What I’m Reading This Week

I can hardly believe we are 9 days into 2009. On my weekly perusals of the blogs, I found a lot of New Year’s Resolutions posts — like the one I did here about job seeking resolutions on JobMonkey. It’s interesting to read about the goals others are setting for themselves.  It looks like a lot of Americans are aiming to get their financial and professional lives in order this year — and it couldn’t come at a better time.

Here’s a look at some of the better things I’ve read online this week. Hope there is something here that you will connect with as well.

>> Find Your Dream Job: 12 Career Resolutions for 2009 @ Lindsey Pollak’s blog. Great suggestions here for those of you looking for a job, or seeking greater fulfillment in the one you already have.

>> Get in Shape – Career Fitness Goals For 2009 @ The Career Hub. More resolutions and goals for the new career year. I especially like the last one to plan a vacation. How awesome — permission to take a break, which all of us could use once in a while.

>> 2009: Tough Year Ahead @ Fortify Your Oasis. This is a great human resources blog with tons of insights on all sorts of things job-related. But this post in particular is just so stinking funny that I can’t stop laughing! Of course, even within the humor there is an important message: Remember that the devil is in the detail.  I.e. make sure that your cover letter, resume and interview skills are flawless. The last thing you want to do is lose out on a job opportunity because of haste or carelessness.

>> Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs @ The Wall Street Journal. Lots of buzz about this article discussing the best — and worst — jobs in the United States. The list was determined according to five factors: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. What made the top of the list? Mathematician. I guess it’s time to go back to school, folks!

>> Learn How to Pitch Yourself in Less Than One Minute @ The Seattle Times blog (originally posted @ The Chicago Tribune). Great ideas for turning yourself into a soundbite fit for a job interview. The bottom line: Be memorable by being unique. And use (pithy) examples to illustrate your uniqueness, rather than generic, overused phrases like *shudder* “people person”.

Happy reading and have a great weekend!