Staying current is not only important to be on ready to be in top shape for your future employer, but given your weekly, variable schedule, you may be in an even better position to be able to step right into a new position, refreshed, knowledgeable and posed for a new opportunity.

What can you be doing now?

PARTICIPATING IN social networking

* Twitter – Follow people in your industry and you will find more links to articles and information than you can ask for.
* LinkedIn – Join groups, ask questions and answer questions.
* Blogs – Write, read and comment on blogs – it’s fast and an easy way to learn
* Other social networking sites and communities – Seek out other relevant sites based on your industry.

READING books, industry newsletters, magazines and blog posts (use Google Reader to assemble your RSS feeds in one place.  With the internet continuing to explode, finding websites with good, relevant information is easy.  I subscribe to over 30 industry blogs and have read a few social media books.  In addition, Slideshare is a website that allows individuals to post presentations, so searching the site can provide you with a lot of relevant content to learn from.

WATCHING online webinars

Ultimately, companies create webinars to get potential customers familiar with who they are and establish themselves as experts.  Lucky for us, they are usually incredibly informative and can easily fit into a busy schedule, as they are typically only an hour long.

VOLUNTEERING

I am volunteering at the California Academy of Sciences museum and at Taproot Foundation – to help the HR department select an applicant tracking system.  I am not getting paid for these engagements, but they provide me an opportunity to put something new on my resume, and keep my skill set current.

Overall, there are a multitude of opportunities to stay current while you’re out of work.  Doing so, could make the difference between getting a job or remaining unemployed and getting “rusty”.

It also takes organization, motivation, a lot of time and energy, a positive outlook, and critical decision-making. In summary, you must also have patience, yet be persistent.

Your ” job” at this trying time is to sell yourself to potential employers. You must promote yourself as a productive worker. You have abilities that an employer can use. You are marketing your skills, your ability to learn, and your willingness to help an employer succeed. Maintaining a positive outlook throughout your job search may require some extra effort.

Review important information about yourself or your portfolio. Remind yourself that you are a valuable member of society. Make sure you exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, and stay in contact with your immediate support group of family and friends. Using these and other tools will help you stay positive and be at your best.

So what can you do when you read about hiring freezes, layoffs that crowded the field of available candidates, and long, dragged-out interviews when an opportunity does appear?   In this tough environment, you can still find excellent opportunities under the radar.

Here are some doable steps (in 3 parts) to help you wage a winning job search right now.

Part One: Who are you, and who needs what you have?

Create your own personal brand. Give yourself a “time out” to reflect on your special mix of job skills and personal qualities. How can you piece this puzzle into your own unique brand, one you can spell out in a tag line about yourself?

Naming your own brand can help shape your resume, your cover letter and your “elevator pitch,” a 30-second, easily worded sales pitch you can slip into any chat with people of influence.

Your brand should be head-turning and offer a solution to the market you’re targeting. When companies are cutting expenses, you can position yourself as an investment that pays back.

Demonstrate results. How can you prove you can add value? If you’ve made a name for yourself growing sales, reducing overhead, winning new clients or raising profit margins, highlight these features on your resume and during interviews.

Show your potential employer how you’ll apply your know-how to create value-driven solutions that translate to the company’s bottom line.

Expand your reach. In this tight market, traditional networking doesn’t go far enough. You need a better approach to connect with decision-makers.

Think about developing relationships, not just leads and contacts. Network to build contacts within the industry you prefer – plus competing and complementary industries.

Try joining a social network site such as LinkedIn and see who knows someone at a company you might like. Ask them to introduce you.

Also, contact former classmates and teachers, and start speaking up on Internet discussion boards.

Part Two: Build your foundation so you can stand tall

What is your game plan? Designing a doable plan of action is what the doctor ordered to keep your morale high. Take a look around. Which industries are healthy and growing, and where could you see yourself thrive? Making lists can help you settle down and focus. This list is important.

