National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is November 1 – 7, 2009.  This week is designed to recognize truck drivers and their importance to our economy.

In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, CareersinGear.com is giving away a Teletype GPS to one lucky driver.  They are also giving away posting packages, banners and email campaigns to truck driving companies who are hiring drivers.  Check out Twitter for more information.

I finally made it to November; you see this is one of my favorite months, for many reasons, there are lots of holidays, Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day but honestly it’s the weather.   You see usually by November even Arizona has started to have better weather, and when you live in the valley of the sun that’s a reason to celebrate!  However today as I was outside enjoying the outstanding weather I heard on the radio about an event that gives us one more reason to be thankful we have reached November: MOVEMBER

Movember is a month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues - specifically prostate and testicular cancer. The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia.  The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back.  In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research… never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about a taboo subject – their health.

What a neat event, you can start today by learning more about men’s health issues or you can start by growing your hairy ribbon of heath and take on a cause. Either way you will leave with a better education and that’s the real point! 

Happy Movember!

It seems that people didn’t worry about the flu soon enough; and you find yourself scrambling to find the vaccine.  Start your search  with major drug store chains, including Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Wal-Mart.  In addition to getting vaccinated you should also practice good health habits to keep yourself flu free this season.

Avoid Close Contact: Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Stay home when You are Sick: You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover Your Mouth and Nose: It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

WASH your Hands: And was them often, washing your hands will protect you from germs.

Get Sleep and Exercise: This will keep your body able to fight off germs.

It’s a real threat out there and it’s called the flu, make sure you ward off the germs that can stop you in your tracks. It’s no fun to finally find the perfect job only to have to call in sick.  At WiserWorker.com we want you to be well and in tip top shape to start your new job!

Don’t cut and paste your resume into your profile.

You wouldn’t hand out your resume before introducing yourself, so don’t do it on LinkedIn.  However, describe your experience and abilities as you would to someone you just met.

Borrow from the best marketers.

Interject your profile with your voice. Use adjectives, colorful verbs, active construction (managed project team). Don’t write in the third person. Picture yourself at a conference or client meeting. How do you introduce yourself? That’s your authentic voice, so use it.

Write a personal tagline.

That line of text under your name is the first thing people see in your Profile. It follows your name in search hit lists. It’s your brand.  Create your professional personality into a more eye-catching phrase that describes who you are at a glance. (Your e-mail address is not a brand!)

Put your elevator pitch to work.

Create a 30-second description

The essence of who you are and what you do, is a personal elevator pitch. Use it in the Summary section to engage readers. The more meaningful your summary is, the more time you’ll get from readers.

Explain your experience.

Help the reader grasp the key points. Briefly say what the company does and what you did or do for them.   Use those clear, succinct phrases here and break them into visually digestible chunks.

Pat your own back and others

Get recommendations from colleagues, clients, and employers who can speak credibly about your abilities or performance. (Think quality, not quantity.) Ask them to focus on a specific skill or personality trait that drives their opinion of you. Make meaningful comments when you recommend others.  

Build your connections.

Connections are one of the most important aspects of your brand. The company you keep reflects the quality of your brand.    Identify connections that will add to your credibility and pursue those.  As you add connections and recommendations, your Profile develops into a peer-reviewed picture of you and of your personal brand.  

No one will ever forget where they were on September 11, 2001.  Those images are forever burned into our collective memory. But, true to our American spirit, we grieved for a while, then picked ourselves up and began to move forward.  We will never forget the past.

It is in this spirit that the USS New York came about.  Former New York governor George Pataki contacted the Secretary of the Navy and suggested the name for the new San Antonio class of amphibious transport dock ship.  He saw it as a way to honor the victims of 9/11.

What makes this ship unique is that part of her bow is made up of steel from the World Trade Center.  While in New Orleans being built, the USS New York also survived Hurricane Katrina.

Some may say that the USS New York is jinxed.  I think she exemplifies the fight in all of us to keep going no matter what the odds.

On October 13, the USS New York set sail for NYC for her commissioning on November 7^th.  Now I am not one for military history, but I think seeing that ship commissioned will fill me up with a sense of nationalism not felt since that tragic day in September.

In addition to the USS New York, there are two more ships being built to help fight the war on terror.  They are the USS Arlington, named after the city where the Pentagon is located and the USS Somerset, named for the county in Pennsylvania where American Airlines flight 93 went down.

We can all feel proud knowing that these ships, named after such meaningful locations in our recent history, will serve us well.

Ok, because of your awesome resume and cover letter, you have gone on an interview. I suppose your think that is the end of it, right?  Wrong!  Now you have to write a thank you letter.

Send the thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview, whenever possible.  They should be typed unless you have been corresponding via email the whole time.  Getting a business card will help you remember who you interviewed with and their title.

Be concise.  Use the same paper that your cover letter and resume were printed on. 

Address any unresolved issues that came up during the interview.  If questions came up during the interview or if more information was requested, the thank you letter is the perfect place to include that information.

Include something specific about your interview.  This will help the interviewer remember you and help you stand out from the pack.

Emphasize your strengths one more time.  Let the interviewer know that after meeting with them, you are more confident that your skills are a match for their organization.

