One of the most challenging dreams to realize for many people is identifying then fulfilling their goal to acquire a great career. Sometimes it can seem that it will take a lifetime to actually get a foot in the door. But if you have an idea of what you would like to do in your professional life, then your next step is to begin making your dream a reality.

For many people, the route to starting their dream career will vary, but there are a few steps anyone can take to set them on the right path. Let’s look at a few …

Start Where You Are

Whether you’re working for a temporary agency or at a job you’ve been at for years, if you want to step into the career you’re really interested in, you can do it. Many suggest that a good way to get this done is to start right where you are, even if it’s not ultimately where you want to end up.

Why? Starting at your current job helps propel you to your intended career because you can easily take advantage of advanced roles and responsibilities. For example, you may be working as a customer service representative but are very good at working on computers, and actually carry a degree in relation to information technology. You notice that your computer is operating differently and realize only a few tweaks are needed to enhance its performance. You bring this to the attention of your supervisor who calls a technician, from whom the few tweaks suggested are identical. It is then that you can reveal your education. With this type of disclosure, or the nerve to inquire about other additional roles and responsibilities, you may find that your desired career can start right where you are.

Constantly Update Your Resume

This is probably one of the most forgotten tasks among individuals wanting to step into a career – but it’s an important one. Anytime you take on any new tasks, it is crucial that you update your resume immediately. This way you can better articulate what you’ve accomplished because it’s fresh in your mind. Also, by updating as it happens, you can not only pick and choose the accomplishments that best suit any new job you’re applying for, but you can also analyze the list to see what roles and responsibilities are missing from that list that you can take on to better your chances of qualifying for your career.

Study the Field

When trying to step into your desired career, it’s a good idea to study the field your career is nestled in. Ways that you can study include looking at who is hiring and firing, what educational background is required, and which jobs will best get you to your peak goal within your career. Some resources available to help you follow trends include trade publications, newspapers, and even web blogs.

Stepping into the career you most want is something you can do if you take the right steps. So study your field, take on new roles and responsibilities at your current job, and update your accomplishments constantly. Your hard work can take you straight to the career you want sooner than you think.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. If you need a resume writer, compare the top companies in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

If you’re looking for a job in 2009, you don’t need to be reminded about how bad the economy and employment markets are.

But you may need to be reminded of a simple fact: You will never get hired for any job, in any economy, by an employer.

Instead, you will be hired by a person.

A person with feelings, hopes, and fears, just like you.

The more persons you can meet, talk to, and help, the faster you will get hired. In any city. In any economy.

With that in mind, I went through my past columns from this year and collected three proven ways to get hired faster by “getting personal” …

1) Meet Employers in Person

You can shorten your job search simply by meeting more hiring authorities in person.

But you have to do it right. You must dress and act the part you want to play on the job, if you want to impress an employer enough to hire you.

That’s the advice one man gave his wife that helped her win a job at a local college.

“She was going to mail her resume to apply for the position, but I told her that it was so close, why not hand-deliver it instead?” said Daniel Dallaire, from Kamloops, British Columbia. “That way she could check out the employer she might be working for at the same time.”

But it almost backfired. As his wife was heading out the door, Dallaire noticed she was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt. Solution? “I told her to change clothes and look professional before delivering her resume.”

Good thing. She ran into the hiring manager at the office, and her appearance had a positive influence on the decision to hire her later, according to Dallaire.

And it never would have happened had she not visited that employer in person.

2) Personalize the Internet

Here’s a clever method one woman used to land a director-level position she found advertised on one of the biggest employment Web sites, where millions of other job seekers have uploaded their resumes.

She did it by creating a personal buzz about herself that got the hiring manager’s attention.

Her story is short and sweet …

“A search online turned up the opening I wanted. I then used my network to find people who’d refer me. I timed submitting my resume through the job board with the referrals,” says Barbara Finer, from suburban Boston, Mass.

Finer’s efforts ensured that her resume and the referrals from people in her network all arrived about the same time.

“The resulting confluence of resources got me on the top of the pile, and I was hired as Director of Product Marketing at a Boston-area company,” says Finer.

