Thanks to Diana Gingerich for this great presentation. The following are points from Diana’s presentation.  If you would like to see the actual presentation, please go to here to download Campfire.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.

Perception is EVERYTHING!

1.   According to Kim Zoller at Image Dynamics, 55% of a person’s perception of you is based on how you look!

2.  To get the job, you have to look the part!

3.  Look your best regardless of the organization’s dress code, it is better to over dress than under dress.

4.  The way you put yourself together says a lot to others about your confidence!  Treat an interview like a first date!

General Tips:

1.  Use a firm handshake!

2.  Posture is important!  Stand tall with your head up.

3.  Consistent eye contact also shows your confidence.

4.  Smile!

5.  Convey that you are neat, professional and organized.

6.  Always shower before an interview.

7.  Make sure your hair is clean, neat and trimmed .

8.  Nails should be trimmed and filed, hands moisturized.

9.  Men should be clean shaven.

10.  Clean, shaped eyebrows are important.

11.  Ladies, make-up is important.

12.  If you must wear perfume or cologne, keep it very light.

A Few Last Things:
1.  Avoid chewing gum during an interview.  A mint before arriving at the interview is ok.

2.  Cover up any tattoos and remove any unusual facial piercings.

3.  Make sure clothes fit properly.  make sure your attire is not too tight, too short or too loose.

4.  Great retailers to find affordable professional clothing:  JCPenney’s, Kohl’s, Walmart, Target, TJ Maxx, Ross and Marshall’s

For information and pointers designed for men and women specifically, view the whole presentation here.

Just so you won’t get too bogged down in the seriousness of finding a job, here’s an article that expresses some new office buzz words.

Part 1 of 2

by Adam Tarnow – CoDirector of Watermark’s Premarital Ministry and Foundation Groups

Storms are never fun. Whether they are real (i.e. thunderstorms) or figurative (i.e. trials and tribulations) they always seem to raise stress levels.
For marriages, the “storm” of a job transition is somewhat unique because it seems to bump up against a wife’s core need to feel loved and secure and a husband’s core need to feel respected and work. These two core needs (love and respect) were highlighted by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:33, However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. His summary statement how a husband and wife can love one another out of reverence for Christ is unconditional love and unconditional respect.

This week, we are going to discuss some ways that husbands can unconditionally love their wives during a job transition (the basic principles below were obtained from Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs)? Next time, we’ll focus on the wives and what they can do to show unconditional respect.

1. Closeness – she want to be close to you. Now, more than ever couples need to spend time together connecting and talking about more than just the job transition. Husbands, take the initiative to plan some fun and creative time together where you and your wife can connect and have fun.

2. Openness – she wants you to open up to her. Our wives want to know what we are thinking and feeling. Let them know what’s going on in your heart and your head. There is no shame in feeling scared, fearful, hopeless, or insecure. Given the situation, those emotions are completely normal. Share those with your wife so that she’ll know what’s going on and know how to care for you. Worrying alone is rarely a good idea.

3. Understanding – she wants you to listen, not fix. On the flip side, if your wife starts to mention how this “storm” is impacting her emotionally, as husbands we need to fight the urge to justify or defend. This God permitted situation is happening to her too and God will use this circumstance in her life, as well as yours. Identify with her emotions, but do not invalidate them. During this time, helping her feel loved is more important than getting her to stop worrying. Listening to her will help her feel loved.

4. Peacemaking – she wants you to initiate reconciliation. Storms produce stress and stress increases the temptation for conflict. When conflict arises, initiate reconciliation. Even if it wasn’t your fault, initiate the reconciliation.

5. Loyalty – she wants to know you are committed. Taking time “off” during this storm is essential (days, afternoons, evenings, etc). Breaks from the job search are needed. Husbands, do what you can to over-communicate your commitment to the job search process. Even if taking some time off, letting your wife know that you are just taking a break and are committed to the process will help her feel loved and secure.

6. Esteem – she wants to be honored and cherished. I’m willing to bet your wife is helping you with this job search. She’s probably helping to proof your resume, looking for jobs on the internet, watching the kids for extended periods of time so you can focus on the search, etc. Notice what she is doing and thank her for her help. Even the small things. Small, consistent gratitude goes a very long way in helping our wives feel loved. It is never a bad idea to thank her for what she is doing to help you during this storm.

Comprised of a network of member churches, CCN helps people in congregations and communities find jobs, careers and calling.  They do this by providing online career resources and on-the-ground career groups.

Use the link to the right of this page to go directly there.  Additionally, when you sign up, you can use the code “CECIM” to associate yourself with the Watermark Careers-In-Motion community.

Thanks to Jim Wimberley for these timely words of wisdom.

