I will never forget a motivational speaker I heard way back in the 8th grade, who talked about the subject of setting goals. He said something to the effect of:

It’s better to shoot for the stars and miss, than to shoot for a pile of s**t and hit!

(Looking back on that memory, I’m realizing that the speaker’s “colorful language” is probably why I so vividly remember that quote.)

Whatever your career aspirations — from professional fulfillment to earning a six-figure salary — goals are your pathway to getting there. Clearly defined goals help you to:

• Stay focused

• Remember your values and priorities

• Stay motivated in the face of discouraging setbacks

• Be in control of your own destiny

Now that’s great, but what if your goal seems impossibly far off? You set mini-goals or short-term goals. In other words you map out your course with these mini-goals as your sign posts. Take losing weight, for example. Someone with over 100 pounds to lose will probably get very discouraged in those early months and weeks when the big 100 pound goal still seems so far away. Instead, he or she can break up that goal into readily achievable mini-goals — the first 5 pounds, the first 10% of body weight, the first 25 pounds, etc. etc. By setting up these mini-goals along the way, you know that you are on the right course, and you build momentum by getting to “taste success” along the way.

The same applies to your career goals. Your short-term goals might include earning a degree or relevant certification, getting an internship in your field, finding a professional mentor, joining a networking group, etc. You can even break your job search into mini-goals: Send out 15 resumes, make 5 networking calls, go on 3 interviews, and so on.

You can read more about career goal setting in the JobMonkey Job Hunting tools section.

What are your best tips for setting goals — and how do you achieve them?

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.

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!

Are you thinking about making a career change? Maybe you are looking for your first job. In either case, not having a lot of on-the-job experience may make resume-writing a challenge. If you find yourself in this situation, the term “Transferable Skills” is going to be your new best friend.

According to author Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the ultimate career planning book, What Color Is Your Parachute?, says that transferable skills are the abilities that we are born with and cultivate into skills with each new job. These skills fall into one of three categories:

• People Skills – like communication and supervising

• Data Skills – such as researching and record keeping

• Things Skills – meaning, your ability to operate or repair “things” — think computers, software and other types of equipment

Selling Your Transferable Skills
Rather than writing a resume that follows the traditional format — job title with responsibilities and dates — consider making a bulleted list of skills for each entry. Also be sure to emphasize these skills in your cover letter, where bulleted lists also work well. Check job ads for responsibilities that closely mirror your skill set and play up your assets when networking for your next job, as well.

Have you successfully changed fields or landed a first job by marketing your transferable skills? Share you tips in our comments section!

But the truth is, there are personal stories of triumph out there, too. You just have to know where to look. Finding inspiration just got a lot easier, thanks to CNN Money’s new Facebook group called Hired!

Hired! started out as a weekly column, which is how I came to find the CNN Money group. (Check out this awesome story about a fashion buyer who lost her company, but found a new calling — all in less than 6 months.)

With nearly 2,500 fans, this Hired! group is growing by leaps and bounds and is a great place to find some support and inspiration during your job search.

Are you using Facebook to find a job or network with others during your job search? What groups have you become a fan of?

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!

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!

As I’ve long been harping on here at the JobMonkey, the earliest growth will be in one of four fields: health care, education, government employment, and green business. In fact, these four fields have been some of the most stable over the past 8 months of the recession, posting positive growth numbers over a number of months despite record-high layoffs in nearly every other field.

Here are some of the highlights from BWeek’s article on landing one of these “jobs of tomorrow”.

Healthcare

• New report by President’s Council of Economic Advisors says that healthcare will be largest source of U.S. job growth over the next seven years (through 2016)
• 3 million new jobs will be added annually, including hundreds of thousands of nursing job opportunities
• For students, internships at a hospital or other health-care related organization are a great way to establish some credibility; for current job-seekers, a volunteer position is a great way to augment your resume and get your foot in the door.

Education

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is set to invest $90 billion in education, with half going to local school districts
• Students can gain classroom experience by working as a teacher’s aide or substitute teacher — neither of which require a college degree
• Seniors and current job-seekers should consider Teach for America

Green Collar Jobs

• Job growth within the green collar job industry is expected to exceed 50% by 2016 — four times the growth for all other sectors combined (yes, combined!)
• Billions in federal dollars being invested in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy research
• For students, industry-specific internships demonstrate genuine interest in the field

Federal Government Jobs

• Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees are expected to retire over the next five years
• Stimulus Plan will add 200,000 additional employees at Social Security Administration, the Veterans Affairs Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Defense Department and more
• Federal government jobs cover a range of 900 different occupations

Be sure to check out the rest of the Business Week article here. It really is a wealth of advice for landing a job in these turbulent times.

In this competitive job market, you can’t afford to be anything less than 100% when you step into that conference room for your job interview.

Career coaches will charge you a pretty penny to help practice your job interview skills, but you can buff up on your interviewing prowess on your own, too. Grab a friend or just position yourself in front of a mirror and see how well you can answer these 10 traditional job interview questions.

1. Give me an example of one of your most important professional accomplishments.

2. Do you prefer to work on your own or within a team of others?

3. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?

4. How do you handle conflict in the workplace? Give me an example of how you have resolved a conflict with a colleague.

5. What is your greatest strength in your professional life? What weakness causes you the greatest difficulty on the job?

6. Why do you want this job? Why do you want to work with our company/organization?

7. What kind of salary range you are looking for?

8. How do you define success?

9. What three lessons did you learn from your last job?

10. Do you have any questions for us? [Hint: Research the company and come in with at least two questions in mind.]

If you really want to improve your chances of acing your next interview, take 20 minutes of prep time to brainstorm about what questions your interviewers might want to ask you. Not sure? Take a look at the job description for some clues about what matters most.

Tell us: how do you get ready for your interviews?

(If you haven’t already subscribed to our free job newsletter, be sure to do so today!)

The web editor for Euroleague Basketball, Frankie Sachs recently chatted with the JobMonkey about how he made his break into the competitive world of marketing for professional European basketball. As a former sports writer and then newspaper editor, Sachs also offered this advice to aspiring sports writers:

Finding an entry-level position in sports journalism is not terribly difficult, but often, tremendous patience is needed to progress forward. My best advice to aspiring sports writers is to read and write as often as possible – starting your own blog is always a good idea. Be patient, and remember that you never know which story could turn out to be your big break, so always give it 100%.

To read more of the interview with Sachs, check out this week’s JobMonkey newsletter about jobs in sports.