What I’m Reading This Weekend

TGIF! I have lots of great articles and blog posts to share with you today. Hopefully you can enjoy some good reading this weekend — along with a well-deserved break from the job search grind.

>> Tips for Staying Afloat in a Grim Job Market @ ABC News (written by one of my favorite career bloggers, Lindsey Pollak).

She shares some very interesting observations about how GenY, GenX and the Baby Boomer Generation have all responded to the economic crisis. Amazing how even our “survival” instincts can be so different!

>> Ten Ways To Use LinkedIn To Find a Job @ Guy Kawaski’s blog. Good tips for using the social networking site LinkedIn to help you find your next job. We’ve talked about the importance of networking many times in the past, but I figure good advice bears repeating.

>> Get Jobs With A Little Help From Your Friends @ The San Francisco Gate’s Tech Chronicles. And still more on how to network online to find employment. This article may have a broader appeal than the LinkedIn one, since it offers a pretty thorough review of numerous different sites.

>> Job Loss: Worst in 34 Years @ CNN Money. I’m gonna tell you the truth: This is not an uplifting article. Period. But knowledge is power, right?

>> Are All Low-Paying Freelance Writing Jobs Bad? @ Freelance Writing Gigs. Did you read the post I wrote earlier this week about becoming a freelance writer? If you think you might want to explore that career path, you gotta know about Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Gigs blog. The site is chock-full of good conversations about the industry, plus (free) daily job leads from around the country. Now, as for low-paying gigs, I mentioned briefly in my post on Monday that you should beware of content farms. I think Deb’s post does a great job of fleshing out the argument. I know it can be tough to figure out how to get your start in a new field, but working for pennies on the hour is most definitely not it!

>> Rules for Breaking into Freelance Writing @ Almost Got It. More suggestions about how to pursue a freelance writing career. By the way, you should also read through JobMonkey’s section on freelance writing, if you haven’t already.

That’s it for me this week. Have you read anything lately that has inspired or informed your job search? Leave a note in the comments section so we can share the wealth!