Saturday, May 8, 2010

Need a Job? These 10 Basic Sites Can Help Your Search

Monster
This is one of the oldest Web sites for job searches. Monster allows you to look anywhere in the world for a job, though it's probably best known for its job hunting abilities in the United States. You can use the site only for basic job searches, or you can sign up with Monster and post your resume, post a cover letter, seek resume-writing help and more. One great thing is signing up with Monster won't cost you anything.

Yahoo! hotjobs
If you already use Yahoo! for e-mail or other services, why not check out their offerings for your job hunt? Of course you can do the basic search, but you can also upload a resume, use a salary calculator, network with other professionals and perform tons and tons of other tasks that can help you find that next employer.

Careerbuilder
This site lets you look for jobs, post resumes, seek advice, etc. Sounds pretty familiar by now, right? Well, this site also has the added benefit of being linked with plenty of newspapers in the U.S., which means those jobs listed in many newspaper classified sections are also making it to Careerbuilder.

USAJobs
This is the official job hunting site for federal government jobs in the United States. This site not only lets you look for those government positions, but it also can provide information on the seeming mysteries of the federal hiring process, which obviously will be different depending upon which branch or department of government you're applying to work for.

Indeed
Indeed is one of my favorite job search engines. Why? Because it is a one-stop search engine for many, many other jobs sites. In fact, several other of the other job sites on this list can all be searched together on Indeed. This particular site even scours some college and corporate sites for open position. But remember, never put all your trust into one job-hunting site online. Why? Read on.

Simply Hired
This site is much like Indeed. It allows you to search multiple other job sites all at the same time. What's interesting here is that I've done the exact same searches, multiple times and different dates, on both Indeed and Simply Hired and the results of the two sites do not match exactly. What this means is each site misses some jobs. And it means each site will have some listings the other one won't. So, to repeat, use more than one site for your employment search.

Jobs.net
Another basic job hunting site. Perhaps, but you need to know about as many sites as possible. I like this site because it is one of the easier ones to use, in my opinion. Even the main page has a map of the United States, and you can click on each individual state to look for jobs there. What's easier than that?

Craigslist
Craiglistis a lot like the old-fashioned classified advertisements in your hometown newspaper. You go to the site and there are all kinds of classified listings, everything from yard sales to personals to housing and more. Including jobs. Yep, there are jobs listed on Craigslist, full-time jobs and part-time jobs and temporary gigs and everything between. If you don't like any of your local listings, and are willing to move, you can also check out the listings in other cities and states and even other parts of the world. Just be careful. There are lots of scammers out there, and sometimes they lurk on job hunting sites.

Eurojobs
Maybe you're not in the United States, or you are but want a job elsewhere. That's where Eurojobs can be of aid. This Web site purports to be "the only multi-country site for jobs in Europe." So use it to find those jobs in France, Germany, Britain, Spain and elsewhere. You can do your basic search, or you can join the site for other benefits.

Snagajob
Maybe you need a job, but you are tired of wading through listings of executive jobs and nursing jobs an doctor's jobs, etc. You get the picture. You just need a job, you don't need to be the boss or to run a hospital. Snagajob might be the place for you. This is a place where tons of normal, everyday jobs are listed for normal, everyday folk. You know, jobs that pay by the hour. You can search around the country or in your own region. Plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and the like have jobs listed here, but you might be surprised at many other places that have jobs listed. Worth checking out.

Can Writers Make Money From Corporate Sponsorships?

If you keep your eyes sharp, you can spot it on television programs all the time. The family who brings home McDonald's to eat. The cop sitting at his desk drinking a cup of coffee from Starbucks. Jack Bauer hefting a Beretta pistol in his hands.

It's often corporate sponsored, which means a company has paid money to the producers of the show to include products in the show.

It happens in movies all the time, too. Ever notice in a comedy when all the characters are drinking Pepsi products? Or maybe a group in a bar all happen to be drinking one kind or another of Michelob beer?

I just use these as examples, not to be too specific about it.

But could writers do the same thing?

Every once in a while I'll be reading a novel and I'll notice something like this. Once it was a character who ate only Milky Way candy bars throughout the book. Now maybe that was just the writer's prerogative, but maybe Mars candy paid for that inclusion?

Whether a company paid or not, I see some potential here for book authors to make some money. Perhaps the money wouldn't come directly to the author, but would go to the publisher who could then split the funds with the writer. But however it would work, I think there's potential.

As for online writers, there's always the traditional advertising affiliations, such as using Google Adsense, Chitika and other online advertising sources. Then there are specific affiliations such as you can get through Yahoo!, Facebook, MySpace and other online sites.

But it's not impossible companies could also pay online writers to write stories about their products, or to mention their products in articles, possibly even to link to products or to company Web pages. Sure, there are a handful of professional blog writers and such who do this already, but the future might bring even more possibilities.

