It was an interesting multimedia experience when I addressed a gathering of job seekers last night in Florida, sponsored by the Central Florida Employment Council. I was actually still here in chilly Colorado, recovering from a nasty gut bug that’s been ravaging our family.

First there was a 25-minute Back to Work! PowerPoint presentation I had sent them on CD. Then we did a few minutes of Q&A follow-up via a Skype connection. It was a bit disconcerting to be speaking with people who could see me on a projection screen while I could only hear them. I didn’t even know how many people were there until the applause at the end, which suggested a pretty large group.

One woman wanted to know more about The Call, an occupational & personality inventory I have singled out for special praise. It’s been a while since I plugged it here, so I want to do that again. The Call is a faith-based instrument developed and distributed by Denver career coach Russ Minary of Get on Purpose. Again, I highly recommend it.

Incidentally, it was through The Call that I learned that the occupational field I was most suited for was something I didn’t even know existed–database administrator. Well, I guess I’m going to find out all about it. That’s one of the three tracks I signed up with Microsoft to take through their on-line Elevate America training. (See yesterday’s post “Are you tech-enough?”)

Another person wanted some advice on starting a jobless ministry at her church. I suggested checking out some of the other good models already out there. An especially good one is the Job Seekers NetWORK at Grace Church in Cleveland (Middleburg Heights, Ohio). Check it out at http://gracenetwork.blogspot.com/. Leader Jim Jasko welcomes inquiries. E-mail: gracenetwork@googlegroups.com.

Finally, this very Web site published a rundown of some other excellent resources and examples of jobless ministries around the country. You can revisit that resource here.

Here’s Part 2 of our look at that 147-page jobs & career bibliography published by the U.S. State Department and available in its entirety at www.state.gov/documents/organization/79788.doc.

This section, dealing with Assessments & Work “Fit,” provides quite a few excellent resources for the person in any phase of career transition. I would only note that it’s heavily skewed toward Myers-Briggs-related sources, and that brings with it some built-in limitations. (The MBTI, for example, doesn’t pretend to measure anything in the realm of aptitude or basic career skills.)

The good news is that for all those limitations, the Myers-Briggs has been so widely employed for so long that there is a rich array of career-related materials built around it. Perhaps in a future installment we’ll explore some of the other more comprehensive inventories available now.

OK, here goes:

BOOKS

Buckingham, Marcus and Clifton, Donald O.
Now, Discover Your Strengths
Free Press, 2001

Davis, Sandra and Handschin, Bill
Reinventing Yourself: Life Planning After 50 Using the Strong and MBTI
Uses two scientifically based tools to help the reader understand themselves and make wiser decisions about work and relationships.
Consulting Psychologists Press, First edition, 1998

Jung, Carl
Psychological Types
Routledge, an imprint of Taylor & Francis Books Ltd, 1992

Keirsey, David and Bates, Marilyn
Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types
Prometheus Nemesis Book Company, Third edition, 1984

Kroeger, Otto and Thuesen, Janet M.
Type Talk:  The 16 Personality Types That Determine How We Live, Love, and Work
Dell, Reissue edition, 1989

Laney, Marti Olen
The Introvert Advantage:  How to Thrive in an Extrovert World
Workman Publishing Company, 2002

Martin, Charles R.
Looking at Type and Careers
The book contains descriptions of the preferences of each of the 16 MBTI types and contains a section called “Careers Selected Most Often” for each type.
Center for Applications of Psychological Type, 1995

Tieger, Paul and Barron-Tieger, Barbara
Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type–Revised and Updated Edition Featuring E-careers for the 21st Century
Discover the perfect career for you through the secrets of personality type.
Little, Brown, Third edition, 2001

ONLINE RESOURCES

Barriers/Challenges to Career-Decision Making – www.langara.bc.ca/counselling/career/barriers.html

Birkman Career Style Summary – www.ssicareerzone.com/ssicareerzone/Index.asp?ref=024

Bowling Green State University – www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/career/students/planning_process.html
And www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/career/students/self_assessment.html

Career Anchors:  Some Speculations on their Evolution – www.solonline.org/repository/download/1009.html?item_id=507557#one

