Now that the holiday festivities are winding down and we're entering a new year, it's a good time to examine how your job search (or career) is going. Take the time to look at your lifestyle in general -- the way you take care of yourself can have an effect on your job search. If getting a job is high on your list of priorities, here are some resolutions to adopt:

1. Make your job search your full-time job.
2. Get people to critique your resumé before you respond to a job posting. Give them a copy of the job you're hoping to get so they can see how well your resumé is suited.
3. Tailor every resumé and cover letter.
4. Get a good night's rest.
5. Look into an online learning course. Some courses are free.
6. Do some good -- volunteer.
7. Keep fit -- go for a walk every day.
8. Keep track (PDF) of your job search activities.
9. Attend free workshops to gain knowledge about career issues and job search. You'll get the added benefit of support and encouragement.
10. And, finally, smile.

Whatever your resolutions are, we want to wish you health and happiness in 2010.

Susan Stone for the poss team

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Many offices these days have started to slow down. Projects are put on hold until January, managers are on vacation -- and your office-holiday-turkey-lunch-induced lethargy can be quite the overpowering force when it comes to getting things done. But even if you aren't in an office -- say you're at home looking for work -- now you've got last-minute holiday shopping, gift-wrapping and visiting with in-town-for-the-holidays friends and family to distract you.

But leaving tons of work for January isn’t always such a great idea. Instead of resolving to be more productive later (resolutions -- aren't they really just veiled forms of procrastination?), why not spend this quiet, less stressful time of year exploring (and implementing) tools that could actually help you get your work done more efficiently?

A post from the blog Lifehack, lists what this blogger calls "Eccentric Tips for Becoming Productive." Some of these tips are quite good (albeit, not all that eccentric). Here are a few worth trying:

• Use a pen and paper (shocking, I know) when making a to-do list. As the blog points out, online to-do lists won't always be exactly where you think you've left them. The page they're on could get inadvertently closed, and your momentum could be sidetracked, simply because your list, your map, your guide to efficiency, is no longer before you.
• Take baby steps. By making your task list short (three to four items), you'll be more likely to get through it. Pretty simple, but a good rule to follow.
• Time yourself -- do so either with a good 'ole standard alarm, or you can get all high-tech on us, and try out this online quick timer. (Tip: When your alarm goes off, no matter what, switch to your next task.)
• Avoid swivel chairs. I'll accept that this may be the most (only?) eccentric recommendation from the post. According to the article, having the ability to swivel can distract you and keep you off task. I'm not so sure about this one, but hey, give it a try and let us know!

SKY

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When I was in high school and working part-time at a grocery store, I got a frozen turkey as a Christmas bonus. A few years later I recall getting a $25 cheque when I worked in retail. I can't say that too many Christmas bonuses have passed my way since then.

At my current workplace we have a Christmas party instead of a bonus. At this event about a dozen names are pulled out of a hat and the winners are given prizes: chocolates, hand towels, wine and the thing we all covet -- a half-day paid vacation. For two years in a row I have watched the same co-worker win a half-day vacation. For two years in a row I have not won a bean. Not even one.

But I'm over it now.

Yes, some employees get gift cards, cash, IPODs, an extra week's wages. One kindly stable owner even bought a race horse for her staff, who has produced over $90,000 of winnings for said employees.

I have nothing against these "gifted" people. I hold no resentments, unlike, perhaps, the man who received a ham and a can of peanuts despite his company making a huge profit.

And then there are the "winners" from the The Corporate Scrooge Contest that Slate ran three years ago, some of who received:

• A food basket filled with little paper cartons of dehydrated apple soup
• A "slightly damaged ornament"
• A bag of potatoes

Makes the frozen turkey look pretty good.

For More Information:

• Christmasbonus.info
• Timeline: Christmas Bonus

kathyo

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If you're in the market for a job, you probably know to be careful about what you post on Facebook. But did you know that even if you're not looking for work, posting photos on social media sites can affect your livelihood?

Take the case of Nathalie Blanchard who suffers from major depression. Her sick-leave benefits were terminated by her insurance company, Manulife, after Blanchard made the unfortunate mistake of posting photos that showed her at a Chippendales bar show and on a sunny beach holiday. According to Manulife, these Facebook photos are evidence that Blanchard is no longer depressed.

