52 Jobs in 52 weeks. Sean Aiken has done a lot of legwork for YOUR career!

I came across a website called oneweekjob.com and found it fascinating! The website created by Sean Aiken shows his career journey in a truly unique way. Instead of just settling for a job right out of college, he has dedicated 52 weeks to work in 52different jobs. At his website, he documents every stop on his journey in a very well done video on his experiences. If you are looking for a job in Orlando or want a better job, I think you will find some great information at this website.

So what can you learn from Sean’s career journey? I found that answer by watching his videos on the different jobs he has already completed. He has had many different jobs like aquarium host, brew master, Radio DJ, tattoo artist, florist, dairy farmer and many more. Once you go to the site, click on the video about a career you may be interested in and learn the job in a whole new way.

But what intrigued me the most about Sean’s work happened after I watched quite a few of the videos. While Sean was entertaining, I really thought the business owners, managers and coworkers at each job provided awesome career insight. In the “baker” video clip below, the owner talks about her passion for cooking and how she transformed it into her career! You can SEE the excitement in her career choice. You will find others who share their road to a successful career.

I really think your career should be one you will really like. Hopefully, Sean’s journey will give you a better perspective to help you in your own career!



Here is another article from the New York Times this week on Sean.

Should You Consider a Video Resume?

With the evolution of video on the internet, sites like YouTube and Yahoo video make it very easy to upload a video. In the employment world, we are seeing video resumes gaining a little traction. Here are a couple of examples:

Video Resume 1

Video Resume 2

Video Resume 3

So what do you think? Can you see yourself starring in your own video resume? It certainly is intriguing but before you jump in front of that camera, you may want to make sure you consider the following.

1) Will you be able to make a professional video resume that will enhance your background?

2) Do you think an employer may look at your video and decide not to interview you because of something you said in the video? In other words, videos are a one way. You do not have the opportunity to answer specific questions as you would in an interview.

3) Will the employer think you are acting? In the examples above, each one has a different “feel”.
4) Will employers even look at a video resume since they have hundreds of applications already? It would take forever if everyone had a video resume.

5) Can you make changes to your video resume to better “fit” the company you are applying to?

Video resumes have been around for years. They are getting some traction now just because it easier than ever to upload video to the internet. While I think we will all have our own online personal career site with resume, video and letters of recommendations, I think employers are still over whelmed with the data they already receive from candidates. A well written resume with CLEAR objectives will always get the attention of an employer. It will be up to you if you want to throw in a video resume as well before they face to face interview.

Privacy Tips for Jobseekers Who Post their Resumes Online

If you are like thousands of other Central Florida candidates looking for Orlando jobs, you have posted your resume on online sites (like OrlandoJobs.com) so potential employers can access your background and present job openings that match. Seems pretty simple! However, do you know what that site is doing to protect your privacy?

In the past couple of weeks, candidates that registered with Monster.com (read article) had resume information stolen by some “Trojan” software. While this is a major issue with any online services you use (banking, shopping, etc.), you do have an opportunity to protect you privacy. Here are some of our suggestions when dealing with online employment sites:

1) Make sure the site has a Privacy Policy. You must read this statement and agree with the terms. If you don’t, don’t post your resume! If the site doesn’t have a privacy statement, do not post your resume unless you don’t already get enough spam email. Make sure in the privacy statement that YOU have control of your information.

2) I suggest using a new email address for every employment website that you post your resume on. That way you can identify any bogus emails sent to that address. If the job site you posted your resume to follows their privacy policy, you should not get any other emails except from the site a employers. (Make sure you keep the email address professional)

3) Never put your social security number, date of birth or financial data in your resume. If a site ever asks you for a social security number, DO NOT use that site!

4) Does the employment site have a phone number and customer service department or is everything done online? Any questions you have should be able to be answered individually through a phone number or dedicated email. OrlandoJobs.com phone number is 407-645-4224.

5) Pick two or three sites that you feel can help your chances of securing employment and post your resume there. Do not post your resume to multiple sites.

6) Not every job offer you see is real and could be a scam. Most reputable job sites make sure their clients are real with real jobs. If you see work at home jobs or make $1,000 a day type jobs posted on a website, DO NOT post your resume. The type of companies an employment website has tells a lot about the site. If they accept these types of jobs, what are they doing with your background?

