The Monster Blog

Declare Independence from Your Job

It’s almost Independence Day, and time off, cookouts and fireworks are all on the horizon. But what if your job isn’t lighting it up for you anymore?

According to this CareerJournal article, allowing yourself to stay in a comfortable but unfulfilling job is a sure path to career stagnation. To move up, you need to kick yourself to possibly move on.

Sounds like simple advice, right? “But it’s summertime, and we’re in a recession, and no one’s hiring,” you say. Well, get past these excuses with this advice. And happy Fourth!

• “Warm Up Your Job Search This Summer”
  


• “Get Your Resume Ready for the Recession”
  


• “Reenergize Your Job Search”

Back to Work, Back to Your Job Search

It's tough getting back to work after a long weekend, isn't it? And this wasn't just any holiday weekend -- Memorial Day is the gateway to summer, with all its barbecues, nice weather and time outside.

With the days long and the living easy, you might be tempted to put your job search on the back burner like an overcooked hamburger. Don't. This can be a fine time to look for a job. And just think: All those summer social events are prime networking time. This article has some tips on making your summer job search sizzling hot. And if you need a job search tool kit, check out this Monster Blog post.

Happy summer!

The Right Way to Go After an Internal Transfer

Making an internal move in a company is a great way to build your skills and explore opportunities with a community of colleagues who have inside knowledge about how you work. If you’re looking to make a career change, an internal transfer can be a great opportunity, as your potential new boss can get more of the story than your resume and cover letter may tell.

Why should companies encourage and nurture folks to make internal transfers? A number of reasons, including:

• Your proven track record at the company is even better than a professional reference.
• It shows the company’s commitment to employees’ career development.
• Retention, retention, retention.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re looking to make an internal transfer:

• Tell Your Boss: Be as open as possible to your boss about your intentions. In such situations, your boss can be a great advocate for you. And even if your boss does not want to see you go, he will likely understand that your move could be good for the company. What’s more, since you would be moving internally, your boss and team can benefit from a more structured transition than if you were leaving the company altogether.
• Be Professional: Sure, you may know the folks you are interviewing with, perhaps even outside the office, but that doesn’t mean you can forsake job search etiquette. Remember to be on time for interviews and to dress the part of interviewee. Write thank-you notes and go the extra mile, just as you would for an outside opportunity.
• Update Your Resume: You can’t rely on performance reviews and your accomplishments to speak for themselves. You still need to sell yourself. So update your resume and be sure your prospective boss and HR have a copy on file.

For more advice on making an internal transfer, check out these resources:

• “Apply for an Internal Job”
• “Ten Questions to Ask Before Making an Internal Move”
• “Transfer Internally the Right Way”

So What Do You Want to Do with the Rest of Your Career?

You go to work every day. You do your job, you collect your paycheck, perhaps you even connect with a few of your coworkers. But are you excited about what you are doing?

I believe that when it comes to work, you have three choices. You can find a job you’re really passionate about. You can find a job that pays you well enough so you can enjoy the activities you’re really passionate about outside of work. Or you can find a job that encompasses both.

Of course, the third option would be the best. But where do you begin? How do you determine what you’re passionate about, and then work it into a way to make money?

You need to take some time to examine yourself and set priorities. Then you can establish some clear goals. You just need to have a little faith in yourself and remember that the steps you take are not irreversible. It’s OK to head down the wrong path a bit. You can always turn back, and who knows what possibilities may come out of it? Most people have several careers over the course of their work life -- what will yours be?

These resources can help you along your road to discovery:

• “Discover Your Perfect Career Quiz”
• “Discover the Work You Were Born to Do”
• “Select the Right Career Path”
• “Reach Career Success”
• “Work Values Checklist”
• “Find the Right Job for You”
• “Find Your Blue Flame to Heat Up Your Career”
• “Self-Employment at Any Age”

For more information, visit Monster’s Self-Assessment Center.

Now, tell us in the comments below, what do you want to do with the rest of your career?

Kick-Start Your 2008 Job Search

It’s January 2 (you haven’t broken your New Year’s resolution(s) already, have you?), which for most of us means it’s time to head back to work and ramp up operations once again.

Today might also be the day you get serious about starting or renewing your job search or weighing the pros and cons of a major career change. To help you in your quest, we’re offering our Kick-Start Your Career in 2008 guide, which offers both salary and hiring outlooks for the new year, as well as articles on refreshing your resume and boosting your interview IQ, among others.

Happy New Year! May 2008 be the year you find your calling.

New Season, New Job?

Even if it did feel like summer for many of us over the weekend, a look at the calendar tells us that as of yesterday, fall has arrived.

And around the house, the start of a new season usually means making a few changes, like:

• Replacing the batteries in your smoke alarms.
• Boxing up or donating clothing to make room in your wardrobe for garb that will match the new temperatures.
• Changing your home décor.

On the personal and professional level, the equinoxes and solstices are a perfect time to take stock of your career, usually by asking yourself questions like these:

• Have you been meeting your goals at work -- both those set by your boss and the ones you set for yourself?
• What meaningful projects do you plan to take on during the next three months?
• Is your career progressing the way you want it to? If it isn’t, who or what is holding you back?
• Are you doing the kind of work you really want to do?

