Career Blog

Do you believe in UFOs? The hiring manager wants to know

2011-09-30T00:00:00-06:00

By-Â Justin Thompson, CareerBuilder Writer

Turns out that job seekers are not the only ones getting creative in the interview process. A new CareerBuilder survey of hiring managers revealed that they, too, are starting to veer from the traditional interview questions in order to get candidates to offer up even more unique glimpses into their personality.

Check out this great article at-Â http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2769-Interviewing-Do-you-believe-in-UFOs-The-hiring-manager-wants-to-know/?sc_extcmp=JS_2769_advice&SiteId=cbmsn42769

Breaking Out of Long-Term Unemployment

2011-09-29T00:00:00-06:00

Great article on monster.com today-

By- Larry Buhl, Monster Contributing Writer

From- http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/breaking-out-of-longterm-unemployment-hot-jobs#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_long_term_unemployment

Don't Work Yourself Sick

2011-09-28T00:00:00-06:00

Another great article-

From- http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/workplace-issues/dont-work-yourself-sick/article.aspx?HPS=4_5C310HealthyJobs

Why Attend a Career Fair?

2011-09-27T00:00:00-06:00

From- http://career.umkc.edu/?p=students_careerfairs_why

Many students feel discouraged when they take the time to attend a job fair, only to have
employers not take their resume and tell them to apply online.Â However, personal contacts with an organization is an important aspect of the job search.

A Career fair:

Is a great opportunity to meet employers. Where else can you see so many employers in onelocation, or be seen by them?
Is an investment in your future. You probably won't get a job offer at a fair, but you will make some contacts that may benefit you in the future.
Introduces you to the realities of the job search. When you're in "a sea of candidates", you become aware of the competition and you get a better idea of what it takes to get a job.
Provides you with a chance to explore employers and career opportunities that you may never have thought about.
Prompts you to do something about your resumÃ© writing and interviewing skills.
Provides you with an opportunity for face-to-face contact with a recruiter and a chance to polish your networking skills (no matter how brief your contact is).
Is a great opportunity for situational leadership. Take charge and assert yourself. Get to be known!

Face-to-face contact with employers is crucial in a competitive job market. You may send out
hundreds of "faceless" resumÃ©s or online applications, but direct interaction with employers at a
career fair allows you to deliver a "30 to 60 second infomercial" selling your skills and personal qualities to the employer, ask questions, and make a great impression!

Some Words of Advice
Be prepared. At any time, you should be prepared to apply online, complete a hard-copy employment application, present references or other documents, attend an information session, have dinner with a recruiter, and/or participate in an interview.Â Depending on the employer, all of these steps may be part of the application and hiring process.Â During your job search, you need to be prepared for any situation that could contribute toward securing a job.

Choosing a New Career-How Big a Career Change Do You Want?

2011-09-23T00:00:00-06:00

By- Leonard Lang

From- http://www.choosingacareerblog.com/choosing-a-career/career-change-how-big

Henry Ford is often quoted as having said, "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse!," indicating that customers only know about incremental, not breakthrough solutions.Â

Both kinds of solutions are actually valuable--the question is which degree of change do you need when seeking a solution.Â Both kinds of change are relevant in terms of careers as well.Â The question is, what kind of career change are you looking for?Â How big?Â Incremental or breakthrough?Â A next step or a shift in directions?

When choosing a career some people think they want something new but really would be very happy to take a slight step sideways.Â They may think they need to make a big change, when a small one might be enough.

For instance, a clinic nurse might want to switch to a hospital setting - a small, incremental career change (some might say merely a job change).Â Or the nurse might seek management responsibilities for nursing staff in a hospital department.Â That would be a much bigger change still within nursing, and not as radical as, for example, switching to becoming a high school math teacher or opening a bakery or going back to school to become a computer programmer.

I bring this up because in my career classes, there are often people who tell me they are so angry with their careers, their jobs, their bosses or so burnt out, stressed, or so unchallenged that they need a new career.Â All of these are certainly signs something needs to change.Â But sometimes in the course of going through my program, they realize that the change they need does not have to be as radical as they had imagined.

So how can you tell which kind of change or solution is right for your career?Â

One quick way is to ask yourself:Â What's actually making you unhappy about your current position?

If it's your boss or your pay or not being appreciated or not learning anything new - then you most likely just need a change of job or need to make changes in your current job, but not a new career.Â

If on the other hand, what you are unhappy about is that your career isn't allowing you to use your artiistic abilities or requires you to work alone on a computer all day-then a more radical solution is needed, perhaps a new career.

