INVEST YOUR TIME

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

A friend of mine recently told me how she came to have her current job. When you’re looking for a job we here at the One-Stop are very likely to suggest that you volunteer somewhere. A lot of people look at me like I’ve just grown a second head when I tell them they should volunteer. They tell me, “I’m not giving my time away for nothing. If I’m going to work I’m going to get paid for it.”

That attitude won’t help you find a job. However, volunteering your time may very well help you find that next position.

Here’s the condensed version of how it worked for my friend, who I’m going to call Kay. Kay was working part-time but wanted a full time office job. Her part time job was in a coffee shop. She started volunteering at a hospice facility working with the patients. However, some things in her life happened and she felt she was too emotional to continue working with the patients. She asked her supervisor if they could use her in some other capacity. Since she was a good worker and they didn’t want to lose her they granted her request and moved her into a volunteer office position. When a paid office position opened up she was offered the position.

Did her volunteer work get her the job she wanted overnight? No, it took her nine months to go from volunteer to paid position. But it was the reason she got the job she has today. She invested her time and it paid off for her.

So once again I’m suggesting that if you’re unemployed find somewhere to volunteer.

 

 

5 Things You Should Be Doing If You’re Unemployed

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

                  Training Coordinator

If you’re applying for jobs you’re not qualified for, just to meet the requirement for getting your Re-Employment Assistance, you’re wasting your time.

If you really want to find a job, make yourself more hirable. At the One-Stop we encourage all of our unemployed clients to VOLUNTEER. Volunteering makes you a more desirable hire. It shows employers you’re out there trying to make something happen for yourself, rather than waiting for something to happen for you. People like to hire people they know and like, volunteering puts you in a position to get known and hopefully, like.

That’s just one of the five recommendations in the article linked below.

 

Click here to read article.

 

 

 

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.

Add This Secret Weapon to Your Résumé

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

I always love it when I’m talking to a customer and I learn that some information or advice we gave them in a workshop has proved beneficial to them in their job search.

In conversation with a customer at the end of a workshop today a woman told me she did something to her résumé that we told her to do. Afterward her résumé got her interviews and from those interviews she got three job offers. She told me that during her interviews with each of the three employers who offered her a position, they asked her about this information on her résumé.

So what was the secret weapon that got her three job offers?

She listed her volunteer work on her résumé. I know some of you are out there groaning and saying, “But I don’t have any volunteer work to add to my résumé.”

There is a way to fix that problem. Volunteer. There have been previous posts on this blog in reference to volunteering; however, I’m going to briefly list the benefits to you the job seeker.

One, it gets you out of the house where you can meet people. You never know who you’ll meet in a volunteer situation. Approximately 80% of the available jobs are found by word of mouth (otherwise known as networking).

Two, it helps you get practical experience and / or keep your skills sharp. Maybe you just recently got your degree in your field but you don’t have any work experience to go with it. Volunteering could help you get that real world experience.

Three, it shows potential employers that you’re not just sitting home watching television. You’re out trying to make something happen.

Four, if that organization you’re volunteering for has an opening for a paid position, you’ll be one of the first to know about it.

So yes, volunteer as part of your job search and when you do list it as experience on your résumé.

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.

The Often Neglected Element of Job Searching

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

You’re sending out résumés, filling out applications on a regular basis, posting on Facebook and keeping your profile updated on LinkedIn. You’ve even attended some networking events. In your mind you’re doing everything you can to find a job.

What else could you possibly do?

There is an element you’re, very likely, not including in your search and it has many benefits. It keeps you out in the workforce where you’ll continue to use your current skills and pick up new ones. You’re presented with opportunities to meet people who may be able to supply you with job leads.

Have you guessed it yet? It’s volunteering. No! Don’t go away. I know you need a PAYING job. I also know that volunteering can be a vital part of your search for that paying job. More than once I’ve had people tell me that they got the job they have because they used to volunteer where they’re now working.

The worst thing that happens is you spend some time helping others. Is that such a bad thing? Of course not. The best thing that happens is someone where you’re volunteering gives you a lead that gets you a job or the organization you’re volunteering at offers you a paying position. No matter how you look at it, it’s a win-win situation.

(This is a repost from December 2010.)

Why Job Seekers Should Volunteer

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


In the workshops I and my colleagues facilitate we often encourage people to volunteer. Many times they look at us as if we’ve lost our minds. It’s like they want to say, “I’m looking for work I’ll get paid to do. I need a paying job.”

In response to that I want to say this, yes, we are aware you need a paying job. However, part of your job search could easily be volunteering. Volunteering does a couple of things for the job searcher.

One, it gets you out of the house where you can meet people. You never know who you’ll meet in a volunteer situation.

Two, it helps you get practical experience and / or keep your skills sharp. Maybe you just recently got your degree in your field but you don’t have any real work experience to go with it. Volunteering could help you get that real world experience.

Three, it shows potential employers that you’re not just sitting home watching television. You’re out meeting people and keeping your skills sharp by continuing to use them.

Four, if that organization you’re volunteering for has an opening for a paid position, you’ll be one of the first to know about it.

So yes, volunteer as part of your job search.