Meg Guiseppi wrote a blog post with 10 blogs she recommends, although she says these are not necessarily her favorites… but she keeps coming back to them.

The JibberJobber Blog is on the list, as well as my LinkedIn blog.

That’s cool.  But what was really cool was this line:

“There are actually 12 in my list. Two of my favorite writers run two sites.”

I had to go through her list again and found that… yeehaw!  I’m one of her two favorite writers (in very good company with Susan Joyce).

I’ve read all of the blogs she listed.  They are all excellent suggestions, if you are looking for inspiring reading. Here is the list.

Thanks Meg, for the list, and for including me

I sent an “announcement” (which for me is a newsletter) to my LinkedIn Group about 3rd and 4th degree contacts.  The idea is that you MUST network deeper, asking the “who do you know” questions.  You can see that article, and the comments, here.

Rita Carey, a professional job search coach, added this in the comments:

I would like to add a second recommendation…stay in touch. If you wish people a Happy Thanksgiving with a little update and express your gratitude for their support, you will accomplish two things: you will demonstrate professionalism and they will remember you and your transition.

I have seen this done so well…not just at Thanksgiving, of course, but that occasional email or phone call that says “I thought about you today”…. that includes an article of mutual interest or a relevant link.

Stay in touch.

You can call that “nurture relationships.”

You can call that “follow up.”

Why do people do a poor job of staying in touch?

There are various reasons.

Some people aren’t good at, or don’t like networking.

Some people get too consumed in work, family, recreation, etc.

It’s hard to see immediate value from taking time to keep in touch.

For the most part, follow-up is hard.

That’s one reason why I created JibberJobber.

What if you could have a system that made it easier?  A system that prompted you to follow-up with someone?

I haven’t talked to Rita for 2 months… the way my brain works, she’s out of sight, out of mind.  And if/when I do think about her, I feel guilty for letting too much time go by, and I’m not quite sure what I would say to nurture the relationship… so in this state I just let more time go by.  And then years have passed, and all my good intentions are meaningless (except maybe the guilt that I feel).

Then, I lose my job, and I know I want to talk to her, but then I question my motives and don’t reach out because hey, what kind of friend am I if I only reach out when I’m in need?

We’re doing a better job helping people, whether they are in a job search, happily employed, or business owners, or the grandma who wants to have great relationships with her grandkids, stay in touch.

Check out JibberJobber for the tools to help you do this.  Not sure where to start?  Jump on the JibberJobber user webinar - with new evening times!

Yes, it has significantly changed.

Technology has been one major catalyst of the change.  The economy has been the other major catalyst.

What has it changed TO?

Check out this post by Meg Guiseppi titled Today’s Executive Job Search Toolkit. Meg says you need these things for a successful job search (especially as an executive):

• A specific career target and list of target companies (read more)
• Research on each target company and the industry (read more)
• Target Contact List for networking (read more)
• Personal branding designed to renonate with your target companies (read more)
• Branded Career Documents (read more)
• LinkedIn (read more)
• Google Profile (read more)
• Recruiter Relationships (read more)
• List of References (read more)
• Online brand-building communications plan (read more)
• In-person and online networking strategy (read more)
• Interview Preparation (read more)
• Thank you notes (read more)
• Job search managmeent and tracking system (JibberJobber, of course!) (read more)

Check out her post for more info and links.

The job search is not as simple as it was.  Be proactive, take ownership of it, and excel!

A couple of weeks ago I was on a webinar where I once again promoted Michael Webb’s job search program as the most solid program I’ve seen.

It’s simple.

But it’s really hard to implement (until you just DO IT).

After the webinar, I was thinking about his system, and why people won’t do it.

They spend tons of time and effort and money and thinking on other systems that seem more simple, and promise at least the same results.

I started to think about health, and comparing it to this issue.  Michael Webb’s system is like eating right and exercising, which is a pretty solid plan to get healthy (lose weight, etc.).

But we (collectively) don’t want to do that.  It’s too hard.  We want the ab machine from the commercial.  Or we want the pill, or the spoonful of whatever.  We want the shortcut.

How does that shortcut work out?

That’s right.

So go for the solid program, not the fad diet.

I’m not saying Michael’s is the only solid program – I have partners and colleagues that have solid programs.  They are out there.

But I’m telling you, if you are looking for the short cut, you might see quick results that tend to fade quickly.

Mark LeBlanc, who had has a significant impact on my business, will be in Utah for two events that you should try and make.

First, he’s speaking at the National Speakers Association chapter meeting downtown (Zions Bank building, 18th floor) on Wed, Oct 19.  You can learn more here.  I think it costs $40 to come.  Parking is validated.  Totally worth it, imo.

The next two days, Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st, he is doing his 24 Hours to Success seminar.  It is from 3-6pm on Thursday and 9am – 3pm on Friday.  It costs $395.  I’ll be there, and I’ll tell you, this is a great investment.  Mark LeBlanc is the real deal. I know people who travel to his seminars from out of town because he is WORTH IT.