As you make this self-assessment, you may realize that turning over a new career leaf -- it is autumn, after all -- is exactly what you need, and that you’ll have to add one more series of items to your new-season to-do list: Sit down at computer, update resume and start job search.

As you kick around ideas for that next job, consider entering Monster’s Test Drive Your Dream Job competition, too. If you win, you’ll have a chance to try out a new career -- on us -- for three days. In the process, you just might discover the line of work you should have jumped into several seasons ago.

For more information on this topic, check out our Starting Points, Essentials section.

When It’s Time to Relocate

Two years ago this week, an angry lady named Katrina blew into New Orleans, leaving 80 percent of the city underwater. The devastation after Hurricane Katrina was hard to imagine -- and still is. Even now, the Big Easy is struggling to right itself and rebuild.

I ran across this NPR essay, written by a Katrina Media Fellow at the Open Society Institute. The author clearly is deeply in love with New Orleans, with all its color, pageantry and richness of heritage, and points out that unlike many reporters, she actually lived there instead of just working there. But the reality is, she needed to leave, because it’s not safe to stay anymore. You can feel the anguish in her words.

And she’s definitely not the only one. Many have fled out of the wrecked city, starting new lives elsewhere, complete with new jobs. It can’t be easy to abandon your home. But sometimes, it’s necessary.

If you need to relocate, for any reason, check out these articles for help.

And as for New Orleans -- which the author describes thusly: “It's like a battered beauty queen. Hard to look at, and messed up even more on the inside, but still so regal and charming” -- I hope someday, people can use our relocation advice to repopulate this Southern gem.

For more information, check out our Move On section.

A Job Search Tool Kit

Sometimes, you just need to get down to your job search. If you’re wondering where to start, we’ve got some suggestions.

First comes creating your resume. Check out these articles for help and inspiration:

• “Keyword Challenge: Find the Right Ones for Your Resume”

• “Your Resume's Look Is as Important as Its Content”
  

• “How to Decide on Resume Length”
  

• “Common Resume Blunders”
  

• “How to Ask for a Resume Critique”

Once your resume gets you the interview, these articles can help you present yourself properly -- and hopefully get a job offer:

• “Interview Take-Along Checklist”
  

• “10 Tips to Boost Your Interview IQ”
  

• “100 Potential Interview Questions”
  

• “Successfully Closing the Interview”
  

• “Follow Up for the Win”

Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for -- the offer. These articles can help you evaluate if it’s for you, and if it is, get the salary and benefits package you deserve:

• “Job-Offer Evaluation Checklist”
  

• “5 Questions to Ask After the Offer”
  

• “Salary Negotiation Know-How”
  

• “Salary History vs. Salary Requirements”
  

• “3 Steps to Making Smarter Counteroffers”

Career Change: Is That a Bend or a Crossroads Up Ahead?

What does pursuing a second career mean? For me, it means more than just changing jobs. I've had a number of different jobs over the years, working for various companies and handling a wide variety of tasks, but I still think I'm pursing more or less the same career path. It hasn't been straight, and it certainly hasn't been smooth, but it still feels like I'm going in the same direction. I'm very lucky.

Other Baby Boomers face more drastic career change issues. Changing technologies, downsizing, offshoring, "wage management initiatives" and even plain old boredom can all force someone to make significant career changes.

I see a lot of questions about midlife career changes on Monster's Age Issues message board and in our email feedback. Some questioners want to know how to pursue a specific kind of career change; other inquiries are more open-ended. Some are upbeat and positive; more than a few sound discouraged and disappointed by the frustrating and seemingly endless search for a second career. Some even say they feel stuck.

But there are others for whom a career change is an invitation to "head out on the highway" (audio link) and try something new. In fact, some Boomer couples have gone out on the highway in a big way -- driving an 18-wheeler together as a second career.

Piloting long-haul trucks may not be your career change choice. But knowing the road you've traveled thus far is a big help. One benefit that age confers is self-knowledge. If you are at a crossroads, forced by circumstances to take a new career direction, pay attention to what you know about yourself and look for guidance and advice from your circle of contacts and resources like Monster. If you are lucky enough to have the freedom to choose a new career path, use that self-knowledge to select your new direction wisely, and remember what you learned along the way.

Here are some additional resources for your consideration:

• "Jump-Start Your Career Change"
• "The After-50 Career Change"
• "One Person's Career Change from Advertising to Counseling"
• "Resume Dilemma: Career Change"
• "Career Change Cover Letter Sample"

Related Blogs

• Evolution Shift: "Midlife Career Change"
• Brazen Careerist: "Career change Is Inevitable, So Plan for It"

On the Web, Everyone Knows Your Reputation

On one hand, you have well-regarded Whole Foods, the very successful natural and organic grocery chain. It's spent 10 years on the Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, is a supporter of eco-leaning philanthropies and has an official site whose pages mention a Declaration of Interdependence, Our Core Values, Our Quality Standards  and Sustainability and Our Future.

