Talent Evolution, LLC presents this webinar that will provide an overview of why blogging can be an effective job search tool, the DOs and DON’Ts of blogging and how to create a effective plan to get you started.

When: April 27, 2010

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 pm PST

This one-hour webinar will cover the following topics.

* Why create a blog int he first place?
* Current Blogging Trends For Job Seekers
* Blogging  Strategies
* The Importance of Social Media and Networking
* Crafting a Personal Brand by blogging
* Examples of good Career Blogs
* Tips to help you succeed

Who should attend this event?

* Anyone who wants to develop an online persona
* Anyone who wants to establish themselves as a Subject Matter Expert
* Anyone who wants to learn the basics of Blogging
* Anyone who wants to learn how to incorporate social media in there blog
* Anyone who would like to learn how to incorporate a blogging strategy into their job search plan.

We are looking to forward to you joining our sessions.

Q. Having tried to make my own job as a consultant in times where budgets were cut, does it look bad on my resume?

- Alex, Management Consulting

Read John’s answer:  Ask John: Consulting work, does it look bad on my resume?

A solid cover letter has many good characteristics, including being clear, focused, informative, and friendly. But all of these traits fade from the hiring manager’s mind if the letter does not motivate him or her to schedule you for an interview.

Therefore, keep that essential point front and center as you create your winning cover letter. Remember, hundreds of other job hunters are seeking the same position you are so it’s important that you stand out from the crowd. Here’s how:

• State your objective in bold lettering above your greeting:

Example: Trained and Experienced Accountant Ready For Immediate Hire

• Get right to the point. Show the employer that you are familiar with the position he or she wants to fill and are fully qualified for the work it requires.

Example: I welcome the opportunity to demonstrate, as Manager of the Accounting Department, what I can do to increase efficiency, introduce more productive ways of doing business, and improve the company’s bottom line.

• Mention your experience. I worked for Sloan and Sons for five years as the Assistant Manager of the accounting department and received three ‘outstanding company service’ awards during my tenure there.

• Acknowledge the hiring manager for his or her time.

Example: Thank you for taking time to review my cover letter and resume. I appreciate this opportunity.

• Ask for an in-person interview.

Example: May I meet with you in person? I’ll be happy to come to your office or get together off-site, as you prefer, at any time that is convenient for you. Feel free to call my home or office: 888-888-8888.

There you have it—a list of ingredients that will catch the eye of a hiring manager who is serious about interviewing qualified people for a job he or she is eager to fill. YOU can be that person by writing a cover letter that wins the job interview—and a job offer.

About Jimmy Sweeney:

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, “Amazing Cover Letter Creator.” Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Job Search Secrets.”

Visit our friends at Amazing Cover Letters for your “instant” cover letter today. “In just 3½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!”

BubbleTweet (http://www.bubbletweet.com) is a free services that creates a 30-second video bubble, that you produce, which incorporates the layout of your Twitter account. Here is a an explanation from the Creator of BubbleTweet.

This is a great opportunity to add some pizazz into your job search and create your own job search 30-second pitch video.

Read my original Examiner.com article: Job seekers you can use BubbleTweet to create a 30-second video pitch

September 21, 2009 – SAN DIEGO, CA – The Labor Department reported that the U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.7% in August. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia posted increases in their unemployment rates last month, while rates remained unchanged in seven others.

By some estimates, 400,000 long-term unemployed could see their benefits expire by the end of September, rising to 1 million by the end of the year.

Today, more than ever, a job seeker must have a good job search plan or risk a very prolonged job search.

REGISTER ONLINE at http://talentevolution.com/webinars/

Talent Evolution, LLC presents this webinar that will help job seekers create a basic job search plan and discuss the tools needed to manage and make the job search process more efficient and effective.

John Walker, Co-founder of Talent Evolution will lead this one-hour webinar that will cover the following topics.

* How the recruitment process works today
* Analyzing your current situation
* Communications Strategies
* Your Resume
* The importance of Networking and Social Media
* Personal Branding Strategies
* Job Search Tool and Recommendations

Who should attend this event?

* Anyone who wants to put more energy into their job search
* Anyone who needs some tips on revitalizing their resume
* Anyone who wants to learn the basics of how to incorporate social networking into their job search
* Anyone who wants to learn more about personal branding
* Anyone who would like to learn about effectively managing their job search online
* Anyone who needs to get their job search back on track

About John Walker

John Walker is a Career Coach, Social Media Expert, Recruiter and Public Speaker with over 15 years of experience in Corporate Recruiting, Recruitment Technology, Career Coaching and most recently Recruitment Advertising.

John has been a lifelong resident of San Diego, CA and has developed recruitment strategies and recruited for SAIC, PETCO Animal Supplies, Gateway Computers (ACS), Kleinfelder, DataQuick Information Systems and the United States Army. His most recent role was as an Interactive Solutions Consultant for Bernard Hodes Group where he provided employers with solutions and insight into the effective use of Social Media and Networking Strategies.

He is also a consultant with the California Center for Sustainable Energy, a non-profit organization, where he applies his recruitment expertise to the development of a green jobs program for the Southern California region.

About Talent Evolution, LLC

Talent Evolution, LLC (www.talentevolution.com) is a personal branding and career management services organization that helps job seekers and business owners build their personal and business brand through Social Media and Social Networking. The Talent Evolution team is uniquely qualified to provide “industry inside” information with their combined 30+ years experience in the Talent Management space building traditional, online and social networking strategies for Fortune 1000 Employers.

Let’s face it, the employment situation in San Diego and across the country is not getting any better and is predicted not to improve for some time to come. I have been the San Diego Job Search Examiner for about 3 months now and have been happy to share job search advice and tactics with all of you in a very general way.

