Job Seeker Tools - pass it on

I was honored to host a Job Seeker seminar last week at Schertz United Methodist Church, here in Texas. There were lots of great questions from the participants - most importantly, there was hope.

I've started to intermittently listen, watch and read the news to deflect most of the pessimism and gloom in the media. So instead of caving into the hype and memorizing messaging, I'm going to do something.

First, I'm actively recruiting for folks in many disciplines, and geographies. If you haven't already, feel free to send me your resume.

Second, I'm keeping an eye out for all things new and useful to help all my friends who are in search of a new or better career opportunity. I'll pass them along as they come up - but here are some of my favorites so far:

• JobAngels- a grass-roots effort to help those looking. Not a typical job board, rather, a community encouraging Job Karma. Know of a job? Pass it on. Need a job? Put yourself out there.
  
• Social Networking - ahem, read my earlier blog. Put yourself 'out there'. Some very recent data shows that Twitter, MySpace, FaceBook, and LinkedIn are here to stay and people like it! Try it - you don't have to blatantly ask for a job - but it's a great way to connect and tire-kick. PS - JobAngels is on FB and Twitter, too.
  
• Create your VisualResume - like your LinkedIn profile on steroids, but transportable (pdf downloadable) and dimensional. Oh, and it's free, too.
• Streamline your search process - use aggregator tools like Indeed, or really jump into web2.0 and follow this hashmark jobsearch query on Twitter.
• Go old-school. Actually ask two new people a day to think of you when they hear about job opportunities. Who knows what they might hear...

Finally, keep the faith in yourself and the what your future holds for you. Or, in the words of the very sage Dave Ramsey, "refuse to participate in the recession."

Go get 'em!