Looking for a job, into a job

ERE.net includes a post today about Daniel Seddiqui's project to work 50 jobs in 50 states, 50 job in 50 states in 50 weeks is his tagline on his Living the Map website. (You can see video and read more about the project in the ERE post.)

Now, of course, nothing would stop a librarian from taking a tour of library opportunities, or other jobs, to gather information and maybe spin it into a job. But it also means that at libraries, we will have an influx of career guides and manuals where people either do an immersive journalism piece, like Scratch Beginnings, or Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, or more reflective, personal writing, like Diary of a Job Search, which was on the WSJ site before it was made into a book.

Lone bloggers, some funny, some mundane, may get picked up by major papers or websites, though it is more likely that a media outlet will get a recommendation for a writer with a track record as a regular blogger, and spin their blog into a feature. The trick is to post with only a mild amount of bitter--which might get harder and harder, the longer you look.

The Huffington Post currently has a call for people in the New York area who are on UI but are looking for work. It might not lead to a gig, but might let you get on a national soap box.

LibGig job roll on Twitter

LibGig is now Twittering their job postings. You can follow them on Twitter.

Similarities between job and house seeking

On the Jobacle blog today, a post compares house hunting with job seeking. The writer identifies certain qualities that the house/job would have--neighbours are to co-workers, price are to co-workers--and shows you how you can create your own "cost" (to employment) comparison. This metaphor might work for some job seekers--and, if you have to move to find work, be conducted as a simultaneous search--but try to keep your mind form drifting to sub-primes and foreclosures as you conduct your searches.

Hike up your boobs career advice

The Brazen Careerist does it again: suggesting that we take career lessons from Eliot Spitzer's call girl, Ashely Dupre. I have a love/hate relationship with the Brazen Careerist: some of her advice is just plain common sense and some of her wise pearls are barely fit for swine. Usually, this is when she veers into life coaching, as opposed to career coaching, and suggests that we get a bra with better support instead of a strong support network.

Yes, this young boobalicious girl made lots of money--possibly lying about her family life, sleeping with men and posting some songs on her MySpace page, like an American Idol wannabee--but should we take career lessons from a naive young person who appears to have "pillowy" as her only career skill? (If she did a version of If I only had a brain, I swear I would download it). And we are supposed to take a page from the book of someone who her mother described in the NYT as: "...a very bright girl who can handle someone like the governor...But she also is a 22-year-old, not a 32-year-old or a 42-year-old, and she obviously got involved in something much larger than her.” I admire the very bright part, but not the swept away, chewed up and spit out part.

Since Ms Dupre is probably the only one who will come out, money-wise, better than she was when she started, perhaps we could take advice from her. That is, if our lives were all about money.

Resume Hell

There is nothing like seeing the stupid stuff other people do to make you feel that you aren't do so bad. Visit Resume Hell for a sample of some of the silly stuff people submit to a recruiter. You'll stop rolling your eyes when someone reminds you to check your spelling, thinking, everybody checks their spelling. No, no, they do not. Walking, chewing bubble gum and breathing through your nose all at the same time could be beyond these applicants, but you, at least, can do all that and use a spell checker.

My hero.