One week at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Each Monday morning, you can choose goals for the number of contacts you’ll call, industry or social events you can attend (for free if possible) and how many face-to-face meetings you can land.

Good news: President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan will create new, relatively high-paying jobs in renewable energy, education, health care and construction.

How to increase your success rate? Get organized. Make yourself a splashy, colorful progress log or Excel chart to record each person you contacted, met with personally, when you talked, who said what, and your follow-up actions. This step matters. By keeping systematic records, you’ll create a network of valuable contacts to use on your new job and beyond.

Can you become the rainmaker? Even if you feel fearful or confused right now, make up your mind to be a lifelong learner. Imagine yourself the go-to woman who knows about industry trends, keeps up with technology and gets comfortable talking to colleagues of any age.

Online webinars and tutorials can keep you current on skills and abilities now in demand. Update your online presence regularly to position yourself as a thought leader, cost-saver, turnaround artist or innovator.

Part Three: Stay on the sunny side

Be flexible. Employers need executives with problem-solving skills grounded in experience. In difficult times, many companies outsource to fill the gaps.

Are you willing to sign on as a consultant? This could lead to a full-time offer. Freelancing, telecommuting and flexible work options become more feasible as employers strive to meet fluctuating workloads.

Use your negotiating skills to create new work options that meet their needs. Remember, “No” doesn’t always mean “Never.”

Lend a helping hand. Women instinctively reach out to help each other. Follow your instincts to offer support, share search tips and introduce colleagues also searching for new opportunities. Stay in touch with your network contacts and exchange information and advice.

By becoming that go-to source, you might be the first to receive word of a position that could be perfect for you.

Volunteer. Regular volunteering is the single strongest predictor of health and longevity. Being passionate about a cause and proactive helping others is rewarding not just for you but for your community. Show future employers your volunteer skills are immediately transferable to the job you desire.

Your optimism will win the day. Everyone can sink down into the dumps during a job search. But every morning, think of what you can do today to move your job campaign one notch ahead. Turn to trusted friends and family for pep talks and reassurance. Take time out to reward yourself and practice powerful stress releasers like yoga or meditation. Walking, jogging, swimming and other aerobic workouts can reenergize and restore you.

Remember: Target organizations where you can be most useful and look for opportunities to emphasize how you can add value to the bottom line. By knowing what drives you, where you excel and how your personal brand can make a positive difference, you can stand out from the crowd.

Source: Carol Malysz, VP, New Directions Inc., a Boston career consulting firm

Branding yourself is the method … see what workplace consultant and author J.T O’Donnell writes about career identity online and recommends that you brand or be branded.

You can either make sure people ‘hear what they see’ in a way that boosts your credibility… or, you can ignore your online presence and be seen as,

A) non-existent and unimportant, or perhaps even worse,

B) the Dennis Rodman of the net.

So… consider these 4 steps to create and/or improve your online career identity:

Step 1: Identify Your Brand’s Keywords

Do a search on yourself and see what comes up. You may find someone with your name has coveted the top fold. From there, identify what keywords you can use to differentiate yourself from this person. Should you be using your full name? Your middle initial? Your affiliation with an organization or a type of work? Figure out how you want people to find you so you can build your brand around these keywords.

Step 2:   Become a Blog Reader & Commenter

Begin reading career-related content on blogs for 10 minutes daily. This will help you stay-up-to date and in-the-know. Then, start posting thoughtful, well-written, professional comments on these blogs related to your field of interest.

Don’t know where to find these blogs? Go to www.AllTop.com – they are like a magazine rack of online blogs. There, you’ll be able to find dozens of blogs related to your career aspirations so that you can post comments to enhance your credibility as a knowledgeable member of your field/industry.

The power of blogs is enormous when it comes to getting better educated on a subject. Your perspective and knowledge of a situation can be enhanced daily by reading blogs … especially, if you choose blogs that are both well-written and designed for easy navigation.

