Beauty and the Job

I’m baaack!  Yes, it’s been MONTHS since I uploaded my last post – for that, I apologize.  My life has been absolutely crazy … in a good way, but still crazy.

Nevertheless, that’s my problem.

During my hiatus, I ran across several topics that I thought were blog post-worthy, so I set them aside for such a time as this.  The first one came from an on-line article I read from Newsweek called, “Poll: How Much Is Beauty Worth at Work?”  The net-net: it pays to be good-looking.

To learn more, click on the following link:   Beauty at Work  In my next post, I’ll give you my thoughts.

It’s good to be back!

Until next time….

Show Me the Money!

Well folks, I just heard on the news that we are officially rebounding from the terrible recession we’ve been in for over two years and that the Administration is adding 250,000 jobs to our economy each month.  While I don’t know that I fully subscribe to this tenet, for the sake of this post I’m going to assume the reports are true and that many of you are finding jobs.  Great news!

With new job offers come new money and perks possibilities – salary boost, more vacation, paid for conferences, sign-on bonus, etc.  Here comes the challenge ….

How do you negotiate for all of these great things??

To help you overcome the hurdles to your financial payout, check out these two links which offer great tips to practice when having that compensation discussion.

Negotiating Salary Tips

Negotiating Salary Tips 2

Good luck and congratulations.

Until next time….

Easing Back into the Work Force

Happy day everyone!  Things have been so busy for me that keeping my blog updated has no doubt been a challenge.  However, in the spirit of keeping the content fresh, I am turning my blog over to the Wall Street Journal.com (www.wsj.com) today.

The article I’m recommending you read today is from June 16, 2009, however, since there are still so many people out of work, I think the content is still very applicable.

Making an Easy Re-Entry Into the Work Force

Until next time….

Is There a Bad Day to Apply for a Job?

The short answer….no!  I think there’s this myth out there that if you apply for a job on a Monday or Friday, the recruiter might be in a bad mood and “ding” you.  Not true.  Just because you apply for a job on one of those days doesn’t mean the recruiter will review your resume as soon as you hit the SEND button.  Recruiters work the task of reviewing resumes into their schedule just like they do every other aspect of their jobs.

If you’re qualified for a position, the only bad day there is to apply is the day you don’t apply!

Until next time….

Network or No Work?

Over the past 1.5 years, I have been preaching the gospel of networking to the unemployed and underemployed.  Some have listened; some haven’t.

After all of this time, I still find myself absolutely perplexed by the number of people who flat-out refuse to add the art of networking to their job search strategy.  The week after I got laid off (October 2009), I met a man who had already been laid off for nine months.  Because I always network, I offered to help him with interviewing and to pass his resume along to my network of other recruiters………for free!

Does anyone care to guess how many times he reached out to me to follow-up?  Yup, you guessed it, NONE!  And, he’s still unemployed.

To help underscore the importance of networking, consider this.  ERE.net published an article from CareerXroads  last month that discussed how on average, 41 of the nation’s larger companies filled just over half their vacancies in 2009 by internal transfers and promotions; the largest percentage since they began reporting this information in 2002!  So, as a candidate, you not only have to compete with much more external talent for jobs, your internal competition is becoming stiffer. 

If you want to be one of the outsiders who becomes an insider, it’s critical that you network with others who can give you access to recruiters, hiring managers and jobs!

In my next edition, I’ll tell you how!

Until next time….

Life’s Too Short Not To

This evening, I had the complete displeasure of having my beloved cat, Kitty, put to sleep.  It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been 16 years since I first saw her in the work space of a former coworker (I worked for a pet products company at the time) who asked me to take her home. 

As I sit here in between the tears and reflect on the many fond memories I have of my baby, I can’t help but be reminded, once again, of how precious life is and how quickly the time goes by…..

My cat was three when I got her which means she was a whopping 19 at her death.  The only health challenge she ever had was food allergies which only required me to feed her a special food.  Everything was fine, then all of a sudden, things changed and her health declined quickly.

So, why am I spending a blog post telling you about my cat?

Simple.  Just like my cat’s direction changed quickly, your direction can change just as fast.  If you’re in the midst of a job search now, as best you can, don’t waste time looking for “just a job.”  Put your efforts into pursuing your dream job – or at least the next logical job opportunity that will get you closer to your dream job.  Don’t put all of your effort into finding a job that’s not helping you fulfill your life’s dream.  Life is too short.  And every time you get tempted to settle for less, think about Kitty.

In memory of Kitty Frazier, March 1, 1991 – February 23, 2010.  

You are loved and missed.

Until next time……..

New Budgets = New Jobs

Now that the new year is here, it’s time to stir the pot on your job search.  If it appears that any and all possibilities you had simply died during November and December, cheer up!  This is very common in recruiting.  Many companies base their budgeting cycle on the calendar year.  As such, when November comes around, monies have all but dried up, including dollars to make new hires.

To top it off, people are focused on the holidays, and completing projects that are due by December 31.  With all of these activities going on, recruiters usually see a slow-down in their work load.

If you feel you’ve been the victim of the “year-end crunch,” now is the time to reinvigorate your job search.  Reconnect with recruiters you haven’t spoken to in weeks or months.  You never know, they may just be hiring.

Until next time….