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 Totally Free Tuesday, with free how-to-get-started webinars from some of the leading WAHMs, plus free gifts by e-mail and special giveaways! Check out the lineup of morning, afternoon and evening presenters from WAHM Talk Radio. Then sign up for the free event by subscribing to the mailing list at the top of the website.

A few other freebies to check out this fine Labor Day Monday:

• Free webinar on “How To Identify The Best Companies To Work For – Even If They’re Not Hiring!“, sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com. (Check out a comprehensive list of College Recruiter’s job-related webinars here.)

• Free weekly career podcasts from career planning experts on topics such as  Is a career coach right for you?,  Creative Ways To Get the Interview, and Guerrilla Job Search Tactics. Don’t miss these and more by Subscribing in iTunes.

• Free ebooks on landing your next job, including Insider’s Guide to Networking with expert advice from the Career Hub professionals on how to network successfully, what NOT to do when networking, and the best ways to use the Internet to secure your next job. The Networking Guide is the 4th book in a series of free ebooks, so check them all out here.

• Don’t forget about the JobMonkey’s comprehensive section on Job Hunting Tools. And for a weekly dose of inside job seeking information, sign up for our newsletter, which features a column from a leading career expert.

Do you have any super job seeking freebies to share with our readers? Leave me a comment to spread the word!

Happy Labor Day!

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 sure how the job offer you just received stacks up? It’s time to do some research. Not sure where to turn? Try Payscale. It gives you salary-reports based on job title, education, experience, and even location.

3. Jibber Jobber

Any job seeker can benefit from Jibber Jobber — especially if organization is not your middle name!  Jibber Jobber will help you to organize your job search, track networking connections, target companies and leads, and follow up on job applications.

Have you found a great web app to help with your job search? Please tell me about it in the comments section!

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 to use social media to network for a new job? I posted a quick tutorial on using LinkedIn to find a job. Well guess what? James followed up with me last week, to let me know that he found a new job in IT … through a contact he met on LinkedIn!

What’s your success story? Leave us a comment so we can celebrate with you!

Dear JobMonkey,

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.

You have taken the first step, which is to set up accounts for yourself on some of the better known social networking platforms. Now it sounds like you are wondering how these tools are going to help you find a job.

Let’s start with LinkedIn. Have you built your profile on LinkedIn? Unlike Twitter, which “forces” you to represent yourself and your thoughts in 140 characters or less, LinkedIn gives you a lot more latitude.

Plus, did you know that there are over 11 million users on LinkedIn and 75% of job recruiters say they now use LinkedIn to research prospective employees? Given that, I’d recommend that you start your social networking efforts on LinkedIn, and then branch out to other platforms when you are ready.

Step 1: Set up your profile.

• Upload a picture, and make it a professional-looking headshot. No shots of you at the beach, with a beer can in hand, ok?!

• Include recommendations from other LinkedIn users – it makes you appear more trustworthy.

• Link to your blog or website, but only if the content speaks to your professional goals. Future employers don’t need to read about your trip to Cancun or your child’s first steps.

Step 2: Start networking.

• Start with the people you know, just like when you network in person. Upload your email list, then search for college alumni (and professors), former colleagues, members of your religious community, fellow volunteers, etc. Contact each of them personally, with an individualized note to let them know that you are job searching. Ask them if they can be of assistance and follow up on every lead.

• Join discussion groups. Use the search tool to find relevant groups. Join the conversation by starting discussion threads, responding to questions and offering resources such as relevant article links. Just enter the waters cautiously because you definitely don’t want to come off as a job searching spammer. Your goal is to contribute in a meaningful way to the group and then, once you are known, respected and trusted, members will be willing to help you out in return.

• Use the Job Search function to look for possible job opportunities. Sort the results by “degrees away from you” so you can work backwards from the job lister to someone in your network.

I hope that helps. Once you master LinkedIn, I am confident you will find it to be a huge benefit to your job search. Good luck!

Sincerely yours,
H from Austria

Dear H,

Thank you for your letter. Your timing is perfect. While we are still in the middle of the summer here in the United States, ski resorts are already starting to hire staff for the upcoming ski season.

You mentioned being an experienced skier, which is a plus. Let me run down some of the most popular types of jobs that you can find in a ski resort community.

Support & Operations jobs include ticket sales, housekeeping, life operation and restaurant staff. Jobs pay typically low salaries, but the benefits are plentiful — including a season pass to ski on-site and free housing.

