Winter Ends, Spring Training is Here, Next?

No matter where you live, no matter how much snow you see outside your window and even if the temperature is near freezing...WINTER IS OVER. Why? You have to ask? No, not because March has arrived. Spring training is well under way! In fact, on my radio at this instant is a spring training baseball game.

But a special alert to all Chicagoans, you heard it here first: watch out for a nice blizzard in March and or April. This winter has been way too freakishly mild for this tough, 175 year old city. Why, happy 175th Birthday to beloved Chicago!!

During every job hunt, unemployment statistics never even enter my thoughts. Are they up? Are they down? It really means nothing - if you're out of work, then you're still out of work, no matter what the economic reports say. But in the last two months, phone calls and emails from recruiters are increasing. Even more telling: recruiters are actually returning my messages. Don't look now but, I think the job market is actually getting a bit better. Do you agree?

The 15 Second Rule. No, not the little kid's rule when you drop that perfect chocolate chip cookie on the floor. What are the 6 Ways to Get Your Resume Noticed in 15 Seconds? Click this link, learn from Phil Rosenberg's excellent site, ReCareered. Do you have other ideas? What do you think of his suggestions?

Each day my poor resume undergoes massive key word tweaking - think HR, think SEO, think ATS...wait, I hate acronyms. Instead, think about staying far away from that bottomless, scary, black hole piled up with resumes from all those online applications. These days, the constant tweaks can't be avoided. I do think the market is slowly opening up (hmmm, wait...might it be an election year?) What about you? Are you getting more bites? Are you hearing about more landings? These experiences are definitely worth sharing with the readers here.

Is it time for a Dirty Rotten Job Search? Can you imagine? I liked this article, also from Rosenberg's site, Recareered. Tell us your thoughts - have you tried any of these ideas with success?

Movies are the perfect escape from the grueling, ongoing job search (and life's) ups and downs. Well, the Academy Awards have come and gone. Did any films really get to you this year? Were there any special performances that stuck in your head? Streep? Clooney? Mara? Davis? Here's a fast quiz: do you remember when the Oscars used to be on the same night as the NCAA Final Four championship basketball game? Pretty difficult to deal with in the days before dvr's and vcr's. So does Elliott Gould's name ring a bell? Be sure to see the end of this post for an explanation.

Writing online for my friend's business has come to a break. It's been a couple years full of learning and on line communicating. I'll miss the great clients as well as the interesting work for

The Spitzer Internet Strategy Group. From high-end swimming pool service, design, and construction; insurance; to divorce mediation. Be sure to check out her site.

By running five marathons years ago, I was able to raise over $23,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Back then, the great, late singer/songwriter Steve Goodman was my closest brush with this horrible disease.

During each of these unwanted job searches, I've met people who have temporarily put the brakes on their job search or career, in order to care for very sick relatives. I've never quite understood how they do it. I wondered how they broached the subject of this unusual gap in their resumes during interviews.

Still very stunned by the awful diagnosis given earlier this year,

the disease has landed in my own family. It certainly puts the job search in a new perspective for me. But, always keeping it positive, thus far the patient has responded amazingly well to the first two rounds of treatment.

When some friend hits you up for a donation for a worthy cause for their race or walk, I highly recommend giving something, anything, to that cause. Even we job seekers can always spare something, anything. It's very true: you never know.

Now let's learn about some upcoming events that look very worthwhile:

Holy Cross Parish in Deerfield offers their Career Renewal on Sunday morning, March 18. They only meet once every other month and I can't recommend this group enough. You'll network, see a presentation, and most important: you will be assigned a mentor or advisor or coach, and it's free.

"What's That Noise"? A Linked In overview presented by JVS, Thursday, March 29, 4:30 - 7:30pm. This is always an excellent networking opportunity as well as a worthwhile presentation. JVS often has a few programs each month.

Save the date: Tuesday, May 8, BMA's: Windy City Biz Bash, more about that in a later post. They are still seeking volunteers for this event, another great way to meet other B2B marketers here in Chicago.

Ok, so what's this about Elliott Gould? Go back more than 30 years, it was the 1976 Academy Awards: It was Monday, March 29 and the undefeated Indiana University (32-0) destroyed the University of Michigan in the first ever inter-conference (Big 10) NCAA Championship basketball game. Presenting the Oscar for Best Film Editing, the envelope was torn open, and then Gould said "And the winners are....Indiana, 86-68". For some reason, I've never forgotten that scene.

Folks, I encourage you: comment, respond, argue, agree, let us know your thoughts, share.

thanks for reading!

larry

Happy 2012! Oh My, It's an Election Year too....

...and, god help us all! To be clear, I mean "all" as in Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Libertarian, as well as far left, far right, the middle, up, down, etc.

