One of the key areas you may be struggling with as a job seeker is a feeling of rejection. This can cause a real slowdown in your job search activity. This downward spiral can happen for a variety of reasons including:

A poor response from companies and/or jobs for which you have submitted your resume.
Stopping your job search once you get one or two job interviews (to see how they pan out).
Hinging everything on one hopeful offer.
Only using one method to perform your job search (like responding to Internet job postings).

If …

Let’s face it—sometimes a job search can be a tiring and depressing process!
It’s one of the most challenging things we do as professionals, so it makes a lot of sense to invest in your career through gaining knowledge about how to do a “job search right”.
So, what is “right”? Well it’s a job search that does the following things:

Has a crystal clear plan (so you always know where you are going—which helps you to know what opportunities to take full advantage of and which ones to let go).
Gets you multiple …

I ran into this great article from The Positivity Blog.  It includes a ton of Mark Twains best quotes and organizes them into nine self improvement tips I wanted to share with all of you. 
Job hunting can be about as unmotivating as it gets.  It’s like getting a punch in the gut and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get better anytime soon.  I hope this can be of help to you. 
Hope this helps.

Setting boundaries is the single most common issue my clients deal with in their personal and professional lives. Why do women find them so difficult to put in place? And what can you do if a lack of boundaries is standing between you and the career success you desire?
What are Boundaries?
Whether you’re working in the corporate world or running your own business, you need to develop and continually exercise strong boundaries. Boundaries are the environment within which you operate – mentally, emotionally and physically. They separate you from other people.
Think …

I’ve been following Anne Naylor in the Huffington Post and she comes up with some really good personal motivational posts.  This week I’m just pointing your in her direction without much of my own writing because she’s got some good advice that does just fine without my commentary.
I guess you could say, I’ve moved my ego out of the way and admitted she does it just fine.  No help from me required.
Click here to read Anne’s article.

I watched the World Cup final Sunday  in a small restaurant called Los Gallegos with good friends and family.  You can probably guess which colors we were sporting.  It was a tough and evenly matched final.  What a thrill it was to land on the winning side.
As I rested that evening listening to the sportscaster banter back and forth over the game, I couldn’t help but reflect on the massive difference a few seconds made on the game’s outcome.  It took España several seconds in front of the goal and one Andrea Iniesta kick …

I started reading “The Walk” by Richard Paul Evans on the recommendation of a blogger Monique Catoggio.  (Very cool! She’s the only other blogger I’ve met face-to-face.  Click here  to see her Being Enpointe blog post on The Walk.)
A few lines out of it’s prologue really  struck me.  The main character Alan Christoffersen  a widower says:
It’s better to be loved by one person who knows your soul than millions who don’t even know your phone number.  I have loved and have been loved as deeply as a man can hope for, …

Ann Naylor in her Huffington Post article mentions a Cannes Festival movie Biutiful and writes an interesting article on  powerlessness.   What is about loosing control of situations that brings out the possible best and worse in us?
I life and in this economy and job market, we have to deal with so many situations where we don’t have control and have to accept (or not accept) the circumstances pretty much as they are.  She discusses a total of fifteen things we can do in these situations of powerlessness.
I think it’s a worthwhile read to help us …

(This is a special project and currently my personal experiment to help Catholics and those of others denominations who follow the Catholic lectionary prepare for Sunday services.  It’s currently an experiment and I need your feedback, comments and questions.  Please read on and listen to the recording to help make this project a success.)
A spiritual practice I have found helpful is reading the Sunday readings before I show up at church.  It helps me make Sunday more than just showing up and leaving an hour or so a week.  It makes it a part of …

 Thoughts on the Sunday Readings [23:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the father of three daughters, I’m not 100% in favor Emily Bennington’s Huffington Post story where she kisses a guy on a bet at the bar, but otherwise her advice is on the right on.
My daughter graduated a few weeks back and I’m forwarding her this link to Emily’s post. College grads should take on a good amount of risk. Most err on the side of “not enough.” What’s the downside? They have to move in with Mom and Dad. They can use this experimentation to learn and possibly …

