JMM: Some free resources for you

Welcome to this week's edition of your Job Market Minute: it's designed to give you valuable career search advice that will take less than 60 seconds to read...

Today I'd like to give you two invaluable free resources if you're in the Kansas City area, and a great tip for those of you who live outside of the KC metro.

First, every first Thursday I hold a free 2-hour Resume Reboot workshop on how to build a resume that gets your phone ringing. It includes a $97 manual at no charge, and we cover instructions on how to put your resume into play in ways you probably haven't used before. If you're not getting the results you want from your current resume, it's worth investing your time in this "open to the public" workshop.

The next one is being held this Thursday in Lenexa, KS at the Central Resource branch of the Johnson County Public Library. To register and receive your manual, visit http://calendar.jocolibrary.org/evanced/lib/eventsignup.asp?ID=21168 You don't have to be a six-figure earner to get a ton out of these two hours of instruction.

Secondly, we all know that networking is an essential piece of job searching in today's market, as the job board process is a broken one that leads to throwing your resume in a black hole. Now, I fully realize most people hate networking. It's kind of like cold calling. But did you know that 83% of hires last year included a conversation that was outside of the traditional hiring process? It could be talking to someone you know, attending a networking event, or making a research call to someone within a target company or industry.

Well, in my opinion, the very best place to find a concise, up-to-date list of all of the potential networking events in the Kansas City area is at http://www.kansascityjobseekers.com/ . This blog was started by Mark Van Baale when he was job seeking years ago, and he has kept it up because of his passion for helping the KC community get back to work. He volunteers his time each week to document day by day what events are happening for job seekers and how you can get involved. Using his calendar as a springboard, you could network every day each week.

In addition to building connections, did you know that networking - getting out of the house - is good for your morale as a job seeker as well? So get out there, get active in your community, and don't forget to bring plenty of business cards.

I know I have many people who subscribe to my newsletter that don't live in the Kansas City area - in fact, right now a majority of my current clients are nationwide - so I'd like to add an informational nugget for those folks...

I want to give you a few questions you can ask, either during a networking event or during an informational interview, which will give you valuable insight into that person's industry. These are important if you're planning to change industries - but even if you're staying where you've been, it's always wise to get other people's perspectives. So memorize these questions and pull them out when you meet someone and the conversation stalls after the initial "tell me about yourself" question:

• What 2 or 3 key issues top the list of concerns in your industry/field?
• Who are the thought leaders in your profession/your industry?
• How do you keep up to date on what's going on in your industry?
• Which professional associations are most respected?
• Which publications or blogs are most respected?
• Who would be other good candidates for me to talk with?

I hope this information today has served you, and that you use it to get ahead in your search. Transitioning into a new job is not an easy process, and it takes a lot of work. I applaud you if you're taking action every day to further your search.

I look forward to seeing you at the Resume Reboot workshop Thursday, if you haven't attended before. Again, register first at http://calendar.jocolibrary.org/evanced/lib/eventsignup.asp?ID=21168 .

Have a fantastic week!

Warm Regards,

Tammy Kabell

Career Resume Consulting
(816)600-2478