Outdistance Yourself During Spring Break

Achieving your goals often requires you to delay pleasure. It's difficult, but worth doing.

Now is the perfect time to attack some of the simple mechanics of a job search. You have a week free of lectures, student organization meetings and school requirements. Why not take the opportunity to break apart from the pack?

Here are five things to do instead of wasting away your break:

1. Update your resume and develop the working structure of a cover letter.
2. Reach out to local industry experts and set the stage for a low-risk experiment.
3. Develop a professional online presence (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.).
4. Conduct a few informational and interviews and refine your sweet spot.
5. Send a Thank You note to everyone who has helped you get to where you are today.

There you go! Five simple steps that could have huge payoffs at a later date. They wont occupy your entire break and you'll be that much closer to your desired results.

Enjoy your break!

Divorce Court Is Like A Job Search

During our final stretch of winter break, I was sitting in the Owasso Public Library hustling through work for a client and completing a final push for my latest brand.

Sitting at the table next to me was a man facing a many of life's obstacles. Rightfully so, he was droning through several loud phone calls about his recent divorce. Oddly, it was a bit captivating until he began a laundry list of why he is a victim:

• I'm a traveling sales agent
• We're in a struggling economy
• I've lost my confidence
• I'm not making commissions
• I can't predict my income

All true, all valid (especially those tied to emotions of loss) and all are within his control.

Sometimes it feels so right to assign blame to circumstances or individuals but this will get you nowhere in the job hunt. Blaming will keep you stuck in neutral.

Unfortunately many turn to blame.

This semester commit to personal accountability. Choose to be responsible for the actions (both positive and negative) that you take. A great book to read on this subject is QBQ!: the question behind the question. It examines the nature of personal accountability and gives insight to “blame” that is spot-on.

So there you have it. The first book reccomendation of this project. There will be more to come and I'll even review a few. What have you read that has made a lasting impact?