Looking for a job during the holidays can be depressing, especially in this tough job market. But pick up your spirits by following these twelve strategies for increasing your success at job search in the holiday season. Inspired by a traditional song of the season, here are 12 tips to help you succeed at networking during the holiday season.
With unemployment at double digits throughout much of the country, and with serious concerns about joblessness weighing on the nation, “job shopping is a holiday priority for many”. Even though a layoff or job change can put a real damper on one’s Holiday spirit, now is not the time to slow your networking and job search efforts.
These days everyone seems to be scrambling for a job, and when you read stories about “recession-proof jobs” and “booming industries,” the oil and gas business rarely even gets a mention. Yet Jerry Gauche, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for National Oilwell Varco (NOV), offered an optimistic view of careers in the field, and provided some valuable insights for job seekers from inside the industry.
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Jerry Gauche, National Oilwell Varco’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, hasn’t followed the traditional career path of an executive in the oil and gas industry. He began his career as a tax attorney, and after 15 years transitioned into organizational development. Yet his unconventional career path is not rare among top performers and leaders in any field. Individuals who embrace opportunities and pursue their passions at every juncture in their careers often rise to the top of their career fields and write success into their stories. By loving new ideas, embracing opportunity and working hard you can make the difference in your job search or career and find a better job, for better pay and a better life.
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Even without major life transitions such as a job or career change, staying organized and on top of life—even the things we most want to do—can prove an everyday challenge. This series will examine ways to do this more effectively using tools that are free, or very inexpensive, and practices that can make the best integrated use of these tools. Since life is all about change and learning from each other, questions and comments are always encouraged.
Because keeping life organized almost always revolves around time in the form of appointments, schedules and deadlines, we’ll start with the most fundamental of organizational tools: the calendar.
We’ve come a long way since the Roman calendar—dating to about 753 BC—first carved up a year into 10 months. Any one of numerous online calendars can help; I’ve chosen Google Calendar because it’s free, contains powerful features and add-ons, is available when you’re offline, and is supported by an enormous blogging community.
Getting started is as easy as going to http://calendar.google.com and creating a Google account if you don’t have one already. Be sure to take the tour. Here are features I rely on every day:
• Multiple, color-coded calendars. You have one life, right? To organize it, maintain a single, master calendar incorporating work, family and extracurricular interests. In one example, I use a calendar with gold-colored events to ensure I never miss critical duties as caregiver for my wife, such as a doctor’s appointment. If you have a separate calendar at work, using Microsoft Outlook, for example, you can synchronize with that, too.
•Mobile access and SMS event reminders. The pop-up reminders that come standard with most electronic calendars are great when you’re near your PC. But what happens when you’re in a meeting or at the grocery—and you don’t pack a PDA? Google Calendar lets you send reminders by text message to your cell phone, and to set multiple reminders for the same event.
• Search! Of course, this calendar is as searchable—fast—as anything on Google. When did I last see my eye doctor? For me, that’s as easy as searching “Dr. Key.”
• Share calendars with colleagues and family.
• Invite others to meetings & events and track who has said they will attend.
• Integrate task lists and the weather. The many easy-to-install plug-ins available include ones that will put the day’s weather forecast for any Zip Code at the top of your calendar, and let you manage a list of the day’s tasks—without leaving the calendar. More on task list tools will follow in another post.
My own life hasn’t become any less full since I began using Google Calendar. But it certainly has become easier to keep up with ever-shifting plans for the day, the week and beyond. No printed calendars for me, even though I could do that, too.
–Jay Kraker
What makes some people prefer working in teams and some prefer independent project work? Why do some people thrive as engineers, while others are born to be writers? It is fascinating to think about the underlying preferences and behavioral traits that determine what careers best suit each of us. International leader in behavioral assessments, Dr. Dan Harrison (www.harrisonassessments.com), shares his unique assessment instrument and how our behavioral preferences impact our career choices and performance success.
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With all the uncertainty and anxiety that pervade our thoughts and discussions about the economy, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the gloom-and-doom mentality and feel completely helpless. While layoffs and losses can erode confidence, to overcome and succeed we must not let them! We encourage everyone to put the past in the past and focus on the future. Dr. David Krueger, author of Roadmap for a New Wellness Story, shared with us how a systematic approach to change can empower us to achieve career and life goals.
