Miss Pink Slip’s Out-of-Work Oscars

The Oscars are four days away, so I thought I’d repost one of my favorite blog entries from 2009: Miss Pink Slip’s Out-of-Work Oscars.

While “Up in the Air” was obviously not on this list, it is certainly the current crown-bearer of unemployment movies. But there are many others! As I said last year, grab some popcorn, hit Netflix and settle in for inspiring education in unemployment. The first of my favorites are listed below:

1. The Full Monty– Six unemployed British steel workers create their own “Chippendales” act in hopes of earning some serious cash. Chaos ensues, but when their pants finally come off, the women go wild and the dollar bills (er…pounds, Euro, whatever) are aplenty.                                                

Moral of the story: Get creative and use your resources (but keep your pants on, please).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AUIVx-KQt4

2. Mr. Mom– Michael Keaton’s Jack is let go from his job as an auto engineer. Wife Caroline (Teri Garr) returns to the job market, becoming the primary breadwinner and leaving Jack to run the household. Chaos ensues (crazy poker games for coupons, a night out with the girls at “Chippendales”, etc. etc.), Jack battles with the washer/dryer and a vacuum, but he learns to make a darn good grilled cheese with an iron and ends up finding happiness at home.

Moral of the story: Find your strengths in unexpected situations. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Y3tmxJF6w

3. TIE

The Toy – A bratty kid purchases an underemployed reporter/janitor (Richard Pryor) at a department store in the hopes of using him as a “toy”. Desperate for cash, said reporter takes the job, chaos ensues and the man is perpetually humiliated through a series of antics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DCSATF1gBg 

Tootsie– Unemployed New York actor (Dustin Hoffman) goes drag to land a role on a popular soap opera. Chaos ensues. Unexpectedly, the character becomes a huge success and Hoffman falls in love with his female co-star (Jessica Lange). In turn, everyone falls in love with Hoffman’s “Dorothy”, including a male co-star (George Gaines) and his love interest’s father (Charles Durning). Utterly confused and humiliated, everyone discovers the ruse and everything plays out.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCLA5RnxCI                                                                  

Moral of the stories: Never knowingly humiliate yourself for a steady paycheck.

5. Erin Brockovich – Unemployed mom of three (played by Julia Roberts) meets lawyer Ed Masry when he represents her in a car accident suit. He loses the case, and because she’s out of cash, Roberts’ character guilts Masry into giving her a job as a legal assistant. Chaos ensues, and Masry fires her over and over again. Erin Brockovich remains persistent in her goal and, ultimately, ends up a hero, earning a boat-load of dough for herself, Masry and an entire town. Plus, she punishes a really bad chemical company.                                                                                                                          

Moral of the story: Be prepared to make sacrifices and be persistent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nYV0tMe3k&feature=related  

Mindless Movie Monday: Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?

Need some time off from job hunting? Flip the TV channel to AMC at 12:30 p.m. ET today and immerse yourself in the world of the “day off” king, Ferris Bueller.

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”might be one of the most iconic teen movies of the 80s. Starring Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck and a pre-nose job Jennifer Grey (plus a coked-out Charlie Sheen – maybe it was just for the role), this fun flick lets us live vicariously through three spoiled suburban Chicago teens as they experience a day most of us can only dream of. Joy riding in a 1961 250 GT California Ferrari? Check! Five-star lunch? Check! Cubs game? Check! Trailed by a crazed, pathetic principal and his dopey secretarial sidekick? Check! Check! Check!

I have always loved this movie. Maybe because it slapped authority around like a little bitch; maybe because I’ve always wanted to jump on a parade float and sing for a crowd while riding down Michigan Ave.; maybe because it gave some credence to one of my favorite 80s one-hit wonder new wave bands, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and its lone hit “Love Missile F1-11”.

If anything, perhaps re-watching this movie (which I’m sure we can all quote word-f0r-word) will help us recall and live out its most famous line: “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” That can be pretty tough to do during these times, but how can a 17-year old “snot-nosed punk” be wrong?

P.S. – “Ghostbusters” comes on right after!

Pink Pick: Rock Unemployment!

Get your job-seeking booty on over to Rock Unemployment and visit with my friend Melanie.

She’s a marketing guru and has established a site for resume writing, portfolio design and job search strategies for “creative folks”. Read her blog, subscribe to her daily job search tips and see what she recommends for “cheap fun”.  Like me, Melanie just wants to inject a little fun into this drudgery we call job hunting.

Melanie also sent me her three favorite ways to re-energize your job search after you’ve exhausted everything else:

1. Offer to help others – Can you put your talents to use, to help out a friend? It’ll keep your skills from getting rusty, and you could get referrals for side jobs or even full-time positions.

