A ‘Career-Life’ Crisis

via The Wall Street Journal: “In the new movie “Up in the Air,” Anna Kendrick stars opposite George Clooney as Natalie Keener, an ambitious new college graduate who takes a job at a company whose business is to fire people. Natalie quickly gets to work developing a videoconferencing system that saves the company millions by performing terminations online. While on a cross-country trip to learn the ropes, however, Natalie is shaken by the emotional implications of her prized job and quits. These days, many people — young and old — are experiencing a career-life crisis, asking: ‘What do I do when I realize my dream job isn’t so wonderful after all?’…” Click here for the full article.

Revving a Career While It’s in Neutral

via The Wall Street Journal: “With prospects for new jobs or promotions still looking grim, many workers are struggling to take their careers to the next level. Some, though, have found ways to cope and make themselves more marketable for when companies start hiring again.”You don’t have to be stuck,” says Dory Hollander, a workplace psychologist and founder of WiseWorkplaces, a career coaching and executive-development firm based in Arlington, Va. “You can be an active player in shaping your own future. Indeed, there are a number of ways workers can bolster their résumés in preparation for when the job market ramps up. These include volunteering to gain new skills, building a wider network of contacts and moving into a parallel position within their company…” Click here for the full article.

Pursuing an Unlikely Career Path

via The Wall Street Journal: “Each week, I sift through dozens of emails which offer to share with me “Top 10 Career Search Secrets” and other valuable tips for landing a job. One of these included a link to an article which focused on how senior-level people, like myself, are finding it necessary to be creative in defining our next position. The article speculated that in the long term, this could be a great thing both for the executive’s personal job satisfaction and for the economy as a whole. With poll after poll showing high percentages of employed workers being dissatisfied, this article caught my attention. Until now, I have been defining myself based on my past experience; an alternative is to define myself based on my skills and explore positions that are a good match…” Click here for the full article.

Negotiating An Executive Job Offer In Hard Times

from Forbes.com: “The economic tsunami has left hundreds of thousands of senior executives stranded in its wake. Feeling displaced and facing harsh new realities, these unemployed professionals have been reassessing their values, careers and life goals. Sound familiar? You’re not alone…” Click here for the full article.

The Weekly Layoff Report: Not So Happy New Year

via Forbes.com: “2010′s first glimmer of good job news came too little too late this week and was eclipsed by far darker tidings. The glimmer: Weekly initial unemployment claims were up less than expected, and the Labor Department’s monthly numbers for November were revised to switch from a loss in jobs to a net gain of 4,000. The dark: December’s monthly jobs numbers were worse than most expected, with the number of unemployed increasing by 85,000–many were expecting it to drop–despite thousands leaving the rolls of the officially unemployed because they’ve been out of work so long”. Click here for the full article.

Agent & Broker Confidence Outlook Healthy…

from RISmedia… “Confidence amongst real estate professionals surveyed as part of Point2 Technologies’ monthly Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) poll dropped marginally in December 2009, but maintained relative optimism, with the national Index holding in positive territory at 5.91 on the 1-10 scale, Point2 recently announced. The national RECI registered a relatively modest 1.99% retreat versus the all time high printed last month when the Index jumped to 6.03, a 7.87% improvement versus November 2009 results.” Click here for the full article.

Saved Life Benefit Ride “Coast to Coast: A Mile in Their Shoes”

“We are launching a nationwide homeless benefit ride titled “ Coast 2 Coast: A Mile In Their Shoes” from the Jacksonville Beach Pier, Jacksonville, Florida to the Santa Monica Pier, outside of Los Angeles, California. The purpose of this benefit ride is to first raise awareness…” Click here to support Jason.

Use Twitter in Your Next Presentation

via BusinessWeek.com: “…Remember the good old days when a speaker gave a presentation and the audience members sat quietly, keeping their thoughts to themselves? Well, the good old days are over, thanks to social media. Today audience members armed with smartphones and netbooks are having conversations with the rest of the world in real time about you, your presentation, and your ideas”. Click Here for the full article.

Laid Off And Looking

The Wall Street Journal follows out-of-work M.B.A.s as they search for jobs in a post-meltdown world by Jon Gray via The Wall Street Journal: “When my search began, I wasn’t precisely sure which job-lead channels would be most productive. I began with the same channels that worked for me the last time I was searching for work post-business school. I posted my resume on Monster and Yahoo, and began shooting out applications in response to postings on company Web sites. The truth is these search channels have yielded no worthwhile leads.” Click here for the full article.

When Age Is an Issue in the Job Hunt

Via The Wall Street Journal: “…As to whether or not you include the dates of your degrees, career experts have varying opinions. In most cases, it is a good idea to include them. If your resume attempts to indicate that you are younger by leaving out graduation dates or eliminating 10 years of early career history…” Click here for the full article.