Dave Krueger, M.D., is an Executive Mentor Coach and currently serves as the CEO of MentorPath (www.mentorpath.com), an executive coaching, wellness, and publishing firm in Houston, Texas. He helps executive clients “write the next chapter of their business stories” by combining elements of psychology, neuroscience, and professional coaching into a comprehensive method for effecting change and achieving goals. Dr. Krueger is the author of over fifteen professional and trade books on self-development, wellness, and success, and he frequently gives keynote addresses nationally and internationally. His strategies look at success as both an art and a science, and in his coaching and writing he focuses on the principle of “mind over matter.” In the past Dr. Krueger has served as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, and has practiced and taught both psychiatry and psychoanalysis. He has been listed among America’s Top Psychiatrists, and from 1996 until his retirement from practicing clinical psychiatry in 2002, he was listed in The Best Doctors in America. Additionally, he has founded and served as CEO for two healthcare corporations, and co-founded a third startup that began as a venture capital endeavor and eventually became a merger/acquisition.
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How You Can Transform Your Career and Your Life
With the right knowledge, tools, and positive thinking everyone can achieve their career goals and aspirations. To affirm that belief, Bob Bunker, a good friend and Total System student par excellence, joined us to talk about how he implemented the principles of Job Search:The Total System and achieved his career aspirations.
While big businesses and corporations get all the government and media attention and publicity, it is small businesses and individual entrepreneurs that add the greatest value and diversity to our U.S. and global economy. These smaller entities drive growth in the economy and are the foundation for long term success. Fortunately there are growing numbers of groups and associations that are reaching out to encourage and assist entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in these difficult economic times. One of these organizations is Houston Technology Center (HTC), and this week we had the opportunity to speak with Paul Frison, one of the driving forces behind HTC’s success.
The words “economic recession” are without a doubt looming in the minds of job seekers everywhere, and with the banking and financial industries suffering from the global crisis, individuals are left wondering if their hopes of finding employment in these fields are realistic. Yet despite the grim economic forecast, we are confident that the American Dream is alive and well and that job seekers’ hopes and goals will soon become realities! Mike Oakes, a friend and former client, joined us this week to discuss some of the factors and issues coming into play in the global economic recession, and how the crisis is specifically affecting banking careers.
We often reserve the title “leader” for bosses, teachers, and presidents, who are leaders in the “official” sense of the word. However, if we think about it everyone is a leader or has the potential to be one. Whether we are aware of it or not, even seemingly insignificant actions impact the people around us, and we often base our own actions on what we see those around us doing. So how can you become an effective, influential, and positive leader? Doug Gehrman recently published his book Leadership for Life: Your Guide to Becoming a Transformational Leader and joined us this week to share his insights on leadership in the workplace and in daily life.
So you have a perfect resume, a top-notch cover letter, glowing reference letters, and the confidence and attitude to interview like a pro. Ready. Set. Job search success… almost. Your preparation, positive attitude, and resume are vital to the life and success of your job search, however there is one integral element missing from this scenario… networking. It is easy to underestimate its value and dismiss it, but in fact seventy five to eighty percent of jobs today are found through contacts and associations. Cold calling seem too intimidating? For many the answer is a resounding yes. Even approaching an acquaintance or friend to discuss jobs and careers can create some nervousness and trepidation. Yet networking remains arguably the most important tool in a successful job search, so take a deep breath and commit to networking your way to a better job and better career. This week we invited Andrea Sittig-Rolf, founder of Sittig Incorporated and author of Power Referrals: The Ambassador Method for Empowering Others to Promote Your Business and Do the Selling for You, to discuss insights for building lasting relationships, and tips for job search and career success.