Most importantly, thank them for their time.  Everyone’s time is valuable.  A simple acknowledgement will let them know you respect that.

Last, but definitely not least, proofread your document before sending it out.  Do not give the hiring manager an easy reason to eliminate you from consideration.

Your cover letter and resume did their jobs.  They caught the attention of the hiring manager and you are now scheduled for an interview.  Now what?

The job interview can be nerve racking.  Being nervous before a job interview is normal.  You can alleviate some of those nerves by being prepared for the interview.  This is where doing research on the company you are interviewing with will really pay off.  It shows a genuine interest in the company and it can help you come up with questions for the interviewer.

Here are a few things you can do to help the interview go smoothly.

Make sure you know where to go for the interview.  Try driving the route you will be taking prior to the interview. Being familiar with where the interview is will help you stay calm.

Arrive early.  You will probably have to fill out an application before the interview begins.  Being late may also raise a warning flag about you even before the interview starts.

Dress professionally. Hopefully this goes with out saying.  Your clothes should be clean and wrinkle free.  Your shoes should not be scuffed up. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

“Don’t fidget.” This is the one piece of advice I remember my Mom giving me before an interview.  Non verbal communication is important in interviews.  Standing up straight, making eye contact and a firm handshake are all good non verbal communication tools.

Be flexible.  Every interview is different.  Remember that the purpose of the interview is for the company to get to know you and for you to get to know the company.  There is no set formula for how to do this.  The more calm, prepared and relaxed you are the better off you will do.

Do you have any tips for a successful interview?  If so, we would like to hear about them.

Have you ever had one of those days when you wonder where the nice people went?  Today I learned that they apparently work at the Mesa, AZ Dillard’s. I read an article in the Arizona Republic that gave me hope that people really do care about their co-workers. It was a story about how one person took the initiative to help another, and I would bet my last dollar he didn’t do it to get article written about him in the Arizona Republic.

My hero of the week though I would bet he doesn’t consider himself a hero is Daniel Anderson, a part time security guard for Dillard’s. Daniel noticed that his coworker Gregory Lewis was in pain everyday from his prosthetic leg, the same leg he received 30 years ago after a battle with cancer. Mr. Lewis has no health insurance and a new prosthetic cost over $10,000.  

What happened next is a story of compassion; Daniel headed up a project to get Gregory a new leg. He contacted Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics in Chandler, the store manager, and fellow coworkers and shared that they needed to do something to help Gregory and the rest is magical. Mr. Lewis got a new leg all because one special person took on a mission to change another’s life and he did just that. 

The special bonus to this already magnificent story is that Mr. Lewis also got a new job much closer to his home at the Arrowhead Towne Center Dillard’s. So here’s a special thank you to Daniel Anderson who chose to travel the extra mile to make a difference. You are special!

Growing up, I loved reading Dr. Seuss books.  Green Eggs and Ham was my all-time favorite.  I also liked the stories about the Zax and Sneetches.  Even now as an adult, I like giving Dr. Seuss books to my friends who are having kids.

What I am realizing as an adult is how influential those books have been in my life. The lessons in them that were transparent to me as a child are now a reminder of the things I try to be and do.

Green Eggs and Ham is still one of my favorite children’s books.  I love the persistence of Sam I Am and how hard he tries to get the green eggs and ham eaten.  Sam I Am has taught all of us to not be afraid to try new things.

Another one of my favorite stories was bout the North Going Zax and the South Going Zax.  They came to a point where they both faced each other and refused to move.  They were so set in their ways, that a whole city built up around them.  I learned that is it not always ok to be stubborn.

Then there is the story about the Sneetches.  One set had stars on their bellies and the others did not.  The ones without stars on their bellies wanted to get stars to be considered cool and equal to the star belly Sneetches.  After a bunch of adding and removing of stars, the Sneetches forgot who originally had a star on their belly and who did not.  They realize that as long as they were Sneetches, it didn’t matter what was on their belly.

All of these lessons were great to learn as a kid and stuck with me as I was growing up.  Now that I am an adult, these lessons are just as applicable.

In a new or current job or in life in general, it pays to be willing to try new things, being flexible and be true to who you are.

Thank you Dr. Seuss.

What things that you learned as a child still help you today?

2009 marks the 50^th anniversary of Alaska and Hawai’i being admitted to the union.  That just blows my mind.  It is hard to imagine only 48 stars on the flag, yet that is what baby boomers grew up knowing.  I will admit, I find American history very interesting, so the process of states being admitted to the union is fascinating to me.

What seems normal and commonplace to us now will seem strange to the next generation.  Just as my generation has always known a country with 50 states, searching for a job on the internet and networking through social media sites will be normal for the next generation.

Gone are the days when you could pick up a paper and flip to the help wanted section to find a job.  That is where WiserWorker.com can help.  We have job postings that contain companies looking to hire the mature worker.

Soon we will be making changes to the site to improve the job seeking experience.  Some changes will be cosmetic (bigger font, more audio features).  Some will be more substantial like making it easier to navigate the site.

Like they always say “Times they are a changing”

What changes would you like to see made to our site.  Take our survey and let us know what you think. http://www.wiserworker.com/survey.