What's New in Finding a Career, Landing a Job, and Starting a Business

I was on KGO Radio's Ronn Owens Program today. In preparing for the show, I made notes. Lest they go to waste, I've adapted them into this post.

Likely source of new jobs: Comprehensive immigration reform/mass legalization. It will create jobs preparing immigrants for the citizenship exam. Illegals are high users of the health care, legal and social service systems, so just these should burgeon: bureaucrats, translators, health care providers, lawyers, court clerks, bailiffs, etc. In the private sector, supermarket chains such as Mi Pueblo should burgeon and nightclubs, radio, and TV shows, etc. will be repurposed to accommodate the change in audience tastes. And this amnesty, if it's like the previous ones, will trigger new waves of immigrants, ensuring that the job market in these areas will be strong. Learn Spanish. 

Growing areas in tech. there's a decent chance that mobile and social media, currently hot, will soon peak. I'm more bullish on:

• computer security 
• digital forensics: prosecute hackers, spouses hiding money, employee theft.
• and especially Big Data: data warehousing, architecture, and mining. I'm bullish because the massive data is already close to enabling marketers to predict what you'll buy, when and why. In the health care space, the data will be used to identify more cost-effective diagnoses and treatments. Credit card companies will use Big Data to more accurately predict if a transaction is likely to be fraudulent. Stock pickers will use Big Data to develop more predictive models of what to buy and sell. 

Some careers that many people would find fun: pyrotechnician, store merchandiser, hairstylist, garden designer or coach, beer brewer, sports announcer. Alas, it's not easy to land a good job in most of these fields. 

What's new and working in landing a job?

·         Writing a business plan: what you could do in the first 90 days.

·         Including a portfolio of your work products with your applications

·         Cleaning up your Google results: If you've posted things you wouldn't want your employer to see, consider taking them down. 

·        A  great LinkedIn profile including an engaging headshot,

·         Twesume: A 140-character resume on Twitter. e.g., Tech PR pro, experience both in-house and agency: [link].

·         CareerSonar ranks all jobs available online by the strength of your connections on Facebook and LinkedIn. That makes it easy for you to know when to try to get a connection to try to help you.

Job-search Hail Marys

• The resume as an Amazon page, infographic, or Monopoly board.
• Walk in. If there's a security guard, arrive when lots of employees are and try to get one to say, "He's with me."
• Take control of part of the interview, for example, ask if you might go to the white board and explain.
• Ask probing questions: "Would you tell me something about working here that wouldn't appear in the employee handbook?" or "Why should and shouldn't I want to work for you?" 

Advice for people who get frustrated with coworkers. It's tough to change people so after a brief effort, minimize interaction with them, get them to leave, or you leave. 

Self-employment ideas  

• Match.com ad coach
• High-quality coin-operated laundry: with a kid center, coffeehouse/concerts/videos/internet access, big-screen TV. 
• Videoscribe/Whiteboard Animation (using Powtoon or Sparkol.)

Semi-retirement jobs. Interim executive, healthcare advocate, inn sitter, tour guide, advisor to returning college students, teach classes in adult school or as guest speaker in university classes.

Advice for new college grads that are stuck: Circle a date on your calendar a month or two out by which date you will have picked something. Most people who are happy with their careers wouldn't have known it going in. They end up loving their career only when they've become the go-to guy/gal. Then look for a launchpad job--an entry-level position that will put you at the elbow of people who can teach you and get you promoted.