Career Opportunities

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 Douglas E. Welch (http://douglasewelch.com), wirter and producer of Career Opportunities Column and Podcast, presents to Tuesdays with Transitioners, a career group in Northridge, California (http://tuesdayswith transitioners,ning.com)

Can’t see the video above? Watch “Production, Promotion and Proactivity in Your Career” on YouTube

Subscribe to Douglas’ YouTube Channel | Watch the Career Opportunities YouTube Playlist

Subscribe to the Career Opportunities podcast using iTunes

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Showing people “what you do and how well you do it” is an important part of every career. You need to be visible so that people can seek you out for opportunities instead of always feeling you have to go begging for a job.

Visibility and Your Career was presented at LaidOffCampLA on May 1, 2009.

If you do not see the video above, please watch “Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCampLA” on YouTube.

Fair warning.

Over the next 6 weeks I am going to be banging the drum pretty loudly for CareerCampLA (and CareerCampSCV and CareerCampSFV). CareerCamp is a pet project of mine and one that I take great joy and interest in. CareerCampLA 2012 will be our 6th CareerCamp overall and I love what it does for people — employed, underemployed or unemployed.

What is CareerCamp?

CareerCamp is a locally organized and locally sponsored unconference dedicated to “helping you build the career you deserve.” Each CareerCamp hosts a series of presentations and break out sessions hosted by the attendees themselves. There is a huge amount of career knowledge in the local community and CareerCamp is designed to bring out and share that knowledge.

Some people will come to listen. Some will come to teach. Some will come to discuss, but all come with an open desire to build their career and help those around them. Often I see people who promise that they are only there to listen take the reins of a discussion or presentation and share their amazing knowledge in a way, perhaps, that  they have never done before. CareerCamp provides a safe, supportive and positive environment that leaves people feeling energized at the end of the day — ready to go out and make their career the best it can be.

What is an unconference?

Unconferences are self-organizing conferences, similar to many professional conferences, but instead of hiring well-known, professional speakers, they call on the attendees themselves to provide the content and focus for the event. Every person who attends is highly encouraged to present on some topic deeply important to them or, barring that, to facilitate an open breakout session or round table discussion or even just to engage and converse with their fellow attendees between presentations. A few organizers band together to find a venue for the event, recruit sponsors and invite attendees, but the focus of the unconference is driven solely by the attendees.

Some might question the usefulness of presentations by their peers, but we have found that there is an enormous amount of real-world expertise available in each and every local community. CareerCamp utilizes a format that draws out that expertise and benefits everyone. CareerCamp (and other unconferences) provide a structure and an opportunity to share this expertise in ways that traditional conferences do not. Additionaly, CareerCamps also attract career development professionals who can use CareerCamp as a way of introducing themselves to a new audience of potential clients.

Spread the word

It is on of my greatest desires to spread the good that CareerCamp can offer all around the world. The CareerCamp International web site highlights each local CareerCamp and also provide a bit of info on what CareerCamp is and how it works? Even better, join us for CareerCampLA and see how it all works in person. The best way to understand CareerCamp is to experience first hand. it all becomes clear when you become part of the process and energy of a CareerCamp.

A personal invitation

I want to offer each of you a personal invitation to visit a CareerCamp or, even better, organize one of your own in your local area. I am confident you will be amazed at how productive and energizing your day can be. You can find some examples of the talks given at CareerCamp on both the CareerCamp International and the local CareerCamp sites. Take a moment to watch or listen. I think you will like what you find there.

If you would like to know more about CareerCamp, either attending or organizing your own, add a comment here on this web site, on the CareerCampLA or CareerCamp International sites, on the CareerCamp International Facebook page or our Google+ page. I’d love to hear from you. Bring your questions and ideas. Both help make CareerCamp even better.

I have been invited by the folks at Sideskills.com to be part of their booth at the 17th Annual Community Job Fair sponsored by the LA Dodgers.

I will be doing career consulting for the people who stop by the booth as well as chatting up CareerCampLA which is only 6 weeks away. If you attend the event, stop by and say Hello!

(Watch for an announcement soon on some more career consulting work I will be doing for Sideskills.com, too)

Click picture for complete information on the job fair

Sideskills.com

“SideSkills is the one-stop-shop to find a full-time, part-time, or contract job, or make extra income. Market yourself, your services, or your products. Now over 1,000 skills to choose from.

Welcome to the easiest way to make extra money, received custom offers, and monetize your skills. No-fees for accepting payments through the site! It’s time to start making some extra income with your talents.”

I am thinking about a regularly scheduled G+ Hangout office hour to discuss career issues, questions and trends.

Would you be interested in such a thing? I am trying to gauge the interest before blocking out the time each week.

I am thinking of scheduling them for 6pm PST Tuesday, as this is a time I am required to be in my office. I figured I might as well try to make it as productive a time as possible.

Add your comments and thoughts here. I am ready to start as soon as tomorrow night.

Douglas speaks at the local Tuesday’s with Transitioners meeting on the topic of “A Year of Action!”.

Action — any action — can help us to get our careers and lives moving forward. Douglas presents a few “action items” you might want to explore or use as jumpstart points for your own ideas.

Learn how action benefits you no matter what your job, current job status or career!

