Are You Employable?

Everybody wants to find employment. Well, almost everybody.

But how many people worry about their employability? How much do you do to make yourself attractive to employers?

Here are some examples:

Be open to new careers. Your experience may be valuable to a firm in a different field. Don’t trap yourself within one industry — you can always return to it later, especially if the skill sets are similar.

Be relocatable. If you’re willing to move to another part of town, another town, another state, or even another country, guess what? The field of available jobs just grew exponentially. Some companies will even pay to move you. This is harder if you have a family. But if you can do it, then be brave and take the plunge. Apply for jobs in places you think you might like to live, and let recruiters know you can relocate. And if someone calls about a job in some place of which you have never heard, listen to the offer. It might lead you to a great new life!

Clean up your web presence. It’s not that companies look for reasons not to hire you. It’s that they have so many applicants, they can afford to be selective. So if you are putting things on web sites and social networks that would be perfectly appropriate in your personal life, but might make an employer nervous — take them down. Of course it’s not fair. Do you want a job, or not?

Take classes. No matter what your career, you should always keep your skill set fresh. Take classes, attend workshops, and go to conventions. It’s fun, it’s great for networking, and it impresses employers. It is also expensive, so choose carefully.

Have great references. Employers love nothing better than to be able to speak to another professional within their industry, who is willing to speak enthusiatically about a possible hire. It’s better than any resume, cover letter, or even letter of recommendation. Of course, if you want an employer to love you and talk about your great work, you have to be lovable and do great work. Or have something on him or her for blackmail puposes.

Tags: career change, classes, Internet, job search advice, job skills, professional references, relocation, social networking

Pimp Out Your Job Search

From Fleshmonger to International Hero—Yes, it certainly can be done!  Just 15 years ago Tom Cruise (well really his character Joel in Risky Business) was running a brothel out of his parents’ house, and now, who would have guessed, he has become an international hero.  Even though in Valkyrie he ultimately failed to carry the slain Fuhrer off to Valhalla and negotiate a peace treaty ending World War II, his transformation as a person and the growth of his career objectives is astounding. 

But as with most things in life, upon closer inspection the transformation is actually completely predictable. One can see how Tom rose so steadily in the Third Reich.  He had all the right stuff!  Working as a pimp he had learned effective management skills. He really knew how manage his whores; he gained their loyalty and obedience, making sure no one else moved in on his territory. It was Tom’s excellent management skills that ultimately made him marketable in the military arena. After all, a Colonel needs to be capable of commanding obedience. 

His jump from loyal Colonel to would-be assassin is actually not so astounding either.  We all know pimps are protective by nature. A pimp’s entire livelihood is dependent on protecting his whores from rival pimps and from abusive clients.  It was this compassionate nature that allowed Tom to transition from military officer to international hero seeking an end to World War II.

Tom Cruise is evidence that you are the one who is in control of your life.  It’s never too late for a career change.  You just have to know how to market yourself. Transitioning the skills you already have to different settings will be the easy part.  Like in Tom’s case, sometimes change is a good thing, so why not let EmploymentCrossing help you explore new avenues and new heights. But before you go off saving the world don’t forget our free trial offer.

Tags: career change, Employment, Hero, Hitler, job, Pimp, Risky Business, Tom Cruise, Valkyrie

It’s Election Day, but Did You Vote?

Today was a big day: Americans went to their polling places and cast votes in a historic election for the man, or woman in the case of the Green party, they believe best suited to run this country of ours. So who’d you vote for? Was it Obama or McCain? Or maybe you went a different direction and voted for the Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr, or maybe the oldie but goody, Ralph Nader? Seriously, how many times has he been on the ticket? Maybe one day, Ralph…

Who ever you chose to vote for, someone is going to be out of a job tomorrow… and need a new one. If your chosen candidate doesn’t win today’s big race, what ever will they do, hm? Well, let’s discuss.

For time’s sake, we’ll just go over the big two: John McCain and Barack Obama. So what could possibly be in store for them next? There are the two most obvious careers for each: law for Obama, military for McCain, and the senate for each. But maybe they want to try something different?

Obama has a lot of past experience in community organization and advocating on behalf of the proletariat. If Obama doesn’t grab enough votes to be our next presidente, I would suggest he check out PublicInterestCrossing.com, DiversityCrossing.com, or EducationCrossing.com. These are just a few of the EmploymentCrossing.com job sites dedicated to finding THE MOST jobs.

Should McCain not succeed in becoming our next Commander-In-Chief, he’s got options, too. His past experiences are rather involved with his military career (MilitaryCrossing.com), but a couple things do stand out: his time as a naval aviator, his time as a POW, and the large number of children (seven) and grandchildren (four) he has– sheesh, that’s a lot. That said, I think McCain could greatly benefit from a free trial to AviationCrossing, CounselingCrossing (using his POW trauma to counsel other vets), and WorkAtHomeCrossing…I’m sure he’d like as much time at home with the grandkiddies as possible!

Just as their backgrounds and experience are diverse, so are the offerings of EmploymentCrossing. Check it out and see what you could do with your life experience.

For those of you who haven’t done your civic duty yet, hurry up before the polls close and happy voting!

Tags: career change, Employment, Job Search, voting