BusinessWeek’s October 2009 issue highlighted “The Lost Generation” and the job search woes of young college graduates. With unemployment rates now at a staggering 10.2 per cent, the highest in 26 years, college grads are finding it especially difficult to secure their first career gig. In fact, many are unemployed or employed in jobs not requiring a college degree.

So how does a Gen Y college grad, with little experience, make a smooth transition to gainful, and perhaps even meaningful, employment? Join William Arruda, found of Reach Personal Branding, as he interviews Lindsey Pollak about her best-selling book Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World (HarperCollins).

The November 2009 Reach Personal Branding Interview is on Thursday, November 12 at noon EDT and will be recorded for download if you cannot attend the live event. You will learn:

- Why careers for Gen Y are different than previous generations’ careers,
- How college students and recent grads can avoid the biggest job-hunting mistakes,
- Tips for parents to assist their children,
- What universities can do to help, and
- Why social media is changing job hunting and career development.

Lindsey Pollak’s blog is consistently top-rated; she writes as well for The Huffington Post and FastCompany.com, heavy hitters in thought leadership. A graduate of Yale University, Lindsey is a sought-after speaker and college-to-career expert for media outlets such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Are you anxious about your job search? Are you stressed every day in your job? In either case, stress can lead to debilitating symptoms such as loss of sleep, irritability, fatigue, headaches, stomach aches, overeating, drinking too much, loss of interest in sex, poor productivity, and relationships in a downward spiral. In fact, according to a study by a British Medical Journal, chronic job stress is linked to both heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Whether you have experienced the loss of a job, or are now doing more in your job as a result of job positions which have gone unfilled, a root cause of your stress may be a sense of powerlessness as reported by Drs. Miller and Smith in their article Stress: Stress in the Workplace for the American Psychological Association.

Want to regain your power and learn professional success strategies that relate to stress management? Plan on attending the May 21, 2009 Reach Personal Branding Interview Series program “Bust Your Stress to Boost Your Success” with expert guest speaker Jordan Friedman at 12 noon Eastern. Reducing or managing excessive stress is paramount for career success, and Mr. Friedman will present effective tips to do just that, along with:

* Three most important things to do to manage stress
* The connections between stress reduction and personal branding
* The difference between good stress and bad stress
* How to maintain stress management over the long haul.

Jordan Friedman, The Stress Coach, holds an MPH and is the former Director of Columbia University’s health education program. He has given public presentations on stress management to vastly different  audiences, including college students, police officers, bankers, and prison inmates. Mr. Friedman is author of The Stress Manager’s Manual.

Additional methods for dealing with stress can be found at Stress at Work: How to Reduce and Manage Workplace Stress.

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Finding and keeping a good job is a constant concern of job seekers’ these days. With tough economic times, desperation and fear thrive. Now, more than ever, the concept of finding a terrific job, maybe even a “perfect job”, seems remote.

So why bother trying? Michael Bungay Stanier, 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year, suggests that we are all hungry to achieve bigger and better things while enjoying work/life balance in the process. In his book, Find Your Great Work, Michael provides 12 Maps that serve as tools to aid in clarifying your current situation, revealing choices you must make, exploring possibilities with courage, and taking action to attain your great work.

Join Michael and William Arruda, personal branding guru and founder of Reach, in the March 2009 Reach Personal Branding Interview Series comp~li~mentary teleseminar “Finding Your Great Work: Strategies to Do More of the Work that Matters” on Thursday, March 19 (12 noon to 1:00 PM EST).

Learn more about:

* What constitutes Great Work
* How Great Work is different than regular work
* Strategies to find your Great Work
* How to balance Great Work with life’s demands
* Fundamental truths about Great Work
* What may get in your way on the road to Great Work

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder of Box of Crayons, an organizational consulting company that helps individuals and companies on the journey to discovering and doing more Great Work. His Great Work Movie is an entertaining and motivating short video that encapsulates a selection of his Great Work truths.

Plan on attending the March 2009 Reach Personal Branding Interview "Finding Your Great Work" on Thursday, March 19. There are 150 spots available for the live call; just dial in early to secure your place. If you cannot attend the live call, the recording will be emailed to all subscribers of the Reach Personal Branding newsletter. Subscribe now at http://www.reachpersonalbranding.com.

As the Executive Producer of the Reach Personal Branding Interview Series, I can personally attest to Michael’s motivational and empowering strategies, creative charisma, and outrageous sense of fun. In fact, it was his irreverent and fun-filled approach that led me to Michael’s coaching, consulting, and public speaking work. His short Internet movies Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun and The 5 ¾ Questions You Have Been Avoiding have gained a global audience (175 countries) and a million-plus viewers!

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

1)  They know their personal brand.

Successful
job hunters know what sets them apart from everyone else that has their
same job title.  They know their leadership role and how they
contribute on a team.  They can easily tell someone their brand
position in a simple statement that demonstrates their unique promise
of value and how they can promote the company's brand. 