Here’s how you can do this, too …

1. When you find a job posted online that you really want to apply for, don’t. First, use your network — especially your contacts at LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace — to reach out to people who work at the employer.
2. Ask those people to forward your resume by email or hand it to the manager you would work for. Give them a specific day to do so, say, Thursday.
3. On Thursday morning, submit your resume to the job posting online.
4. These multiple, coordinated contacts — your resume coming in via the job board and people delivering it to the hiring manager — can generate enough buzz to catapult your name to the top of the list.

3) Help Well-Connected Persons

Here’s my take on some good advice from an article by Phil Rosenberg in the Oct. 8, 2008 issue of CIO Magazine, called “Hubs in Your Job Search.”

Rosenberg discusses how the most-connected people in your network, called “hubs,” can help you make connections with employers.

In essence, if you help hubs get what they want, they’ll likely help you get the job you want.

Here are example questions you can ask your hubs, to get conversations started:

• What are your top two challenges at work right now?
• What three people would you most like to meet in 2009?
• If you could wave a magic wand at work, what one thing would you change?

These questions will prompt the most-connected people you know to tell you how to help them. If you help them, they’ll help you. In this case, their help may lead to employment opportunities.

Why not offer to help a well-connected person today?

Happy hunting and happy 2009!

Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His free report, The Simple Job Search Manifesto, is found at www.TheSimpleJobSearch.com.

Embody the habits of the rich to enrich your own wallet!

1. Tax-free: Contributing and trading within a tax-qualified brokerage account means that you could be earning up to 30% additional in returns (which you don’t give to the IRS for capital gains taxes). Compound that year in and year out and it could be worth millions.

2. Play it Safe: Always keep a percent equal to your age safe, i.e. out of the stock market. Certificates of Deposits, savings accounts, money markets, and bonds are less risky than stocks. (Bond funds should be counted as stocks, not bonds.)

3. Stocks on Steroids: Take a small percentage of your stock portfolio for trading. (Don’t trade the whole nest egg.) Subscribe to a great stock newsletter, which is tracked by an independent agency, to achieve superior returns.

4. Great Partners: Interview your financial partner (broker) as if your life depends upon it. Your lifestyle does!

5. Tithe: The first check you write each month should be to your financial freedom fund. 10% for investing, so that your money can make gains while you sleep! With this habit alone, you could be a millionaire in 31 years, even if you only made $14/hour.

6. Don’t be the Bank of Mom and Dad: You’re not qualified to, nor would you want to, establish the underwriting guidelines for loaning out money to relatives. If someone needs money, consider any gift you give to be a gift or charity. If someone wants you to go into business with him or her, consider whether or not you want to provide that widget or service to the world. In most cases, you’ll be better off considering your help to be charity or an investment, and not a loan.

7. Avoid Fair-Weather Friends: Whether it is a new broker, a new person you met by email or just new interest from someone who never cared much about you, if the new relationship is all about the money, make sure you are doing business with a monk! Do your due diligence and don’t be seduced by promises of guaranteed riches, guaranteed love or a fabulous lifestyle.

8. Switch-Hit: Do as much of your day trading as possible in a tax-qualified retirement plan, such as an IRA or even possibly a college fund or health savings account. That could help you are reduce the taxes you pay on capital gains.

9. Getty/Guggenheim Your Fab Self: Find out every tax-qualified account that exists and stock up your holdings in as many protected accounts as possible, including IRAs, 401 (k)s, health savings accounts, college funds and foundations!

10. Live the Rich Life: Wealth is not just money. Wealth is enjoying a happy, fulfilling rich life with people you care about, and investing in products and services that make the world a better place. Health is wealth, so get happy & exercise! Breathing is health, so invest in green!

©2008 Natalie Pace

Author Bio

Natalie Pace, is adding a splash of green to Wall Street and transforming lives on Main Street. She is the founder and CEO of one of the most respected independently owned financial news organizations in the world. She has been ranked as a #1 stock picker from TipsTraders.com and has partnered with Forbes.com. She has repeat guest appearances on Fox News, Good Morning America, Time Magazine, More Magazine, USA Today, NPR and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. She currently lives in Southern California. For more information please visit, http://www.nataliepace.com.

