Friday fun with the 2008 Sick Day Calendar

Our friends at Jobacle have released their 2nd annual Sick Day Calendar. Available as a free PDF download, the 2008 calendar highlights days that have "optimal sick day potential."

"With close to 600 million vacation days lost by American workers each year, it's quite likely that the number of wasted sick days is even greater," says Andrew G.R., creator of the calendar and the founder of Jobacle. "We hope you don't need your sick days when you're really sick. However, with some proper planning you can get the most out of a flawed system."

Among the calendar's official sick days:

* Leap Year. An extra day...to work...without extra pay? Hell no! You need to call in sick on Friday, February 29 and do something out of the ordinary with the three-day weekend.

* With a little planning, Valentine's Day and President's Day can be connected for a mini six-day festivus.

* If you only take one fake sick day this year, make it the day after Thanksgiving. If you employer is too cheap to give it for free, you need to overeat and cry fowl.

Video - If Santa had to job hunt

This video has been making the round on recruiting blogs lately. If the Xmas season has you stressed, here's little comic relief for your monday morning.



FYI...blogging will be light over the next few weeks as my fingers take a break for the holidays. But stay tuned later this week for my last podcast of the year where I recap 2007's Top 10 stories from the Job Search World.

I hate employment agencies

I received this email from a job seeker recently complaining about one of my job boards.

SUBJECT: Too many agencies in your site

MESSAGE: Hello, I object to agencies. They mostly are a total waste of time for the job seeker!

The majority on your first page are agencies and it is a real turnoff.

Ok, so there are a couple things here I need to say.

1. Don't blame the job boards. We can't pick and choose our clients.

2. Employment agencies are a fact of life in the job hunt. Get used to them. Find ones you can work with and establish relationships with them.

3. Agencies DO NOT work for you. They work for corporations who hire them to find the right person for the job. It's not personal if they don't get back to you right away.

4. Companies are very picky these days. They're looking for specific skill sets and aren't as likely to hire on potential.

5. Don't apply for jobs for which you are not qualified. I realize there are some job seekers who are down on their luck right now. But the worst thing you can do is blame somebody else. Make your own luck. Do something unique to stand out. If there is a job you want, go get it. Prove to the company that you are the RIGHT person for the job.

And if you are afraid of using agencies, simply bypass them by targeting employers directly. The internet is the perfect research tool to do that. Here's a good example.

Giving thanks to the career blogosphere

Not much going on this week so I thought I would share some link love with my fellow job bloggers. Here are 5 links for your long weekend reading.

• Happy Thanksgiving...you're fired (Your HR Guy)
• 5 Buzz Phrases Employers Want (Employee Digest)
• Confessions of a Job Search Addict (Jobacle)
• Get career help from your parents this Thanksgiving (Lindsey Pollak)
• Writing the perfect email (Virtual Handshake)

Gobble, gobble.

Interview on the Working Podcast

From one podcaster to another, I was recently interviewed by Andrew of Jobacle.com who produces the Working Podcast. Like me, Andrew does a couple of career podcasts each month. His shows are terrific and so I encourage everyone to check them out. They're fun, lively and interesting. I'm on the latest show, #74.

Bad jobs

Marketwatch has a lengthy article about the ups and downs of 'bad jobs'. You can read it here but here's the list:

Occupations with the highest concentrations of bad jobs

1. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop -- 87.0% bad jobs
2. Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop -- 87.0%
3. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers -- 85.4%
4. Fabric and apparel patternmakers -- 82.2%
5. Lifeguards and other protective-service workers -- 81.6%
6. Waiters and waitresses -- 80.4%
7. Tour and travel guides -- 79.4%
8. Models, demonstrators, and product promoters -- 79.2%
9. Dishwashers -- 78.8%
10. Motion picture projectionists -- 78.1%

Checkout Dallas jobs at tzbig.

Unusual excuses for calling in sick

CareerBuilder just came out with their annual survey about calling in sick. Here are the most unusual ones employers listed: lol

1. Employee said he was crabby

2. Employee got whiplash from brushing her hair

3. Employee said her psychic told her to stay home or something awful
would happen to her

4. Employee said he wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest up for the
company's holiday party that night

5. Employee said her chickens' feet were frozen to the driveway

6. At her sister's wedding, the employee chipped her tooth on a Mint
Julep, bent over to spit it out, hit her head on a keg and was knocked
unconscious with a mild concussion

7. Employee claimed to have met a movie star and was spending the day
with him

8. Employee was injured while getting a haircut

9. Employee tasted some dog food because the dog was not feeling well and
now the employee is sick

10. Employee's roommate locked all his clothes in a shed for spite

11. A groundhog bit the employee's car tire, causing it to go flat

12. Employee had been up all night because their favorite "American Idol"
contestant was voted off

Here's the complete survey >>

Funny Video: Facebook-Off

With so much serious news these days surrounding Facebook, mergers and social networks in general, I thought this video would brighten an otherwise dull tuesday afternoon. Enjoy.

