Job Postings are Great but Advice is Better

The title of this blog was also the title of an email sent around about the June 17th "New Media Jobs" webinar to the NOI jobs list yesterday, and I think this topic deserves a blog post as well.

Last weekend I went to my sister's commencement at Harvard. Surrounded by graduates of such caliber, I had no doubt in my mind that they were all headed off to their next adventure, employed and confident and ready to change the world. Then, the speakers started talking, and every single one of them focused on the fact that the Class of 2009 was stepping out into the middle of a great economic recession, a troubled job market, and the worst prospects a graduating class has had in years.

That kind of message didn't seem all that empowering to me, especially coming from someone who spends most of their time posting jobs and sending off resumes of job seekers to potential employer matches. Anyone who is on the NOI Jobs List is getting bombarded by online and offline organizing jobs. Yes, there are a lot of people looking for these jobs - but if you present yourself genuinely, personably and professionally you too can be employed, confident and ready to change the world.

The critical skill of matching your best presentation of yourself to your best job opportunities can be a tricky one, and as exciting as the deluge of jobs on the jobs list is, you can't gain much traction unless your application is partnered with solid advice.

This is why NOI is hosting a webinar on June 17th on New Media Jobs, offering outlook and advice from Ben Rattray (CEO and Founder of Change.org and Jobs for Change) and myself. We'll be spending an hour answering questions and sharing some off-the-beaten-track job advice, with the goal of making this job posting and job applicant match happen. Hope to see you there.