Career Changers – www.learnmoreindiana.org/@adults/adults_careers/

Career Interest Profiler – www.testingroom.com/b2cfiles/tests.html

Career Key – www.careerkey.org

CareerMaze – www.careermaze.com

Career Perfect’s Work Preference Inventory – www.careerinnovation.com/panel/values

CareerStorm Navigator – www.careerstorm.com

Complete Kiersey Temperament Sorter II – www.advisorteam.com/user/ktsintro.asp

Creative Job Search’s Online Guide – www.amby.com/worksite/cjs/cjsbook2/skill6d.htm

Discover Your Drivers – www.askmerrill.ml.com/html/mlrr_explore_drivers
·    Located on the Merrill Lynch website and based on the book Don’t Retire, Rewire!
·    “Discover Your Drivers” is 1 of 3 parts of a section entitled “Envision Your Future:  Achieve The Retirement You Want”

Motivational Appraisal for Personal Potential – www.assessment.com

Occupational Personality Questionnaire – www.myskillsprofile.com/tests.php?test=4

Online Career Assessment Tools Review – www.quintcareers.com/online_assessment_review.html

Princeton Review Career Quiz – www.princetonreview.com/cte/quiz/default.asp

Queendom.com – www.queendom.com

Skills Profiler – www.acinet.org/acinet/skills/default.aspx

Type Logic – www.typelogic.com

University of Minnesota-Duluth – www.d.umn.edu/student/loon/car/self/career_transfer_survey.html

University of Waterloo – Career Development eManual – www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/step1.asp

What’s Your Personality Type? – www.personalitytype.com/quiz.asp

The upside of having to produce “Back to Work!” on a very fast track was getting to use the services of a professional researcher, Steve Kipp, to help facilitate the process. Steve identified tons of wonderful resources for people newly out of work or needing to make a career change.

The bad news is that we didn’t get to use most of it in the print book, as Moody wanted to keep the book  relatively small and its price affordable ($9.99) for those out of work–or others who might give it as a gift. And that became part of the impetus for this Web site, which is better for the display of clickable links to online resources, anyway.

One of those resources Steve found was a little gold mine in in its own right, a 147-page bibliography published by, of all places, the U.S. State Department. It’s available in its entirety here: www.state.gov/documents/organization/79788.doc.

The first 40-some pages are devoted to general job search tools–all sorts of resources for the nuts-and-bolts stuff like writing resumes and cover letters, personality and occupational assessments, interviewing, job fairs, etc. This section deserves a closer look in a future installment.

The second section is about 100 pages of search tools according to specific career areas. Since I’m a writer/editor (as are many B2W readers), what follows is the list for Writing & Publishing. It should give you a good idea of what’s available here:

ONLINE RESOURCES ON WRITING

American Society of Association Executives – www.asaenet.org
·    To find many associations that focus on science, fiction, poetry, medical, etc.

American Society of Journalists and Authors – www.asja.org
·    National organization for freelance nonfiction writers.

Copy Editor – www.copyeditor.com
·    A great site for job listings and networking opportunities with other copy editors.

Directory of Free Agent Job Listing Web Sites -
www.airsdirectory.com/directories/job_boards/?action=display_job_boards&industry=specialty
·    Links to 85+ free agent web sites, many of which post opportunities for freelance writers.

Ed2010 – www.ed2010.com/index.html
·    This is a great site for insider leads on jobs.

Editorial Freelancers Association – www.the-efa.org
·    The web site for the national organization of freelance editors.
·    Members also include writers and artists.
·    This site has a page of links to excellent web sites in the writing/editing arena.

Elance – www.elance.com

Forward Motion – www.fmwriters.com

Funds for Writers – www.fundsforwriters.com

Guide to Writers Conferences & Workshops – www.writing.shawguides.com
·    An excellent directory listing of 800+ conferences worldwide, with a focus on varied content, such as journalism, autobiography, environment, children, humor and fiction.

Guru.com – www.guru.com

·  A clearing house for freelancers.
National Novel Writing Month – www.nanowrino.org
Photo Source International -  www.photosource.com/index.php
·    Web site for photo buyers and sellers.

