What Would Dad Say
Frequently wrong, never in doubt
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Job Interview Basics
This is a re-hash of old news but in never hurts to review before the big test. Here are some key things you must do before and during your upcoming job interview. 1. Research the company. Find out what they are doing. What are their issues? Google them, read the business press, the niche publications, what do the local papers say about them, read the 10Q’s, everything you can find. As you reading this stuff be thinking only one thing: How can I help them? 2. Research the... |
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The Oscars and Product Placement: Doublemint Gum, FAIL
by CAL, Curmudgeon at Large We expect the Coke logo all over American Idol. In marketing, this is called Product Placement, and Coke pays zillions to have Simon Cowell drink Coke. Ad agencies try to figure out how to get their BMWs in car chases, Yoplait in sitcom lunch scenes, and Fendi purses on starlets. Here is the idea. If we see a star using it, we GOTTA have it and use it, too. Lemming management it is called. So I am watching the Oscars tonight and I am struck by the number of actresses... |
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Tap Into the Hidden Job Market
In a Yahoo piece today, Stephanie Loicacono wrote about the “hidden job market” and has a few ideas for those job seekers who are tired of throwing their resumes in with the masses. She quotes a stat: ”80% of all jobs are never advertised.” That is somewhat correct. And our own stats at LINKUP.com basically agrees with her. BUT. What she really means is that 80% of the jobs are never advertised off their own website. More companies today are posting ALL their... |
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StartUp Webinar: Talking Into The Computer
I do Twitter. I do blog. I do email. I don’t do webinar. Until now, er, next Tuesday, March 9th, with my friend J.T. O’Donnell of Careerealism and JTODONNELL. Anyone who goes by their initials is a friend of mine because we have heard it ALL—”How do you spell GL?” or “What is your real name?” I can only imagine what JT has heard. Anyway, next Tuesday at 2 pm EST, I will be on the computer talking with JT about some lessons I have learned... |
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Job Board Scams All Over The Net: Be Careful Out There
Just when I think that a major news organization is going after all these job scams, ABC News goes after, wait for it, no, not TheLadders, but, are you ready for it Angel Pin Creations. Here is the news report. Could they have founder a smaller scam? Shessh. No wonder why job seekers are becoming more and more upset at job boards. Most of the complaints are understandable: too many duplicates, too many third parties, too many jobs out of date, too many ’scams,’ too many privacy... |
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Darwin Lives!! (Buy a Treadmill, Silly)
By CAL, Curmudgeon at Large I don’t know about you, but the FIRST thing I think about when it snows like this is—HEY LET’S GO JOGGING! |
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Particularly Galling
by CAL, Curmudgeon at Large Attention all Authors! Attention all Authors!! Did you know there are nearly 20 million people out of work and looking for a new job? Just think of the money you can make! Write a book! There’s plenty of stuff for you to find at the library on this topic! Do it. It won’t take you long. The book stores will give you great shelf space especially if you have a “name.” Some of you are too smart to take advantage of these times. Like... |
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How To Overcome the Negativity of a Job Search
By CAL, Curmudgeon at Large This month’s #careercollective question was How To Overcome the Negativity of a Job Search. Evidently, hunting for a job turns out to be a tough, stressful and hard job in and of itself. Who knew? Here are some very bright folks in the industry and how they can help you. My own post is at the end. Thanks as always to Miriam and Jacqui for organizing this effort. @MartinBuckland, Job Search Made Positive @GayleHoward, Job Search: When It All Turns Sour @chandlee,... |
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The OJ Line and Joe Stack
Darn you, Nick Corcodilos. Nick sent me a message yesterday that basically asked if I had read Mr. Stack’s manifesto yet? (I hadn’t.) He then asked what I thought about it. And then he said, “Why don’t you write about it? This was not a crazy guy. Fried, yes. Crazy, I don’t think so. How can you talk about him sympathetically without seeming callous about the results of his actions?” For me, this was the email version of “Don’t think about elephants in the room.” ... |
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“My BF left and he took my cat, my car and the chair!”
It started for me a few years back when several of us would get together after a series of interviews. What? You didn’t think the interviewers talked about YOU after the interview? Anyway. Most were recent college grads. Good interview reports degraded with the number of beers consumed quickly to “Did you hear what he said about his last job?” and, one of my favorites: “I need this job because my boyfriend moved out and he took my cat, my car, and the chair.”... |
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Things We Say in Minn E Soda.
I am not from here originally, but I admit that I say “U betcha,” which is very Minnesotan, maybe Norwegian. We are also fond of ending sentences with with. As in “we are going to the bar to watch the Super Bowl, want to go WITH?” (u betcha!) What are the things you say in your state or hometown? As for Brett Favre, I hope he comes back. If he does he will become the ONLY PROFESSIONAL PLAYER EVER IN ANY SPORT to have his jersey retired by two teams. (Packer snd... |
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LinkUp vs The Government Jobs Report: We Called It. Again.
Well, we (LINKUP) called it. Again. Two days ago, ahead of the ‘official’ Department of Labor report issued at 7:30 am CST this morning, @TobyDayton released the LinkUp numbers showing a dramatic improvement in the jobs report for January. Most pundits, networks, bloggers and followers were on the other side. Cretins. Never go against LINKUP. January’s jobs report from the Department of Labor is scheduled to be released later this week and based on data released this morning... |
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Money Mules, JobSeeker Victims and the American Way
Generally speaking it is not a good idea to even mention a competitor. Even bad PR is still PR. But it is hard to stand by and watch job seekers get taken to the proverbial cleaners by people in the industry who profess to help them. A few days ago, JT O’Donnell had @TobyDayton and me on a webinar talking about How To Use a Job Board. There were lots of questions, mostly about the bad practices of some of the job boards. It was sad to hear the experiences of these job seekers who... |
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Luckily, THIS Will NEVER Happen Here in USA
From today’s Daily Mail, Jan. 27, 2010 |
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Jacob Share’s 117 Funny Job Ads
My friend Jacob Share just posted 117 job and recruitment ads. Hilarious. There are ten or so here, but please, jump over to his site to browse through them all. It will brighten your day. |
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Should You Pay a Job Board?
No. There’s nothing worse than people who take advantage of others when times are bad. Fake insurance agents who follow hurricanes and tornados, ambulance-chasing attorneys, Madoff-wannabe’s and now job boards who charge job seekers to see their “exclusive” job openings should all be exposed. The chief culprit in the last category is THE LADDERS. You have seen this company on the TV, dominating some channels with commercials. You know, the tennis match that is over run by “normal... |
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A Flash of the Blindly Obvious
Today’s post is part of the Career Collective, where a few of my friends gather to offer up some suggestions for today’s job seeker. The topic of the month is to provide some transition guidance for job seekers who find themselves either without a job or starting a new one. That’s paraphrased but I am sticking to it. One of the benefits in beginning any new endeavor—school, relationship or job—is that you have a real chance to hit the reset button on those activities or attitudes that... |
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Who’s Not Your Daddy
Ed. Note: This is a post that ran on USNEWS yesterday, except my editor changed the title to “How To Love the Job You’re With.” That’s ok, she does a great job of editing. But I got absolute no credit for me, a baby boomer, who likes country music, Elvis, the Beatles and even F. Sinatra, with my last paragraph reference to Lady Gaga, the 23-year music sensation. I have shoes older than her. Truth: I am a dad myself, write a blog called “What Would Dad Say,”... |