Here’s a tricky question from a client that I got by email today …

Dear Kevin,

I need some advice: ABC Co. contacted me asking me if I am still interested in the job offering in NY. The job offers maximum $34,000 but salary could be lower. I would be working from 10 to 8 every day and every other weekend I get off. If I do get this position, I would have to move to NY with higher taxes and more expensive to live in NY than NJ.

I know someone who works at XYZ Co. and they mentioned that they only recruit internally for managers. Therefore, they would help me by starting at $10.50 an hour as a team leader, which could lead into management at some point of time.

What would be the better job to take?

I know that I would be struggling in NY if I was living on my own. I also know that the economy is terrible and many employers are laying people off.

Could you give me your suggestions and reasons behind it?

Dave In New Jersey

Here’s my reply to Dave:

Decisions like this that seem overwhelming lose most of their complexity when you get them out of your head, where they’re maddenly hard to analyze, and down on paper, where they’re defined in black and white.
 
The best way I’ve found to make this sort of decision is to use the “Ben Franklin” approach.

When Ben Franklin was confronted with a decision, so they say, he would draw a line down a sheet of paper. On the left side, he would write, “Reasons For” and on the right side, he would write “Reasons Against.”
 
Write down all the reasons for and against taking any job you’re considering.

Then … do NOTHING. Sleep on it for 24 hours. When you come back the next day, the answer should be very clear to you.

What do you think? Am I on the right track or on drugs? How do you make decisions when it comes to choosing between employers? Please comment below!

And, if you’re in the job market and haven’t done so already, grab your free copy of our Guerrilla Job Search Secrets audio.

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According to an excellent article in The Wall Street Journal:

With the economy tanking, lots of people are striking out on their own. Some never thought of starting a business until they got laid off. Others kicked around the idea but never found the time or the passion to pursue it. Now, launching a start-up seems like a better bet than taking on an endless job hunt. 

If you’ve thought about starting your own business instead of working for others again, now may be the time to do it, recession or not. Because, there’s no perfect time to start a business … just as there’s no perfect time to have a child. It happens when it does.

Another good resource if you’re thinking about starting a business is my friend Tim Law, who blogs about it regularly. He writes: ”Why not use your passion, hobby or skill set and put a business around it?”

This is another way of asking, “What would you do all day if you weren’t getting paid?”

Answering these questions will go a long way to determining what your passions are, which will determine the best sort of business to start — if entrepreneurship is the route you decide to take.

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It’s been said that the best new ideas are the best old ideas.

Put another way, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel in your job search if others before you have found ways to succeed.

What if I told you there was a success “system,” invented by Benjamin Franklin in the 1730s, that helped create millionaires in the 1930s, when unemployment stood at 25%?

Do you think it might help you find a job faster today, with unemployment at less than 9%?

If you’re interested, keep reading to learn more about this system, which can make sure you stay on track and do more of the right things each day, getting you hired faster for the job you want …

(more…)

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The most brilliant job-search plan in the world won’t get you hired on its own.

You have to take action.

But before you can act, you must decide to act.

And that’s where things get tricky.

Your mind can work for you or against you. If you can harness your emotions and use them to propel you into action, you’ll get hired faster than someone who is paralyzed by negative emotions.

Positive thinking is fine. I like it. I do it. But thinking only takes you to the brink of action. To get results, action is required. Specifically, positive action.

Good news: You don’t have to think positively to act positively in your job search (or anywhere else).

Example: You can be in the worst mood imaginable, yet still drag your butt out the door, meet with a high-school friend for lunch, and walk away with a job lead.

Positive actions produce positive results, which lead to positive thinking … which leads to more positive action. This virtuous circle begins and ends with action.

