Don’t give up! Learn what you can do to take your search to the next level. The Smarter Job Search Workshops are interactive, information-packed one-hour workshops designed to make you more successful in a number of ways:

• Create winning resumes and cover letters
• Job search more effectively
• Network live and online to get more interviews
• Interview persuasively to become the candidate of choice
• Negotiate the best possible offer

TOPICS (see our Meetup page at the link above for specific times and locations)

• The Above & Beyond Job Search by CAREER-Magic – September 10
• Smarter Interviews & Salary Negotiations by CAREER-Magic – September 10

• Cover Letter Magic by CAREER-Magic – September 24
• Generating Job Leads for Fun & Profit by CAREER-Magic – September 24

• Using the Phone Effectively in Your Job Search by CAREER-Magic – TBD

• Job Search Skills For Introverts by CAREER-Magic – TBD

CAREER-Magic Job Search Workshops are facilitated by Denver Job Search Expert Tracy Laswell Valdez, leveraging 16+ years of job search support for 3000+ clients. For more info, please call 303-424-1700 or email tracy@career-magic.com. Please RSVP online by clicking here!

WHEN & WHERE: See calendar of events at http://www.meetup.com/The-Smarter-Job-Search-Workshop/

Cost: $10 per session by cash or check. Please RSVP online by clicking here!

Why it’s Denver’s longest-running job search club. Often imitated, but never matched!

At the Caffeinated Careers Club, we network, share advice, job leads, resources, and encouragement. The Arvada CCC, facilitated by job search expert Tracy Laswell Valdez, is positive, businesslike, uplifting, and focused. Established October 1999 and going strong, with typical attendance of 30+ individuals.

Cost: $1.00. The restaurant appreciates it if you do business with them as well. Please, no outside food or drink (other than celebratory chocolate).

Dress: Business casual, accessorized with a smile.

RSVP: We use Meetup.com for RSVPs and to share meeting minutes (uploaded under files), click here to join Caffeinated Careers Club (Arvada) on Meetup. Info on meeting process and protocol is listed here as well. When you RSVP, add your target job titles and target companies to the comments.

We also have a LinkedIn group to share job search resources, click here to join.

More Info: Call Tracy Laswell Valdez at 303-424-1700.

I challenge you to read your current resume, line by line, and ask yourself with the question “so what?” at the end of each sentence. Ask yourself whether a statement can that be expressed as a specific quantifiable contribution to the company’s bottom line. It can be difficult, and at times you will have to estimate, but the more you are able to assess your value to a company, you will be more likely to win and retain a rewarding position.

Relevance: Be sure all the points in your resume are truly relevant to your current objective? Some of your background may be in a completely unrelated industry, and some may be “ancient history.”  Consider removing any information that instead of better qualifying you, could be used to weed you out. That would include irrelevant qualifications, whether educational or experiential. The competition today is nothing less than fierce. Recruiters are charged with finding the exceptional fit, the amazing value candidate, and a one-size-fits-all resume simply cannot convey the right stuff. It is also important to realize that “more” experience may not be seen as “better” – you are likely to be perceived as older, more expensive, or just “overqualified.”

Tailoring. The right stuff may be in there, but is it translated to the words the employer is using? Each resume you send for a specific opportunity needs to be tailored so that the recruiter can see exactly those qualifications being sought. This can be done in a number of ways throughout the resume but the introductory section of your resume should say it all – fluently, persuasively, in the language of the specific employer.

CAREER-Magic offers free resume critiques via our contact page as well as cost-effective resume editing and complete development services. The right resume can pay for itself many times over by shortening the search and giving you leverage to negotiate the best offer. Call or email today for more information.

The old standard advice for job seekers of maintaining a schedule, to which I frequently add the importance of  getting out with people as much as possible is not only good for your mental health, but it improves your job search prowess and facilitates a smooth transition once you get back to work.

For people who have taken an extended period of time out of the working world, such as those who have cared for their young, old, or ill family members, I frequently suggest easing back into the working world with a part-time arrangement. Most of my clients who from a more nurturing home environment to the political nuances, fluorescent lights, ringing phones, and hectic pace of a busy corporate environment suffer from culture shock and can become acutely unhappy.