On the other side of that coin, you can ask what would make you really happy?Â

You can also look at your career or lifework mission statement if you have one and see if that needs changing.Â If so, that might indicate a breakthrough is needed.Â If that statement is still great, but you hate your work life, it's more about the particulars of your job.

-Career changers, jobseekers-Be sure to sign up for free career and creativity ezine and bonus

Career coaching help also available - just email me for info.

Companies hiring in large volume

2011-09-22T00:00:00-06:00

ByÂ Kaitlin Madden

From- http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2765-Job-Search-Companies-hiring-in-large-volume/?sc_extcmp=JS_2765_advice&SiteId=cbmsn42765

There's an interesting dynamic going on in the job market right now. Despite the fact that millions of people can't find jobs, millions of employers can't seem to find the right employees, either.

In case you missed it, last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy created no jobs in August, and that the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1 percent.

At the same time, however, the BLS also reported that nearly 2.7 million jobs went unfilled in August, and,Â according to CareerBuilder's 2011 Q3 hiring forecast,Â 26 percent of employers report having difficulties filling open positions -- aÂ 4 percent increase over 2010.

To help close this employment gap, and match job seekers in need of work with companies in need of their services, we've put together a list of employers that are hiring in large volume right now.

The following 14 companies have a combined total of nearly 10,000 job openings -- and they need employees as badly as you need a job.

1. PNC

Number of jobs available: 1,000+

Types of jobs: Mortgage loan officer, bank branch manager, software engineer, part-time teller, relationship manager and financial advisor

2. AON

Number of jobs available: 1,390+

Types of jobs: Risk management, insurance brokerage services, benefits outsourcing, human capital consulting and actuarial

3. U-Haul

Number of jobs available: 1,575+

Types of jobs: General manager and trainees, shop manager, customer care representative, programmer, web designer, traffic control manager, storage team manager, structural engineer, production manager and transfer driver

4. Yellowbook

Number of jobs available: 1,000+

Types of jobs: New media specialist, client service representative, entry-level customer service, finance, it- engineering, developer, programmer, entry-level production and entry-level field distribution management

5. Comfort Keepers

Number of jobs available: 900+

Types of jobs: Caregiver, home health aide, LPN, personal care aide, registered nurse, community relations and marketing director

6. Motorola Solutions

Number of jobs available: 600+ globally

Types of jobs: Various IT and engineering roles: product manager, systems engineer, information security specialist and software engineer

7. Red Ventures

Number of jobs available: 500+

Types of jobs: Inside sales, web developer, online marketing, sales trainer, corporate recruiter, php developer, sales recruiter, human resources and copywriter

8. Bridgestone Retail Operations

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Retail management trainee, retail sales (full-time and part-time), automotive technician (full-time and part-time) and automotive maintenance technician (full-time and part-time)

9. Earthlink

Number of jobs available: 300+

Types of jobs: Account executive, major account executive, national account executive, system sales, channel sales, sales engineer, field technician, NOC technician and branch manager

10. UniTek Global Services

umber of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Cable installer, satellite installer and wireless installation project manager and foreman

11. Certified Payment Processing

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Outside sales

12. Pilot Flying J

Number of jobs available: 500+

Types of jobs: Retail and restaurant managers

13. Senior Helpers

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Certified nursing assistant, caregiver, scheduling coordinator, marketing manager, client services manager, community relations coordinator

14. Harbor Freight Tools

Number of jobs available: 500

Types of jobs: Field positions at all level within our stores, nationwide. Corporate positions in all functions: finance, legal, marketing, sourcing, category management, etc.

Job references: How to choose good ones and get the most from their support

2011-09-21T00:00:00-06:00

ByÂ Beth Braccio Hering

From- http://msn.careerbuilder.com/article/msn-2763-job-search-job-references-how-to-choose-good-ones-and-get-the-most-support/?scextcmp=JS_2763_advice&siteid=cbmsn42763

When a hiring manager is trying to decide among candidates, the words of someone familiar with the applicant may tip the scale one way or the other. Are your references providing maximum advantage? Here, a few considerations:

Think before you select.

According to Jayne Mattson, senior vice president of Keystone Associates (a career management consulting firm headquartered in Boston), a good reference is someone who:

Wants to see you succeed as much as you do.

Can clearly articulate your strengths, areas of expertise and development.

