•  Print Resources.  We have a wide variety of books you can check out to help with job search preparation. Here are a just a few:
  • Amazing Resumes. by Jim Bright, Ph.D, and Joanne Earl, Ph.D. (650.142BRI CAREER) – Based on psychological research, this book reveals what employers are actually looking for and how the hiring process really works.  Format your resume for maximum readibility on paper and online.
  • 101 Great Resumes. by Ron Fry. (650.142FRY CAREER). - Resumes for anyone from recent high school grad to retired older adult. Includes formats for specific professions, including sales, computers, human resources, and many more.
  • Knock ‘em Dead Resumes.  by Martin Yate, C.P.C. (650.142 YAT CAREER) – Smart advice to make your online and paper resumes more productive.  Detailed steps for putting it all together on paper or online.
• Online Resources: There are some excellent Internet sites where you can find help with resume building, interviewing skills, and online job applications. Here are a few that provide extensive professional services:
  • Career Builder
    Features many current job listings, resume building and more.
  • Monster.com 
    Everything the job seeker will need, from resume writing to job listings.
  • Snagajob.com
    Follow this link to local Topeka jobs. This is a very practical site to find jobs that are available NOW
  • .In addition to print and online resources, the Library also has Winway Deluxe resume software on 56 of the public computers. This is an excellent software that provides professional resume and cover letter templates, job descriptions, and practice interviews.
  • We also have two dedicated Jobs & Careers computers with 4-hour log-ins to provide extra computer time for you to conduct your job search and employment applications. Just check in at the Reference desk and we will get you started.If you would like one-on-one help with your resume or cover letter,  contact our Business Librarian, Terry Miller at 785-580-4556 or tmiller@tscpl.org to make an appointment.

• What are the biggest challenges the person in this position will face?
  This question shows that you are not just caught up in the excitement about a new job; you recognize that every job has difficult elements and that you’re being thoughtful about what it will take to succeed in the position.
• Can you describe a typical day or week in the position?
  Here, you indicate that you are thinking beyond just getting a job offer and really considering what you will be doing day-to-day or in the course of a week after you start the job.
• How will the success of the person in this position be measured?It never hurts to ask what your manager really values in his or her employees. This may or may not have been addressed in the interview.
• How much guidance or assistance is made available to individuals in developing career goals?
  This is always a safe question and indicates that you are interested in being trained or in gaining further education to make yourself more valuable to the company. Also shows that you are thinking long-term.

Remember, employers make judgements on you based on the questions you ask. For example, it’s good to ask a question that shows you have done your homework on the organization.

Never ask about salary until the interviewer approaches the subject.

And always have a couple of questions in your pocket for whatever direction the interview takes. That is, some questions might arise out of the interview, but if you are nervous or if nothing springs to mind, it’s good to have a pre-selected question (write it down if you need to) – for good measure.

“The February report did not indicate significant change in the Kansas labor market over the month,” Tyler Tenbrink, Labor Economist, said. “The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 6.1 percent.”

Six of the 11 major industries also showed job gains over the month. The manufacturing industry continues to see improvements in the number of jobs and in the hours worked per employee. Both of these are good signs for the Kansas economy.

The professional and business services industry has out-performed the average, gaining 11,900 jobs since February 2011, an 8.2 percent increase. Some of the jobs included in this category (to mention a few) are

• legal advice and representation
•  accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll services
•  architectural, engineering, and specialized design services
•  computer services
• advertising services
• office administration
•  hiring and placing of personnel
•  security and surveillance services
•  cleaning, and waste disposal services.

“Looking at the February numbers alone would indicate a lukewarm labor market. The over-the-year gains from February 2011 to February 2012 indicate healthy growth, which we hope continues as the year progresses,” Karin Brownlee, Kansas Secretary of Labor, said.

Bauersfeld is a graduate of Highland Park High School and Emporia State University, and has been at WIBW for the past eight years. He is the weeknight sports anchor, and covers all local sports, as well as KU, K-State, the Royals, and the Chiefs. He will be talking about what experience is needed to enter the sports broadcasting field, what schools have programs that will teach you those skills, and what positions are available in the sports broadcasting industry. He will also share what he does from day to day as sports director at Channel 13, as well as answer any questions you might have about sports broadcasting, or broadcasting and journalism in general.

This is a great opportunity for kids who are sports fans, who are not sure of what they want to do after high school, to learn about a profession where they can use their love of sports and turn it into a career. Likewise, this as a great opportunity for anyone interested in the broadcasting or journalism fields, outside of the sports arena, to talk to someone on the inside and see what it is really like within the profession.

