North Atlanta Church of Christ Jobs Ministry

# 10 - Do not spend your days at home applying to jobs on the Internet.
If you want to find a new job you need to get out of the house and connect with people. Build relationships, volunteer your time, and meet others for coffee or lunch. Even a walk in the park can be an opportunity to make meaningful connections. Sending an email does not cut it when you are trying to set yourself apart and get hired.

#9 - Do not send sloppy email to anyone.
You never know who will forward your email to a prospective employer. Even if you are sending an email to your uncle, cousin, recruiter or neighbor check your spelling, your grammar and keep it positive. Everything you write from now on should ooze professionalism. I have seen people summarize their job experience to recruiters with typos and too much information about what they will not do and how much money they must make. All I can say is T.M.I. (too much information) will not help you! Keep your email positive and always consider how you will feel if they are forwarded along with a note about what a wonderful candidate you would be for a certain job or company.

#8 - Do not complain about your current situation and play the blame game.
Discussing what isn't working for you will not get you a job. Talk about what is working for you. The good things that are happening. This will make you so much more desirable as a potential employee. It will also get you more referrals and job leads. Nobody needs to or wants to hire someone who blames others for their job loss and current employment situation.

#7 - Do not keep your job loss and job search a secret.
So many people don't want to tell certain friends or neighbors that they lost their job because they will "look bad" or "they can't possibly help because they don't work in my field." My favorite is the person who won't tell any of the parents at their child's school or on their child's soccer team because then their child will find out that they don't have a job and/or the other kids will make fun of them. By keeping your job search a secret you are missing valuable networking opportunities and you are probably missing many job leads. Wouldn't you want to help a neighbor or fellow parent if they lost their job? Speak up and work all of your networks - even the parent network.

#6 - Don't spend your time telling people what you won't do, what won't work and what you must have in a new job.
When you set your line in the sand you are boxing yourself out of many opportunities and limiting yourself in many ways. It is not very pleasant to try to help someone who shoots down every job idea that you share with them because they have only one thing that they want to do for a certain amount of money in a specific location. Discuss what you will do, all of the things you love to do and everything that you are good at doing. Share all that you have to offer and keep it positive.

#5 - Don't network with the intention of getting help from a person without considering what you will give to them.
So many people neglected their networks when they were gainfully employed. They didn't return the calls of old colleagues because they didn't need anything from them. They didn't maintain relationships and they didn't go out of their way to help others in their field. Once they are in the job market they think that everyone will magically open their arms and help them. They call all of the people they didn't have time to speak with when they were working and they are surprised when they don't get tons of job leads. To network successfully it must be a give and take relationship. If you let your network slide when you were employed now is the time to reconnect by finding ways to help others. Share articles and information that is helpful. Demonstrate your value and your desire to give support, as well as receive it. Whatever you share can be forwarded to others - so don't forget tip # 9!

#4 - Don't spend your days focusing on the doom and gloom.
You can read the newspapers and highlight the articles about job losses and unemployment or you can cut out the articles about companies that are growing, adding new products and optimistic about the future. You can enjoy reading the articles about job seekers who found new opportunities or began their own businesses. Hang out with people who look at the bright side of things, the people who always have new ideas and are willing to support you in a positive way. Steer clear of the energy vampires who only get you to focus on the negative and cause you to get a pit in your stomach.

#3 - Don't let leads wait until the next day.
I can't tell you how many people get excited about a new job lead or contact and just stop there....they just tell me about it. They never make the connection. Why you may ask? They either didn't have time, tried once and never heard back, didn't think anything would come of it so they didn't want to waste their time. Letting leads wait until the next day means that someone else is jumping in front of you by striking while the iron is hot. Your job search is your job - so make the time and go the extra mile by following up on every lead.

#2 Don't let each day roll into the next day without marking your progress.
Take time at the end of each day to track your accomplishments and create your to do list for the next day. You need an action plan with action steps if you want to find a new job quickly. Write down everything you plan to do each day. Include calls you plan to make, letters you want to write, and people you are going to see. Cross things off your list as you accomplish them and add new things that will enhance your job search on a daily basis.

#1 - Don't keep telling yourself that you will never find a job in this job market.
People are getting hired every day. There may not be as many job openings as there once were, but companies do need to stay competitive and people do leave their jobs for many reasons so remember that there are job opportunities out there. It only takes one job offer to get you back to work. If you keep talking yourself out of the possibility that you will be the one who gets hired over the competition - then you will not get hired. Stay positive and keep trying. Remember as Wayne Gretsky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take" so keep on shooting!

Lisa Silvershein is a Certified Master Coach who has spent over 20 years helping people develop professionally and navigate their career transitions as they identify and leverage their strengths. She resides in Basking Ridge and is the owner of Ark Career Coaching. Lisa works with individuals during all phases of their career. She supports students, individuals looking to advance or change their career, and retirees attain satisfaction and attain their career goals. She has extensive experience in human resources and career counseling. Lisa Silvershein can be contacted at Lsilvershein@ arkcareercoachin g.com or 908-244-6485

Are you Actively looking for a job?

While working with my daughter on her resume and discussing her job search I began re-thinking some recruiting terminology. From a recruiters' perspective "Active" job seekers are ones who are actively looking to change employers and "Passive" job seekers are ones who might leave for just the right opportunity but are not actively looking for a different job. From a recruiter's perspective landing a "passive" candidate means you have really done your job well. You used your network to match the right person with the right position and it is highly likely that all parties concerned will believe you have excelled at your job.

