @ 10:00 AM CST - What Should You Take to an Interview?
Join us for this training webinar and learn:

Exactly what to bring to your interview
Improve your ability to sell yourself
What to leave with the interviewer

July 13th @ 1:00 PM CST - Answers to Difficult Interview Questions?
Join us for this training webinar and learn:

Answers to the most difficult interview questions
How to improve your ability to differentiate yourself
What to do when you don’t know the answer to a question asked by the hiring authority

*Log into the Career Portal at www.marinocareersearch.com and click on the Calendar for the dates listed below and register by copying and pasting the webinar links into your Web Browser

Fourth of July holiday celebrations usually include fireworks, picnics and parades. These are all opportunities to subtly network. You never know which family member, friend or acquaintance could introduce you to your next employer. Too often job seekers don’t attend events because they are unemployed and feel uncomfortable when the “what are you doing now?” question is asked. You should smile and say “I’m a free agent on the open job market and it has really been an exciting journey.” People will be more likely to refer you if you don’t come across desperate or negative.

Enjoy your holiday and see how many new people you can meet who may assist you in your Job Search!

1. Don’t be picky and wait for the perfect job. Ideally, you would like to work for one of the “big name” accounting firms in Chicago, but you may be waiting a long time. Now is the time to broaden your perspective and be flexible. Check out some regional firms, or apply for in-house accounting positions. What about your transferable skills? If you’re in an industry that has crashed, think about the skills you have that you can use in a new field. Unfortunately, employers have the upper-hand in this market, so if you aren’t flexible, you may extend your job search.

2. Join sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Get connected! These sites are great ways to reconnect with people in your network. Networking is the best way to get a job, and your friends, old colleagues, classmates, and friends of friends may have some solid leads and connections for you. Many HR directors and recruiters also use LinkedIn to search for quality candidates.

3. Take a multi-faceted approach to the job search. You should post your resume online, but you can’t stop there. In such a competitive market, you need to cover all of your bases. Find a recruiter you can trust and understands your career goals and motivations. Ask for referrals when choosing a recruiter. Use job search engine tools to organize your search efforts and save you time online. Network both on and offline by attending professional development events. Get out there, meet new people and make calls to old co-workers and connections. Volunteer in your community, and let your new contacts know what you’re seeking.

4. Rewrite your resume. Your resume is your calling card. Is it doing you justice? Is it marketing the best you? Recruiting Directors spend about fifteen seconds looking at a resume, so your accomplishments and unique qualifications for the job need to catch the hiring manager’s eye right away. On your resume, focus on your job accomplishments over job descriptions. Think about the scope and results of all of your responsibilities, and highlight these distinct qualifications on your resume.

5. Realize you’re not alone. There are over 15 million people without a job right now. It’s easy to get discouraged and frustrated with the job search, but there are numerous people going through similar trials. People understand the current circumstances, so don’t feel ashamed if you were laid off. Try to stay positive, and use your network to help you rise above the bleak economic conditions to secure a job in tough times.

By Brad Karsh, President of JobBound.com

 Written by Cheryl Marino, C.P.C., Marino & Associates, Inc.

As a recruiter for over 25 yrs., the Holidays have been surprisingly one of the “best  times“ to make a job change. When calling Candidates at this time of year you start hearing all kinds of excuses for not making a change such as,  ”I will lose my bonus at year end that I worked so hard to attain” or “I have a vacation planned and I am afraid I won’t get the time off” and “No one will be hiring at this time of year so I will just wait until the New Year!”. Let’s break this down and look at each response. First, in a recent poll, only 8% of companies will actually be giving a bonus this year so in reality there is probably NO bonus coming. Second, many companies understand that people plan vacations a year in advance and the Holiday’s is a popular time when employees take time off. If a company really wants to hire you, they will not risk losing you over a preplanned vacation. Most companies will approve the time off, unpaid of course, but at least you do not need to give up your vacation. The Holiday’s are usually a time when most businesses slow down (unless you are in retail) so they don’t mind giving you some extra time off in lieu of losing you if you are the “right” candidate for their Company. Lastly, companies have monies in their budget for hiring and at year end if they don’t use it, they lose it, which is why there is usually a spike in hiring. So many corporate clients have remarked that this past year they have scaled back so far that they cannot operate efficiently anymore. Also, think about all the people who make a New Year’s resolution that “THIS IS THE YEAR I AM GOING TO MAKE A JOB CHANGE“!! Do you really want to wait until the first of the year when EVERYONE is looking and competing for the same jobs out there??? So, this year, when a Recruiter calls you and asks you to “take a look at a potentially stronger situation than you currently are in” your answer should be nothing less than an enthusiastic “YES“!!