I found Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner set nicely on my keyboard.  My coworker, Robert, who knows I run and read stuff like this left it there for me.  I  cracked it open and couldn’t put it down.
Dean Karnazes writes about his 100+ mile ultra marathon running feats, but he does so much more.  Karnazes had reached the point in his life where his life had no meaning and purpose.  He had a void in his life and his six figure salary couldn’t fill it.  He explains how he turned to running, something he had love …

(This one’s dedicated to my Monica and her friends who I pray will follow their dreams taking on their post-college challenges with gusto.)
Last week I wrote “My Daughter’s Graduation Reminds Me to Keep on Dreaming.”  College graduation is such an exciting time!  In its own way, it’s also terrifying.  A few months back I remember a fellow speaker at a high school career day dish out these words of wisdom.
He said that from the beginning, our lives are neatly cut up into segments.  We start in preschool and look forward to elementary …

On Saturday, my oldest daughter will dawn her cap and gown and cross the stage to collect the diploma she worked hard to earn.   As I watch her and her friends finishing off their four years, a few things in particular strike a chord in me.  They’ve got something so many of us older folks forget.  They remind me of how important it is to make a difference in the world and how making a difference gives  meaning ot our lives.
When my daughter graduated from high school, she wanted to …

This week I discovered a Facebook page launched by a girl (probably more like woman now) from the Catholic elementary school I attended.  On it, I found yearbook pictures of me and the 32 eighth graders that graduated with me over 30 years ago.  A buddy of mine topped it off by posting our 3rd grade class picture.  (That’s me in the top middle wearing a red shirt.)
The exchange of Facebook wall messages between a dozen or so of us over the past several days has stimulated parts of my …

Whenever I run into someone who’s a bit odd, I find myself whispering to myself, “What’s with that guy?”  I know.  I know.  I shouldn’t.  But I’m so used to having people behave a certain way that when they fall outside my version of the norm – whatever that is – it’s something that calls my attention.
Now I’m not always a fan of the heroes Hollywood lifts up for us, but let me point out a few that definitely inspire me and better yet – cause me to spend a …

A certain television station likes to pitch its programming with the slogan: “It’s not reality it’s actuality.” It’s an interesting statement, although a bit confusing – much like today’s job market.
The reality is if you read a variety of articles or talk to a group of “experts” you’ll actually get a broad range of opinions about the current state of the job market.
The National Association for Business Economics reported statistics indicating there has really only been a marginal increase in jobs due to the stimulus money. However, government reports …

(This continues where Lesson 4 left off.)
Resources for Snatching the Right Job for You
We’ve covered a lot together these past few days. I’ve given you some:

Help setting your expectations
Job hunt methods that work well
Thoughts on taking care of yourself emotionally/spiritually
Advice for finding your next boss

Today I’m pointing you at resources I have found useful (sometimes VERY useful) for fueling your job hunt. I’ve set up several topics and listed the resources underneath to make them easier to find.

Setting objective and targeting your job search. The key here is …

(This lesson continues where Lesson 2 left off.)
Do NOT Go at It Alone.  Get the Help You Need
In the book “What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers” Richard Nelson Bolles says that a huge percentage of job hunters quit after two months. They just check out and stop looking. Take a look at Parachute chapter 1 for the details and statistics. (You may have noticed I pull a lot of material from this book.  As I mentioned in …

Job Loss Sucks! P.S. You’ll Do Just Fine
If you’re reading this, you’re likely an the job hunt. You and your family are worried. You’re dealing with difficult emotions – fear, anger and anxiety. It’s like your life’s on hold.
I know job struggles and job hunts. “Been there done that” as the saying goes. Hellen Keller gave us a quote that describes it perfectly:

When one door of happiness closes, another one opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which is …

No matter if it’s voice mail, email, your Blackberry, a text, your next meeting or perhaps even an letter delivered the old fashioned way – in an envelope with a stamp, every once in a while you have to pull the plug and scream an obscenity ridden with – ENOUGH!
What a concept…… becoming unattainable for some degree of time.
I was looking around a website belonging to Harrison Barnes, the Job Guru, and caught his article “The Importance of Disconnecting from Your Work.” That’s exactly what he’s promoting and …