On the other hand, there's Rahodeb -- AKA Whole Foods CEO John Mackey -- a formerly anonymous poster on the Yahoo Finance message boards who has for years been pumping Whole Foods stock, dissing competitors like Wild Oats and complimenting his own haircut. Did I mention that Whole Foods is trying to acquire Wild Oats, that the FTC is investigating the merger on antitrust grounds and as a result, outed Rahodeb-Mackey, who is now the subject of an informal SEC inquiry?

What are we to make of the supremely poor judgment of this CEO, whose whole (pardon the pun) company and brand identity depends on its reputation with customers for selling produce, meats and packaged foods that are, indeed, natural and organic? No grocery shopper can verify if a tomato, fresh chicken or box of packaged pasta lives up to its organic billing while standing in the aisle. Reputation is everything, as some Chinese firms have learned to their sorrow and, in the case of that country's corrupt food and drug regulation czar, paid the price with an official bullet to the head.

CEOs who take to the Net to promote their interests don't necessarily have nefarious goals in mind. CEO bloggers use their Web soapbox to speak to employees and stockholders as well as customers, to inspire, reassure and inform in the same way their pre-digital predecessors gave pep talks or managed by walking around the factory floor or store aisles.

Now some CEOs have taken digital bonding a step further by joining social networks and becoming online "friends" with employees, using online services like MySpace and Facebook.

The CEO as an online friend? Let's think for a moment about what that means. As the Rahodeb incident suggests, the anonymous Internet has all but disappeared. In its place is a Web of connections to people who may not know you, but know your reputation. Guard it wisely.

Here are more resources on blogging and social networking at work:

• "Audio: Care for and Feed Your Online Network"
• "Seven Tips for Social Networking Online"
• "Refine Your Online Image"
• "Social Software and Your Career"
• "Work Blogger, Beware"

Related Blogs

• WSJ MarketBeat: "The CEO Blogs"
• From Sneaky Business: "CEOs Yearn For Normal Life -- Without Paper Trail"

Get Your Career Fit for Summer

By now, you’ve likely started getting your body in shape for the beach. But make sure you don’t leave your working self behind. You can take advantage of the positive energy that accompanies long summer days to get your career fit, too.

First you need to decide if you’re in the right job or if you should seek greener pastures. Check out our Self-Assessment section to get some guidance on finding what the right move might be for you.

If you decide that you should be making a move, be sure your resume is ready to compete. And you’ll also need to brush up on your interviewing skills. You can try our Job Search Boot Camp to guide you in how to prepare for a job search in seven days.

But even if you don’t want to switch jobs, you can still get your career in shape. Is there a course you could take that would help you get to the next level? Or maybe an association you could join to make valuable contacts?

The summer will be over before you know it, so get started before it’s tempting to hibernate for the winter.

Offshoring and You: Why Economic Statistics Matter

The week's BusinessWeek cover story headline, "The Real Cost of Offshoring," promises a tale nearly as juicy and exciting as an offer to see Paris Hilton relaxing in her new digs -- will they call it the Slammer Hilton? -- courtesy of the LA County sheriff. Well, OK, maybe not. That's why they call economics "the dismal science."

But we should all pay attention anyway. BW's offshoring piece is, in fact, about a study of an arcane portion of the economic statistics underpinning the calculation of the US gross domestic product (GDP). Ho-hum? Think again. Susan Houseman, senior economist at W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, has been looking into the impact offshoring has on the calculation of manufacturing productivity statistics, and by extension, US productivity as a whole.

In case you don't read the political policy wonks, rising productivity is a cornerstone of US economic policy and one of the most closely watched economic statistics by Wall Street and Washington. Dr. Houseman's paper "Outsourcing, Offshoring, and Productivity Measurement in U.S. Manufacturing" suggests the impact "mismeasurement and cost savings from outsourcing and offshoring have had on measured productivity growth in manufacturing...is significant." This means the last 10 years of economic policy assumptions and decisions affecting broad areas of the US economy -- like jobs and trade -- might be based on faulty numbers. Oops.

In his blog "Economics Unbound,"  cover story author and BusinessWeek chief economist Michael Mandel describes the issue this way: "Cost gains and productivity improvements in the global supply chain are being credited to the US economy -- in effect, creating 'phantom GDP.' In reality, both domestic GDP and domestic productivity have been growing slower than the official statistics show, and manufacturing is in much worse shape."

Yes, economics matter. And for some resources to help keep your career from being washed offshore, check out:

• "Offshore-Proof Your Career"
• "Ride the Offshoring Wave or Get Washed Away"
• "Where the (Few) Manufacturing Jobs Are"
• From the Monster Blog: "Global Layoffs: Not Just About IT Anymore"
• From the Monster Blog: "Offshoring, Literally"

Related Blog

Careers: You vs. Offshoring   
 

Interview Tips from the Campaign Trail

The current presidential primary debates are like first job interviews -- a chance to see how a candidate measures up against other contenders before subsequent interviews, primary votes, party deals and the general election deliver the top job to the winner in 17 months or so.