Here are examples of positive actions you can take today, no matter what mood you’re in:

• Give a recommendation to one person in your Linkedin network.
  Recommendations are mini-testimonials that are essential to your online profile. And the best way to get them is to give them. Plan on giving at least two for every one you want in return.
• Help one person do their job better.
  This can be as simple as emailing them a link to an article you read online — why not this one? — or introducing them to someone in your network who could become their client, vendor, or partner. You must give help to get it.
• Write a letter to someone you want to meet.
  Fact: Unlike pro athletes, most executives don’t get a lot of fan mail. Why not send a nice, well-researched letter (not an email) to an influential person in an industry where you want to work? Ask for a 10-minute informational interview, in which you will call to ask how and why they got into their line of work. Then call.
• To benefit mind and body, combine physical and job-search activities.
  It’s hard to feel negative when you’re exercising. Example: Go to the gym with a friend and have a networking conversation. Or take a walk (with a notebook) and brainstorm ways to meet hiring managers at five of the 20 employers you want to work for.

To sum up: The cure for negative thinking is to stop thinking about yourself and start acting to benefit others. The best part is, even if you feel negative while taking positive action, you’ll be … taking positive action. And this can only bring you closer to your next job.

As William James said: “We do not sing because we are happy, we are happy because we sing.”

More good ideas in our Free Job Search Audio CD here.

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I got an intriguing question email today from the career service office of a university where I’m speaking next month.

Below is the question and my answer. This should interest you if you’re a recent college grad looking for your first job. It may also give you clarity if you find yourself in your 30s and 40s and not sure what you want to do with your life …

QUESTION: My big concern is for the student job seeker who has skills, is eager to work, but doesn’t have a clear idea of what they really want to do. These are the students who, in a better economy, would be employed, but in this one won’t until they discover what they really care about. How do you help this kind of student without dampening their spirits? How willing are professionals to help this person gain clarity? Or do they need to do soul-searching on their own?
 

ANSWER: The student needs to do the hard thinking and soul searching before ever venturing into the job market. Students need to pick the 3 skills the most want to use (good) or the title of the job they most want (better) before ever speaking to a potential employer or high-value networking contact.

Reason? Once you are branded as unclear, unfocused, and not particularly valuable, it’s nearly impossible to change that impression later.

When the average employer interviews the average college grad, they usually expect to talk to an unfocused 22-year-old who hasn’t done a lot of research on the company/clients/industry in question, and doesn’t know what they want to do with their lives.

Imagine, then, how a more-motivated college grad would impress employers by saying something like, “I’ve researched your firm, Ms. McGillicuddy, and I really admire how quickly you went from $1M to $10M in revenue in 18 months (that’s what the article in Crain’s Detroit Business said). I’ve also researched your 3 biggest competitors by posing as a customer and going through their buying process. Would you like to see the report I came up with? I can also show you a PowerPoint slide that one of their sales reps used last month — I found it on Google using the Advanced Search function and some sleuthing. Could we meet for coffee this Thursday morning?”

Even if Ms. McGillicuddy isn’t hiring, she’s going to meet with this motivated college grad, which will either lead to a job or a highly valuable referral.

So, to sum up, professionals expect to help young persons gain clarity, but won’t necessarily want to. By contrast, they do not expect to speak to a young person who has clarity, but will be eager to meet, hire, or refer them. 

The only failure in my view is in not picking a direction. I know several people in their 40s who still have no idea what they want to do. They hate their current jobs but have no dream jobs to look forward to. The have lacked direction since leaving school and have been too afraid to pick a defined route because it would have forced them to say “No” to every other route. 

If you take a sub-optimal job on the way to a clearly defined dream job, you have not failed and you have not settled. Because you are progressively realizing your goal every day you go to work and making yourself ready for that ideal job. You are a success. 

Having said that, there’s no shame in picking a skill set or job title you end up hating in 3 months … or 3 years. What you learn in school is called education. What you learn after that is called experience. As long as you find the lessons and people to recommend you in every job, you can’t help but become more valuable and “referable” to others.

Resource: Free Job Search Audio CD.

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