Here are three examples of blogs

The Work Buzz – Careerbuilder.com’s newly renovated workplace blog is easy-to-read and the perfect way to get acquainted with blogging. The content is fresh and the site navigation is simple.

Brazen Careerist – Showcases a huge crew (200+) of 20-something bloggers, making it one of the most comprehensive on the web.

Career Journal – The Wall St. Journal’s career blog is a good read simply because their newspaper is standard reading material for most executives. The advice is always solid and takes into consideration management’s viewpoints – a great way for you to learn how to start managing up.

Step 3: Ask to Guest Post & Become a Subject-Matter Expert

Once you’ve got commenting down, it’s time to consider writing a guest blog post on a subject related to your career. After you’ve become a regular commenter on a particular site and feel you relate to their readership, contact them and ask if they would accept a guest post from you. Give them an overview of the topic you would write about. If they are interested, you can write the whole article, submit it, and voila – you are a published author on the net.

Step 4: Get Your Twitter Brand Up and Running

Finally, get a Twitter account and learn the 3 key phases for leveraging its power for your career.  Twittering is micro-blogging. Better still, it’s like instant messaging for professionals. It is an easy, fast way to connect with hundreds of like-minded people in a short period of time. You can be connected to 1000’s of people in a matter of weeks.

Better still, you can ‘tweet’ (post short 140 character comments) to them which a hiring manager can read if they do a search on your Twitter account name.

So, it’s like inviting an employer to see what you are like to converse with. A great way to brand yourself!

Recommended career experts to “follow“:

@careerealism – sponsors of the Twitter Advice Project (T.A.P. into CAREEREALISM) – Get FREE Advice

@tmonhollon – a PR specialist working in the staffing industry – also the founder of a Career 100 top blog.

@debrawheatman -  a passionate career strategist and regular contributor to some major online career resources.

@dawnbugni – a resume specialist and guest blogger whose resume tips helped 1000’s on our site.

@AskaManager – nationally syndicated career expert for US News & World Report, HR Specialist, and author of the very popular Ask A Manager blog.

@juliaerickson – a career coach that specializes in career transformations.

@haroldmellor – Recruiter for Boston Globe Media and veteran of the staffing industry.

@resumesrevealed – 15+ years of positioning job seekers for success with resumes & job search strategies

@jobhuntorg – Editor of Job-Hunt.org with 18+years helping job seekers with online job search

@kgrantcareers – Career specialist for adult learners at Kaplan University

@louise_fletcher – Resume writer, blogger, author & co-founder of Career Hub.

@valueintowords – master resume writer & career strategist helping job seekers with career transitions

@heatherhuhman – journalist/career expert to students and young professionals via daily advice column

@glhoffman – author of the extremely successful career blog that runs in the U.S. News & World Report

@sweetcareers – campus career counselor with years of experience and a killer resource blog

@Keppie_Careers – a professional career coach and columnist with years of experience in corporate America

Summary

As stated by J.T. O’Donnel stated above…brand or be branded.   Why risk having a lack of any career identity or a bad online presence just because you didn’t take control of the situation?   Yes, getting your BRAND to look good takes a little effort, but it can provide an incredible return on your time and energy investment.

Source: J.T. O’Donnell, career strategy and workplace consultant
www.jtodonnell.com

More on Branding >>

These 10 components will arm you with a compelling personal brand message to anchor and weave throughout all your online and offline career marketing communications:

1. What are your vision and purpose?

Before clearly defining your brand, look externally at the bigger picture of your vision for the world, and then internally, at how you might help the world realize your vision.

2. What are your values and passions?

You have to know yourself and what you want and need before you can move forward. Your belief system and operating principles are at the core of determining whether an opportunity in front of you will be a good fit for you. If the passions that drive you aren’t met, you probably won’t be happy.