Now I am feeling like I need to take this column to the next level and build a portion of it based on the most pressing questions you have as job seekers and provide answers that can be shared with others. Together, I believe we can help one another succeed.

Over the next several weeks, I will be compiling your questions and will be asking other experts in the my field to help me answer them.

We can build a living resource for all to share. Here are some of the topics that I am hearing questions about.

• Resumes – how do I write resumes that get results?
• Social Media – how do I use sites like Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook as a part of my job search?
• Interviewing – how do I make myself standout from the other candidates?
• Job offers – how do I successfully negotiate a job offer?

Of course,  I can go on and on but I think what will make this column more successful to to speak to the issues that you are facing during your job search. In this difficult time, we all need practical answers and I want to facilitate that. So, send me your questions. I will find the best available answer for you and you never know you might just help another job seeker who has the same question.

As a way to express my gratitude for you joining me in this endeavor, everyone who sends me a question, I will let others know that you are looking for work by posting an announcement about the type of work your are looking for, linking your online resume, Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter account to the most popular social networking sites for employment in San Diego and across the Internet. Let’s stop talking about it and put these resources to work for you in a more direct way.

Send your questions to me at Ask the Career Coach!

By the way, If you do send me a question, I will maintain your privacy and will not sell or give away your personal contact information to anyone for any reason and I won’t spam you either!

As more people are joining the ranks of the unemployed, what are they doing to help themselves and others find a new career opportunity?

Many are banning together and forming job clubs, meetups and other networking groups to exchange job leads and network.

Social Media and Social Networking sites are emerging as a major resource for online networking, Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter are at the forefront of a lot of job search activity. Thousands of recruiters and job seekers are connecting online and communicating with each other to fill the jobs that are available in a very competitive employment market.

One group in particular is combining both live events and online networking to help one another uncover the career opportunities that are available.

PinkSlipMixers have emerged as one of the most talked about groups. I had the pleasure of taking to the Founder of the Pink Slip Mixers, Edwin Duterte about Pink Slip Mixers and how they help both job seekers and employers connect with each other in a fun, “unjobfair” way.

Read my complete interview with Edwin

Here are some examples of  how “extreme” some job seekers are going to in hopes of making themselves standout in the crowd. There’s the MIT graduate who wore a sandwich board advertising himself in front of office buildings in New York City, the out of work professional with an MBA who drove a Cab and while doing so, he had his resume posted to the back of the front passenger seat and the Nurse who rode her bicycle in wealthy neighborhoods wearing a t-shirt that announced her availability and phone number.

Although these cases may be deemed extreme it is a reflection of to what extent some will go to land a job in this tough economy and it also speaks to how important it is to go the extra mile in promoting yourself to potential employers.

There are pros and cons to using extreme methods but overall the lesson here is to think creatively about how you can put your best foot forward and stand out in the crowded, competitive job market.

The article made me think of some of the things that I have seen people do that may not be as extreme as the examples above but maybe just as effective.

Here are some ideas to consider but be creative and come up with some of your own that reflect your personality and skills.

• Create an ad on Facebook – I have seen job seekers creating ads on Facebook that link back to their Linkedin profile or resume home page. http://www.facebook.com/advertising/
• Creative profile and resume headlines – As there are millions of resumes and profiles on all the job boards and social networking sites, creating a creative title can help make you stand out on the search results page, for example, ” Sales Manager who increase sales by 20% at McDonalds“. Also read this blog post “Your Resume Should Get My Attention, First“.
• Creative presentation – send your resume and cover letter to the recruiter or hiring in a creative package. In my past life as a Recruiter, I received a resume and cover letter packaged in a decorative box with a CD-ROM and a handwritten note of introduction from the applicant. The CD contained the applicant’s portfolio as a slideshow and audio explaining the projects they had worked on for a Graphic Designer position I had open. It definitely made me take notice and I gave the applicant a call as it was the only one that I had received that way. Here are some other examples, take a page from the 25 Most Creative Designer Resumes You Will See This Year.
• Wristbands – some job seekers are wearing ” I need a job” wristbands. A good conversation starter and a way to let others know you are looking for a new gig. You can find these at http://www.laidoffneedajob.com/ . Again, be creative and create your own.

The Sky is the limit when it comes to creative ideas on how to promote yourself during your job search. The one common element in all these stories was how each job seeker valued the networking they engaged in when employing some of these extreme methods.It turned out to be more about the networking than the actual extreme method.

Looking for a job does not have to be boring, make it fun, show your creative side and get out there. I recently read that 100,000 unemployed Californians had there unemployment benefits run out this week. Did any of them use extreme methods in their job search? I wonder.

I would love to hear your stories about some of the creative ways you have promoted yourself during your job search, email me your stories I would love to share them in a future article.

Here is a video of one job seeker’s story.

Our original Examiner article : Extreme job search methods – can they work for you?

Read the full article

IBEW Green Training Facilities Open Its Doors to Congress

If you are currently seeking an opportunity with a green focus, training programs like what the IBEW is facilitating might be worth exploring. I recently attended a San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Economic Stimulus Meeting on how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (recover.gov)will have an impact and will stimulate the growth of green jobs in San Diego. The programs being developed by the IBEW are really top-notch. Keep your eyes open. There will be opportunities emerging in the green industry.

Training and education programs will have the greatest visibility and the IBEW Local 569 in San Diego training program to turn Electrical Workers green is a showcase of what is to come. Solar Installers and a host of other green occupations  are going to be growing in demand and training programs like this will help fill that demand.

So, if you have not consider a green job as part of your job search you might want to look into it. One organization in San Diego that can help you with information is the the California Center for Sustainable Energy. They are a great local resource for everything green.