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How to make your job search fun

LOS ANGELES, CA -- If you're not having much fun in your job search, you might want to change that. While I can't promise to make your job search as much fun as a trip to Disney World, there are ways to make job hunting more enjoyable by making it more like a game. In fact, here are a few ways to do it:

1. Use a Scoreboard: Start keeping score of your vital job-search activities, such as networking calls and jobs you've applied for. Think baseball here. Score every voicemail as a single, a phone call as a double, a meeting as a triple, and a job interview -- that's a home run.
2. Become Your Own Agent: Have some fun with promotion and salary negotiation. Join Toastmasters where you'll meet local movers and shakers with connections to hiring managers.
3. Join a Team: Inject some teamwork into your job search by getting on the phone and start "drafting" like-minded people to join your team.
4. Start Competing: Every game is a competition -- that's part of the fun! Who among your friends has an excellent blog or attractive resume, and think about how you could set about beating their efforts, one step at a time.

How to beat the competition and land a job faster Staff Writer, The Career Digest

SAN DIEGO, CA -- While the job market is very competitive right now, there are still millions of jobs being offered by hiring managers who search all of the top career sites. Sure it may take some time, but posting your resume on all the top career sites and niche job boards will give you better exposure than your competition.

If you want the benefit of maximum exposure, but don't want to spend 60 hours researching and filling out website forms, consider letting a service like Resume Rabbit do the work for you. This useful tool helps you organize your search efforts and saves you time, while allowing you to focus on networking strategies. Just fill out one easy form and in about 15 minutes you'll be posted on 85 top career sites like Job.com, CareerBuilder, Net-Temps, Dice and more.

If confidentiality is a concern, use Resume Rabbit's new confidentiality feature. Your resume can be seen, however, no one will see your name, street address or phone number. Whether you do it by hand or use a service like Resume Rabbit, creating accounts on all the best career sites will give you access to millions of jobs and exposure to 1.5 million employers and recruiters daily. To land a job faster and beat the competition, just go to: ResumeRabbit.com.

Employment conditions vary widely from state to state Abridged: Reuters

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. government data released recently showed employment conditions varied widely from state to state in July, indicating that the economic recovery may not be consistent across the US. The jobless rate fell in 18 states in July from June, while it rose in 14 states and was unchanged in 18 states, the Labor Department said.

North Dakota, had the lowest rate in the country, at 3.6%. Nevada remained the state with the highest unemployment rate, at a record 14.3%. Michigan followed with 13.1%, but the state also had the largest increase in employment from June, adding 27,800 jobs. Most of the job gains in July were in manufacturing. But even without new factory jobs the July payrolls number was the highest of the year. Altogether, the number of jobs increased in 37 states and in Washington, DC. North Carolina lost the most jobs in July, at 29,800, followed by New Jersey. Over the year, payrolls grew in 30 states and Washington, DC, and dropped in 19 states.

In Georgia, the unemployment rate declined to 9.9%. Florida saw its unemployment rate rise to 11.5% in July, while the number of jobs increased by 5,700. Pennsylvania added 3,400 jobs in July, but the state's unemployment rate also rose to 9.3%. Nationally, the employment picture remains a confusing jumble. The U.S. jobless rate will probably not drop below 5% until 2014, however the rate has been gradually declining. Hiring is occurring, but many hope to see a more accelerated pace.

How to know if you're underemployed Abridged: Sologig

SACRAMENTO, CA -- If you're underemployed, you're either working part-time but really desire full-time employment, or you've accepted a full-time position that you're over-qualified for. Here are some tips to help you break out of the underemployment cycle:

Embrace your underemployment: if you're working a part-time job, use your spare time to volunteer at local organizations or apply for an internship opportunity. This way you can explore other areas interests that you might want to transform in to full-time work. Volunteer work and internships allow you to grow your job skills and gain valuable experience that you can put on your resume.

Go above and beyond: if you're in a job that's "too easy," try reaching out to colleagues in other departments to see if they need help. The more you learn, the more of an asset you will become to your company. Do your job really well: even with mundane tasks, it's still important and necessary to get the job done. It will also demonstrate your integrity to those around you.

Search for part-time & full-time jobs from one place! Staff Writer, The Career Digest

LOS ANGELES, CA -- With a new service called MyJobHunter, you can search all top career sites at once & apply to all matching jobs with one click. Just enter your search criteria, review the matching jobs and select the ones you want. Then, click a single button and you'll instantly apply to all selected jobs with your resume and cover letter (without having to log into each job site separately).

Click another button and you can automate the whole process! MyJobHunter can remember what you searched for, search for it again each day, and AUTOMATICALLY APPLY FOR YOU to new jobs matching your criteria. Review jobs in advance or put searching & applying on auto-pilot. The choice is yours.