7) To protect your privacy, many job posting websites allow you to post your resume confidentially. This is a good option if you are currently employed as well as one more way to protect your privacy. The downside is an employer that wants to contact you immediately has to email you at a confidential address. You may miss the interview.

Privacy is very important. At OrlandoJobs.com, we do everything we can think of to make sure your online experience is safe and secure.

Additional Information for your Online Privacy.

The Orlando Venues Vote – Will this create jobs? YOU BET!!!

First of all, for the record, OrlandoJobs.com does support the building of the venue project in Orlando Florida. This would include a new arena, performing arts center and refurbishing of the Citrus Bowl. What makes this billion dollar project such a hot topic is just that…a billion dollars! The money is coming from many sources and the economic impact for Central Florida will be great.

Also for the record, we are not in any way a part of Orlando City or Orange County government. I will leave the voting up to our elected officials who have done the homework we can’t do as a citizens trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together. It is a massive project that will shape Orlando for years to come.

Why does OrlandoJobs.com support the project? It is very simple…jobs. Yes, we understand the new arena replace jobs already being performed at the Amway arena. However, the new arena will create more jobs at these events and more events each year. Also, a major performing arts center will create numerous jobs.

While we do get some great events in Central Florida, our community can go after even more. With new facilities, Orlando is a no brainer to entice incredible entertainment, arts and sports events. With these events are jobs.

YES, Jobs. Jobs of all kinds. Event day jobs, sales jobs, marketing jobs, advertising jobs, maintenance jobs, landscaping jobs, food service jobs, management jobs, medical jobs, technology jobs, website jobs, telecommunication jobs, logistic jobs, purchasing jobs, legal jobs, administrative jobs and many other opportunities.

How about the jobs created around the venues? You bet. If you look at any venue project in any city, major development has moved in and creates and/or expands business districts. Think about all of the possibilities.

But what gets me most excited about the venue project is the fact that companies in other parts of the country that are considering moving their operations to Central Florida will now be able to factor in world class facilities during their decision process. Why is this important? Smart companies who understand that human capital (employees) are their biggest asset need to “protect their investment”. The more a region can offer its citizens not only benefit the companies already here, but the ones considering relocating! For example, Burnham has made a great commitment to our area!

Finally, I have had the opportunity to recruit many professionals to Central Florida over the years. I truly believe we will have a better shot of attracting talented people to the area and also retain professionals that are already here. While Orlando is a great place to live, people who come from cities like Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas and many others parts of the country will turn jobs down. I have had many excuses, but the one the always hurts the most is we have no culture.

It is time we change that perception. With the new venues, we know new jobs will be created. We know new business will come. Orlando will truly be a world class city.

Are you ready to take a Virtual Interview?

If you could attend all of next week’s interviews virtually, would you? More importantly, should you? I am NOT referencing video conferencing; rather, new online technology allows you to create a computer generated image of yourself – an “avatar” – that will meet emplyers in a virtual room and communicate with them via instant message. You have access to unlimited resources to make sure your finished product resembles the “real” you. The outcome is surprising! To find out more about avatars and to view examples, visit http://www.secondlife.com/.

So is virtual interviewing right for you? The following points are some companies’ reasons for utilizing the Virtual Interview:

For Employers:

1) It’s cost effective to screen candidates.
2) It can help you narrow the pool of candidates.
3) You’ll be able to screen out of town candidates from anywhere.

For You:

1) It enables you to undergo the interview from a comfortable location: your residence.
2) You can concentrate directly on your questions, without the worry of initial appearance and non-verbal communication.
3) You can display some of your ability on a technical level. (Hopefully, your computer generated avatar will resemble aspects of your personality as well as your image. In fact, there is already this site that will help you pick out your interviewing outfit!

Many major companies have tried virtual interviews (read WSJ article), and the results vary. In the future, avatars may become widely accepted, but it is too soon to get overly excited about this type of interviewing.

Companies who have an element of artistic creativity (ad agencies, animators, graphic design firms, etc.) may be able to put virtual interviewing to good use, but the average company and the average candidate are either unable or unwilling to invest the time and effort into creating an avatar that can function as their online “other.” Online resume is still the most practiced manner of initial contact.

I can’t imagine and Orlando companies interviewing this way in the near future. For one, they are having a tough time finding qualified candidates for a lot of their specialized jobs. Most companies probably won’t have the time to wait for you to create your “customer service specialist ” avatar. (Although, it would be interesting to see what that looks like!)

