Dead man. Not walking. Still talking. He’s dead and wise; while we are alive and looking for a clue. Thomas Edison said it best when he stated, “There is a way to do it better…find it”.

FORGET THE [...]]]> Note: The following post is courtesy of our friends at WorkReply.com.

TIPS FOR JOB SEARCHING

Dead man. Not walking. Still talking. He’s dead and wise; while we are alive and looking for a clue. Thomas Edison said it best when he stated, “There is a way to do it better…find it”.

FORGET THE SLOW START!

FORGET BEING STUCK!

FIND… A… CLUE.

Unemployment is not for you. It is not of your nature. I don’t know you, but I already know. You are definitely NOT the unemployed, or under-employed, type. The fact that you are reading this, tells me so. Bob, Billy, Catherine, Justine… I don’t know what your name is. I don’t know if you have 3 kids, a dog, 3 fish, a ford focus, search aimlessly for a job daily on CareerBuilder or yahoo hotjobs. I don’t care. But I DO know that you don’t have a job. Or you do have a job, but it’s just not enough. THAT, I do care about… VERY much! Face it, what you have been doing, IS NOT WORKING! Find a clue.

Blunt. Bold. Beautiful.

I did not just describe myself… although… I must say…

Blunt, bold and beautiful is the description of the tips you are about to receive on job searching, the new way.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Everyday that you are blessed to wake up, ask yourself “Self, do you get it?” If you are honest with yourself, some days, Self will say ‘yes’, some days ‘no’ and other days, you’ll find that Self has checked out all together- there’s nobody home. It is especially important to ask this question each and everyday that you are searching for gainful employment. When searching for employment, the context of this question relates to your ability to understand your personal and professional skills. How can your skills benefit your future employer?

What did Self say?

While it is important to do your homework on companies you wish to become an employee of, it is equally as important to make sure you do homework on yourself as well. Searching for employment requires many things, one of which is the ability to sell yourself. You cannot efficiently and effectively sell yourself, if you are unaware as to who you are, personally and professionally. Once you’ve identified how you will be an asset to a company, make sure you convey that message in your cover letter.

GET ASSISTANCE

YOU ARE NOT SUPERMAN OR SUPERWOMAN!

You can not secure gainful employment alone. Whether you decide to receive assistance from a college career office, a library or your local unemployment office, you need assistance. Even in the event that you sit in a dark room, in front of a now blurred blue screen- as you have since you received your layoff notice, searching for employment on careerbuilder.com, with TENS OF THOUSANDS of other people daily; you still need assistance.

THAT type of employment search is why you remain unemployed.

At the rate you are going, you’ll have a job in… 25 years. By then, you will be how old? We all know about the age discrimination that is taking place with employers… Good luck, Chuck. Now days, in order to maximize your potential of securing employment, you MUST, I repeat, MUST, have assistance.

It is imperative to realize that there are a plethora of free and very inexpensive, quality services that will make securing you employment their main priority. One thing you must evaluate when selecting a service to assist you in your job search, is the myriad of services they offer, and how it will affect your job search. Ideally, the service should:

1. Be free or very inexpensive.
2. Provide a job search agent.
3. Assist in the editing of your resume and/or cover letter.
4. Decrease the amount of time you spend job searching.
5. Have the ability to access many job opportunities.
6. Take a proactive approach to your job search.
7. Provide professional development resources and information.
8. Provide you with personal job searching assistance and advice.
9. Provide you with easy access to real, human assistance.
10. Have a reciprocity agreement with other companies.

If a service does not minimally provide you with 8 of the 10 things listed above, forget using the service. It will be a waste of your time.

FOLLOW UP

In the event that you have secured an interview with an employer, this is a tip you cannot afford to ignore. Ignoring this tip is sure to backfire on you!

After an interview, within 24 business hours, you should send a thank you note to your interviewer. In the event that a group interviewed you, weigh your options to see if you should send a group thank you verses an individual thank you to each individual interviewer. Whatever route you decide to take, make sure you keep and speak to the personality of the organization, which you should have been able to determine based upon the interview and interviewer. If time is an issue, send your thank you via email. If you want to stand out from the slew of people that are all competing for the same position and time is not an issue, consider sending a hand written thank you card. This is sure to impress the interviewer! Mind you, only roughly 4% of job applicants send thank you notices to employers. Think of the impact this would have on your odds of securing employment!

If you were wise, and had assistance with your job search, make sure to thank the other people who assisted you in your efforts. Your thank you to them needs not be as grand as to your potential employer, but still should be expressed. By expressing gratitude to other people that assisted you in your job search efforts, you will put yourself in a position so that in the event that you do not get the job, they will not mind assisting you again. Put yourself in their shoes. If you gave someone information about a job, they got an interview and regardless of whether or not they got the job, they never said thank you to you, would you be inclined to assist them again? If you would, would you do it to the best of you abilities, wasting your time and resources on someone who is ungrateful? Any logical person would not.