While I hope most Monster job seekers don't have to interview for that long before getting a job offer, it did occur to me that these early debates offer some glimpses into the interview styles of the candidates. Plus, the comments -- constructive or otherwise -- from media observers and the blogosphere might also apply to ordinary job seekers heading out for job interviews.

So here are some comments and tips taken from the primary campaign trail, which might apply to your interview situation.

Blogger Erin Cox from WTNH-TV in Connecticut noted last Sunday's Democratic candidate debate in New Hampshire was more like "speed dating" than an actual debate. She, and a New Hampshire couple she interviewed, disapproved of the raise-your-hand-on-the-issues polling of the candidates and approved of Senator Hillary Clinton's rebuke to the moderator about it.

Note to Job Seekers: Don't be afraid to reframe a question to make a point about your strengths, and make sure an interviewer knows you stand for something.

Adam Nagourney of the New York Times had several suggestions for Republican candidates at their early May debate in California, among them this item: "Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York…struggled to spell out a fairly complex position on abortion rights that has reverberated across the political field ever since." Nagourney went on to suggest Giuliani needs to find "a way to finesse an answer to the question."

Note to Job Seekers: Take a hard look at your resume, and if there are issues (employment gaps, education, skills, experience) an interviewer might question, make sure you have a clear, confident, concise and credible answer in mind. Practice it.

Lots of commentators have highlighted the role the debates play in establishing -- or undermining -- the conventional wisdom of who is a leading candidate. Frank James of the Chicago Tribute noted: "Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico still had problems delivering a coherent answer on his stance on the immigration legislation before Congress...Definitely not the way to break into the top tier."

Los Angeles Times writer Michael Finnegan quoted a campaign speech by Republican Mitt Romney: "'The best ally of peace is a strong America,' said the onetime Massachusetts governor. Americans 'are overtaxed, and government is overfed.' Values and morals 'are under constant attack.'"

Finnegan then pointed out: "To Stu Spencer, one of Ronald Reagan's top campaign strategists, that timeworn framework - used by nearly all of Romney's rivals for the nomination - falls short of what he see as an appetite [among voters] for change."

A Last Note to Job Seekers: You can never be sure you're the leading candidate, so don't assume you know what the interviewer wants to hear. Prepare for the interview, and find out how to establish yourself as the best candidate for the job.

Look here for more interview resources:

• "Make Interview Preparation a Part of Daily Life"
• "Interview Tips for Landing a Creative Job"
• "Close the Interview"
• Monster's Interview Tips message board 

Related Blogs

• "Students Discuss Their Experiences Working the CNN Debates"
• Pollster Blog 

Hey Employer: Do I Have the Job or Not?

Does this sound familiar? You polished your resume and shined your shoes. You went on the interview and did such a good job that they called you back for a second one. The potential employer made it clear you are the top candidate -- so much so that you’re mentally writing your resignation letter for your current job.

Then, nothing.

If all the message board posts and email feedback we’ve gotten on this subject are to be believed, unfortunately this is a common phenomenon. I know that in my own experience, I’ve gone on promising interviews and then gone home to wait, sure it was just a matter of time before the company made an offer, and felt myself age as time ticked by with no word. I even had one interviewer say to me, “I know it’s awful when you don’t hear anything. So I promise I’ll let you know either way.” Guess what? He never called.

With the caveat that no job is guaranteed once you go on the interview, why is there this black hole between interview and offer? When I was solely a candidate, I was sure it was because companies didn’t want to hire me. Now that I’ve been on the other side of hiring decisions, I know a lot of factors can get in the way of making an offer: a project that comes out of nowhere and sucks up all the hiring manager’s time, red tape around hiring approvals, or even the fact that the rest of the staff is managing to get the job done that you’d be doing. Still, once you’ve been on an interview (or two), it would be nice if employers kept in touch -- even if only to reaffirm your candidacy and tell you a decision is coming. Someday.

For your part, stay on top of your potential employer. And if you ultimately don’t get the job, remember: Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. You may have even dodged a bullet.

Read more on the topic in the Monster Blog post “In the Job Waiting Game, Persistence Pays.”

Related Blogs

• “Follow-Up on Verbal Job Offer”
  
• “After the Interview...What to Do?”

Immigration Reform -- Take One

The proposed immigration reform bill hammered out in the Senate last week is starting to draw fire from all sides. That may be a good thing -- legislation that makes everyone equally unhappy is preferable to legislation that only one side likes. But I've blogged about immigration reform before. I know it's very difficult to find consensus on the issues. If only for my own benefit, I'm going to try to itemize the key elements of the bill as they affect employers and employees -- recognizing that the additional issues of border security, amnesty, family continuity and establishing legal status must also be considered.

Employer Verification of Legal Status

A big expansion over current verification practices, the bill proposes an Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) that requires employers to certify the legal status of all employees (some 146 million at last count) every three years. CEOs will sign off on the certification. In a Wall Street Journal article (log in required), Randel Johnson, a US Chamber of Commerce vice president, termed the plan "throwing a huge net to catch a few minnows." Highlighting the strange bedfellows this legislation may create, the same article quotes American Civil Liberties Union spokesperson Tim Sparapani: "The threat this poses to our privacy is extraordinary."

