Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs, looking for posts that that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here are my five picks for this week.

From Employment Digest: The Hidden Job Market

“Should you rely completely on advertising to look for jobs? Advertising can get expensive for employers if they continually had to post for openings. In large companies, the turnover rate can be high with retirement, relocation, illnesses, etc. With those kinds of vacancies companies could conceivably expect to run a continuous employment spot in the newspaper. This could take a big bite out of their budget.”

Wally’s Comment: Here’s a post that describes the “hidden job market” in the Digital Age. If you’re exploring possibilities, this post may help you find some new ones.

From Karen Burns, Working Girl: More Reasons For Getting Outta Town

“Being born, growing up, and living in the same town is nice. It can give you a sense of footedness that maybe you can’t get any other way. But you know that old cliché “travel broadens the mind”? Well, it does. And in a rapidly globalizing world, traveling abroad–better yet, living abroad–is a fab (and fun) way to give yourself a real advantage in life and at work.”

Wally’s Comment: In today’s global world, spending some time outside the US is a good educational and career strategy. Working Girl gives you several reasons why. If you can learn another language or two, even better.

From Business Pundit: Keys to Killer Presentations That Get You The Raise You Deserve

“You want a raise, you need a raise, but asking for one can be emotional. Someone else is basically putting a dollar value on your worth. The worst thing you can do is make it personal. It’s business. As with all things money, the bottom line matters most. Demonstrate with numbers (and pictures if need be) your contribution to your company’s profit. ”

Wally’s Comment: Yes, we do live in the age of the presentation. Business Pundit reminds us that if you want to get promoted, it’s just smart to concentrate your presentation on why that’s a good idea for your employer.

From Career Hub: The reality of working with a recruiter

“Many people share the misconception that, for senior level positions, contacting a headhunter is the way to find a job. To understand why this is wrong, you have to understand how headhunters work.”

Wally’s Comment: I was excited to see this because no one ever seems to describe how things work when recruiters get into the mix.

From On Balance: The So-Called Ambition Gap

“A new report from the Brookings Institution argues that there are fewer women in political office in the United States because of an “ambition gap” between men and women.

Wally’s Comment: This post is specifically about women in public life, but there’s lots of good material here if you’re a woman, employ women, or work with women in the private sector or not-for-profit world.

Vault, who describe themselves as “the most trusted name in career information” has just released a survey about Interview Etiquette for both applicants and interviewers. Pop over to their site to review the whole survey and learn something.

There’s lots of information that tells you how you compare with other applicants. You’ll find out that 84 percent of applicants said they prepared at least an hour for their interview. Sixty percent said they took two hours or more. How much time do you use to prepare?

Some bits of data will give you clues about what not to do. Vault asked interviewers how many had an interview interrupted when an applicant took a cell phone call. Twenty-six percent said they had. Leaving your cell phone on when you go into an interview will make you stand out, but not in a good way.

Everybody, including my mother, thinks that thank-you notes are a good idea. But the Vault data highlight an interesting discrepancy.

More than half of all the applicants responding said they “almost always send a thank-you note.” But that’s not how the interviewers remember things. Over a third say they “rarely” or “hardly ever” receive a thank you note.

Eighty percent of interviewers say a thank-you note is either “extremely” or “somewhat” important. So you can take this as an opportunity to stand out in good way.

You’ll be more likely to prepare well, avoid gaffs like having your cell phone ring during an interview, and make sure to send a thank-you note if you use simple checklists to guide your behavior. Here are suggestions for three of them.

Have a preparation checklist. Include items about researching the company, making sure you have the right attire, and to make sure you get directions to the interview site.

Have a pre-interview checklist that reminds you to turn off your cell phone (or leave it in the car), and helps you remember to take all the documents you need. Have a post-interview checklist that helps assure that you send that thank-you note and mark your calendar for any necessary follow-up.

Interviews are stressful enough. Use simple systems and checklists to make sure you get the basics done so you can concentrate on the interview itself.

