Saturday, April 30, 2011

A successful (royal) job hunt

Here is an amusing blog post portraying Kate Middleton (new wife to the second in line for the throne of England) as a successful job applicant.

The author notes "significant job security" which seems to be unlikely. The royal generation above her had a 75% divorce rate in first marriages (which lasted from 10 to 19 years though).

Your skills have to be expert, this author writes. You can't get comfy or frozen in today's market.

An article for students has some good reminders--employers are looking for people who are "serious about doing a superior job". It recommends practicing interviewing in front of family and friends.

Get the total package on How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download
Buy Now.
Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

40 résumés a day can't work

One woman reports sending out 40 résumés a day with no results. It's possible she's not targeting tightly enough.

Broadcasting résumés used to work. Not any more. Focused networking (you getting inside and finding the job) is more effective today.

One of things a cover letter must do is say why you want to work for the company, this blog post reminds us.

LinkedIn reported has topped 100 million users. (Facebook is at least 6 times larger.)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Even a drug czar is looking for work!

You think you've got problems finding a job? So does everybody:

  • While job hunting books tell readers don't settle for anything less than your dream job, university career counselors are warning students that may not happen right after graduation. More bad news: while it used to take college graduates a few months to land that first job, today it can take far longer.

  • Older workers (age 55+) take a hit on finding a new job. 53% of them are still looking after 6 months compared to 46% for ages 25-49. The federal government recognizes the issue and started the Aging Worker Initiative in 9 states 2 years ago.

  • The White House drug czar who said 2 years we're not fighting a war on drugs (we lost?) is looking for work.

  • More than half of business professionals are dissatisfied with their jobs, a survey of 29 countries says. The biggest beef was insufficient pay. But people are hunkering down and upgrading skills rather than leaving, the study suggests. This may be an effect of the challenging job market.

    Employers found only 3.6% of new hires through Monster.com in 2008, one author writes. That was double Careerbulder.com's rate. Networking and applying directly through company sites were far more effective strategies.