H-1B Visa Changes

The controversial H-1B visa program for high-skilled foreign workers also gets an overhaul. The plan raises the number of H-1B visas from 65,000 to 115,000 annually and could increase further based on demand. This year's entire quota of H-1B visas was filled the first day. An additional proposal offers "unlimited" H-1B visas for non-citizens who have earned advanced degrees from a US university or from overseas institutions, in the case of those who earned advanced degrees in math, technology or engineering.

On the other side, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers is raising money to run an ad in Congressional Quarterly, seeking to block any increase in H-1B visas. The ad states: "Thousands of highly educated and skilled U.S. hi-tech professionals have lost jobs and are unable to find new work because companies like Microsoft want to hire cheaper foreign labor."

New Rules for Low-Skilled and Guest Workers

For less-skilled workers, there are two new visa categories -- Z and Y. The Z visa provides current illegal immigrants with a path -- albeit convoluted -- to green-card status, and attempts to avoid disrupting those industries, such as food processing, restaurants and construction, that heavily depend on immigrant labor. The Y visa is a guest worker program that, together with a separate program specifically for agricultural workers, would provide legal status for low-skilled workers in some targeted industries.

The legislation is just starting to make its way through Congress. We'll see what develops over the next few weeks. For more background on immigration policies and issues, try these articles:

• "Immigration and the US Workplace"
• "Is the Melting Pot Boiling Over?"
• "Hiring Rules for Non-US Job Seekers"

And these blog suggestions:

• The H-1B Visa -- Everywhere You Want to Be Working?
• Immigration, Workers and the Blogosphere
• A Workday Without Immigrants
• The Border Line -- a blog on immigration issues offered by the Austin (TX) American-Statesman
• ImmigrationProf Blog -- authored by three professors at the University of California, Davis, School of Law

Please, Boss, Please -- Don't Promote Me!

Sounds a little fishy, doesn't it? Sort of like Brer Rabbit telling Brer Fox, "Please don't fling me in that briar patch!" 

But according to this BusinessWeek item, "Please Don't Promote Me," research from Development Dimensions International (DDI) shows one in five managers ranked getting a promotion their most challenging life event, ahead of bereavement, divorce, moving and raising teenagers.

The DDI research suggests the stress is due to poor support from employers for the managers who are taking on additional responsibilities. Not only does it get lonely on the way to the top, there's less help along the way.

My personal work experience includes both managing dozens of people and working as a solo contributor. I would have to agree that the responsibility that comes with a promotion, from managing more people to greater emphasis on bottom-line performance, is pretty stressful. Not as stressful as raising teenagers -- the people who didn't rank that first probably don't have any -- but those career demands are relentless.

And, yes, it's hard to find meaningful support along the way unless your company has fairly sophisticated management development practices. That's why so many companies want to recruit senior executives from companies with highly-regarded executive training programs like GE and Proctor and Gamble.

Another factor to consider is just where you are in your career. A 20- or 30-something may be looking for the chance to advance. A 50-plus employee who is not on the executive track may not want to take on the pressures -- there are other issues involved. That was certainly a conscious choice I made along the way.

But there are a lot of different viewpoints on this issue, such as:

• The Smart Lemming blog
• "Why Minorities Distrust Employers' Promotion Policies and Practices"
• "Visibility vs. Self- Promotion"
• "Benefits and Drawbacks of Phased Retirement"

Graduating from College to the World of Work -- Don’t Panic

I graduated from college more than 10 years ago. Some time around then was the last time I saw the band Too Much Joy (one of my favorite bands ever!) before last Friday. You see, last Friday, the band had a reunion to celebrate the drummer’s retirement from the NYPD. And because of the band’s reunion, a few friends from college and I had a reunion, too, when we went to see the show.

I’m not sure if it’s because of springtime and the city of Boston empties out as the school year comes to an end. Or it could be because I was sharing memories from college or maybe it was revisiting the song lyrics that defined so much for me. But I’ve been thinking a lot about the transition from college to the real world. I remember anticipating graduation with middle-of-the-night panic attacks. I had so much trouble sleeping, instead staying up and wondering what it would be like to just not go to school. After 16 years of education, what would life be like as a working adult?

For all you new graduates out there, I can tell you this: It’s wonderful. Now don’t get me wrong; I loved college and learning and all that jazz. But it was so nice to not have to do anything except go to work, which I recall right after college likening to school without the homework. Sure, you will work hard. You may work crazy hours (and you thought all-nighters were just for students). But you will be working so you can start your life the way you want it. You’ll likely need to pay some dues, and you may make some wrong decisions, but it will work out.

Need some help mapping your way? Check out these articles:

• “Three Steps to Choosing a Career”
• “After Graduation, What's Next?”
• “A Winning Job Search Strategy”
• “Seven First-Time Resume Concerns”
• “Interview Prep for New Grads”
• “Make the Most of Your First Job”

It's National Nurses Week: Thank a Nurse Today

You really can't say enough good things about nurses. Like Mom and apple pie (is it coincidence Mother's Day and National Nurses Week are always close on the calendar?), celebrating nurses and nursing professionals for their service to others doesn't come close to the emotional truth of their value to us, as Bryan's post from last year suggests.

