IMG is nothing?

Guy Kawasaki has a great post “How to Get a Job on Craigslist” that is really useful for anyone trying to get an interview. The majority of new grads and young professionals are going to be relying on the web for their job search. While this makes the search process a bit more efficient, it also makes the competition a lot steeper.

My personal favorites from Guy’s post are:

Write a cover email that addresses the position.

This should be a no brainer. You want to stand out in crowded field, then your reply to the ad needs to tell them that you’re qualified and that your resume is worth a thorough read. For new grads, this is critical since you may have holes in your experience or qualifications.

Apply really well.

You need to understand what the employer is looking for and make sure you address that need. Its fine to have a stock resume on file, but before applying tweak it to make sure you emphasize the experience or knowledge that the employer is emphasizing their need for. Also, make sure that you send them what they ask for.

Read this post from Brazen Careerist a few days ago, wanted to comment then, but just couldn’t put my ideas into words. Since then, I’ve been scanning the comments and there is some good stuff there. Before I start, let me tell you about the post by Ryan Healy. Ryan wants people to realize that the whole work/life balance idea is flawed. He thinks that what we want professionally, personally, socially, etc. has to fit together and that no aspect can really take precedence over any other. He uses the contrast between the advice given to his girlfriend by her boss and that given by her mother to illustrate how confusing this can be.

At the office full of twentysomethings where my girlfriend, Niki, works, everyone was comparing their salaries, and the owner of the company got really angry. And his being angry made for a tough week, so Niki asked him if she could take Friday off.

He said, “If you’re going to be successful you need to start putting your career before your life.”

Of course she took the day off.

When she told her mother about the situation, her mother said, “If you don’t put your life before work you will never be happy.”

Hearing this conflicting advice from two of the most influential elders in your life is confusing. What does Niki’s boss say to his kids when he gets home? Does he tell them to put work before life? What would Niki’s mom say to young people she works with? Would she tell them to go home early?

From this point onward, Ryan talks about how he doesn’t even try for a work/life balance. I’m not going to quote his full article, nor continue the summary. You can read it yourself. But his post got me thinking.

I’m an entrepreneur who also works (almost) full-time for another outfit. This means that no matter what hour of the day, or day of the week I have work I can be doing. Lucky for me, I like what I do across the board, but there are still days when I’d rather be watching Naruto episodes or napping. Like Ryan, I’m young (26 vs. his 22) with no wife and kids. But even without those pulls on me, I find there has to be a division between work and life.

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