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Career Coaches on 40-city Empowerment Tour Share Insight Into America’s Career Crisis

Career Coaches Offer Common Concerns and Top 10 Tips from the Road

Hoboken, New Jersey (July 8, 2009)―Now in its fourth week, the Career Stimulus Package Empowerment Tour, presented by eLearners.com, has provided hundreds of people with one-on-one career coaching from Denver to Atlanta. The 40-city RV trek across the country is helping adult Americans face up to the crisis of undereducation and underemployment. The Career Stimulus Package Empowerment Tour RV (www.careerstimuluspackage.com) launched in Denver on June 12th and will travel the country heading east then west, ending in Los Angeles on September 9th. 

Aboard the RV to help Americans jump-start their careers are two seasoned career coaches, Michael Cushman, the immediate-past president of the Denver Coach Federation, and Ayn Fox, a certified Master Coach by the International Coach Federation. In their travels, Cushman and Fox have chronicled their discussions with Americans, ranging from teenagers to adults in their 60s, as they help them discover what is holding them back and the strategies needed to move toward success. Some of the common concerns heard by the coaches include:

  • “Everyone just pushes you to fill out an online application. You can’t speak to a person anymore.”
  • “I’ve replied to hundreds of jobs and heard nothing back. Is it me or is no one hiring?”
  • “I have been doing the same thing for 20-25 years and it is the only thing I know.”


To help people overcome these hurdles, the career coaches have developed 10 tips for job search success based on real experiences from real Americans, including:

1.  Don’t Depend on the Internet.
In a down economy, unless you are in a high-demand profession, don’t waste your time on job sites. Only five to 10 percent of jobs are filled through the Internet and employers are inundated with hundreds if not thousands of resumes per posting. 

2.  Volunteer.
One of the best things you can do for yourself while unemployed is to volunteer for a non-profit. By volunteering you gain valuable leadership experience that expands your skills, and it also affords you the opportunity to work side-by-side and develop close relationships with contacts who may recommend you based on your volunteer work.

3.  Follow Your Passion.  
People with passion and enthusiasm separate themselves from the pack. Looking for a job is one of the hardest tasks you will ever tackle. You need strong, positive emotions to carry you through and to stay motivated. In addition, enthusiastic people are engaging and confident. Do what you love and you will outcompete all others.

4. Stop Talking About the Past.
In this ever-advancing world, you need to talk about the future. Research trends, especially federal and state stimulus spending, new technologies and regulatory changes. What’s hot? How are you going to help the company transform and thrive in the future? Throw out old vocabulary, and replace it with the latest lingo and concepts.

5.  Target Select Companies.
Focus on five to 10 companies that give you the best chance of landing a job, either because they are thriving or because you are a great fit. Resources like vault.com or wetfeet.com can help individuals gain insight into firms and their cultures. Become an expert on what they do and how you can help make them better. Then target people who work there and find a way to get to know them so that they can get to know you.

6.  Use Social Media.  
Most of today’s jobs are acquired through in-house referrals, so being known by respected professionals and peers is a great path to an interview. Use social media such as LinkedIn. Write online articles, and contribute to and comment on influential blogs. Social media sites are a great way to demonstrate your talents to peers, headhunters and potential employers. 

7. Don’t be Cheap, Invest in Yourself.
Cutting back on unnecessary expenses when unemployed is wise, however failing to continue to invest in yourself is foolish. Get that GED, finish that degree or earn that professional certificate. When the economy rebounds the first to be hired are the ones with the most current knowledge and skills.

8.  Improve Your Phone Skills and Etiquette.
You want potential employers to feel confident that they made the right decision by calling you for an interview. Project a clear, professional voice, and keep your messages simple, short and respectful. Don’t talk for more than a minute or two without making sure the interviewer is actively listening. Keep it conversational and encourage the interviewer to share his or her experiences with the company. Also, make sure your voicemail message provides your full name and return calls promptly.

9.  Build a Power Circle. 
This is a long-term career strategy from long-time career coach Gordon Miller: Pinpoint 10 must-know people. They should be savvy, connected and powerful people who need to know who you are. Do your research—know what they are passionate about and look for simple ways to offer them your help.

10.  Have One Memorable Message.
Your website, profiles, cover letter, resume and conversations should have a consistent, engaging message about who you are, what you love to do and the results you create. Your message needs to be engaging and memorable so that others can repeat and share it. At a networking event, most likely the person you are talking to can’t hire you, but he or she may know someone who can.

For more career tips, the Career Coaches’ Corner Blog is updated several times a week with advice and stories from the duo’s travels. The blog can be found at http://www.elearners.com/careerstimuluspackage/blogs/the-career-coaches-corner/. To register for a meeting with a career coach, log onto www.careerstimulus.com. 

Along with free career coaching, the Empowerment Tour (http://www.empowermenttour.com) also offers the opportunity for people to apply for $4 million in full-tuition online scholarship to one of eight accredited online schools (http://www.careerstimulus.com): American Public University, Ashworth College, Bryant & Stratton College, Capella University, Ellis University, Everest University, Virginia College and Western Governors University. 

For more information, visit http://www.careerstimulus.com or http://www.empowermenttour.com, or call the campaign’s toll-free number at 1-877-794-TOUR (8687). You can also follow the Career Stimulus Package and the Empowerment Tour on Twitter at @careerstimulus and @empowermenttour.    

About eLearners.com®
eLearners.com is one of several high visibility websites operated by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For online colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their online learning programs. For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.eLearners.com.                           

About EducationDynamics
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