RPCV Writers & Readers – www.peacecorpswriters.org
·    An online newsletter with a strong focus on linking people to other cultures. Although geared toward returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs), this is an excellent site for anybody interested in either fiction or nonfiction.

Selling Your Book to Electronic Publishers – http://eclectics.com/articles/ebooks2.htm
·    A short article on the advantages and disadvantages to consider if you are interested in publishing your works on the web.

Sun Oasis Jobs – www.sunoasis.com/freelance.html

Winning Writers – www.winningwriters.com

The Writer’s Center – www.writer.org
·    This site offers information about upcoming workshops as well as pages and links to excellent resources for writers and editors.

Writers Digest – www.writersdigest.com
·    You can also find a list of more writing websites on this website.

Writers Online Workshops – www.writersonlineworkshops.com
·    Offers online courses for aspiring writers

Writers Weekly – www.writersweekly.com
·    A nice collection of information about getting your work published on and offline, including links to 15+ sites that list jobs for freelance writers.

Writers Write – www.writerswrite.com/jobs/jobs.htm
·    Good site with minimal, but solid job leads for technical and business writing.
·    Links to other sites that mostly focus on journalism-style writing opportunities.

Zoetrope – www.zoetrope.com
·    Virtual writers workshop with short story focus

The Zuzu’s Petals Literary Resource – www.zuzu.com
·    Provides 10,000+ links to helpful resources for writers, artists, performers, and researchers. Also offers literary news, with a focus on poetry.

I’d always heard that LinkedIn has more powerful features and tools than most people realize. Here’s one: The LinkedIn toolbar.

Make sure you have some time to spare before your start playing with this one. I got lost in it for hours. Amaze your–no, the heck with your friends. Amaze YOURSELF as you plug in company names and discover all the 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree contacts you never knew you had within the given organization.

It will definitely enhance your appreciation for the power of network contacts when you see the many doors that just one personal contact potentially opens.

Here’s a resource that’s worth its weight in gold. Again, it’s from “Get Back to Work Faster” by Jill Konrath at www.getbacktoworkfaster.com:

Install and use the LinkedIn toolbar

This is a little known feature that can save you lots of time and clicks during your job search.

If you install it, your browser senses when you’re visiting a job site like monster.com careerbuilder.com, and craigslist.org. Then, when you’re looking at a job posting on any of these sites, the browser toolbar creates a blue panel on the lefthand side that shows the number of people in your “network” who are employed by the company. If you click on the link, you’ll see the names of all your 1st level connections. You can then ask these people for tips on how to get to the hiring manager.

If you don’t have any connections who work at the company, click on the link for the 2nd level connections. On the right hand side of their profile, about 1 screen down, you’ll see which of your 1st level connections knows them, and you can ask for an introduction (probably by phone). You can then ask the 2nd level connection for tips on applying to the company.

Here’s a 3-minute video that shows how it works: http://tinyurl.com/linkedintips.

I would just add that you don’t have to be on a job-search site like Monster. It works just as well if you’re on the Web site of the XYZ Corp. In fact, I think that’s its best use. What a tool.

Yes, “Back to Work!” advocates self-employment as one answer to the unemployment crisis today. But let’s face it: It ain’t that easy. If anybody could do it, most of us would. (Think here of your last Boss from Hell.)

There’s definitely something to be said for the security of a regular situation–especially the regular paycheck part. My late father, an electrical contractor, once said, “Son, you never get rich working for someone else.” But at least you don’t starve, either. It’s a known quantity.

In self-employment, both the upside and the downside are delimited. You can go broke as easily as you can get rich. Or at least fail to become profitable in a reasonable time frame. Think of the mortality rate for small-business start-ups, and you’ll see the kind of odds you’re up against.

Oftentimes it’s best to think of self-employment as a stepping stone in the stream, a temporary stop en route to the other side. That’s another reason I like Jill Konrath’s approach in “Get Back to Work Faster,” a free e-book available at www.getbacktoworkfaster.com. She suggests practical ways to do that.

Besides keeping your financial head above water, being an independent contractor can give you a significant leg up over other job applicants because you’re seen as someone who’s already making a living in this vocational field, not just another wannabe. (While it’s also generally understood that most freelancers don’t exactly have it made in the shade–and certainly no shame there.)

