Job Searching Stinks!

Job searching is never fun and when everywhere you turn you hear doom and gloom about your chances for finding a job it becomes even more of a downer. I’m not trying to deny that finding a job is difficult. What I am telling you is that you must keep looking and you must maintain a positive attitude and outlook. If you have limited your job search to looking in the local papers and the online job boards, you’re missing a lot of opportunities.  

Here are some alternative search methods: 

Staffing Services – Yes, I know you want a permanent full time job. Every temporary job I ever had through a staffing service, ended up being offered to me as a permanent full-time position. Some I accepted, others I didn’t accept. Even if the work you get through a staffing service is part-time, it’s better than no time. Click here to read the Five Misleading Myths About Getting A Job Through a Staffing Company. 

Networking – Yuck, that nasty buzz word. Granted, it’s an overused and often abused word. The reality is that whatever you call it, it’s a vital part of any job search. Learn to use today’s social media (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.) to network. As with any tool be cautious how you handle it. Social media can help you or hurt you, depending on how you use it. Don’t limit yourself to social media. Go to networking group meetings and chamber functions. If you belong to a group like the Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, or any other service group, make sure your fellow members know who you are and what you can do. Don’t make a pest of yourself, however let people know. Also, pay attention when someone you meet is in the same boat you’re in, you may come across a job for which they would be a perfect fit. Click here for a site with multiple articles on Social Networking. 

Entrepreneurship – The Great American Dream is to own your own business. Believe me, not everyone is suited for running a business. When you start thinking about having your own business you need to do some honest self assessment. For an article on the top seven reasons small businesses fail go here.  

Employ Florida Virtual Recruiter – There really isn’t room here to explain the ins and outs of setting up the virtual recruiter in Employ Florida. What does a virtual recruiter do? Simple. It looks for jobs for you and then emails or texts you about them. Now, that I have piqued your interest, you’re probably wondering how you learn to set up your own virtual recruiter. You could go to www.employflorida.com and spend quite some time trying to figure it out on your own or you could come to one of the Volusia County One-Stops and attend the Take Control of Your Job Search workshop. 

If you have suggestions that might help some of your fellow job seekers, please let us know. 

"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right. "

~ Mary Kay Ash

 

 

 

How to Handle Those Last Days

Posted by:    Darlene Duncan, CWDP, JSS
                   Training Coordinator

There are still people out there being downsized, laid off, or whatever euphemism is being used this week to describe letting someone go because the company can’t financially afford to keep them any longer.

Should you find yourself in that position, here is something you might want to keep in mind.

Your current employer will very likely be called by potential future employers. So how you behave at work during those last weeks or days prior to your departure will have a huge impact on your future job search. You need to make sure you maintain a good attitude combined with continuing to do your job.

I’m not saying it’s easy. I am saying it’s important that you continue to do quality work and have a good attitude.

You might ask, “Isn’t it enough that I’m doing my job? I mean, after all they’re getting rid of me. Rejecting me.”

The answer is “NO!”

Let’s look at a possible scenario.

Jane Doe gets a notice of lay off. She will have a job for three more weeks. Jane gets angry. She starts coming in late and doing the bare minimum of work. For the next three weeks Jane does only what is required of her. She sulks and pouts like a spoiled child. Before the three weeks is over, the company gets a new contract and now has sufficient funds that they don’t have to eliminate Jane from the payroll.

Hmmmm. What do you think is going to happen? Will they keep Jane? Or will they still let her go? What would you do if you were the one in the position to decide?

Let’s revisit Jane.

Jane Doe gets a notice of lay off. She will have a job for three more weeks. Jane continues to do her job. She does her best to always have a good attitude and is eager to help her co-workers. Before the three weeks is over, the company gets a new contract and now has sufficient funds that they don’t have to eliminate Jane from the payroll.

Hmmmm. What do you think is going to happen? Will they keep Jane? Or will they still let her go? What would you do if you were the one in the position to decide?