When real money is at stake, it tends to clarify the mind, and for over a decade, Anne-Marie Fink has had literally billions of dollars resting on her assessments of companies. As an equity analyst and professional investor, she has been charged with understanding whether businesses are solid, long-term moneymakers–or rotten tomatoes–before investing with them.She has had unusual access to an incredible variety of businesses, from entertainment conglomerates to newspapers, Internet companies, airlines, railroads, furniture manufacturers, auto suppliers, staffing agencies, and others. Well known for her ability to drill down to the details and understand what makes a business tick, she has skillfully dissected the story of many a CEO and talked with people up and down the ranks, as well as customers, suppliers, regulators, distributors, bankers, and rivals–anyone who could give her insight on a company’s operations.

The result is a book of great originality–an unusual and perceptive look at business that busts myths and conventional thinking. Based on what she and her investing colleagues have seen firsthand, Anne-Marie Fink’s The Moneymakers provides a highly pragmatic framework for thriving in our hypercompetitive world. They include:

• Shrink to grow: Why expanding a bad (low-return) business means you just have more of a problem, and how a step backward is often the best way forward.
• Good performance requires inefficiency and duplication: How maximum efficiencyproduces suboptimal results by stifling innovation.
• Don’t be a customer fanatic: How to know when to listen to and when to ignore your customers.
• Economics always trumps management: Ignore bedrock economic laws–such as supply and demand–at your peril; it is akin to ordering the tides to stay in place.
• Why happy employees don’t make for high-performance workplaces.
• Problems in business are like cockroaches–there’s never just one: How to catch problems before they infest your company.
• Avoid the trap of profitless growth: Additional profitis an illusion if it consumes too much capital.
• Megatrends start as ripples: How to position your business to ride long-term waves, not be drowned by them.

Product Details

* Hardcover: 320 pages
* Publisher: Crown Business (January 27, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0307396304
* ISBN-13: 978-0307396303

Last week, I told you about three habits of highly ineffective job seekers.

This week, here’s the final installment: four more bad habits that can wreck your career.

Have a look below to see if you’re practicing any.

If so, drop these habits now, and you may start getting more calls from employers tomorrow …

Habit 1) Say “But” instead of “How”

When highly unsuccessful job seekers are presented with a new idea, the first word out of their mouths is usually: “But ….”

As in: “Hey, Joe, here’s a phone script you can use to call people and generate job leads. You ought to try it!”

Joe, the highly unsuccessful job seeker, replies: “But, I’ve already called everyone in my network.”

Successful job seekers, on the other hand, greet new ideas with this question: “How could I adapt that to my job search?” Then they get busy.

Listen to your self-talk today. Are you saying, “But” a lot more than “How”? If so, the scientific term for your condition is but-head (sic). Sorry, couldn’t resist that.

To stop being a “but-head,” start saying, “How can I make that work for me?” more often in your job search (and in your life).

Habit 2) Fail to tell everyone about their search

Unsuccessful job seekers often equate employment status with self-worth, and are too embarrassed to tell friends and family about their job search.

But … you won’t get paid more for finding a job entirely on your own.

In fact, you may not get a paycheck for many moons unless you enlist the aid of as many people as possible, starting in your own home and on the block where you live.

Today, before your next bathroom break (yes, I want to give you a sense of urgency) make a list of the 20 most-successful, most-connected people you know.

How many of them know about your job search?

When I say, “know,” I mean the following:

• Do they know the title of the job you seek?
• The city where you want to work?
• The type of employer you want to work for (right down to 10-20 company names)?

If not, you won’t find work as fast as you could.

To get hired quickly, tell everyone. Not 10 people. Or 23. Everyone — every person you meet, every day.

Habit 3) Set no specific goals

I’m firmly convinced that muddled thinking causes more prolonged unemployment than any other factor — economic, political, or otherwise.

Here’s a how to spot the unclear thinking of an unsuccessful job seeker …

When you ask how many networking calls they’ve made this week, they reply: “I’m moving forward on that.”

When you ask for names of companies they want to work for, they reply: “I can’t answer that, because I want to keep my options open.”

(Sounds like a senator, doesn’t it?)

But, without specific goals — milestones on your journey to employment — how can you measure your progress and improve your efforts?

You can’t.

Note: Specific goals require numbers and dates. Example: “I will make phone calls until I set up 5 networking meetings by Friday, January 9.”

It’s tempting to set a goal that’s process-oriented, like this: “I will make 20 networking calls by Friday.” But your ideal result is meetings with employers, not phone calls. So make your goals outcome-oriented. In this case, the outcome you want is 5 meetings.