This video on YouTube shows a slightly satirical version of humans reenacting what life would be like if you were an avatar. I guess applying online or picking up the phone may be the best way to get that next job.

Making a bad job choice is not the end of the world!

I was at the CFEC career fair last month in Orlando, and I had a couple jobseekers come by with great concern. They had just quit their jobs because the jobs they thought they accepted turned out to be everything but. Both were concerned that by quitting a bad job, that would hurt them with future employers. While this should be a concern, you can overcome this obstacle. I suggest the following tactics:

1) Be upfront and honest while interviewing with your new employer. The challenge here is too make sure you are specific about the issue that caused you to quit while not being negative about the employer.

2) Make sure when you submit your initial resume to a future employer, the dates on the resume reflect you no longer work for your last company. Along with this accurate resume, you will use your cover letter to explain your early exit from your last job.

3) Make sure that the new job you are interviewing for doesn’t have any of the reasons you left the last one. Do as much research as you can to find out about the company. The best case scenario is talking with a current employee at this company before your interview.

4) Realize that the person interviewing you most likely has had a former job or experience very similar to the situation you are experiencing. People are sympathetic, especially when you come across as a straight shooter.

If the interviewer keeps coming back to your situation, ask them if there is anything specific they need to know. The best advice I can give you is just be completely honest; stick to the facts and make sure you spin them in your favor. You will be hired on your qualifications, enthusiasm, quality of work and desire to be successful, not because you happen to have a blip on your resume!

Should your career be ranked like your FICO or SAT score?

What ever happened to sending in the resume and then going to the interview? If TalentSpring.com has their way, soon we will all have a “merit score” based on your career path and employment choices. They are taking the stance that a job should be filled with a candidate based on merit only (performance, accomplishments and education) and not on who you know, self promotion, and luck (right time, right place).

And you thought it was hard to get a loan. In my opinion, any company that utilizes a system that ranks a person through a piece of paper and some technology is a company that might be around to long. The art of recruiting and adding true value in human capital involves interviewing, testing and learning about the person, not the piece of paper. You learn from the candidate, not a computer, about past performance and accomplishments. You also learn if they are a fit for your company. If the people who write loans just went off credit bureau reports, most people would never be able to buy a home.

The other issue I have with any system like this is the fact that the information being fed into this technology can be easily altered by the applicant. If a candidate ranks high (beats the system) and wastes the time of the company, it would only take a couple of these events before the merit system crashes and burns.

Talent Spring goal is to become an industry standard in merit scoring for candidates. If this ever does work (which it won’t!), the world’s economy will come to a screeching halt! Think about it, some of the greatest business minds in the world failed numerous times before they found their niche. A system like this would prevent the next great mind from ever getting an interview.

Orlando is Number One for the next TWO YEARS in Job Growth!!!

Orlando is leading the nation as the hottest job market in the nation. While other cities are really hurting, Orlando leads the list according to Business 2.0. View the article here:

Orlando is Number One

What the nation is realizing is what we already know, Orlando is growing! It is more than just adding hospitality jobs. We are adding healthcare, digital media, life sciences and technology companies. These are high paying jobs that require education and training.

They are predicting that the high paying job sector in Central Florida will balloon to a 15% increase. This is good news for everyone.

This is also why we need to continue our push to become a world class city so we can not only attract great companies but also top talent! This includes Orlando supporting Project Hometown, the drive for world class facilities. (Performing Arts Center, Citrus Bowl and Event Center)

I get excited just think about how lucky we are to be in Orlando in 2007. It is kind of like owning a stock at $10.00 and knowing that it will worth $500.00 in the not so distant future. Orlando is a SURE BET and the nation is taking note!

The Lineup (2 year job-growth) forecast

1) Orlando 6.8%
2) Las Vegas 6.5%
3) Raleigh NC 5.8
4) Charlotte NC 5.7
5) Phoenix, AZ 5.6
6) West Palm Beach 5.4%
7) Tampa 5.3%
8) Riverside, CA 5.2%
9) Austin, TX 4.9%
10) Atlanta, GA 4.6%

So You Think you have a “cool” email address..be careful when applying to jobs...

It may have taken you a couple weeks to find that ultra cool email address, but think twice before using it as your contact email when applying to jobs. A study that has come out indicates that employers rate these creative emails names as less professional then somewhat normal email names.