3. What are your top goals for the next year, 2 years, and 5 years?

Work on projecting what you intend to accomplish so you can put together a strategic action plan to get there.

4. Do a self-assessment of your top brand attributes.

What 3 or 4 adjectives best describe the value you offer? What words do you use to define your personality? Here are some possibilities, but don’t limit yourself to these:

Collaborative, resilient, forward-focused, risk-taking, connected, international, visionary, diplomatic, intuitive, precise, enterprising, ethical, genuine, accessible.

5. What are your core strengths or motivated skills?

In what functions and responsibilities do you excel? What things are you the designated “go-to” person for? What would your company have a hard time replacing if you left suddenly? The possibilities are endless, but here are a few suggestions:

Identifying problems, seeing the details, leading, delegating, performing analysis, fact finding, crunching numbers, anticipating risk, motivating, mentoring, innovating, managing conflict, writing, listening, communicating.

6. Get feedback from those who know you best – at work, at home, anywhere.

The true measure of your brand is the reputation others hold of you in their hearts and minds. Notice how they introduce you to others. Ask them what your top brand attributes and core strengths are. How does your self-assessment jibe with their feedback?

7. Do a SWOT (Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats) analysis on yourself.

Don’t dwell on your weak points, but keep them in mind so that you don’t move into a position where that function is the main thrust of the job.

8. Who is your target audience?

Determine where you want to fit in (industry and niche area of expertise). Learn what decision makers in that field are looking for when they’re vetting candidates. Find out where those decision makers hang out and what key words will attract them, and then position yourself in front of them to capture their attention.

9. Who is your competition in the marketplace and what differentiates you from them?

Determine why decision makers should choose whatever you’re offering over the others offering similar value. What makes you the best choice? What makes you a good investment? What value will you bring that no one else will?

10. Remember the 3 Cs of personal branding:

Clarity – be clear about who you are and who you are not.
Consistency – steadfastly express your brand across all communications vehicles.
Constancy – strong brands are always visible to their target audience.

Your takeaway:

The work involved in uncovering your brand may seem daunting, but your efforts can benefit you immeasurably. My own brand development helped me re-focus the way I do business toward the kinds of work I’m most passionate about, and more deeply niche my target audience.

In job search, developing and communicating your personal brand can pre-qualify you as a good fit and accelerate your search. Your unique brand message differentiates the best you have to offer, gives a good indication of what you’re like to work with, and evidences how you make things happen.

Source: Career Rocketeer – career search, career development and personal branding blog

This article comes from Peter Bregman and is extremely insightful.  Read about how to go through these times with less pain and more success.

• A way to increase your chances of getting that job.
• Of winning a new client.
• And maybe even enjoying it.

Peter says to  stop trying so hard with your job search.  At most, spend 1-2 hours a day on your job search.

Here are his job searching “rules”:

* Write your resume quickly and efficiently. Get the basic point across and then let it go. Same with a cover letter. Your resumé is not going to get you a job. If you’re a company, the same holds true for your marketing materials. I’m sure they’re already good enough.

* Don’t spend time on job sites. It’s highly unlikely, with all the people who are looking, that someone will hire someone they don’t already know (or someone they know doesn’t already know). Same goes for companies: don’t respond to RFPs unless you already have the relationship.

* Spend all your hunting time with people: at lunch, on the phone, going for walks. Finding a job or new clients is all about human relationships.

If you’re only going to spend 1-2 hours a day on this, what should you do with your other 12 hours? If you aren’t going to spend your days looking for work, how will you find it?

Here is his job searching “recipe”:

1. Make a list of all the things you love doing or things that intrigue you that you’d like to try doing. This is brainstorming so don’t limit the list or judge it; write down everything you can think of.

2. Separate the activities you do with people from the activities you do alone. For example, gardening, reading, meditating, and writing are alone activities. Volunteering to run a fundraiser is with people.