Habit 4) Wait until circumstances are perfect

Some people always seem to be waiting for something to happen first before they can really get busy looking for a job.

Here typical excuses for inaction from unsuccessful job seekers:

• I can’t go to any networking events until my resume is done.
• I can’t contact any employers until I hear back from the recruiter I called yesterday.
• I can’t apply to that company — they haven’t advertised any openings.

But there must be at least one thing you can do today to get in front of a hiring authority. What is it?

Never put off taking action until circumstances are perfect — they never will be. Meanwhile, somebody else just got hired after attending a networking event without a resume, or calling an employer who “wasn’t hiring.”

Now, go out and make your own luck!

Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His free report, The Simple Job Search Manifesto, is found at www.TheSimpleJobSearch.com.

Business owners across any and every industry are constantly on the lookout for effective (and cheap) ways to market their products and services online.  Looking beyond the inundated world of advertising many have found the email newsletters or ezines to be one of the best, inexpensive online sales tools.

Alexandria Brown, known as the Ezine Queen and Author of Boost Business with Your Own Ezine, is one of them. As one of the leading authorities on email publishing, she is a proud advocate of using the ezine to drive sales.

According to Alexandria, offering a free ezine is important because most people are surfing the net for information, not with the intent to buy something.  She calls ezines the “bait”.  If you can establish yourself as a credible source for information and build a large list of people who are interested in your information, you will create “built-in” buyers.  Now, anytime you introduce new products and services you will market to an already-existing customer base.

Here Are The Ezine Queen’s 7 Reasons to Grow Your Business with Ezines Now

1.  Ezines Make It Possible to Grow a Mailing List Full of Sales Leads.

By offering a free ezine, you make it possible to collect contact information from tons of current and prospective customers, allowing you to market to them all at once.  In every issue of your ezine, you can share information about your products to a targeted audience you already know is interested in your service.

2.  Ezines Provide an Effective Means for Promoting Your Products.

Ezines give you the opportunity to demonstrate how great your product is by sharing free examples of what you have to offer.

3. Ezines Help You Position You as an Expert in Your Niche.

Your subscribers will come to see you as an expert simply because you offer good information.  Experts sell more and can charge more.

4. Ezines Help You Keep in Touch with Customers.

Ezines help you stay on the radar screen of every past, present and future customer.  It’s your job to remind your customers that you are still in business. So keep yourself in front of your prospects so they think about you first when they are ready to buy.

5. Ezines Spread the Word About Your Business Effortlessly.

When you share quality information with your subscribers, they will forward that information to their friends, family and colleagues with just a click of the mouse.

6.  Ezines Are an Ideal Way to Get Contact Information from Your Website Visitors

Most people visiting your website will not buy during the first visit.  That means you should do anything you can to contact these prospects again.  It takes several times for potential customers to see your message before they will take a chance and buy. An ezine gives customers a reason to stick around, and you the opportunity to continue marketing to them.

7.   Ezines are Cheap and Easy to Publish

Ezines are easy to design and there are no printing or postage costs. Best of all, you can get your messages out much more quickly than traditional mailings.

Alexandria offers step-by-step tools to creating an ezine for your business in a new book from the Information Marketing Association.   From developing ezine articles to navigating newsletter publishing tools, Alexandria shares everything she knows about creating a winning ezine.  She is one of 12 information marketing experts featured in Start Your Own Information Marketing Business, an essential how-to for anyone interested in starting an information marketing business.

Start Your Own Information Marketing Business is now available in bookstores.

Robert Skrob, President of the Information Marketing Association teaches new entrepreneurs and small business owners how to build 6 and 7 figure income information marketing businesses simply by modeling top experts like Alexandria Brown. Now you can get his FREE Video revealing how 5 info-marketers easily created and marketed fast-selling products & how you can too. Get free access now at http://www.infomarketingstartup.com.

News Flash! We are in an economic downturn.  Okay, that is old news, but what is your sales organization doing about it?  We all want to minimize the negative impact, but what ways of thinking and types of activities are likely to make a difference?  The economic forecast is said to be “uncertain” but it is certain that our customers are reducing their budgets and spending more carefully, forcing their vendors in turn to do the same.  I believe this economic challenge will accelerate the adoption of Sales 2.0 from a “nice to have” to a “need to have” philosophy.  The companies that continue to sell the way they sold in the past will either become less profitable or fail altogether.  Customer preferences, the ever-rising cost of sales, and the availability of next-generation technologies are making change mandatory for companies that want to outperform the competition and minimize the impact of the economic slowdown.