Ski Shops offer a variety of retail positions selling all sorts of ski and snowboarding gear. Pay is minimum wage, but without the benefits of a resort job. I, therefore, don’t recommend a ski shop job as your full-time line of work; if you need to supplement your income, however, this could be a great part-time gig.

Ski Instructor jobs are the most prestigious and typically the best paid of the resort jobs. Resorts prefer to hire high school graduates with skiing expertise, and fluent English. While not required, most resorts also prefer instructors with certification.

Ski Patrol positions are great if you love to ski, but don’t want to teach others. Patrollers are the first line of help in the event of an emergency on the slopes — which can include anything from an injury or medical situation to a skier getting lost or snowed in. Most resorts require that their patrollers have first aid certification, while some will allow you to get certified during your training.

For more information on these, and other ski jobs, be sure to check out the JobMonkey’s Guide to Ski Resort Jobs.

Also keep in mind that as a non-American, you will need a work permit to be legally employed at a ski resort (or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter). Here are a few more resources that might help you figure out the paperwork:

>> Information on foreign worker visas from JobMonkey

>> An article from CNN Money about foreign worker visa applications

>> Explanation on how to petition for the HB-1 Visa from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website

Finally, be sure to check with your future employer about obtaining a visa, as the resort may be able to facilitate or at least expedite the process for you.

Good luck with your ski job search. I hope you find just the right 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 feel free to leave me a comment about your personal situation below.

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 you still job searching, the job market is unfortunately still rather cold and will probably remain that way through the end of the year.

If you need some tips for finding a job during the recession, check out this post from last December with six tips for job hunting during tough times. A quick rundown of the tips:

1. Research recession-proof industries
Teaching, nursing, defense industry jobs – these are some of the most “recession-proof” sectors.  To learn more, check out this list of the top recession-proof careers.

2. Focus on Achievements
Rethink your resume in terms of measurable achievements. For more tips on how to do this, visit JobMonkey’s section on resume writing tips.

3. Volunteer

There are many benefits being a volunteering, from gaining real experience to getting your foot in the door with a future employer. For more on volunteering your way into your next job, check out these past blog posts:

• Volunteering More Popular Than Ever

• Tuesday Tips: Make Volunteering Work to Your Advantage

4. Network, network, network.
Open up your Contacts and start making calls. Then ask those people to make some calls too.  Here’s more on how to network:

• 5 Ways to Be a Better Networker

• How to Network Online

• What’s Networking and How to Do It

5. Freelance
Not all fields support freelancing, but if yours does, this is a great way to stay afloat financially during a job search, while strengthening your skills, enhancing your experience, and making great connections.

6.  Stay optimistic
If you are feeling downtrodden, it will show in your interactions with network connections and potential future employers. No, the economy isn’t booming yet, but your job search can be.

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’s got lots of great insights for recent grads who are job searching.

2. Alison Doyle (@alisondoyle) – About.com’s guide to Job Searching, Alison tweets great job search tips, including how to use social media, improve your resume and cover letter, and ace a job interview.

3. Heather Huhman (@heatherhuhman) – One of the best voices helping Gen Yers find internships and entry-level jobs.

4. Susan Joyce (@jobhuntorg) – Since 1996, Susan has been the owner of an award-winning employment portal, Job-Hunt.org. Great resource on everything employment-related.

5. Debra Wheatman (@DebraWheatman) – Debra is a career strategist, resume writer and featured blogger at vault.com. You’ll love her tweets on job searching, goal setting, resume writing and more.

6. eExecutives (@eExecutives) – eExecutives is a professional technology recruiter and job hunting coach, with great tweets about networking for your next job online.

7. Miriam Salpeter (@Keppie_Careers) – Miriam is a resume writer and career coach who tweets about everything and anything related to job searching. I especially love her thoughts on interviewing!

8. Jason Alba (@jasonalba) – Jason founded JibberJobber, a great job searching website, and wrote two of the books listed in our online bookstore: I’m on Linked In-Now What??? And I’m on Facebook-Now What??

9. My First Paycheck (@myfirstpaycheck) – Check out their website and then follow them on Twitter for advice and resources about finding your first job. Great for teenagers or the parents of teens!

10. JobMonkey (@jobmonkeynews) – Yes, that’s the JobMonkey, but hey, I’m entitled because it’s my list! We just joined the Twitter revolution, and now we want you to join us! Follow our tweets about new job opportunities, new content section launches, and more.

Are you on Twitter? Follow us so we can follow you!