It’s never been harder to grow a satisfying and successful life and career. The good news is that career blogs can help. Every week, here at Momentor, I’m going to point you to five posts that will help you think about, clarify, manage, salvage or accelerate your career. This week, I’m pointing you to posts about lessons from your first boss, how to hunt for a job, basic interviewing skills, getting your resume noticed online, and finding your passion.

From Shifting Careers: Lessons From My First Boss

“Last week, I had lunch with the lawyer I worked with nearly 15 years ago in my first job. As we sat across a table the way we had countless times before, I realized that he was the reason I stayed so long in a career that wasn’t suited to me. I enjoyed working with him so much that I didn’t focus on the fact that I didn’t want to be a lawyer. But it’s a good thing I stayed because he taught me many things that made me successful in my career long after I left his firm and his field. ”

Wally’s Comment: First bosses have an especially powerful impact. This poster was fortunate to have a good one and savvy enough to learn from him.

From Forbes: How To Job Hunt The Right Way

“Job seekers take note: Instead of blindly sending out résumés to every help-wanted ad in your field, target companies and positions that are the right match and tailor your cover letters accordingly. Yes, it’s a job in itself. But landing the right position is worth it in the end. Forbes.com surveyed hiring managers to find the most common mistakes job candidates make and how to avoid them.”

Wally’s Comment: This is the advice I’ve given my children. When it’s time to look for work, your job search is your job.

From What Would Dad Say: The Class Everyone Thought You Took, But You Didn’t

“Most of the time, I hate the condescending tone of the career pundits. It’s always “Sally, you idiot, here is how you should do your resume.” Or, “Billy Bob, here is how to answer these typical interview questions.” But I thought you knew better. Come to find out there are a lot…I mean a LOT…of job seekers who are clueless about the basics, of how a business operates and recruits. This is Interviewing 101: The Class Everyone Thought You Took, But You Didn’t. It is a lecture.”

Wally’s Comment: This is basic stuff, but it’s basic stuff that many people don’t seem to know.

From Career News: Top Tips for Getting your Resume Noticed Online

Wally’s Comment: This post is exactly what the headline implies.

From Bigg Success: How Do I Find My Passion?

“We recommend that you get a notebook to write down your thoughts and answers to the following questions, Amy. These things all revolve around one simple theme –Look to the past to discover your future.”

Wally’s Comment: The art of figuring out what to do with your life includes identifying those things that you love and do well.

A tax service recently ran an ad that said you should choose them so you’d “have people.” The idea was that if you “had people,” instead of just software you’d rest easier at night.

I thought about that as I read a column by Lee E. Miller in the Newark Star-Ledger. It was titled: “Connections, advice can give you a boost.” Here’s a key excerpt.

“Technology is no substitute for spending time with people Technology plays a critical role in today’s workplace, and recent graduates are generally comfortable using that technology. However, technology is no substitute for face-to face interactions with others in the organization.”

Where Miller is wrong is that for many people it’s not technology or people. It’s technology and people. Take my late father as an example.

Dad resisted email until it dawned on him that it was a great way to stay in touch with his grandchildren. Then he discovered it was great way to stay in touch with his old friends from college.

Technology for dad and many others is a way to enrich and expand relationships. That’s especially true for the generations raised with email, text messaging and social network sites as part of the landscape.

The really important issue is who you’re connecting with, not how. Connecting with the right people will help you with support and feedback.

Everybody needs support. Who’s in your support network? They should be people who love you no matter what. They’re the people who help you get through life.

You also need support from people in your working world. This is a place where you want to “dig the well before you’re thirsty.”

Your work support group will be made up of people that you’ve helped and supported. The way to build a rich one is to start helping others.

You need good feedback. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Identify people who can give you good feedback. They need to be knowledgeable. And they need to be people that you’ll listen to.

Connecting to other people is one key to career and life success. Seek out connections that will give the support and feedback you need to succeed. Use technology to enrich and extend your network of relationships.

Susan’s grandfather, Tom, got out of college, right after World War II. He was hired by a large company.  Over the years he rose through the ranks from Trainee to Manager to Plant Manager and, eventually to Vice President of Operations. After thirty years, he retired.

