Apropos to my post yesterday about following your dreams despite the recession, the USA Today just ran a review of a new book about the very same topic. Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields is a guide to teach you how to make money while doing what you love. After you figure out what you want to do (i.e. what you love doing), you have to work out the finances. Fields says you do not need to earn top dollars, but there is no reason that following your heart should leave you destitute. The book is filled with personal vignettes from others who have left the rat race to follow their dreams ̵...

Notes from a Career Counselor by Amy Lindgren Here are a couple of things that crossed my desk recently. Maybe something will provide inspiration or innovation as you go about your job search. Jargonizing the Resume. It’s an age-old battle between a resume writer (me) and a job candidate (my client). The writer wants to create a clear, crisp document and the candidate wants to include all those industry terms that fly around a conference room like gnats in the outfield. Gnats? Well, maybe I’m harsh here, but my instinct is always to spit these terms out when I encounter them. An...

Every Thursday, the JobMonkey blog answers your burning questions about your job search. So far, we have covered how to negotiate a salary offer, how to write a cover letter for a nursing job, and how to find a summer job at Disney World. Do you have a question about your job search? Send me an email or leave me a note in the comment section. Dear JobMonkey, I am a Stay at Home mom looking to earn some extra money, while still staying at home with my kids. I need to find something that I can do during nap times or at night, once my kids are in bed. I have looked at some Work at Home sites, but...

We talk a lot here on the JobMonkey blog about the importance of networking. And really, I don’t think the impact of effective networking can be underestimated: Career experts tell us that 60-80% of all new jobs are landed through networking connections. But what if you are already talking to everyone you know (and everyone they know), regularly updating your profile on LinkedIn, attending networking parties, and participating in industry events … and yet you still haven’t found a job? How about this non-conventional networking idea: Volunteering? The personal and professional...

Every Thursday, the JobMonkey blog answers your burning questions about your job search. In past weeks, we’ve talked about negotiating a salary offer, pursing a nursing career, and supporting a laid-off spouse. Do you have a question for the JobMonkey? Send me an email or leave me a note in the comment section. Dear JobMonkey, Hi! I am a 17 year old high school student from Germany. I want to work at Disney World this summer. What do I need to do to get a job at Magic Kingdom? Thanks, Greta Dear Greta, I have to tell you that we get a lot of letters like yours. Most of them have come fro...

Are you a high school or college student looking for a summer job? You might be feeling overwhelmed right about now with all the news that summer jobs are hard to come by in ‘09. It’s true that tough economies equal fewer jobs and more competition for them. But that doesn’t mean you are doomed to a summer of pathetically watching soap operas. You can still land a great summer gig if you follow these seven golden rules of job searching: 1. Work on your resume. Even if you lack on-the-job experience, you can demonstrate leadership and community activism through school activi...

CNN Money is reporting that graduate students are finding that summer jobs and internships, once a main stream to full-time employment, have all but dried up. According to the article, on-campus recruiting is down more than 10% this winter. Whereas summer job and internship offers are typically made in the fall, employers are now holding back due to economic concerns. “[Employers] don’t know what’s happening six months from now,” said Pamela Bierman Mittman, the assistant dean of career services at New York University’s Stern School of Business, “this year t...

If you are looking for a job right now, odds are you have discovered that scouring the want ad’s in your local newspaper is like taking the road to nowhere. The number one way to find a job is through networking — in person and online. Second to networking is searching job websites. It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a high tech job or a low tech one, if an employer is going to post a job ad, they’re going to do it online. Given that, do you know the best places to troll for a job? Here are 14 of the essential sites to bookmark for your job search. What makes t...

We’re starting a new tradition here at the JobMonkey. Every Thursday, I’ll be answering a question from our growing stacks of emails from our readers. If you have a question about your job search, please send me an email so I can answer it in an upcoming post. This week we have a great question about part-time work-at-home opportunities.  Even if you’re not a full-time, stay-at-home mom, working from home can be a great way to find long-term professional fulfillment — or just to cover the gaps of an extended lay-off. Dear JobMonkey, I am a full-time stay-at-home mom ...

Dear Job Monkey, I am a 28 year old about to graduate from nursing school. A friend of my mom’s works at a large, local hospital and they are having a hiring fair next week. There will be representatives from all the different departments and they will be doing informational sessions as well as scheduling actual job interviews. My mom’s friend told me to come prepared with a resume and cover letter. I have a resume, but I don’t have a cover letter. I have done some research about how to write a cover letter, but I have no idea how to write one for so many different people at ...