In the current job market I hear from far too many "passive" active job seekers. These are people who are unemployed, sending out resumes online, maybe telling friends they need a job but just not truly conducting an active job search. Maybe the passive active job seekers have given up before starting because headlines found, online, in television newscasts and in other publications everyday read "You Can't Find A Job" or the twin headline "You Are Doomed, You Will Never Make It…Don't Bother".

Maybe the active job seeker is behaving passively because they just do not know where to turn or maybe it is a combination of both negative feedback and a lack of information. If you are looking for a job today you cannot afford to immerse yourself in negativity and you cannot afford to meander through CareerBuilder, ajcjobs.com, Computerjobs.com aimlessly searching for something…. A job search in today's economy must be strategic, focused and planned.

People are being hired every day. Every day in addition to the negative headlines we receive information that is helpful for a strategic job search. Do you know who is hiring and expanding in your area? Do you know who is downsizing or filing for bankruptcy protection? Are you able or willing to relocate? If so do you know how the cost of living in other cities compares to your current location? Are you working to actively stay informed about business conditions within your target industry or profession? If the industry in which you have experience is not performing well have you revised your resume to highlight skills that might easily transfer to another resume? Are you listening to debates over which industries and companies will most immediately benefit from bailout money and using those comments to better direct your job search?

There are multiple sources of information in all these areas and you should always check sources against each other. Here are some basic suggestions to get you started:

Who is hiring and expanding in your area? Read local papers, check the Atlanta Business Chronicle online (email bulletins are available), check with the local Department of Labor, check with the local Chamber of Commerce
Who is downsizing? Same resources as number 1 above for local information and websites such as Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and others on a national level.
What is the cost of living if I relocate? There are cost of living calculators available at several sites online. One such calculator is located at www.bankrate.com and you might check a couple of calculators to determine the degree of consistency. There are simple salary calculators available on job search sites such as CareerBuilder.
Are you working to stay informed about your target industry or profession? This involves reading or listening to news, business shows and websites discussing what industries are doing well, what stocks are doing well, what companies might have hidden dangers and generally becoming an expert on your industry or profession. Do you know what industries are projected to benefit most directly from bail out money and have you identified target employers in that area?
Have you revised your resume to fit current economic conditions? If your work experience is largely linked to real estate sales, financing, and/or development there is a good chance your job search for work in that area will be more challenging than most. Certainly this market will turn around at some point and if you have the skills and ability to ride out the rough patch you will see a brighter day eventually. If you need employment right away, begin evaluating your skills, ask for assistance evaluating those skills from former co-workers, customers, friends, family, and determine where those skills might transfer. Then, re-target your job search to fit your transferable skills.

To quote my daughter, "Mom, that sounds like a lot of work!" and she is correct, it is a lot of work. It can also pay off very quickly and in very unexpected ways. Frequently at work people joke about managers executing business strategies by the tried and not so true method of "Ready, Fire, Aim!" While we shake our heads at the misguided efforts of others we need to be certain we do not suffer from the same phenomenon in our job search.

Regardless of economic conditions every job search you conduct should be conducted from the "Ready, Aim, Fire!" position. You simply cannot ever have too much information when looking for a job. I worked for a home builder when the mortgage crisis and resulting real estate slow down began. I was astonished at the people who, even as the crisis deepened, would leave employment in more secure industries and come to work in an industry that was clearly in trouble. If those people had been conducting an informed job search they would never have picked homebuilding as an industry in which to work at that point in time.

Please conduct a truly active job search and encourage others to do the same.

Two Accounting Positions

Senior Accountant – Gwinnett
Posted by: "Joseph G. Shea" josephshea@comcast.net shea101897
Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:56 pm (PDT)
Please contact Steve directly and mention my nameGood LuckLarge, stable company is looking for a Senior Accountant responsible for monthly closing, compliance with accounting policies and standards. This position will also act as the liaison with departmental finance staff on accounting and general ledger issues. Steve MusilTargeted Search, Inc.678.722.2209 (direct) 770.394.8928 (fax)smusil@targetedsear ch.net www.targetedsearch. comAdd me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin .com/in/stevemus il
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2.Sr. Tax Accountant – South Cobb
Posted by: "Joseph G. Shea" josephshea@comcast.net shea101897
Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:58 pm (PDT)
Please contact Steve directly and mention my nameGood LuckIn this role, you will complete income tax accounting and tax return preparation functions, assist with Federal and State income tax matters for all businesses, calculate current income tax expenses for FAS 109 computations, prepare Federal and State income tax returns, prepare estimated payment calculations, train and mentor income tax Associates, and conduct technical research. HOT JOB!Steve MusilTargeted Search, Inc.678.722.2209 (direct) 770.394.8928 (fax)smusil@targetedsear ch.net www.targetedsearch. comAdd me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin .com/in/stevemus il

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Data Entry - Immediate opening - $13/hr

There is a temp-to-hire opening in Midtown for a Data Entry Assistant. The position pays $13 on the temp side & around $30k when hired perm by the client.
THIS POSITION REQUIRES PERFECT CREDIT!!
Qualified candidates should have 3+ years of data entry experience (in a position where at least 80% of the time was spent doing data entry). Candidates must have intermediate skills in Word & Outlook & basic skills in Access & Excel, with 10,000ksph. Exceptional accuracy, attention to detail, grammar & proofreading skills, organizational & time management skills are also required, as well as, the ability to work well in a team environment.
If you know of anyone who might be interested, please ask them to send their resume to me ASAP. Thanks, Kim Hunt Kinetix
Send resumes to: khunt@kinetixhr.com