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!

There’s one thing I can say about blogging daily: it seems to keep you in touch with each day (if that makes sense). It’s been a week since I was last here, and it literally feels like a week has just vanished into the ether! I’d rather see days vanish one by one, than weeks!

• One of the things that has prompted me to change careers as I have, is the desire to somehow be making a difference. In many instances people hoping to make a difference feel it is for the benefit of others and the greater good. “Making a difference” though is many things to many people, a point that is underlined in Career Change: How to Make a Living by Making a Difference, and there are a surprising number of ways your work can indeed make a difference!
• It’s one thing to loathe your career, it’s another to complain endlessly while doing nothing about it. So let’s take a few leaves out of Hunter Arnold’s book. Or blog. “I’m constantly amazed by the sheer volume of American workers who have nothing positive to say about their jobs, yet aren’t even in the market for a new one.” The problem is not just confined to America either! “How awful it can be to work in a job where you feel unfulfilled or unappreciated, but you have the power to change it!” Exactly right – redirect all that negative energy and look towards a positive outcome.
• Ok, so how to be “positive”? Well, it can be as simple as complimenting someone…
• Not so much an article on career change as such, but “Dealing with Change – Could You Make It?” at For Career Success Blog, puts the process of change in a very day to day sort of way. “Muscle tissue regenerates every 6 to 24 months. Our bones are replaced every 4 to 7 years. We have all new red blood cells every 90 to 120 days, and our intestinal lining changes every 5-25 days.” Indeed the only constant is change.
• Only the other day I threw out a bunch of old keys that I hadn’t touched in ages (some, if I remember rightly, are from places I haven’t lived in for years…), and now I spot “Energy Suckers Stealing Your Joy? | Tolerate No More!” at Blast O’ Joy. It’s amazing the amount of energy and drive we can pick up after getting rid of the things that are clearly “surplus to requirements”. Including, may I say, jobs and careers that are bogging us down!

… and being 10pm it’s about time I got out of here and joined them. Maybe in a bar at a theme park at this hour though! Enjoy the weekend!

• Though posted a few months ago I thought it would be worth mentioning the Dream jobs contest (which has since – unfortunately – closed) posted at Careerbuilder.com’s Blog. After a survey of 6000 American workers found 86 percent of respondents felt “fun” was missing from their jobs, Disney Parks offered contestants the chance to work for a day at one of their theme parks. I wonder if a day was enough?!
• Does job hunting suck? Take part in the poll and see how your opinion compares with everyone else. There’s no doubt it can be an uncertain, unnerving, and frustrating process, and like looking for a new home, something many of us could well do without. As a recruiter once said to me though, “job hunting itself must be regarded as a full time job”. I agree, though sometimes it feels more like a necessary evil, than a job!
• While talking of “job hunting being a full time job”, Heather Eagar suggests establishing a job search schedule to help keep track of the process. A particularly useful idea for career changers since there are more steps involved, and having a plan or road map to work to is more than essential.
• The 15 Winning Characteristics of the Happiest, Most Successful People. Some motivational/inspirational reading at Cultivate Greatness.
• The InterChange Desk was recently added to CHIMBY, a search engine that specialises in listing career advice websites, blogs, and resources. With over 400 listings you’re bound to find the career information you are looking for!

Well the week that just passed turned out to be a little busier than I thought! I had envisaged being able to post here at least a couple of times, but it wasn’t quite to be.

Anyway enough of my lame would be excuses, here’s this week’s Friday five for your reading pleasure.

• Ask not what your contacts can do for you, but what you can do for them. Connecting the Dots is a great article at Jugglezine all about how to become a networking superstar. There’s a lot more to it than just handing out your business cards and waiting for the world to beat a pathway to your door. Just in case you didn’t know!
• Sorry, but I’m going to keep the networking theme going here, since I think it so important. Dr. Bamster’s Blog, which specialises in career advice for those 40 and over, has two posts worth a read, on the hows and whys of networking. What Kind of Networking is Most Beneficial? and The “Why” of Networking! Network to a plan and be fruitful!
• Career Fables is not about proliferating career “myths” but rather busting them! In an article, Career Transition Myth #1, Career coach Ricki J. Frankel tackles the “It’s too hard, I can’t do it” obstacle that many would be career changers come up against.
• Designing success at Guerrilla Job Hunting is an example of how, what I refer to as “gimmicks”, can really draw attention to yourself and go along way to landing a job. There are plenty of ways of doing something that is different, but not entirely over the top, to get noticed!
• Finally for this week, while not entirely career change related I thought you’d still enjoy it. Arguing with reality, by Curt Rosengren, is a reminder that there are certain events and occurrences we have no control over, such as a delayed flight, so rather than getting pent up and expending negative energy, start looking for solutions or ways to turn a negative into a positive.

