Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Keeping Your Job Search Momentum – article by recruiter Jeff Lipschultz, Job-Hunt’s Working with Recruiters Expert.
• Resume Length Marketability Debate – article by Jacquie Barrett-Poindexter, Job-Hunt’s Job Search Marketability Expert.
• Understanding Career Assessment 4 – article by Susan Guarneri, Job-Hunt’s Career Assessments Expert.

And, of course: Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group and the Job-Hunt Blog.

Four great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Being Realistic About the Job Market – article by Tory Johnson, Job-Hunt’s Fired-to-Hired Expert.
• Impact of Your Online Reputation – article by Dr. Kate Duttro, Job-Hunt’s Careers for Academics Expert.
• Career Transition Lessons for Women – article by Job-Hunt’s Job Search for Women Expert, Deborah Shane.
• Finding a Sales Job in a Slow Economy – article by Erin Kennedy, CPRW, Job-Hunt’s Marketing & Sales Job Search Expert.

And, of course: Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group and the Job-Hunt Blog.

Four great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Leveraging LinkedIn Groups for Personal Branding – article by Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert, Meg Guiseppi.
• Too Old for Career Adventure? – article by Job-Hunt’s Boomer Job Search Expert, Phyllis Mufson.
• Turning Your Love of Pets into Income – article by Job-Hunt’s Lifestyle-Friendly Careers Expert, Nancy Collamer.
• So VERY Discouraged in Your Job Search? from the Job-Hunt Blog

And, don’t forget to follow Job-Hunt’s Twitter account@JobHuntOrg, and join us on Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group.

Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• 10 Ways Social Media Is Like Online Dating – article by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.
• What to Do When Your Network Is Unemployed – article by Beverly Harvey, Job-Hunt’s Executive Job Search Expert.
• Preparing Your ECQ’s – article by Camille Carboneau Roberts, Job-Hunt’s Federal Government Job Search Expert.

Career Spotlight for this week: Fitness Trainers and Instructors – $26,000/year, expected 10-year job growth is 27%. More about other careers in the Career Changers’ Guide.

1.  Carol McClelland, author of the new Dummies Guide to Green Careers, will continue and expand Job-Hunt’s Green Jobs Job Search Guide section, and

2.  Mark Cohen, experienced HR Manager, will answer your questions in Job-Hunt’s brand new “Ask the HR Manager” section.

Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Expanding Your Local Green Network – article by Job-Hunt’sGreen Jobs Job Search Expert, Carol McClelland.
• How Do I Get a Reference from my Boss? and Can I Negotiate My Severance Package? – answers from Job-Hunt’s HR Expert, Mark Cohen inAsk the HR Manager section.
• More Than Just Numbers – article by Barbara Safani, Job-Hunt’s Finance Industry Job Search Expert.
• Career Change: Charting a New Course for Your Career – research and exploration to determine the best direction, the newest blog post by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert.

Career Spotlight for this week: Salary & Benefits Specialist – $50,000/year, expected 10-year job growth is 18%. More about other careers in the Career Changers’ Guide.

Four great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• What Should NOT Be on Your Resume – article by Tory Johnson, Job-Hunt’s Fired-to-Hired Expert.
• Twitter Is the Newest Job Board? – article by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.
• What Women Want – article by Deborah Shane, Job-Hunt’s Job Search for Women Expert.
• Career Change: Charting a New Course for Your Career – research and exploration to determine the best direction, the newest blog post by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert.

Twitter Bonus: Job Search TweetSheet – one-page guide to using Twitter for your job search, by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.

So what do you do now?

Speaking as a person who has made the frying-pan-fire transition at least twice and had 5 majors in 5 years of undergraduate study (I’m interested in everything!), this is not a simple question to answer, particularly when you are working full time.  Or, when you are looking for a job full time.

My advice:  Try, before you “buy!”

Having also been unfortunate enough to discover in the last semester of my 2nd senior year in college when my student teaching experience convinced me teaching high school American History or English was probably the last thing I wanted to do, trying a job before you are committed to it is smart.

So, how?

• Figure out what interests you.  What would you enjoy doing to make a living?

If possible, take some career assessments to help understand yourself better. If you’re frantic to find a new job, you may be thinking I don’t have time for this!

The reality is that this is one of the best things you can do right now.  If you don’t do it now, when will you do it?  Take the time to think about where you’re going before you get there.  What if you hate that next job and need to start looking too soon?  How does that save you time?