Her father’s story was a little different. He went with a big company after graduation. In mid-career, he went back to school for an MBA. In the course of his career he’s made several job changes. When he retired, he went to work for a nonprofit.

Things changed a lot between those two generations, but Susan’s career will be very different from the careers of either her father or grandfather. Her grandfather followed the classic GI career strategy, working for one company his whole working life and retiring to life he wanted.

By the time Susan’s father was in the middle of his career, companies had already begun downsizing and rightsizing. They concentrated on quarterly earnings instead of long term profitability. The result was that loyalty to employees became a thing of the past in most companies.

Susan’s father didn’t feel guilty about changing companies. He saw the need to continue his education. He’ll use the funds in his portable pension to do what he wants in his retirement. He chooses to retire to a second career that’s more emotionally rewarding.

Susan’s career will differ from both her father’s and grandfather’s. Here are some of the things that will characterize careers in the first half of the 21st Century.

Employability security will be more important than job security. It will be important for you to develop and maintain your skills so that there’s always a place for you, not matter what your current employer does.

Many alternative career paths will replace the upward career paths that used to be the only option. Climbing the corporate ladder won’t be the only option open to you.

Susan will be looking for a fit with the organization she works for and not so much with one specific job. Savvy companies increasingly will be looking to fit jobs to employees, instead of the other way around.

Where her father and grandfather put career success first, Susan wants to make sure that all the parts of her life, including work and family, fit together well.

Susan’s grandfather got his degree and never went back to school. Her father went back for an advanced degree. Susan will be working in a world where continuous learning and relearning will be required.

Her father and grandfather both stayed employed full time and retired at the end their careers. Susan expects to mix in some part time work and sabbaticals. She may not ever “retire” the way her father and grandfather did.

For her father, and even more so for her grandfather, even top performers had to “wait their turn” to get promoted. In Susan’s world, promotions and other rewards are more likely to be performance based.

Susan will live out her career in the 21st Century. She can expect a faster moving, more information-based world. She’s more likely to be rewarded based on merit and she’ll have lots more career options, but she won’t be able to count on loyalty from her employer.

In the world that lies ahead, neither you nor Susan can depend on your employer to handle your career planning and management. It’s up to you.

We’re designing Momentor to help you choose the Career Path that’s right for you. We’ll offer you resources, including mentors who help identify your Career Stage and meet the challenges it presents.

“Peggy Lee had it right.” Bob flipped a burger on the grill.

The circle of friends in his backyard waited. They knew the signs. Bob was about to deliver a tidbit of “retro-wisdom” from the 1950s, 60s, or 70s that he thought would be helpful and interesting.

“Peggy Lee was a singer in the 1960s.” Bob flipped a burger. “And she had a big hit back then.” Another burger flip. “It was called ‘Is that all there is?’” Bob took a big drink. “That, my friends, is us.”

There was some nervous laughter and a lot of head nodding. Everyone looked around at the others in the group.

Bob was an engineer. After years of work that interested him, it seemed like every project was the same.

His bother, Jack, was a successful salesman, but his old boss retired. Jack’s new boss was a hard charger who wanted to put his own stamp on the sales team. Jack didn’t know if he wanted to hang around for that to happen.

There was Carla who had banged into a glass ceiling at her company. She felt blocked and frustrated.

Bob’s daughter, Susan, had mastered her marketing job right out of college. Now she was coasting.

Many of the people in Bob’s backyard that day felt like asking Peggy Lee’s question: “Is that all there is?” That’s the big question of an Exploration Stage.

You get to an Exploration Stage when learning, possibilities, and choices don’t seem to be part of your life at work. Sometimes it’s temporary. Sometimes it threatens to be long term.

An Exploration Stage can happen at any time in your career. It can be a very tough time.

When you’re in this stage you’re likely to feel frustrated, even depressed. You’ll probably quit diving in and showing initiative at work. You may react by becoming more aggressive or more passive.

