JibberJobber Blog
advocacy for the job seeker
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“This Sure Feels Like A Recession”
It was funny to hear debates on whether we were in a recession or not. For many people, this is a real recession. Not a recession for you? Great. Good for you. A few days ago I heard a radio ad that said “if this feels like a recession for you…” or something like that. I think we’re in for a few rough years. Maybe we aren’t in a national recession. But for 50,000 Citigroup people, it’s a personal recession. For 60,000 post office employees it’s... |
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HR Professionals and Business Managers: Resources For You
Here’s an opportunity to subscribe to an HR though leadership resource at a discount and get some money (in the form of a rebate) in return… first the summary, then the full email I got from them. If you are in HR I’d recommend you check it out, especially during the free period: All 283 programs are free (including a podcast recording I did with them) from Wednesday, November 19th (that’s today!) through Sunday, November 23rd. All business owners and managers who join... |
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Kicked In The Teeth? Here’s Some Therapy: WE GOT FIRED!
Many of you know my story, and why I started JibberJobber. I got let go from a company where I was the general manager and couldn’t get a job, tried to figure out the job search, and eventually came up with JibberJobber, which is an awesome job search organizational tool, and a great long-term relationship manager. Before I worked for that company, I was the IT Manager for a much larger, very successful building maintenance company. I was the first IT Manager they ever had (first IT... |
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Kung Fu Panda and Your Career
Last week’s series was pretty serious (read my experience with age discrimination in the job search, the age discrimination story here, strategies, tactics and then lessons learned). I figured I’d change the tone and relate another superstar’s story to your career, considering how fun My Gordon Ramsay posts were (Part I and Part II). Today, we talk about Kung Fu Panda! I have to admit, I wasn’t excited about watching Kung Fu Panda for one reason: it isn’t a Pixar... |
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Age Discrimination - Lessons Learned - IV of IV
This wraps up age discrimination in the workplace (not necessarily in the job search). Today is lessons learned. Lessons Learned: (1) Defend Be prepared to be smacked in the face with the “dead fish” of age discrimination. Like gravity, it’s a fact of life. It’s not you, the quality of your work, or the anything else. It’s a structural flaw in our own thinking. No one can help you but yourself. No one can postpone the inevitable. No law or regulation will succor... |
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Age Discrimination Tactics - Part III of IV
The third part of age discrimination week… the first part was the story, the second part was strategies, today is tactics: Tactics: (1) Awareness Ring your own gong of “mindfulness”. Several times a day. Be mindful of age discrimination and review how it will impact your plans and programs. Financial plan. Career plan. Hobby plan. Fitness program. Education program. Skills program. Language program. Every day, several times a day, you must ask am I “on plan”. What... |
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Age Discrimination Strategies - Part II or IV
This is Part II in a four part series. Read the original story here. Our RIF’d (reduction in force - another way of saying “laid off”) friend shares three strategies he should have employed to be prepared for an age-discrimination-induced-termination. Strategies: (1) Financial discipline. I was preparing for retirement. But, I should have done better. Saved more. Hired a financial adviser; not some brokerage flunky. Been more focused on the “what if”. What if... |
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Age Discrimination Leads To Termination - Part I of IV
This was going to be a 3 part post, but I just reread it and decided to make it 4 parts. Today’s is the LONGEST, as it is the story (yesterday I introduced the idea). I’m starting with the very last thing this person wrote: Finally, JibberJobber is a tool: use it. Recognize what it is telling you. You are alone in your life raft. But you don’t have to be. Reach out and form real connections. Social networking is NOT LinkedIn, Facebook, and other sites. It’s tying someone... |
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Age Discrimination Sucks
I was just too old in my job search. I found I was competing with younger kids, who were okay to ask for (or require) less money for their starting salary. Even though I had more experience, etc etc., I felt I was just too old. Age discrimination - I was too old at 32. I also felt discriminated against from the other end. I was just too young. Other “product managers” and “general managers” and IT execs that I was up against were about as old as my dad, and had decades... |
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Avoiding a Layoff - Great Tip to Avoid a Job Search
I saw a very cool point from Susan Ireland’s blog, where she links to a Vault video with advice on avoiding a layoff. From Susan Ireland’s post: Here’s a point I especially liked: If you think your company might be heading for a round of lay-offs, sit down with your manager and ask what project is most important to the company right now. Then try to get involved in that project as your primary responsibility. If you’re working on something that’s of secondary importance... |
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Income Security vs. A Bunch of Other Ideas
Yesterday I talked about the idea of Income Security. A few weeks ago I brainstormed where this came from on LinkedIn Answers, and asked for input. I got over 57 responses, and it was awesome learning from others. Here is what others had to say (read their entire responses here): Jeff Harris said: Income sounds more like an investment strategy. I like to call it career confidence or employment confidence. Having been in IT with all of its volatility, I gauge 3 factors in employment measurement; Keith... |
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“Job Security” Is Gone. Let Me Introduce “Income Security.”