I’m I getting paid to write this?  Nope.   He doesn’t even know I’m writing it.  But I believe in him, his message, and know it’s a great fit for business owners, entrepreneurs, etc.  Learn more here, or call Kylie at 612.339.4890.

I haven’t posted twice in one day in  years, but I need to today, or else you’ll read about this when it’s too late.

Tomorrow morning at 9am EST Rita Carey is doing a webinar called The 40+ Career Search: Debunking the Myths.  There is NO COST. It is FREE.

If you can move your schedule around, join the webinar… the description is as follows:

Do employers make hiring decisions based upon age?

The bad news is that whether it’s age, gender, or ethnicity, the hiring manager may make assumptions about the ability of a person to do the job.

The good news is that beliefs about the “older” worker are changeable. We cannot change our age, but we can change assumptions about our qualifications.

This webinar will cover the following topics:

• The 5 major myths about age that create barriers and how to break through them.
• Why beliefs about younger workers can prevent offers
• Tips for handling the age factor on resumes and in interviews

Here’s the link to register.

When I got laid off I created a simple plan to land a better job quickly.

My plan failed.

What I didn’t realize is that the job search is broken, on every single level.

Job Seekers are broken because they don’t understand, and many times don’t want to understand, the process.  They just want the freaking job!  The problem with not understanding the process is that they then do things that seem to make sense, but really don’t.

The Recruiting world is broken.  Just head over to recruiting blogs to learn about all of their issues and topics they talk about.  I’d call it a mature industry, but they struggle with so many things it is clear there are still many wrinkles to iron out.  And, ask any job seeker what they think of recruiters – it usually isn’t good for two reasons:

1. The job seeker doesn’t understand the role of a recruiter in their job search, and
2. The recruiter has no time to follow-up with unpromising candidates, leaving them hanging, not providing even a sentence of counseling/coaching/encouragement/feedback.

HR is broken.  Why do you think every job counselor in the country says “AVOID HR!”  They are a mess. I’ve worked with them, and I know they have many issues.  Many times they don’t have a seat on the executive committee, and aren’t involved with strategy.  They are disregarded by the strategic thinkers, and are left to do a very, very important role without being properly funded, or empowered.  Also, just how much influence do they have in a hiring process?  Either way too much, without the right tools, or way too little, when hiring managers go around them.

The process hiring managers follow is broken, especially evidenced when they hire based on emotional input rather than seeking out the best candidate.  Their A-player employee strongly recommends someone?  Go with that, instead of equally weighing out all of the strongest candidates!  Yeah, that will last.

Job boards are broken. Typically, they don’t care about the job seeker, or the job search process.  Job seekers are transient users who pay nothing (leeches, maybe?).  They care about whoever at the hiring company is going to pay to have a job posting put up.  That’s why on some job boards you get contacted by “opportunities” that have NOTHING to do with what you have on your resume.

What else… there are other aspects of the whole process of what is broken.

What does this mean?

There is PAIN for job seekers (and for everyone else involved in the hiring process).  Some of it is very deep, personal pain.  Other pain is just work frustration.

There are OPPORTUNITIES to fix various parts of the puzzle.  I’ve seen people/companies come along that will fix a very specific issue, without really affecting the big picture, and I’ve seen people/companies try to fix the entire puzzle (which is really too big a problem to fix, imo).

Are you going to focus on the  PAIN or the OPPORTUNITIES?

This post is going to sound snarky, or like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder.  In fact, I do have a chip on my shoulder. I’ve seen for-profit organizations not give the best to their clients for various reasons, and I’ve seen non-profit organizations (like church job groups) not give the clients the best.  Below are some theories why. Of course there are very, very few exceptions to what I write below… but yes, there are some outplacement firms that do recommend JibberJobber heavily.

I recently got an email from a client of a really big (one of the top 3) outplacement firms in the world.  This is a multi-billion dollar business, folks.  Here’s part of the email:

I wanted to mention that I am working with the Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) outplacement service and this is where someone recently mentioned Jibber Jobber.

LHH has always emphasized the importance of having a tool to manage all the data that a job search will generate, but they do not recommend any specific solution.  That is why many people default to using excel and then “out-grow” its effectiveness as you get a lot of data and try to associate information.

As a recommendation, if you could have companies like LHH put Jibber Jobber forward as a potential solution to manage data you may be able to drive increased sales.

I have been in the job search for over 4 months now and I would have liked to have known about this tool earlier in my search.

Ah, what a question!

Over the last 5+ years I have been trying to work with outplacement companies so they would heartily recommend JibberJobber, which I’m biased about, but I think is the best thing to organize and manage a job search.

In fact, in my mind, one of the companies that might acquire JibberJobber would be one of the top 3 outplacement firms (Right Management, LHH or DBM).  None of them have anything that touches JibberJobber… that’s what I’ve been told from their consultants (job coaches and counselors) and from their clients.

I know there are some consultants at various locations that recommend JibberJobber.  They teach classes about it, tell their clients to get on it, put it in their newsletter, etc.