Just as an example, if Lego offered you a few pennies for every mention of their company or toy products in your articles, wouldn't you write a whole lot about Lego? Or if Burger King was to pay you a few dollars every time you published an article about one of their burgers, wouldn't you at least consider writing a series of articles about them? What if Amazon paid you big bucks to blog daily for them?

I think you would do it. With enough such connections, you might even be able to make a living at it.

But how would you go about this? Does it sound daunting to you? Don't let it be. Simply contact someone at the corporate office for one of these companies. The initial response might be "no," but don't go away instantly. Maybe take a breather for a week or two, then try again. They might still say "no," but that's okay. They might not say "no." They might say, "sure," or "how about we give it a test run" or "why don't you send us some of your writing." If that's the case, you should have at least three samples of your writing ready to send off.

It might not be that easy. And you would probably have to try a bunch of different companies. I'll suggest trying smaller companies first just because they usually have far less corporate red tape to go through.

Just keep in mind that in these days of a tough economy, you have to be a little pushy. Sure, everyone says "don't call us, we'll call you," but honestly, what do you have to lose if you do call them? If they don't hire you or give you that writing job, so what? Odds were you weren't going to get it anyway. But if you've pestered them a little (repeat: a little), then they might just remember who you are and offer you a writing contract or keep you in mind for something else in the future. Keep in mind, however, you don't want to make yourself too annoying.

Of course you could also write articles with a bunch of different corporate links within it and wait and see if any of those companies take notice.

And if you need examples of your writing, why not try out different writing places online such as Triond, Bukisa, RedGage and other similar writing sites to get started? Those sites can provide you helpful writing clips that could help land you a job.

Guest post: So, I Married a Goy

Recently my wife discovered my online articles. Here is her reaction to my ramblings, especially concerning an article I wrote about her being Jewish.

My husband is a writer. It is not exactly what you would think of as a dangerous occupation, but that was before I found myself the subject of some of his writings. Things could become quite dangerous for him now.

I suppose I was just not paying attention. We established early in our relationship that we had very different tastes in reading materials. My husband was a newspaper editor and wrote fantasy novels in his spare time. Occasionally I would edit a chapter or two, but mostly I left his writing to him. It seemed a sacred and private thing to him and I respected his space. He doesn’t ask for much. He wants peace and solitude for writing and cheesecake for his birthday. He doesn’t like sports on television, he is generally passive, and he takes out the trash. I always considered myself fortunate in this regard, but I had no idea he was a loose canon typing away in our den.

Recently I read some of his articles. It started harmlessly enough … a few reviews of books he had read and his take on Domino’s Pizza transformation, and 400 articles about beer. And then I saw the title, “It’s True, Jews Really Are Trying To Take Over The World.” My first thought … we’re going to have to move.

This article is my husband’s idea of humor. I have told him repeatedly that he is not funny, but I stand corrected. He is both funny and offensive; which means he could have a successful career in comedy! But, let’s face it, I am still funnier. For instance, I would have never argued with him about theology like a 9 year old over Grape-Nuts. When he said, “The Jews killed Jesus,” I would have retorted, “Yeah, well you’re next if you don’t pick up your socks”.

The truth is, anyone who knows anything about my husband knows cake is one of his food groups. He loves cake! My guy dreams of cake and gazes through bakery windows like he’s watching porn. Once we were at a friend’s wedding and the cake was bad. I did not know there was such a thing as bad wedding cake and neither did my husband. I swear I saw an actual tear in his eye. The man loves cake. That alone could make him more Jewish than me, because everyone knows Jews LOVE cake!

As for the rest, all marriages have their challenges. Sometimes there are differences in political views, but you find balance. Sometimes there are differences in religious views, but you find harmony. But when one spouse is a brilliant wit and the other has no sense of humor you are doomed. In this I am doubly blessed. Were it not for my jovial disposition, I would have never looked beyond the “Jewish check” comment to see my husband is funny. But I’m still funnier. I have to be. After all, I married a goy.

It's True, Jews Really are Trying to Take Over The World

The Experiment Begins
I had always heard the Jews were secretly trying to take over the world. They control the banks. They control the corporations. They control the government. Heck, they even control Hollywood! (My sources for this information shall remain anonymous to protect the guilty).

So, that being the case, I decided a decade or so back that I would go under cover and investigate the truth for myself. I decided to marry a Jew! That's right, I would marry a Jew at the risk of drawing the ire of my fellows.

It didn't take long before I found the right victim ... er, I mean girlfriend. I was a journalist back then, one of the liberal elite, so she had little trouble accepting me into her secretive conclave.

Then we got married almost eight years ago. Since then I have been keeping my eyes and ears open to discover the secrets of the modern Jewish underworld.

The Test
But first, just after we go married, I had to test my new wife to see how far I could push things. One morning while we were sitting together over bowls of Grape-Nuts at the breakfast nook in our house, I said, "You know, the Jews killed Jesus."

She glared at me. "We most certainly did not!"

"Yes, they did," I said. "It's in the Bible."

"No, they did not."

"Yes, they did."

"Did not."