3. Look at the activities you do alone and figure out if you can (and want to) do them in a way that includes other people. For example, join a garden club. Or a reading or meditation group. Or write something that other people read (a blog counts). If you can (and want to) make them activities that include other people, keep them on the list. If not, then cross them off the list.

4. Now’s the fun part:  Spend 90% of your time doing things you love (or have always wanted to try) with other people who also love doing those things. If possible, take a leadership role.

A good friend of Peters has recently gotten involved in a church she adores. She loves all the pastors; she came to our house for dinner the other day and couldn’t stop talking about them. So she met with them and offered to help in whatever way they needed. She’s now leading a monthly strategy breakfast with the pastors and lay leaders of the church.

Another friend is training for a triathlon with a group of 15 others. He’s in the best shape of his life and can’t stop talking about it.

A company I know is doing pro bono work for charities and the government. Everyone working on those projects is energized.

Why does this work? Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is just showing up. When I first started my business, a great mentor of mine told me to join the boards of not-for-profits and do what I do best for them. Other board members will then see the results and want to hire my company to do the same for them and their companies. That’s the obvious reason.

Here’s the more subtle reason this works. Nobody wants to hire someone (or a company) who needs to be hired to survive. Depressed is not attractive. People want to hire energized people who are passionate and excited about what they’re doing.  Jobs come from being engaged in the world and building human connections.

And an even more subtle reason. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, and you’re doing it with other people who are passionate about what they’re doing, then chances are the work you eventually find will be more in line with the stuff you love to do.   And then . . . then your life changes (not to be too dramatic but it’s true). No longer are you, like my consulting friend said, “going after anything that’s out there.” You’re using this crisis as an opportunity to do work you love, at which you excel, with people you enjoy. You can’t help but succeed.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: that’s a fine strategy if you’re independently wealthy, getting that nice fat trust fund check every week to pay for your gym membership (or mortgage or kid’s tuition). But what about the rest of us? Our inability to pay the monthly bills might actually intrude on our ability to “enjoy” unemployment. I know how scary it is to be without an income.

And that fear is what you have to manage because here’s the kicker. It won’t take longer to find a job even though you’re spending less time looking. It’ll take you less time.

Pursuing things you love doing with people you enjoy will position you better to get a job; other people will notice your commitment, passion, skill, and personality and they’ll want to either hire you or help you get hired.

Also, actively pursuing other activities while looking for a job will make you more qualified for a job–because you’ll end up a more interesting person. When you finally get that job interview, you’ll be able to recount all the many things you’ve been doing (and will probably have a good time relating them) instead of saying that the only thing you’ve been doing for the past three years is looking (unsuccessfully so far) for a job.

The same holds true if you’re a company looking for business. Spend your time doing things that will make you a more interesting company to hire when the business comes back.

And even if it took the same amount of time to find a job, wouldn’t you rather spend your time doing things that are interesting with people you enjoy?

I just heard the story of a woman who decided to do work she didn’t enjoy for a few years in order to make a lot of money. Three years later the company went bankrupt. That could happen to anyone. Bad luck. But here’s what she said that I found the most depressing: “It’s as though I didn’t work for the last three years–it’s all gone. And what’s worse, I worked like a dog and hated it. I just wasted three years of my life.”

Don’t waste this time. The job search. The client search. Do it. But do it in a way that excites you. That teaches you new things. That introduces you to new people who see you at your natural, most excited, most powerful best. Use and develop your strengths. The things at which you excel. The things you love.

It’s well known that people have a harder time getting pregnant when they’re stressed about getting pregnant. And it’s unlikely you’ll get into a relationship if all you think about is getting into a relationship. The same holds true for finding a job (or, for a company, finding new business). However hard it may be, force yourself to do things you love with other people.  Let the work find you.

Source: Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a global leadership development and change management firm.

Defined as the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain.  Voluntary employment is unpaid employment – it may be done for altruistic reasons, for example.  Also it can be charity, as a hobby, community service or vocation, or for the purpose of gaining experience.