And they call themselves newspapers?

I enjoy reading a newspaper, but yesterday gave me cause to banish them from my daily routine.

A career columnist who writes for a couple of major newspapers contacted me after I sent her an idea for a story she was writing. She was all set to quote me and write about my idea (a creative tactic for job hunting) when she asked for my title & company. I told her to call me a blogger and mention this blog.

Thats where things turned sour.

"My editors won't allow me to cite a blogger who competes with me", she said.

Are they kidding?

When I suggested she then cite me as the author of my book, Ultimate Job Hunting Secrets, she balked also.

I know newspapers are dying a slow death due to online job boards and other web sites, but if they truly fear a lowly little career advice blogger like me, they might as well shut down down now in defeat. They're digging their own grave.

Office BINGO

Bored at work today?

My friends at Jobacle have a new game for you cube dwellers. It's called Office BINGO. Regular bingo rules apply.

Me on TV

From time to time, local television stations in Connecticut call on me. My last TV appearance was in '03 so I guess I was overdue for a new spot. Enter Fox 61 News at Ten. I was part of their friday night feature called "Rick's RSS" where I talked about blogging. You'll have to sit through a short commercial on their site to watch it. I appear in minute 1:35 of the three minute piece.

EmployeescreenIQ provides background checks to employers globally.

Tribute to Job Search Underdogs

A musical tribute to career coaches, resume writers and career advice professionals. There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!

Are you wasting your time at work?

Well, according to this survey about 20% of you are. But hey isn't that what work is for? Doing personal things at work is part of the work/life balance that we all seek. If you can't get a few personal things done at work, life would really suck. Employers shouldn't worry about surveys like this. They need to worry about keeping their employees happy.

US Employees Waste 20% of Their Work Day According to Salary.com™ Survey Personal internet use and socializing with co-workers among activities that consume an average of 1.7 hours per day

Salary.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLRY), a leading provider of on-demand compensation management solutions, today released the results of its 2007 Wasting Time Survey revealing that the average employee wastes 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour work day. This is the third year Salary.com has conducted the survey and, while the amount of wasted time has steadily declined, companies are still paying billions in salaries for which they receive no direct benefit.

As in previous years, personal Internet use (34.7% of respondents), socializing with co-workers (20.3%) and conducting personal business (17.0%) remain the leading time-wasting activities. Respondents also report making personal phone calls and taking long breaks to run errands while on the job.

Interestingly, the reasons for wasting time cover both extremes. While many employees admit to wasting time because they ‘don’t have enough work to do’ (17.7%), the second most popular, and somewhat contradictory, response is ‘my hours are too long’ (13.9%). Employees also cite being underpaid (11.8%) and a lack of challenging work (11.1%) as reasons for slacking on the job.

“While a certain amount of wasted time is built into company salary structures, our research indicates that companies with a challenged and engaged workforce can expect more productivity in return,” states Bill Coleman, chief compensation officer at Salary.com.

While the amount of time wasted at work may appear high, it has actually declined 19 percent since the first survey in 2005. At that time employees reported wasting an average of 2.09 hours per day and, in 2006, the figure receded to 1.86 hours. This trend is likely the result of numerous factors, including a growing economy, increases in employee productivity and a tightening labor market.

“A shortage of labor and tighter company budgets have resulted in an increased burden on employees who now have less time available to waste,” adds Coleman. “This translates into a greater return for companies but increases the risk of employee burnout. When increasing workloads, organizations should also allow a certain amount of flexibility for employees to conduct personal business or take a mental breather.”

An open letter to the soon-to-be former Monster employees

Yesterday, Monster.com the popular job board announced it is laying off 800 of its employees. I wonder how many of them will use the site to find their next job? Oh, the irony.

Dear former Monsters,

Do not despair my friends. Getting released from the Monster work program can be a good thing. Think of all the niche job boards that you could go to work for? There are thousands of other job sites out there who could use some new talent. Heck, even Jobster is hiring again. Or you could go to work for Indeed.com, SimplyHired or Jobing.

