Using Journal to Support Your Job Search
Are you searching for a job? Here are some tips on how you can use journaling in that pursuit.
It is important to know what we are looking for in a position and company. Normally, we can write a long list of stuff we don't want, but what do we want? We hear all the time from career coaches and professional development gurus that we need to define our ideal job. But golly gee, getting past the mindset that we deserve our ideal job and that the ideal job is really out there, is something else. Then after we weed through that muck, we need to write down the characteristics of what we "do" want.
All this is enough to make anyone want to stay in bed with the covers over their head. With the lengthy list of all that needs done, and in what priority, it is perfectly understandable why people stay in a job they don't like. The overwhelm of everything is daunting.
Job hunting is a chore whether it's in an employee-focused market or an employer-focused market. Of course, it's easier when the job market has more positions then lookers but that hasn't occurred in a number of years now. And the prediction is not in favor of it changing any time soon.
Career professionals tell us that we should be preparing for our next position the same day we start any new position. Yes, this can be mighty difficult, especially when all the butterflies are still unaligned and you are still trying to figure out where to find the rest rooms and lunch room. If you mentioned all this to your friends they would think you are crazy and that you should be satisfied that you just have a job. If this happens to be you -- you are in a new job and still feeling lucky to have that one -- it's the prime opportunity to pick up your journal and begin defining your next move.
If you are job hunting and going through the interviewing process, use journaling to practice interviewing dialogue. Many of the interviewing books available provide typical questions to get your started. Find the questions and practice various responses. Do this 10 to 15 minutes a day and you will be an expert interviewee fairly quickly.
If you are going on an interview and you are nervous, write about your apprehension. The mental expression will also calm your nerves. If you can, arrive early, sit in the car or the lobby and record your feelings before heading up to the interview.
During the interview ask if you can take notes and record the questions. After the interview record the questions in your journal. After the nerves have calmed, practice a variety of different responses. Continue practicing until you feel comfortable with your answer. It is important to continue practicing with these questions several days later when you have a different perspective on the interview. During this process, the journaling will help you expand language skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills.
It is important to learn as much as you can about the company before you sit in their chair. A research journal is excellent for tracking this information. If you find newspaper articles about the company, copy and paste them in the journal. Amy, a recent law student graduate even goes into the interview with her "job search" journal in hand. Occasionally, she explained, she opens the journal purposely and asks questions she prepared and makes sure the interviewer sees the article, company brochure, and other information when she is thumbing through. On many occasions she has found that even the interviewer never saw the article. Offer to bring a copy back when you return for the second interview.
Having a positive attitude in anything always gives us a heads up for success. Using journaling to support you in locating you're next job is a great way to begin, a great way to progress, and a great way to come out ahead. You will find that you are way head of the game when you do this. Your competition most likely will make all the excuses of why they didn't do this and you will move up closer or even snag your ideal job.
(c) Copyright Catherine Franz. All rights reserved without permission.
Catherine Franz is a writer and author of over 1800 published articles, books on various subjects. She is a columnist and writes several Newsletters a month. Catherine is a 20-year international journaling instructor, including several US Presidents and First Ladies, and author of two booklets on hundreds of journaling tips and techniques. Visit the store at: http://www.AbundanceCenter.com
 Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:50:43 GMT Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes - International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune - By Serge F. Kovaleski NEW YORK: Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, abused her powers as governor of Alaska by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, according to an investigation ... Palin ethics lapse cited Alaska probe finds Palin 'abused her power' Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:58:28 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US to buy shares in struggling banks Obama welcomes Paulson plan to buy equity in firms Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Del Quentin Wilber Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell told jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday that the powerful Alaska Republican had a "sterling" reputation among the nation's military and political leaders. Reporter's Notebook: Powell Takes the Stand for Stevens Powell says Sen. Stevens' integrity "sterling" Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:13:53 GMT Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Christine Harper Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the biggest independent US investment banks, may reap cash infusions as part of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan to buy stakes in financial institutions, ... As Stock Falls, Morgan Looks to Japanese Bank Morgan Stanley hangs on Mitsubishi's $9bn pledge Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:30:39 GMT Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies - AFP
AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Leaders of Thai anti-government protests were granted bail Friday after surrendering to police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting turmoil days after deadly street clashes. Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors PAD leaders surrender to Thailand police Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:03 GMT Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party - New York Times
New York Times - By CELIA DUGGER JOHANNESBURG - In a step likely to lead to the collapse of a painstakingly negotiated power-sharing deal, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, in office for 28 years, has unilaterally declared that his party will retain the most powerful ... Mugabe 'gives Zanu-PF key posts' Zimbabwe's Mugabe hands key ministries to his party Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:57:49 GMT McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - 'NO MA'AM': Sen. John McCain takes a question from a supporter who called Democratic rival Barack Obama an Arab at a town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minn. McCain-Palin's hot rhetoric risks GOP backlash McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:04:20 GMT Make Money From Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... (Des Moines, Iowa - February 2, 2005) Behaving appropriately during... Read More Is an International Resume still a Resume? This is a... Read More Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets... Read More The perfect resume presents hiring managers with a... Read More You may be astonished to realize that retrenchment may occur... Read More Stories of intrigue, treachery, politics, lies, double crosses,... Read More 1. An attractive layout that is easy to read and... Read More Looking for a new job, whether it is with a... Read More Here's a quick way to compare your own job experience... Read More It is a well-known fact that more and more people... Read More Gone are the days of the bland, generic one-page resume.... Read More In Part I, we covered how to grab the reader's... Read More Managing your career, just like managing your life, requires preparation... Read More Have you ever wanted to become a computer consultant, but... Read More The Painful ApproachFor many years, "performance management" was of an... Read More This article is based on the following book:How... Read More A job search for executives is far less complicated today... Read More 1. You dread getting out of bed and going to... Read More Collect them all!Over the course of six months in my... Read More Interviews can be nerve-racking, brain-draining, headache-inducing experiences. These days, recruiters... Read More The story goes that after one of Ludwig van Beethoven's... Read More More and more people are calling it quits to successful... Read More It can happen to anyone. there's a change in the... Read More As a former human resources professional it has always intrigued... Read More Your resume is your sales letter. It may not get... Read More
Adsense
websites
Make A Lasting Impression With Interview Etiquette
Applying for a Job in Another Country? International Resumes
Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?
