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 the hidden job market, dress and grooming, what to do if you’ve been laid off, tips for grads, and the only reference that matters.

From the Inside Job at US News & World Report: The Hidden Job Market
“The fact is that even in a recession, layoffs require restructuring (or the reverse) and new positions are created. Companies still fire people who need to be replaced. There is churn in the market. But there’s so much supply in the labor pool that companies often do not need to advertise their openings. Here are some tips for tackling those openings.”

Wally’s Comment: We’ve all heard about that “hidden job market.” Here’s a post that describes how it works.

From Fortify Your Oasis: Dress and Grooming
“When it comes to dress sense, I rarely see people get it wrong per se; what I see is people getting it the same. If I’m seeing a large group over a couple of days – let’s say men and women in their 20s – after a very short while, they tend to morph into one another. Almost all of the women will be wearing a black suit (whether that colour suits them or not) with either a t-shirt top or a large collared white shirt underneath. The men will mostly have navy suits with white shirts and red ties. This is so tricky; you want to fit in, to conform, but you also want to stand out.

Wally’s Comment: Rowan Manahan shares some novel but important insights on dressing for the interview.

From the Simplest Thing that Works: You’ve Been Laid Off – Now What?
“We all have deeply wired-in fear responses that are designed to kick in when we feel threatened – psychologists label them fight, flight and freeze.  And losing your job can catalyze any or all of them: fight – a panicky and over-zealous focus on finding a job – any job – as soon as possible; flight – a total and obsessive focus on anything BUT finding a job; and freeze – staying in your apartment with a pint of ice cream, in your jammys with the TV turned way up.”

Wally’s Comment: Erika Andersen describes how to fight back against your own nature.

From the Wall Street Journal: Graduating With a Major in Go-Getting
“With the right strategy, students may be able to turn the odds of landing a job in their favor.

Wally’s Comment: A fine article about the advantages new grads have and how you can have more of them.

From Great Leadership by Dan: The Only Reference that Really Matters
“Companies using Topgrading or similar hiring methods, ask candidates to provide the names of former managers, and actually have the candidate contact those managers to set up phone calls with the hiring manager. The method is called “TORC” threat of reference check. ”

Wally’s Comment: Dan McCarthy knows a thing or two about checking references. What he knows can help you make sure you’ve got the right kind.

Bonus: RiseSmart publishes a list of the Top 100 Career Blogs. You’ll probably find at least one you’ll want to read regularly.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 7:17 am and is filed under Tools and Strategies for Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.