Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about workplace myths, going back to school, blogging to get noticed, how hamburgers are like resumes, and going back to work

From Anita Bruzzese: 2 Big Myths about Work You Need to Ditch
“When people are at work, they think it’s sort of an extended living room. They believe that they can say and do anything they want, because, by golly, this is America. Home of free speech, independent living and 450 cable channels. But the truth is, when you go to work you sign an employment contract, and that gives the employer the right to expect certain things from you. If you don’t follow the rules, it can mean you are disciplined, fired or perhaps even criminally prosecuted.”

Wally’s Comment: The workplace is governed by agreements and laws. It’s not like the rest of the world. You don’t have the same rights and you’ve got some responsibilities that you don’t have at home. Sometimes it seems like when you go to work you go through the looking glass to a different world altogether.

From the Washington Post: Go back to school to smooth career changes
“Extra education — whether an advanced degree, a seminar or a series of classes leading to certification — can pave your career transition path or help those returning to work after several years’ absence, career counselors say. It also may be helpful for some lateral moves in competitive fields. ”

Wally’s Comment: Getting a bit more specific education can be a very good thing, or not. So be sure to make any decisions about course and program choices wisely and with enough information.

From the Personal Branding Blog: 4 Tips to Write a Career Blog That Gets You Noticed
“Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are all tools we use to research people we’ve never met. Over 50 million people are Googled a day. A career blog lets you ensure that employers, clients and business partners find positive content that solidifies their decision to work with you.”

Wally’s Comment: Pete Kistler walks you through the basics off career blogging, including what to write about.

From Blogging 4 Jobs: Hold the Mayo–Hamburgers & Resumes
“Are resumes and hamburgers an unlikely metaphor?  I think not.  A couple weeks ago I met my friend, Martha for lunch at our local Red Robin.  Martha is quite particular in her food choices which is why we always meet for lunch there.  In the last four years that I have known her, she has never once ordered something other than a cheeseburger without the cheese.  And apparently Red Robin happens to have the best cheeseless cheeseburger in Oklahoma.  I wouldn’t know.  I’m more of a California Burger or Pita Wrap kind of gal.  And while we were sitting enjoying our burgers, fries, and discussing our careers and family lives, I realized the connection.”

Wally’s Comment: Cheese-less cheeseburger? And resumes? You’ll just have to read this post to find out more.

From the Wall Street Journal: When Returning to Work Is Harder Than It Seems
“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in September the average amount of time a laid-off worker spends unemployed was a staggering 6.5 months. Of course, most people would much prefer the hustle—and even the stress—of work. But despite the hardships of long-term unemployment, many people find the time off a pleasant surprise and take advantage of the lax schedule between job-hunting activities. Out-of-work professionals have found themselves using their free time for everything from family bonding and reconnecting with old friends to spending more time at the gym. That can make the transition back to the daily grind a big adjustment.”

Wally’s Comment: Even though it might be a joyful event, going back to work, especially after a long period of unemployment and especially to a new place can be really tough. It’s just as much a life-changing event as getting laid off.

When Henry Heinz got started, people didn’t buy horseradish or relish or pickles or other preserved foods in stores. They made them at home. And they were skeptical about any preserved food made anywhere else.

There was good reason for that distrust. Much commercial preserved food was awful. Some was even poisonous.

That gave Henry Heinz two challenges. He had to make preserved foods, like horseradish, that were good enough to buy, even when people could make it themselves. And he had to sell his foods to people who didn’t trust food made outside their own kitchen.

He met the first challenge in the obvious way. He made excellent products, better than most people made at home.

Then he changed the packaging to clear glass. Every other manufacturer at the time used either cans or colored glass for their products. Heinz thought that clear glass would show customers his quality and show them he had nothing to hide.

Heinz knew something that was true selling pickles in the 1850s and is still true today in the job market. To succeed you need to offer something of quality, but you also have to look the part.

The magic word here is “verisimilitude.” I first learned it from Herschell Gordon Lewis.

