Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach
Welcome to the brand new look for Keppie Careers! It is so exciting to launch my new site, with a totally redesigned logo, colors and platform. The new design makes it easier for me to share information that helps job seekers and small business owners propel their careers forward.
[Read more…] about Keppie Careers is staying current with a cutting-edge new site!
If you are having a hard time finding a job, have you considered relocating? It’s not always an easy or obvious choice, but in some cases, being open to a relo may be just the change you need to land an opportunity.
Consider Indeed.com’s ranking of the “number of unemployed per job posting for the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S.” While these statistics can be a bit misleading (they indicate the number of jobs per the number of people without specifically taking into account the types of job), they list the following as the best U.S. cities to find work:
Another recent listing of places to consider working is from a study reported by Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com/CNN by Apartments.com and CBcampus.com, which list the top 10 cities for new grads are:
Anthony Balderrama, from CareerBuilder’s The Work Buzz suggests these questions to consider when evaluating a move:
Giving a move serious consideration? Be sure to visit the Riley Guide’s list of resources if you are planning to make a career move. Links include cost of living calculators as well as moving companies!
photo by mattindy77
If you are a job seeker, I wouldn’t be surprised if you welcome the opportunity to hear from recruiters and sourcers (the ones who track down candidates) about how to position yourself to land a great opportunity. On this “international” edition of my friend Stephanie A. Lloyd’s Dream Job Radio show, listeners not only had the opportunity to hear directly from those great resources, but also got the HR perspective – more accurately, the Punk Rock HR perspective, which always adds spice to the mix!
Featured guests included: Geoff Webb and Maha Akiki representing RecruitingBlogs, Laurie Ruettimann of PunkRockHR fame and Craig Fisher, creator and host of #TalentNetLive.
(In the photo to your right – Maha, Geoff and Craig) >
I was happy to share the coach’s vantage point, answering such questions as “What do you advise for job seekers who cannot afford to hire help?” and others! (There I am with Laurie in the picture below!)
Some tidbits from the show:
Craig – You are in big trouble if your job profile is just a paper resume. Everything is going mobile. Get a good smart phone.
Geoff – Resumes are terrible. You need to be involved in social media. Build a Google profile.
Laurie – Don’t feel that you must find a “dream” job. “Dream jobs” don’t always pay the bills. Hiring is not fair and we all need to recognize that!
Maha – Build a great online profile so I can find you while you are sleeping!
Stephanie – Get creative. Companies don’t take care of people. Get creative and have multiple streams of income. (There is Stephanie, running the show, below!)
Listen to the show HERE to catch all of the great advice from a terrific group of pros!
I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.
In an effort to convince you to ramp up your job search efforts during the holidays (click HERE for part 1 and a free ebook offer), I’m sharing ideas and insights from some of my colleagues and friends during this holiday week and next. Today, I am happy to share some insights from my friend Walter Akana, of Threshold Consulting.
Walter suggests (bold are his ideas, commentary is mine):
1. Put aside the idea about people not hiring during the Holidays. Whether it’s true or not, it can become an excuse to do nothing. I like this take on the subject. In fact, whether there are jobs to be found or not depends on many factors. Taking the position that it does not matter, and that it is important to move forward with your job hunt regardless, is a very good approach in my book.
2. Stop making your interactions with people about job leads. Instead, focus more on getting to know other people so you can build stronger, long-term relationships. Excellent advice! The majority of people I see who have not been successful at networking are approach their contacts as a job seeker first. The fact is, relationships are key to creating opportunities. So, don’t bring your resume to holiday parties. It is okay, however, to bring your business cards! (More about that later!)
Walter’s additional suggestions, which he first offered (and expanded on) in his post Own Your Life. (Be sure to read the original post!)
Use this time to refocus on happiness practices to keep your spirits up and create a positive foundation for the New Year:
– Count your blessings.
– Practice acts of kindness.ÂÂ
– Savor life’s joys.ÂÂ
– Thank a mentor/benefactor.
– Learn to forgive.
– Invest time and energy in family and friends.
– Take care of your body.
– Develop strategies for coping with stress and hardship
Learn more about Walter, an expert on career planning and personal branding.
What are your experiences with job seeking during the holidays? Share in the comments!
photo by tonivic
I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.
If you are looking for a job, do you feel stuck and like you don’t know what to do next? You are not alone, as most job seekers I know don’t intend to become professional job hunters and don’t feel confident that they can move from step to step, knowing exactly what they are doing.
Last month, I attended a workshop with Havi Brooks. She specializes in what she calls “Destuckification: working through the stucknesses that get in the way of doing your thing.” Havi teaches about how to get unstuck via a mind-body/yoga practice called Shiva Nata. She calls it “brain training that looks like martial arts and acts like drugs-that-make-you-smart-and-hot.”
Even Havi calls is “wacky,” and it is nothing if not a bit unconventional – teaching your brain to act differently by focusing on patterns, deconstructing them and building new ones! (I’m no expert on the subject, having just starting studying it, but I think that gets at the basics for our purposes! Read Havi’s blog and explore her site for more details.)
So, what does this all have to do with you – the job seeker who is stuck and can’t figure out the next step? One of the big things we discussed at the workshop was how important it is to bring “conscious awareness” to patterns in order to challenge and change them. Really, that’s just a fancy way of saying that you need to notice what’s happening and point it out to yourself to impact a change.
So, instead of wallowing in self-doubt and avoiding your job search like the plague, stop and think, “Hmmm…how am I feeling when I think of my job hunt?” Does it give you a stomach ache? Your head hurts? You panic? You know it’s important and urgent, but instead of working on it, you decide to take a bike ride instead? Or, eat a plate of cookies?
Every time you think of your job hunt and you go numb and panic, try to be aware of the pattern.
Look at your intellectual response – I “should” do this now. I feel guilty if I don’t work on my search.
Examine the physical response – I can’t breathe. I get a pain in my neck. Stress creeps into my shoulders.
Focus on what you do – I clean the house instead. Or eat chocolate. Or watch TV.
Then, think about little steps you could do differently. If, when you think of sitting down to your search and start getting stressed, you took a moment to be really aware of all that is going into those feelings, you may have a much better chance of jumping over the hurdle and making a change – step-by-step. Maybe instead of cleaning the whole house, or eating the whole box of cookies, you decide that you’ll JUST clean one bathroom or eat two cookies and then do 30 minutes of job searching.
I’m no expert in teaching about conscious awareness, and I want to make it clear that is my interpretation of when of the things I learned from Havi, but I thought it was too important of a concept NOT to share the idea. Take some time to be aware of what is going on with you – you may be surprised by the results!
Would it help to have a coach on your side? Learn more about how I can help you overcome your “stuck” by teaching you what you need to know to propel your search forward!
photo by dyanna