GET A CLUE.

There is a way to do it better… WorkReply.com.

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The number of weeks available in your state depends on the jobless rate in your state. In addition, not all states offer Extended [...]]]> You will often hear in the news about the 99 weeks of unemployment extension benefits. While this is indeed the case in “most” states, some states offer fewer weeks of benefits.

The number of weeks available in your state depends on the jobless rate in your state. In addition, not all states offer Extended Benefits (“EB”), which kick in after your regular benefits, and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (“EUC”) expire.

Take a look at the chart below to find the number of weeks available in your state. (Data from Labor Department)

Do you think it’s fair that some states receive more weeks than others?

Feel free to share your thoughts on unemployment extensions below…

While your thoughts may be focused on finding your next job, here are five quick action steps you should consider before beginning the [...]]]> Have you received a layoff letter? If so, you’re not alone – Literally millions of Americans have faced being out of work at one point or another during their careers.

While your thoughts may be focused on finding your next job, here are five quick action steps you should consider before beginning the job search:

1. Gather your paperwork. Collect all of the information that your employer provided at departure, including the layoff letter, and a copy of an old pay stub.

2. Find the contact information for your boss or human resources manager – you’ll need this for your unemployment claim application.

3. Determine the dates you were employed. This is very important in determining your unemployment eligibility.

4. Calculate how much you earned over the past year.

5. Find out where to apply. Here is a list of links to all 50 state websites if you are looking to file for unemployment benefits online. Applying online (vs. over the phone or in person) enables you to collect benefits much sooner.

A layoff may not be fun, and the formalized layoff letter doesn’t do much to help. It can, however, greatly help in supporting your eligibility for unemployment benefits, and can be viewed as the first page in the next chapter of your career.

Note: Once you have successfully filed for unemployment benefits, take a look at our Career Resources page for a comprehensive list of tools and websites to help you in the job search process.

The most recent data from the Labor Department shows that there are 2.4 million job openings available across the country. Sounds great, right?

Here’s the challenge: The 2.4 millions jobs pales in comparison to the over 15 million people who are unemployed. [...]]]> If you are reading this, you are probably looking for a job.

The most recent data from the Labor Department shows that there are 2.4 million job openings available across the country. Sounds great, right?

Here’s the challenge: The 2.4 millions jobs pales in comparison to the over 15 million people who are unemployed. In other words, there are over six people available for each job. On top of this, 85,000 more jobs were lost in December 2009.

While this may sound overwhelming, here is one strategy for finding a new position in ANY job environment: Go where the growth is.

I know you are thinking, “you just said that 85,000 jobs were lost last month”. Indeed, but this across the economy as a whole. Looking closely at the numbers from the Labor Department, some secrets about the job market are revealed:

• Professional and Technical Services gained almost 9,000 jobs. The two key subcategories here were architectural / engineering services and computer systems design.
• Health Care and Social Assistance added nearly 25,000 jobs. Specific areas of growth: offices of physicians, home health care services, and hospitals.
• Federal Government created over 3,000 jobs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics published a survey in 2008 showing that Americans hold an average of 10.8 jobs over the course of their careers. Don’t be afraid to learn a new skill, and go where the growth is.

As of December 2009, the statewide unemployment rate was 9%, which is the highest it’s been in 26 years. Equally important [...]]]> As the 3rd most populated state in the country, New York has not escaped the recession. NYS unemployment benefits are on the minds of millions of people throughout the state.

The Statistics

As of December 2009, the statewide unemployment rate was 9%, which is the highest it’s been in 26 years. Equally important is the number of people who are unemployed: 869,000.

Despite these figures, the New York State unemployment rate at 9.0% is still below the national figure of 10.0%.

Across the state, the unemployment rate really varies by county, with Tompkins County (5.3%) at the low end, and Hamilton County (11.2%) at the high end. New York City has an unemployment rate of 10.6%. And, excluding NYC from the figures, the unemployment rate across New York state goes down to 7.8%.

NYS Unemployment Benefits

The current (January 2010) maximum weekly unemployment check in New York state is $405. With additional money from the Federal stimulus program, there is an additional $25 per week, bringing the total to $430 per week.

In New York, you are likely to be eligible to receive up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. Here’s the break down:

• Regular Benefits: 26 weeks
• Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) (Tier 1): 20 weeks
• Emergency Unemployment Compensation (Tier 2): 14 weeks
• Emergency Unemployment Compensation (Tier 3): 13 weeks
• Emergency Unemployment Compensation (Tier 4): 6 weeks
• Extended Benefits (EB): 20 weeks

There you have it – nearly 2 years of unemployment benefits!

If you’re looking to see how many weeks you’ll be eligible for, take a look at the NYS Department of Labor’s UI Benefits Calculator.

Where the Jobs Are

According to the Department of Labor, the key areas adding jobs in New York are health and educational services.

If you are looking for a new job, or looking to switch into a different field, take a look at our Career Resources page.