Can think on her feet if asked a tough question.

You would feel good about being a reference for.

While several people you know may fit the bill, consider whose position or ability to give pertinent information would be most useful to the prospective employer. "In most instances, companies are looking for professional references -- people you have worked for or with who can comment on your skills and accomplishments," says Tracy A. Cashman, partner and general manager of the information technology division of Winter, Wyman -- one of the largest staffing firms in the Northeast. "There are occasions when companies want more personal/character references, but you should have at least three or four (professional) references at your disposal, ideally to include a past manager, a colleague, a subordinate (if appropriate) and perhaps someone from another team/division who you worked with on a particular project."

Since you are looking for references to be enthusiastic advocates, it also is worth considering who might best convince others of your abilities. "There's nothing worse than a potential employer checking a reference who only answers in monosyllables and provides no detail," Cashman says.

Likewise, Mattson notes that it is wise to avoid anyone with whom you did not have a good working relationship and people who you worked with years ago who are not up-to-date with your current career endeavors.

If you're conducting a secret job search, you might want to think carefully about choosing someone from your current workplace. Make sure the person can be trusted to keep the search confidential.

Ask before you list.

Contacting people you'd like to use as a reference before listing them serves several purposes:

It makes you look professional and courteous.

It gives them time to prepare and not be caught off-guard by a phone call they didn't expect.

Their willingness or hesitancy can help you judge whether or not they would make a good reference.

Lavie Margolin, a career coach and author of "Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers," warns that just because someone agrees to give a reference, it does not mean that it will be a good one. "Your former supervisor may have had a different impression than you of the quality of work that you provided ... Or what if your boss felt you left him in the lurch when you quit the company?" Instead of assuming, he suggests having a brief conversation with the potential reference where you can ask what he thought about you as a professional and what he plans to share.

Keep people in the loop.

Prepare your references to support your candidacy by briefing them on your background and career goals. Mattson suggests providing each with a current rÃ©sumÃ©, access to your LinkedIn profile and information on the best way to get in touch with you.

While it is good to occasionally update people on the status of your search, contact is especially useful when you know a potential employer is about to begin checking references. Discussing the position and pointing out key elements that you are trying to emphasize can help your reference prepare informative answers.

Be sure references can be contacted.

Once you've finalized your references, be ready to present them to a prospective employer when asked. Margolin suggests creating a one-page list that includes the following for each reference:

1.Â Â Â Â Â Person's name

2.Â Â Â Â Â Job title

3.Â Â Â Â Â Relationship to you (such as co-worker or direct supervisor)

4.Â Â Â Â Â Company name

5.Â Â Â Â Â Address

6.Â Â Â Â Â Contact info (phone number, email address)

Then, check back with your references from time-to-time to make sure that contact information has not changed. The best reference in the world becomes useless if he can't be reached.

America's Best Cities for Young Professionals

2011-09-20T00:00:00-06:00

From- http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/power-your-future/america-best-cities-young-professionals-185412024.html

by Morgan Brennan

With the unemployment rate stuck above 9%, recent college graduates are facing fierce competition for white-collar work: More than 2 million college-educated workers 25 and older are unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But prospects are much brighter in some cities than others, most notably Des Moines, Iowa, which ranks No. 1 on our list of Best Cities For Young Professionals.

The Iowa state capital has a higher concentration of big businesses (1 for every 568 residents) than any other city we assessed, which equals more job opportunities. Financial services and insurance companies like Principal Financial Group and EMC Insurance Companies have long made their home in the corn-belt city, earning it the nickname "Hartford of the West."

With business costs 16% below the national average, Des Moines has been attracting startups and companies relocating from the coasts, and a number of established companies in the area are expanding, like DuPont's bioscience unit Pioneer Hi-Bred, which plans to hire an additional 500 employees over the next few years. As a result, Des Moines boasts a low 5.8% unemployment rate (sixth lowest of the 100 cities we studied) and healthy projected job growth rates of 0.97% in 2011 and 2.86% in 2012.

"We're encountering a lot of young individuals moving here from larger cities where it would take five or 10 years to ascend into positions, where here they are having opportunities given to them to move more quickly into their career paths." says Mary Bontrager, vice president of workforce for the Greater Des Moines Partnership, a regional economic development organization.

The median salary for employed college graduates between the ages of 24 and 34 in the city is $47,200. That ranks only 42nd out of the 100 cities we screened for the list, but that salary goes further in Des Moines, where living costs are 8% lower than the national average, making it the 22nd least expensive city.

