How One Man Found A Job Without Applying At All

How One Man Found A Job Without Applying At AllChances are youve never heard of Ernie Miller. Hes just a guy who found a job he really loves. What makes him interesting, though, is the way he found it. He didnt go through the usual channels. He didnt pound the streets carrying resumes, didnt network, didnt search the job boards. He found a job without applying. So, how did he actually end up with meaningful employment?A Unique ApproachErnie decided to try an experimentinstead of looking for work, he was going to let work look for him. So he wrote a blog entry in which he listed all the traits he was looking for in a job, and then he linked to the post via Twitter and also on Hacker News. He heard from over 40 companies, not all of which offered work. In fact, he got quite a few responses accusing him essentially of being pretty full of himself. Some responded praising his original approachbut not offering work.Finally, the experiment paid off. Ernie heard from a Louisville firm, Appr iss, which developed a system called VINE, which is designed to let victims of violent offenders know when the offender is due to be released from prison, or if the offender has escaped custody. After years of working for elektronischer geschftsverkehr startups, Ernie was intrigued by the possibility of working for a company that could actually help save lives, especially since one of his requirements was that he wanted to work for a company that would enable him to make a difference. Ernies new job fits the bill in other ways, as well.The BenefitsHere are Ernies other requirementsAbove-average compensationNot a contract positionRemote-friendlyChallengingOpportunities to learn and also to mentorAppriss not only honigwein all of Ernies requirements, there was a bonus. Ernie lives in Louisville, and he really didnt want to move. His reverse job search had brought in responses from all over the worldincluding Berlin and the Russian Federationbut it didnt bring in a huge volume of respo nses. So, what were the odds that the job offer that would really set his heart to beating a little faster would be in Louisville? Probably slim, but obviously just a little bit better than none.The LessonSometimes, to get where you need to be, you have to think outside the box. Ernies approach yielded mind-boggling results. Never give up. Persevere, and think creativelymiracles do happen. Who knows you may find yur next job without applying too.This article is part of our Hope for Your Job Search Series. My goal is to bring you uplifting inspirational and hope-filled stories, tips and advice to encourage you during your job search.

How to Set Boundaries With a Gossipy Coworker

How to Set Boundaries With a Gossipy Coworker Every workplace is filled with interesting personalities including frustrating ones.If you feel like youre surrounded by difficult people at the office, take heart. Youre not alone. Studies have found that one in eight people leave a job due to problems with coworkers.Gossiping co-workers can be the most problematic of all. Not only do they distract you and drain your energy, but the negativity can have a damaging impact on your professional reputation.As if you needed another reason to keep the chitchat in check, a psychological phenomenon known as spontaneous trait inference means that every time youre involved with gossip, people start to perceive you as a gossip and may begin to question your motives or conclude youre untrustworthy.In a professional setting, theres really no excuse for bad-mouthing anyway be it your client, colleague or CEO so here are three ways to deal with gossip at work.1. Empathize and redirectGossip is a comp ensatory strategy often used to cover low-self esteem or feelings of powerlessness. Its likely your coworker is communicating this way albeit passively aggressively and manipulatively to seek connection. Your colleague may also get to feel superior by putting others down.Theres a simple formula you can use to distance yourself from the dynamic while keeping relationships intact empathize and redirect.First, empathize. Acknowledge your coworkers reaction, addressing the deeper, human need below the surface. The real reason they may be gossiping is that they want to feel heard and validated.Then, use redirection. Maybe you nudge the person towards a solution by saying something like Ugh, it sucks to feel like youre undervalued. You should talk directly with your boss about this. Or encourage them to focus on what is working by saying something like It sounds like the situation is still bothering you. That sucks. For now, lets talk about how things are going with the new project your e working on.This step doesnt magically change passive-aggressive behavior, but it does take you out of the role of enabling it by saying nothing.2. Get assertiveI find that many people, especially those who are kind and compassionate, simply never learn how to set limits with gossips. They play the role of good listener, but unintentionally get roped into drama. If this sounds like you, its important to learn how to set boundaries with passive aggressive people who gossip and to develop mora assertiveness skills so you can excuse yourself when gossip starts to happen.Get honest about how you may be contributing to the unhealthy dynamic in place. For instance, do you idly sit by instead of speaking up when someone trash talks a client? Do you engage in a little too much water cooler gossip?3. Be the changeInstead of harping on negativity in your conversations, focus on positive gossip. Make it a point to say nice things about people behind their back. Recognize other people for thei r good traits. Applaud their efforts. Celebrate their successes. Youll find that the good vibes come back around to you, too.--