Here’s Jill’s prescription for breaking free from the traditional job-hunting strategies and exploiting your natural advantage:

● Clarify your value proposition [see yesterday's post here]
● Identify companies you’d like to work for based on criteria you established
● Determine potential needs based on your expertise
● Craft proactive campaigns to connect and meet with decision-makers [LinkedIn can be invaluable here]
● Direct to your professional website, which highlights your expertise and approach to business problems
● Share ideas on how you can help; have business-focused conversations where you’re seen as an intelligent person, not a desperate job seeker.
● Continue to keep in touch; share more ideas that can help your targeted contact with key business objectives
● Get invited in to work on a special “project” or to talk about newly emerged opportunity
● Job offer extended to you with no competition

Honestly, my first reaction to this? Come on, get real. Are employers really going to invite you in to “share ideas”? Then I remembered just how much my own freelance work had made the difference in landing my last two jobs. I’ve never actually gone to work for an employer for whom I’ve done freelance work, but others have.

The worst that can happen from employing this strategy? They don’t hire you. You “only” get more freelance work from the organization. Well, I could live with that. Couldn’t you?

I’ve never met Jill Konrath, but I really like and admire her. She’s a living example of what we’ve been preaching here–taking charge of your future because when we weren’t looking, somebody stole the safety net. Many of us are now going to have to learn to make it without a job.

Jill says:

I’ve been unemployed for over 21 years. And, I even tell people today that I am ‘functionally unemployable,’ meaning I’m not sure if I could ever work for anyone else again. But I haven’t been on Skid Row. Nor have I been destitute. Instead, I’ve been creating opportunities for me to use my best skills and to get paid well to do it.

Jill is what she calls a “sales stategist,” but she’s written (along with Jeff Ogden) a very helpful book for people like us called “Get Back to Work Faster: The Ultimate Job Seekers’ Guide for Professionals.” And here’s the best part: It’s a totally free e-book.

You can get it right here: www.getbacktoworkfaster.com

Or you can just keep your dial set right here as we share a few things in the next couple of days that we’ve gleaned from this resource. (Heck, this might become Resources Week.)

For example, do you know what a “value proposition” is? More importantly, do you have one of your own? You need to. Here’s Jill’s definition: “A value proposition is a clear statement of the tangible results a customer gets from using your products or services.”

It’s like the difference between features and benefits. Features tell you what the widget is made of. Benefits tell you what it can do for you. Unfortunately, too many people present themselves like widget features, when they really need to be marketing their benefits–i.e., their value proposition. This applies to resumes as well as capabilities brochures, Web sites and marketing materials.

Did you know that LinkedIn has a toolbar that you can download to your browser and identify contacts at Company XYZ you didn’t know you had? No lie. I was vaguely aware of such a feature, but didn’t know how to employ it until I read that chapter in Jill’s book.

We’ll have more to say about that–once I’m done experimenting with it. (I discovered I have some indirect White House contacts, though none with the CIA.) This is just too much fun right now.

Thanks, Jill.

And if that’s not enough to entice you, here’s her Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Stop Playing the Old Game
Chapter 2: Sharpen Your Personal Value Proposition
Chapter 3: Develop a Strong Online Presence
Chapter 4: Target and Research Prospective Employers
Chapter 5: Pursue Known Opportunities
Chapter 6: Job Creation: How to Make New Opportunities
Chapter 7: Use a Targeted Direct Mail Approach
Chapter 8: Conversations and Connections
Chapter 9: A Time of Growth
Appendix: Fresh Resources & Tools You Can Use

OK, we’ve been harping on the new reality some call the “de-jobbing” of America. That is, making a living outside the formal relationship of a regular job. And we’ve been extolling the virtues of self-employment, independent contracting, etc.

So, it’s only appropriate that this installment of Resources Monday be devoted to four books devoted to that topic. In fact, I’m going to look into that fourth one myself, about starting a non-profit organization. I’m feeling a call to start a non-profit to raise funds from churches to provide tuition-free job counseling services to those who are unemployed and can’t otherwise afford it.