We have just launched a FREE incredible resource GUARANTEED to guide you throughout your entire career.  Whether you are involved in a current job search, looking to advance in your current career or want to transition into a new career – our Career Portal will provide you with amazing tools including:

·        FREE Assessment Tools

·        Access to over 1,000 Job Boards on ONE site

·        A FREE Resume Builder and Career Advisor

·        Information on Educational Opportunities

·        FREE Weekly  Teleconference Calls on “Hot Topics”

·        A Resource Library filled with Audios, Videos and Articles

·        Access to 100 FREE Resume Cards for Networking

Take a minute to review our Career Portal, by clicking on www.marinocareersearch.com. Our intention is to offer you ONE SITE that will function as your Lifetime Career Resource.  We will continue to add new tools and resources that will benefit you.

To Your Continued Success,

Cheryl Marino, C.P.C.

President, Marino & Associates, Inc.

310-370-5576

As any job-seeker over the last year can tell you, there comes a point when you hit a wall. For those who are out of work, there is usually a burst of activity in the first few weeks as networks are built up and resumes are updated. Then, by around the third month or so, fatigue begins to set in. After the inevitable dead ends and politely worded rejection e-mails, it begins to sink in that the average time it takes to find a new job in this economy is about six months–and you’re only halfway there.

But another truth about searching for jobs is that confidence is everything in this game. If you don’t believe you’re ever going to get a job, no one is going to want to take a chance on hiring you. Giving in to the depression some people feel after an extended job search will only guarantee that your unemployment will continue.

To help keep up this sometimes difficult balancing act, author Sandra Naiman, a career consultant and executive coach, has come up with a list of tips to ensure that your mind is in the right place as you build new work relationships. Naiman’s new book, “The High Achiever’s Secret Codebook,” from Jist Publishing, shows you how a positive attitude can lead to further success in your career. “The key is to engage in activities that provide self-satisfaction and build self-esteem,” she says.

Here are some of Naiman’s suggestions for staying focused and positive while you search:

·                            Do things that make you feel good about yourself. Take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What is it about me that makes me good at what I do?” Make a list of your favorite qualities, such as sense of humor or compassion, Naiman says, and find ways to make use of those skills and characteristics. For example, she says, if you’re a true planner, organize a book drive at your child’s school. If you have a gift for empathizing, volunteer to work with families of patients in a hospital waiting room.

·                            Aim for tangible results. Because many job search activities can leave you hanging around, waiting for responses, try to do something each day that leads to a measurable outcome. After you’ve made your daily contacts, try organizing your office, cleaning out the garage or doing other home improvement projects, Naiman says. Perhaps you could write entries for a neighborhood newsletter or enter your thoughts about your job search on a blog. “Make sure that, at the end of each day, you can point to something you accomplished,” she says.

·                            Surround yourself with supportive people. Sometimes your mood can be altered by the company you keep. If many of your acquaintances are “glass-half-empty” people, who constantly bemoan the state of the economy, don’t allow them to drain your energy, she says. Identify those friends and colleagues who have confidence in you and who can help build up your own all-important self-confidence.

·                            Reward yourself. Each day, the brain needs to download the stress that builds up. Be sure to take some time to unwind with a good book, a soak in the tub or some other soothing activity. “Pride yourself on the things you accomplished that day, rather than waiting for results before you celebrate what you’ve done,” she adds. “The latter usually doesn’t come as quickly as you would wish.”

·                            Don’t hide your feelings. It’s one thing to be optimistic; it’s quite another to blind yourself with an unrealistic, Pollyanna attitude. Since we all can’t be upbeat 24/7, “give yourself permission” to have an occasional bad day, Naiman says. “If you diligently follow the above suggestions, you can count on tomorrow to be better,” she adds.

Article from Barb Bruno, CPC, CTS

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