What I’m Reading This Week

Can you believe another week has flown by? 

I think time passes more quickly in the winter — it must be because we are all huddled up and hunkered down inside, trying to stay warm.  Man, is it cold outside!  Of course, those blustery winds mean less temptations to blow off your job search, right?

Nonetheless, if you find yourself needing a break from all that hard-core resume sending, check out some of these great articles that I found this week.  Hopefully you will discover a kernel of inspiration, or just some good advice.

>> @Nine Ways to Improve Your Resume @ B’More Jobs

B’More is a free weekly publication, dedicated to employment advertising and educational opportunities in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area.  What I like about this post is that it reminds us to think of our resume as a work in progress.  Just because you’ve sent out your resume 250 times the way it is doesn’t mean that you can’t make some changes or just fine-tune it a bit.  In fact, if you’ve sent it out 250 times and still don’t have a job, perhaps that’s a sign that you should definitely change things up a bit!

>> 11 Things to Do Immediately When You Get Laid Off @ Amateur Asset Allocator
Kyle’s blog is really a personal finance blog, but there is great advice in here for the job-seeker, too.

I really, really hope that you don’t have this problem (unemployed due to a lay-off), but let’s face it: The economy isn’t great these days.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in October was at 6.5% and more than 240,000 people lost their jobs.  Which is my depressing way of saying that even if you haven’t recently been laid off, it’s still worthwhile to check out this article.  You just never know.

>> Cover Letter Critical Errors @ The Employment Digest

Here are so great tips for correcting cover letter goofs.  If you’re still struggling with your cover letter after reading this, review our post from last month with six tips for writing a cover letter.

>> How to Find a Job During a Recession @ CNN.com

>> How to Write About Unpaid Experience @ Blue Sky Resumes

This is a great little Q&A, and especially relevant to my recent posts about volunteering jobs and transferable skills.  Take some time to read through the rest of Louise’s blog — she has great tips for resume-writing and more.

>> Top 100 Companies for Working Mothers @ The Glass Hammer

Yes, the job market is tough right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should take the first job offered. As this post says:

Juggling a job and its requirements with the responsibilities that come as being a parent can be extremely frustrating, especially when it feels like you have to shortchange one to fulfill the other.  While not every company recognizes the need to offer benefits like flextime, telecommuting, on-site childcare, and paid parental leave, the number that do is growing every year.

Check out the post and be sure to click over on the link to the Top 100 Companies.  Good stuff!

That’s it for me! Have a great weekend and see you back here on Monday!