My two frying-pan-fire experiences happened when I was so interested in leaving a job I no longer liked that I didn’t pay enough attention to where I was going (new job).  In both cases, I was job hunting again in less than a year – in one case, less than 2 months (turned out the “assistant office manager” was the one who was supposed to clean the toilets once a week).  Who needs that aggravation?

• Once you have some possibilities in mind, talk to people who actually have those jobs.

Ask questions, like:

*   What happens in a typical day?  Typical week/month/year?

*   What are best and worst parts of the job?  What do they like/hate about the job?  What are the toughest issues/situations?  What are the most enjoyable aspects of the job?

*   What is a typical career path?  What options open up with this job on your resume?

*   What job(s), experience(s), education would be the best preparation?

*   Which are the best employers, and what makes them the best?

*   What organizations are most helpful to people with this job?

*   What education/certification is required/helpful?

*   What experience is great to have as a foundation?

Take it all in, but don’t believe 100% of it – we all have our biases and very different backgrounds.  What is a negative for one person (perhaps, all those pesky people asking too many questions) may be a positive for you (maybe, a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and learn new things).

Again, time for thinking and evaluating what you’ve heard and learned, and what you know about yourself.

DO NOT ASK THESE PEOPLE FOR A JOB!  You are asking for advice and information, not a job, and YOU pay for the coffee or lunch or whatever if it’s a face-to-face meeting.  Be sure to see  if you can help them in some way.  And, be sure to send a thank you, particularly if they’ve taken time out of their schedule to talk with you.  Respect your network!

• Test-drive the job by volunteering, if possible, or by interning.

So many worthy charitable organizations, even political campaigns, need help!  Find one you believe in, and see if you can help them in a way that also helps you.  Thinking about changing from journalism to PR, offer to help with the organization’s PR.  Thinking about changing from HR to marketing, offer to help with their HR.  I know so many people who kicked off their Web development/marketing careers by working on their church’s Website or their kid’s hockey team or hockey league.  It happens!

Of course, other big benefits from volunteering include filling an experience or skill gap in your resume, perhaps gaining a good recommendation, relevant to the field you want next, and – of course – expanding your network!

Bottom Line

Sometimes change is involuntary (read Involuntary Change Can Be Good), and even when it is involuntary, doing some solid research can help you avoid grabbing the first frying-pan-to-fire job opportunity you have.

About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

Four great new articles PLUS a Webinar notice were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• 5 Ways to Turn Love of Travel into Income – article by Nancy Collamer, Job-Hunt’s Lifestyle-Friendly Careers Expert.
• What Makes You Special? – article by recruiter Jeff Lipschultz, Job-Hunt’s Working with Recruiters Expert.
• Retreat and Renewal – article by Randi Bussin, Job-Hunt’s Career Change Expert.
• Lifelong Learning Brings Income Security – before graduation is the best time for college students to get a jump-start on their career networks, the newest blog post by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert.

Twitter Bonus: Job Search TweetSheet – one-page guide to using Twitter for your job search, by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.

Four great new articles PLUS a Twitter Bonus were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Amplify Your Personal Brand with Twitter – article about using Twitter to make your personal brand stronger by Meg Guiseppi, Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert.
• Finding Your Job Search Marketability – article about being brave enough to stand out from the crowd by Jacqui Barrett Poindexter, Job-Hunt’s Job Search Marketability Expert.
• Understanding Career Assessments, Part 3 – 3rd of 4 articles about understanding career assessments so you pick the best next job by Susan Guarneri, Job-Hunt’s Career Assessments Expert.
• Lifelong Learning Brings Income Security – before graduation is the best time for college students to get a jump-start on their career networks, the newest blog post by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert.

Twitter Bonus: Job Search TweetSheet – one-page guide to using Twitter for your job search, by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.

My recommendation to everyone for 2010 is to KEEP LEARNING!

Job hunting or not, promise yourself that you will learn something new and relevant every day – whether it is related to the job you currently have or the job you want to have some day.

Keep in mind the 2nd of Dan Pink’s “Two Simple Questions” from DanPink.com, posted on 01/01/10.

Am I better today than I was yesterday?

Stop Learning at Your Peril

Particularly now, with the very high velocity of technology change in our world and our workplaces, if you don’t keep learning, unpleasant things will happen:  you will fall behind your competition in the marketplace for that next job search, and your professional/business network will get smaller and less effective.  Both translate into less success in business (or education or government, etc.) and fewer options for you in the job market.  Neither has to happen to you!

In my involuntary-change-can-be-good blog post earlier this week, I wrote about the benefits I’ve seen from change inflicted on us by an outside source, like a job loss.  Those big changes can happen at any moment, so time to be an Eagle Scout and be prepared!  The good news is that you’ll impress your current employer, too.

