What's New in Finding a Career, Landing a Job, and Starting a Business

I was on KGO Radio's Ronn Owens Program today. In preparing for the show, I made notes. Lest they go to waste, I've adapted them into this post.





Likely source of new jobs: Comprehensive immigration reform/mass legalization.  It will create jobs preparing immigrants for the citizenship exam. Illegals are high users of the health care, legal and social service systems, so just there should burgeon: bureaucrats, translators, health care providers, lawyers, legal clerks, etc. In the private sector, supermarket chains such as Mi Pueblo should burgeon and nightclubs, radio, and TV shows, etc. will be repurposed to accommodate the change in audience tastes. And this amnesty, if it's like the previous amnesty will trigger new waves of immigrants, ensuring that the job market in these areas will be strong. Learn Spanish. 




Pockets of opportunity in the tech space. there's a decent chance that mobile and social media, currently hot, will soon peak. I'm more bullish on:


computer security 
digital forensics: prosecute hackers, spouses hiding money, employee theft.)
and especially Big Data: data warehousing, architecture, and mining. I'm bullish because the massive data is already close to enabling marketers to predict what you'll buy, when and why. In the health care space, the data will be used to identify more cost-effective diagnoses and treatments. Credit card companies will use Big Data to more accurately predict if a transaction is likely to be fraudulent. Stock pickers will use big data to develop more predictive models of what to buy and sell. 



Some careers that many people would find fun:: pyrotechnician, store
merchandiser, hairstylist, garden designer or coach, beer brewer, sports
announcer. Alas, it's not easy to land a job in these fields. 




What's new and working in landing a job?

·        
Writing a business plan: what you could do in the first 90 days.

·        
Including a portfolio of your work products with your applications

·         Cleaning
up your Google results. If you've posted things you wouldn't want your employer to see, consider taking it down. 

·        A  great
LinkedIn profile including an engaging headshot,

·        
Twesume
e.g., Tech PR pro, experience both in-house and agency: [link].

·        
CareerSonar
ranks all jobs available online by the strength of your connections on Facebook and LinkedIn. That makes it easy for you to know when to try to get a connection to try
to help you.




Job-search Hail Marys: The resume as an Amazon page, infographic,
or monopoly board.


Walk in. If there's a security guard, arrive when lots of employees are and try to get one to say, "He's with me."
Take control of part of the interview, for example, ask if you might go to the white board and explain.
Ask probing questions: "Would you tell me something about working
here that wouldn't appear in the employee handbook?" or "Why should
and shouldn't I want to work for you?"

Advice for people who get frustrated with their coworkers? It's tough to change people so after a brief effort,minimize interaction with them, get them to
leave, or you leave. 



Self-employment ideas  



Match.com ad coach
High-quality coin-operated laundry (with a kid center, coffeehouse/concerts/videos/internet access, big-screen TV. 
Videoscribe

Semi-retirement jobs. Interim
Executive, healthcare
advocate, inn sitter, tour guide, advisor to returning college students, teach classes in adult school or as visiting lecturer at university. 






Advice for new college grads that are stuck: Circle a date on your calendar a month or two out by which date you will have picked something. Most people who are happy with their careers wouldn't have known it going in. They end up loving their career only when they've become the go-to guy/gal.  Then look for a launchpad job--an entry-level position that will put you at the elbow of people who can teach you and get you promoted.