Lewis is famous for two things. In the world of violent horror films he is “The Godfather of Gore,” as producer of Blood Feast and other “splatter movies.” In another world, he has written some of the very best books on how to write advertising copy.

In a book of his that I read long ago, Lewis defined “verisimilitude” as “not just truth, but the appearance of truth, too.” That’s what you need in the job hunt.

Whether you’re looking for a job or an internal development assignment, you need to pick your spots. Pick the ones where you have the “quality goods” that make you attractive.

But you also have to look and act the part. You need to look and act like you’ve already got the job or the assignment.

You need to have the quality, like Henry Heinz’ horseradish. And you need to present yourself so the quality is obvious.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about saving a stalled job search, how not to get fired for blogging, you vs. your brand, dealing with stress, and job search email.

From the Wall Street Journal: Giving a Stalled Job Search a Jump-Start
“For many out-of-work professionals, finding a job in today’s market requires far more effort than it did in the past—and a lot more stamina. Last month, the Labor Department reported that it takes unemployed workers an average of 27.2 weeks to land a job, up from 19.1 weeks in September 2008 and 16.7 in September 2007. But career experts say there are several ways job hunters can revive a stalled search.”

Wally’s Comment: When you’ve been out of work for a while you get tired and frustrated. When you get tired and frustrated you quit working as hard and soon your search is stalled. Here’s what to do when that happens.

From the Personal Branding Blog: 10 Ways to Get Fired For Building Your Personal Brand
“For all of you employed readers, this post is directed at you because I wouldn’t want you to become unemployed, as you build your own personal brand. Branding has become very personal these days and the relationship we have with our companies is changing very fast, so I think it’s important to focus on what you shouldn’t do at work, not just branding and career strategies. I view web 2.0 technologies at the driving force that converges our professional and social lives. Who you are and how you behave outside of work can impact how you’re perceived inside of work and vice versa. The way the world works now is that you have to spend more time thinking about your actions than you did ten years ago because words spread faster and they are accessible by everyone.”

Wally’s Comment: Dan Schawbel knows that sometimes the things you do to build your personal brand might not sit well with your employer. Here’s some guidance to keep your branding and employment from getting in each other’s way.

From Bret Simmons: Personal Branding: Is Your Cart before Your Horse?
“We all understand the old saying “don’t put the cart before the horse” to mean don’t reverse the proper order of things. I see that happening a lot in personal branding. Make sure you understand the cart and the horse of personal branding to avoid making that mistake.”

Wally’s Comment: Over the years, I’ve met a lot of people who mixed up their brand with their personal identity. Bret Simmons offers some thoughts on how to keep things straight.

From Results.com: Managing leadership stress
“Many companies are trying to do more work with fewer people – and it can take a toll in terms of increased stress levels, health problems, deteriorating relationships, and weakened job performance.”

Wally’s Comment: The title of the post is about handling “leadership” stress, but the advice will work for just about any stress you can imagine.

From Alison Doyle at About.com: Job Search Email
“When you are using email to job search, it’s important that all your communications are as professional as they would be if you were writing an old-fashioned paper letter. Here’s information on all you need to know about job search email etiquette including what to include in your job search emails, how to format your email, and how to make sure your email message is read.”

Wally’s Comment: Alison Doyle always has good advice. This post is a review of the basics of using email in your job search. You probably won’t find anything new here, but you may find some things you forget to do.

Sometimes people who’ve met me in recent years have trouble imagining that I once wanted to be a Great American Poet. No one had heard of deliberate practice back then, but I set up a regimen to practice my poetry that even Anders Ericsson would love.

I took strips of paper and wrote the name of a topic on each one. Topics were things like “love” and “joy” and “justice,” but also things like “peanut butter” and “roaches.” I put the strips of paper into a coffee can.

Then I took other strips of paper and I wrote the name of a verse form on each one. There were strips labeled “villanelle” and “Petrarchan sonnet” and “ballad” and “free verse.” I put those strips of paper in a different coffee can.

