March Madness

It seems that the U.S. is extremely excited about the phenomenon of March Madness.  Have you completed your bracket?  Many citizens including the President have spent time completing their brackets based on experience or just their naiveté. 

It occurred to me that if job seekers would gain the excitement of these bracket prognosticators, perhaps they would be gainfully employed before the Final 4 is completed at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

There are blogs and thousands of other sources provided suggestions for these job seekers.   For example:

 

Cheryl Casone of Fox Business Channel has been active in assisting in the search of jobs.  Below are links to several of her on-air suggestions for unemployed:

 

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/03/03/hired/

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/03/11/hired/

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/02/25/hired/

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/02/07/hired/

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/01/20/hired/

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/01/09/hired/

 

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com with the websites you recommend to job seekers.

Thanks!

 

Glyn

 

Putting Experience to Work

 

In an article in The Dallas Morning News March 22, 2014, edition on Page 1D, by Pamela Yip describes how the Senior Source organization in Dallas helped Williams-Gary by “Putting Experience to Work.” 

Many senior women who have lost a spouse, become unemployed, or have an adult child moving in frequently with small children must return to the workplace.  Claire Turner, Director of the Senior Employment Program at the Senior Source is ready to help.

Here is some advice offered by individuals who have benefited from this program:

1. DON’T RELY ON COMPUTER JOB SEARCHES ALONE. “Spend time being out and about talking with people and volunteering with organizations.”

2. DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY. “It is critical that you take action every single day – Monday through Friday.”  Set goals such as number of contacts and job searches so at weekend you can celebrate accomplishments.

3. TRUMPET YOUR AGE AS AN ASSET NOT A LIABILITY. Don’t apologize for your age – brag about experience gained!

4. MAKE YOURSELF STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION. What is one thing you can do that is daring, different, and smart to get the attention of hiring managers?

5. UPDATE YOUR WARDROBE.  Discord your old out-of-date cloths and dress professionally. The Senior Source and other organizations can help here.

6. GET COMFORTABLE WITH VIDEO INTERVIEWS.  Develop your elevator speech and prepare to answer typical interviewer questions, e.g. your greatest strength, greatest weakness,  best/worst boss, most challenging situation

This advice should be helpful to all job seekers.  

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com your suggestions for putting your experience to work.

Thanks!

Glyn

 

E is for Effort, Energy, and Excitement,

 What about those E’s?  Will they help you find employment?

I have four grandchildren who have just received their bachelor’s degree, and they are now entering the grown-up world of making it on their own.

One granddaughter had an internship with Omni Hotels during the summer following her junior year at the University of Kansas.  Because of her outstanding performance during the internship, on graduation, she received a permanent job in the hotel’s management development program.

Another granddaughter, a graduate of Oklahoma State University, has just received a job with the Cooper Aerobics Fitness Center and is also working with two partners to launch an Internet site for an audience of people who frequent boutique fitness centers. 

Another granddaughter, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, has gone to New York City to try to make it!  She is attending acting schools and is an associate editor for The Stylish Standout  (http://thestylishstandout.com/) writing blogs for its online site.

Our grandson, a graduate of Franklin College, Lugano, Switzerland, is also in New York City. After finishing internships at the Guggenheim in Venus and MOMA in New York, he is now working part-time at art galleries and substitute teaching at private schools in the City.

What do these new graduates have in common?  First, they have put forth the EFFORT to find their first jobs. Second, they exhibited the ENERGY to continue their quest after receiving many disappointments and set-backs.  Third, they maintained a temperament of EXCITEMENT as they begin each day’s quest.

Of course, I am very proud of my grandchildren as they pursue their dreams.  I hope that their examples of success will encourage all job seekers to put forth the effort, energy, and excitement to find employment.

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com if you have found these E’s helpful in your job search.

Thanks!

 

Glyn

 

The U.S. Post Office is Hiring!

 

While surfing the Internet I found the following link to jobs at the U.S. Postal Service.  With a salary starting at $21.00 per hour including benefits, there are job openings throughout the U.S.

Since many existing postal employees are taking advantage of early retirement benefits, there are plenty of openings available.  I encourage job seekers to go to the following Internet link to learn more about these job opportunities:

http://www.postaljobplacement.com/

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com if you have reviewed these job opportunities.

Thanks!

Glyn

 

Your Professional Brand

In a blog  posted July 25, 2010, and also contained on page 5 on my book, Getting Jobs by Glyn Jordan, I defined personal branding: “Personal branding is the process of distinguishing the essence of an individual’s relevant career attributes and communicating them consistently  throughout the resume and interview process.

An article in the March 9, 2014, edition of The Dallas Morning News on page 1J, “Building Your Professional Brand” quotes Jana Fallon, Vice President of Executive Development for Prudential Financial.  She provides five specific actions one could take to improve brand recognition.  Here is a summary of these actions:

1.   Build your brand by identifying three or four characteristics that describe what you have to offer a potential employer.

2.   Reflect on your strengths and liabilities frequently and focus specifically on what you do well.

3.    Be bold in defining your brand and then have the courage to live up to that promise.

4.   Network by making yourself visible to those who can influence your career.

5.   Decide to take action each week to fine-tune and evolve your defined brand.

For those of you who are interested in knowing more about Jana Fallon and would like to read her writings, you can checkout:

http://www.workingmother.com/profile/jana-fallon

What is your brand?  What do others think about you as a professional or friend?  Please share with other readers of this blog your ideas about personal branding by commenting in this blog or by emailing me: glynjordan@gmail.com. 

Thanks!   Glyn

Top Job Search Websites

While surfing the web, I have found the following job search websites:

Top 5 Job Websites for 2014

http://www.top5.com/job-sites/?a=148&c=3583&s1=44517151.50114831&icc=jobs&ls=g&gclid=CNHE7Z3e9LwCFe5aMgodbi4ASg

Jobs in Dallas

http://www.jobsindallas.com/jobs.asp?gclid=CIHRtcff9LwCFQ5gMgodugcAYQ

When you access this site, you can change the location of job openings and job title from Dallas to another US city and a different job title.

Snag A Job

http://www.snagajob.com/

There are thousands of site on the Internet.  My only caution is that you should be careful as you enter personal information on the sites.

Please share with other readers job search websites that have been productive for you by commenting in this blog or by emailing me: glynjordan@gmail.com. 

Thanks!   Glyn