We hope to see you here on April 22 in The Edge!

• The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success by Nick Lore
  The longtime career coach recently released an updated version of the 1998 bestseller, which directs people to assess their talents, personalities and what’s important to them to determine work that would be the best fit.
• Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type  by Paul D. Teiger
  Built around the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator (MBTI), this book helps job seekers analyze what jobs might suit them based on 16 personality types.
• What Color is Your Parachute? 2012 by Richard N. Bolles
  This is the 40th year for this classic career-seeker’s book. It has been extensively rewritten to include modern job-hunting strategies, including how to use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter in a job search. What Color is My Parachute? still covers familiar territory, though, sharing basics on resumes, networking, interviewing, salary negotiation and starting a business, as well as pointers on finding your passion and identifying transferable skills.
• The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Mid-Life by Marc Freedman
  The author offers a road map for people who want to move to a second career, start a business or follow a long-delayed dream to serve their community. Directed toward the post-middle-age, pre-old-age generation.
• Boundless Potential: Transform Your Brain, Unleash Your Talents, Reinvent Your Work in Midlife and Beyond by Mark S. Walton
  Old dogs can learn new tricks. Walton’s new book connects brain research with successful midlife transitions. In the book, the former CNN correspondent turned leadership consultant explains that brains are wired for constant reinvention, and that adults in midlife can tap into amazing creative and intellectual powers to build new careers.
• One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash Career by Marci Alboher
  Recently re-released as an e-book, Alboher’s 2008 book popularized the term “slasher”  to describe people who cobble together livelihoods from multiple occupations. Advises people how to adopt slasher careers out of necessity.
• Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Timeby Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
  Inside secrets from the master networkers, including build a network before you need it, find mentors, cultivate a unique style, and use lunch and other social settings to connect with colleagues and future contacts. Above all, be sincere and generous; networking doesn’t work if you keep score.
• Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success by Penelope Trunk
  An expert on Gen Y and the new world of work, Trunk uses her book to explain how to get ahead by breaking traditional job-hunting rules.
• Me 2.0, Revised and Updated: 4 Steps to Building Your Future by Dan Schawbel
  Like Brazen Careerist, the target demographic for Me 2.0 is Gen Y. But this version, updated in 2010, includes a new chapter on job hunting that could benefit anyone who wants to stand out in the age of online job boards, Facebook recruiting, and Twitter job chats.
• Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie
  The founder of TOMS Shoes, Mycoskie created a company that makes philanthropy one of its operating principles, pioneering a buy-one, donate-one-to-charity business model. He chronicles his unlikely foray into the shoe business, and the book is a blueprint for others seeking to start a business that accomplishes good. Read an excerpt at SecondAct.com.

The one overriding objective for your initial cover letter is to grab the reader’s attention.  Here are some tips to increase your chances of getting them to look at your resume and to eventually set up an interview:

• Make your cover letter personal; address it to a named individual instead of to a generic position.  It should have a strong opening paragraph, communicating your job target and key strengths within the first few lines.
• Use the same terminology in your cover letter as in the job description.  Tailoring your letter to a particular reader shows that you have done your homework.
• Show concern, interest, and pride in your profession.
• Demonstrate energy and enthusiasm.
• Briefly discuss your most relevant qualifying experience to strengthen you case for employment.
• Conclude your cover letter by thanking the employer for considering you for the position. Include information on how you will follow-up, if you have enough contact information to do so.

Remember, a good cover letter refers back to, but does not duplicate, your resume. Its purpose is to interpret the data-oriented, factual resume and add a personal touch. A cover letter is usually your earliest written contact with a potential employer, and your best chance to make a great first impression.

If you want help drafting a cover letter or with any aspect of your job search, please visit our Jobs and Careers Center in the Library. We would be glad to help you. Or you can call our Business Librarian, Terry Miller, for an appointment at 785-580-4556.

According to January 2012 estimates, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent in December 2011. Kansas gained 12,200 nonfarm jobs over the year (a 0.9 percent increase) and 22,200 private sector jobs, indicating a decline in government jobs. Seasonal changes are influenced by weather, holidays and the closing of schools and are consistently figured in year-to-year, so the seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers are a better indicator of the actual labor market.

