Friday, December 23, 2011

New Year's Resolutions? Seriously? Not here!

This blog post has obviously taken a long time to complete. Maybe it's a post that has been organized so meticulously, deeply thought out and planned, well crafted and edited so thoroughly, that the finished product took such a massive effort to....nahhh. I wish.

Well, I guess I need to delete all of the clever tie-ins with the June trip to Israel for my niece's wedding, July 4th, Labor Day, my six week part time job at the PR agency, the Chicago Marathon(people ran it the day after Yom Kippur? wow..), Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. Here we are, the end of 2011 glaring at us! All together now...Thank god!

Moving on...of course there has been so much happening since my last post - tons of articles to share; so many new wonderful people I've met; seminars attended; small successes; frustrating failures; fighting 'funks' generated by the longest job search known to man. What about you? Share with us what's gone on - the great, the horrible, your biggest successes or achievements this year. Or even your unexpected frustrations.

During that obnoxiously early twelve hour El Al Airlines flight to Tel Aviv, while speaking with other passengers, friendly flight attendants, after giving each my shortelevator speech, (which gets longer and longer each week), that dreaded question thrown at me: "Larry, describe your perfect job" One of my least favorite questions, (perhaps second most to "what is your New Year's resolution?") . How do you feel when asked that question? Has your answer changed during many months of the job search? In what way? Please share it with us all here.

Let's get to it: Linked In - everyone is on it, right? And you're using it exhaustively in your job search...right? It's crucial, used more by headhunters than...anything. This article should help you sharpen your Linked In usage. Please share your thoughts, additions, disagreements, etc. And of course, please feel free to connect with me there:http://www.linkedin.com/in/llabow I'm always more than happy to help bring people together there.


Once again, let's discuss the elevator speech. For me, with each job search, it's gotten tougher to keep my elevator speech sharp, interesting, and focused. Have a look at this piece on the informal elevator speech for some new ideas. Did you find it helpful? Let us know. Do you have other ideas? Share them please.

The cover letter. Are they still necessary? Do you write one? Do they read it? How to make a killer cover letter? This article had some good ideas. What do you think?



That brings us to the title of this post. I'm all about having goals, and self-improvement, but not making them on New Year's eve.Read why 88% of all New Year's resolutions fail. Years ago I was quoted about my facetious New Year's eve resolution I often make. It almost appeared in a columnist's piece in the Chicago Tribune, but was cut due to editing. (email me, and I'll share it with you).

I hope you get some use out of some of the articles here, and really hope you engage, agree, disagree, battle, praise, share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you, and hope you forward, share, and enjoy the blog.
Oh, and why the black eyed peas photo? Click here, if you don't know (go to the 4th section).
I wish all of you and your families, a happy, healthy, loving, prosperous, and safe 2012!

thanks for reading,
larry

8 comments:

  1. Great post! I would like to agree with you on the longest job search known to man comment.. It's been a rough year for me and feeling like I lost my identity and purpose was something I had to face once again..Let me share what I feel has assisted me this year in maintaining my sanity.

    1. Get out of your funk and workout! Exercise relieves stress!
    2. A glass of red wine here and there doesn't hurt..lol..seriously it's good for your health!
    3.Volunteering in your community.
    4. Reach out to support groups and accountability groups and join!
    5. Most importantly develop a daily routine is very important.

    Each and everyt ime I was back in the job market seeking employment I found that it was always an opportunity to review my career goals and discover what truly makes me happy. So get out of that funk and get take control of your life now!

    MM

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  2. MM: thanks so much for your comment, and for sharing what works for you. Here's hoping your extended search ends soon too!
    Larry

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  3. Larry, u got the working out covered...wine isn't a bad suggestion to follow though! Im glad I am not in sales cuz the elevator pitch is way too much pressure. I do think listening and being as natural as possible is as key as the product/service itself. Someone told me once that a lot boils down to selling yourself in an interview as a likable coworker, someone others will want to work with. Nothing novel, I know. I suck at interviewing and I hand it to u for persisting throughout your search. Keep eatin those black eyed peas for a promising new year!!!

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  4. Amy,
    Thanks for reading, and commenting. I can't imagine you being a bad interview, guessing it's in your head.
    Hope your Christmas was great!
    larry

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  5. Very insightful and great information- I love the links to articles - I too, believe in the "elevator speech" and know how helpful it can be when networking and a with time to talk is short- it is the best tool at getting yourself out there - without droning on- I did not know you ran the marathon - how awesome- you never cease to amaze me at your abundance of talent and energy! The Marathon is also a great icebreaker and an "unforgettable component” of your elevator speech if you can work it in.
    As always - you have provided readers with tools and resources that are both valuable and necessary in today’s job market.
    Sheelagh Tittle
    December 27, 2011 9:45 PM

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  6. Sheelagh,

    Thanks so much for your thoughts, I really appreciate it. Just to clarify (darn, I thought it was clear), I didn't run this year's marathon...last one was '03..after 5 marathons (4 Chicago's, one Dublin, Ireland) I think I'm done. Too old, too injured. Just happy to still run and play tennis at this point!
    larry

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  7. Hi, Larry,
    Thanks for leading me to your blog. Once again, I am inviting you to be a part of my web site. Can we talk offline at some point? I love what you're doing and would welcome the chance to further your job search goals with wider distribution of your blog.

    Thanks,
    Amy
    aadler@careerient.com

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  8. Amy,
    Thanks for your comment, and yes, I'm interested in a live talk soon.
    larry

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