Behind the Numbers

To determine the best cities for young professionals, which we define as adults aged from 24 to 34 who hold a Bachelor's degree or higher, we started with the 100 largest U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (cities and the suburbs surrounding them) as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. We assessed these cities based on seven factors, weighting them evenly: local unemployment rates and 2010 to 2012 job growth projections provided by Moody's Economy.com; Census Bureau data on the number of small businesses (defined as less than 500 employees) per capita, as well as the number of large businesses; the median salaries for 24- to 34-year-old employed college graduates, provided by PayScale.com; Moody's cost-of living index, to gauge how far those paychecks will go; and the percentage of the population aged 25 and older with college degrees in the area.

In second place on our list: Raleigh, N.C. The college town turned boom town, which tops our Best Places for Business and Careers list this year, has the fourth best job growth outlook of the cities we studied (2% a year for 2010-12) and a 7.9% unemployment rate that's well below the national average. With an abundance of colleges and universities in the area such as University of North Carolina and Duke University, and Research Triangle, a major center for high-tech and biotech research, more than 42% of the local population touts BA degrees, making it the most educated of the cities we looked at.

Midwestern cities eclipsed many glitzier coastal competitors for top spots on our list. In addition to Des Moines, Madison, Wis., ranks third; billionaire Warren's Buffett's hometown of Omaha, Neb., is No. 5; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., is No. 10. All three tout low unemployment rates and a large college-educated demographic. The cost of living in each of these areas is around or below the national average, ensuring their young residents' relatively high salaries go even farther. Healthy job growth is projected in all of these heartland hubs as well.

A few northeast metropolises cracked the top 15: hedge fund heavy Fairfield County, Conn. (No. 15); Portland, Maine (No. 6), which boasts the highest number of small businesses per capita of the cities we screened; government-town Washington, D.C. (No. 9); and the education and tech hub of Boston, Mass. (No. 12). No West Coast cities made the cut.

We ranked the 100 largest U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas based on projected job growth rates for 2010 to 2012 and cost of living data, provided by Moody's Economy.com; median salaries for 24 to 34 year old employed college graduates, provided by Payscale.com; unemployment rates; Census Bureau data on the number of small businesses and large businesses per capita; and the percentage of college graduates in the local population.

1. Des Moines, Iowa

Credit: Thinkstock

M.S.A.: Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 0.99%
Median salary: $47,200
Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 92
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 33.8%
1 small business for every 50 residents
1 large business for every 568 residents
Unemployment rate: 5.8%

The corn-belt city has the most big businesses per capita, a brag-worthy unemployment rate, low cost of living and a flourishing number of young professionals residing in the area.

2. Raleigh, N.C.

Credit: AP Photo/Gerry Broome

M.S.A.: Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 2%
Median salary: $51,500
Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 104.4
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 42.2%
1 small business for every 49 residents
1 large business for every 770 residents
Unemployment rate: 7.9%

The college town has one of the best job growth projections of any city we assessed and the 16th best average salary for young professionals, exceeded only by markedly more expensive cities.

3. Madison, Wis.

Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

M.S.A.: Madison, Wis.
Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 0.89%
Median salary: $4 7,100 Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 102.6
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 41%
1 small business for every 48 residents
1 large business for every 689 residents
Unemployment rate: 5.3%

Wisconsin's capital city boasts a low unemployment rate thanks to governmental jobs and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a growing number of biotech and advertising companies.

4. Salt Lake City, Utah

Credit: John Wang/Getty Images

M.S.A.: Salt Lake City, Utah
Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 1.32%
Median salary: $51,200
Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 103.9
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 29.7%
1 small business for every 43 residents
1 large business for every 764 residents
Unemployment rate: 7.2%

A large number of small businesses per capita, a high concentration of banks and good paychecks mean the "Crossroads of the West" offers opportunity to young professionals.

5. Omaha, Neb.

Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

M.S.A.: Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Average
Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 0.82%
Median salary: $45,400
Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 91.8
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 31.7%
1 small business for every 50 residents
1 large business for every 754 residents
Unemployment rate: 4.6%

Warren Buffett's hometown has the lowest unemployment rate on our list, low cost of living and a significant number of large businesses.

6. Portland, Maine

Credit: Jose Azel/Getty Images

M.S.A.: Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine
Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 0.9%
Median salary: $41,000
Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 101.9
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 34.4%
1 small business for every 35 residents
1 large business for every 696 residents
Unemployment rate: 6.2%

The New England port town has the highest number of small businesses per capita, a relatively high proportion of large businesses and a low unemployment rate.

