Start Looking For A Job By Mike Rowe.

Powerful words from Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs host): "Stop looking for the “right” career, and start looking for a job. Any job.

Forget about what you like. Focus on what’s available. Get yourself hired.

Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today.

But don’t waste another year looking for a career that doesn’t exist.

And most of all, stop worrying about your happiness. Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs."

Mike Rowe  is an American media personality, actor and comedian best known as the host of the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs. He can also be heard as narrator on a variety of series and has appeared in recurring commercials for Ford Motor Company. 

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The Real Reason Why People Aren't Getting Hired.

I'm angry. VERY ANGRY. But I'll try to maintain my composure during this post. Over the past month, I've coached a number of clients and have presented to an even larger number of out-of-work executives. They have all been out of work now for 6-12 months and have little-or-no direction moving forward. When I keynote my workshop or coach them one-on-one:

1. I help them target exact companies that they want to work for.
2. I show them a strategy how to reach out and touch decision-makers.
3. I follow up with them on how they are progressing.
4. WASH - RINSE - REPEAT. It's that easy.

And guess what? Many of my clients immediately get interviews and some get offers (like this morning!).

But there is another group of clients. They've done NOTHING. No phone calls, no meetings, no real opportunities.

All they do all day is send out a few emails, check the job boards, tighten up their resume. That's it.

Here's a dose of REALITY folks: If I haven't said it enough — YOU NEED TO GET OUT AND MEET PEOPLE.

• If you are searching for a job in your sweats, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.
• If you are not getting out DAILY and meeting key movers and shakers, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.
• If you spend your day surfing on the web, sending emails to a few friends, and watching TV all day, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.
• If you are landscaping your yard, shopping for groceries, driving the kids to and from school, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.

YOU ARE AVOIDING GETTING A JOB.

I honestly think that many of these people have worked so long in one company or one vocation, they've "COCOONED" themselves into a mental corner that they are unable to get out of. Even when they are given a map and shown the way out — they still stay in the corner waiting for someone to come along and give them a job.

Here's the TRUE REALITY: That's never gonna happen folks.

Get 'real' with your situation. If you've been unemployed for more than 3 months without a viable interview or job offer, something isn't working. You need to change your strategy. Unfortunately, for many people out their, many of their obstacles are in their head.

Sorry about the vitriol today — but sometimes people just need a good kick in the butt to see reality.

Image provided by Family O'Abé at Flickr.

Hiding Is Not Good For Your Career.

During times like these, most executives tend to worry if the axe will be falling near their neck. So what do they do? They power down, think small, take no risks and ensure that they don't appear in anyone's crosshairs.

Unfortunately, this not only does nothing (if they choose, they're going to fire you anyway), it can actually hurt your career.

Why might you be next to be laid off in this economy . . . let's look at the facts:

1. You make too much.
2. You make too little.
3. You're working on a low-level or non-strategic project.
4. You're working on a high-level, very strategic project.
5. You've worked much too long at that company.
6. You are the last one hired, first fired.
7. You're boss doesn't like your face.

What am I really saying here? Firing is capricious. It can happen for a number of reasons and most (if not all) of them have nothing to do with your performance. The reality is: 99 times out of 100, mass firings are due to bad planning by management, not by you. And they have to move fast, cut deep, and recover quickly to SAVE THEIR OWN NECKS. Or they will see the axe coming around the conference table for them.

SO . . . what am I REALLY saying here? In times like these, it is in your best interest to STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. Don't hide.

For example . . . Take a little risk:

1. Speak up at meetings. Let people know your point of view.
2. Have strategic lunches — meet with key executives inside and outside of your company.
3. Ask for more work — but choose carefully — get on that key project.
4. Make it a point of bumping into higher-ups and building relationships with them.

In times like these, companies have NO IDEA what to do. They're juggling all the balls in the air and NO ONE wants to catch one. They just keep juggling and praying they don't drop one.

Smart executives that are go-getters take advantage of this craziness and grab one of those balls. So . . . time to grab some balls.