"Did, too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Look," she finally said, "even if Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus, you can't go around blaming an entire people for the actions of a few."

"Sure, you can," I said.

She continued to glare at me. "If that were the case," she went on, "the Romans were just as guilty."

"They were," I said. "I don't like them, either. Dirty Italians."

It was a cold house for a few weeks after that, but at least I had learned some of my limits.

The First Evidence
Shortly after we moved into our first house, I noticed my wife kept receiving in the mail bulky envelopes with a Star of David printed on the front and a return address to a local synagogue. Ah ha! Secret correspondence! I had her now. I opened up one of the packages to find a calendar inside with markings on particular dates. What was this? Secret meetings? Dates for gathering to discuss further world domination?

I approached my wife. I held out the envelope. "What is this?" I asked.

She glanced at it, then went on doing whatever it was she was doing. "It's a monthly memo from my temple," she said.

She admitted it! Right then and there! I couldn't believe it. I was on to something.

"What is it?" I asked, still holding out the envelope.

The wife glared at me again (you'd think I'd be getting used to it). "It's just the monthly calendar."

Ah ha! More admittance! Where would it end?

"A calendar for what?" I asked.

"Special events and things," she said. "It lets the local Jewish community know about events at the synagogue, and other area events of interest."

"Like what?" I had in my mind images of secret cabals gathering at midnight and discussing ways to ruin our peanut butter supplies, plans to steal our cookies and ideas for indoctrinating today's youth in Jewish culture!

She seemed to go back to ignoring me now, but she answered. "Bar mitzvahs and the like," she said.

Bar mitzvahs! What a weird grouping of foreign-sounding words! It had to be something diabolical and I had to find out just what it was.

"What's a bar mitzvah?" I asked.

"It's a ceremony for kids," she said.

So, I was right about them indoctrinating today's children! Where would it end?

"When a boy or girl turns thirteen, we have a special event to mark the occasion," my wife went on. "It's a way of saying they are now an adult, that they are responsible for their actions before God."

I went away smug that day. I had unveiled the first of many secretive plots and events. I would have to gather my strength, gird my loins and try to wriggle my way into one of these bar mitzvahs just to see what all went on there. It was bound to be something evil!

The Letdown
I went to a bar mitzvah. Some kid read from the Bible. Then we had cake. It was not quite what I expected.

Never Surrender
Now I'm eight years into this marriage. I'm remaining ever vigilant, but so far nothing untoward is truly raising my hackles. My wife still receives mail from her synagogue, but it doesn't seem so threatening. She celebrates Hanukkah, I celebrate Christmas. All in the same house, under the same roof. We exchange presents. So far she hasn't tried to kill me in my sleep.

But what really, really irks me is that if there is this Jewish conspiracy going on to take over the world, shouldn't I be getting my fair share?

I finally broke down and asked the wife about this.

"Honey, when do we get our check?"

"What check?" she asked.

"You know," I said. "Your Jewish check."

She looked at me nonplussed. "What in the world are you talking about?"

I winked at her. "Come on," I said, "I know you guys have your little meetings and are secretly running everything behind the scenes."

Her glare returned, harsher than ever.

"So," I went on, "when do we get our check? I married a Jew. Shouldn't we be getting our secret society paycheck anytime now? Otherwise, what good is it running the world?"

She stormed out of the room. We're still not talking. But that's okay. I'm the one who gets the mail every day. I've got my eyes glued on the mailbox for that check.

When Did Turn Signals Become Optional?

It's everywhere I go. Everywhere. Whether I'm driving or walking. No one seems to use turn signals anymore.

Quite commonly, it's because someone is using a cell phone while driving and can't bother to use their turn signals. But often enough, it's just people making their turn without signaling beforehand. Is it plain old laziness? Do some drivers think they're cool because they don't use signals? Is it because everyone is in such a hurry they can't bother to use their turn signals? Has a flick of a switch become an inconvenience?

The truth of the matter is use of a turn signal while driving isn't just a matter of being considerate of other drivers, though it is that, too. Turn signals are there for a reason. It's called safety. Turn signals let other drivers around you know what your next move is going to be. Turn signals allow other drivers to gauge their reactions and responses to your own driving.

And yes, not using a turn signal is also a matter of rudeness. But excuse me for thinking people in everyday life should treat one another with a certain modicum of respect.

It's almost funny, we have all these safety devices on our cars. Drivers purchase certain vehicles for the vehicle's apparent safety. Some drivers even have bumper stickers or other signs on their vehicles that are safety warnings, some that even read "Baby on Board." We go to all that trouble, but then we don't bother to use the most basic of safety devices provided to us.

And I realize from time to time seemingly little things like a turn signal can slip someone's mind. I get that. Believe me, it's perfectly understandable. But I see a lack of turn signal use far more common than what could be expected for something that's just slipping people's minds. Unless of course most drivers just aren't paying attention to what they're doing. I guess people just can't be bothered with it anymore. Why not just get rid of seat belts, motorcycle helmets, roll bars, the whole deal?