It’s been a while since I’ve spread the blogosphere career love! I came across a couple super posts this week that I wanted to share.

If you’ve read something recently that really motivated you in your job search, please feel free to share a link in the comments section.

:: 44 Place to Find a Freelance Writing Job @ Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs

I swear I was going to link to this awesome resource post before I noticed #32. Thanks for the shout out, Deb! Seriously, though, folks — if you are wanting to break into the world of freelance writing, this list is your Bible.

:: You Have More Experience Than You Think (a 3-part series) @ LindseyPollak.com

We’ve talked before here about how valuable “transferable job skills” are when you are looking to change careers — or break into your first job. You may not have a ton of obviously relevant experience, but you undoubtedly have a lot of applicable experiences that could help you be the right candidate for the job. For more inspiration along this vain, check out Lindsey’s thee-part series, where she offers up a “laundry list of valuable experiences and skills that may not automatically come to mind when conducting your job search.”

:: Top Blogs for College Grads @ Ramen Noodles, Rent & Resumes

If your blog reader isn’t already stuffed to the gills, here are some good ones to add. While these blogs may aim their advice at recent college grads, anyone looking for new directions could benefit from them.

TGIF, job seekers. Hopefully you’re heading out for a relaxing weekend, but I have a few quick things I wanted to share this Friday afternoon.

I’ve read a number of great articles and blog posts this week about the job search world, which I thought some of you might appreciate.

:: The Unexpected Benefits of Networking Events from the Wall Street Journal’s laid off worker blogs. This labyrinth of blog posts from a host of high-powered unemployed people is really an outstanding resource. I got lost in this blog for a good couple of hours. This post about those (dreaded) networking events really stood out for me as a salient discussion of the benefits of making connections — especially during a lean job search.

:: Free Job Search eBooks @ Alison Doyle’s About.com Guide to Job Searching. Let’s face it, if you are looking for a job, the last thing you can afford to do is spend a ton of money on resources to help you find a job. Bucking the “you gotta spend money to make money” axiom, Alison Doyle put together this awesome list of free eBooks that will help you be a better job searcher. I’ve downloaded most of them and am making my way through them, but so far, I am especially intrigued by this one: Job Search Networking for Introverts .

:: How the Web Has Changed Job Searching from Business Week. Great, great article from Business Week about the role of social networking sites in today’s job hunt. A real must-read for anyone looking for a job (or even if you’re not!)

:: Job Hunting? Watch What You Tweet @ Biz Journals. You’ve heard me say it before, but it bears repeating: If you are looking for a job, take a close look at your social networking sites. What message are you putting out there? Oh, and hey, speaking of Twitter, did you know that JobMonkey is tweeting now? Come follow us!

Just a quick post on the 4th of July eve. I couldn’t believe how many banks, stores, doctor offices, etc. are already closed for the holiday weekend. Personally, I’d rather have Monday off than Friday, but I guess I shouldn’t complain about a long weekend!

In honor of Independence Day, I wanted to offer you this little gift: A link to a detailed job description and Q& A about being a pyro. And no, I don’t mean someone who likes to play with fire! A pyro is short for pyrotechnician, which is someone who creates fireworks or pyrotechnic special effects (SPFX). While being a pyro is rarely a full-time job, I think it deserves a place of honor here at the JobMonkey — after all, we bring you the coolest jobs on Earth. And I gotta think that running the fireworks show over the National Monument in Washington, D.C. or Magic Kingdom at Disney World ranks right up there among cool jobs!

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and get to enjoy some spectacular pyrotechnics.

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 feel free to leave me a comment about your personal situation below.

I haven’t shared any job searching link love with you in a while, but there are a few things I’ve found this week that are really “must reads”. We’re in for a rainy weekend, so hopefully you can curl up with a good URL (ah, how times have changed!).

• How to become America’s next top writer by Julie Kraut, author of the new novel, Slept Away. Julie was a featured guest poster at Lindsey Pollak’s blog and shared her advice for aspiring writers. I especially appreciate her advice to “read as much as you can, and not just from the genre you’re writing.” It’s so easy for me to focus in exclusively on the job niche, but the truth is that even for this blog, inspiration can truly come from anywhere and everywhere.   Plus, as Julie writes, “seeing how others are practicing the craft can be very motivational.”

• Career Development in a Recession @ The Career Encouragement Blog. Reposted from Ryan Bortel’s Corporate Psychologists newsletter, this article is great inspiration for anyone looking for a job these days. I especially like his 7 suggestions for improving your personal brand.

Volunteer
Join a local professional organization
Take a class focused on cutting edge technologies or solutions
Teach a class within the organization or at a local business school
Build your professional network through technology
Seek feedback
Take risks by stepping outside of your comfort zone

• Military to Civilian: 3 Tips to Career Success @ Career Realism (loving that site’s tagline, “Because EVERY job is temporary”. Great advice for “selling” military experience to Corporate America from Jessie Richardson, a former Naval Officer and Director of Resume Services at www.MilitaryResumes.com. If you want more advice along these lines, check out her Military to Civilian blog.