For College Grads, Temp Work May Be the Key to a Successful Career

For College Grads, Temp Work May Be the Key to a Successful Career When I graduated college back in 2012, armed with an English degree and a redoubtable sense of self-worth, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a teacher.And I became one briefly.After two difficultyears in the education system, Ibowed out of the teaching game entirely and became a writer instead.Im glad I finally found the right career, but getting here was a tumultuous process. The transition from lifelong student to burgeoning professional hit me like a hr of bricks. I was more stressed than I had ever been in my life as I scrambled to learn the ropes of my career, and I quickly realized thatmy dream jobwas actually a nightmare. When I decided to leave teaching,I was relieved to an extent but I also felt like a total failure.I could have avoided all of that if I hadnt jumped straight from college into a full-time, traditional employment arrangement. If I had taken so me time to temp first to try out a few different options I would have been able to end up as a writer without crashing and burning in my first career.WhyCollege Grads Should Consider TempingDavid Dourgarian, CEOof staffing software company TempWorks, is a big advocate for the temp path for new grads, in part because its a great way for these young professionals toplek up some new skills that they may not have learned in school.If you look at thetypes of skills graduates are exiting their four-year degree programs with, they are often not equipped yet for the white collar workforce, Dourgarian says. Someone needs to show them the ropes.Many collegestudents graduate with little or no experience in the white collar work world. They may have held jobs in college, but the usual student gigs retail, waiting tables, tutoring, etc. dont exactly prepare one for life in an office setting. The closest most students get to professional life is an internship, but even that isnt quite the sam e as being an employee.Recent gradsneed to learn proper professional conduct, how to handle interoffice conflict, and other soft skills that are critical for career success.Dourgarian believes working a few temp jobs can help students zupflmmel these things up quickly.They need to be in an environment where they are held accountable, and the transient nature of temporary positions forces people to learn these skills quickly if they want to get ahead, Dourgarian explains.Dourgarian also believes that temp work is a great way forrecent grads to try out potential careers before committing to them. They may even stumble upon the dream career they never knew they wanted.It can be a great opportunity to try things that you might not think are appealing, Dourgarian says. You may have graduated with a degree in Russian lit., but you might find out thatyou actually love being an insurance underwriter.The Three Types of Graduates Which Are You?To get even more specific about how temping can be beneficial to recent grads, Dourgarian divides these young professionals into three categories1.Professional-Track GraduatesThese are graduates who want to pursue additional studies, including students who want to become doctors and lawyers. Temping in between college and graduate or professional school can be a great way for these students to get some work experience and bolster their resumes, making them more attractive to the programs theyre applying for.Temp work can also help these students make sure they actually want to enter their chosen fields. For example, a would-be law student might do temporary clerical work for a lawyer and realize they actually dont enjoy the legal profession all that much. Thats a much better path than enrolling in law school and shelling out thousands of dollars just to learn that you hate being a lawyer.2. Liberal Arts GraduatesIt can be difficult figuring out how to translate the skills you learned as ananthropology major into skills that look good on a resume. Temping can teach these graduates how to turn their degree skills into useful workplace skills.3. Graduates Who Need a Little HelpWe dont all emerge from college with pristine GPAs. Some graduates might have difficulty finding full-time employment right out of college iftheir academic experience hasnt been of thesumma cum laude variety. For these graduates, temping offers a great way to build a resumethat really wows employers, regardless of how well they may or may not have done in school.ButI Graduated College. Arent I Worthy of a Real Job?Even though the number of temporary workers in the U.S. has hit an all-time high, many still look down on temporary work. To them, its not real work.Some recent grads may feel the same way. Being told to temp after youve successfully completed college can feel like a slap in the face for some. If you have a degree, youre qualified for areal job, right?Dourgarian thinks this is a misguided belief To say that temporary work isnt a real job is on the same level as saying, Im going to pay you less because youre a woman.In other words If you look down on temporary work, you may have some unconscious, unfounded biases that you need to check.As Dourgarian explains, a lot of temp jobsdo lead to full-time work Many companies have temp positions open because the position might be entry level, and turnover might be high enough that its dangerous for an employer to expose themselves to the types of legal problems that could come along with high-turnover positions.For these employers, it makes more sense to bring a worker on mainboard as a temp to see how they do before hiring them for afull-time role.Other times, temporary work isrelated to the project-based nature of an industry. In fields like IT, where work occurs largely on a project-by-project basis, employers often bring workers on boardfor the duration of the project only.And, finally, its important to note that temporary work does have its advantages over ful l-timeemployment.Your skills can get very stale working at the same company for four years straight, Dourgarian says. So a lot of people actually like being temps. They dont want to stay long. They want to keep learning new skills and growing.