Why Resumes are like Personal Ads
In the chapter about resumes, Laskoff starts out by comparing them to personal ads. Here is how he makes his case that “looking for love is a lot like looking for work.”
Category: Job Search
The Big Five
We’ve all got an inner Woody Allen, but how much you let him run the show is going to have a big effect on how well you work and play with others.
@ work One of 45 Inspiring Career Blogs for College Students
College, ostensibly, prepares participants for their chosen career paths, but tracking down the right entry-level positions comes burdened with its own set of protocols, strategies, and insights, all of which might seem impregnable to the recent graduate. Fortunately, blogs exist to help demystify the overwhelming amount of information applicants have to process. Whether looking for tips on crafting the snazziest resume around or succeeding after scoring a great position, the following resources make for some of the best places to start seeking professional, experienced advice.
# 8 @ work: Candace Moody with WorkSource dishes out the dirt on both successfully scoring a gratifying job and making sure it doesn’t go anywhere anytime soon.
Virtual You
Your online footprint is an important part of your personal brand. Just like a company selling a product, online is where many people will find you first. You should be aware of the elements you must manage.
Making the Most of Networking Meetings
Arrive with an agenda. Laskoff says that he’s sat through several uncomfortable meetings where the requestor had obviously used all his energy in getting the meeting and had not had any energy left to plan what to say once he got there. Laskoff says he tries to help out when the requestor is at a loss for words, but suspect other busy people will simply toss the jobseeker out on his ear. For the record, my experience has been that most people are too polite to toss anyone out. But I, too, have experienced an uncomfortable silence after opening the meeting with, “How can I help you today?”
Land on the Right Side
Most job search advice books are serious, well-meaning and bland. I read so many that when I find one that’s funny and profane, in equal parts, I can’t help but share the advice with you. Michael Laskoff is the author of a “survival guide for the recently unemployed” called Landing on the Right Side of Your A**. (Title redacted; this is a family friendly blog, after all.)
Ways to Stay Positive
Remember that writing is not just for writers. Writing is a way of capturing positive thoughts in a tangible format that makes them more real. Write a positive vision of your future and go back to it when you’re feeling discouraged. It’s the same technique as visualization, except that you come out with an actual document that serves as a blueprint for success.
You Are Not Your Brain
When something is not right in our lives, we tend to focus only on it. You may take comfort in knowing that our human brains are hard-wired to see negative things more clearly and focus on them more. It’s a throwback to when we were cave dwellers. Failing to notice a saber-toothed tiger lurking in the shadows was a possibly fatal error; failing to notice a rose blooming in the meadow was not. We see things that are wrong in our lives and we obsess about them. But as rational beings, we can also use tools to help us focus on other issues.
How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything
I follow author Time Ferris (it’s a wild ride) and this post was inspired by one of his. I happen to agree with him that you can tell a lot about people by how they do the small things.
Deliberate Practice Part One
What’s the difference between Jerry Rice (NFL Hall of Fame receiver) and wide receiver Mike Williams, a 2005 first round pick by the Detroit Lions, whom you’ve almost certainly never heard of before this moment? Besides an unequalled 20-year career in a position that requires strength, grace and speed, 13 pro bowl appearances, 197 touchdowns, almost 23,000 receiving yards, and a lifetime average of 14.5 yards per catch, not all that much. That’s according to journalist and author Geoff Colvin, Fortune Magazine’s Senior Editor at Large and author of the book Talent is Overrated.
