Workforce Newsletter

Many JOB CLUB members were featured in the current edition of the
Mohave/La Paz County Workforce News. 
Click on the link below to read the Newsletter. 

JOB CLUB is featured on Page 4.

READ the workforce news

The Importance of a Routine!

 Not having a JOB SEARCH ROUTINE is comparable to jumping into the backseat of your car and setting the cruise control for 50 MPH.   

Who's driving your Job Search?

According to Washington D.C Job Coach  Jodi Schneider, who publishes a blog entitled DCWORKS, developing a routine is tantamount to success.

 Jodi Says:
*Develop a daily schedule and routine.  Set your hours for the next day. Then be ready at your desk — showered and caffeinated — at the set time to start on your goals. Come up with specific, measurable goals for the day and week. For instance, plan to make so many contacts via email or phone and then invite them to meet you for coffee over the next week. Figure out how many resumes you want to send out for that day. Plan to research at least two openings and follow up with people in your network about them. Also, plan projects to sprinkle out over a few days or a week — such as updating your resume and contacting potential references. Be organized — schedule these plans in an electronic organizer or calendar with reminders and daily to-do lists.

READ MORE on the AZJOBCLUB Routine Page

Advice for the Holidays !

 Here's some fantastic advice from Marc Cenedella, Founder & CEO, TheLadders.com

 

Don't let this happen to you.

 Employment Candidates, i.e., your job search competition, get very distracted during the holidays with all the family and friends and festivities to enjoy.

Turn this to your advantage.

Rather than allowing your holiday schedule to get in the way of your search, double down and make an extra effort to be proactive this December.

You see, for every candidate who misses a phone call, an interview, a job opportunity, there's a frustrated recruiter on the other side. And if you can be that golden ticket — the responsive candidate who makes life easier for the recruiter or HR department — you'll be that much more likely to land a gig before the end of the year.

Companies' needs for professionals don't slow down during the holidays.

JOB HUNTING AND THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

Here's some good advice from Joe Turner (JOBDIG.com)

This is just a snippet...the full story is linked at the bottom.

 

 

Gratitude and the Law of Attraction

 

 

Because Gratitude is critical to the success of our job search. According to Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, we attract what we think about and concentrate on through the universal Law of Attraction. When we focus on our cup being half full, we attract more abundance and prosperity. This includes job opportunities.

Conversely, when we think that job hunting is hard, and focus on the jobs we didn’t get offered, we attract more rejection and disappointment. It’s been said that, “Attitude is everything.” That’s especially true in job search. Although we may not control anything outside of ourselves, we are in control of what we think, feel and do.
This Thanksgiving, why not try these 4 simple gratitude steps to improve your job search from By Joe Turner?

1)   Start a Gratitude Journal

2)   Focus on Prosperity

3)   Visualize Without Limits

4)   Be Grateful When a Job Falls Through

READ MORE

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A JOB CLUB MEETING

JOB CLUBs are like any other group, organization, club or body of people who gather for a purpose.  You get out of it what you put into it! 

Article by: AZ JOB COACH 

That may not be actually true.  With JOB CLUBs, I like to think and have witnessed that you can actually get MORE out of it than what you put into it.

First, examine what your purpose is.  Why are you attending JOB CLUB meetings?  If your answer is to find help, support, advice, ideas, tools, networking options, social options, etc. etc. you are in the same group as all the rest.   JOB CLUBs can provide all of that an more but if your purpose is two-fold, to gain as well as to GIVE, then you will be in the other group...the group that get's much more.

Now let's assume that you've come to several JOB CLUB meetings and have listened, asked questions and provided some feedback occasionally.  But for the most part you've come to find out what's it's all about then left the meeting only to return the following week to repeat the process. 

READ MORE

Career Tips & Tricks

Understanding the Roles of Others in the Workplace: "Trading Places"

One key to all successful relationships is to understand all sides. In the workplace, this also holds true. Everyone has different responsibilities and priorities and understanding where each person falls on the workplace spectrum will help you start to improve your relationships significantly!

Why are roles so important? What happens if they aren’t clearly defined? Each role at work reflects a different angle and piece of the puzzle. A clear understanding of roles can help with your personal career development, team building, relationships with colleagues and just an overall better understanding of everything around you.