• 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 the end of fall semester

• Joining a professional association in your field

In addition, I’d also add that if you have just a semester of school left, now is the perfect time to look for a college internship. And you can build up your resume (and your networking connections) by volunteering  over the summer and throughout your job search.

Hungry for more job tips on finding a job post-graduation? Check out this jobs for graduates blog post from last month, where a New York native contemplated moving to Boston and launching her job search there.

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 their kids as well. This got me inspired and now I’m starting to sell dresses online. I’ve created a few patterns for different dress styles, which can be customized. I have started a small store on etsy and am finding that my profit margins are pretty good, since I’m quick on the machine. So far, my customers have all found me through word of mouth, but I’m thinking that I could really expand this with the right marketing techniques. I have no experience or education in marketing, however, so I’m wondering what the best way is for me to handle this.

Thanks,
Suzette in Nevada

Thanks for your email, Suzette! Well, the very first thing you should be doing is signing every single email with your website (or your etsy link). I’d love to be able to check out your creations, but I can’t since you didn’t tell me where to find them.

That said, I think you’ve got a great little business model going and it’s a super way to be able to work at home. It sounds like you already have all the equipment you need, so you won’t have to invest a lot of money in growing your company. If you do find that you need to hire other seamstresses or buy new machines to keep up with orders, be very careful about how and what kind of debt to use. You don’t want your money-making home-based business to turn into a complete drain of your family’s resources!

As far as marketing goes, the good news is that you’ve already realized the power of the Internet. It’s the easiest, cheapest and most effective to market your small business today. In fact, in the last year or two alone, there have been an avalanche of new social networking sites that will let you do this for free! Here are eight relatively easy and not-too time consuming ideas to help market your store online.

1. Start a blog.

You can buy a domain name and set up a website for less than $100 a year, but you can also use Wordpress or Blogger to run your blog for free if money is especially tight. Post pictures of new creations and perhaps some cute updates about your kids and other smiling customers. Try to post at least two or three times a week, even if they are just short entries — that will help Google and other search engines pick up your site. You can also offer free give-aways every so often on your blog, which is a great way to increase interest in your product!

2. Guest post on other blogs.

Find other blogs relevant to your skills — perhaps other crafting blogs or even parenting blogs — and offer to write a free guest post about your niche area. That way you get to piggyback on that blogger’s existing readers. Remember, your post must include a short little bio with a link to your website/blog/etsystore. Potential customers need to know how to get in touch with you!

3. Set up accounts on Twitter and Facebook.

Bear in mind that Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites can be a real time drain, so you will want to set limits on how much time you spend there every day. But even as little as 30 minutes a day can create great networking opportunities. And since you said word of mouth has been your #1 marketer to date, Twitter and Facebook are great ways to capitalize on that momentum. Just don’t forget to “tweet” about your newest lines!

4. Join an online forum or two that are relevant to your business.

If you join a mommy forum, be sure to keep your comments on target to the discussions at hand. A few targeted mentions of your etsy store are cool. Non-stop spamming is not. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this list of Work at Home Mom websites.

5. Write an ebook.

An ebook can be a great way to cross-promote your business. Let’s say you write a 15-page ebook about sewing party dresses, for example. Not only will you earn profits from the ebook — which you can advertise for free on your blog, Twitter account and Facebook page — but you can also link sales of the book to discounts for your custom creations.

6. Swap ads with other small business owners on their website.

You probably can’t afford a large-scale advertising campaign, but you might be able to swap ads with others that you have met through your online travels. And if web design isn’t your forte, maybe you can offer to make a dress for a good friend who just happens to be a graphic designer.

7. Offer satisfied customers an incentive to send new customers your way.

This isn’t an Internet suggestion, per se, but it is a great way to virally spread news of your services and products. If you get a new customer thanks to the referral of an old one, send that customer a thank you email immediately, with a 20% off coupon for their next purchase.

8. Create a database of customers and stay in touch with them.

Invite them to follow you on twitter and befriend you on Facebook. Encourage them to check out our blog. Send them emails at the holidays, especially if you include discount codes for holiday dresses, for example. When you get their contact information, ask for their kids’ birthdays — and send out another coupon code a month before their daughter’s birthday.

Marketing your new small business online doesn’t have to be rocket science. The key is to think about how you would relate to customers face-to-face and then find ways to bring that approach to the Internet. Hopefully this list of ideas will get you on your way! Good luck, Suzette! And please, send us that link to your site!