7. Denver, Colo.

Credit: John Kelly/Getty Images

Â M.S.A.: Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo.
Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 1%
Median salary: $51,000
Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 102.8
Percent of pop. with college degrees: 37.6%
1 small business for every 43 residents
1 large business for every 1,020 residents
Unemployment rate: 8.5%

The Mile High City boasts a significant college-educated population, a note-worthy number of small businesses and a healthy job growth rate that's bolstered by the presence of companies like Lockheed Martin and IBM.

On Careers

2011-09-19T00:00:00-06:00

By Lindsay Olson

From- http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/09/01/5-questions-to-ask-the-hiring-manager?scid=related-links:TOP

Your qualifications and interviewing skills are the ultimate deciding factors in whether or not you are offered a position. While you must sell yourself to be considered a serious contender for the job, it's just as important to find out if the position aligns with your long-term goals and your work style.

By asking a few questions of your hiring manager, you can discover whether or not the position is the right one for your next career move. Here are some of the best questions to ask when you're looking for a job:

1. Who will be my boss? What is the reporting structure? Your boss or supervisor will have a big impact on your career with the company, so make sure you understand the reporting structure and know to whom you will be directly reporting. If you will be working in a team environment, you should also find out more about your peers. Getting an idea of their tenure with the company and their backgrounds can clue you in to mutual areas of interest or warning signals so you can probe further and get a better understanding of the environment.

2. What are the growth possibilities in this position, and what are the major challenges I will face? This will give you a better idea as to whether or not the company will meet your expectations. While the response you get may not be very objective, it does let you know what the hiring manager thinks are the downsides (and you may catch her off guard with this question and actually get an informative response).

3. How are employees evaluated and given feedback? A few questions can give you a better idea of how things are run and what to expect, should you be hired. First, find out how often feedback is offered and how it is provided. Will you be given an annual review? Attend monthly meetings? You can also ask what you should accomplish in the first three, six, and 12 months on the job to be considered a successful hire.

4. How will I be trained? What are the opportunities for professional development? Get a general idea of the training provided on the job. Depending on your position and the type of company, you may or may not be enrolled in a formal training program. If you'll be expected to "wing it" your first weeks on the job, it's better to know upfront so you have a reasonable idea of what to expect. You should also understand the company's policies on professional development. Some companies are better than others about providing opportunities for improving your skills and education, so ask to see if they offer any courses or programs to help you advance professionally. Many companies offer annual professional development stipends or monthly luncheons to help their employees and to provide opportunities for professional development.

5. What are company politics and relationships like? Every company has human resources or internal communications issues, so ask if there are any challenges specifically for this position. You should also ask about any communication obstacles between the department you will be working in if you're hired and other departments. Will you manage any difficult personalities or navigate through a complex organizational structure to make decisions that affect your projects?

Finally, when getting ready for an interview, prepare your questions in advance. Make sure you save a few follow-up questions for the end of the interview to clarify certain points. If the interviewer has already answered your prepared questions, try closing with "next step" types of questions. For instance:

What are the next steps in the interview process?
When do you plan to make a hiring decision?
When should I expect to hear from you?

Finish with reiterating your interest in the position. You want to let the interviewer know you are serious about continuing in the process and enthusiastic about the possibility of working with the company.

Remember that your decision to work for a company is just as important as its decision to hire you. Take the initiative and make sure that you have your questions answered and that you understand the benefits and challenges of the position.

Lindsay Olson is a founding partner and public relations recruiter with Paradigm Staffing and Hoojobs, a niche job board for public relations, communications and social media jobs. She blogs at LindsayOlson.com, where she discusses recruiting and job search issues.

How to Find a Job in a "Jobless Economy"

2011-09-16T00:00:00-06:00

From- http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/09/07/how-to-find-a-job-in-a-jobless-economy

By Miriam Salpeter

Job seekers may be very surprised to learn that human resources pros and recruiters attend conferences to talk about "the war for talent."

Ironically, when so many people are looking for work, many hiring managers still have a difficult time connecting with the right candidates. They pay consulting firms a lot of money to teach them how their organizations can use Facebook to connect with potential applicants, and they hope Google+ is the next great social network to tap for professional information about new hires.