What is Sales 2.0?  How does it work?

Sales 2.0 is not a new technology.  Rather, it is the use of innovative sales practices to improve business results, while creating value for both the buyer and seller, and is often enabled by Web 2.0 or next-generation technology.  Sales 2.0 initiatives typically center on process and customer engagement improvements to increase sales productivity.  Sales 2.0 practices combine the science of measurable, process-driven operations with the art of collaborative relationships, using the most profitable and expedient sales resources required to meet your customers’ needs.  The goal of Sales 2.0 is to produce greater, predictable, repeatable business results including increased revenue, decreased sales costs, and sustained competitive advantage.

Sales 2.0 initiatives require changing mindset and adjusting sales strategies. A relatively simple Sales 2.0 example involves selling more through video or web conferencing.  This can be done by inside salespeople, or by field salespeople who now perform more of their job from their desks.  Selling more efficiently can also mean selling more effectively.  For example, many buyers now prefer to meet remotely via conference calls with video or web conferencing, and salespeople benefit from gaining additional selling time that otherwise would have been spent traveling.  A traditional sales process that included three or four onsite visits might now have zero or just one face-to-face visit. The financial impact of reducing travel expenses can be significant and is easily measured.  However, the economics of giving your most expensive sales resources — your field salespeople — additional selling time can be more compelling.

Many products and services, especially those that are relatively small to average in value, can only be sold profitably with a remote or low-touch sales model.  The definition of “small to medium orders” is different for every company, but they are generally those that fall into your bottom 50% in value.  If ignored, these mid-market customers or transaction types are often missed opportunities for organizations that rely solely or too heavily on a field based sales model.  However, when they are sold through field sales, these types of opportunities can derail the field’s focus on the most important opportunities while draining the organization’s profitability.

Another Sales 2.0 example involves using some “science” to accurately capture key market information and metrics such as average sales cycle, average deal size and sales cycle conversion rates as well.   By using a defined sales process and data analytics, you can determine how your sales force should be structured and which customers and transaction types justify the assignment of field account executives, inside salespeople, channel partners, or no selling effort at all.  Data analytics in this sense can range from rudimentary (i.e., pen and paper) to moderate (spreadsheets, CRM, and most reporting systems) to advanced (dashboards and on-demand sales intelligence).  Rather than simply measuring the final result (revenue), a Sales 2.0 approach measures the effectiveness of every stage in your sales process, by salesperson, giving managers the opportunity to provide targeted coaching in areas where each rep needs it the most.  Data analytics can also be used to correlate and analyze the specific characteristics of your most profitable customers (I.e. size, industries, locations, buyer types, etc.) that produce the most revenue and profit.  Sales and marketing leaders can then use this information to fine-tune your sales model and activities to ensure the loyalty of your most valuable customers and find more prospects like them.

How can I begin a Sales 2.0 initiative with limited staff and budget?

A key Sales 2.0 tenet involves experimentation and continuous improvement, often through testing new process ideas and piloting new technology.  Testing a new sales message, pricing options, a new technology or even a new sales process enables the organization to be innovative with minimal risk. Small pilot programs that use a minimum of resources enable ineffective ideas to fail on a small scale while good ones can be rolled out more aggressively.  Many technology vendors offer free or low-cost evaluations or pilots to allow for a proof of concept in lieu of a complete rollout based on little more than blind faith and a hunch.  There are numerous sales productivity applications and services that are available on a subscription basis (Software-as-a-Service), which can protect you from large and non-refundable up-front financial commitments. While there is no specific milestone for achieving Sales 2.0 success, becoming a Sales 2.0 organization requires that you proactively adapt and improve so you can stay ahead of your competition and closer to your customers.

©2008 Brent Holloway

Author Bio
Brent Holloway is an inside sales manager for Verint Systems. He has more than a decade of experience in sales and sales management with high technology companies.  He co-authored Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology, published by John Wiley and Sons in December of 2008, available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and several other retailers. For more information, visit www.sales20book.com.

After speaking to and counseling nearly 10,000 job seekers since 1996, I’ve witnessed many successes. I’ve seen people sail smoothly from one position to the next, in good times and in bad.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen many failures, too. Some folks spin their wheels and struggle for months to land a job, no matter what the economy is doing.