I have attached a very interesting study performed by Kevin Tamanin. This is his thesis which he did at Ohio University. Please visit this link to read the entire thesis. It is entitled The Perception of Electronic Mail Names and How those Perceptions Affect a Job Related Evaluation Process.

I agree 100% with Kevin’s findings! (Does that mean I have a new Masters degree?) Actually, if you read through this thesis, you will find study after study that indicates an unprofessional email address used for a resume or online communication can be the kiss of death!

One of his studies used the moniker drunkensquirl@ and HtoTHEhizzy03@ as examples of highly “unprofessional” emails. When he submitted resumes with those email addresses to potential employers, the response rate from employers was extremely low. By just changing the email addresses to a more professional email address (he used jsmith8888@), the results were much greater!

In my 20 years of recruiting in Orlando, the last 10 years I have seen some of the craziest email addresses. Being the recruiter I am, I would still call the potential candidate, but not with an interesting picture in my mind developed by the candidates email address.

Good rule of thumb…get a professional email address for your career!

Is your next job a paid “Blogger”?

It only took a few years, but the newest “niche” site for jobs is called The Pro Blogger Job Board. Do you have what it takes to make a living being a blogger? I think it is a pretty cool job!

But how do you make money being a blogger?

1) Advertising Revenue from your Blog.

You can use adsense from Google, text links, Blogads and CrispAds. If you use any of these services, when visitors from your blog click these ads, you receive some revenue. ( These are just a few options)

2) Affiliate Programs- Get paid for selling others products (ClickBank)

3) Sponsorships- Get someone to directly sponsor your Blog.

4) Getting paid to write to a network of Blogs.

5) Writing Blogs for a company. For example, Home Depot hires you to keep their blog up and running daily.

6) Can you sell anything with your Blog? Are you an artist or doll maker? If so, a well written blog on dolls will bring in the traffic you need to sell your work!

Go to the Pro Blogger Job Board and see if there is a job for you. I found a company looking for a golf Blogger…I just might apply!

Instant Messaging at Work may be Monitored!

If you like to IM while working, a lot of employers are starting to log your messages. What you have to understand is that anything you do on your company computer at work is the property of your employer. They want to log your IM’s is for a variety of reasons. Employers are interested in knowing if employees are giving away trade secrets, harassing co-workers or violating non-compete agreements to name a few. Please visit this article to learn more.

My thoughts on this are simple. Employers hire you to do a very specific job. If you have IM access, it can be a great tool in conjunction with your job. The issue to me isn’t some of the bad things you can do with IM’s to hurt your company’s image and profitability (my personal philosophy has always been if you have these tendencies in you, nothing will stop you). For me, it is simply one more distraction or gateway to have to the outside world that takes away 100% commitment to your position. Talking to your college friends all day may be fun, but will never get you ahead in the real world. Successful professionals never have time to just chat!

Cleaning Up Your Online Image…including MySpace! Your job may depend on it!

Employers and co-workers are using the internet to find out things that you may not even realize are online about you! Have you Googled your name? What are the results? Did you ever take down those college fraternity pictures that may not have shown you in the best light? Is your MySpace account in need of image repair? Please read this article to find out about the challenges of restoring a good online image.

Here are some things you have to consider when cleaning up your online image:

1) Getting any image of you out of Google/Yahoo/AOL image search engines.
2) Getting a video off YouTube posted by a friend you never talk to anymore.
3) If you have a MySpace account, make it confidential.
4) If you have a Blog that is extremely personal, make it confidential.
5) Change that disturbing email address that was probably “cute” when you created it, but very unprofessional in the real employment world.

Believe it or not, employers and co-workers are using this information to draw an impression about you, right or wrong. You can do something about that!

Free Career Assessment Test-Excellent Stuff!

I really like this tool I just located at www.assessment.com . In the upper right hand corner, there is a career assessment test you can take for free. It is about 70 questions (15 minutes), but I found it to be an excellent source to give you some ideas about a potential career path for you.

The initial test is free. Of course, they have additional tests that can give even a deeper look into your motivations and career choices. I think the free test is all you will need to atleast get an idea of things that may be interesting for your career path.

Your career is a BIG part of your life. This world is filled with so much opportunity, but a lot of you don’t realize the numerous possibilities unless you do some research. This is one tool that will give you some ideas what you might be suited. Hopefully, you may find a career path that you never thought of before! Good Luck!