2. Consider similar positions in different industries – Have you looked outside your field for jobs like yours? You may have developed highly specialized skills in one area, but also have easily transferable abilities (such as office management, filing, word processing or marketing). Check other industries and job titles to see if you match what they’re looking for.

3. Ask friends for recommendations – Using the theory of “six degrees of separation,” ask friends and family to recommend one person they know who might put you a step closer to the job you’re seeking. Then ask that person. Then the next… You’ll often find that it only takes a few steps before you’ve made a great new connection.

Thanks, Melanie! You Rock!
http://www.rockunemployment.com/

Dress for Success – Not Just a Motto; It’s a Mission

You know how it feels to psyche yourself up for the big interview. You button up your crisply ironed blouse, put on that sleek lightweight wool interview skirt and jacket fresh from the cleaners, don run-free stockings and slip your feet into polished and shined black pumps. Once you’ve slung a tailored handbag over your shoulder, you’re ready to face the hiring squad head on with confidence, poise and style. There’s no way you can lose!

In the midst of all our unemployment worry, we sometimes forget there are gals on the job hunt who don’t have a dime to their name…much less an appropriate interview ensemble that makes them feel like the superstar candidate they are.

Enter Dress for Success. Their mission says it all: “The professional clothing, employment retention programs and ongoing support that we provide our clients symbolize our faith in every woman’s ability to be self-sufficient and successful in her career.”

I love this group. They want women to not only look great but also to feel confident, allowing their true personalities and talents to shine through during the interview process. What an amazing feeling it must be to send all these incredible ladies out into the world looking sharp, feeling good and ready to nab their dream jobs.

If you’re seeking professional polish and don’t have the adequate resources you need, please visit your local Dress for Success affiliate. If you’re blessed enough to have everything you need for the interview circuit, consider donating something to this worthwhile organization…whether it’s a suit or your time. They love volunteers!

See below for Dress for Success affiliate needs:

• Interview-appropriate suits and related separates (the greatest need is for items size 14 and up)
• Solid color blouses
• Shoes that are suitable for the workplace. Our clients receive brown, black or navy shoes most frequently. Please no heels higher than 3 inches and no open-toed shoes.
• Unopened hosiery
• Unused undergarments (Note: Not all locations accept such items; please check with the affiliate closest to you before making this type of donation.)
• Black tote bags, attaché bags or briefcases
• Basic professional accessories (including jewelry, scarves, belts and handbags)
• Unopened cosmetics
• Coats and outerwear (Note: Not all locations accept such items; please check with the affiliate closest to you before making this type of donation.)

For more questions, please visit: http://www.dressforsuccess.org/faqs_home.aspx#faq1

GUEST BLOGGER: Ken Herron Shares 5 Things You Should Be Doing Online to Find Your Next Job

I am a marketing geek, who, like many of you, is “actively seeking” my next job.  Job hunt experts consistently tell us the best way to find our next job is in-person networking.  What they don’t always mention, however, is that maximizing our online presence will also help us to find our next job faster.

Here are five things you should be doing to increase the likelihood of being “found” online by recruiters, HR professionals and hiring managers.  When you submit for jobs online, they also give people helpful information supporting your submission.

#1  Use the same version of your name — everywhere
You don’t need to understand the latest SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques to know that using multiple versions of your name in your resumes, online profiles and in real life makes you harder to find online. 

#2  Google, Yahoo!, and Bing yourself — weekly
Are you on the first page of search results?  Are you nowhere to be found?  Do photos and/or videos pop up showing you wearing nothing but a hat comprised of several different kinds of tropical fruit?  You should know exactly what comes up when your name is entered into the most popular search engines.

#3  Create a Google profile
I know of no other guaranteed, real-time way to get exactly the information you want about yourself — including text, photos, and links — on the bottom of the first page of Google search results for your name.  Didn’t even know Google had profiles?  Learn more at: http://www.slideshare.net/KenHerron/how-to-leverage-your-google-profile (full disclosure: this is a presentation I gave recently at a conference on the topic). 

#4  Really use your LinkedIn profile
Having a complete, up-to-date LinkedIn profile is not enough.  Actively use LinkedIn on a daily basis for online networking.  To start, update your status to network with your connections, join groups to make new connections, answer questions to demonstrate your expertise and review LinkedIn’s job postings.

#5  Cross link
Include the web links to your relevant online profiles, recommendations, portfolios, papers, presentations and videos on both your paper and online resumes.  Always include the links to the most relevant profiles (e.g., Google, LinkedIn, VisualCV, etc.) in your e-mail signature lines and cover letters.