It’s no secret that “job security” is the thing of yesteryear. The idea of having a job that is “cradle-to-grave” is an idea that only very old people can embrace… the current worker, whether they are 17 or 67, knows there is no such thing as trusting the employer to keep you around, provide you pensions and health insurance, and all of those other sweet perks our grandparents and great’s got to enjoy. Today it’s a dog-eat-dog, fend for your self,... |
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VOTE!
If you don’t vote today, you can’t complain about it for the next 4 years. Even if you don’t think your vote counts. Even if you don’t like either of the two candidates, and think you are only choosing two of the lesser evils. Even if the lines are long. No matter what, go vote. Today. |
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Job Action Day - November 3rd - Do Something for your “Job?”
From their press release, Job Action Day “aims to empower workers and job-seekers to take proactive steps to shore up their job and career outlook…” I call that CAREER MANAGEMENT. How do you “shore up” anything? Where is all the job security? How does a job seeker compete in this market, when so many talented professionals are getting dumped into the job search market (aka, laid off)? Is there any hope? The traditional sources of job security included the sheepskin... |
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Personal Branding Winner of the Month - Mark Beckford of Disruptive Leadership
I came across Mark Beckford a few months ago, as he is a client of one of my partners, Deb Dib. Mark immediately struck me as very nice, very ambitious, very successful, and very unemployed. I watched as he started his blog, Disruptive Leadership, and remember his first post wasn’t even the awkward “I’m here, blogging, now what do I say” post. He jumped right into it, with an analytical, opinionated view on current events that he had professional passion about. Very... |
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Obama, McCain, Age Discrimination, the Job Search, and Karen P. Katz
What do all these things have in common? The JibberJobber radio show! Today I spoke with Karen P. Katz, owner of Career Acceleration and blogger who has some terrific thoughts on the job interview, and what we can learn from Obama and McCain in the ultimate job interview. Karen P. Katz We started talking about why Obama has the position he has, even though he doesn’t have the credentials McCain has. I’m not interested in a political discussion, so don’t go there, but think... |
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Sometimes I Feel Like A Proud Papa - The Successful Introvert
Do you ever wonder if you are making a difference in the world, or in a person’s life? I do. Over the last 2.5 years, since I got the boot from my employer, I’ve tried to make a difference. Well, yesterday was a great day for me, as I had two different people mail me the same book… a book that I had a little part in (and that makes me pretty darn proud!). About a year ago I decided to create a series of webinars to share what I’ve learned about various stuff. So... |
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Job Search is to ___ as Career Management is to ___: Follow-up
Yesterday’s post was my shortest, and perhaps my funnest, post. I gave a few Job Search is to ___ as Career Management is to ___ examples, and there were about a dozen others who chipped in with their own. There were a few that just had me laughing, like Mike Murray’s: Job search is to dating as career management is to marriage. and Nancy Babyak’s: Job Search is to takeout as Career Management is to a well stocked Pantry. I loved all of them… however, I think my absolute... |
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Job Search is to _____ as Career Management is to _____
Job Search is to sprint as Career Management is to marathon. Job Search is to over soon as Career Management is to never ending. Job Search is to fad diet as Career Management is to lifestyle eating. Job Search is to tactics as Career Management is to strategy. Job Search is to pay the bills as Career Management is to income security. What’s yours? |
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DO NOT Lose Faith In Yourself
Yesterday I had a wonderful radio show with Susan Whitcomb. We talked about a lot of cool stuff, and the Recruiting Animal jumped on and added some great info (digging to “why I didn’t get a job if I’m such a smart guy, and so driven??”). You can download it, or just listen to it online, at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jibberjobber. Susan’s ending thoughts revolve around what she calls “Providence,” saying that in the end we just can’t lose faith... |