Every night I drew out a strip from each can. Then, before I went to bed, I wrote a poem in the form I’d drawn on the topic that was on the other slip. Some nights I went to bed very late.

This was not classic deliberate practice. But that only works for certain kinds of activities. It works quite well for music and golf. It works less well for dance and public speaking. It’s almost useless for activities like supervision.

You may not find “deliberate practice” helpful or even possible with some activities. But you can practice what I call “deliberate improvement.” Pick something to work on. Critique your performance. Adjust.

That’s simple and powerful. When I did that with my poetry I improved dramatically. Those exercises affected my writing forever after. That wasn’t the only benefit.

By doing the hard work of trying to improve, I learned two things. I learned that I didn’t love the work as much as I thought. Part of the reason was the other thing I learned: I wasn’t as good as I thought. So I took “Great American Poet” off my To Do list.

Working hard at deliberate improvement turns out to be a great way to find out if you really like something or not. If you don’t, move on.

You’ll carry lessons with you from your hard work that will enrich the rest of your life. And you give yourself the opportunity to find the thing that you love and can build a life and career on.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about how to keep looking, career malaise, can working from home wreck your career, jerk-proofing your next job, and the antidote for worry.

From Forbes: How To Find A Job When You’ve Been Looking Forever
“Eileen Wolkstein says she has never seen it this bad. A career coach in New York for 25 years, Wolkstein reports that many of her clients have been looking for work for six months, nine months, a year, even a year and a half now. Some of them are former senior-level managers who are conducting job searches for the first time in their lives, having been recruited or recommended for every post they ever had. Staying focused and determined in the midst of an ever-worsening employment picture is one of the toughest career challenges out there, Wolkstein says. But there are ways you can keep your spirits up and increase your chances while sharpening your long-term hunt for work”

Wally’s Comment: One of the toughest times in a job search is when it feels like you’ve exhausted all the possibilities. This is a great article about how to keep going.

From All Things Workplace: You Feel How? Why?
“How do you feel about your life: Bitter or Better? Your answer will color everything about your existence. At home, at work, with friends.”

Wally’s Comment: Steve Roesler zeros in on a phenomenon I’ve seen a lot in young coaching clients. By all common measures they appear to be doing well, but they just don’t feel like it.

From Anita Bruzzese: Could telecommuting be a career mistake?
“While a lot of people think telecommuting is the answer to all their problems, sometimes you have to be careful of what you wish for. At the same time, this difficult job environment may mean that you have to work even harder and smarter if you’re not in the office every day.”

Wally’s Comment: Telecommuting gets mostly rave reviews. People want to do it. There are studies that indicate it makes people more productive. But there is a dark side and Anita Bruzzese talks about it in this post. The fact is that telecommuting may be dangerous to your career.

From Bret Simmons: Jerk-Proof Your Next Job
Are you working for a jerk or even worse a bully boss?  As I wrote in my article “The Courage to Take Moral Action,”  if it gets to the point where you need to move on to a new job, you want to make sure you don’t end up in the same boat again at your new job.  There are some things you can do as you look for your new job that will help. The most important thing you need to do is to decide how important it is to you to avoid ever again working for an asshole as bad as the one you are trying to get away from.  If it is not at the top or your priority list, you will likely compromise somewhere along the way and risk eventually being right back where you started.”

Wally’s Comment: If you’re ever worked for a jerk, you know how horrid it can be. Bret Simmons suggests some things you can do to make sure you never work for a jerk again.

From Random Acts of Leadership: The Antidote for Worry

Wally’s Comment: Turbulent times create worry. Susan Mazza outlines how to put worry away so you can concentrate on the important things you need to do.

Last week, Business Week ran a story titled: “The Lost Generation.” Gertrude Stein coined the term to describe the generation that came of age during and immediately after World War I.

Business Week used the term to refer to young people who would normally be entering the workforce but who can’t find a job. Here’s the lead.

