Archive: June 2009
PRforPeople: Finding a brand strategy for job seekers
If you have a product or service that's ready to sell on the market, one of the first things you want to do is to create a comprehensive marketing and public relations campaign. The same is true for job seekers...
After a day at the fair, don't forget to follow up
In the last couple of weeks, there have been a number of job fairs in the region. No doubt many readers have passed by the booths, firmly shaken hands and dropped off resumes with the dozens of employers that took...
When current events lead to an impromptu personal day
Admit it. Even if you didn't like Michael Jackson's music and dance moves, you and your coworkers huddled around one computer for hours, reading about the 911 call, watching him moonwalk on YouTube, and sharing your own thoughts on Facebook...
More free resume advice for Hire Ground readers
When it comes to selling your expertise to potential employers, there's only one person who knows your strengths and weaknesses best: yourself. You can talk to experts about how to write "the perfect resume" that will get the attention of...
Is 2009 the year of the volunteer?
You've no doubt heard about the recession driving people to start their own business, try their hand at freelancing, or change careers altogether. You've probably also heard about laid-off folks spending more time volunteering for causes they're passionate about. This rise...
Career Fair Lessons: Know your employers
While the number of employers at Tuesday's Seattle Career Fair at Seattle Center was less than encouraging, there were some glimmers of hope that the job market may finally start showing a pulse in the Puget Sound region. But according...
Want less stress? Eight demanding careers to steer clear of
One of the positive side effects of this nasty recession is that many laid-off workers looking to reinvent themselves have grown more concerned with better balancing work and play. If this sounds familiar, you may want to take note of a...
Job Search: Make a full day of it
Most days, job seekers work a full day creating their own schedule, planning a list of phone calls, doing research on employers and attending networking events. Tomorrow, however, several area employment specialists have a busy day all planned out for...
A mid-year assessment of Washington's job market
One good way to find out where jobs are lurking in a troubled economy is to analyze data about recent job numbers and drill down in search of certain hiring trends. Since I'm no expert at number crunching, I contacted...
For laid-off dads, one size does not fit all
Convinced that not all laid-off dads become either the domestic divas or identity-stripped depressives the media makes them out to be, I spoke with more than a dozen unemployed fathers myself this month. Sure, some were thrilled to be home...
Summer Job Fair: A snapshot of local job prospects
The relative success or failure of Tuesday's Summer Showcase job fair at Safeco Field depends on whom you talked to at the event. For the few companies that were offering jobs, the fair was a great place to sign up...
Are working furloughs becoming the norm?
What a difference a couple of seasons make. Last fall, warnings that 2009 would be the year of the furlough were daunting enough. As the year got under way, we began to hear the tales of how workers were spending...
Summer Showcase job fair comes to Seattle
These days, with competition for new jobs more fierce than ever before, the effectiveness of the old-fashioned "cattle call" style of job fair has begun to wane. As I've mentioned several times before in Hire Ground, networking with colleagues and...
How wrongs can go right in job interviews
As I've read through tips from local interview experts, I can't help thinking back to one of my first job interviews, right out of college. At first it seemed like a disaster, but it wound up leading to one of...
Time management made simple
Lately I've been lamenting to anyone who will listen that there isn't enough time in the day to do all my work, eat a civilized dinner, tackle a couple errands or household chores, and sleep 8 hours before doing it...
New cyber-rules for resume writing
You think you know everything there is to know about resume writing? Fuhgeddaboudit, says Paul Anderson, a career and psychology expert with Kirkland-based ProLango Consulting. "The algorithm for resumes has changed significantly, even since last October," he says. The most...
The 7 habits of highly effective e-mailers
I don't know about you, but I always feel more in control of my life when my inbox is down to a manageable 50 to 100 e-mails. Sadly, my inbox has been holding steady at 350 messages for several months...
Job search help for returning military veterans
It's tough out there for anyone looking for a job these days, but the recession has been especially hard on those men and women who have returned after serving their country in the U.S. Armed Forces. According to figures released...
Are you one of the happily funemployed?
I saw this post whiz by on Twitter the other day: "I feel so guilty about enjoying my funemployment, but I am." Among the Twitterer's recent activities: hiking, biking, and the Sasquatch music festival. Proof that she wasn't alone? A...
Should you bring your passion to the office?
If you've lost that loving feeling for your job but feel stuck there because of the economy, can bringing a passion or hobby to the office help? Career expert Alexandra Levit says yes. As Levit wrote in a recent Wall...
Finding hope amid the tough employment news
Today, the U.S. Labor Department released figures indicating that 14.5 million people in this country are out of work. This adds up to a national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent in May, the highest it's been in the last 25...
Try diversifying with a 'portfolio career'
If this economy has taught us anything, it's that the rules of searching for jobs have changed in the last nine months. For decades, common wisdom held that resumes should show a long, steady arc of employment and ever-increasing responsibilities...
Is clocking out by 5 p.m. back in style?
Forget checking your BlackBerry or iPhone after hours. Forget 7 a.m. breakfast meetings. Forget giving that high-profile keynote speech at the leading industry conference two time zones away. According to a recent Forbes piece by Hannah Seligson, some burned-out executives...
Five ways to make the most of your next interview
Job interviews have to rank high on the list of stressful situations for most people. After all, those few minutes talking about your work history and answering questions at a boardroom table have the power to alter your career path...
Karen Burns is the author of The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl, a career guide based on her 59 jobs over 40 years in 22 cities.
Lisa Quast is a certified career coach, mentor, business consultant, former corporate executive and author based in the Seattle area.
Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.
Former contributors
Matt Youngquist is the president of Career Horizons, a career counseling firm.
Natalie Singer is a Seattle writer, editor and small-business owner.
Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide."
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