Click here to read more.

ALISON is delighted to announce the release of a suite of Diploma-level courses.
 

Alison courses are FREE - No Tuition, Not Books!

Two interactive courses have been developed with leading subject-matter experts in multimedia and Web development. On completion of the Diploma, successful learners will be entitled to obtain a Diploma Parchment. Diploma-level courses on ALISON cover a comprehensive sector of knowledge and skills in the subject areas of:   Diploma in Multimedia Development    and   Diploma in Web Development

Top 10 Questions NOT to Ask Yourself in a Job Search

Here are the Top 10 questions
to have someone ELSE ask you.
Give this list to someone you trust and have him or her read it to you,
one question at a time:

1. What do you love about your current position (or last position)?
2. What don’t you like about your current position (or last position)?
3. What would be your ideal work schedule?

4. Do you work best with people or alone? With a lot of supervision or little supervision?

5. What size organization and corporate culture are the best matches for you?

6. How much money do you want/need to make?
7. Is there a job at your current company that you would want to do? And/or is there a way your current job could become your dream job?
8. What’s your dream job?
9. Who in your life can you talk to about what it’s like to do X job?
10. What will you do to find out more about the day to day realities of X job?

READ THE FULL STORY  Top 10 Questions NOT to Ask Yourself in a Job Search

ARIZONA Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.5%

Above Average Employment Gains in October

Overall, Arizona’s employment situation is beginning to show indications of welcome improvements according to a statement from The Arizona Department of Commerce.

This is the third consecutive month of over-the-year gains in Total Nonfarm employment, with the rate of gain increasing each month.  Arizona has moved up in ranking in the past three months compared to other states from number 36, to 32, to 18 in over-the-year employment growth based on preliminary September data. 

US Labor Department study underscores positive impact of unemployment insurance

"Two million people stand to lose benefits before the end of the holiday season if Congress does not act to extend federal benefits. Four million more would lose benefits early in 2011," added Secretary Solis. "While the economy and the job market are on the road to recovery, the loss of consumer sales from removing billions of dollars in unemployment benefits will set us back. Now is not the time to turn our backs on the families that rely on these benefits and the businesses that serve them."
Full Story

10 LinkedIn Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

Here's a posting we found on  LinkedIn.com which comes from a blog called New Grad Life  Many of the points made in this article are also applicable to any resume

LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found as a job seeker. And that is why you need a LinkedIn Profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile. I see many people making fundamental mistakes as job seekers that actually work against them in this aspect. If you’re going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?

With that in mind, I have created an easy-to-understand list of a few things to check for with my reasoning. Just like any website owner, you want your LinkedIn profile to stick out and be found! As a job applicant, you want the same thing, so read on.

Enjoy my LinkedIn Profile Tips!

1. Not Displaying Your Personal Photo

It all really comes down to having social media credibility or not. There are too many fake profiles on LinkedIn, so you want to show that you are real. If you have taken the time to complete your LinkedIn profile, why wouldn’t you display your photo? It just raises too many potential questions. And company logos or photos of pets obviously have no value here

2. LinkedIn Profile Headline is Not Branded Enough

See that space underneath your name? That is your “Professional” or Profile Headline. It will appear in search results next to your name, as well as next to any questions you ask or answer. It is, in essence, your elevator speech in a few words. Are you just putting your title and company name here? Don’t! This is the place where you need to appeal to anyone who finds you in a search result to reach out and look at your profile. Your Profile Headline is the single most important piece of real estate on your LinkedIn Profile, and you need to brand it as such. This really ties into personal branding as a job applicant.

Tips for the “More Experienced” Job Seeker

Tips for the “More Experienced” Job Seeker

                                       Mike Perry is the President of Szarka Financial Management in North Olmsted, OH. With twenty-five years of leadership experience working at large national banking companies, along with management consulting experience as president of Leading Edge Solutions, I have been a hiring manager for over 30 years and used that experience to provide job search and career/transition coaching to hundreds of people.

Perception is everything, as the saying goes, and that applies to many things – including job seeking. Let’s talk about how to use your age, if you are 45+ years old, to your advantage when seeking employment.