Nursing as a profession is relatively recent. Florence Nightingale first made headlines just 150 years ago for her work tending wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Check out her resume.

Since then, nursing has become a respected and increasingly complex and demanding career choice, predominantly but not exclusively for women, with more than 2.4 million nurses on the job in the US now, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job growth is forecast to grow to nearly 3 million in five years.

But despite the demand, various sources estimate the shortage of trained nursing professionals to be as much as 1 million by 2012, thanks to retirements and limited training capacity for new nurses, in part due to a shortage of nursing school faculty.

There's no shortage of need for thanks. So, if you haven't thanked a nurse lately, you can send one an e-card, courtesy of the American Nurses Association. And if a career in nursing is a possibility for you or someone you know, check out these resources:

• "Jump-Start Your Nursing Career" (special section)
• "Refresher Programs Help Nurses Return to Work"
• "Prepare for Your Career"
• Poll: Should the BSN be the minimum level of education required to be a nurse?
• Monster's Nursing message board in Healthcare Careers 

Note to Hiring Execs: Get a Clue

If you've ever wondered why some employers don't seem to understand how to hire or retain their workers, you're not alone. Slugging Through the War for Talent, a just-released research study cosponsored by Development Dimensions International (DDI) and Monster, confirms there is often a big disconnect between what employers and job seekers are looking for during the hiring process.

Based on surveys of thousands of staffing directors, hiring managers and job seekers, the report highlights three areas where employers and job candidates have mismatched expectations. Here are some of the key findings:

• They Want What? Aside from salary and benefits, employers believe growth and learning, advancement and work/life balance are top factors for job seekers. But while those are important, other factors such as a good boss, pride in the organization, a creative or fun culture and opportunity for accomplishment had wide discrepancies in importance between job seekers and employers. One category, a compatible work group, was mentioned by 67 percent of job seekers but only an average of 44 percent of hiring executives.



• Interview Ineptitude: Interviews are a key hiring factor for employers and job seekers -- no surprises there. Yet, while job seekers may spend hours preparing for an interview, they report hiring firms simply don't give interviewing the attention it deserves. Among the top-rated annoyances: interviews that are rushed or treated as inconsequential, withholding key information about the position and treating an interview as a cross-examination.
  
  Employers seem not to understand that a poor interview experience can have lasting business consequences. One job seeker survey participant noted a poor interview experience meant "I would want no association with that company at all as a customer."



• Dear Clueless Employer: I'm Leaving: The final disconnect is employee retention, as "employers are often clueless about why employees resign," the survey reports. Firms who take their hard-won employees for granted are pushing them out the door. The study shows nearly one-third of employees on the job for six months were already looking for another position. They report lack of appreciation and unfair treatment as key reasons for leaving a job. Meanwhile, employers think these factors are far down the list.

So armed with this information, maybe you should offer to help your prospective employer with their hiring needs. Of course, they'll have to hire you first.

Here are some additional resources for understanding employer needs:

• "Why Should We Hire You?"
• "Five P's of Job Search Progress"
• "Don't Just Tell Employers You're Motivated -- Show Them"

Post your comments about clueless employers below or on our Vent! message board.

Are You Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolutions?

New Year’s resolutions -- getting in shape, refreshing your resume, working more productively -- are always easier to make than keep.

In the Monster poll we’re running on our home page this week, we’re asking you which resolutions have been hardest to stick to so far. Here are the choices:

• Job searching
• Balancing work and personal life
• Living a healthier lifestyle
• Committing to go back to school

As I write this, job searching is the runaway leader, with 50 percent of the votes.

So go ahead and vote in the poll, but also add your confession in the comment section below: Which (career-related) resolution(s) have you already broken?

The Multipronged Job Hunt

The other day, Monster interviewed Dick Bolles, author of the annual bestseller, What Color Is Your Parachute. The interview itself is still in production, but in the interest of all you new year’s job hunters out there, one point is worth highlighting prior to the interview’s posting: The more job-hunting methods you use, the more successful you will be, up to a point. Use more than four methods and success rates start to fall.

Job hunters have many methods from which to choose. Bolles reports 16 in total. Among them are: mailing out resumes; answering local want ads; going out to private employment agencies; using the Internet; and asking friends, family or people in the community for job leads.

As if in recognition of that fact, Monster too has added another method for job hunters -- newspapers. Just last week, Monster and the Times Publishing Co., owner of the St. Petersburg Times, announced the introduction of combined online and print recruitment services for employers and job seekers in the Tampa Bay area. That agreement is one of several recent strategic media alliances. To date, Monster has forged relationships with seven media companies that represent 45 daily newspapers and eight television properties. 

Yes, Monster’s actions seem to tell us, job-hunting's going back into print.