The Perfect Resume
Business Careers: Keys to Moving on from Retrenchment
The Musketeer Approach
The 5 Essential Telecommute Résumé Components
Resume Writing - Get That Job
Interview Preparation Made Easy: Create An Interview Preparation List
Working From Home - Could You Cope?
5 Tips for Customizing your Resume
How to Transform a Boring Note Into A Killer Cover Letter - Part II
The Career Athlete: What It Takes to Manage Your Career
How To Become A Computer Consultant
How To Take The Pain Out Of Performance Reviews
Book Summary: How to Work with Just About Anyone
Searching for an Executive Job
10 Warning Signs That You?re Ready for a Career Transition
Seven Deadly Types of Job Recruiters
Mastering The Lunch Interview
It Takes Time
I Quit!
How To Deal With A Nightmare Boss
How to Survive in Business Long Enough to Win
Writing Powerful Resumes ? 10 Golden Rules
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
When Your Job Goes Away: Seven Tips
Q. "What do I do after a job goes away?"A.... Read More
So You Want A Promotion - What Do You Need To Do To Get the Champagne Corks Popping?
The champagne corks have been popping to celebrate your promotion.... Read More
Job Interviews -- The Real Reasons Why You Need to Follow Up
Effective follow-up after a job interview is often a key... Read More
Little Mistakes That Keep You Unemployed
If your job search is dragging on and on, you... Read More
Power Resumes ? Writing Your Objectives
A powerful resume starts with a good statement of objective.... Read More
5 Steps to Standing Out Above the Crowd at Work
Do you feel like one in a million at work... Read More
Career Change: Success Tips
Successful career change is based on first making an honest... Read More
Rekindling Passion for Work
Passion comes in many forms. I'm focused on the version... Read More
Bullseye Interviewing
An interview is much like a blind date. You have... Read More
Resurrecting the Perfect Resume, Part One
Is your resume dead? Don't be so quick to say,... Read More
What Do Accountants And Doctors Have In Common?
Freshly qualified accounting graduates when asked by the interviewer "Are... Read More
5 Resume Mistakes Telecommuters Often Make
Finding a legit telecommute job can be difficult. Telecommute jobs... Read More
Integrity At Work - How Do You Show Up?
As the business sections of today's papers and magazines read... Read More
Tips for Requesting a Raise
You probably think you deserve a raise. But does your... Read More
When The Going Gets Tough -- The Tough Keep Going
If you've been in a job search for more than... Read More
From Cleaning Lady to Entrepreneur: How Your Cleaning Business can Benefit from the Images
Many people never consider entering the cleaning business because of... Read More
The Not-So-Effective Cover Letter
Here's a newsflash: Cover letters work, plain and simple. This... Read More
Stand Out From the Crowd with Simple Marketing Methods
Although today's job market can be very competitive, many job... Read More
5 Ways to Drastically Improve Your Resume in 10 Minutes of Less
Follow these quick and easy tips to build yourself a... Read More
Conduct An Informational Interview
Informational interviews are designed to get as much information as... Read More
Pair Your Powerful Resume with a Great Cover Letter
Every great resume deserves a great cover letter.A cover letter... Read More
The Importance of Background Verification
Today's society has created an environment that requires business owners... Read More
What To Do
Ever had that perfect life when everything seems perfect yet... Read More
Fear of Being Outsourced? Fight Back
Me, outsourced? Impossible. How could they replace a business-humor columnist?... Read More
Kick-In-The-Pants Job Search
Believe it: three obstacles will hold you back from your... Read More
Careers, Jobs & Employment |