I look back on that time and remember a distinct activity I did when I was bored (I was frequently bored there).  I would organize my files.

I could spend a lot of time going through my files, organizing them, labeling the hanging file folders, reorganizing them… I looked very productive.

But it just didn’t matter! I was a clerk, and I didn’t really have much to file!  I was wasting my time and the federal gov’ts money (no, feds, don’t come after me for that).

I think about that a lot because I had the freedom to choose what I was going to do with my time, and I didn’t do what I could have been doing.

Similar to my job search, I all-of-the-sudden had days with nothing on my agenda.  Oh sure, I had things I knew I should have been doing, but if I didn’t do it today, it would just roll over to tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day.  It really wasn’t a big deal to take time to do something as mundane as “organize my files.”

While the important stuff was getting moved back to another day.

What do you do in your job search?  How often will you “catch up on your email” when you know you are avoiding making a phone call?

How often will you do something meaningless, something that doesn’t take you closer to your goal (of gainful employment, or replacement of income) rather than something that is hard?

I challenge you today: DO THAT THING.

You know what THAT THING is (I don’t know what YOUR thing is, but I know what MY thing is, and today I’m going to do it).  It is the thing you keep putting off.  You know it’s important but you somehow have figured out how to keep bumping it down your priority list.

Today: DO IT.  Don’t worry about anything else, just DO IT.

Those files can wait until tomorrow!

Not a book, not a DVD.  Cereal

You know how this is done (if you don’t, read about other Monday Giveaways here)… the question is:

What was your funniest or most awkward job experience?

Leave your answer in the blog comment, below!  Good luck!

Dear FTC: this cereal giveaway is possible because of General Mills.  I’m not touching the boxes, they’ll ship it directly.  I’m just a blogger trying to have fun.  Go chase someone else. This is for legal residents of the US who are 18 or older, although I have no idea how they are going to determine that.  I didn’t even get 12 boxes for myself… any other questions, Mr/Ms FTC? If so, contact the person who left an email address here.

Actually, the appropriate word is not “cut,” it is “butchered.”

Just like every other kid in the world, she found some alone time with a mirror and scissors, and she had just seen my wife trim her bangs.  So it was something she wanted to do.

At first she was pretty proud of the job she did.  But as people started noticing and talking about it (with a snicker here and there) she started to realize that her haircut wasn’t “cute” and she started to really worry about it.  Tears flowed again and again, and it was clear she was pretty traumatized.

In her young mind she figured she had done a horrible job, and all the world knew it, and many would laugh at her.

It was devastating.

Just like my job loss, and your job loss.   I remember the feeling of thinking I had a big sign around my neck that people would look at.  I don’t know what the sign said but it was something like:

Loser.

Unemployed.

Unemployable.

Broken.

Jobless leper.

You know what?  I was wrong to have thought that.  Just like my daughter was wrong to have thought her haircut was the end of the world.  Let me tell you why.

Her hair is amazing.  She has this wild, curly hair that is … I don’t know how to describe it other than it is beautiful, like a lion’s mane (okay, you really have to appreciate lion manes, but work with me here).  We get a lot of compliments about her hair, and I’ve loved it from the beginning.  It really is awesome.

Because she has these big curls, and her hair is seemingly unruly, there really isn’t a rhyme or reason to any particular style she has.  She only ever has one style, which is best described as awesome.

Those unruly curls, however, have completely diminished anyone’s ability to see that she butchered the first 2 inches of what used to be hair (it is very, very short).

YOU JUST CAN’T TELL.

Same with my job search. I had that imaginary sign, and it devastated me, and I felt like an outcast, and that was not doing anyone any good.  I’m sure it hurt how I presented myself at networking meetings, in interviews, etc.

But it JUST DIDN’T MATTER.

Especially now, in today’s economy, those things JUST DON’T MATTER.

Don’t let your imaginary sign hamper your road to success… take it off and throw it in the imaginary garbage can, and move on.

My daughter has moved on from the drama of this event, and she is back to normal.   When you are back to your normal self you’ll perform much better.

When I figured “it” out (it = my job search), everything changed.

The biggest change was in my happiness and excitement.  I was jazzed about life and my job search.

Why?

Because I had figured out what I could GIVE.

I couldn’t give money, or lunches, or anything that would be out-of-pocket.

Even $10, like what I blogged about yesterday, was out of the question.  How could I give $10 to someone when one of my kids needed food, or shoes, or ____ (there’s always something, right?)?

But then I figured “it” out. I could give something to those who needed it most (my fellow job seekers) that would be much more valuable than money, or a free lunch, or breakfast.

This was even more valuable than my TIME.

