February 2014

It’s no surprise to me that many people are becoming more and more frustrated with the conventional tools available for their job-search efforts, which are predominantly internet and digital-related activities. It matters little how many online job boards you find, whether it’s five or fifty, you’re not going to find more jobs, just the same jobs and job descriptions on the various websites. One job may be posted on multiple boards but it’s still one job position posted at many places. Invariably once people realize this they can become quite frustrated, throwing up their hands saying, “but there aren’t any jobs out there!” It’s a fact that a lot of available jobs are not posted online, which means all that time spent online will not get you closer to any of those not listed. Whenever and however you do it,

When you interview for a new job or are simply considering the possibility, the inevitable question of money will be a part of the conversation. Have you considered this? Most people will reply, “of course” -- but have you, really? How did you calculate that magic number, the figure in your head that you seek? How flexible or inflexible are you; is your expectation realistic? How badly you need a job is one factor and we can talk about variables all day long. The circumstances of the job is another factor, and those you won’t learn until after the first interview. I am strident in advising people to avoid as best they can being pinned down to a number in the first interview, but that is a whole other subject. The purpose of this blog entry is not concerned with your

I like doing things for myself. One reason is that I don’t much like waiting for someone else lacking my same sense of urgency and I’d rather do the lead, follow or get out of the waything. I might step out of the way if someone has a better idea but I’m not much of a follower. Seeking and getting help is okay but I tend to be impatient waiting for others to get moving. In a recent blog I alluded to a technique of finding job openings and opportunities you can then take on by your own initiative. If you follow the crowd and are satisfied with that approach, all good and well. Most people looking for jobs engage in the ritual of looking at online job boards and services and, if they see a job they like, they dutifully

Here’s the thing about trends -- you can try to keep pace with them, be a trendsetter by staying ahead of them, spend time periodically chasing them, or ignore them. Take trends in hiring for example: as in anything there are always new and improved ways of doing things marked by innovations and new ideas; some have merit, some are just variations on a theme and some -- are crap. I look at what works more than what everyone’s doing and most of what the majority of people are doing, isn’t. So a trend is an evolution of ideas and methods, it’s meant to be a newer and better way of reaching a goal. Goals don’t evolve but ways by which to attain them do. There is a saying that also should be noted, in this case some common folk

Increasingly, more Americans are considering career options beyond the nation’s borders. After I was quoted in a recent New York Times photo essay on the 5th of January about Americans working and living overseas, I’ve received inquiries from readers asking for advice about how they, too, can investigate international opportunities. I don’t know if there is a ritual or plan you could necessarily implement; until it happened, I never envisioned myself living and working in a foreign country. I’m from Cleveland, a city I love, but I previously lived in Cary, North Carolina, a place from which I thought I’d never leave. But it just shows to never make long term plans – they can change. Regarding my own relocation, it was more a unique series of events and coincidences rather than an intentional effort that led me to live