Thursday, June 23, 2011

Job Search Apps

My husband loves gadgets and the Android phone has enough apps in it to keep him happy. This morning he was showing me an application where he could scan the bar code from a Skippy Peanut Butter jar and find the various stores that stock it as well as the prices from these stores. I asked him if he would look up the apps for the term “Job Search” and sure enough, he got a screen full of job search engines and career assessment sites. From our quick scan, it looked like many of them were free, too.

Since I don’t have an Android I Googled the words “Android, apps, job search” on my computer and received pages of articles and suggested job search engines. There are customer reviews too. It seems as if Indeed.com is a good application for the Android although it doesn’t have the advanced features that the web option does.

There are apps for the iphone and Blackberry. Here are a few selections - some are free and some come with a fee.
1. iPhone: A listing of job seach apps are in the article from About.com.
2. Android: This includes the popular Linkup app.
3. Blackberry: This site lists some of the popular job search apps.

By the way, Yahoo just jumped into the water with Yahoo Apps. There us a link for it on your Yahoo navigation bar.

If you use mobile apps for job search, how is it working for for? Have you found a job?

Monday, June 20, 2011

Another Look at the Overqualified Question

Since it is illegal to infer that someone is too old for a position, many hiring managers wonder out loud if a candidate may be overqualified for a particular position. In other words, “Why would you want this job when you are clearly three levels above it?” Some responses that I suggest are:

1. Ask for clarification. What do you mean? How do you define overqualified? Once you get a response, you may be better able to respond.

2. Expect it and be prepared. What is it about this job that you like or can compensate for a lower salary or lessened responsibilities? Is it closer to your home? Can you telecommute? Do you admire their corporate responsibility? Can you work an eight hour day rather than a ten hour day? How can you contribute your knowledge and background to this company in a lesser role? Can you be a mentor? Do you really mind having a lower role in the organization/how does this align with your work values?

3. Match your skills and accomplishments to the position. Focus on how your past accomplishments can align with the department/organizational goals.

Do you have any responses that have worked for you?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A Letter to the President of the US

Dear Mr. President,

I wasn’t a business major in college nor did I run my early career as a business. I do however have common sense and have seen first-hand the destruction of our society by the unreasonable demands and greed of big business and a government with its head in the sand.

There are over 14 million people without real jobs. Let me say that again, fourteen million people. To put it into perspective, that is more than the number of people living in the states of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Kansas and Arkansas combined!

I reread a speech from the Job Summit of 2009 and could see right through the smoke and mirrors. Obviously not much has happened on the job front since that speech. Then, last week at the Economic Summit, you joked of “bumps in the road” and the “headwinds” getting in the way of economic recovery. What is that supposed to mean? And why joke about it? How can almost three years go by without a hint of recovery? How can the corporations continue to make money hand over fist and many not pay taxes? How can we continually outsource our manufacturing and service groups to faraway places that barely know how to speak English? How are consumers supposed to go out and purchase goods and services when they don’t have jobs and money to spend? How does a dual income family move to one income and then no income and survive? How can unemployed couples even think about putting their kids through college? How come our leaders aren’t serious about this?

I don’t want to be political but I read on ABC News that, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has created a web ad where he is attempting to show that the 14 million unemployed “are not just economic statistics, but are real Americans looking to support themselves and their families.” Someone has to do it – but better yet, someone has to listen.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I'm Moving On

Yesterday I had lunch with two wonderful women friends.  We used to work together but our jobs were eliminated due to our department's reorganization several years ago. Since then we share our lives through LinkedIn, Facebook and lunch time meetings. We met for Thai food, something that I had never tried before because of my reputation for being "bland Nan". More on that in a minute.

We visited for a while and swapped stories of our kids and pets and jobs and the recent heat. We mentioned the friendships that we have maintained with our former co-workers and lamented the ones that "got away". We finally got around to talking about our past company and the feelings we had upon being let go. All of us had a similar conclusion.  We found that like so many other things in life, we moved on and life continued in the manner that was decided so long ago.  All three of us discovered that we were meant for something else; a different direction that may have been difficult to navigate but is just as exciting.  This morning snippets of our conversation were still in my mind; I guess that's why I can't get this Rascal Flatts song, I'm Moving On, out of my head.

This brings me back to the Thai food. It was delicious.  It was the fear of change and moving out of my comfort zone that had me turn up my nose for all these years. 

Life will move on after a job loss and change is so difficult.  You were meant for something else.  What is it?

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Work Readiness Skills

Now that school is winding down, or finished, the youth of our country are out in droves looking for either a summer job or a permanent spot.  They are competing with the experienced workers and as we all know, the job pickings are slim.  There are certain skills that employers have come to expect of its entry level employees; work readiness skills.  Do you have them?
The Work Readiness Council has written a report that explains the skills needed for entry level workers in service or service related industries. The report shows that businesses from across industry sectors identified eight behaviors needed for entry-level workers to succeed in today's workplace and global economy:
1. Listen actively
2. Solve problems and make decisions
3. Cooperate with others
4. Resolve conflicts and negotiate
5. Observe critically
6. Take responsibility for learning
7. Read with understanding
8. Use math to solve problems
An interviewer may ask you questions on how you have used these skills in the past (either at school, in another position or as a volunteer).  Be ready with specific examples and the results of your actions.
Please visit the Work Readiness site for additional information.

Please Visit a Dermatologist

Today I had surgery for a Stage 0 Melanoma. It was discovered about a month ago when I went to my dermatologist for my annual skin screening...