It seems that there are some significant shifts going on in our current economy, with Web 2.0 and corporate responsibility and downgrading. I have heard a half-dozen friends communicate some “job insecurities” lately. Given this, I have a bit of knowledge to imbue from my experience in the staffing industry (years ago), reviewing dozens of resumes a day.

Here’s a step-like program, very much based on the practice found in “What Color Is Your Parachute?”

I assign value to time by understanding the OPPORTUNITY COST: what is the benefit of performing Y versus the cost of not performing X? This works well as it still takes into account all of one’s experience, skill sets, etc., but also accounts for personal preferences.

As it is becoming more commonly accepted that Google, Yahoo and MSN are reputation management engines just as much as they are search engines, more folks are seeking information on how to increase positive visibility for a personal or corporate name. Here is a quick list of 17 different ways to optimize for positive visibility for your personal or brand name

By my experience, a job maintains more value to an individual than just a salary. So when applying for a job that asks for salary requirements, you should be careful to consider all of things you might value in a job. And you should quote a figure that would still make the job worthwhile even if the job lacked some of those things you value.

Whether you’re selling yourself (resume-building, job hunting, dating) or selling ice to Eskimos – one rule of thumb is to know that the buyer is not buying a product or a service. They’re buying you. And in order to buy you they have to like you.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of working with an expert in Elevator Speeches, who like me specializes in media and presentation training – specifically in “helping clients craft pithy 30-second descriptions of their companies.”

When communicating about yourself or your company, structure your storytelling and case studies (and perhaps the bullets of your resume) in a short-form format. Something my friend Peter and I call a “CAR.”

In these days of a challenged economy, I find more and more friends out seeking a new job or a new career. While nobody likes to be unemployed, their challenge is often, “but I don’t know what I should do next!”

I find it very interesting that the natural tendency for unemployed individuals or challenged companies in this market is to try to spread a wide net.  They present themselves as the catch-all, the “we can do anything, what do you want?”, the jack of all trades.