2)  They understand that their name will be Googled by potential employers and recruiters.

Eighty-seven
percent of hiring managers and executive recruiters polled by Execunet
stated that they do Google potential candidates before selecting them
for an interview.  Successful job hunters know this and understand they
need to build multiple, on-brand results showing their thought
leadership in their field of expertise.  They may blog, post comments
on high-ranking, relevant sites, microblog on Twitter, build their profile on professional networking sites, etc.  Many
strategies exist for building online identity on Google.  Successful
job hunters know if they have digital dirt that needs to be less
visible on Google how to employ strategies to either remove the digital
dirt or develop enough content to push the digital dirt to page four of
their Google results. 

3)  They use multiple strategies to find a job.
Successful job seekers understand that unless they have a specific skill set, it will be difficult for them to find a job utilizing just online job boards.  Between 4-10% of people will find a position via a job board (source:  What Color is Your Parachute 2009).  Job boards are important, but they are not the only strategy that should comprise your job marketing plan. 

4)  They network online and offline. 
While social networking online is increasing in popularity, it is important to do live networking as often as possible.  It keeps you in the loop and on the pulse of what is happening.  Remember to always be giving to your network and thinking of ways that Joe could help Mary or Mary could help Steve.  Link your network members together to add value in their lives.  Send them items of interest and make sure that you keep in touch.  Networking is not about reconnecting when you need a job, but is about constantly maintaining relationships. 

Social networking online is a great way to reconnect with people from your past and present.  I quickly grew my network online from zero to 150 people on Facebook in a couple of months.  I make sure to read all of my friends' status updates on a daily basis and send supportive messages or resources whenever appropriate. 

Twitter is fast becoming a social networking phenomenon.  I hear it mentioned by the media  on different news programs.  Twitter has allowed me to attract followers of people who are interested in my target message. 

5)  They know their references, have asked permission, and have coached them.
Successful job seekers have asked permission to list someone as their reference and have coached them about previous achievements / successes on the job.  It is not telling a person what to say, but reminding them of the value you have provided.  For someone acting as a reference, this coaching is helpful as that person may not remember how you captured $1.2M in  sales by by identifying and penetrating new markets.  Coach them on your top three achievements. 

6)  They know their resume' is not the silver bullet.
Too often as a resume' writer, I hear people say that if they can get a professionally written resume', it will magically open doors to get them a job.  While I would certainly like to think that is true, I know that while it is an important career marketing document, it is not the ticket to a job offer.  Yes, you want to have a well written resume' as this is often the very first impression a hiring manager or recruiter will have of you.  However, realize that few, if any, people have been hired on their resume' alone. 

7)  They research their target companies AND their target companies' competitors. 

Successful job hunters not only research their target companies, but also find out information about the competing companies.  Why?  It helps them to know the challenges facing the targeted company in outpacing the competition and gives them material to show the prospective employer HOW they can do the job.  If an interviewee shows up to an interview knowing the top three problems facing the company and has actionable items that can move the company forward, then they have made a lasting impression on the interviewer.  Does it guarantee a job offer?  Maybe not – but it does set that person apart from all the other people who have come and just answered a series of questions. 

8)  They customize their cover letter for each company.

Let's face it–people can smell a form letter a mile away.  Are you sending the same cover letter to every position for which you apply?  Successful job hunters realize that to set themselves apart from the competition, they need to customize their cover letter for each position.  The letter should reflect research about the company.  The cover letter also needs to address the person by name instead of saying "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Human Resources Manager."  Do some research if it's a blind post and see if you can find out on the company's website (or even call the company and ask what the name of the hiring manager is) the name.  If you can't find out this information, you might say in the first line that you did try to find out their name, but were unable to find the information since it was a blind post.

9)  They don't have an "Objective Statement" on their Resume' – They have a Profile Statement.

Successful job seekers understand that objective statements only show what they want.  Employers are all tuned to the same radio station, "WIIFM" –What's in it for Me?  Addressing this in a profile statement and telling the employer what he / she can expect if they hire you goes a long way. 

10)  They write thank you notes within 24 hours after their interview.  

Surprisingly, only 5% of job hunters write a thank-you note after a job interview.  According to CareerBuilder.com's survey, "How to Get in the Front
Door", nearly 15% of hiring managers say they would not hire someone
who failed to send a thank-you letter after the interview.
Interestingly, 32% say they would still consider the candidate, but
would think
less of him/her.

Writing a thank you after an interview will definitely
differentiate you from the crowd.
More importantly, though, is that it demonstrates the ability to
follow-through and see a task to completion–this characteristic can demonstrate the kind of employee one will be to a
company.

What are some other secrets in a successful job hunt?  Post them here to share with everyone or share them with me on Twitter:  @kristenjacoway