That’s just life — failure is more common than success. But it need not be common for you, if you’re willing to learn from failure.

With that in mind, I’ve done some thinking and found that unsuccessful job seekers have three habits in common.

Avoid them if you want to find work fast …

Ineffective Habit 1) Begin with no specific job in mind

Many people, thrust into the labor market, immediately turn to the job listings (online or in the newspaper) and start looking for jobs.

Which job? Any job will do — they have no clear idea of what their target position or ideal employer look like.

As a result, everything about these people is unclear: their resume, cover letters, networking conversations, how you can help them find work, etc.

Here’s a test: Show your resume to three friends and ask them what job you’re looking for. If any of your friends — someone who knows you — gets the wrong idea after reading your resume, how can you expect employers to know?

Solution: Get specific about the job you want, right down to the title.

It’s not enough to say, “I’m looking for anything in retail.” Anything means nothing. Instead, say, “I’m looking for a position as a retail store manager.”

Ineffective Habit 2) Fail to differentiate

But it’s not enough to know what you want. You have to stand out from the crowd.

Pop quiz: Which of the following people would you hire?

• a Business Consultant, or an Efficiency Expert who saved $2.3 million in 2008?
• an Administrative Assistant, or an Office Manager who reduced training time 16% and makes managers look good?
• an IT manager, or a Disaster Recovery Expert who saved $4.1 million by setting up a recovery plan?

It’s no contest. The person who makes a specific, measurable promise to employers is the one who gets called for an interview.

If you call yourself something like a Business Consultant or Administrative Assistant, you’re failing to set yourself apart from the thousands of other people saying exactly the same thing.

Don’t have one more networking conversation or write another cover letter until you do two things to differentiate yourself:

1. Tell people what you really do. Instead of saying you’re a Sales Manager, Customer Service Rep, or Accountant, use more-vivid descriptions, like Profit Producer, Guest Happiness Agent, or Numbers Cruncher.
2. Prove it. If you describe yourself creatively, you’d better back it up with specific proof, like this: “Guest Happiness Agent who delivered 98% customer satisfaction, ranking #2 among 34 personnel in 2008.”

Use this two-part method to create a vivid, memorable description of what you can do.

Then start using it in your email signature file, your online profiles, your blog, your networking conversations — anywhere, anytime you talk to anyone.

Ineffective Habit 3) Take only comfortable actions

To get a job you’ve never had before, you must do something you’ve never done before. Which may make you feel uncomfortable.

For example, you may need to make a networking phone call to a manager you’ve never met before who works at your target employer.

And taking new actions involves the possibility of failure.

Like the first time you tried walking and crashed headlong into the coffee table. Nobody likes failure (or smashed-up furniture) but did you or your parents give up? No. Failure was simply a stop along the way. Giving up was not an option.

If the fear of failure is keeping you from making networking phone calls to strangers, that’s your inner two-year-old trying to protect your ego.

But the longer you avoid taking uncomfortable actions in your job search, the more likely you will experience serious problems, like bankruptcy or a stress-induced illness.

Put differently, the rejection you feel if someone hangs up on you is fleeting and intangible. But the pain of losing your home after the unemployment checks run out will be long lasting and very real.

In light of that, wouldn’t it be better to make just one more phone call today than you did yesterday?

If you’re stuck on how to network, pick up the phone, call the 5 most-connected people you know, and ask them how the found their last three jobs. Be ready to tell them what job you’re looking for (see Habit 1 above). And ask them whom they would call if they were in your shoes.

This exercise will give you 15 job-search success stories, in addition to a couple more names to call. Repeat as necessary.

Now, go out and make your own luck!

Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His free report, The Simple Job Search Manifesto, is found at www.TheSimpleJobSearch.com.

Mountain View, CA – December 12, 2008 – Simply Hired, Inc., the largest job search engine and recruitment advertising network, released November employment data for location and occupation searches in the United States. Despite the traditional lull in job seeker activity during the holidays, site usage increased by 27% during the two weeks ending November 20, 2008 as compared to the two weeks ending November 6, 2008.

