Job Clubs for the Unemployed.

Whether you've been unemployed for three months or three years, there comes a time when you don't know what to do next.
You've written and rewritten resumes, done a new cover letter for each job application, networked until you don't have anyone left to talk to and volunteered with social service agencies just to get your foot in the door.
Now the unemployed in some areas are forming job clubs. There you can get leads on newly posted positions, free training and classes. And you can network with others in the same situation.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor's Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership announced a new effort to coordinate with job clubs at the state and federal level. And it's a top priority.
"When people lose their jobs they feel like crap," said one club leader. "On the emotional level it's not far down to losing a loved one to death or divorce."
Here are some ways job clubs can help you and others who are unemployed.

The Dreaded Salary Question

In the last couple of weeks I’ve talked about Information Sharing and Listening. Today, I want to talk about an interview question. That’s right, one interview question.

It’s stated many different ways but the information requested is the same.

What salary would you be willing to accept?

Your heart jumps into your throat because you know that if you tell them a figure that’s too low they’ll think you’re under qualified for the job. Or they’ll hire you and pay you that lower wage instead of the higher salary they had in mind. Either way you lose.

If you quote a figure that’s too high, they’ll think you’re over qualified and they can’t afford you. You lose again.

What should you do when they ask the dreaded salary question?

There are various ways you can handle it.

One way, is to turn the question around and ask what they were planning on paying? Sometimes they’ll be willing to share that information.

Another way is to say something like, “Before we discuss salary I’d like to get to know a little bit more about the position and your organization and I think it would be advantageous for you to get to know a little more about me.”

Or you could say, “Are you offering me the job? I ask because I’m not accustomed to discussing salary until there’s an actual job offer.”

Of course, if they insist that you provide them with a dollar figure you need to have done your Labor Market Research ahead of time and don’t give them a specific dollar figure. Instead, provide them with a range. Something like, “I’d be happy with something between X and Y, depending on the total compensation/benefits package.”

Regardless of how you answer the question you must first do your homework on the company you’re applying to, do your labor market research and practice your interviewing skills.

True Success: Finding Your Perfect Wave

By: Lori McMullin, APR, Director of Business Operations & Communications

Center for Business Excellence

Here's to a very tripendicular Monday! “What,” you say?

Well, I must confess I was watching a movie on LMN last week and it gave me the idea for this week’s blog post. Yes, it was a mushy romance, but that’s beside the point.

One of the characters said, “You’ve got to swim out of your comfort zone to catch the wave that will change your life,” and it rang true with me.

I most definitely did this during the past year and discovered who I really am, what truly matters and, most important, love once lost and now returned. The ride has been filled with joy and, sometimes, pain. Nonetheless, it has been an incredible journey of self discovery.

Check out the first link for tips on how to find your perfect wave. Then, check out the second link just for fun!

P.S., seems like the perfect wave is perfectly imperfect. Wouldn’t you agree? Fer Sure!

http://serenityhacker.com/2010/01/true-success-finding-your-perfect-wave/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFVk0vJUGs0

One in 3 Workers Wants to Leave her/his Job

In today’s economy, with almost 14 million Americans unemployed it still seems that there are a few individuals dissatisfied enough with their current employment that they are willing to brave the current economic unemployment winter that grips the nation. If the idea of this concept appears difficult to understand then just take a look at the latest Mercer LLC survey. This 74 year old HR consulting firm conducted a recent survey of 2400 employees and found that a number of workers were seriously considering leaving their organizations.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-20/one-in-3-workers-wants-to-leave-job-mercer.html

Keeping Those Creative Juices Flowing

By Suzy Kridner
Career Specialist
It's summertime and the living is easy.
But sometimes we're too busy being laid back to keep our creative juices flowing.
In this job market, we need to stay on top of our game and be quick with new ideas.
Blogger Mike Michalowicz has several good suggestions for staying alert, including taking a walk. Even though it's hot, going outside for a few minutes will increase oxygen to your brain and get the blood flowing -- and maybe get ideas flowing too.
Another idea is cleaning your office. Although I've only been in my current job a few weeks, it's amazing how quickly the stack of paper piles up.
And a little break to do something different each day keeps us all fresh and out of a rut.
Read more ways to get your creative juices flowing.

Are You Listening?

Last week I talked about information sharing and I mentioned listening to what others were saying so you would know how to be able to help them.

Today, I’m going to talk a bit about how you can actually improve your listening skills.

Our teachers and our parents were/are always telling us to pay attention. How do they know you’re not paying attention? It probably has a lot to do with your body language. Are you looking at something other than the speaker? Are slouched down with your arms crossed on your chest? Are you texting or playing a game on your phone? Are you blowing bubbles with your gum? If you answered yes, to any of the above questions – STOP!

Pay attention means to look at the speaker, appear interested, let go of the thoughts in your mind and listen to the words being said. You also need to watch the body language of the speaker. You must also stop thinking about how you’re going to respond while the person is still talking. When they stop talking paraphrase what they told you to make sure you understood the message. If you do these things you’ll be able to form a more accurate response.

So how does this help you in the listening situation I introduced last week? How about a scenario to illustrate?

A colleague and I recently had the opportunity to go out to dinner with the two individuals that would be providing us with some training. My colleague is one of those people who listen very well. One of the people we were out with expressed a desire to have a piece of real Key Lime pie. She was very emphatic about how it needed to be the real thing, not one of those green, out of the box imitations. The Key Lime pie ordered at the restaurant was a disappointment. Our training was ending the next day. My colleague makes a delicious Key Lime pie and considered making one for our trainer. However, she knew the trainer wouldn’t be able to travel with a pie. So instead of making the pie, she purchased a bottle of Key Lime Juice and presented it to the trainer. On the bottle of juice is an easy to follow recipe for real Key Lime Pie.

Most likely the trainer will remember my colleague’s name long after the rest of us at that training are forgotten.

Remember, you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Pay attention to what people say, you’ll learn a lot more that way than you will by talking.

Coming next week The Dreaded Salary Question

Office vs. Home. Both Challenging

By Suzy Kridner

CMI Career Specialist

Working from home always looks good to those toiling away 8-5 in an office.

But those who maintain an office at home find different challenges. It's easy to get distracted with chores, friends, Facebook and often difficult to stay on task.

The same challenges of working at home apply to the unemployed.

When I was first laid off several years ago, I set up a home office to conduct my job searches and do some freelance writing. But it was very difficult for me to stay focused after working in an office atmosphere. And I missed the camraderie of co-workers with whom I had lunch every day.

The following article on "Five Office Habits to Take Home With You" apply to those who work at home and also the unemployed, who have found looking for work becomes a full time job.

Here are some tips.