Just thought I'd acknowledge both the new year and our incredible country at work. This isn't the place to debate how, why, and especially not who, will lead us after the election. By the time you read this, maybe the New Hampshire primary will have ended and the political pundits will be in full force...let's enjoy the long bumpy ride!

Also in 2012: the Summer Olympics will come. For those of us in Chicago, let me remind you: "summer" clearly is just a rumor - allegedly it gets here in a few months. For those that miss the tons of snow as much as I do...here's just a couple of heart-warming visuals for you from last year's blizzard, Chicago's 3rd worst, all-time blizzard. Ahhh, the memories...

Blog interruption: to all of you that are employed - before you delete this or go back to work or browsing or emailing, please read the last paragraph of today's blog, thanks! Your friends, family, peers will thank you for it!

Many job seekers have begun implementing new year's resolutions. Tell us how you plan to intensify (and hopefully end) your job search. We can use a boost, your tips, your energy, and your positive enthusiasm. I'm very interested in what your resolutions are, job search-related or not, please share them with us. In fact, making these goals very public increases the odds for success.

I'm thrilled that this blog has been added to an interesting web site which is loaded with great job searching information. It's based in Utah, but one doesn't have to be a Utahn (or do you say, Ute?) to benefit from checking it out, and I hope you do: www.careerient.com. Please let us know what you think of the site. Amy L. Adler, its president and founder, is an expert resume writer and career strategist.

The excuses are over folks..."nobody hires in December", "nobody's in the office", "nobody wants to focus on work", "they all focus on Christmas parties". Am I missing any? As I suggested a year ago in this blog, check out the 1979 film, "Kramer Vs. Kramer" for one of the best, urgent and desperate December job interviewing scenes ever written. The lines that Dustin Hoffman says to the interviewer, lines that I wish we could use, at the end of his interview with an advertising agency...during their office Christmas party, no less:

"This is a one day offer. You saw my book, you know I can handle the work. You're gonna have to let me know today, not at the end of the holidays. If you want me,

make a decision right now."

It's January - time to get serious, again. Here's a good piece from The Savvy Intern, by Mark Babbitt, called "The Three 'P' Statements to Guarantee a Great Interview". How do you feel about these statements? Have any other ideas you want to share?

And, once you've gotten past those three 'P' statements in the interview, and you are learning about the company, the position, the interviewer - do you take notes? Do you have strong opinions about this? Please share your thoughts. Here's a piece I found helpful from The Ladders, "Taking Notes in the Job Interview".

Networking events - time to share with you some good networking events and organizations to consider:

Tuesday, January 10: Network After Work at Crimson Lounge This is a pretty good group. They have monthly events and have a very large turnout, as many as 400 people. It's both social and business networking, only $10 in advance and a pretty solid group of people attend. Definitely worth trying at least once.

Wednesday, January 25: Social Media Club of Chicago at Morningstar. If you have interest in learning more about social media, meeting many smart, young professionals in the social media world, then this too is a great group for you. Click HERE for some initial information, via Facebook. They always take place at very unique locations each month. Last month's was at the Chicago Tribune Museum.

Jewish Vocational Services (all are welcome) Some good presentations coming up, free, and these also are great networking opportunities:

Friday, January 20: Social Networking and Linked In

Thursday, January 26: Networking and Crafting Your Elevator Speech

Enough for now, let's get back to it. And a suggestion for many of you who are employed: you all know more than one person in the job hunt. Go out of your way, at least once this month, get in touch, offer to help. You all know someone who can help them, I'm certain. Not someone who can offer them a job, but you all do know someone who can help, who can network, who can get them one step or one person closer to landing. Don't wait, don't think about it, don't say "Larry's right"...just help them. Now, not next week. It's nuts out there!

Here's a challenge: jump into the comments section below and tell us what your specific commitment is to help your friend or relative this month. Mind you, many of them do read this blog too, but hey, no pressure!

thanks for reading!

larry

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

Apparently, STOP means...Stop!

It's true, working on this post began in Traffic School, late last night. I know that each and every nugget we were taught was so timely, important, and demanded my full attention. But I still remember most of what I learned as a sixteen year old (100 years ago) concerning the Rules of the Road. If I didn't start writing this, I'd have fallen into a deep sleep in class. You laugh? Ok, how many feet before an intersection in an urban area must you signal a turn? Hmm? Yes - I did remember! Do you?

"You're overqualified for this position". I'm guessing many of you may have heard this too. How do you handle that challenge? Please share it with us. I have an answer, which must be said a certain way, so as not to be misconstrued. But first, what ideas can you share with us? I've been warned that I'll be thrown this roadblock for an upcoming interview next week...and I'm ready for it. How would you dismiss this concern? For one point of view, click HERE.