Over the course of these two-week periods, New York topped the list cities with the most searches with an increase of 104%, followed by Sunnyvale, home of ailing internet giant Yahoo and Symantec, with a percent increase of 67%. Sacramento (62%), Miami (58%) and San Francisco (57%) rounded off the top five. The number of searches decreased in a few cities, including Oakland (-37%), Cincinnati (-21%), and San Jose (-13%).

The presence of certain occupations in searches increased as well, with 20 occupations increasing by 25% or more over the two-week periods before Thanksgiving. Searches for entertainment jobs such as actors, athletes, musicians and dancers increased the most (37%) followed by searches for math jobs like actuaries, research analysts and statisticians with a one-third increase. Other occupations with an increased presence in searches during November include production workers (32%), architectural and civil drafters (30%), and hotel jobs (29%). Searches for construction work and forestry occupations decreased slightly over the two-week periods.

About Simply Hired

With more than 5 million job listings worldwide and over 5,000 job search partners, Simply Hired (www.SimplyHired.com) is the largest job search engine and recruitment advertising network. Simply Hired has exclusive partnerships with MySpace and LinkedIn as well as the broadest set of professional apps on Facebook. The company has international sites in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and India. Simply Hired has been lauded as one of the “50 Coolest Websites” by Time Magazine and declared “Best of the Web” by Business Week. Simply Hired has raised $17.7M in funding from News Corporation’s Fox Interactive Media, Foundation Capital, Garage Technology Ventures and individual investors. The company is privately held and is based in Mountain View, California.

# # #

Press & Media Inquiries:
Katya White
Marketing Manager
Simply Hired, Inc.
650-930-1019
katya@simplyhired.com

By Natalie Pace
Published by Vanguard Press
December 2008;$24.95US/$26.95CAN; 978-159315-491-2

Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is offers a sensible, easy-to-follow yet powerful set of investing strategies for the would-be investor — from the complete novice to those with experience. Natalie Pace urges the reader to begin with an area of investing that they care about or know about, learning how to get rich by putting their money where their passions lie. Her method is based on a three-part investment recipe and a six-step “Buy My Own Island Plan,” all presented in an informative and engaging style.

In 2000, Natalie was a single mother about to lose her home because she couldn’t afford to pay her property taxes. She never dreamed during those desperate hours that in two short years she would begin adding a splash of green to Wall Street, transforming lives on Main Street, and making outstanding returns for the men and women who were smart enough to put her theories into practice.

Natalie maneuvered her way out of poverty and up above the ranks of Harvard-educated MBAs to become the #1 ranked stock picker on Wall Street. She shows us, through anecdotes and carefully outlined investing strategies, that making the transformation to a life of financial freedom and happiness is easier than one might think. Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is isn’t just another personal finance book. Natalie’s personal story as well as her credibility and expertise in the area of wealth building will inspire and delight you, revealing her secrets to lifetime success and prosperity.

Author Bio
In 2006, Natalie Pace was the host of her own series of CEO Q&As on the Forbes.com Video Network. She has been named the #1 stock picker in the United States from TipsTraders.com. Natalie publishes articles and interviews on business leaders, CEOs, policymakers and government officials for NataliePace.com and other media and is a regular guest on national media, specializing in business, finance and investing. Repeat guest appearances include: Fox News, Forbes on Fox, Your World with Neil Cavuto, Cavuto on Business, Good Morning America, Time magazine, More magazine, USA Today, NPR, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, KNX radio, BizRadio, Forbes.com Video Network, Sohu.com and other global financial news media.

Natalie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in English literature. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California. Visit Natalie Pace at www.nataliepace.com.

Reviews
“Natalie’s brilliance rocks! Allow her financial wisdom to permeate and give you your freedom.”
–Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

“There’s no reason why people can’t be generous, compassionate, loving and really, really rich. That’s Natalie Pace. She skyrocketed from poverty to America’s #1 stock picker. Now this gifted teacher is sharing her techniques so you can skyrocket, too!”
–T. Harv Eker, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

“Natalie takes the mystery and confusion out of personal finance . . . Whether your current financial means are modest or substantial, her time-tested, hands-on, interactive and intuitive methods of successful investing will assist you in dissolving your money obstacles.”
–Michael Bernard Beckwith, one of the inspiring teachers featured in the #1 New York Times bestseller The Secret

“I recommend this well-written book by Natalie Pace with enthusiasm.”
–Dr. Gary Becker, Nobel Laureate, Economics, and winner of the Presidential Freedom Award