But Monster’s move is an indicator less of the stand-alone value of print and more of the value of multiple methods when job hunting. After all, it’s not just through print and online listings that Monster helps job seekers. Monster’s community boards can act like job-hunting clubs, Monster users can provide job leads, and Monster Career Advice articles can assist seekers in figuring out what they want and how to get it.

And if you’re a smart job seeker, you’ll follow Monster’s lead and start taking a multipronged job-hunting approach yourself.

Bonne Chance.

In the Job Waiting Game, Persistence Pays

I’ve never been able to wait well, and when I feel stuck in a holding pattern, it’s even harder. That’s how I felt a few years ago when I interviewed for a job that seemed to be a perfect fit. The person who would be my boss gave me the impression the position was a lock, and I was told HR would be in touch soon. So I settled in to wait. And wait. And wait.

Time went by, and I was getting discouraged. Still, something made me persist. I kept in touch with my potential supervisor, dropping emails and notes. I called a few times so I stayed on the radar. And I kept on HR as well, repeatedly reiterating my interest in the job. In all, three long, mostly unemployed months went by. Then one day, the call came in. I had an offer. I was thrilled, and I felt vindicated for my long wait. My boss told me later it was my persistence that led to my hire.

Reading the Monster message boards (for example, check out this post and this one) reveals a lot of people are in the same boat. They’ve interviewed, even gone through reference checks, and now they’re cooling their heels, waiting for some sort of word from a potential employer. Many are frustrated and demoralized and aren’t sure what to do next. Unfortunately, with many a hiring manager distracted by the holidays and budgets uncertain, the big wait is a fact of life this time of year.

So what can you do if you find yourself in career limbo? Follow up. Stay on top of the people you interviewed with. Keep looking. And remember: That logjam could break when you least expect it -- and land you an offer.

A Job Hunt Challenge for the New Week

It’s been said looking for a job is a job in itself. It involves time, commitment, dedication and decisive action. Trying to better your employment situation is no time to be passive. So why do so many people take a less-than-proactive approach to their job hunt?

If you’re one of those people, I have a challenge for you. It’s a new week. Pick up the phone and follow up on your applications, go to a networking event you’ve been putting off, polish your resume and research your dream company. Even if you are not initially successful, taking action will give you a feeling of empowerment.

These resources will help get you pumped:

• “The Secret of Reinvention”
• “Seven Movies to Motivate You”
• “Ten Reasons to Invest in Your Career”

Psst! Recruiter Code Words

If you’ve ever been on a job hunt, it’s likely you’ve worked with a recruiter in some way. Ever wonder what’s being said about you when you’re not in the room? This CareerJournal article offers some popular code words search executives (as the Journal dubs them) often used to describe candidates:

• TMI: In a word, blabbing. “Short for ‘too much information,’ this term refers to candidates who give long-winded answers,” the article explains.
• FD: If you fibbed about your educational or professional background on your resume, you might get it flagged as containing an FD (“factual discrepancy”).
• Search Virgin: Recruiters aren’t there to just serve you. They often get paid by companies to fill roles. Not being privy to the nuances of the recruiting business might cause you to get frustrated with a recruiter, which might cause you to lose out on valuable opportunities. Be patient and diplomatic in your search. Your recruiter isn’t your waiter.
• Noncom: “An executive vice president at staffing firm HireAbility.com LLC, Mr. Silverman says he'll note ‘noncom’ or ‘NC’ at the top of a resume during an interview” if the candidate lacks strong communication skills, the article notes. "Look the person in the eye, speak in complete thoughts or sentences, and be confident in what you're saying," Silverman says.
• PP: Poor presentation (‘nuff said). By now, you should know that the receptionist might actually know your hiring manager (shocker). Treat everyone with respect, dress for success, and always handle yourself professionally.
   
• ↓ Sizzle: You might get this thumbs-down reception if you lack energy or aren’t engaged. Go get a cup of coffee if necessary. Disengagement = disinterest.
• Serial Networker: While it’s wise not to place all of your eggs in one basket, if you don’t narrow your search to a small group of recruiters or job types, it might seem like you’re more on a resume spamming rampage than a job search.
• Mortician: If you look like you’re dead when you walk in the room, you’re probably not going to get hired (see ↓ Sizzle, too). Are you walking in with your father’s circa-1970 suit? Invest in a new one -- or at least dust it off.
• WD: The abbreviation for "walking description” – or a perfect fit for the job.
• Purple Squirrel: People need to pinch themselves when they’re around you to find out if you really exist if you’re a purple squirrel. A purple squirrel is "the dream candidate that doesn't really exist, or if they do, they're very elusive," the article says.

My Best? Worst? First Summer Job

Standing on a sweltering commuter train station platform during a steamy summer heatwave always gets me thinking about what I used to do on days like this instead of coming in to work. But then I remember that my summer jobs gave me some of the best experiences I've ever had. I learned a lot from all of them -- even my first job, which had an inauspicious start.

My first summer job was as a landscape gardener and custodian at a summer theater, the Cape Playhouse on Cape Cod. I got it because a friend of mine recommended me. He worked there the year before but wanted to move on for higher pay delivering bread. Note to self: Career networking starts early.

