The Ultimate American Job Board

Yes, it's true. Times are tough for many of us. And when times get tough for some hard working Americans, we simply do what needs to be done. The strong don't dwell and create their own obstacles. The strong don't sit around and point fingers, hiding in corners of a round room. The strong... well, use their strengths.

While watching Fox & Friends this morning, I saw the ultimate American job board - literally. I got to hear one of those upper-class, elite intellects who we simply assume are making millions and living like kings and queens, explain that times were tough for him and that he was going to do what needed to be done for himself and his family. I tip my cap to him - Joshua Persky. He was not going to let this control him. He knows there are jobs that are open and he believes he will find one by being creative. And he will. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has received calls and emails.


Check out the video:


There are many points to my writing today. Sure this gentleman is an MIT graduate and certainly must have a great resume. But relatively speaking he isn't that far from many of us regular Americans. He is without a job and needing one to pay his accumulating bills. Heck, his wife and kids were flying to live with his in-laws in Omaha this morning, during this very struggling time. The traditional methods were not working for him - he made calls and tried networking events, but none of this has worked for the past few months. But he fights back. He believes. He uses creativity... which will end up on the Internet. Creativity and the Internet - what two better ingredients to be found, seen and heard.

Good luck Joshua.

Free eBook To Help With Your Job & Career Path

Today I was searching around for free eBooks on Careers & Jobs and came across a blogger that I thought was worthwhile enough for me to share with you. The blogger is Louise Flether and the blog is called BlueSkyResumeBlog.com and certainly worth clicking and checking out, especially if you are looking for advice on resume writing.

Remember, in many cases, your resume is the first look at a job candidate and the unfortunate reality is that many resumes get tossed because of very simple mistakes. The harsher reality is that in many cases these tossed resumes are of good, qualified candidates.

Louise offers several free eBooks that I have perused and found to be very credible with very pertinent substance that I strongly recommend downloading and reading. Her eBooks are totally free and even better - she doesn't ask for your name, email or any other information to download the files.

Of the handful of downloadable eBooks she offers, I found her "Insider's Guide To Job Search", a great read. To download this eBook, simply click here.

Here is a look at the table of contents:

1. Looking for That “Dream Job”?
2. Career Fear: Friend or Foe?
3. The 7 P's of Personal Branding
4. Executive Branding Once a Novelty, It’s Now a Necessity in the Fight for Top Executive Jobs
5. The “What’s In It For Me” Resume
6. An Alternative to the Objective Statement
7. Action-Pack Your Resume
8. Beyond Google: How To Check Out A Company Online
9. Strategies for Executive Networking SUCCESS
10. You Got Chocolate In My Peanut Butter: Combining Networking & Online Job Hunting For Better Results
11. Rock Your Network®: Create a Branded Sound Bite
12. Cold Calling Your Way Into the Executive Suite
13. Interview Strategies for Executives
14. Nuances of Negotiation
15. Baby Boomers – Industry’s Best Kept Secrets!
16. Fear Fighting

Did Friday the 13th Come One Week Early?

By most measures, last Friday was just not a good day at all. Unemployment rose to 5.5% with the largest jump in nearly 20 years. The DOW declined near 400 points and oil went up over $10 per barrel. If it were Friday the 13th, it may have made more sense - the keywords obviously being "may have made sense".

But I have to be honest. Our job requisitions are still growing. Our Raleigh, NC office has seen good growth so far this year and our CT office is also seeing job orders come in on par. Although, the economy portrays all the signs of a recession I don't want to panic. I mean, panic all you want, as I too will do the same about gas prices. I just can't even comment on that anymore as it is all I and others are talking about daily. Just flat out frustrated about it.

And sometimes things can be misleading. I mean, yes, we are receiving job orders on or above par but what I am also noticing is that the closing of job orders may not be as quickly. This is a signal of companies anticipating previous quarterly results to be negative and cause a trickle down effect throughout a company, including new hires. By the same token, if you can market yourself as a treasure, you will be taken like a treasure. It's just not a time to be complacent if you are seeking a job. The jobs are there but you have to be marketed properly and you have to manage the job process (resumes, interviews, etc.) with skill.

So don't be discouraged. Just understand that you have to be more diligent and creative in your efforts regarding acquiring a new job. And let's just hope that the worst is behind us with regards to the economy and move forward.

All The Job Interview Prep And Still...

With all of the interview prepration and work getting this guy ready, and he still goes and does something ridiculous.

No, really, this commercial is just too funny not to comment on. I first saw it during the Super Bowl I believe. It relates to some of my posts regarding what not to do during your job interview.

If you haven't seen this yet, please watch and have a laugh. If you've seen it already... heck, see it again. It is worth it.

Work From Home Trends Up

In the not so long ago past if you were browsing Monster.com for a job (more on some dramatic downturn news on monster at the end of this blog), you probably noticed a myriad of work-from-home (what I refer to as) scams. You remember… the make your own hours and earn six-figures working from home in your pajamas. The perfect job where all you had to do to start was merely send $395 for a CD to indoctrinate you on exactly what to do?

With the increasing costs of gas, electricity and other utilities, it turns out that many corporations have been moving in the direction of allowing employees to work-from-home a day or two each week for a while now. And some companies are allowing total work-from-home positions moving forward. Good companies are all about keeping quality talent. If your job is an hour away from home, the price of gas nowadays may be prompting you to look for a new gig. Allowing you to work from him a few days a week may help with this encumbrance.

With the connected world we live in, working from home actually makes good sense. We have everything we need to work in many cases, right from home. Computer, Internet, electricity, our cell phone, printer, online chat, email, etc. Many companies deploy a virtual-private-network from your computer right into the company’s network so that you can access all of the company software you need to fulfill your job requirements.

Today in an article I read on MSN.com – “Fastest Growing Work-at-Home Jobs”, I have found the top 10 work-from-home jobs:

1. Advertising Sales Agents
2. Administrative Assistants
3. Computer Software Engineers
4. Court Reporters
5. Customer Service Representatives
6. Meeting and Convention Planners
7. Market Research Analysts
8. Paralegals
9. Personal Financial Advisors
10. Technical Writers

I am inclined to add an 11th – Job Recruiter. We at JTL have developed a system that allows recruiters to work from home. They can actually be more productive working from home than from an office. We have used the Internet as our backbone to manage and capture most of the recruiting process digitally/electronically. The system is greatly appreciated by our clients, candidates and recruiters alike. In fact, we are looking for other recruiters to add to our staff nationally.

So in the future, as you peruse through online job boards you will notice a growing number of open work-from-home positions. Do not disregard them. They are no longer (for the most part) scams and worth reviewing.

And as far as Monster.com – I promised at the beginning of this post that I would share some more negative news on the not so giant monster. Evidently, there was a 21% decrease in job postings on Monster for May 2008 from May 2007. On a year-over-year basis, postings are down 18%. That is pretty significant.

Monster.com needs to change their business strategy and do so quickly. For years they had much of the market share and a great client/usage base. But in today’s technology driven business world, you have to constantly be thinking about how to change your business to meet the growing technical demands. They, in my opinion, just haven’t done that. And worse, I don’t see any supporting evidence to suggest they are even realistically working on this. Maybe upper management should consider working from home themselves? :)