But not one outplacement firm, that I know of, solely and strongly recommends the tool.

Why not?

Here again is the last line from above:

I have been in the job search for over 4 months now and I would have liked to have known about this tool earlier in my search.

It’s frustrating that JibberJobber, which is five years old now, isn’t THE recommended tool.

Have I tried to get in.

Big time.  But I hit brick wall after brick wall.  I haven’t been able to network in.  Most consultants haven’t been able to introduce me to anyone at the corporate level.

I did have an interesting conversation at the corporate level at Right Management, but the person there didn’t “get” JibberJobber.  Why would anyone want to use it, he wondered.

No matter what I said, did or showed him, he didn’t get it.  He said it would fail, like all CRM systems fail (when implemented).  He never understood that I wasn’t trying to get Right to use it as their CRM, rather to offer it to their clients, WHO NEED IT!

A corporate person didn’t get it, and killed it.

I had another conversation with someone high up at LHH.  Apparently he was responsible for developing a lot of the curriculum that LHH used world-wide (or, at least in the U.S.).  The most I could gather from that conversation is that since he didn’t develop or design JibberJobber, and it didn’t fit in totally with the nomenclature of his systems, they wouldn’t even consider it.

So, we have pride, ignorance and kingdom issues.

Why isn’t outplacement recommending JibberJobber?

I think it comes down to them (a) not spending time understanding how vital this tool is in a job search, and (b) not taking time to learn what their candidates (the job seekers) needs are.

It’s unfortunate.

But for five years I’ve tried and tried, and now, five years later, I get an email like the one above.

It makes me wonder what other tools, techniques and strategies these groups are withholding from their candidates.

All I can say is this: if you are an outplacement client, please go back to your coach and counselor and consultant and let them know how valuable it has been for you.

Linsey Levine has been a JibberJobber partner for  years.  Last year I had a choice meeting with her where we talked about Personality Tests… er, Personality ASSESSMENTS.  They aren’t tests, as Linsey went on to explain.  She clearly has a lot of training and experience using assessments to help people understand what direction they should be pointed in in the job search.

Linsey works with a lot of executives, although she has a breadth of experience in the career space.  I asked he if she would write something to introduce herself… here’s what she sent me:

After an early career that included attorney search, teaching, and editing, I found myself stuck – with really no idea what to do next. An epiphany helped me make a mid-life career change myself, and now I partner with other people in career pain, career depression, and career limbo – to help them get unstuck. It was the best choice and decision that I ever made! I love my work, my clients, and making a difference.

My passion for helping people uncover, discover, or turn on their light, enables them to consciously create successful career paths that are aligned with their values, gifts, interests, and unique strengths .

I have a private Career Coaching /Counseling / Resume Writing practice in White Plains, Westchester NY, and also facilitate ExecuNet Networking meetings in the tri-state area. As Adjunct Faculty of the Graduate School of the College of New Rochelle, I taught the Career Development Masters curriculum and supervised interns. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Master Career Development Professional(MCDP).

As a client so aptly observed, “ You are a CAREer, you put the CARE into Care(er),” so I love to provide inspirational and practical advice, as well as resources and valuable connections. I am an active member of the Career Counselors Consortium, Career Management Alliance, Association for Psychological Type, Career Development Specialists Network, National Career Development Association, Association of Career Professionals International, and National Resume Writers Association.

There is a major difference between a career coach and a career counselor. I’m proud to have Linsey as a JibberJobber Partner, and offer both skillsets to her clients, and helps them with counseling, coaching and resumes.

Learn more about Linsey Levine on LinkedIn or from her website.

Here are some links of interest:

Career Counseling and Coaching

Resume Writing Services

Career Workshops

ExecuNet Facilitated Networking Meetings

Here are three ways to learn how to use LinkedIn:

1. Join me on Thursday at 4pm EST for a live webinar called LinkedIn for Executives – BEYOND the Basics.  This is through Netshare’s Experts Connection.  I’ve done this a few times for them and it’s always fun, and packed full of content. Cost is $50 or $60. Register now to get on the webinar.
2. Get my DVD called LinkedIn for Job Seekers. Cost is $50 + S&H.  This has about three hours of content to help you get value out of your LinkedIn strategy. Click here to buy.
3. If you are a career coach or in the career space, you should become an Online Professional Networking Strategist (this was the LinkedIn certification, but LinkedIn’s lawyers said we can’t use the word LinkedIn in the title of the certification).  We’ll spend six 70 minute sessions going into a number of things on LinkedIn so you can become an expert for yourself and your clients with this online professional network (aka: _________).  Cost is $897, and I work hard so you feel like it was worth it (this is the second time I’m doing this)! More info here.  TIME SENSITIVE: The first session is TODAY!

I continue to see a ton of potential with LinkedIn “users,” whether they are newbies, veterans, so-called LIONs, and even recruiters, with how they can make some marginal changes to get much better results!

Oh yeah, if LinkedIn is interesting to you, check out the LinkedIn blog behind my LinkedIn book: I’m on LinkedIn – Now What???