This is really an issue for ALL of us, but these days I see two groups of people  I think of as needing to pay special attention to this issue:

1. Long-term unemployed – Particularly as the time between jobs drags out into months, even years, knowledge and skills become out-of-date, which impacts your market value and the job requirements you meet.  A senior level person becomes mid-level; mid-level becomes more junior.  It’s painful, but it can happen, particularly when the time between jobs stretches out over a year.
2. Former employees of out-of-date employers – I’ve run into job seekers who worked for failing employers seemingly frozen in time – the very small distributor who has minimal back-office automation, the retailer who thinks an ad in the Yellow Pages is marketing, the doctor’s office run with a typewriter and copy machine, etc.

Many of these people seemed to feel it was their employers’ responsibility to keep them up-to-date.  If the company wouldn’t pay for them to learn something, it wasn’t worth learning, and they certainly weren’t going to invest in their own brains!  Yikes!

Learning Is Key to Success NOW

In the first weeks after my layoff, one incident brought this home to me.  Soon after I was laid off, I took advantage of my newly ”flexible schedule” to attend a day-long seminar in a topic which had always interested me, but which I had been unable to attend before because it wasn’t directly related to my work and my employer wasn’t willing to let me take the time to go.

Paying my own way into it was a bit of a shock, but it certainly made me feel invested in the event – literally and figuratively.  I was determined to get MY money’s worth.  As the day progressed, I noticed that I could pick out the people who were attending because “the boss” wanted them to attend.  The people sitting beside me -  arrived a little late, took a longer lunch, and left early to “beat the traffic.”   A terrible shame because they really would have benefited as much as their employer, maybe more.

How to Learn One New Thing a Day

Learning one new thing a day is really not that hard!  It can be as simple as keeping up with the latest news for your industry or profession, which is very important from a career self-defense perspective (e.g. avoiding going to work for a company with a bad reputation), or reading a book or taking a class about the latest version of Microsoft Office.

Here are some sources of new information:

Technology - an amazing resource:

• On Twitter, follow solid, highly-respected information sources and thought leaders for your field, depending on your job and your plans.
• Read the blogs important to your industry or profession
• Set up Google Alerts on the keywords/keyword phrases important to your industry or profession – search blogs and news.

Books – read a chapter in a business-related book, daily, until you’ve finished it.  Then, start another.  You’ll be amazed at the interesting ideas circulating, and it will widen your horizons.  Check out the best sellers in the NY Times, Business Week, Amazon, etc.

After you read the whole book, demonstrate your intelligence and critical skills by writing a thoughtful and knowledgeable review of the book under your “Real Name” on Amazon for a boost to your personal branding!

Job-Hunt’s Green Industry Online Job Search Guide – connect with associations, job boards, employers, articles, and other information in this important new aspect of all of our lives.

Share - considering your career aspirations, what methods and sources of learning do you see?  Feel free to offer your ideas below.

Bottom Line

Falling behind is just not a good option, for a person or an organization, and if you aren’t learning something new every day, you’re falling behind.  Even “negative learning” – learning about what you don’t want or what you should avoid  – is useful.  So pick up the learning habit in 2010, and keep learning from now on.  Bonus: it will help you keep your brain young, too, as the years start adding up!

About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then.  Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

Career Collective

The other #CareerCollective posts for this month:

@GLHoffman, LinkUp.com, A Flash of the Blindly Obvious

@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, “The Art of Being Gracious: Much Needed in Today’s Job Search,”

@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes,  Career Trends and Transition 2010

@heathermundell, life@work, Kaizen and the Art of Your Job Search

@barbarasafani, Career Solvers, Looking Into the 2010 Careers Crystal Ball

@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, The Resume and Your Social Media Job Search Campaign

@kat_hansen,  Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, New Year: Time to Assess Yourself and Your Career

@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, Help for job seekers in a rut

@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, Job seekers: 5 tips for making the most of 20

@DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Ya, but

@ErinKennedyCPRW, Professional Resume Services, Advice to Job Seekers in 2010–learn Yoga?

@Chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, Starfish, JobAngels, and Making a Difference

@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, Is Your Job Search Strategy a Snore?

@debrawheatman, Resumes Done Write, Making the most of a new year

@walterakana, Threshold Consulting, Starting anew – tips for truly managing your career

@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, The Year of the Tiger

@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithIllness.com, Dogs Can Do It, Can You?

@AndyInNaples, Career Success, What Are You Getting Better At? Make This the Year You Become the Best You Can Be!