The envelope, please:

No More Mondays: Fire Yourself and Other Revolutionary Ways to Discover Your True Calling at Work by Dan Miller, Currency/Doubleday, NY, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland, 2008. Miller’s premise is simple: “To build the life you want, create the work you love.” Build up both your life and work priorities around values. Miller dismisses the commonly perceived high start-up costs of many new businesses, citing surveys that show 60 percent of such businesses require less than $5,000—and 69 percent less than $10,000. He delves into freeing the reader from the “paycheck mentality” in favor of results. Miller also provides a helpful chart distinguishing the new “eaglepreneur” from entrepreneurs, and provides helpful Web sites for those seeking “revolutionary work.”

Moonlighting on the Internet: Five World-Class ‘Experts’ Reveal Proven Ways to Make an Extra Paycheck Online Each Month by Yanik Silver with Robert Olie, EP Press, Madison, WI 2008. The authors specialize in providing solid step-by-step procedures and recommendations for launching Web sites both for commercial gain as well as other purposes such as blogging. The guide provides practical Web links and advice for bumping your Web site higher among “hits” by search-engine users.

The Weekend Small Business Start-Up Kit w/CD-Rom: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Get Your Business Up and Running Fast and to Start Making Money by Mark Warda, attorney at law, Sphinx Publishing, Naperville, IL, 2007. This author of more than 70 self-help legal guides provides information on contracts, insurance, Internet marketing, employment issues, bookkeeping and taxes.

The Non-Profit Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Run Your Non-Profit Organization by Gary M. Grobman, White Hat Communications, Harrisburg, PA, 2008, 5th edition. Grobman spent 13 years as an executive director for a non-profit organization and provides a breadth and depth of what to anticipate within the mega-details of jump-starting a non-profit organization. He covers details including managing volunteers, staying fiscally accountable and structuring board involvement, as well as offering tips on communications, marketing, fund-raising and developing a strategic plan.

It’s Monday–and here are some resources specific to interviewing and résumé & cover letter writing:

“Knock ’Em Dead Résumés: Smart Advice to Make Your Online and Paper Résumés More Productive” by Martin Yate, Adams Media, Avon, MA, 2009. This latest edition adds updated Internet resource information for job searching, networking and company-specific research. It adds fresh examples of types of interviews, strategies to promote your distinctive components and new examples of interview questions.

“Résumé Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Résumé Writer” by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Jist Works, Indianapolis, IN 2006. Combines great tips with 50 before-and-after résumé transformations to explain the “nuts and bolts” of résumé creation. This guide illustrates professional techniques with actual examples that show why they work. This book also includes marketing techniques to make the reader’s résumé content and design stand out, and expert advice on cover letters, references, networking and careers.

“15-Minute Cover Letter: Write an Effective Cover Letter Right Now” by Michael J. Farr and Louise M. Kursmark, Jist Publishing, Indianapolis, IN 2005. Dozens of professionally written cover letter samples are included in this step-by-step coverage for developing intriguing cover letters. Farr is a prolific writer in job hunt resources.

“Interview Magic: Job Interview Secrets from America’s Career and Life Coach” by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Jist Works, Indianapolis, IN 2004. The author walks the reader through the distinctive types of interviews (telephone, panel, stress, or behavioral) and aims at boosting your interviewing competency, courage and confidence.

“Nail the Job Interview! 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions” by Dr. Ron and Dr. Caryl Krannich, 2006. Interview preparation can be one of the most overlooked job-hunting areas. The authors highlight how to anticipate 101 questions, provide thoughtful, compelling responses–including positive responses to negative and behavioral questions. Drs. Krannich recommend focusing on your accomplishments, communicate positive nonverbal messages and ask intelligent questions. They provide application of 45 key interview principles.

I’ll admit I’ve been fortunate. During these last two stints of unemployment-cum-self-employment, we’ve had my wife’s health care coverage to lean on. We haven’t missed a beat.

But it certainly is an issue for many other freelancers and professional independent contractors who are not so fortunate. So much so that it’s helped fuel the bandwagon for single-payer government-run health care–one of the worst mistakes, in my opinion, this nation could ever make. (Imagine health care delivered by your local auto license bureau, but without all the ambience.)

