Use the holidays to take back control of your life and career, especially if you are unhappy
in your job or career.
As discussed on a recent episode of Oprah (yes, the QuintCareers team does watch those episodes of
Oprah in which she empowers people to change their lives), Marcus Buckingham
(author of GO Put Your Strengths to Work) helped a handful of
women take charge of their lives and careers by guiding them through a period of introspection.
If you are unhappy in your job -- or with your career -- as many people are, use some of the downtime
during the holidays (and the approaching new year) to make major decisions about the future direction
of your career... and your life. As we say in many places on QuintCareers, if you are not happy in
your job, you will not be happy with your life.
While Marcus talks about finding your work strengths, we talk about finding your career passion.
Different names -- but basically the same outcome. Finding your career passion -- a vocation that
you truly enjoy doing and a job and career you like -- is based partly on the idea that your passion
has to be something you enjoy -- something you are good at -- a strength.
We believe that people who are searching for their career passion need to examine a number of
different issues that together can begin to paint a picture of the perfect career... and we
include all that in our free tutorial: Finding
Your Career Passion Tutorial.
Take the tutorial at your own pace, examining key issues such as
examining your lifelong interests, rediscovering favorite subjects when you were a student, analyzing the types
of activities that energize you... in other words, uncovering sometimes overlooked or hidden
talents and interests that will lead you to a new career and a better life... one in which you
now have a passion for rather than a dread.
If you missed the Oprah episode, no worries, as Oprah placed the information on her Website:
Take Control of Your Career and Your Life.
You'll actually find a free online class (with worksheets) to help guide you to making some
decisions about your future.
Finally, if you like more interactive tools, consider taking one or more online career exploration
tests, which you can find here: Career
Assessment Tools & Tests.
December 15, 2008
As employers continue to announce job cuts, U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless
benefits surged to a 26-year high last week.
According to the Department of Labor, initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits
increased by 58,000 to 573,000 -- the biggest increase in claims in more than three years, and the
highest level since November 1982.
Furthermore, the number of people still on unemployment after claiming an initial week of aid
jumped by 338,000 -- to a 26-year high of 4.4 million, the biggest increase in 34 years.
December is looking somewhat brutal for workers as Dow Chemical, Bank of America, 3M, Sony,
Office Depot, Principal Financial Group, and about 15 other companies announced massive cuts -- totaling
more than 100,000 jobs that will be eliminated.
December 10, 2008
As the job market continues to get worse, with more workers facing layoffs or reduced hours,
work-at-home scams proliferate on the Internet.
It's almost a daily barrage of bad news these days -- unemployment rate rising, more people unemployed, and
companies announcing more staff cuts and layoffs -- that can make the strongest among us fear that we must get a
new job or a second job. Others of us, facing a layoff, have to find a new job.
And while you may need to find a new job or a second job to help make ends meet, you must not let yourself
fall for the ever-increasing number of scam artists spamming our email boxes with "proven methods" and that
guarantee wealth, financial success, or getting rich fast. Other scams offer high income for part-time hours.
Furthermore, never trust a job offer that requires you to pay money upfront for training, materials, or anything
else that may supposed be needed to help you obtain the job. And never provide any personal information to a
prospective employer until you are completely sure it is a legitimate offer.
Follow the old rule, better safe than sorry. Yes, there are some legitimate work-at-home businesses, but none
will be get-rich quick opportunities. Do your homework and research any opportunity carefully before taking any actions.
Find more tips from the National Consumer League's Internet
Fraud Watch, as well as from AARP
Bulletin Today.
More than a half a million jobs were lost in the U.S. in November -- the worst monthly
cuts since 1974.
The Labor Department reported that employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, the most in
34 years and far more than experts had been predicting. The news guarantees that more
than 2 million jobs will have been eliminated by the time this year is over.
Along with the increase in lost jobs came the news that the nation's unemployment rate
rose to 6.7 percent last month -- to the highest reading since 1993 -- compared
with 6.5 percent in October.
Furthermore, with some adjustments made to the previous months, the total number of
jobs lost in 2008 is now at 1.9 million. (October's loss was revised to show a
cut of 320,000, originally given as a 240,000 loss, while September's drop was revised
to 403,000 from 284,000 -- making this three month period the third highest
three-month job loss total since World War II.)
In terms of specific losses in November, professional and business services lost 136,000
jobs, retailers cut 91,000 workers, manufacturing axed
85,000 jobs, the leisure and hospitality industries cut 76,000 jobs, construction cut
another 82,000 jobs, and financial services jobs lost 32,000 jobs.
Growth was only seen in government hiring, which has stayed strong throughout the downturn,
where another 7,000 jobs were added. Education and health services also grew payrolls, adding
52,000 employees.
Yes, the news is bad, and yes, it's amazing that politicians and economists are finally
calling this economy in recession -- when we have known this fact for many months based
on the job market and your stories of struggles, along with the real estate, home mortgage,
and financial services meltdowns.
Whether you are unemployed, underemployed, worried about losing your job, or simply
wanting a new job -- now is not the time to panic or give up in your search. Organizations
are still hiring. Now IS the time to double, triple, quadruple your job-search efforts,
focusing on productive activities such as networking and tracking down job leads -- not
wasting your time on the big job boards such as Monster or CareerBuilder. Besides
networking, focus on individual companies and specific industry niche sites. Make
certain your resume is top-notch and practice your interviewing skills so you're ready
when you get the chance.
More U.S. job losses expected when November job report is released on Friday.
According to the ADP National Employment Report, about a quarter million private sector
jobs were cut in November -- well above the estimated 200,000 loss.
The goods-producing sector lost 158,000 jobs last month, its 24th consecutive month of decline,
while the service industry shed 92,000 jobs, according to the report.
Job losses occurred in all size firms, with medium-sized businesses (between 50 and 499 workers)
cutting 130,000 jobs, small businesses (less than 50 workers) slashing 79,000 positions, and
large businesses (at least 500 workers) axing 41,000 jobs.
Furthermore, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that job layoff announcements by U.S.
employers soared to 181,671 last month, up 61 percent from October's 112,884 cuts.
Finally, a recent Business Week reports that U.S. employers are once again coming up
with new names for layoffs -- beyond the overused downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring,
redundancy (more European), or re-engineering --
including Yahoo's plan "to become more fit" and eBay's "simplification" plan. Does a new
name make a laying off real people any less harsh?
Quintessential Resume & Cover Letter Tips Blog,
a blog from another part of the QuintCareers Network, with new resume and cover letter tips daily. A must-see for any active job-seeker.
The Career Doctor Blog,
a blog from another part of the QuintCareers Network, where each day our own Career Doctor Randall Hansen answers one career, job, college, or workplace question.
Job Stuff, A Blog for Your Career, from Stephen Harris.
Stephen's blog is a great resource for those job-seekers who find yourselves in transition, searching for guidance
and reassurance.
The Occupational Adventure Blog, from
Curt Rosengren, a Passion Catalyst. Curt's blog is great for finding encouraging ideas (and resources) for moving forward with your career... a career
that lights your fire.
Blue Sky Resumes Blog, from career
expert Louise Fletcher, a general career and job-search blog that covers all aspects of the job-hunt.