The story certainly touched the nerves of a lot of Canadians. I waded through 22 of 139 pages (!) of comments on the CBC's story and recorded a few of the reactions:

a) Sympathy for Blanchard
Armedwithjello: Part of the rehabilitation process is self care and accepting help from friends and relearning how to find happiness in life.

b) Less-Than-Sympathy
TripolE: Regardless of whether or not she is depressed, anyone who has such a social networking page is opening themselves up a nice can of worms .... She is definitely guilty of poor judgement. (If you sift through the 692 comments you'll find others who were a whole lot less sympathetic to Blanchard's plight.)

c) Outrage at Manulife
Biopsychosocial: What if she was having an actual MOMENT of Happiness? Is that allowed while on disability? ... This is truly a PATHETIC attempt by insurance company to use ANY excuse they can to revoke someone's benefits.

d) Anger With a Twist of Sarcasm
MikeNike: If you have a bad back, all it takes is one picture of you carrying out your garbage and [you're] cut off. Apparently [you're] supposed to let the garbage pile up into a mini garbage dump or lose your benefits.

e) Advice Giving
Gary Cameron: [A]nyone who is denied benefits ... [should] find a lawyer immediate[ly] who will work on contingency. You are better off giving a lawyer a percentage of your claim then getting nothing.

f) Cynicism
My thoughts: Having had my own disability experience, I'm more than a little jaded about insurance companies. The kindest thing that my lawyer would say about these companies (yes, I followed Gary Cameron's advice) was that "they're dogs." The rest of her comments are not suitable for print.

For More Information:

• Mood Disorders Association of Ontario: Long-Term Disability Insurance Claims FAQ
• The Valleywag Guide to Restoring Your Privacy on Facebook

kathyo

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"Tired of the beer wall gathering dust in the corner of your kitchen?" the ad asks. "Had enough of the beer cans, wine bottles and empty 40-ouncers?" ...

"Then you need the Bottle Boy."

A colleague of mine found a black and white ad printed on standard 8.5 x 11 computer paper in her mailbox. The business plan is pretty straightforward.

Bottle Boy will pick up and take your empties back to the beer store. He'll pay you five cents per bottle. Sure, if you take the bottles in yourself, you'll get 10 cents each, but if you leave them in your recycle bin, like most of us tend to do ... well, you'll get no cents.

For very few marketing dollars (read: the cost of printing on an inkjet printer), Bottle Boy has created work for himself based on a really simple idea. People are lazy, the "deposit" tax on alcohol has increased, and with little-to-no start-up costs, he splits your profits with you. Genius.

There are lots of things you can do to make money while you're looking for work, or even on the side, if you aren't. Good at wrapping gifts? 'Tis the season -- you can publish your services for free on Facebook by creating a group and asking your friends to join.

Consider your talents and assets. Do you have a car? What could you do with it for those who don’t have one? Do you knit? Start a store on Etsy and see if you can sell your creations. Dog walking, cat sitting, plant watering – the possibilities are endless. But pick something you think you'll enjoy -- and have fun with it.

And just as Bottle Boy was careful to do, make your messaging clear and include all relevant details, such as:

"Bottle Boy does not provide alcohol delivery, sorry."

SKY

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Sure, we're in a recession. It's tough times. But if you have to get out there and pay those bills, there is work to be had -- especially when you open your eyes and get creative.

I once read that the best way to land a career is to read and follow trends. So when certain industries or companies seem to be getting media and/or government attention (e.g., health care), target your search in those directions for a logical job search strategy. But this doesn't just hold true for long-term career options. Looking at trends -- and at your surroundings -- is a good way to earn some quick cash too.

Well, it's wintertime here in the big smoke, and there are some annual trends that have blown in at 60 kilometres an hour to prove it.

Here are some seasonal jobs where help is needed:

Get Paid to Dress Like the Big Guy
As the ad says, a cell phone store in the Bloor West Village wants you to hold a sign that directs traffic its way. No one will even know it's you, since the job requires a costume.

A Stitch in Time
Can you operate a sewing machine? If so, crafty types are needed at Lululemon -- they're hiring seasonal hemmers. How fun.

Attention Shoppers
Holiday shopping, even in a recession, requires stores to open earlier and stay open later to keep up with demand. Here's a job at Victoria's Secret -- who knows, you might get an employee discount.

Let it Snow
Watching your holiday waistline? Shovelling snow is a great way to avoid extra holiday pounds while earning some quick cash. Apparently heavy shovelling burns between 15-20 calories per minute!

3 ... 2 ... 1! Happy New Year!
Oh come on, admit it! New Year's Eve is an annual disappointment: so much hype for the same old party. Instead, you could make some cash by handing out champagne and taking photos.

Get Outta Town
Make it a working holiday at Blue Mountain Ski Resort, where current seasonal postings include snow school instructors, food servers, bartenders, cashiers and more.

SKY

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2005 was my annus horribilus. That was the year that I had to use plastic cutlery to eat as the weight of a metal fork caused a nervy aching down my arms and hands and up into my neck. The pain affected everything I did. Buying groceries was a torment, so was cooking. Writing as a living was obviously out of the question -- I could barely jot down a grocery list on my better days. In addition to being pummeled by the pain, I was denied long-term disability although I clearly could not work.

