Where are the jobs?

What comes to mind when I hear "Where are the jobs" is "Where is the beef?" Ultimately, it boils down to finding out which industries and careers are thriving? So, where do you start.

Follow the money! One good place is "Recovery.gov". This is where you can find out which industries and businesses received Economic Stimulus funds.

Indeed.com will show job trends within the United States. It will give a breakdown of job postings per metropolitan area.

CNNmoney.com will give you a glimpse into the 22 best companies to work for and their job openings .

You can also go with old faithful and do an internet search of "Where are the jobs" and "Best Careers in 2010".

Here are three industries that are currently thriving?

• Healthcare
• Government
• Green - renewable energy, green building, waste management

Career Branding: A Way to Keep Your Career From Flat Lining

Typically when you hear the word "branding" you immediately associate it with a business.

Branding your career is becoming more important with the challenges of today's job market. It is very essential for people especially potential employers to know who you are and what you do.

How do you build your brand? How do you get the word out?

Building your brand will require some introspection. What do you want people to automatically think about when your name is mentioned? For instance, when you hear the names below what comes to mind:

• Bill Gates - ?
• Steve Jobs -?
• Warren Buffet - ?

This is exactly what you want to happen with you. To build the brand you need to get the word out. This can be done in various ways such as:

• Building an internet presence (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, etc)
• Joining and participating in Professional organizations
• Volunteering
• Speaking
• Writing

Have fun branding your career!

College to Career

How do you go from College to Career? Is it just the luck of the draw? Will the opportunities just gravitate towards you?

In this conversation, Andrea an UCI Senior will discuss her journey. How are you preparing to go from college to career?

Adapt or Perish

“Survival of the fittest” sums up today’s job market. Gone are the days of job security, a pension and life long benefits. There are fewer opportunities and a sense of despair. The time has come to shift to a new paradigm that will allow you to thrive in the new job market.

The quote by James Agee is so apropos, “You must be in tune with the times and prepared to break with tradition”. Just as plants have adapted to changing conditions or they have ceased to exist. The time has come to shift to a new paradigm that will allow you to survive in the new job market.

What is the new paradigm? How do you go about achieving it?

Reflecting on the Future

Oftentimes as the year wraps up people are inclined to make New Year's Resolutions.

What about during something different at the end of the year? Take some time and allow yourself to concentrate on the past 12 months:

• Reflect on what's worked


• Acknowledge your successes


• Acknowledge your failures then find success in them

Now project that into the future. Do you want to continue on the same track? What is the big picture for next year?

Listen to the show with Beverly Simmons, ACC. Beverly is a certified life coach. She can be reached at beverly@truetrack.org.

Taking Care of Yourself!

Taking Care of Yourself! Sounds simple and rational but somehow it gets missed in the equation.

Just think, how can you compete in this job market if you are not functioning at your most optimal level? So now is the time for you to stop and take care of yourself. Perhaps for you it is 5 minutes of meditation or a 2 hour movie for someone else.

The point is for you to start taking care of yourself: (1) body, (2) mind and (3) soul. One of the best ways for me to take care of body, mind and soul is music. On Career Quest, I will be joined by the Jazz Angels. Barry Cogert - Executive Director, Albert Alva - Co-Director and 9 talented young musicians from Jazz Angel, Inc have a great show in store for you.

So tune in for conversation about taking care of yourself and some wonderful Jazz Music.

Barry Cogert and Albert Alva can be reached via http://www.jazzangel.org/.

If I am so Smart, Why is My Career a Mess?

Well, I heard your requests. John Hall came back to the studio to record a full 50+ minutes on this discussion!

So if you are wondering, why you are dissatisfied with your career or things just seem out of control, this show is for you.!

My guest John Hall is an Executive Career Consultant who assisted hundreds of executives and management employees through career transitions. John has had articles published in "The Wall Street Journal’s National Business Employment Weekly", "The Alumni Newsletter for the Wharton Business School" and the "Orange County Register". For two and half years, he hosted a talk show, Career Strategies on Talk2K.com.

At Chapman University, John developed and taught the only graduate outplacement course in the nation. He also taught Advanced Job Search Strategies in the Graduate Career Counseling Program at the University of California, San Diego.

John can be contacted via http://www.advancedcareerstrategies.com/ or john@advancedcareerstrategies.com.

Dig Your Well Before You Get Thirsty!

Have you ever felt unprepared?

Well today's topic is for you. It ties into the adage, "dig your well before you get thirsty". It is all about preparing today for tomorrow!

With the current job market, it is very importnat to be prepared for a possible wrokforce reduction. Just think,who wants to be in a stage of pandemonium when it comes to finding a job? There are steps that you can take today that can help lay the groundwork. Therefore, if you find yourself in need of a job, a strong foundation is already in place and it is just a matter of tapping into it.

The show talks about techniques for the following people:

• Students
• Employed
• Unemployed/Underemployed

Assessments: Gaining Insight Into Yourself

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When you go to career sites you are bound to find an offer for a free career assessment with some of the following sub headings: “Identify Your Ideal Career”, “What Career is Right for You?” There is a resounding focus on YOU identifying the perfect career for YOU.

With the current state of the economy YOU have an opportunity of a lifetime at your fingertips. YOU can do something totally different or do something that YOU always wanted to do.

Let’s explore assessments to see how they can assist YOU in identifying the direction YOU can take career wise and life in general.

Kei Dillard has joined me to discuss this topic.

