Tag Archives: Job search

Today Won’t Be the Day That Changes Everything

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Photo by Phil Venditti

Today could be the day that changes everything.

That was how I felt almost every single day while I was unemployed a few years back. The next big opportunity was only one phone call, one email or one text message away. I was on high alert and had my phone and computer ready to respond. Yet I rarely did anything that could effect that change. I sat and waited, expecting someone else to come along and hire me. Shouldn’t the world stumble upon my LinkedIn page or my prodigious social media output and recognize my genius?

The result of this skewed perception was about what you’d expect. Crickets. A big pile of nothing. Nobody called. Nobody emailed. Nobody texted….

…unless I reached out first and made something happen. Yes, the only results I got stemmed from actions I took. All that waiting, all that well-orchestrated high alert status was only busyness masked as movement creating nothing but stress and anxiety. There are no white knights, no heroes, no saviors. I must be the hero in my own movie. Only I can change the ending.

My magical thinking was a distracting narcotic, a balm to ease the pain of uncertainty and unemployment. Today could be the day. But it never was. It was only a diversion from the massive, looming problem that was going to drag me under unless I got off my procrastinating ass and did something.

It took me months to understand the need to keep moving, keep acting, cut the nonsense, focus and make things happen.

Here is the secret it took me so long to learn. Nobody gives a damn about me. Yes, I have many people who love me, but it is up to me to save myself and create the life I want. I get to choose whether I want to be the villain or the hero.

Inaction is an action. Inaction is the fast lane to victimhood and unhappiness. If you want to wait forever for life to happen give inaction a shot.

Action begets action. Action may result in failure. but inaction guarantees it.  I can create my future, but I must act now. And act again tomorrow. And the next day. And so on.

This is the decision I must make every day.  Move forward, get pushed back and begin again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Today won’t be the day that changes everything…unless I make the changes.

Switch – A Tinder For Jobs

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Swipe left for NO. Swipe right for YES. If the feeling is mutual, connect and reveal your identity. No, it’s not online dating. It’s the future of job search: anonymous, simple and mobile.

Finding a job is hard work. The journey can be incredibly frustrating and time consuming. From discovering opportunities through the application process to finally interviewing, it is a long and winding road. One company wants to change all that. The recently launched Switch app is truly a Tinder for jobs. They aim to take the pain out of the search and connect the right people to the right jobs.

I spoke to Co-Founder Brett Martin and wrote about Switch. You can read the rest here at AOL Jobs.

LinkedIn Doubles Down On Apps

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As the world goes mobile, LinkedIn wants to corner the market on mobile job search and career management. Their strategy ensures that no matter where you are, “opportunity is always within reach.” As a result they’ve doubled down on apps, aggressively launching several new apps and reimagining the existing ones over the last several months. I wrote for AOL Jobs about how your job search just went mobile.

Weekly Roundup: 5 Must-Read Job Search Newsletters

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One of the best ways to keep your job hunt fresh and get the best new information is signing up for newsletters from the career experts. I wrote earlier this year about six of my favorites. Let’s add five more. These represent some of the sharpest, freshest career advice out there. Check it out here at AOL Jobs.

Weekly Roundup: Fighting Back Against Long-Term Unemployment

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Long-term unemployment is devastating, slowly crushing the job seeker on many levels. The physical, psychological and financial tolls are steep and dramatic. While the number of US long-term jobless has dropped from nearly 4.5 million a year ago to just over 3 million today, the impact on those not working is still frightening

I wrote about how to stay positive and keep your job search on track here at AOL Jobs.

Weekly Roundup: The Power Of Your Professional Network

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You know what would be awesome? If I could sit on my couch eating bear claws and watching cartoons while the perfect job just knocked on my front door, that’s what. Seriously, how great would that be? Cartoons, doughnuts, couch. Alas, the world is never going to beat down the door with job offers. So I must ignore the seductive lure of the snacks and warm beckoning glow of the television and go find opportunity. Therefore, I must network.

I wrote just how critical your professional network is to career success right here at AOL Jobs.

Weekly Roundup: Getting Fired & Getting Back In The Game

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Chances are you will get fired at some point in your career. Call it laid off, terminated, restructured or downsized. Whatever you want to call it, it means you no longer have a job and must face the painful emotional and financial challenges. The impact can be devastating if you allow it, but there are ways to mitigate the difficulty. I wrote about getting fired and getting back to work at AOL Jobs.

Weekly Roundup: The 1-2 Punch On LinkedIn

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I’ve written in great detail before about the power of LinkedIn and how to optimize your profile for maximum impact, but let’s narrow the focus even more. Perhaps the two most important elements of a superb LinkedIn profile are the headline and summary.

Your headline should say exactly what makes you great and why someone should hire you now. You need to be searchable, impactful and unique. Then comes your summary. If the headline sells your story, the summary tells your story. You’ve gotten them in the door, now you can really give recruiters and hiring managers reasons to hire you. Take the time to get it right and make sure you hit all the right notes.I wrote about perfecting your LinkedIn headline and summary for maximum impact at AOL Jobs.

Weekly Roundup: Make Recruiters Work For You

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Recruiters are a necessary and sometimes challenging part of the employment ecosystem. They seek out talented people for companies, but also serve as gatekeepers, controlling the influx of candidates. Their prime objective is to discover the best and weed out the rest. So how can you make yourself a highly attractive candidate that search firms can’t resist and create the best possible relationships with a broad group of recruiters? I wrote about how to show recruiters you are the best person for the job over at AOL Jobs.

Weekly Roundup: Get Social With Job Search, Part 2

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How to build a powerful online brand that will get you noticed, grow your network, drive conversations and lead to opportunities. I wrote about social media and job search at AOL Jobs.