And from the Ladders, read this article for another thought on how to handle this challenge.

What about your new, never before tried tactics, tools, techniques that you've begun utilizing in your job search. Tell us some of these new ideas that you never used before, perhaps not even a few months ago? I'm constantly preaching network, network, network. What else are you doing? Me: I've begun another tactic to pile on top of all the networking I've done and will continue to do. How about you? What have others used? This article HERE offers some ideas to consider.

If you've read this blog before today, you know that I'm all about networking: I preach it, trust it, believe it. And, it has and continues to bring me amazing results. But it's so important to

remember that it's not a one way street. This was forwarded to me and I think it's a great reminder of perhaps a new way of thinking for some people. Tell us what you think of this article.

Are you using social media more than in the past? Twitter, Linkedin, e-newsletters, blogs? How have you been using them? Who do you follow?

What blogs have you found that have helped you in your job search? Of course I hope this is one of them, but we are all curious what other sources have provided you with great ideas, tips and encouragement?

Events coming up to consider attending:

A retreat with two inspirational workshops this weekend, led by Dr. Nicola Amadora at Flourish Studios on Lincoln Ave. in Chicago:

Flourish in Leadership & Love

May 21, Saturday, "Leading Like a Woman"

May 22, Sunday, for men and women: "To Love & Be Loved"

For more information, please contact: Diana Fleischmann, 608-780-2244 or fleischmann.diana@gmail.com

For B2B Marketing professionals:

The Windy City Biz Bash

Business Marketing Association Chicago hosts their tenth anniversary Windy City Biz Bash on Tuesday, June 2, 5:30-8:30 pm at River East Art Center.

Click HERE to see some of the amazing silent and live auction items available.

Register by May 20 and save 20%!

And for all marketing folks, coming up next week:

On May 25, Chicago Booth Marketing Roundtable, featuring Craig Wortmann, Clinical Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Chicago Booth School of Business. It's free, and as always you don't need to be a University of Chicago alum. Register HERE.

Hoping there was a nugget that you found useful in this post. And I'm looking forward to your thoughts, comments, disagreements,

thanks for reading,

larry

Three Weeks Down..How Many More To Go?

Why the Royal wedding shot? Well....why not? On to other matters.

I’ve heard the voices of some readers, which sound something along the lines of “Larry, are you EVER going to write another blog post?!” Being a positive person, I take it as such a nice compliment! They miss my writing as well as my thoughts, information, and ideas that I share here. Certainly they’re not complaining. Well, new business cards for this last search have been ordered. Included on these cards will be my Twitter account

as well as this blog site. The pressure to post more regularly is on! I plan on being here often, and hope you will be too!

My three month marketing contract with Walgreens ended earlier this month. What a great group of people I got to work with in their infusion and respiratory care marketing area! More people need to know that Walgreens has over 100 facilities across the nation staffed with expert nurses for these patients. First on my long, never-ending, to do list: getting myself right back into that great company.

As always, we all want to know how others are doing. How have your job searches changed this year? Have the number of bites you get increased? Are you getting more interviews? More calls from headhunters?

I'm very interested in knowing

how it's going for you and your friends.

Since that contract ended, these first three weeks of my last search have been much more active for me than any three weeks in the last two years! Timing? Luck? Networking? Not sure.

Have you considered changing your job searching strategy? Are you thinking of changing industries, careers, going back for school or training? Share it here, we’re really interested in how your approach has changed.

I’ve always thought that during the job search, I go wherever I need to go to meet the right people, to network, to interview. Whether it’s by car, train, or bus. To me, transportation is a necessary evil that one can’t worry about during the search. And then…the price at the pump hit $4.00!! What!?? How high do you think It’ll go? As always, the economists are predicting everything you can think of. Have your driving habits changed? Will they? Are you budgeting

differently now?

Tell us what you do to relieve the insane stress of the search. Walking? Yoga? Swimming? Tennis? Cooking, gardening, eating, drinking? We all have something to learn from how others effectively deal with the madness. For me…it's many things including: spending lots of time with my daughter; running; reading; movies; seeing friends; and always always…plenty of chocolate!

You’ve reached the end of this brief post. The wait for the next one will be short. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please go back and comment on some of the questions posed. I promise you that we all can benefit and are interested in what you share.

Thanks for reading!
larry

December is the Worst Time to Look For a Job..Oh, Really?

How was your December? Were you glad when 2010 ended? Do you remember December? What excites you about 2011? Do join in the discussion, and let us know! I've mentioned before that so many people rationalize, throughout the year, how some specific month is the worst month to look for a job. You can also say how that SAME month can be the best month to look. Take December. A terrible month, the worst month to job hunt, right? Everything seems to be on hold, hiring managers waiting for the new year; so many Christmas parties taking up so much free time; people focused on upcoming vacations, etc.