I could give them an introduction to someone they needed to know.

A networking introduction.

Try this: Go to a job search meeting (you know, the ones that meet weekly) and listen for an opportunity.  When someone says they are looking for contacts at XYZ company, or in ABC company, or with this-or-that job title, say “talk to me after the meeting, I have a lead for you.”

If you listen hard I bet you’ll be able to pass on names to at least five different people (I’m assuming you are out networking the rest of the week, and increasing your own personal network).  The best I’ve ever seen this was at a network meeting in the Minneapolis area (Lonny Gulden knows all the networking meetings there).  There were about 100 people in the room in a big circle.  As people gave their 30 second pitch, others in the room would jump up and walk a business card over to them and say:

“Talk to me after the meeting, I have a contact at that company for you.”

It was AWESOME.

When I went to network meetings and started doing this I became happier.  I didn’t go to GET, I went to GIVE.  And GIVE.  And GIVE.  And my demeanor changed.  And my focus changed.  And my relationships at those meetings changed.

And others started to give ME leads.

Don’t worry about not being able to give buck$ and food – focus on giving contacts (what’s better, doing a virtual introduction).

I bet your job search will change.

My buddy Daniel Johnson changes his status regularly, and this one caught my attention:

Dan doesn’t know I’m writing this post right now. He just knows I contributed, that’s all.

Dan is… how do I put this… the salt of the earth.  Dan is one of those really good, genuine people.  We’ve known each other virtually since 2006.  I have always had a lot of respect for what Dan does for job seekers (a lot).

He’s one of the first bloggers I wanted to get to know, and I can say that having known him has enriched my life.

You may have already given at the office, given at church and given to Haiti. I’m just asking you if you’ll give to Keisha, so she can get hearing aids.  Just a few bucks.

I know Dan will greatly appreciate it.  And Keisha will (probably) love you for it.

Send $10 (or any amount) on PayPal.  Or use the widget below.

Much appreciated!

I HATED not being able to see the salary listed on jobs I was applying to.

I HATED IT.

I didn’t know if I was applying to something for $45k or $90k or $130k.

I don’t know when companies stopped listing salaries but I think they should PUT THEM BACK IN.

Kudos to Funding Universe who blogged about an opening for a Sr PHP Developer and listed the salary range at $55k – $75k DOE.  This is so helpful, it weeds some people out right away.

(oops to a Funding Universe person who listed the salary at $60k – $80k DOE.  If I were interviewing I’d totally ask for the $80k, since I now know it is above $75k).

Kristen is going to be the judge of this weekly question/answer… make sure you answer in the comments in this blog post (not on Facebook).

What is the best job search advice you’ve ever heard?

What is the worst job search advice you’ve ever heard?

Answer in the comments – good luck!

(if you want the book now you can get it at amazon or from the publisher (you can also get this Job Search Now What??? book for only $11.95 from the publisher))

I usually don’t write two posts in one day but I figured I better close the loop on my last post, which was a suggestion to Obama on how to create jobs the democrat way.

Here’s my other-perspective letter:

Mr Obama,

You say we need to create jobs this year (2010).  Big priority.

Well, here’s what you do: GET OUT OF THE WAY.

Let companies do their thing.

Let entrepreneurs do their thing.

There are companies and people who are dying to fill the holes the federal government is trying to fill.

Stop using stimulus money to buy shares in Detroit companies. Instead, use that money to really stimulate the economy (not just to stimulate auto sales).

Keep the interest rates low (I personally don’t know what the implications are of this, but it seems like a really good idea).

Encourage creativity and foster an environment where entrepreneurs can take risks.  What if there were some way to distribute the money to entrepreneurs, instead of companies that are just too big to steer back into a good path that will be self-sustaining, create jobs, etc?

Tesla Motors is an example of an entrepreneur putting his money into redesigning the auto industry.

Please read Inc. Magazine.  Make your staff read it.  Put it on Air Force One, and in any other vehicles. Have it in government buildings.  The paradigm must shift from the bubble inside the DC beltway to what we experience outside of the beltway.

Also, read this short piece by former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra T. Benson titled The Proper Role of Government.  There are some scary things in there about what government should AND SHOULD NOT do.  It talks about the citizen’s role in all of this.  It is a terrific read and I’d love to know how much you agree or disagree with this. I think all of Congress should read and study this document (NOT assign it to their staff for a briefing).

I think that if you can just get out of the way we’ll get this righted.  There are thousands of stories about people filling a need, creating a business, and hiring employees (ie, creating jobs).  Here are two examples:

Jayson Edwards did the unthinkable: he opened a hot dog stand in a relatively small town in Utah.  He’s become a local legend and quite successful. He had to make sacrifices, but he found and need and fills it. I’m sure this sounds crazy to you if you are in a big city (D.C. or NYC), but it was unheard of in Provo.