You'll also get an application history report that makes follow-up a breeze! It shows the jobs you were applied to, full job descriptions, employer contact info, and application dates. You can even add personal notes to each job! This service is proven to reduce hours of job searching and resume submitting to just minutes. Simply upload your resume, enter your job search criteria and let MyJobHunter take it from there. To find part-time or full-time work today, visit MyJobHunter.com today.

Make your networking business cards stand out! Abridged: Forbes

NEW YORK, NY -- Some career experts believe you should put your picture on your business card. Not only that, but you should include a mini-resume, your LinkedIn professional profile address, Twitter handle and some sort of special offer that entices each recipient to get in touch.

Crowther, an online marketing consultant in, has developed some strong opinions about those two-by-three-and-a-half-inch pieces of paper that are an essential networking tool. "To me, a networking business card is a small brochure," he says. He carries nine different versions of his own card. "It's as much a marketing piece as your resume, website, your brochure or anything else that you do." Several of his cards include a photograph of himself, and one has an offer on the back of 20 free tips on how to use social media to build a business, if you get in touch. He says that 20% of the people who get that card send him an e-mail.

Why include a picture? You go to a job fair or networking event, and you come home with about 20-50 business cards in your pocket. If one or two cards have photos, you'll remember those people. That's the point, to make your card stand out in the crowd. There are pros and cons to including a picture of course. Networking is all about remembering the person and continuing the relationship. Although a picture might seem silly, it will certainly jog a recipient's memory. The pros probably outweigh the cons in today's competitive job market.

Make sure they remember you--free business cards Staff Writer, The Career Digest

BOSTON, MA -- Up to 80% of job seekers today find their jobs through networking. That's because it works. Some great places to network are Alumni Events, Job Fairs and Professional Industry Association functions. And no matter where you go, employed or not, you must always carry a fresh supply of business cards to hand out when the time is right.

There's nothing worse than making a great contact, searching for a pen and writing your number on a napkin - that they're sure to lose. Personal business cards project an image of professionalism and leave a lasting impression.

Complimentary cards for The Career Digest Subscribers: Get 250 premium quality, full color business cards, an $85 value, at no cost to you. (There is however a very small shipping and handling fee). Using pre-designed online templates, you can create professional, attractive business cards in seconds. Instantly preview the cards online before submitting your order. To get your free-networking business cards, follow this link.

Decide if your current job is worth keeping Abridged: Bukisa Online

CHICAGO, IL -- Most of us have to work to live, although we would rather not have to. We spend a huge part of our lives working. For a lot of people, this is a pleasure; for others, work is a huge burden. We all make choices, and we can choose not to have a 9-5 job, but it's hard to just give up a career. Then again, it's not worth carrying on in a job that makes you completely miserable. Here are some tips to help you decide whether to continue in your current career or turn your back on the rat race.

First, decide if it's really your job that's making you unhappy. Take a long, hard look at your life. Discuss your career with an expert. Being at an unhappy stage in your career doesn't mean that you should immediately give up your current job. It may be that a career development discussion with your supervisor or a career counselor can help you become clearer. If you still feel that it's your job that's making you unhappy, then decide what it is you want to do. And remember, sometimes an upheaval is necessary to set yourself on the right career path.

Financially, can you manage? When changing career, financial considerations are one of the most important factors. Remember that there's very little that you really need and if a cut in income is needed in order to be happy, then it will, ultimately, be worth it! Building a new career is never going to be easy. However, if you're really unhappy, then there are other options out there. At the end of the day, earning a high wage does not make up for being unhappy. Just ensure that you don't act on impulse by planning ahead.

Are you working in an unsatisfying career? Staff Writer, The Career Digest

NEW YORK, NY -- Working in an unsatisfying career can dramatically reduce happiness, productivity, self-confidence and self worth. Pursuing unclear career objectives or stagnating in dead-end situations actually costs you money. With 36,729 possible careers in North America, perhaps there's another one that's right for you. Would you like a little help narrowing your search down to a number you can manage?

LiveCareer offers you a free professional career test by Sigma Assessment Systems which has been developing psychological career tests since 1967! Their test identifies your career interests and then tells you what jobs are out there for you. It's an essential tool to make tough career decisions and find careers you might not otherwise explore.

LiveCareer uses a point-and-click multiple choice format that allows it to be short & quick without sacrificing accuracy. Plus, they save and password protect your results to assist your decision-making process. Once complete, you get a full web-based report. It displays both a graphical and text based interpretation of your results and enables you to access a wealth of career information. Give it a try at LiveCareer.