Don Sears

Strategies for Older Workers on the Job Hunt

By Donald Sears ⋅ July 4, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Older workers are having a tougher time finding jobs lately, says a recent report from the Labor Department. Those 55 or older are taking an average of 30 weeks to get back to work. By comparison, younger workers are taking about 21 weeks to land jobs.
In 2006, the 55-and-older set only took six weeks to [...]

How Online Social Networking Can Help Your Job Search

By Donald Sears ⋅ July 1, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

There is so much noise about social media, it sort of feels like the self-fulfilling mantra from the movie Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.”
Yeah, right, you say? Well, there are some real-world examples of people who are taking advantage of social media to land jobs and show their expertise. Take Brennan [...]

How to Go From Job Rejection to Job Acceptance

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 26, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Have you heard this line before? “We’ve decided to go with another candidate who we think is a better fit.”
Ouch. If you made it that far in the process and the interview was practically flawless, what do you take away from the experience? How do you get inside the head of the hiring manager so you [...]

A Green Economy Is Really Down the Road

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 24, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

While it was recently reported that green jobs and clean-energy jobs have been growing at a decent pace since 1998, their influence on the current job market has been rather limited.
The Obama administration would like to see environmentally conscious businesses and technologies become a major part of how the United States thrives in coming years. But are [...]

How to Have Empathy at Work

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 24, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Face it: Most work environments during this recession are strained and stressed out.
Perhaps you’ve been laid off or doing more work for less pay and shrinking benefits. … That can generate a whole lot of stress, especially when management seems unable to feel your pain.
A recent MSNBC.com article looks at the benefits of empathy in [...]

Career Advice: How to Get a Better Salary

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 23, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Times are tough, a fact no one would argue. But does that mean you have to settle for less in a job search when it comes to salary when in negotiations?
Some career advisers and experts respond with a resounding statement: You can still get something you can live with and perhaps make it even better than [...]

President Obama on Unemployment in 2009

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 23, 2009 ⋅ One comment

In a press conference today, President Barack Obama denounced the violence of the government in Iran against peaceful protesters and also discussed a number of domestic items including clean energy reform, plans for health care and the U.S. economy. Part of his discussions with the media were on unemployment and economic stimulus.
Here’s what was said [...]

Resume Tips: Cover Letter Advice

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 22, 2009 ⋅ One comment

What you may not know about the best practices in cover letter writing could end up hurting your job chances.
The recruiting firm Palladian International performed a study (”Cover Letter Best Practices”) of managers and executives looking at how job seekers are using cover letters, followed up with advice for improving the readability of these often thrown [...]

U.S. State Unemployment Figures on the Rise

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 22, 2009 ⋅ One comment

A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — the numbers division of the U.S. Department of Labor — has a monthly snapshot of the country’s labor situation on a state-by-state basis. For May 2009, the picture is not pretty. Unemployment numbers in California having risen to 11.5 percent, although a few states did see [...]

Finance Jobs: The CIA Wants You

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 19, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

Financial analysts and economists: Listen up.
The Central Intelligence Agency is looking for a few good men and women from Wall Street. You have the opportunity to fight terrorism, drug lords and corrupt foreign governments.
That’s right. The covert spying department of the U.S. government has a growing need for the economic expertise of financial analysts who [...]

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