Tina’s favorite Web links for job hunting and other fun stuff

Job Hunting

www.monster.com: tons of jobs, a great way to watch which industries and companies are growing and a great place to go if you need resume advice, etc. But beware, posting your resume on Monster or any job site will mean people can access your information if you make your resume searchable by employers and sadly, there is such a thing as job search “junk email”.

www.theladders.com and www.mktgladder.com: I spend a lot of time on this site because the jobs are specific to marketing, communications and advertising. They also have salesladder.com, technologyladder.com, lawladder.com and other industry-specific areas. It’s worth it to pay for the $25 per month subscription if you’ve got a lot of experience in your field or have held posts at Director level and above. The weekly newsletter is great and the customer service (should you need it) is fabulous.

Keeping Informed About News & Business

www.cnn.com
www.foxnews.com
www.linkedin.com: a very cool site where you can keep track of your network of contacts.
www.adweek.com
www.adage.com
www.fastcompany.com
www.bizjournals.com
www.nytimes.com
www.wsj.com: (The Wall Street Journal online)
www.fortune.com
www.inc.com

Fun Stuff

Yes you’re supposed to be online looking for a job, but why not take a mental break once in a while. Here’s where I go for a breather.

www.dailycandy.com: Hip new trends and products. The dailycandy.com daily email is a must.

www.nfl.com and www.vikings.com: My favorite season is football season.

www.adcritic.com: sometimes a commercial that is so funny you laugh so hard you cry is a great way to start the day.

www.oprah.com: Sorry—can’t help it. This woman is a genius.

www.carbonleaf.com: Great band, great people. Click on “shows” to see when they’ll be near you.

www.citysearch.com: Movies, restaurants, bars, etc. But wait—you’re poor and unemployed—look for the restaurants with only 1 star.

www.craigslist.com: you could spend all day here. Lost of fun part-time jobs listed by city.

www.nbc.com: How else will you know what happened on the Apprentice if you miss it and can’t afford Tivo?

www.bluemerle.com: Another great band, worth seeing wherever you can.

www.geico.com: I am not kidding. The commercials are true. I switched to Geico and am saving almost $500 a year on car insurance.

www.itunes.com: Even though you might not have a lot of extra cash, don’t download music illegally.

www.apple.com: The advertising industry taught me to love all things Mac.

www.amazon.com: for now, browse here, but check your books out from the library. When you have a job again, you can pay for the convenience of having actually owning books.

www.drake.edu: Make sure you stay connected to your alma mater. Most schools have extensive online databases of graduates that you can access while networking personally and professionally in your city.

www.alphaphi.org: Never underestimate the power of your sorority/fraternity network.

www.orbitz.com, www.travelocity.com, www.hotwire.com: Even if you don’t think you can afford a big trip, maybe a super hot deal on a weekend getaway will convince you to go see friends or family out of town. The trip will do you good. I wouldn’t recommend Vegas till you land that great new job.

Giving Back

Hey—you’re unemployed. You’ve got some time on your hands. Give some time to a charity, your church or a local hospital.

www.sparekey.org: I have been involved with this Minnesota charity as a Board Member and as an event planner. This is truly an inspiring group of people who pay the mortgages for families with sick kids so they can focus on being with their child during the crisis of the illness.
www.mtolivet.org: I am in the process of joining this Lutheran congregation and this Fall, I will start spending two Thursday evenings a month with members with disabilities.

www.basilicablockparty.org: Even though I am Lutheran, I still help the Catholics once a year. If you want to have some fun volunteering for one of Minneapolis’ most exciting weekend events, watch this site for next years’ details. I have volunteered the last three years, have had a blast and met some of my closest friends through this event.

www.redcross.org: I may not have a job, but I at least have a car, a home, clothes and I know where my family is. The victims of hurricane Katrina need our help. Even if you can’t donate a lot of money, do something. Give blood. You must have that.