Your challenge in an Exploration Stage is to deal with your emotions and start looking for something else to do. Because of the emotions that are often part of it, an Exploration Stage can be very hard on you and the people around you.

You need to meet the challenges of The Exploration Stage and your own Career Path. You need to seek out the resources, including mentors, who can help you make the most of where you are and move on to something better. At Momentor, we’re designing things so you can always find resources for whatever Career Stage you’re in.

Carl used to work late almost every night. Tonight he’s going to watch his daughter play soccer.

Janet built a reputation for always doing a bit of extra preparation. This weekend she’ll forget about the upcoming trade show and do some volunteer work.

Ron turned down a promotion that would have required him to travel extensively. He wants to spend more time at home.

Carl, Janet, and Ron are all in a Balance Stage in their careers. They’ve worked hard and been successful. They’re happy with what they’ve accomplished, but now they want something different.

So they’re throttling back a bit at work and giving more priority to other parts of their lives. Instead of seeking success, the way they have up till now, they’re seeking self-fulfillment.

This is a stage when you ask, “Who am I, really?” It’s a time when you step back from the pursuit of organizational and professional success and ask yourself what’s really important to you and how your success and the rest of your life fit together. It’s a time for those questions that you didn’t have time to ask when your main focus was on success and growth.

Carl and Janet and Ron are all trying to achieve greater balance among the different parts of their lives. Work is still important, but not as central as it was. Now what’s important is the mix of work, family, children, recreation, leisure, and hobbies.

In a Balance Stage and every stage in your life and career you need to meet the challenges of that stage and your own Career Path. You need to seek out the resources, including mentors, who can help you make the most of where you are. At Momentor, we’re designing things so you can always find resources for the Career Stage you’re in.

“Tell me about the new job.” Ray leaned across the table so he could hear better.

He and Lauren have been friends since college. In fact, Lauren married Ray’s college roommate. Now they work at the same company, see each other socially and act as each other’s career cheering section. So it was exciting for Ray when Lauren offered to buy lunch and tell him about her new assignment.

“I’m going to head up the new e-commerce task force!” Lauren was practically ready to explode. “They’re letting us rip apart the web site, tell them what to do about mobile, and develop strategies for using social networking.” She paused for breath.

“The best part is that I get to send stuff to Smith.” Ray was impressed. “Smith,” as everybody called him, was a legendary Executive VP. He was known as someone who loved to mentor younger people.

Ray let her talk while he thought about their lives and careers. They’d been out of school for a little over four years. After a couple of what he thought of as “false starts” they were both working in a place where they could really grow and develop.

Ray and Lauren are both in a Development Stage of their career. For both of them, the focus is on personal and professional growth and development. Ray listened as Lauren wound down.

“I was once a master of the dismal science, now I am ‘Marketing Girl’ and soon I shall become ‘E-Commerce Queen,’” exulted Lauren.

 Ray smiled. He’d met Lauren when they were both economics majors. “Maybe Vice President is next,” he suggested. They both laughed.

If you’re in a Development Stage, like Ray and Lauren, the Entry Stage and learning the ropes is behind you. Now is the time to concentrate on your career and personal growth.

You’ll learn through courses and reading. Ray is mastering the details of cross-border trading because he thinks it’s a growth area and it plays to his strengths. He loves finance and wants to make a career of it.

You’ll learn and grow even more through developmental assignments like the one Lauren was describing. Those assignments can be permanent or temporary but they help you develop both skills and visibility in the company or in the industry. For Lauren, who wants to move up the corporate ladder, both of those are important.

Ray and Lauren’s friend, Tom, is in a Development Stage, too. He’s an entrepreneur and owns a software company. All his energy is poured into growing his company and he’s spending time learning about how to effectively bid on government contracts.

In the Development Stage you must:

Establish your career plan
Develop professional expertise
Establish personal and professional contacts
Become visible and recognized by others
Demonstrate your worth and competence

In the Development Stage and every stage in your life and career you need to meet the challenges of that stage and your own Career Path. You need to seek out the resources, including mentors, who can help you make the most of where you are. At Momentor, we’re designing things so you can always find resources for the Career Stage you’re in.