• Boost Your Job Search with Twitter @ Alison Doyle’s job search blog on About.com. And by the way, if you want to up your social media ante, be sure you are on Twitter… and that you are following Alison and the nine folks I profiled last Friday in 10 Career Peeps to Follow on Twitter.

That’s it for me this dreary Friday afternoon. What are you reading that’s inspiring and informing your job search? Leave a comment and share you links please! Have a great weekend.

I feel as though Spring has finally sprung here in the Midwest. I hope the weather is equally hospitable where you are! I’ve got a quick list of some helpful job searching posts, culled from around the blogosphere this week.

• Technology Tools for Job Seekers, Part I and Part II @ the Career Goddess. Susan has a great list of 22 different websites and other technological tools to help you maximize your job search this year.

• The New Post-College Prestige Job is Retail @ my favorite blog, the Brazen Careerist. Penelope followed up a scathing personal attack on a Twitter follower (I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it) with this great post about college grads and retail jobs. The recession has certainly changed our perspective about a lot of things, including the value of a job and the importance of hard work. Not all bad, I say!

• For Employers, Low Priced Craigslist Job Postings Contain a Hidden Price @ Secrets of the Job Hunt. I read this from the perspective a job seeker, and found some good insight into what’s wrong with Craigslist these days. That said, I still maintain that Craigslist is a great online job searching resource. Yes, you have to sift through the list carefully and avoid employment scams, but there are legitimate work opportunities out there — and even good paying gigs, too.

• How to Start an Online Business @ The Digeratilife.  For those of you looking for legitimate work at home jobs, this post has a fresh take on things: Stop looking and make your own opportunities. The post takes you through the steps of making money online.

That’s it for me this weekend. If you’ve recently read something that really inspired or motivated you in your job search, leave a link in the comments section.

Have a great rest of your weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday morning!

I’ve got a little job searching link love to share with you this fine Sunday.

• Networking Without Lying @ Recession Wire

This post is great! I love the personal anecdote and there is some useful advice in here, too. Bottom line: Network with savvy, but never, never lie. Not only will it make you feel like a jerk, it will cause you to miss out on invaluable opportunities to actually find a job — which is, after all, the whole goal of networking!

• Ten Effective Tips on Face to Face Networking @ Career Realism

My favorite tips?

#5 Praise other people. The more you tell me about yourself, the more I wonder if you’re cocky/arrogant

… and the closely related

#6 Share the air. If you talk and talk and talk and I nod and smile the whole time, I’m happy, but also probably not going to remember much about you.

• Recommended Reading on Entry Level Careers @ The Examiner

Highlights from an interview with Kate Lorenz, co-author of the book “Career Building: Your Total Handbook for Finding a Job and Making it Work”. Kate shares ten reasons your job search may be falling flat. Take a few minutes to read through her checklist and make sure that you are doing everything you can to land your next job.

• Tutoring & Temp Work @ ABC News

Career blogger Lindsey Pollak shares three ways recent college grads can make some money and advance their professional status while job searching. Top of her list: Temping (I have gotten quite a few job offers out of temp assignments — so I definitely agree there), tutoring and freelancing.

• 10 Best Job Search Websites @ Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Gigs blog

There is a fair amount of overlap between her list and our 14 Best Places to Find a Job Online, but I definitely appreciated learning about Dice, a techie job site I had not heard of before. Be sure to also check out this comprehensive list from her blog: 49 Places to Find Telecommuting Jobs.

• Free Health Care at Walgreens Clinic

Not exactly a tip on how to job search, but I thought this news was too good not to share.

Walgreens is offering free clinic visits for the rest of the year to anyone who looses their job and health insurance after March 31st. Visits can include tests and routine treatment for minor ailments. You will still have to pay for prescriptions, but since Walgreens offers $4 generics (for one month), it shouldn’t be too bad.  Read the fine print, but even if you do find a few loopholes, I still thought this offer was pretty sweet!

What about you? Have you read something lately that really helped to motivate you in your job search? Perhaps there was a post that helped you to clarify your goals… or just gave you the kick in the pants you had been needing? Share the link with us in comments section, please!

That’s it for me. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!

I wish I had the energy to come up with some pithy intro for my weekly link love, but for some reason I just don’t have it in me today.

(Could be the fact that our weather guy is predicting 6 inches of snow this weekend. It’s nearly April, for pete sake!) Nonetheless, I have gathered some great reading material for you this weekend, so please enjoy!

>> Social Networking Sites for Freelancers @ All Freelance
I love lists, and this post has them in spades. If you are thinking about launching your freelance career, be sure to bookmark a bunch of these social networking sites.

