"It takes Money to Make Money"

Are you in the position you want to be in? As Hollywood has poignantly pointed out there are many that will purse the ultimate dream job at the cost of others or by their own methods to slave away and sacrifice. Still, what Hollywood does not show you are the basics. In movies it always appears that even in the fight/strife of life the Hollywood character gets the job and the success at the end.

After working with people, resources, and the fight for jobs there are a few points that stand out clearly. There is not enough realization that a strong resume can help you move forward. Visit any employment agency, recruiting firm, or professional consultant company and they will tell you. Your resume is not just an option it is a necessity.

It is clear that sometimes we need to walk the trial and error road. Let's face it if something costs money and it appears to be less than important why bother?

Surely you have heard the phrase, "It takes money to make money." Most business owners will tell you that in order to see the outcomes that they have today, they had to invest in their company. You are your own sales manager. How well can you sell yourself? Your resume is your first impression.

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State Resources - Making them work for you.

When it comes to resources every State has something in the way of providing help in finding work. The problem, of course, as we have discovered over and over is linking yourself to these resources. The larger States, such as California, you might find your search is easier if you work from the county level. The smaller States might provide more information found in various State websites. For example in New Mexico there is a great website: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. This site offers quite a variety of resources that can help you track down information, wage resources and data, recent articles, and even work openings in the State of New Mexico.

Even if the State itself does not offer a specific website of resourceful information there are usually other independently owned sites that link you to key resources and job information for your specific State. Like this one found in Montana: Montana Jobs.com

The importance, once again, is that before and after you locate these sites you have a few items in place. First your resume should be professionally written and ready for submission. Secondly, you need to have an active email, and telephone number in place so that contacting you is quick and efficient. Companies do not like to have to leave messages or do multiple call backs. Finally, you need to be working on your interview preparation. Now you are ready to put the State Resources to work for you.

Where do you want to work?

Where do you want to work? Maybe a large company or perhaps you have your heart set on a mom and pop organization where you can really feel a part of the culture. Either way it is always good to know that your company has value and that there is a certain "life expectancy" for the job you have.

A while back Fortune did a survey on the most admired businesses in the trade right now. The Top 20 are a great place to start when consider big companies that are respected and moving forward.

Top 20
For the 20 most admired companies overall, FORTUNE's survey asked businesspeople to vote for the companies that they admired most, from any industry.
Rank Company
1 General Electric
2 FedEx
3 Southwest Airlines
4 Procter & Gamble
5 Starbucks
6 Johnson & Johnson
7 Berkshire Hathaway
8 Dell
9 Toyota Motor
10 Microsoft
11 Apple Computer
12 Wal-Mart Stores
13* United Parcel Service
13* Home Depot
15* PepsiCo
15* Costco Wholesale
17 American Express
18 Goldman Sachs Group
19 Intl. Business Machines
20 3M

A great list to get you moving forward in your job search. Where do you want to work? How about starting here with this list, search the openings and see if one has the right fit for you.

The Best of Times & The Worst of Times

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." As is evident in today's economy life can be likened to the simple quote by Charles Dickens. For some life has remained the same. Work, home, and play continue in the same carefree fashion. Yet, for a vast majority life has changed dramatically creating a sense of urgency and need. Where and how do we find work? Although that answer might seem to elude even the most diligent job seeker the real answer is that there are still jobs out there for the having. However, instead of them seeking you out of the pile you are going to have to pursue them.

The job market is rapidly changing from an employer seeking market to an employee seeking market. What does that mean for you? In short, it means that if you want a job you are going on a hunt. It will require that you submit not just 10 resumes this time around, rather 100 resumes. Thank you notes, follow up telephone calls, and pursuit are a must and not an option in this market. Does that mean it is the Worst of times? Not exactly. You can and will find work. But you will need to be a little more creative and a "lot more willing" to seek it out.