“For people just starting their careers, the damage may be deep and long-lasting, potentially creating a kind of ‘lost generation.’ Studies suggest that an extended period of youthful joblessness can significantly depress lifetime income as people get stuck in jobs that are beneath their capabilities, or come to be seen by employers as damaged goods.”

The Business Week story is aimed at executives and policy makers. But what if you’re one of those people who thought you’d be finding your first job right now and aren’t having any luck? Then you need to hear Dan’s story. The name is made up, but the person is real.

When Dan got out of high school he faced a situation like you’re facing. He’d apply for entry-level jobs and compete with men and women his parents’ age who had been laid off.

There weren’t a lot of those jobs, either. It was the middle of a recession.

At first he gave up. But after a month or so he realized that “No one was going to wake up in the morning and call me to offer a job if didn’t let them know I was available.” He went back to looking.

The first job he got was as a temp helping companies out at trade shows. Then he got a job selling children’s shoes. That was not his career objective, but he took it.

At one of the trade shows he struck up a conversation with a speaker who taught sales technique. The man gave Dan a short selling course. He used that selling shoes.

From selling shoes he went to work for a job he thought he’d like. It turned out to be mostly writing reports which he hated. So he learned to write good reports.

Later he got a job as a computer tech. He picked up the skills he needed along the way. He worked for a couple of awful employers until he got hired by a great one.

This didn’t happen overnight. It took several years. But if Dan had never gone back to looking, he never would have gotten that first job. He took it even though it wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. He learned something at every job. He made connections at every job, too.

If you’re one of today’s “Lost Generation” remember Dan. Keep at it. Get something, even if you string part-time and temp work together. That creates opportunities for learning and growth.

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about branding yourself, executive job seekers’ biggest mistakes, social media in the job hunt, CareerBuilder survey, and a job hunting reality check.

From Dan Schawbel: How to Brand Yourself Without Alienating Your Company
“There are a ton of arguments and insights on the struggle between personal branding and corporate branding in the blogosphere and through different organizations right now. This might be the hottest topic in this space based on what I’ve read and experienced for myself, being a brand behind a Fortune 200 brand, lately.  I’m prone to getting asked “so how does your company let you do all of this” and “how do you have time to build your brand while having a full time job?”  The fact is that companies are experimenting and trying to understand how high profile (or more visible) brand can support their practices, while not doing any harm.”

Wally’s Comment: Dan Schawbel is one of the premier experts on personal branding and he tackles one of the thorny issues. If you’re employed, how do you build your personal brand without stepping on the boss’s toes?

From Forbes: Executive Job Seekers’ Biggest Mistakes
“According to a survey of 500 executive recruiters commissioned by TheLadders.com, a job search site for people who earn more than $100,000, senior-level applicants are preparing poorly for interviews, putting together weak resumes and appearing too desperate to take any job that comes their way.”

Wally’s Comment: You would think that people who are candidates for high level jobs wouldn’t make dumb mistakes. Think again.

From Career Rocketeer: Why Isn’t Social Media Getting Me a Job?!?
“Social Media is supposed to be the new ‘Holy Grail’ for a successful job search! Isn’t it??? Well, maybe.”

Wally’s Comment: After all the articles I’ve seen touting Social Media as the newest, coolest, and best way to land a new job, this post is very refreshing.

From CareerBuilder: Job and Internship Hunting Myths Busted in Survey
“Looking for an internship or a job after graduation, but think there’s none out there? CareerRookie.com, a division of the nation’s largest online job site, CareerBuilder.com, busts common myths many college students believe about the current hiring environment in a recent survey of more than 200 college students nationwide. ”

Wally’s Comment: Check out the myths. See which ones you believe. Read why you shouldn’t.

From Harrison Barnes: Give People What They Want
“Lately I have been hearing more and more people say that there are no jobs.  I hear this so much it is beginning to make me a bit angry.  There may not be the same number of jobs that there were two years ago; however, there are still jobs.  There are actually tons of jobs, all over the place.  But here is a little reality check.”