There's even a social network for job board employees. Join and create a group for yourselves. Band together to find new jobs. Network with other job board professionals. And help build a community while your at it.

Being laid off is not the end of the world. Sometimes its a blessing in disguise. Use this time to reassess your career goals. If you're not happy in your current field, I encourage you explore your passion. Take what makes you happy and turn it into a career.

Good luck. Your fellow Jobboarders have your back.

~Chris Russell

eBossWatch, or why people quit their jobs

There's an old saying in recruitment circles: People quit their boss, not their job.


According to their site:

eBossWatch was created so that you can rate your boss and warn others about hostile working environments, because nobody should have to work with a jerk.

I tried to search for some reviews but you need to know a name or company. Would have been more fun to let us browse them freely.

Biggest, baddest job title ever

Has a cool sound to it, huh? With Sunday nights now devoid of The Sopranos, my new favorite show is ICE ROAD TRUCKERS on the History Channel. In last night's episode, one of the truckers got sent home because of excessive speeding. He originally got the job by responding to an ad in the paper (over 100 applied). Truckers are lured to the great white north of Canada for a chance to make a years salary in just 2 months. Problem is, its not for the faint of heart. Would you want to drive on frozen lakes where the ice is just 3 feet thick? Well I hear they have an opening now that one guy got banned. Are you game?

From recruiter to comic: Tiffany Bridge

I've met a comedian who's now a recruiter but Tiffany Bridge is the first recruiter turned comedian I've ever known. Watch a clip from her appearance at the DC Improv. Read her old recruiter blog. It's about time there was a comic who talks about the recruiting industry.

PC Recruiter provides applicant tracking software to employers.

Summer Help Wanted: Blogger Intern

Are you a college student looking for a cool summer gig? Well look no further, I need a Blogger assistant for about 6 weeks.

Wanted: Web savvy 'techie' guy/gal who wants to earn some cash for those back-to-school sales coming next month. In this project oriented role you will assist me with my various blogs doing research, link building and the occasional blog post.

Compensation: you will be paid on a project by project basis. Opportunity exists for earning between $500-$1000 during this time depending on your ability. You will be paid via Paypal.

How to apply: First of all, DON'T SEND ME A RESUME!

Instead, all applicants must create a blog on their own using blogger, wordpress or another blog provider of your choice. On that blog you should post answers to the following 3 questions;

1. Who are you?
2. What motivates you?
3. Why should I hire you?

Then when you're ready send me the URL of your blog. Deadline for 'applications' is July 17th.

Jobsearch News You Can Use

I thought I'd spread a little link love today. Enjoy these posts from some other job bloggers.

Guard your privacy when job hunting on the Internet
HeraldNet - Everett,WA,USA
Some Internet-based companies actively protect the information of job seekers and other users, while others do not. Know where your resume will be broadcast...

My Favorite Job Hunting Pet Peeve
By Jacob Share
Jacob Share created JobMob to rally job seekers and jobfinders in finding jobs in Israel and all over the world. If you liked this post, subscribe to the JobMob RSS Feed for more real-life job search attitude. While you're at it, ...

How to get hired if you are the best
By HeatherLeigh
I thought Marc's post would be relevant to the job-seekers out there because it shows what's going on on the other side of the table, or at least what should be going on. And it helps you know how you need to present yourself. ...

When You Apply For a Job
By Alison Doyle
It's important for job seekers, as well as employers to know what you can't ask when you're hiring someone. It's also important to know for companies to know how to interview potential employees - the right way.

Competitive Advantage - Paying Attention to the Employer
By Susan Joyce
It makes them think all job seekers are lazy and incompetent. You can catch the recruiter's/employer's attention by proving otherwise - by showing that you were interested enough to visit the company Website and notice what was there. ...

Sponsor My Job Blog

Would you like to get your company exposure in front of 10,000 monthly job seekers?

If your company has a cool career product such as: job boards, resume services or even a career coach then I'd like to hear from you. In addition to banner ad space (468x60) each sponsor will get a podcast devoted to discussing your product, as well as numerous mentions in my blog and podcasts. My podcasts by the way, get over 600 listens per day. This blog gets about 10k monthly visitors and over 450 daily readers via RSS. To get an idea of who reads this blog, click here.

So if you are interested in featuring your career product/service send an email to info [at] secretsofthejobhunt.com

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