There is very little in life we have control over, our attitude is the one thing we always have control over. You choose how you react to life’s obstacles. Quite often how we react will determine whether life’s everyday obstacles become mountains or remain speed bumps.

Time for a Reality Check?

Posted by:  Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC

                  Training Coordinator

I was sitting at my desk thinking about what I should write about for the blog and it came to me, thinking would be a good topic.

I have a saying I strongly believe in that’s relevant to this issue. Our thoughts lead to our actions. Our actions create our reality, if you don’t like your reality change your thoughts.

Let me give you an example.

A young woman, we’ll call her Bess, presents a report to her boss. She thought the boss would be delighted with this report, especially since she got the report in before the deadline. The boss glances over the report and tells her she did a good job; however, he emailed her some data that needs to be added to the report. Bess heads back to her desk totally deflated. She’s decided that the boss hated her report and is probably looking for an excuse to fire her. Her thoughts are centered on the idea that she’s going to be fired. The thought that she’ll soon be fired begins to affect her work performance in a negative way and yes, eventually Bess’s poor work performance will lead to her being fired. In summary, her thoughts of being fired led her to not give her best effort and her lack of effort is what led to her being fired. It all started with her thinking she was going to get fired.

Our thoughts lead to our actions. Our actions create our reality, if you don’t like your reality change your thoughts.

 

 

 

Buried Treasure

Posted by:    Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
                   Training Coordinator

In today’s job market finding a job is like searching for buried treasure. Here are some non-traditional ideas you can use for your search:

  1.    If you’re interested in a specific employer; Friend them on   Facebook, seek them out on LinkedIn and Twitter.

2.    Be more than a voyeur on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Get involved in discussions, especially if the discussions are relevant to the type of work for which you are looking.

3.    Connect with people on LinkedIn that work for the company for which you would like to work. Get to know them.

4.    Visit the websites of companies for which you would like to work. This will help keep you abreast of what’s going on in those organizations.

5.    Set up Google Alerts on companies for which you would like to work. This way whenever they’re mentioned in the news, you’ll be notified of the issue.

6.    Volunteer somewhere doing the kind of work for which you’re trying to get hired. There are multiple benefits to this. One, you’re keeping your skills sharp. Two, you might pick up some new skills. Three, you’re out there in the world meeting people, people who might have job leads for you. Four, the place you’re volunteering for may decide to hire you. Five, you can put your volunteer work on your résumé. This lets employers see that you’re not sitting at home waiting for something to happen. You’re out there trying to make something positive happen for yourself.

7.    If you belong to a specific profession, find associations and other websites related to that profession.

Remember, people like to help people who have helped them. When you go to these social media sites, don’t just be there as a taker. You need to give of yourself. Offer helpful suggestions. This applies to face-to-face situations as well as social media sites.

Maybe you’ve connected with a person who works at the company you really want to hire you. They have posted a request for help with a work related problem. If you know of a solution or have an idea to offer them, do so.

 

One final note today, don’t whine. Be positive. Negativity is a huge turn off.

 
This is a repost from January 2012.

Making A Great First Impression

Posted by: Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
                  Training Coordinator

There’s an old saying I grew up hearing, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Within just a few seconds of meeting someone you have made a first impression. There are many factors that go into creating that initial impression. They include but are not limited to; your body language, your clothing, your grooming and your overall attitude.

Click here to read an article that expands on the idea of Making A Great First Impression.

Perception = Reality

Posted by: Darlene Duncan, CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
Training Coordinator

Some people disagree that someone’s perception of you is reality. However, each person’s perception of the world around them is THEIR reality. I agree that my perception of the world is not, necessarily, your reality. It is definitely my reality. Therefore, someone’s perception of you is their reality.

Think about your perception of the world. Are you a negative individual? Then it’s very likely the world is a very negative place, for you. Give this idea a try – for one month work at having a positive attitude. Every time you catch yourself being negative about anything. Stop and try to find a positive aspect of the issue. Find some part of the situation for which you can be thankful.

