January 25, 2010

Networking cures for the real 'Blue Monday'

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Last week, I read a few articles about the "Blue Monday" phenomenon--the name for the third Monday of January, which a British psychologist said was the day when the post-holiday-season depression hits the hardest for most people. This dubious anti-holiday was allegedly given pseudo-scientific cred via a formula based on the lousy winter weather, the arrival of credit card bills from Christmas, the breaking of unrealistic New Year's resolutions, low sunlight and other factors.

Obviously, this is nothing more than a media-friendly stunt that has been dragged out every year since it was first promoted in 2005, but I have to admit that there is some truth behind the reasoning. Getting out of bed on yet another cold, dark, drizzly Seattle morning in late January can take superhuman effort sometimes.

Blue Monday was supposed to be last week, Jan. 18, but there's where the Brits went wrong. They didn't take into account that last Monday was Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, so a significant amount of American workers read about this supposedly dreary day during a three-day weekend, which was actually nice and sunny here in Seattle.

I submit, that the real Blue Monday in America is today. The dreary factors above all still apply today, plus we just got some more really bad news locally on the unemployment front--not to mention the end of the real NFL season last night (let's face it, the Super Bowl is about 80 percent commercials, 20 percent football).

So how do we break out of these doldrums? As always, the answer lies in getting back out there among energetic colleagues and continuing your networking activities. This week several organizations are breaking out their new 2010 calendars and planning plenty of events to help jump-start your sluggish job-searching batteries.

Tues., Jan. 26 - Career Fair: Getting America Back to Work in 2010. City Career Fairs is back with its semi-annual Seattle job fair. More than 20 major employers are expected to attend, including Parsons, the U.S. Census, FDIC, Allstate, Veterans Affairs Healthcare, Seattle Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard. Where: Northwest Rooms, Seattle Center. When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost: Free.

Tues., Jan. 26 -- Seattle Job Social. This popular networking event, which helped place more than 175 people in jobs last year, will feature representatives from companies looking to recruit candidates in finance, accounting, marketing, communications, software development and hardware systems. Where: Twist, Belltown. When: 6 to 9 p.m. Cost: $5, RSVP required; all proceeds to be donated to the Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund.

Wed. Jan. 27 -- Health Care Job Fair. Hosted by Green River Community College, this event will feature companies offering positions in nursing and medical office management. Where: Green River Community College Main Campus, Auburn. When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost: Free.

Thurs., Jan. 28 -- GOmixers Resolution Revolution. After holding its first event on the Eastside last June, GOmixers, which describes itself as the Northwest's "ultra-premier social network club," comes to Seattle, catering to young job-seeking professionals in the 25 to 40 age group. Where: See Sound Lounge, Seattle. When: 6 to 10 p.m. Cost: $5, RSVP required.

Sat., Jan. 30 - Career Workshop Expo. The event, co-sponsored by the University of Phoenix, Western Washington Campus and the nonprofit Dress for Success, will offer job hunting and career advice seminars, as well as resume reviews. Where: University of Phoenix, Tukwila Learning Center, Tukwila. When: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cost: Free.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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