When I thought about the future back then, two things popped into my head: a) this pain is never going to stop, and b) I am going to end up on welfare. In the end, my financial circumstances improved drastically as did my ability to manage my pain.

One lesson I learned through these hard times: do not, under any circumstance, slide into the muck of negative thinking. Had I thought too long about my future, I believe it would have paralyzed me, preventing me from taking the actions that put me on the way to recovery. Feeling empowered is vital when you’re in a tough spot, such as being on disability or being laid off during a recession.

If you're in the latter category, check out Kevin Donlin’s blog post, How's Your Job Search Going?, which encourages job seekers to take action rather than beat themselves up for being out of work. Donlin instructs luckless job seekers to examine everything they have been doing in their job search, being careful to frame the questions in a positive and constructive way.

He says to avoid questions like, "Why can't I find a job?" Instead, inquire about how you might improve your current job search. For example, ask yourself, "How can I generate just one networking lead today?" As Donlin points out, "how" questions can lead to action steps such as making a call to someone in your network.

Awareness is a good thing. Action is even better.

kathyo

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Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, both or neither, chances are you'll be heading to at least one holiday party over the next month. Some people thrive in these scenarios: the old and new friends, the new and old colleagues and the libation of (hopefully free, but more likely recession-based-paid-out-of-pocket) domestic beers.

But booze, fatty foods and all, these shindigs aren't for everyone. Some people find these parties rather intimidating, and for those out of work, they can be especially nerve-wracking. When I was unemployed, I really dreaded holiday get-togethers, particularly because "catching up" meant talking about "what I was up to." Well, what I was "up to," was applying to jobs with no end in sight, feeling sorry for myself, and wondering why I spent over six years and thousands of borrowed dollars on my bridge-to-nowhere education. Talk about a holiday conversation-killer.

So how should the job seeker tackle these awkward run-ins that seem to highlight anxiety and stress, instead of merriment and cheer?

Take matters into your own hands. Work the party and make the party work for you.
Below are some tips on how to network at (and even enjoy!) your upcoming holiday do.

• If you have business cards, bring them. If you don't, make some. You'd be surprised at how cheap and easy it can be to make your own professional looking business cards.
• Be prepared. Casually ask the host (or your date) about who is expected at the party, then do a people search and research those individuals' companies. Come prepared with insightful questions.
• Dress the part. Yes, this is a holiday and dress codes don't apply, but keep your attire office-appropriate so that you aren’t subsequently remembered as "the guy in the hooters T-shirt."
• Talk to three people you don't know. If you aren't feeling very brazen (do not rectify this scenario with liquid courage, you don't want to be remembered as "tipsy Tanya" either), jot down the person’s full name and add them to your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn networks. Do so soon after you meet, so you can mention that you are "Joe Shmoe from the holiday party yesterday." Just like that, you have another contact.
• Try and have a good time. Even if you are bummed out about your job situation, remember that lots of people are in a similar pickle. That doesn't mean that you don't get to have fun -- so be good to yourself and focus on the positive, even if just for one night.

SKY

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Your shirt is crisply pressed and neatly tucked, your hair is perfectly combed and your resumé is hot off the presses. You are ready to wow every recruiter at the job fair. They won't know what hit 'em! Your new career awaits! Anything is possible.

You arrive.

The room is confusingly cluttered with huge signs and tiny souvenirs. Everyone else is dressed up, too. They're all carrying resumés, some of which look better than yours.

Oh, and no one is hiring.

Being at a job fair often goes two ways: some people leave feeling overwhelmed, helpless, unsure. Others come out feeling renewed, re-energized, inspired. The question is: How can you make sure your experience doesn't leave you deflated?

Handing out business cards and resumés at job fairs is not dissimilar to sending out tons of standard resumés and cover letters to potential employers. It's the easy route. It's the road often taken. And usually, it simply won't be enough to get you there.

So instead of treating a job fair like a marketplace, make it about connections. While working a booth at a recent job fair (at which we admittedly were not hiring either), I noticed that no one asked for my name. While some on the hunt were more assertive than others (they gave their own names, for example), very few seemed to be utilizing this opportunity to network in a meaningful way.

The key to a job fair, it seems, can be found in ignoring the old adage "It's better to give than to receive." Rather than just handing out your resumé or business card (though you still should) the key to a successful job fair experience lies in what you receive. Introduce yourself with your full name, ask pointed questions and most importantly, make sure you walk away with a card or at least a contact name and email address.

Over the next few days, make contact. Ask for an informational interview. Use your networking skills. Sow your employment seeds.

Then pat yourself on the back, because by taking advantage of this opportunity to increase the capacity of your network, you are much more likely to fare better.

SKY

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