Even something as simple as getting caught by a red light can have its positive aspects. You’re sitting at a red light idling away the liquid gold your car runs on, so what is there to be thankful about? If your car has air conditioning, you could be thankful for that. If the air conditioning is broken or just non-existent, you could be thankful you have a car and you’re not walking.

I’m not saying that life will improve overnight. At the same time, being positive isn’t going to make matters worse and it might make things better. An old phrase I’ve heard many times comes to mind. I don’t know who said it first so I have no idea to whom I should give credit. “Fake it till you make it.”

Maybe you don’t really feel positive but if you fake it long enough, you may find that you’ve become a positive kind of person. And let’s face it no one wants to hire someone who’s always down, grumpy and just plain negative all the time.

Give it try. What have you got to lose?

Nine Survival Tips From a New Champion

Scott Stallings, a professional golfer, recently won his first PGA tournament.
He writes a blog from “Chief Executive Golfer” with such titles as "The Obstacle Between You and Success? Excuses."
It’s funny the excuses that we come up with to not do the things necessary to get better at our jobs, Scott says.
That also applies to getting a job. What excuses do you tell yourself? I'm too old. I don't have the skills. There's too much competition.
Watching Stallings win in a three-man playoff recently, you know the adrenaline was pumping.
Scott says maybe it was his new workout regimen that contributed to his victory at the Greenbrier Classic.
Scott says, "What a wild day. It definitely didn’t start out right. For the first nine holes, I was having trouble just finding the fairways. At every hole my caddie kept telling me I could do it — I had a shot at winning the tournament."
"I had more control on the back nine — I was just grinding it out. But then on No. 17, I had a bad swing, hit a tree and drove it into the water. If I was going to make it into the play-off I needed a birdie on No. 18.
"And that was exactly what I did. I sunk a five-footer, signed my scorecard, and literally sprinted back to the tee to do the whole thing over again. (My trainer would have been proud.)"
He moved up from 88th to 26th in the rankings.
"I’m more excited about that than the money. (But obviously the money is a huge bonus — I earned $1.08 million for finishing first.), Stallings said.
Despite his many obstacles, he never gave up. And neither should you.

Read Scott's nine survial tips that can apply to both golf and the business world.

How to Handle Those Last Days

Posted by: Darlene Duncan, CWDP, JSS
Training Coordinator

There are still people out there being downsized, laid off, or whatever euphemism is being used this week to describe letting someone go because the company can’t financially afford to keep them any longer.

Should you find yourself in that position, here is something you might want to keep in mind.

Your current employer will very likely be called by potential future employers. So how you behave at work during those last weeks or days prior to your departure will have a huge impact on your future job search. You need to make sure you maintain a good attitude combined with continuing to do your job.

I’m not saying it’s easy. I am saying it’s important that you continue to do quality work and have a good attitude.

You might ask, “Isn’t it enough that I’m doing my job? I mean, after all they’re getting rid of me. Rejecting me.”

The answer is “NO!”

Let’s look at a possible scenario.

Jane Doe gets a notice of lay off. She will have a job for three more weeks. Jane gets angry. She starts coming in late and doing the bare minimum of work. For the next three weeks Jane does only what is required of her. She sulks and pouts like a spoiled child. Before the three weeks is over, the company gets a new contract and now has sufficient funds that they don’t have to eliminate Jane from the payroll.

Hmmmm. What do you think is going to happen? Will they keep Jane? Or will they still let her go? What would you do if you were the one in the position to decide?

Let’s revisit Jane.

Jane Doe gets a notice of lay off. She will have a job for three more weeks. Jane continues to do her job. She does her best to always have a good attitude and is eager to help her co-workers. Before the three weeks is over, the company gets a new contract and now has sufficient funds that they don’t have to eliminate Jane from the payroll.

Hmmmm. What do you think is going to happen? Will they keep Jane? Or will they still let her go? What would you do if you were the one in the position to decide?

There is very little in life we have control over, our attitude is the one thing we always have control over. You choose how you react to life’s obstacles. Quite often how we react will determine whether life’s everyday obstacles become mountains or remain speed bumps.