Wally’s Comment: Reality check, indeed. This is simply one of the best “reality check” articles that I’ve read. It’s also some of the best life and career advice you’ll ever get.

Today’s Wall Street Journal included an article titled: “Pile on Mentors in Tough Times.” Here’s the lead.

“In this economy, you need to take advantage of every available resource to propel your career. Finding a mentor—and preferably a network of mentors—is an easy and smart way to get started. And, it won’t set you back financially the way hiring a career coach would.”

Don’t get me wrong, I think mentors are important. I’ve had some great ones and I’ve been honored to be one. But mentors aren’t the only game in town when it comes to career development.

Let’s think for a moment about role models. They’re people that you use to help you decide how to act in specific situations. The idea is to ask yourself, “How would my role model handle this?” and act accordingly.

Role models can help in social situations. When I was first starting in business, I didn’t really have a clue about how to dress. My father was a Lutheran pastor who wore clericals most of the time. And Marine grooming seemed a bit extreme for business.

My solution was to imagine how John would dress in any situation. John was a businessman and friend of my family. He was always impeccably groomed. When I wondered what to wear or to buy I would ask, “What would John wear?”

Role models can help in general business situations. Put three people together and politics will be there with them. I’ve always been a little tone deaf to organizational politics.

Jim is my role model for thriving in organizational situations. He’s retired now and he has an exquisite sense of how the political currents are moving in an organization. I ask myself, “What would Jim look for?” to improve my own awareness.

Role models can help in supervisory situations. Identify a good boss whose style is similar to your own. Then, when you’re facing a supervisory situation ask, “What would my role model do?”

You can even be your own role model. Years ago, my friend, Jim Cathcart, taught me that one of your role models can be your future self. When you wonder what to do, Jim’s suggestion is to ask: “How would the person I want to be handle this?”

Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about research findings on job hunting, online job search basics, virtual internships, and life lessons from Marty Nemko and Simon Cowell.

From Liz Wolgemuth at US News and World Report: New Study Reveals Secrets to Finding a Job
“Most career advice is highly subjective, offered by experts rather than researchers. A new study, however, suggests that there are methods and activities that can maximize your chances of success. Researchers at the University of Missouri studied the efforts of 327 job seekers, ages 20 to 40, and found that developing and following a plan at the start of your job search, and having positive emotions later in the job search had a significant impact on success.”

Wally’s Comments: Good research here. Doing some planning in the beginning of your search can have a big impact.

From Alison Doyle at About.com: Online Job Search
“Sometimes, I’m not sure how people even know where to begin looking for a job online. That’s especially true if you haven’t had to job search in a while. A job seeker I spoke to yesterday had no idea, first of all, how much information was available online and, secondly, where to begin to look for a job.”

Wally’s Comments: To help you with your planning and show you the basics of online job searching, this is THE source. Learn or review the basics of online job search, check out the resources, and discover how networking may fit into your plan.

From the Wall Street Journal: An Internship from Your Couch
“Virtual internships, while relatively rare, are becoming more common, career experts say, fueled by improving technology and the growth of social media. They are most popular among small to midsize companies and online businesses. More than one-fourth of 150 internships posted on UrbanInterns.com, a site that connects small businesses with part-time workers, are labeled virtual, where the work typically involves researching, sales, marketing and social-media development.”

Wally’s Comments: This is new to me, but it seems to fit the times and it seems to work.

From Marty Nemko: What I’ve Learned in Six Decades
“On career: If I haven’t acquired wisdom in this area, I’m in trouble. I’ve been a career coach for 25 years. Here are some things I’ve learned.”

Wally’s Comments: Marty’s post includes both life lessons and job search lessons.

From the Mail Online: Simon Cowell: A letter to my shallow, reckless, cocky younger self
“First things first, how are you? On second thoughts, don’t answer that. I know exactly how you are feeling. It is the early Nineties and you are frustrated, exhausted and worried sick. Life at this moment is not great. Yet just a few years ago, you felt like you were the king of the world!”

Wally’s Comments: This is a great piece. Definitely worth a read.