Cloud Star Products is a company that apparently employees 100 people.  This company started when a couple’s dog was just not doing well – they eventually came up with a line of food that helps dogs with allergies (who’da thunk!).  I read about them in the Costco Magazine (article here).

You know what?  It is OKAY that these people don’t work for the government, and that they don’t work for a big company.  There is more to this country than that.  They are chasing their American Dream, and that has to be okay.

What can you do to help us pursue our American Dreams?  Remember, many of the big companies today are here because some guy or gal was alone and broke, but had a dream and a passion and the will to chase it.

Don’t trip the chaser.

This was harder to write than the first letter…. thoughts?

Yup, I jumped the shark and got political.  Don’t worry, I’ll balance it out with another post about how to create jobs the stereotypical republican way.

I need to clarify something, though. I think the average American who is very passionate about their political party really doesn’t know what it means to “be democrat,” or “be republican.”  If they knew and understood all the issues of both parties they might find they thought they were democrat when they were actually republican, or they thought they were republican but they favor democrat ideals.

Americans are just “funny” that way.

Another clarification: I am not very political, and not smart enough to be an economist, and I’ve never been in a think tank.  I did manage to get an A in Calculus, but I know I don’t know A LOT.  So this post might not make sense.

Here we go…

Mr Obama,

Want to fix the economy and create jobs?  I think this is the easiest solution, considering you are Democrat and you favor a big government.

I know you’ve dumped a lot of money into stimulus programs, which I don’t think is a good idea.  Some of that has gone into bonuses of people who got them because they have the right title, not because they have performed (that’s the way I understand it, anyway).

How about, instead of dishing out money that the U.S. doesn’t really have, you impose more government programs and regulation?

Let me give an old example.  Tax season is drawing near.  Imagine how cool and easy it would be if we had a flat tax (or, some other very simple tax system).  People could do their own taxes with a sheet of paper and a pencil – it would be uber-simple to understand.

In the U.S., however, we have an extremely sophisticated tax system.  I have an accountant do my personal and small business taxes because I don’t want to overpay, I don’t want to underpay, and I don’t want to get into any trouble by the feds (that would be you).

The problem, if we switch to a simple flat tax, is that many hundreds of thousands of accounting professionals would be out of work. The system and simplified regulation would make their roles obsolete.

We can’t have the government make something simplified to the point where it essentially lays off that many people.  Imagine the millions of people impacted (kids, dependent parents, etc.).

Let’s reverse engineer that example and figure out how to “create jobs.”

I have an idea that will really have an impact: Get your fingers into healthcare. It’s already a mess. I think it’s a mess because of the health insurance industry (not necessarily because of the medical services provided).

Remember, the goal here is not to clean up the mess, it is to create jobs.  So what I propose is that you nationalize healthcare, and impose all of the regulatory oversight that you can think of in this space.  Imagine how many tens of thousands of new jobs you’ll create!

I’m not talking about changing any of the medical service providers, rather adding all the employees we’ll need to make this a national solution.

Adding more government control in this area will provide new industries, probably, and increase the viability of regulatory professionals.  Just like the accountants who make a lot of money because of the IRS codes, you can create massive need for these other types of professionals.

Don’t forget the oversight arm, like the IRS for accounting and OSHA for safety, that will be responsible for taking care of violators.  This oversight arm could be really powerful and grow large (like the Border Patrol) and provide a lot more jobs.

That, I think, is the best way for the government to create more jobs – create more government programs that will require more governement employees (more jobs!) and create cottage industries to support it!

I’m sure your staff can come up with other areas where you can add more government intervention to create a ton of jobs.

What do you think? I’ll write a republican perspective later today.

I wanted to let you know that I’m only backing away from the premium subscription for a little while.  I start a new job tomorrow, one that I was able to land in no small part because of your JibberJobber career management software.  I was able to track several submissions I’d made to this particular employer, giving me a valuable history of my interactions with them.  That history allowed me to connect a few dots and that gave me an advantage I needed during the interview process.

This is the response he gave me when he downgraded from Premium to Regular.  I love it – last week I’ve had three JibberJobber users change their status from unemployed to I FOUND MY DREAM JOB!

That really thrills me.

JC ended his message to me with this:

[JibberJobber is] a great tool that I’d be proud to help plug for.

Thanks for sharing JC, and best wishes at your new gig!

Not on JibberJobber yet?  Sign up here.  Get on our next user webinar tomorrow morning (register here).