Other ideas include taking on a part-time volunteer job that gets you out with people on a regular basis or even a minimum wage job that allows you to interact with the general public.

If nothing else, anticipate a little jet lag and culture shock, take it slowly, and treat yourself well as you begin your next ‘vacation’ from unemployment.

Tracy Laswell Valdez

When people generally think of job search we tend to think about things we should be doing. I would like to direct your attention inside and begin to observe how you are BEING in your life. Granted there are always things we need to DO to create our next position, but the way we are feeling and being also plays a large role in our success.

Consider this – when we are in desperate mode we are operating from a place of fear, all of our decisions, the thoughts we think and the energy we convey may feel negative and restrictive. But when we are relaxed we allow ourselves to go with the flow, have fun and trust ourselves and the decisions we are making, our body and mind are naturally more relaxed. Desperation breeds fear and stress and stress stops flow and opportunity from showing up. Fun and relaxation breed confidence, flow and allowing. I know budgets are tight with so many in the job hunt, so what are you doing to relax and have fun? Are you allowing yourself breaks from the job search? It doesn’t have to cost money to relax. For some it is allowing a nap from time to time, for some a hot bath at the end of the day, it could be getting regular exercise, a hike or bike ride can shift the brain and the thoughts within 10 minutes of the activity. During this time of job creation it is the perfect time to do some self-reflecting and self-care and think about what strategies you can incorporate to relax and take YOU time. This type of action actually acknowledges the work you are doing and the more you learn to acknowledge yourself and take care of yourself in this way the easier it will be to stay in a positive frame. And people and employers like positive vibes.

Give yourself permission to take breaks in the middle of the day to breathe, walk, laugh, etc. When we are creating regular patterns of self-care in this way you think clearer, work more effectively and feel happier. And that all adds up to being more relaxed and letting the opportunities and ideas flow. I find when I take breaks in the middle of my day I work much more effectively and feel much better. I invite you to share what you do to relax and when you find it hard to relax what simple techniques work for you in helping shift your mental state?

Remember you are more than your job and your job search. Pay attention to your feelings and will begin to enjoy the journey!

Happy Relaxing,

Katie

Katie Smith is a professional life coach & executive search consultant. Her expertise lies in helping individuals that are interested in bringing their goals into reality, reinventing themselves and their livelihoods and creating a more relaxed joy filled life.  www.katiebsmith.com

An esteemed colleague of mine, Carol Ross, writes a brilliant blog, often putting lucid words around the topics that I find myself pondering (though with less clarity). Her most recent, The Upside to a Recession, is about “realistic optimism” –an oxymoron better known as the silver lining. Like Carol, I have pondered the implications of our present economic circumstances — and have come to the conclusion that the changes occurring are not all bad.

One of the good things Carol Ross mentions is that we now seem to have a renewed focus on connecting with others, whether live and in person or on Twitter. Connecting with others, sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings, getting real, getting focused, getting help – these are critically important behaviors, in my opinion. Following the enthusiastic response to another recent article by Carol, Nine Networking Mistakes to Avoid, she created a new educational offering – the Networking Naturally Program. While I have not yet attended this teleseminar, I know Carol well enough to heartily recommend it. If you do, let me know what you think.

When I hear people use the phrase “job security,” and I think they believe in this career phenomenon of days gone by, I begin to wonder about their views on Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

Most of us know the definitions of terms like downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring, temping, and outplacement… and we have some idea that the buy-outs, mergers, and bellies-up that businesses experience have something to do with a rapidly evolving global economy. Many of us, working hard at “good companies” don’t fully grasp what this means to our careers until it’s too late.

If you’d like to experience a measure of job security in the new millennium, then I’d like to advocate a proactive rather than reactive approach to career management.

The advice I offer today falls into three categories:

1. Surviving and thriving in a constant restructuring company
2. Increasing your market value or “employability factor”
3. Keeping a roof over your head

1. Surviving and thriving in a constant restructuring company

To survive and even prosper in a continually churning corporate structure, keep a positive attitude. Demonstrate your willingness to embrace change. When new management arrives, build rapport rather than mope about the loss of co-workers who became friends. Continually seek ways to add value at your current place of employment – broaden your repertoire of skills. Aggressively pursue your own professional development – take advantage of corporate-sponsored training and tuition reimbursement programs. If those perks aren’t offered, design your own professional development path – take advantage of the vast wealth of career-related topics available for the asking at your local library and on the Internet. Join professional associations related to your field and/or industry. Stay abreast of business news – be conversant in the market factors that catalyze change in your company’s industry.