Many of the people with whom I’ve done transition coaching have fallen into the trap of feeling that being “older” was something of a curse when it came to seeking employment.

Not so! And here are some tips/strategies for you to consider using to get past the fact that you are older:

Don’t apologize for your age, just present specific accomplishments rather than how long you have been working. The adage of “you’re not older, you are just wiser” is the key. You are not “old”, you are experienced!

Talk results, not years of service by discussing how you successfully handled the multitude of challenges thrown your way and how that ultimately benefited current or former employers (i.e., what impact did you have on their bottom line – More sales? Reduced expenses? Improved operational efficiencies?). Remember, hiring managers are judged by the results related to the people they bring into the organization - thus, they are seeking someone with a solid history of strong accomplishments.

Keep your eye on the ball by focusing on the opportunity at hand. Don’t feel compelled to ramble on about ALL of the different experiences you’ve had (what you did for an employer in 1988 is of little interest. Hiring managers are only concerned with what you have actually accomplished in the last five to ten years, and only about those skills that directly relate to the open position). Unless you are applying for a position that requires you to wear a dozen different hats, stick to what you are best at doing – that which differentiates you from the competition.

Employment Reference Letters

While it is a good idea to have them, it is also a better idea to know how and when to use them!

References are a necessary part of the job search process but may be more necessary and more appropriate later rather than sooner.

There are several reasons why Employment References are misunderstood, misused and somewhat less effective than intended.

First, let’s distinguish between the 1.) List of Names one often sees under a heading of "References" on a resume and 2.) Letters of Reference.  They are two different elements of a job search and therefore it stands to reason that they would have differences in the way and the reasons why we use them.

Employee Turnover at the Top - Vacancies for Job Seekers at all Levels!

Zions Bank is exploring how to retain employees hired during the economic slump.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting a shift in the labor market trends.  Based upon last years supply and demand for top-level talent, employers were able to shop for and buy the Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce quality at the Volks Wagon prices.   Now those employees are getting anxioius for a new garage and doing some shopping on their own.  Overall, turnover remains low but is inching up. When adjusted for seasonality, the percentage of total employees who voluntarily quit their jobs in September was 1.6%, up from 1.3% in September last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now, as the job market slowly loosens up—and those overqualified hires become more frustrated—some of them are considering greener pastures.

Employers who snapped up top talent on the cheap in the depth of the recession should start worrying about defections, according to recruiters and managers. Companies that continued to hire during the slump found they were able to nab talented but recently laid-off workers at bargain salaries, or into jobs for which they were overqualified.

Job Seekers Of A Certain Age

          ....This story came from an email sent in by the Raliegh Media Group......

 

The article below is from a great job site called "The Ladders".  It's not aimed at media professionals, but the advice given can certainly apply.  This article is excerpted from a recent posting and can resonate to anyone over 40 looking for their next opportunity. 

By Debra Donston-Miller

Job seekers in their 50s may be stereotyped as counting the days to retirement or running up health-insurance costs. Older professionals describe how they've fought those perceptions on the job search.

TheLadders has spoken with many job seekers and workers age 55 and older who have found themselves unemployed and waiting by a phone that just won't ring.  Read the full story.

How to Start a Job Club

Guidelines and Advice for

Getting a Job Club Started in Your Community

__________________

It doesn't cost a penny to start a Job Club. To get your group going, all you need is a commitment of time and the genuine desire to succeed. It can take as little as a few hours to a week to form your group and coordinate your very first meeting.  See the full story:
FROM:  ABC News:

 __________________

How many members should you have?

Why Join A Job Club?

Job Clubs are springing up all over the country.  In some locations Job Seekers have the advantage of attending more than one Job Club in any given week.

One great reason Job Clubs are so prevalent is: THEY WORK!   Job Clubs are a proven method of returning to work sooner rather than later.  Job Clubs provide a way to learn and grow in an informal setting contrasted with workshops and seminars. 

F R E E   WEBINARS

Why the End of the Year is the BEST Time to Job Search

November 18th @ 1:00 PM CST 

• How to book interviews during the holidays
• Why is the end of the year a great time to interview?
• What you need to do right now to accelerate your search

_____________________

The Importance of "Changing Things Up"

November 22nd @ 11:00 AM CST -

Change is the one certainty in life. Throughout your search you need to analyze your activities and make changes to improve your results.