Kei Dillard is a Professor and Business Consultant with Cynosure Management Solutions, an company that specializes in strategic professional development and growth of individuals and organizations.

Kei Dillard received her B.A. in Organizational Management and her M.S in Clinical Psychology from Vanguard University. She is currently working on her doctorate in Organizational Leadership.

Kei can be contacted via http://www.cynosurems.com/.

Comfort to Purpose

There have always been discussions around finding one’s purpose in life. For some discovering their purpose in life may seem like an unsolvable mystery or a daunting concept.

Here are three reasons why finding your purpose in life is important:

1. It gives meaning to everything you do
You could be successful, but if you don’t meaning you will feel empty inside.

2. It directs and guides you
Your life purpose can give you clear direction where to go in life. Knowing your life
purpose gives you a strong foundation. When faced with options, it will be easier for
you to decide.

3. It motivates you
You may experience failures or rejections. In such situations, your life purpose can
give you the motivation you need to keep going

So are you ready to expose your purpose in life?

Iris Jones joins me to discuss this topic. We will uncover this topic and expose how it can be an integral piece to your job search and ultimately a fulfilling life.

Iris Jones is the author of “It’s Not You, It’s Me” “Moving Forward in the Face of Adversity,” "Presenting Powerful Presentation with PowerPoint" and her recent book “You Again?”. Iris is a Certified Professional Corporate Training Specialist, Professional Coach and Ordained Minister.

Iris can be contacted via http://www.youagainbookclub.com/.

Taking Control of Your Career!

Most people’s career has been by chance. Years ago it kind of worked out. People could work for the same company for 30 years or more, retire and receive a life long pension. A paradigm shift has taking place over several years and now with today’s job market more people are impacted by this shift. . Job security is a thing of the past. It is now up to you to take control of your career and determine its direction. Just think in the end the choices are all yours. So are you going to be an active player or a silent pawn?

Joining me to discuss this topic is a person that has taking control of his career. George Willborn, Stage Comedian and Radio Personality (bringing humor and inspiration to over 200 cities and 40 countries).

Geroge Willborn can be contacted via http://www.willbornsworld.com/

What Do I Want to be When I Grow Up?

What do I want to be when I grow up? Throughout life and especially with today’s economic downturn, people find themselves trying to figure out “what’s next for me?”

Just think you will spend one-third of your life working! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a career you enjoy!

To achieve this goal you first need to take time out to explore who you really are!

This show will offer you the opportunity to get to “know yourself” better so you can find the right career and ultimately have career fulfillment.

Cathy Severson has joined me to discuss this topic. Cathy is a Career Counselor and the creator of Vista Life/Career Cards. The Vista Life/Career Cards are the best of two worlds they are a tool comprised of a personality assessment and career inventory. Therapists and career professionals throughout the world use Vista cards!

Re-entering the Work Force – Making Your Way Back!

Today there are a record number of people that have been out of the workforce for over a year or more. Some by chose others a victim of the economic downturn. There are also veterans who are now faced with transitioning into the civilian work force.

Here are some questions that I pose to you: How can one go about re-entering the workforce? What can a person do while they are unemployed?

Listen Up! This topic is applicable to anyone who is not working and may one day want to re-enter the workforce. The key is to prepare today for the future.

Tune in while I discuss how to reenter the workforce with Judy Brinton-Bleak and Daniel Evans.
Judy Brinton-Bleak the Program Coordinator for the UCI Women’s Opportunities Center. You may be thinking that the center only supports Women. This is far from the truth. Sure the initial intention back in 1970 was to serve women in career transition because during that time there was a big void. Since then the center has broadened its scope and it now supports women as well as men with reentering the work force and transitioning careers.

Daniel Evans works for the Department of Labor. Daniel served in the United States Air Force for 20 years, he returned to school to earn a degree in Business Administration and Project Management. He is a disabled veteran who was unemployed for about a year. He is now employed as Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist for the Department of Labor.

Life After College Sports

Just this week Jeffrey Jordan the son of Michael Jordan announced that after two years of playing College Basketball he is quitting to concentrate on life after college. Most of us would imagine that being an offspring of Michael Jordan, Jeffrey would naturally become a pro basketball player. However, he has given up this journey plus a basketball scholarship to focus on life after college.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) fewer than 3% of college athletes turn pro and in certain sports this percentage is even lower.

In light of the low percentage turning pro, I am very curious in regards to how this information is being shared with college athletes and more importantly how college athletes are preparing for life after college sports. So tune in to the conversation with Elke Hardt to find out what college athletes are doing to prepare for life after college sports!

Elke Hardt is an Assistant Director with the Hegi Family Career Development Center at SMU in Dallas, TX. She has a Master of Education degree in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College in Massachusetts. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Elke worked for the Canadian Olympic Association offering career development assistance and transition counseling to national team athletes.

Bridging the Generation Gap: How to Work Better as a Team

Right at this moment, there are 4 generations in the workforce. Just think about the technological and historical events that each generation grew up around, this along brings about many challenges and opportunities in the workplace.

So how can the generation gap be bridged and the generations work better as a team?

Gina Larson joins me to discuss this topic.

Gina Larson is a Professor at Doane College and a Certified Transition Coach. Gina has a Bachelor's degree in Human Relations, Master of Arts degree in Education and currently ABD status with her Ph.D. program in Psychological and Cultural Studies.

Gina Larson can be contacted via http://www.doane.edu/.