>> Weary of Looking for Work, Some Create Their Own @ The New York Times
Speaking of launching a freelance career, here’s an article from the NYT earlier this month about the growing trend toward starting your own business.

>> 5 Tips for Senior (as in Citizen) Job Applicants @ Resume Bear
Remember my post from several months ago about career tips for the un-retired? If you find yourself needing to find a new job in your late 50s or beyond, give this helpful post a read.

>> You Do Have Options After You Graduate @ My Career Magazine
I love that two of his suggestions — work abroad in Europe and teach English abroad are two of the job areas that we spotlight on JobMonkey!

>> Jobless Rate Exceeds 10% in Three More States @ Bloomberg
Warning: As if you couldn’t tell by the title, this is not a good news news story. Bottom line: Nevada, North Carolina and Oregon joined Michigan (12 percent unemployment), South Carolina (11 percent), California and Rhode Island in the dubious distinction of having greater than 10% unemployment.

>> Laredo, Texas: The Last Recession-Proof City in America @ the Career Hub
Thinking about relocating from Nevada, North Carolina or Oregon? You might want to consider Laredo … of course, I know nothing about the city beyond this post, so don’t take my word for it

>> Interviews: Are you proving your case? @ Career Horizons
Solid advice on prepping for your next interview.

Have you read something recently that inspired or motivated you in your job search? Leave me a link to the post/article in the comments section below. And have a great weekend!

Happy Spring! I just love that smell of spring. Don’t you!? Hopefully you are outside enjoying some lovely spring weather. But if you are stuck inside (thanks to the weather or to the job search), I’ve got some great posts for you to read this fine Sunday afternoon.

>> Applicant Tweets Herself Out of a Job @ Savvy Sugar
Here is yet another reminder of why you should be careful in how you brand yourself out there in the world of social media. With the job market tighter than tight, you surely don’t want to give anyone an excuse not to hire you!

>> The Truth About All Those Green Jobs @ Semiconductor.net
An interesting, rather academic perspective on the hype about green jobs and whether or not they will truly stimulate our economy.

>> Jobless Make the Most Out of Their Unemployment @ MSNBC.com
If you’ve got to be out of a job, try taking some pointers from these folks — they found the silver lining in unemployment.

>> Top 10 Tips for Career Changers (but really it’s 13) @ The Career Hub
If you have recently lost your job, you may be looking for more than just a new job — you may be on the hunt for a whole new career. The Career Hub has some tips for reinventing and marketing yourself to new industries.

>> Career Resources on Twitter @ Ramen Noodles
If you haven’t checked out Twitter yet, I’m hoping that two links to Twitter-related posts today will get you off your duff.  I admit, it’s a little weird to try to distill your life down to 140-word snipits, but all the cool kids are doing it… including, according to this post, a whole host of job sites.

Have you read something recently that really got you motivated about your job search? Please share the link in our comments section.

TGIF friends! I hope you have had a productive week and will get to enjoy some well-earned R&R this weekend. While you are lounging around, take a few minutes to read through these links.

I found some great material on job hunting this week, which will hopefully inspire, inform and motivate you in the weeks to come! If you have recently read something great, please leave me a comment with the link.

>> Volunteering Helps Network and Job Search @ Culpwrit
A slightly different take on volunteering to land a job (did you see my post from earlier this week on the same topic?) Here the blogger suggests volunteering at conventions and industry events to meet and network with major players in your field — a great idea, but maybe a little less altruistic than my original approach to volunteering?

>> What’s Your Brand & Why It Matters from About.com’s Guide to Job Searching
Alison has some great advice here on branding yourself for your job search. And by the way, if  you’re not sure what the heck your brand is, Alison defines it as

Your online image that shows prospective employers who you are and what you can do. It’s the information that you want hiring managers, recruiters, and career contacts to find when they look for information about you online. What you include in your networking profiles (on LinkedIn and Facebook, for example) and what you include in your blog and/or web sites, and even what you post on Twitter, are all part of your brand.

>> 5 Things to Do If You’re Unemployed @ The Brazeen Careerist
Once again, Penelope offers spot-on advice for the savvy job seeker, this time on how to find a new job without actually hunting for a job.

>> Career Q&A: Should I change my career plans because of the recession? @ Lindsey Pollak’s blog
Are you a soon-to-be college grad trying to plot your future career course? Definitely read this post! Bottom line: While the recession should cause you to think twice about your plans (especially if they involve taking out gobs of student loans to pursue a graduate degree in an at-best iffy field), it shouldn’t dissuade you from following your dream. Where there is a *real* will, there really will be a way.

>>  Baby Steps to Paid Blogging by Laura Spencer @ Freelance Writing Gigs
Since I touched on the topic of pro-blogging in our reader mailbag yesterday, I wanted to follow up with this post from Laura. She offers suggestions on how to launch your paid blogging career (which, by the way, is a great and reputable field for those of you looking for a part-time, work from home gig).

That’s it from me today. Have a great weekend!