The average job-seeker spends just 18 minutes a day looking for a job.

In 2010 the average amount of time spent each day by the unemployed actually looking for a job was just 18 minutes. 

Now perhaps you're spending more time on your job search than that, but chances are you are NOT working as hard at looking for a job as you did when you actually had a job.  But now is not the time to slack off.  Instead, you should be putting in at least six hours a day working on your job search, not 18 minutes.

The other two or more hours each day should be devoted to getting physically fit (almost everyone needs to) and buffing up your career skills by taking a class, getting a certification, or teaching yourself something like social media (easily obtained for free from online sources).

Here are just a few suggestions that will fill up six hours a day...and get you much closer to your goal of finding a great job.

1. Perfect your cover letter.
2. Perfect your resume...and make several versions to address any potential job you qualify for.  Make sure it focuses on what you can do to help a future employer.
3. If you haven't already, start a Linkedin account and build your professional career network.  If you have a Linkedin account, work it...add contacts, reach out to your contacts, answer questions to demonstrate expertise, get recommendations and join/participate in groups.  Make sure your profile is 100% and you photo is professional.  Most recruiters and hiring authorities now check Linkedin for professional and "white-collar" jobs.  You must be there.
4. Reach out to all your friends and family...they are a surprisingly large source of job opportunities.
5. Evaluate your Facebook presence and make sure it reflects well upon you.
6. Learn social media and use it.  You're not considered current unless you do.  Get familiar with Twitter, Flickr, Stumbleupon, Facebook, Linkedin.  Twitter and Facebook account for more than half of all jobs.
7. Practice answering possible interview questions...over and over.  Practice the art of active listening too.
8. During the first seconds after meeting a person you can either be Liked or Unliked...first impressions count.  Practice making a good entrance, a firm handshake, a winning smile and eye contact.  As they say, you only have one chance to make a good first impression.
9. Practice visualizing exactly what you want...it works.  In scientific studies, Dr. Lynn Joseph found that job-seekers who visualized outcomes got better jobs and they got them quicker.
10. Set up a job plan and keep it all in a binder.  Track the companies you contact, what you sent, followup, results.  Add articles you find online or in magazines about career management.  Search out books on job-hunting.  Keep notes in your binder. 
11. Do something to get a job EVERY day.  You've got to keep you head in the game.
12. Research the companies at which you have interviews.  Know them as well as a long-time employee.  And research their competition.  Find out what you specifically can do to help them.
13. Be proactive. Just don't send out resumes answering job bank listings or Craigslist ads and see them disappear into the black hole of HR.  Determine which companies you would like to work for and contact those...whether they have a job listed or not.  Call someone in a position of authority...most people are happy to speak with you...and they can tell you if the company is hiring or direct you to someone who may know.
14. Attend conferences, trade shows and industry events.  But avoid "job networking" events...they can't get you a job and may be depressing.
15. Find a couple of great recruiters.  These folks can be an amazing resource in your professional job search.
16. Have lunch with a former colleague or boss...or with a friend.  Get out and be seen.
17. Take time to catch up on reading, turn a hobby into a second revenue source, lose some weight or exercise and get fit, spend time with your family, do some repairs around the house, or take a vacation. 
18. If you can afford it, get a professional makeover...new wardrobe, stylish haircut, maybe a little nip and tuck.  
19. Now is a good time to give up a bad habit...like watching too much TV, smoking (your chance of being hired decreases by 20% if you smoke), or too much drinking.  
20. Brush up on your "people" skills.  People hire people they think they will like working with...so your personality is as important as your skills and experience.
21. Be like an athlete in training...keep moving forward.

Just don't spend 18 minutes a day looking for a job...and whine about why you can't find one.


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Help a friend get a job---or yourself.

Help a friend (or yourself) get a job fast at the Career Reboot Camp in San Rafael, CA on October 26 - 27. More than 30 of the nation's top career experts will help job-seekers get up to speed with the latest tools, resources and guidance.

Find out how to use social media---Linkedin, Facebook, Plaxo, Twitter and others---to find a job.

Learn the secrets to effective networking---the source of 85% of all jobs.

Find out how to update your resume to meet the requirements of the "new world of work."

Get direction on how to create a powerful "personal brand."

Discover what it takes to make a powerful impression during your interview---the pivotal step in the hiring process.

Get tips on finding the "hidden" jobs---a key source for job leads when posted jobs are inundated with resumes.

And much, much more.

Be proactive about your job search. The longer you are out of work the harder it will be to find a job. The Career Reboot Camp is an investment in your career---and future.