There is a Yiddish saying that, “All beginnings are hard.” That’s the bad news about the Entry Stages in your career. The good news is that it gets easier.

You’re in an Entry Stage is your career when things are new. Your challenge is to learn the ropes and settle into your new situation quickly and effectively.

The first time that happens is when you move from school to your first regular job. Brent’s first job was with a company that rents construction equipment. He had a lot of things to learn.

He needed to learn about the construction industry. He also needed to learn about the company and about his job. He needed to make friends at work.

The Entry Stage is a little like the Chinese character for crisis. It’s composed of the character for “danger” and the one for “opportunity.” There are many “first impressions” and things you don’t know that will feel dangerous. But there’s also the excitement of something new and the opportunities ahead.

Later in his life, when Brent gets promoted, or changes companies, or gets assigned to a different office or project, he’ll experience other Entry Stages. So will you.

Every time you start something new you go through an Entry Stage. The challenge is always the same.

You need to learn the ropes and how things are done in your new situation. You need to connect with the people and make sense of the social network. And you need to figure out how you fit in best.

Look for resources to help you do those things. Seek out a mentor or two.

Early in his new job, Brent spent a lot of time on the phone with his uncle who had worked in construction for years. He did research to help him understand the business. And he made friends at his new company who helped him learn how things work there.

In the Entry Stage and every stage in your life and career you need to do the same thing. You need to seek out the resources, including mentors, who can help you make the most of where you are. At Momentor, we’re designing things so you can always find resources for the Career Stage you’re in.

Susan is living out a career pattern for the 21st Century. It’s very different from the stages followed by her grandfather, Tom.

When Tom got out of college, right after World War II, he went to work with a large corporation. Over the years he rose through the ranks from Trainee to Manager to Plant Manager and, eventually to Vice President of Operations.

Susan’s stages are very different. After she got her MBA, Susan landed a marketing job. It took her a little while to learn the ropes, but four years later, her employer was thrilled with her work and her performance.

But Susan was bored. She’d mastered her job and there wasn’t much more opportunity. She was coasting. She got married. She and her husband bought a house. That was when she realized two things.

Susan realized that she wanted a challenge at work. And she realized that she didn’t want a challenge with her current employer.

She moved to a large company, where she was still working in marketing. This time, learning the ropes was easier. Her job has expanded and she’s been promoted. She likes the company and the people she works with.

Susan still has things she wants to learn and accomplish, but she’s thinking about what’s ahead for her. She and her husband want to have children in a few years. Susan would like to keep working, but at a less intense level. Her employer doesn’t see a problem making that happen.

Compare that to her grandfather’s life. For Tom things went in a straight line, defined by position in the hierarchy. He planned for years for the retirement he would take after his career was done.

Today’s Career Stages are more like Susan’s than her grandfathers. There are lots of reasons for that, but in the next few posts we’ll talk about the new Career Stages.

Today Career Stages aren’t defined by age and hierarchy. They’re defined by your state of mind about your life and the work that is a part of it.

And, you won’t go through these stages once each. Instead you’ll probably experience each one several times in the course of your career. Here are today’s four Career Stages with a brief description.

Entry Stage

You’re in the Entry Stage when things are new to you. That might be when you join a new company, start a new job, are assigned to a new team, or begin a new phase of life. Your challenge is to learn the ropes and move on to developing yourself.

Development Stage

In the Development stage your challenge is to grow and develop, personally and professionally.

Balance Stage

In the Balance Stage, the growing at work has slowed or plateaued. Work life often recedes in importance. In this stage, your challenge is to answer questions like, “Who am I?” and “What’s important?”

Exploration Stage

Exploration is the stage where you look for something new to do. When you find it, you’ll be back to the Entry stage.

In the next four posts, we’ll examine each stage in some detail. Knowing the stage you’re in will help you select the resources and seek out mentors who can help you most effectively.