“The continued growth of private sector jobs is particularly encouraging. We hope this pace continues through 2012,”  Kansas Secretary of Labor Karin Brownlee said. Eight of the 11 major industries in Kansas reported over-the-year job gains. The increase in construction jobs, 7.9 percent, is especially promising because this industry historically loses jobs in January.

“Kansas started off the year with healthy job growth and a declining unemployment rate. These are both welcome signs,” Tyler Tenbrink, Labor Economist, said. “If the trend continues, Kansas will be in a position to carry on a more sustained recovery.”

Due to the declining unemployment rate, Kansas no longer qualifies for the Extended Benefits program. The Extended Benefits (EB) Program provides an additional 13 to 20 weeks of benefits to workers receiving state unemployment insurance benefits in states which have a specific unemployment rate. EB provides benefits to individuals who have exhausted regular state benefits and Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

• I’m a Team Player. Instead of using this vague, cliched term on your resume, give a specific example of when you collaborated with a co-worker to meet an objective.
• Great Communication Skills. Again, this is pretty vague and is probably on every resume your screener has seen. Be specific about a situation where you used your communication skills to resolve a situation for your employer.
• I Have a Proven Track Record. Avoid the phrase and give quantifiable examples of your impact on your last organization.
• I’m a Problem Solver. Okay, but I expect everyone who works for me to solve some sort of problem. What did you do, specifically? Problem with a co-worker? Customer? Logistics? Scheduling?
• I Work Well in a Fast-Paced Environment.  Fast-paced work environments are the norm in this recession, where most people do more work for less money. To be specific, look at one of your busiest days in your (former) job. What did you accomplish, and how did you adapt to the obstacles thrown your way? Put that achievement on your resume to prove that you can adapt when challenged – a quality employers look for.
• I’m Self-Motivated. Self-motivated employees find innovative ways to improve on what they’ve been handed – put what you actually did on your resume.

It might seem that these phrases all indicate desirable qualities in an employees, and they do; it’s just that they are vague and overused and don’t tell the potential employer anything about your value to their organization. Employers expect these qualities as a basic requirement for employment.

Use language that illustrates your unique professional accomplishments and experiences. Give concrete examples of results you’ve achieved whenever possible and reference attributes that are specific to you. If you’re still  stuck for ideas on alternative phrasing and ways to make your resume more appealing and unique , come to the Jobs and Careers Neighborhood at the Library and we will be glad to help you.

• Is deciding whether to go back to work full-time after you have a child really all about money? Should it be?
• Is prepaying a mortgage a smart money move, or is it really about wanting security and stability, and freedom?
• How much do your bad habits really cost you? Is saving thousands of dollars enough motivation to get you to quit?
• Are college degrees really worthwhile? Is it worth it to you personally to be in a field you love, earning $40,00 a year while paying off $150,000 of student loans?

All of the chapters are eye-opening in terms of the real costs of living. The author has a sense of humor along with the good and bad news, and gives it to us straight. She explores the real costs of owning a home, going to college, marriage and divorce, raising a family, bad habits, saving, and investing. What sets her apart is her seamless discussion of financial costs and benefits along with personal costs and benefits.

Probably one of the most practical chapters is “The Real Cost of Credit Cards.” She explains the cost of credit in terms of actual interest fees and also the cost of not investing or saving the money you are using to pay off your cards – effectively a loss of income. To lower the cost of credit cards, she recommends

• Get out as soon as possible. The sooner you can get rid of your balance, the better. ALWAYS.
• Maintain a high credit score. Usually translates to lower interest rates and also gives you the freedom to…
• …Surf your balance. Transfer high-rate balances to lower-rate cards, but consider the balance transfer fees in deciding whether this is a good move.

This is a good book for anyone making personal and financial life decisions -which is practically everyone over 15. As the author says, “we have discovered that having more money may not bring more happiness, but knowing what really will make you happy can be worth any cost.”

Below are suggestions Taylor gives to help in job searching this holiday season.

• Make use of social media for networking maximizes your use of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
• When at holiday parties remember to present your professional self, make sure you don’t overdo it on the holiday beverages, meaning the alcoholic kind.
• Take advantage of this slower time of the year and call the hiring manager at your prospective employer rather that emailing.
• Dress is always important! Make sure that you are dressed appropriately for an interview. Always be aware of the importance of the first impression. In addition to your dress be prepared: bring a copy of your resume a pen and paper to take notes.

To see the entire article by Lynn Taylor go to:

www.businessweek.com/management/why-you-should-jobhunt-during-the-holidays-11302011.html