Our purpose is not to re-hash the political debate here, but to point out some practical alternatives less drastic than cutting the patient’s throat. Some local chambers of commerce and other private business organizations, for example, offer health plans for sole proprietors.

During my first stint of freelancing-out-of-necessity, I was fortunate enough to be living in northeast Ohio, where I was able to purchase reasonably priced health insurance from a small-business coalition called the Council of Smaller Enterprises. It’s an idea that should be replicated everywhere. Premiums were reasonable because, together, this small-business coalition had buying power. Still does.

Here’s a great resource: The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center at http://www.ahirc.org/. The home page provides an interactive map where you can just click on your state to find out what’s available. And here’s their mission statement:

Our mission is to make quality, affordable health insurance and health care available to every artist in the United States. AHIRC.org is an up-to-date, comprehensive and unbiased database of health care resources for artists, performers, freelancers and the self-employed.

Here’s another good one: The New York-based Freelancers Union offers health insurance coverage in 30-some states. See http://www.freelancersunion.org/. And there’s a kicker–it’s free to join the Freelancers Union.

So, there are at least three good options right there. I’m sure there are others, too. If you know of any, please feel free to share.

Our recent post about author Richard Bolles’ three big-picture life questions was taken directly from the material in my public Back to Work! presentations. We’ll get back to that material, but it seems appropriate to make Mondays our resources day so we keep up a steady flow of those helps.

Look for those posts at other times under “Resources” in Categories. And we’ve added a Resources page where all the content will be posted together for ready reference.

This material was assembled and reported by professional researcher Steve Kipp, originally for inclusion in the “Back to Work!” book, but had to be dropped to keep the page numbers (and cost) down. But as a lot of these resources are Web sites, it actually makes more sense to have them here with clickable hyperlinks.

Speaking of Richard Bolles, this week’s resources include his classic book plus two other general-purpose works and two on-line job search books Steve found particularly helpful:

“What Color is Your Parachute: ‘Job-Hunting in Hard Times’  Edition” by Richard Bolles, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Toronto, 2009 edition. Bolles advocates using multiple job-hunting methods (of sixteen cited)–outlining the five best ways on pp. 34-37. “Most employers hunt for employees in the exact opposite way from how job-hunters hunt for them” (meaning computer-based communication). So, although Bolles provides the best job hunt Web site links, he advises readers to get beyond the “e” world in hitting your networks, visiting physical locations of potential employers, perusing hard-copy yellow pages as leads for such visits, and becoming involved in “job-club networks.” His twenty-one-page appendix listing career coaches or counselors by state is extensive.

“Job Search Magic: Insider Secrets From America’s Career and Life Coach,” Jist Works, Indianapolis, IN, 2006. Whitcomb, based on her twenty+-year experience as a career and life coach, provides practical help with before-and-after sample résumés and cover letters and interview responses so that the reader can contrast pre- and post-transformation. She provides career-choice guidance–including defining the “ideal” job, references job search Web sites, provides salary-negotiation tips. Each topic includes a “10 Quick Tips” summary. The author gives recommendations on the top three organizations within the résumé distribution industry, mentioning distinctives each offers.

“Global Marketplace: How Will You Compete?” DVD by Michael Dieffenbach, Film Ideas, Wheeling, IL  2006 Stresses competitive skills and traits that young adults can bring to the global marketplace. (Geared toward college and upper-aged high school students)

“Job-Hunting Online: A Guide to Job Listings, Message Boards, Research Sites, the UnderWeb, Counseling, Networking, Self-Assessment Tools, Niche Sites” by Mark Bolles and Richard Bolles, 2008. The authors help the reader navigate through “online overload” to land on the most useful job hunting sites and avoid common e-pitfalls.

“2007-2008 Guide to Employment Sites on the Internet: For Corporate and Third Party Recruiters, Job Seekers, and Career Activists” by Peter Weddle, Weddle’s, Stamford, CT, 2006, 8th edition. Weddle’s ongoing expertise lies in his established ties to the job recruiting industry and his knowledgeable assessment of that industry. His survey of recruits, job seekers and employment-related Web sites, coupled with his expert navigation of job boards draws interest not only for job seekers, but career activists, recruiters and HR professionals.