Alas, unlike my predecessor, I was an inept gardener at best. I simply never mastered the knack of using an electric hedge trimmer to give the grounds that smooth, well-manicured look. Instead, the hedges resembled something nibbled by locusts or a herd of hungry herbivores. Even the august manager of the theater, Charles Mooney, tried to teach me proper hedge-trimming technique, but to no avail. Note to self: Be sure you know the skills required -- on-the-job training may not be enough.

In lieu of formal performance reviews, my gardening abilities were evaluated on a regular basis by the resident technical theater crew, who as a group had a highly developed gift for sarcasm, such as mooing when they walked by as I struggled to trim the bushes. They were merciless, and by midsummer I was sure I was going to be canned. Then fate intervened. Note to self: Keep on trying, and watch for opportunities.

Despite the good-natured heckling, I kept a positive attitude and would often spend Sunday nights volunteering to work all night to "strike" the previous week's set and help set up next week's show. This enthusiasm for the work impressed the two absolute rulers of the scenery shop, noted set designers Helen Pond and Herbert Senn. When one of the hired technicians fell ill in midsummer, the theater managers decided it would be easier to teach an unskilled gardener the basics of scene shop work rather than locate an experienced technical apprentice. No doubt the difference in wage rates helped swing the decision in my favor. Note to self: An opportunity to expand skills can be considered part of the compensation.

To everyone's surprise -- including mine -- I turned out to be a reasonably good scenery carpenter and theater technician. I was even invited back the following summer, despite a volume of jokes involving comparisons between my carpentry and hedge-clipping skills. Due to scheduling issues for Helen and Herbert and the usual turnover of techs, I ended up the third most senior person in the scenery shop for much of the second season thanks to my work the prior summer. Just knowing where the "flats" -- the framed and painted muslin walls that form the backdrop to onstage sets -- were stored made me invaluable. Note to self: Enthusiasm and willingness to take risks can have a big career payoff.

I owe a large debt of gratitude to Helen Pond and the late Herbert Senn for spotting a little potential and taking a risk to develop it. Thanks for getting me started. Note to self: Be sure to pass along the favor and mentor someone.

Online Resources for Older Workers

Here at Monster, we know job seekers of all ages can experience a lot of frustration during a job search. Thanks to the Internet, some of that frustration gets expressed online. We hear about it on our message boards, in email feedback from our articles and in comments posted to this blog.

As a member of the 50-plus cohort, I'm particularly aware of frustrations caused by something about which a job seeker can do nothing -- one's age. I've experienced plenty of ups and downs over my own career, but even my most frustrating job search experiences pale against some of the tales I've read in my email or online.

The blogging revolution has empowered hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals to give voice to their concerns, joys, passions, experiences and opinions about the world of work. Some of the best seem to written by variously termed 50-plus, older, mature, elder or Boomer workers.

Here are a few highly arbitrary choices of blogs and other resources for reading about job searching, career changes or work/life issues of interest to mid-career or later workers. You might even consider contributing yourself.

• Time Goes By: Blogger Ronni Bennett (and her alter ego, Cranky Old Lady) produces a beautifully designed and written blog that explores "what it's really like to get older." The former radio and TV producer says, "I don't believe getting older could possibly be as bad as our culture makes it out to be" and offers some trenchant observations about the treatment of "elders" (her word of choice) at work and in life. Note this scathing commentary on career advice for older workers, which does not spare Monster.
• Today's Workplace: Part of Workplace Fairness, a nonprofit advocacy group for employee rights, Today's Workplace is written by Paula Brantner, program director of Workplace Fairness. The site's FAQ on age discrimination is a worthwhile resource.
• Ageless Marketing: David Wolfe brings a mature sensibility to his blog about marketing to consumers of a certain age, such as this recent post on marketing retirement communities.
• Monster's Age Issues Message Board: Hosted by Age Issues Expert Linda Wiener, a consultant and educator on workforce development and older worker issues, this active discussion area gives hundreds of Monster members a chance to share information, advice and opinions on age-related issues in the workplace. Care to post your contribution?

For more advice, you can also check out Monster's Careers at 50+.

Job Hunting? Get Real About Your Virtual Identity

We have a saying in my family -- "light dawns over Marblehead" -- that acknowledges the realization of something pretty basic. It's a blinding flash of the obvious, sort of like Homer Simpson's "D'oh!" (.mp3 audio file)

Apparently, there are some young (and maybe not-so-young) job seekers out there who imagine that what they say or show online only applies to their online lives. Maybe they think what you write in your Facebook comments or display in your flickr photo gallery is similar to what the Las Vegas Visitors Bureau would have you believe about your activities in the City of Lost Wages -- what happens there stays there.

In the era of the Web, that's just not true anymore. Yet the well-educated naifs in this Sunday's New York Times article, "For Some, Online Persona Undermines a Resume," (log in required) are somehow shocked -- shocked! (.WAV audio file) -- to discover that what they purportedly disclose about themselves in the imagined privacy of a MySpace profile could have an impact on their job search. Hello! Wake up!

When it comes to looking for a job, you should understand that employers have a vested interest in