Career Advice

When you're looking for a job you never know how long it's going to take. It's not like golf when you can tell whether the hole you're playing is a par 3 or a par 5. At any given point in the game, a golfer can see exactly how far the flag is and what terrain lies in between, and he can make adjustments to his swing, the club he uses, and how he follows through. Even then, however, the ball doesn't always land exactly where he wants it to.

A job seeker scoping out the current employment terrain, where the average duration of unemployment is now at 32 weeks vs. 21 weeks a year ago, should be prepared for a long haul. Yet many job seekers I know are overly optimistic early in the process that they'll beat the average. I was floored, for example, when a friend of mine said he was getting help from just a couple of close contacts instead of going all out on his job search campaign.

It's bound to happen eventually, no matter how good you are at your job: somebody is going to criticize they way you do things. The way you react to that criticism, and others like it, can have a real impact on your career. Here are few tips for taking criticism and making the best of it.

Listen to what they're saying, without getting defensive or trying to explain yourself. Even if they're just whining or complaining, arguing won't help the situation. Like with any conversation, let them say their piece without interruption.

Consider what they're saying, without getting caught up in the blame game. No matter if you were taught a certain way or if you think they have faulty motives, think about what would happen if you did things the way they suggest -- would your results be different?

Discuss the benefits and the challenges, after you've listened and spent time considering it. Talk about how it would play out, and who would be responsible for all the different aspects, as well as how the end result would be different than it is now. Also discuss when the change could be implemented and what the consequences would be if the idea isn't implemented.

Measure the results, if you do decide to make a change. Whether it works or not, you want to be able to show the how and the why. Either way you get credit for being a team player, willing to listen to others and make adjustments when indicated.

To find a job these days requires not just meeting the requirements of the job posting but also marketing yourself effectively on paper and in person. What people perceive in the first few seconds of glancing at your resume, speaking with you at a networking event, or looking into your eyes at a job interview can make a huge difference.

Are you doing all you can to maximize your chances, or are some essential ingredients missing from your toolkit?

By Liz Lynch

After a thief punched 91-year old Rite Aid clerk Flo Critelli in the chest last week and knocked her down, she insisted on finishing her shift saying she didn't want to just "sit there and be bored." Flo even drove herself home and said if the cops ever caught him, she'd like to "smack him." You go, girl.

This story made me think how tough we all need to be these days living lives that are more complex and demanding. Hopefully you'll never find yourself in any physical danger, but whether you're faced with a financial crisis, health crisis or family crisis, brushing yourself off and resolving to move forward can help you feel more in control.

Mohammed Al-Taee just asked me a really intriguing question via Twitter. He tweets:

Give me one task a job seeker can do once a month.

I think we can all list tasks a job seekers can do once a day and once a week, but once a month? It's almost too restrictive - if you are a job seeker you shouldn't be doing anything only once a month, right?

I've been thinking about this and I finally came up with something. First, a bit of background. In some job clubs that I attended I heard John, a senior level marketing executive, talk about his "chicken list." I didn't know what it was when he first mentioned it but as he described it I knew exactly what he was talking about.

According to a recent report from Adecco, a leading staffing firm, temporary jobs have increased for six straight months and the continuing rise in temporary employment provides a good indicator that an improvement to the jobs crisis will come. Temporary hiring happens first, as employers remain cautious in a volatile market. But as temporary and contract jobs increase, more and more of them are becoming permanent.

Lance Armstrong has dedicated his career to winning the Tour de France. As we all know, he showed the world that he could master that race and beat anyone who competed in the "Grand-daddy" of pro cycling races--seven times! After a short "retirement" from the cycling world, Lance has been competing again. Last year's Tour de France was a warm-up of sorts for Lance as he didn't have a full year of conditioning and training, nor did he have the team built around him.