The benefits of volunteerism are numerous:
•    Self satisfaction
•    Altruism
•    Potential learning or acquisition of new skills
•    Specific benefits for the receivers of volunteer efforts
•    Relaxation
•    Socialization
•    Status or reward
•    Career opportunities
•    Community improvement

Volunteer experience is becoming the key factor that tells hiring managers that you are willing to go the extra mile.

Volunteering and working for free are great ways to expand your skill set.

Volunteering involves passion, commitment and selflessness…all qualities employers look for.

Start with this site: http://www.smartvolunteer.com/UI/NonMembers/default.aspx

Smart Volunteer is a community of talented professionals committed to using their skills in socially beneficial ways… Their Motto:  You got skills?   We have opportunities!

*** Volunteering will differentiate you from all the thousands of other job seekers ***

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Taprootfoundation.org

Join a team of highly skilled professionals who are doing pro bono work to help a local nonprofit increase its impact.

Volunteer Your Skills – do it pro bono.

Hundreds of nonprofit organizations in your community need your help! Join thousands of top professionals who are maximizing their impact by volunteering their skills and expertise in the community.

Why Do Pro Bono?

• Create positive change – Make a tangible contribution to a nonprofit in your area.
• Use your time effectively – Volunteer on structured projects; we provide all the resources and support you need.
• Grow your skills – Tackle challenges in a new environment.
• Meet other people in your industry ? Work with other professionals from companies like Time Warner, Kraft, Deloitte, Gap, Leo Burnett, Microsoft, and many more.

How It Works

• Donate 3-5 hours per week on a 6-month pro bono project; most work is done virtually
• Participate in a 30-minute weekly conference call with your team
• Attend one in-person meeting per month with your nonprofit client

Stage 1: Select Nonprofit Client
We carefully screen hundreds of requests each year to select nonprofit clients who we think can make the biggest impact. We look for:

1. Working in our strategic areas:

• Arts
• Education
• Social Services
• Environment
• Health

2. Effective programs
3. Strong management and governance
4. Healthy and stable finances
5. Clear and compelling need for assistance

Stage 2: Prepare for the Project
We assign a volunteer team leader (Account Director) to the project, who meets with the nonprofit client to:

• Confirm the scope of the project
• Define the decision-making process
• Determine if they?re ready to start

Then, the Account Director:

• Assembles a team of qualified volunteers based on the scope of the project.

Stage 3: Project Kick-off & Discovery
The volunteer team meets with the nonprofit client to:

• Confirm the project plan
• Define desired outcomes
• Begin understanding the needs and stakeholders for the project

Then, works virtually to:

• Interview stakeholders
• Analyze existing materials and practices
• Compile findings into a brief

Stage 4: Development & Delivery
Working virtually, the volunteer team:

• Develops a draft direction
• Gets feedback from the client
• Makes 1-2 sets of revisions on each deliverable

Then:

• Presents the final deliverables to the nonprofit client for approval
• Trains the nonprofit client, if necessary
• Celebrates completion of the project

Stage 5: Evaluation
We evaluate all projects to measure impact and identify areas for improvement. This includes:

• Collecting post-project surveys from the volunteer team and nonprofit
• Following up with the nonprofit to collect quantitative measurements on the project?s long-term impact

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Laid-Off Folks Can Do Well …. Doing Good!!

Volunteer jobs are catching on among laid-off workers, giving them valuable career experience and aiding nonprofits.  Check this site:  http://alturl.com/wes

The article offers these pointers:

• Volunteering is the best way break into a nonprofit
• Volunteers can catch the eye of board members — who are often corporate executives or senior managers — looking for employees
• Volunteering has offered a sense of purpose and connection, while brightening the jobseeker’s outlook
• Volunteering means you are supporting causes you care about, plus you can bolster skills that will help you find a new position