• Analyze the results of your current search
• Review actions that need to be discontinued
• Identify and implement necessary changes

REGISTER HERE

REGISTER HERE

FROM YOUR CAREER ADVISOR...

.... A NOTE THE JobbinUp.com

CAREER ADVISOR

It’s Time to Conduct a Thorough

Review of Your Job Search Efforts

If you have been conducting your search for more than 120 days you need to identify where to make changes.You can’t continue to conduct your search in the same way and expect different results.

It might be time to change your job targets, it may be time to revise your resume, it may be time to expand your location criteria, it may be time to accept a temp, contract or consulting opportunity.

You may need to attend more networking events or join a job club in your area. For the next week track the number of hours dedicated to your search process. Often to obtain better results, you just need to dedicate more time to your search.

SEE OTHER POSTS ABOUT UPCOMING WEBINARS 

& TAKE ADVANTAGE - THEY'RE FREE

No Job Prospects? - How about starting your own business?

21 Steps to Building a Web Business
The award-winning internet marketing provider Chris Farrell has teamed up with ALISON to offer a new course on how to set up your own Web business. The video-based tutorial introduces the fundamentals of creating a website and then outlines how to generate revenue from this resource. The course is delivered in a non-technical and step-by-step manner and is ideal for those who would like to start making money online within weeks.

Your Resume is Your Curb-Appeal

Your Resume is Your Curb-Appeal

Just like selling a house, 

your job search process needs to have “Curb-Appeal”.

Article by Brian Sigler, Career Coach

 When you decided to list your home on the market, what was the first thing you did or started thinking about…sprucing up here and there, disguising some of the blemishes, and in general giving it a bit of a face-lift?  

Now think about a time when you were shopping for a new home.  What attracted you (or not) about the various homes you considered?   Did you ever get to the front of a new home and decide to keep on driving solely because of the outward appearance and general condition of the yard and front of the home?  



If these homes were RESUMES, which would invite you to go to the next step?

Real estate agents will tell you of the hundreds of cute little places on the market that just haven’t moved due to lack of interest in prospective buyers caused by some form of disappointment in the first impression.


Can you afford to have disappointment caused by your first impression when you’re seeking new employment?

My Skills My Future - New Tool for Job Seekers

NEW TOOL FOR JOB SEEKERS . . . From the Dept. of Labor

The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has announced a new electronic tool called my Skills, my Future

The tool will help job seekers understand how their existing skills might match skill needs in demand with different industries and occupations.

my Skills, my Future will be the first free public sector tool that leverages O*Net information with other employment, education, training and apprenticeship databases to create an on-line skill transferability tool.

Is Your Resume Dressed to the Nines?

Is your Resume Dressed to the Nines?

9 Ways to Dress Up Your Resume 

The following are 9 steps from a 90 minute workshop.  There are handouts and material to support the 9 steps.  If you are interested in participating in the next workshop, please let us know by using the comment section below this post.   Or if you just have a question regarding one of the steps listed, use the comment section to ask your question.                                              Thank you!

 

1)  Chronological vs. Functional Resumes.

Understand the pros and cons of  each and decide how many of each you will need.

2)  A Million Dollar Resume is a Cheap Resume. 

Consider that each word costs One Million Dollars….Now decide which words you can afford to include on your resume and which ones you can do without.

3)  Object to the Objective   -  it is optional only!

Prime Resume Real Estate-Replace with Summary or Achievements

How do you protect your privacy when job hunting online?

Put the Safe in your Cyber-Safe Job Seeking Activities!

First and foremost, remember who has control over your privacy.  YOU have control until you give away too much information and it winds up in the wrong hands.  So the first rule is don't publish any personal information on the internet if you are not ABSOLUTELY certain of your security.  Remember, there is no absolute certainty that you'll be given a job opportunity so don't give out too much information until it may be appropriate.   Employers don't need all of the information up front.  After-all it's your SKILLS that are going to get you to the interview, not your address, Social Security Number, etc. etc.