But, in December, this contrarian believes, many people’s pace at work slows considerably. They actually may have time to not only return your email or phone call, they may actually ANSWER the phone! Even if their workday is still crazy, they do attend these Christmas parties, and more parties = more opportunities to network! Stay tuned for next December, when I'll post links to articles about taking advantage of these increased opportunities to make great connections.

What’s gone on with you all since my last blog post? Comment, and tell us, please. For me, the first two weeks of December were the best weeks for me in almost two years of this current job search. Two opportunities came in by that old reliable method: timing, networking, and luck!

Currently I'm working on a three month marketing project manager role with Walgreens. So, the latest score: 2 part time jobs done, now have one 3 month freelance job and 1 part time position. It was quite an unpredictable end to my year. Tell us about yours! I’m hearing from many in my network who have recently landed, and hope to hear your successes here too.




For you newer grads or for friends of yours who may be new to this job hunting adventure, there's a nice piece from the "New Grad Life" blog about Linked In, and mistakes to avoid.

Can't put in a posting without wondering if there are any great networking opportunities are around the corner? Please, comment, tell us. Here's what I can recommend:

For you marketing folk, and anyone who is interested specifically in millenial marketing and the college and university marketplace, be sure to attend the Feb. 23 University of Chicago Marketing Roundtable. Click here to register for this event and to be included on their listserv to learn about future roundtables. You don't need to be an alum or connected to U. of C. in any way and they are FREE! They even offer discount parking. They take place downtown at the Gleacher Center.

What do you all know about Meetups? They are free to join, and they are an excellent way to network, socialize, get involved, meet others who share your interests, no matter what that interest is! Click their homepage and explore. You enter your interests - you won’t believe how specific these groups can be, for networking, work-related, family, sports, anything - and they’ll notify you of groups that exist in your area. You can join the group, explore that group’s page, see all the other members’ bios, learn about past and upcoming events, and decide whether or not you’d be interested.

Finally, a couple interesting articles I found in Yahoo worth checking out.

"The And Factor"
"Job Search Using Online Niche Job Boards"
and finally:
"I want to Be a Bumble Bee: Think about the Animal Job Interview Question"

A lot to digest, I know. Please folks, comment, respond, argue, agree, let us hear your voices! Forward, share, post. And remember: believe it or not, winter is over in just two days!! That's right...pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training!

larry

Chanukah Bloggah

This post was to be sent long before Cyber Monday ended, so, here's wishing you and yours a belated, wonderful, bargain-filled, not-getting-caught-by-the-boss-while-shopping Cyber Monday! So, now that it's Chanukah - the candles long burned out; gigantic incredibly soft, plush kitty/pillow/opens to a rug toy given to my little girl; latkes nearly burned, but the artichokes well steamed for my little one; and as she snores peacefully...it's time to write!

Gee Larry, why the 1994 Nancy Kerrigan picture? First, why not? But also, her infamous whine, "Why me!?", came to mind for me recently after a very tough miss - not being chosen for an excellent, unique, and challenging job I wanted, oh I really, really wanted it, awfully bad ("why not me!?"). They chose someone else...but after sending some thank you emails for the excellent opportunity to be included as a candidate...I must say I'm pretty amazed at how fast I jumped out of that deep funk. What a huge change in perspective for me from just two years ago.

It's a given, but maybe I should mention that I'm always happy to help anyone in their networking efforts, job search, business development, etc. For that reason, always feel free to connect with me on Linked In at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/llabow and I'm happy to help, forward a connection request, etc.

"Holiday" parties. They're here. What do we do about it. For those still in a job search, it's a great opportunity to get out there, make new or renewed connections. Before you go, have a look at this article written by Phil Rosenberg of www.reCareered.com called "10 Job Search Holiday Party Fails" http://bit.ly/dJXA6r

Now you're prepared, right? Hopefully you've got a full stack of business cards ready...here are a few interesting events to check out!

Thur. Dec. 16: Chicago Social Media Club Holiday Event "Lessons Learned"

http://smcchicago1210.eventbrite.com/ Tickets are pretty reasonable if purchased by Dec. 15. Mad Men themed dress is encouraged, with prizes for the most creative.

Tues. Dec. 14: The BNC/SYNC Holiday Party...

http://bnc-sync-holidayparty.eventbrite.com/ Again, discounted tickets until Dec. 13.

Wed. Dec. 8: The 9th Annual Acronym Bash...this event is excellent, but costly.

http://www.acronymbash.org/ For those in marketing, advertising, and PR industries.

As always, your comments, debates, disagreements, thoughts, encouragement, forwards and followings are very welcome. If you're here in Chicago, I hope you enjoy the snow that's allegedly on its way!!

larry

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