I thought I was watching the Nine O’clock news but it turned out to be someone’s video resume! Personally I don’t think they’ll be for everyone. It’s an idea I will talk about more here one day. In the meantime here is this week’s Friday five checklist:

• While we might be able to use email, fax, or snail mail, to communicate with prospective employers most of the time, there will be certain situations where making contact by phone is un-avoidable. And while we may have no qualms about picking up the phone and calling most people most of the time, there will always be those “extra difficult” sort of calls that fill even the most confident person with dread. 12 Ways to Overcome Phone Phobia at Water Cooler Wisdom, offers strategies for overcoming this phone phobia. To add to the list, where possible I try and make any “difficult calls” first thing in the day – it saves having to think too much about them that way, which only makes such calls all the harder to make!
• Your “confusion” at making a big change is more likely fear of the truth. “Are you really confused, or do you actually know what you want to do?” Confusion as another name for fear?
• Those who read my targeted job search articles and are indeed looking for “targets” should read Target your search at The Net-Savvy Jobseeker.
• If I’m talking about it then it must be old news, and I’ve already covered the pros and cons of the idea, but there is a growing consensus that blogs are increasingly becoming regarded as resumes. Living, breathing, resumes that offer more than just a glorified list of someone’s qualifications and experience.
• If however blogs just aren’t your thing you might like to consider compiling a personal portfolio of your life’s work and experience. “You can use your strengths and values to express your story with pictures, words, stories, letters, or music. Your portfolio may be digitally expressed on the internet, or it might look like a photo album, journal, or binder.” If that doesn’t appeal then I’m afraid the video resume may be your only option… give me a blog or personal portfolio any day!