Interview with Dan Oglesby, SR VP Human Resources, Spectrum Health
Job Search: The Total System is your proven, step-by-step resource for achieving a better job, for better pay, and a better life. For years our clients have used our tools and techniques, and they have gone on to accomplish bigger and better things in their careers and in their lives. One of our foremost success stories, Dan Oglesby, now Senior Vice President of Human Resources with Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids Michigan, discussed how Job Search: The Total System helped him leverage his career transitions throughout the last 10 years. His remarkable career in human resources and experience helping Spectrum Health become one of the foremost health care systems in the country, position him as a leader in talent management and human capital performance.
Stephen Lundin, Chairman and co-Founder of Ontend Creative Partners, as well as a noted author and speaker on work culture, innovation, motivation, and customer service was the featured guest on Total Career Success VoiceAmerica Radio Show. Dr. Lundin discussed his bestselling book FISH! and upcoming book CATS: The Nine Levels of Innovation and how positive energy and innovation can improve and put joy in your job search and career.
We led this week’s show with some tips for your job search, especially as we enter the holiday season. While the majority of people perceive the holiday season as a slow time that often puts a damper on a job search, it is important to remain active and proactive in your job search throughout the season in order to be prepared when the pace picks up again in January. Here are a few tips for a fruitful job search amid the holiday buzz:
Success in any career position involves hard work, commitment, a goal-oriented work ethic, and an entrepreneurial mindset. However, in a contract position or in the contingency workforce in which you really are working independently, it is even more essential to cultivate and refine these traits in order to achieve goals and ongoing success. Michael Gerber, founder of “E-Myth Worldwide,” was the featured guest to discuss the traits, skills, and practices of the successful entrepreneur. Whether marketing a business or your skills for a potential job, it is essential to tap into your own creativity and imagination in order to define and achieve your entrepreneurial vision and goals.
Finding a job that is “the perfect fit,” even for individuals with pages of references and years of experience, often proves to be a challenging task. If you are a college student and or recent graduate seeking a professional position for the first time, the job search process can seem almost overwhelming. After all, you are charting unfamiliar territory that is far removed from the comfortable academic routine of college. But do not despair! With your degree and intelligence, eagerness and enthusiasm, and a little help from Total Career Success, you will soon secure the perfect job and be on the road to success
. Total Career Success founders Ken and Sheryl Dawson sat down with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) President Manny Contomanolis to discuss issues and trends facing college students and recent graduates who are currently involved in job searches. (Listen to the interview) Their Total Career Success radio show focused specifically on job markets and trends for first-time job seekers, as well as tools for success and finding the right fit for YOU.
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As the sixth president of the University of Phoenix, Dr. Bill Pepicello is responsible for the leadership of the largest private university in the United States. He has extensive experience in higher education, having served as Provost for the University, Dean of the School of Advanced Studies, as well as in executive, administrative, and faculty positions with a number of prestigious institutions. He holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in Linguistics from Brown University. Dr. Pepicello serves on a number of national, state, and local Boards and is recognized as a leader in the changing landscape of American higher education.
Dr. Pepicello spoke about his perceptions on how education positions one for success in their field of choice, how the current economic conditions will challenge various career aspirations, how global competition impacts career choices and addressed questions from the audience.
For more from Dr. Pepicello, listen to the entire show!
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5 Weapons for College Grads to Attack the Job Market and Win
The new college graduate is eager to get that first professional job! Degree in hand and four or more years of hard work to get an education in their chosen field, they are anxious to put it all to good use. As they face a dampened 2009 job market as predicted by the latest National Association of Colleges and Employers’ survey, they need to be armed for competition.
Last week I had the privilege to speak to a leadership class at Texas Woman’s University. The co-ed class was a diverse group of health care managers and aspiring managers from many cultures, backgrounds and ages. What was most interesting was the unanimity in definition of professionalism! To be sure the class responded to my question for a definition with an assortment of qualities, characteristics and values including: integrity, attitude, respect of others, courtesy, responsiveness, consideration, openness to communication, accountability, and competence. However, as we analyzed the list a consensus of two underlying principles of professionalism emerged.
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It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. I’ve been very busy working with our webmaster to get our new subscription section ready to demo. The site is coming along nicely. We’ve added some flash interactive quizzes and I’m editing some video for the site as well. Our initial approach was to have two separate versions so people could choose whether they preferred more text or more interactivity and video. We decided to go with one version.