The Internet has exploded our job search tools from a kid-size box of crayons to a warehouse club-size tub.  Take full advantage of all the different web “crayons” available, and you will dramatically shorten your job search!

An award-winning global marketer, Ken Herron (http://www.google.com/profiles/kenherron) lives in Boston as he networks, online and offline, to find his next job.

Thanks, Ken! Keep us posted on your progress!

Think You’ve Exhausted Your Job Search? Get a New Perspective

My UPiC (Unemployed Partner-in-Crime) Shelley continues her search for work with her head held high and her goals in check. But after feeling like she’s exhausted every contact, every lead, every meet up and every friend- of-a-friend, she is working to freshen her job hunt with new strategies.

What’s her secret?

Get a new perspective!

Although a meeting planner by trade, Shelley met last night with a PR professional – someone completely outside her field – who was able to read her resume with a fresh eye, provide some new contacts and look into industries she may never have considered. She emerged feeling rejuvenated and is now ready to start today on a new path.

Fresh perspectives are critical. I have an old boss who insisted on interviewing people outside our industry because of their different experiences, likes and dislikes, hobbies, etc. So don’t just limit your contacts to people in your field. Seek people outside your job parameters who have different backgrounds and outlooks. 

For example, don’t turn down a meeting with someone in engineering if you’re in accounting. You never know what might transpire: There may be an opening in the accounting department in their firm, they may know someone in your field from their church, a client may have a position available, his dad could be hiring, you never know.

A different, fresh perspective can be your key to success.

Let me know if this works for you!

Let’s Unleash the Experts: LA Fashion and Image Consultant Shares 3 Tips for Improving Your Interview Appearance

You’ve heard it all before:

• “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
• “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”
• “Beauty is only skin deep.”

We’re told all the time that our smarts and personalities lead to success. And that’s certainly right! But, you’ve got to consider the whole package. When you’re searching for a new job, first impressions count and it’s often shallow nuances that can stick with the interviewer.

Burbank-based image and fashion consultant Lori Ann Robinson got in touch with me recently, and her perspective is that “your image is your personal visual message, and just as a corporate visual message is critical to the confidence and success of the organization, your personal image is a message that is critical to your personal confidence and success.”

Lori graciously offered three of her top tips for maximizing your image while interviewing:

• Review, rethink and update your hair and make up to stay current. Remember, the higher you are on the food-chain of success, the more your image matters
• Remember the importance of your face, since most of the time the interviewer will be focused on it. Be aware of everything from your make-up to your teeth. I suggest a trip to the “close up” mirror just to be sure all is ship shape
• Look in three-way mirror to do a check. Remember the interviewer will see you coming and going. Yes, that stain on the back of your pants from the Mexican restaurant will be seen, and you cannot back out of the office now can you?

I think #3 is one of the most obvious, but most important things to remember. Your pants may look just fine in the front, but what about the rear view? Did you clip those extra threads in the back slit of your skirt? Is your jacket straining in the back? Is the leather on the back of your heels scuffed from cracks in the sidewalk? Sounds silly, but details count. If you look sloppy, they’ll think you probably perform sloppily.

I hope these helpful hints help you polish your look. But, don’t get so focused on your improved image that you forget your interview questions!

Check out more information from Lori:
http://www.larconsultants.com
http://www.larconsultantsimageandfashionblog.com

Easiest Way to Jump Start Your Job Search. Period.

I just posted this little bit of advice on Twitter (find me @mspinkslip_blog), but thought I’d share it with all of you.

While meeting someone for breakfast this morning on the Westside of Atlanta, I realized having an early morning appointment to get up for really is the key to jump starting the day. This especially applies for those seeking work and those who are taking time to explore other avenues to earn a living.

When I was searching for jobs, I found that my most productive days were when I had someone to meet, say, at Starbucks for coffee at 8:30 a.m. or breakfast at Highland Bakery at 8:00 a.m. I had a plan; I had a commitment to be somewhere. There was no lying around in bed until 10 a.m. watching Hoda and Kathie Lee while I mentally reviewed all the things I had to do and people I needed to contact. Too much time and too easy to procrastinate.

Getting up and engaging in early morning conversation is a terrific way to jog your brain, raise those endorphins and give you that little push you need to get out there and make things happen.

So, if you need a quick, easy way to get going, schedule your meetings in the mornings and get started early!