2. Increasing your market value or “employability factor”

To keep your employability factor high, build and maintain professional networks. I cannot stress this enough. When you build outstanding relationships with managers, peers, clients, and vendors, don’t let it evaporate when the business relationship changes. Get e-mail addresses, postal addresses, and home phone numbers as your contacts permit. Why? So that you can stay in touch with these people… they know your value in the marketplace and will often be willing to help you find your next position – and of course, you will provide them with leads and support too, when the time comes.

Even if you feel like all is just ducky at work, I strongly encourage a preventative maintenance program for your career. Keep your resume updated and your interview skills sharp. Keep an ongoing file of your accomplishments, performance evaluations, and recently completed continuing education, and update that resume twice a year. If you don’t have anything to add on a regular basis, refer to Part 1.

Another way to remain gainfully employed is to rethink your present definition of work. Consider temping, contract work, and even moonlighting toward full-fledged self-employment These are increasingly valid ways of being employed. Stay in touch with your talents and aspirations and don’t worry that career switching or numerous jobs might “look bad” on your resume. As long as you’re learning and making a living, no one will fault you for trying new jobs.

3. Keeping a roof over your head

To keep a roof over your head, and to keep yourself from conducting a job search in “Titanic Mode,” have a solid emergency savings plan. I’m no financial planner, but I definitely know that not having six months worth of household expenses stashed away is financial suicide in today’s job market. Conducting a job search is sufficiently demanding of most people’s emotional capabilities without adding an element of sheer financial horror to it.

Jobs in corporate America may be shuffling faster than ever as we approach the new millenium, but there’s no reason you can’t start working now to stack the deck in your favor.

Your career success depends on whether you surf the waves of change, or just stand on the beach, small and incredulous while they crash down on you. When you’re considering your career in the future, it may very well be useful to keep the image of a surfer in your mind while I explain a few of the changes and how they affect you.

The early years of any era are invariably dicey. The rules change quickly as we all struggle to get on the same page. As we leave behind the Industrial Age, we are forced to leave behind its paradigms surrounding careers. The American Dream is no longer attained by the old formula (four-year degree + “good company” = career progression).

Remaining frozen in fear, complaining, or ignoring change will not make it go away. Running around in denial looking for an old-style job at a “good” company will not save you. Staying in college longer won’t save you. Even starting your own company won’t necessarily ensure you a lifetime career, although the mindset involved in self-employment will be helpful throughout your career. As an example of how things have changed, know this: it’s no longer sufficient to get a four-year degree at the beginning of one’s career and call it good. Advanced degrees and ongoing attendance in focused technical programs throughout one’s career will be the norm for those who seek above-average earnings.

Darwin would say that what’s called for here is adaptability. The ability to stay abreast of constant, significant change is the key to your survival. Looking forward to the future, finding the good in change, and taking control of your own career development are steps in the right direction. Striving to truly understand the changes to our economy and the impacts of newly emerging technologies will help you accept and anticipate the changes that directly affect you. In an Information Age, it is deadly to your career not to understand the big picture and where you fit in. The good news is that, in an Information Age, it’s easy to find the resources you need to stay one step ahead.

Just like the surfer, in order to do well you’ll need to remain fit. In the career sense, fitness means continually defining and developing your unique skills as well as adapting them in an instant to satisfy a new and urgent business need. Make sure you’ve got a line between you and your surfboard …plan for the big spills and the changing tides that may leave you temporarily unemployed. This means having a solid financial plan rather than living two paychecks away from insolvency as most Americans are rumored to.

So what can you do right now? As you think of your career in the new millennium, keep the notion of the surfer firmly in mind. Keep your attitude young, hip, and healthy. View your time with each employer as a surfer regards a particular wave. Make the most of it, ride it as long as you can, and have fun. But if you want to keep going, be looking for the next wave to ride after the one you’re on subsides.