Happy Labor Day, dear JobMonkey readers! How are you enjoying your day off? I will be taking in a ball game later, and then joining my family for a barbeque for dinner — yum! Of course, if you are currently out of work and looking for a job, I suppose a “day off” is no great shakes. Well, allow me to cheer you up with some awesome freebies for job seekers. First, I’m thrilled to be able to share with you Totally Free Tuesday, an incredible resource for those of you who are or dream of becoming a work-at-home mom. Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8, 2009 is the first ever...

If you are in the market for a new job, free web apps are a great way to increase your efficiency while saving you money. With a growing number of free web applications, you can streamline your job search with applications downloaded right to your computer or handheld device. Here are three applications you should know about: 1. Worksolver Worksolver is a great solution for keeping your networking contact straights. Its associative linking interface is combined with powerful tracking and management tools to help you to get your job search networking contacts working for you! 2. Payscale Not su...

I love to field questions from our readers. We have had a lot of readers write in recently from abroad, wanting to know about working in the United States. Are you wondering about how to work as a foreign national? You might find some helpful hints in this Mailbag from a German reader wanting to work at Disney World.  And here’s one from an Austrian high school student who wants to work at a U.S. ski resort. Do you have a question for the JobMonkey blog? Email me your questions or leave us a comment below. And hey, remember this Mailbag from a reader in Vermont, wanting to know how t...

On Thursdays, I answer readers’ questions about their job search. I love hearing what is on your mind, so don’t be shy — send me an email or leave your question in the comments section. Dear JobMonkey, I’ve seen you talk a lot of networking online to help find a job, but I really don’t know how that’s supposed to work. I signed up for accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter, like you suggested, but now what? Thanks, James in Vermont Dear James in Vermont, Thanks for your letter! You know, using online networking to find a job is a lot like job networking in person...

On Thursdays, I answer our readers questions about their job search. I love hearing what is on your mind, so don’t be shy — send me an email or leave your question in the comments section. Dear JobMonkey, I’m a 17-year old high school student from Austria. I want to come to the United States next winter after I graduate to work at a ski resort. I have a lot of experience skiing here in the Alps and think I could do a good job. What can you tell me? Sincerely yours, H from Austria Dear H, Thank you for your letter. Your timing is perfect. While we are still in the middle of t...

I came across an excellent post today by Denise Gabbard of the Cleveland Unemployment Examiner. She offers the most comprehensive link love I have ever seen on the subject of coping with unemployment. If you, or anyone you know, is currently looking for a job, you MUST check out Gabbard’s 100 tips, tools, and resources-to help you survive without a job. Reading her post got me wondering how many JobMonkey readers are currently looking for a job. So I put together this little poll to find out how the recession is affecting you personally. Please take a few seconds to answer it — and...

In an interview with Bloomberg News’ Al Hunt yesterday, President Obama confirmed what most economists are predicting — that the rate of unemployment will reach 10% by the end of this year. Although the rate of job loss has slowed over the past three months, employers have not started hiring new workers to keep pace with previous lay-offs. “We’ve got to produce 150,000 jobs every month just to keep pace,” the President told Al Hunt. In other words, the future is starting to look a little more secure for those of you who currently have a job. But for those of yo...

If you are looking for a new job or just want to stay on top of the rapidly changing job market, here is a list of the best 10 people to follow on Twitter*. (What? You’re not on Twitter yet? Head on over there to get yourself an account and start tweeting! It’s fun, but even more important, it’s a great way to network.) *in no particular order 1. Lindsey Pollak (@lindseypollak) – You know I love Lindsey, because I’m always linking to her posts. She is the author of the book Getting from College to Career and a regular contributor to ABC News on Campus 4. She...

If you are about to graduate from college, you are probably feeling a bit nervous about finding a job in the current climate. The Boston Globe recently answered a question from one such student — a January ‘10 grad with concerns about making himself attractive to would-be employers. Some of the Globe’s suggestions included: Taking full advantage of your campus career services office Networking with professors and other on-campus professionals in your field Setting a quantitative goal for your job search — for example, five face-to-face networking meetings before ...

Each Thursday, I answer a question from one of our readers about finding a job. I love hearing from you, so please don’t be shy — send me your questions via email or leave a comment in the section below.  You can check out past Reader Mailbags, where I’ve covered everything from job search tips for college grads to how to land a job in real estate. Dear JobMonkey, I am a stay-at-home mom who has decided to open my own business. I am a novice seamstress and make all my little girls’ dresses. Some friends and former coworkers started asking me to make outfits for the...