The cost is just $249 (tax deductible) and $199 for students and non-profit members and includes breakfasts, parking, wine/cheese reception, entertainment by Grammy-nominated musician---and member of Carlos Santana band---Freddie Ravel.

If the Career Reboot Camp shaves just one day off your job search it will have paid for itself.

Go to www.CareerRebootCamp.com to register now.

A non-profit 501C-3 under the auspices of MarinLink.

The Career ReBoot Camp will be the largest event of its kind in America.

With nearly three dozen top career experts covering virtually every area of job-searching and career management, the Career ReBoot Camp will be the largest event of its kind in America.

Our lineup of experts will help hundreds of job-seekers get back to work faster. And, for those people who realize that the world of work will never be the same, the Career ReBoot Camp is an excellent crash course in the new tools and resources needed to manage a career succcessfully.

At just $249 (tax deductible) the Career ReBoot Camp is one of the best investments anyone can make in their future.

The admission price includes a headshot photo for use with online profiles, new style resumes, and blog posts.

Also, everyone will receive a video of themselves in a mock interview. Few people ever do this but it can be a highly instructive experience that will help assure success in this most important step in the hiring process.

To reserve a space, go to www.CareerReBootCamp.com

Master Career Strategist Ron Nash will speak at The Career ReBoot Camp.

We are proud to have Ron Nash, master career strategist, experienced executive recruiter, popular speaker, NLP strategist and author of "How to Find Your Dream Job---Even in a Recession" as one of the featured speakers at The Career ReBoot Camp 2-day event this October 26 - 27 in San Rafael, CA.

Attendees at The Career ReBoot Camp will receive a free ebook copy of his book.

Ron joins an A-Team lineup of career experts who will share their knowledge to help you find a job faster and manage your career better.

Space is limited at the event so register now. Go to www.CareerReBootCamp.com now to get the special Early Bird price.

Career ReBoot Camp adds musician Freddy Ravel to event.

The Career ReBoot Camp will feature Grammy-nominated Latin jazz musician Freddie Ravel presenting his award-winning program "Tune Up to Success." Ravel's program will be the culmination of the first day of the 2-day event. A limited number of tickets are available to non-event participants for $45.

Freddie Ravel has worked with everyone from teens to dozens of Fortune 500 companies to show how music can be a multi-tasking "power tool" that helps empower personal and professional lives.

Ravel has worked as a Producer, Composer, and Live Performer with many of the great names in music, including Sergio Mendes, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Prince, and Earth Wind & Fire. Freddie recently was asked to be the lead keyboardist in Carlos Santana's band.

Find out more by visiting our website www.CareerReBootCamp.com.

Post-graduate Traumatic Syndrome

After a review of popular job websites devoted to the graduating student, and after reading hilarious lists of Twitter blunders and job interview fiascos, I'm convinced that recent college grads are in for a real shock when they head out into the hard, cold, cruel world of work.

Most are woefully unprepared. I know there are some incredibly good Career Centers at some schools. But I'm also aware that many are seriously behind the times when it comes to keeping up with the rapidly changing style of job-hunting and career management.

A person's career is one of the three things in life that must be chosen wisely and managed well (along with your health and marriage). If you get these right, you will likely be a happy person.

And yet, these are precisely the areas most people screw up badly.

There should be career counseling from high school onward. It's too important to be left up to chance.

One of the best gifts you can give a student (especially a recent grad) is an admission to our Career ReBoot Camp event this Oct. 26/27 in San Rafael, CA (just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco). It's just $249. But your gift will give the student a wealth of career management and job-hunting support resources. Check it out at www.CareerReBootCamp.com.

Bay Area Company Hiring 100 New Employees.

Amidst all the uber-depressing news of firings, layoffs, and the ubiquitous "downsizing," there are still many companies hiring staff. Really. One company in the Bay Area that plans to hire up to 100 new workers is QuinStreet, a leader in online vertical marketing.

Most of the new jobs will be in marketing and engineering, according to CEO Doug Valenti. Note: Valenti is a former venture capitalist, so this company knows how to raise money.

QuinStreet has been profitable almost from the day they opened in 1999. They even made money during the Dot Bomb days. Revenues this year are projected to be in the neighborhood of $300 million (up from $1.5 million in 2001). Net profit is estimated at 7%.

The company's website is www.QuinStreet.com.

QuinStreet is located in Foster City, a few miles south of San Francisco.

When you're looking for a job, you're also looking for a company. In a tight job market, like the one we're currently experiencing, it can be tempting to take any job offered. Try to resist the impulse to see only the job and envision your long-term viability at the company too.