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Don’t take it personal.

This month I found myself asking myself “What do jobseekers need?” Allright ... A job. Okay, okay, we all know that all too well! So what kind of things can you do to stand out? Use a landline, make sure your resume matches the job description, make sure you are using the right keywords, demonstrate how you can make them more profitable, follow up without a typo, all the usual things that can be found on any google search, bing result, or career coach list.

Well, maybe, just maybe, instead you need to fit in to land a job. But don’t take it personal. How many of us are professionals who have a good bit of experience under our belts? We have degrees, certificates, recent education, and experience in a specialized skill set, or two. We have 10 years, 20 years, 30 years experience. We are dependable professional and dedicated. We made our last employer more profitable. We added productivity. We did all that. Stand out if you must, but I am thinking another approach might work.

If scaling yourself down to fit in doesn’t quite work for you, then keep prodding ahead at the goal in your sights! Sometimes you need to take a step back, and see yourself in a new light. Make a paper list written in blue or black ink of your accomplishments, take the phone off the hook, power off your mp3 player, PDA, home phone, cell phone, fax machine, unplug your doorbell (if you can), and take some time to revel in your own goodness. Above it all, don’t take it personal.
Four short years ago we were all in a different place, maybe one much better than we are facing now. We may have never thought we’d be facing this crushing economic time. I drove past a billboard that said “Bill Gates started his business during a recession,” and it made me wonder how many others were started during a recession. So I looked and behold! The research was already done. Thanks to Inc.com and AOL Small Business online, we learn that Coors, Wrigley, IBM, UPS, General Motors, Herman Miller, Walt Disney, Zippo, HP, Toys”R”US, Domino’s Pizza, Super 8, Microsoft, Symantec, Wikipedia, Nantucket Allserve and newegg were all started during a recession. I am sure their founders did not take it personal. So when you are waiting for that next job to call and give you your start date, keep in mind all these success stories and think about an idea you have for a business you want to start!

Wanting to just hold on to everything I have and wait ‘til this storm blows over… but I might check out this interesting site instead: http://www.inc.com/multimedia/slideshows/content/10-businesses-you-can-start-in-your-pajamas-in-2008_pagen_1.html

Be well!

Your Editor,
Alicia Pozsony

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