Remember – God Loves you and He has a purpose for your live.  Accept it. (John 3:16, Matt. 6:33)
Remember – Life is full of trouble.  Expect it.
Stay in God’s Word.  Read it.  (Psalm 119:105)
Pray God’s Word.  Believe it.  (John 15:7)
Trust in the Lord.  Apply it.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Surround yourself with community.  Live it.  (Hebrews 10:25)
Search with Diligence.  Work it.  (Colossians 3:23)
Serve as you Search.  Experience it.  (Ephesians 2:10)

Jeffrey Liggett spoke today at CIM and we started to discuss ways to save money during the job search process.  There were lots of good ideas so the challenge is to put in print so we all can refer to them frequently.

Feel free to make comments to this post and see what great ideas folks have.

By DIANE STAFFORD
McClatchy Newspapers
Reprinted in The Dallas Morning News, Monday, March 8th, 2010

You can suggest that a drunk go to Alcoholics Anonymous. You can point a smoker to a smoking-cessation program. But the real commitment decision is theirs alone.

That’s the case for job hunters, too.

Career counselors say support – or lack of support – from family and friends is one of the most important factors in determining how well a job hunter weathers unemployment.

In the end, though, the job hunter alone is in charge of how hard the job search is pursued and what attitude prevails.

I often hear from loved ones frustrated with a job hunter’s lack of progress. Some job hunters do give up, and it’s hard for loved ones to know just how hard to push or just how much ego-boosting they should do.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any pat answers for that.

But the one hard-and-fast rule for those who want to be supportive is that they must understand the realities of the current job market before they conclude that a job hunter is lazy or unmotivated.

It may be a temporary condition, but sometimes there truly is “nothing out there” for a job hunter who is trying to replace what he or she lost.

It takes time to retrain and a resolute mindset to reframe a career, especially for middle-age or older workers who have never been in a long-term job hunt before.

This job market is not like what these workers “grew up” in. Supporters can help job hunters with that reality check.

Unless someone has the perfect experience and skill sets for an open position, the odds of landing the job are steep.

Being unsuccessful in a job search doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the candidate. But it does mean that there are big emotional consequences from a long series of disappointments.

Jobs help frame our identities and measure our self worth – and not just financially. Long-term unemployment cuts deeply into our psyches.

So loved ones need to be cheerleaders, especially when “the team” seems to have lost faith.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Diane Stafford is the workplace and careers columnist at The Kansas City Star. Her “Your Job” blog at economy.kansascity.com includes daily posts about job-related issues of wide interest. Readers may write to her at: Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. 64108-1413, or by e-mail at dstafford@kcstar.com.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/02/1783437/a-job-hunter-needs-support.html#ixzz0hcWRiIZp

Recently CIM Volunteer James Reed asked CIM Alumni Troy Patterson what were some lessons he learned in his job search.

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1. Pray with Faith and understand that God has a plan and your situation is not news to Him.

2. Network with people who have jobs, the people who have the real leads.

3. Get up every day and understand that every no is closer to the Yes.

4. There will be another job someday.

5. Help another person even if you cannot get anything from that person

6. Continue to network after you have a job

7. Be proactive in your career management.  Read and proactively manage your career

8. Get out of debt and build an emergency fund because the job market is volatile.  This will help when you have another job search.

James: What, nothing about resumes or interviews? It’s interesting that most of what you listed relates to either yourself or others.

Troy: Where I had my success was networking with people in my network and getting introductions to others and expanding my network.  I very rarely had a door opened by a resume.  Yes, a strong resume is needed.  But, it is more of a formality when using the “good ol’ boy network” to get a job. Every position I have had since college, now that I reflect has come through a referral or introduction through my network.   I feel the best way in the front door is through the back door.

James: To me such meetings are the equivalent of an interview… but much more than that.  I’ve had people call me in a network way and they were kinda buggin’ me, which caused me to think a little harder to give them solid leads, so that’s a little more of an extreme situation. In other situations, through consistent calling you can get people to give you the new information they have received or just prod them to think of what they already know.  Meeting in-person is much better. Plus, you broaden your knowledge of the business world and in this day and time, knowledge is everything.  Such information can be used in interviews since you can drop names and it makes you appear very smart, which you are.

Troy: That is why contact with a warm introduction goes a long way.  It is like sales… a cold call rarely leads to a sale.  Referrals opens doors. Typically, I would have a breakfast/lunch/coffee with a network contact and ask them who they think would be beneficial for me to talk to.  I would then ask if they would mind making an introduction.  Once the introduction was made, I would follow up and ask if I could meet them for breakfast/lunch/coffee.  Additionally, I would try to always help the person who gave me the referral somehow by introducing them to someone that may help them.

James: I like the idea of helping the other person. It is key to always help others…and when you think about helping others, helping others do what? Get what they want.  The Bible says to treat others the way we want to be treated.  Not only is this concept a Biblical principal, it also really works. And, you never run out of network contacts. The process is self-perpetuating.

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Thanks to James and Troy!

Benefits of a strong personal brand:

• Self understanding
• Visibility and presence
• Differentiation
• Control
• Wealth continuity
• Achievement
• Fulfillment