60 mins

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Listen to this Podcast

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Cultivating Your Career Reputations

11,000 Words

While we often talk about one, monolithic, Reputation – with a capital R — I believe that there are a series of reputations that make up the whole. This book will focus on the combination of reputations that make up your one, overarching, Reputation. By examining each of these reputations in detail, I hope you will find specific areas where you can improve your work, your actions and your thoughts so that your overall professional reputation grows.

Why break your Reputation down into its constituent parts? It is often said that you can’t “do” projects, you can only do the individual tasks that make up the project and achieve the desired result. The same can be said for reputation. You don’t build your reputation as a whole, you cultivate the smaller reputations that create it. Each individual action builds your reputation in unique ways and each requires some thought as to how they relate to the whole.

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Due to personal family issues with the scheduled speaker, I will be speaking at this weeks’s Tuesday’s with Transitioners meeting on the topic of “A Year of Action!”.

Action — any action — can help us to get our careers and lives moving forward. Douglas presents a few “action items” you might want to explore or use as jumpstart points for your own ideas.

Learn how action benefits you no matter what your job, current job status or career!

Please share this event with anyone you know who might be interested. All are welcome!

RSVP via Facebook

What: Douglas speaks on “A Year of Action” at Tuesdays with Transitioners

When: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 – Noon-2pm

Where: Congregational Church of Northridge, 9659 Balboa Blvd, Northridge, CA 91325-1902

Join me for the next

Career Opportunities Office Hour on Google+

on

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 9pm EST/6pm PST.

Circle my personal Google+ account or the Career Opportunities G+ page to see the link to the hangout on Tuesday.

Office hour has ended for this week. Join us again next time!

Join me for the Career Opportunities Office Hour Google+ Hangout on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 1pm EST/10am PST.

Circle my personal Google+ account or the Career Opportunities G+ page to see the link to the hangout on Wednesday.

The office is now OPEN!

The office hour has ended. Thanks to all who attended.

Pink Slip Mixers and SideSkills Announces “Work, Hire and Collaborate” Networking Event Series

Employment Leaders Team Together for a Unique Forum for Job Seekers and Employers

Los Angeles, CA – October 26, 2011 – Pink Slip Mixers, the leader in specialized job search networking events and SideSkills, the fastest growing social employment platform for job seekers and employers today announced a new networking forum entitled “Work, Hire and Collaborate.” Designed specifically for job seekers and employers, attendees will learn the latest tips, trends, and tools for matching their skills with global market availability through interactive presentations with industry thought leaders.

Featured speakers include Tony Drexel Smith, founder and president of SUMATICI, an Orange County business incubator and Deam Roys, founder of Roys & Associates, a leading executive search firm and one of America’s fastest growing privately held companies noted in the INC. 500.

Speaker Douglas E. Welch, career writer and pioneer podcaster will present “Treat every career like an entertainment career.” Douglas writes Career Opportunities, a weekly career column founded in 1998 for ComputorEdge Magazine in San Diego, California. The companion Career Opportunities podcast is now in its 7th year of production. Both offer advice and guidance on how to “Build the Career That You Deserve.” Douglas is also the founder of CareerCamp International, which has organized 5 career unconferences in the Los Angeles area, including CareerCampLA and CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley). All of Douglas’ projects can be found at DouglasEWelch.com. “No one cares as much about your career as yourself — and no one ever will. Treat each job like a contract position or a gig — much like an actor or musician. Ensure that you are focused on ways to improve your career, not just do a job.”

“I am excited that we were able to bring our two organizations together to create this unique event for both people looking for employment and those hiring in a relaxed social environment,” said Ryan McKenzie, CEO of SideSkills. “After the keynotes, attendees will have the opportunity to interact socially with career coaches, recruiters, social media specialists, and Fortune 500 companies. They will also be able to continue the networking experience after the event on SideSkills’ proprietary social employment platform to quickly find the right job and the employer feeling confident hiring a vented, connected person.”

The first two in the series will be held in Los Angeles:

Thursday, November 3rd
Hermosa Beach Community Center
710 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA, 90254
1:00 pm-3:00 pm

RSVP Here

Friday, November 4th
Santa Monica Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA, 90401
10:30 am-1:30 pm

RSVP Here

Attendance is free for both job seekers and employers.  Pre-registration on Eventbrite, and an account on SideSkills.com are both recommended.

About Pink Slip Mixers

The online community, PinkSlipMixers.com, is powered by Groupsite.com, the social collaboration platform designed to empower groups to make things happen.  PinkSlipMixers are unique “pink slip party” job networking events. Guests “Pay it Forward” by exchanging job search tips, forwarding job postings, “Tweeting” about things they talk about and hear in the crowd (Twitter Feeds are broadcasted live during the event) and just simply encouraging other job seekers through the recession. Pink Slip Mixers 2.0 events are throughout the United States. For more information, go to www.pinkslipmixers.com.

About SideSkills.com

SideSkills.com is the fastest growing employment resource for job seekers and employers. The company’s unique cloud-connected employment platform allows for global access to talent for employers through powerful interactive networking, proprietary PRESUME tools (resume profiling), feedback/ranking and secure payment process. SideSkills radically reduces risk of hires and allows those seeking employment a new vehicle for showcasing their expertise and customer satisfaction. For more information, please visit www.sideskills.com.