In the meantime, the average job seeker continues to plug away, applying for position after position, with little to no success in many cases. Jackie Bassett, the CEO of BT Industrials, Inc., works with the CEOs of a variety of global companies that are in growth mode. She acknowledges, "They all tell me their number-one constraint to growth is finding the right talent." While many lost jobs are not coming back, "brand new needs have appeared that have yet to be met. The opportunity to fill any of those needs is everywhere. They just won't be found where we used to go to look for them."

Bassett collaborates with CEOs and with Joel Abraham, a talent manager at EMM Holdings and the author of Hired: Networking to Land the Job You Want, to help get the word out that all job seekers-from new college graduates to executives seeking jobs earning six figures-can get hired, even in today's economy.

She explains, "CEOs, CFOs and community leaders everywhere aren't waiting for Congress to find you a job. They are taking action now in many innovative ways. They know there are jobs out there. They know how they got where they are today. They got themselves hired and went on to create jobs they need to hire for. They are sharing their advice via career events town by town, family by family, college grad by college grad, to do whatever it takes to find the right talent they need to grow their companies and grow the economy."

You can still land a job in a stubborn market. The trick is to avoid relying entirely on old-school mechanisms and to embrace new ways to get the word out about what you offer a hiring manager.

Curious how CEOs view the "jobless economy" that we seem to be stuck in? Some working with Bassett comment on concerns that are top-of-mind for many job seekers today. For example, some economists and "futurists" are predicting a shift to a contract-based work economy, where most workers will not be employees of organizations, but rather will be hired on a project-by-project basis. Steve Hill, the CFO of Burst Media, points out, "Over the last five years, we have seen a major move from traditional media to digital media. Now all media-related businesses recognize this, from newspaper, book, and magazine publishers to advertising agencies and all their clients. There are and will continue to be tremendous opportunities for creative and talented people with experience in the digital world, despite the current state of the economy. The trick for job seekers will be to gain that first experience working in this area. Schools, colleges, and start-up companies can provide those opportunities for people willing and able to work for free or part time on a contract basis."

Another difficult factor for many job seekers, whose homes may be worth less than what they owe on their mortgages, is relocating for opportunities, or being willing to retrain in growth fields. Jim Sheehan, the CFO of Ember, acknowledges that the "unemployment levels are not evenly distributed across geographic and market segments. In the Boston area, where Ember is located, we are experiencing shortages in qualified candidates for several technical positions we are looking to fill, which supports the statistic of 3 percent or lower unemployment for some segments of the job market."

While many job seekers want "safe" and "stable" opportunities and resist uncertainty, Brad Casper, the executive chairman of the board and interim CEO of Dymatize, suggests succeeding by pursuing a less-traveled path. He explains, "When looking for new opportunities for advancement, conventional wisdom normally suggests to 'follow your passions' or 'build on your strengths.'Â An alternative would be to leave your comfort zone and pursue a new career path that is less traveled and perhaps a little more uncertain; . . . to leave the comfort zone and take on an opportunity that may be just slightly beyond what you think you are ready for. Intelligent risk-taking can lead to fantastic career growth."

Meanwhile, not everyone resists the pull of a passionate fit with an organization. Virginia Rybski, the CEO of Regenesis Biomedical, Inc., advises, "During the job search process, it is essential to look beyond the basic criteria of location and compensation; you must follow your passion. Success in a new role is clearly dependent upon your fit within the existing culture and the level of passion and commitment you are willing to bring.Â At Regenesis Biomedical, we identified a real need to help diabetes patients suffering from disease-related skin wounds and pain. The satisfaction of helping these patients and their caregivers helps fuel that fire within each of us to create passion-filled jobs for others."Â Â

Of course, no one advisor (even from a panel of successful professionals) has the answer for every job seeker. There's no doubt that an important ingredient in any job seeker's arsenal of tools is a willingness to work hard to move in the chosen career path's direction. Consider this thought from Sarah Coppinger, a 2010 college graduate who is now a journalist working for Hometown Publications, LLC: "One thing I've learned after talking with distinguished media professionals, artists, and writers is that success only comes after discovering a passion, and then committing yourself to the hard work that follows. This takes time, as well as sacrifice. But, if you're passionate enough, the opportunities you take will outweigh the sacrifices you make."

Miriam Salpeter is a job search and social media consultant, career coach, author, speaker, resume writer and owner of Keppie Careers. She is author of Social Networking for Career Success. Miriam teaches job seekers and entrepreneurs how to incorporate social media tools along with traditional strategies to empower their success. Connect with her via Twitter @Keppie_Careers.