Guest Blogger: Miss Pale Pink Coat’s Top 7 Tips for Twitter Job Search Success

Use your Twitter account to find a job! A few simple tips will take you a long way …

1. Did you know you can customize your Twitter background? YES! It’s like free advertising – use that space. Invest in a custom twitter background and highlight your career successes – think of it as a mini resume.
2. Use a professional looking photo as your user image. No cheeky self portraits here please [save that for MySpace]. Post a clear crisp head shot.
3. Use the Twitter bio space for your job pitch. Think in keywords because searches are used for the bio space. Make sure a recruiter can find you.
4. Link to your LinkedIn profile or online resume
5. Tweet about your job search in an upbeat way. Debbie Downer doesn’t get the job, she’s too annoying.
6. Post links that fellow job seekers may find useful. Goodwill goes a long way.
7. Follow @MsPinkSlip_Blog

Guest Blogger, Miss Pale Pink Coat: Networking…It’s Not About You

More terrific job hunting advice from Miss Pale Pink Coat of Pale Pink Coat PR. This is critical information to have as you network. The gist: stop thinking it’s all about you. It’s all about what you can do for someone else.

 

Networking has become the backbone to job searching these days.  You’re going to networking events and using social media but nothing is happening.  Are you networking correctly?

 

Let’s talk about your “I just attended a networking event” strategy. You’ve had a cocktail, meet a lot of people and collected a stack of business cards. Now what? Do not, under any circumstances, go home and email everyone your resume.  I’M BEGGING YOU. Being an effective networker isn’t about you, it’s about the relationship you are building. Show your value and they will come, trust me.

 

This is my day-after-networking-event-strategy:

 

1.Organize all the business cards I’ve collected and enter them into my online database/address book.

2.Do a quick search to see if they are on Twitter and follow them if they are.

3.Email a note referencing the networking event and *something specific* we talked about.  If a meeting or lunch was suggested during the introduction, I make a move to set that up.

4.Offer a link to an article related to something we spoke about and/or that might be of interest to them [this is the beginning of showing value to them].

5.Send an email to the organizer of the event and ask if he/she needs help organizing their next event, ask if they ever use speakers, etc. Make yourself a *resource for the organizer*.

6.Any new contacts that answer my day-after email within 24 hours, I’ll jump onto LinkedIn and ask them to connect.

 

 Ten day strategy:

 

Hopefully within ten days, I’ve scheduled a few lunch or meetings with these new connections.  If it’s a lunch, I approach it somewhat casually and only discuss business once they do.  When I’m job searching, I do not bring up my background until asked.  If they already know you’re looking for a job, they will ask.  I know it’s frustrating when job searching that things don’t happen more quickly but you must be patient.  During lunch, I’ll talk about things going on in our industry [in my case social media and the music industry] and more often or not these discussions will lead to another common connection.  TIP: Do not name drop someone you do not actually know and/or someone who would not give you a glowing reference. Chances are the person you’re meeting with will call them and ask about you.  Be authentic and put your best foot forward – yourself.

 

Within ten days, I may reach out to the networking organizer again and say, simply, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”. You’d be surprised how much this question can disarm people.  “Is there anything I can do to help you?” is the backbone of effective networking.  Don’t ask that question unless you mean it and are willing to follow through.

 

If any of my emails from the day-after batch have gone unanswered, I may try to figure out if I can connect that person within anyone else – again, adding value – by sharing my network with them [without them asking].

Example – I meet a busy PR person and send a follow up email but they don’t reply.  Ten days out, I get an email from a friend who happens to be a stylist. Great. Let’s hook them up. Quick email to PR lady and cc Stylist saying “PR lady, It was great to meet you last week at the Unnamed Networking Event.  I’d like to introduce you to Stylist.  Stylist is a former colleague of mine and her work is incredible! She’s worked with Star, Star, Star.  You two should definitely connect.  Best Regards, Lisaann”.  That’s it. I’ve offered PR lady some value and hopefully made a great introduction for my friend, Stylist.

 

That was great networking because it had nothing to do with me.  PR lady sees that I don’t expect anything from her on a personal level but sees that I can add value to her network [and business].  People tend to shut down, in a networking sense, when they just think you WANT something from them.

 

Try this approach.  You’ll be surprised how many genuine connections you get this way.  I wouldn’t be surprised if PR lady calls me two months later and says “Hey, sorry I’ve been out of touch, we need to have lunch to discuss A Really Big Project.”  Thing is, we were never really IN TOUCH because old me would have thought she blew me off.  New me understands that this is true networking and results don’t happen overnight.  And right here I’d jump back to #6 from the list and see if she’s on LinkedIn and offer to connect.

 

Show your value and the will come, trust me.

 

Give Miss Pale Pink Coat a shout!

www.palepinkcoat.com

e: hello@palepinkcoat.com