We all have a desire for meaningfulness in our work. We may even long for our work to nurture us and provide us with avenues for growth. Nestled among the Redwoods on the northern Californian coast in Sonoma County sits the developing Buddhist retreat center, Ratna Ling. Here a dedicated group have come together to create a community offering a life style which combines work with personal and spiritual growth. Tibetan Lama Tarthang Tulku over 35 years ago founded group of organizations in the San Francisco Bay area for the purpose of giving Westerners a doorway to the Tibetan Buddhist teach...

Volunteering has become a popular theme here lately at the JobMonkey blog. The New York Times reported earlier this week on the burgeoning ranks of volunteers in New York City. Laid-off workers are turning in droves to volunteer organizations to help them fill their time and contribute to people in need, while still aggressively looking for a new job. Remember this post from last week about how to volunteer your way into a new job? I’m thinking some of those New York volunteers might be hoping to network, too, while serving up soup or rescuing stray animals. Nothing wrong with that! I...

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...

I posted last week about the rise in interest in volunteerism among college grads, especially in light of the current economic crisis. You don’t have to wait until school is out to volunteer, though. According to this article from CNN, more and more college students are spending their vacations in “alternative spring break” programs. The programs, which typically cost students around $250, offer coeds the opportunity to get involved in some of today’s most pressing social issues: hunger and homelessness, disaster relief and global warming. Says one student, who spent...

With the job market continuing to tank, a growing number of recent college graduates are looking to volunteer opportunities rather than paid employment. Especially popular are overseas volunteer opportunities. According to this article from the Lexington Herald Leader, the Peace Corps has received 16 percent more applications this year than last year. Americans are also doubling up on their application to Canada’s largest volunteer international development group, CUSO-Voluntary Service Overseas. The article points out that volunteering at home is also up. Teach for America, the natio...

My local paper ran a story in the Sunday edition about job hunting during the holiday season. It got me thinking.  Their job expert said good job hunters know that there is no such thing as a holiday break when you are looking for a job.  She suggested that there are two reasons for the full throttle approach to job hunting during the holidays: * Companies that are planning to hire in January (and there are still some of them) have already allocated the funds for the new employee’s salary — which means, they are interviewing and making job offers NOW. * A lot of job hunters ta...

Recession, economic downturn, depression.  Call it what you want, but there is no doubt that this is not a great time to be looking for a new job.  While unemployment figures have yet to pass into the double digits (with the exception of the hardest-hit communities in states like Michigan), companies are focused these days on getting through the tough times — not on expanding their payroll. Despite the doom and gloom, there are many of you out there who need to find a job.  Now.  So, recession / economic downturn / depression be darned — you can make this job hunt work for y...

Every Tuesday, we discuss tips and hints for making the most of your job search. We welcome input from our readers and want to hear about your most challenging job hunting issues.  To get a crash course on Career Planning 101, check out JobMonkey’s section on Job Hunting Tools. Whether you are facing a career change or looking for your first job, one of the biggest challenges is writing a resume that truly markets your skills to a potential employer.  If you don’t have a lot of on-the-job experience, or if you want to pursue a career in a new field, then this task becomes even more d...

Did you all see that article I posted yesterday from MSNBC.com about how to get a job in the Obama administration?  Whether you are a red voter or a blue one (or none of the above), the salient point of that article still applies: Volunteering and networking are two great ways to get your foot in the door, especially in a hyper- competitive job market. Since we have talked pretty extensively on here about career networking, I thought I would take a look today at the power of volunteering. Now, you may have been motivated to volunteer by your Save the World ideology, but do not let your altrui...

Until now, I’ve been focusing on introducing you to JobMonkey’s vast resources about paid employment. Here and there, I have mentioned internships or summer jobs, but even still, most of these opportunities offered some kind of monetary compensation. And let’s face it; money is pretty important if you want to put a roof over your head, food in your belly and gas in your car. But there are times in life when money truly isn’t everything. If you are looking for an incomparable life experience and can afford to take the time to do some incredibly meaningful work that is...