I know I shouldn’t be cynical, but there’s been quite a flap across the blogosphere as a result of the recent Google pagerank, or PR, update. There’s also a few very excited campers about who received their first PR, or an upgraded ranking, this week.

This particular site is holding steady with a zero rank, (it’s only been going three months) but my other two sites, which have been going for several years, have PRs of 5, which I don’t think is anything new.

Anyway congratulations if you just received an inaugural, or revised, PR. Don’t forget that content is king though!

Enough of that talk, you’d think this was an internet marketing site, it’s time to settle into this week’s Friday five, or Check list. Have an excellent weekend!

• Here’s something career changers should read. Lying on a Resume Hurts Everybody, an article I spotted via Labour Market Information Blog. While I’m not suggesting career changers lie as a general thing on their CVs, there can be times when the temptation to perhaps “slightly overstate” certain experience, in order to “get a foot in the door” is overwhelming. It’s not wise, and there are better ways to gain an employer’s attention.
• Also from the Labour Market Information Blog, an article that is music to the ears of the person behind The InterChange Desk (actually that would be me), according to The Lincoln Journal, career makeovers are becoming more frequent in the job market. Essentially a career is a work in progress. “A career is a process. When you’re in college, you’re defining who you are at that moment and at that time. All of us know that the person we are at 21 is not the person we are at 40.”
• Get Off Your Couch-Meet People-Get A Job, over at the Career Cube blog offers some tips and advice for making a good impression at job fairs. “First and foremost, you want it to always be casual,” is a great starting point.
• Technology and the internet have changed the way we look for work, and Utilizing Technology in Your Job Search makes a few suggestions on how to effectively conduct the cyber job hunt. The article also makes the important point that “the internet” and technology are not the be all and end all when it comes to searching for work, and should be regarded as only some of the tools in the process.
• I mentioned awhile back that recruiters generally do not take too much notice of the “Hobbies and Interests” section on a CV, as they really only want the merest indication that a candidate has some sort of life away from work. That depends on what someone volunteers as a “hobby” of course. And there are certainly some very interesting examples about. #5 is my favourite: Candidate specified that his availability was limited because Friday, Saturday and Sunday was “drinking time.”

I don’t know about you, but I love doing online quizzes. It’s like I can never find out enough about myself. I am therefore pleased to include a quiz in this week’s checklist Friday five, as it’s been a while between drinks. I’ve also included a survey that may be of interest to web designers, just for good measure. Enjoy the weekend!

• This may come as a surprise to many, but very little is known about the demographics, and exact duties of a web designer, even though web design has been a profession for over a decade! A List Apart, the online compendium of all things web design, is currently conducting a survey to learn more about who a web designer is, what they do, and what is expected of them. A better understanding of web design, and even some documented knowledge of the profession, would be useful for those thinking about a career (change) in web, so if you are a designer please consider participating, and adding to the knowledge base. A knowledge base would be helpful. I once told a neighbour I was a web designer, and he immediately asked if I could fix his modem. Sorry, call the helpdesk, dude…
• “Blogs are the new resume” has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks, but the tone has at times been cautionary, and stories abound of employers finding all manner of “objectionable” deal breaking material on a job applicant’s blog or MySpace page. Martin Burns points out that we shouldn’t go completely erasing our online presence just yet though…
• Australian recruitment company Chandler MacLeod is currently featuring a new career type personality test on their website. While you may find answering a series of either/or questions which appear to be very similar, and that seem to repeat, a little frustrating, persevere as you should find the reasonably detailed test result enjoyable. It’s free. And anonymous. Which is exactly what we want of a recruiter’s website!
• On the topic on “self discovery”, or personality quizzes and tests, Patricia Kitchen reminds us that such quizzes are never complete, or comprehensive, and will only ever answer part of the “who we are” question.
• Re-think Yourself Into a World of Possibilities: this week’s motivational read from Passion Meets Purpose. If you’re in a ditch then unhitch. Brilliant!

It’s when you have a couple of things on the boil at the same time, say working two jobs simultaneously, that time management becomes crucial. Makes me wonder how people with families, young children especially, manage to get anything done. To say nothing of working a job.

But then as the old saying goes, “if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it”!

Let’s kick off the Friday five with a little time management theory (and practice). Perhaps you could try applying this over the weekend?!

• The Pickle Jar theory. This is one I have regularly harped on about over the years (on other websites and blogs), so it’s time I mentioned it here. It’s all about prioritizing your time. Get the day’s biggest and, most important, tasks (the rocks) out of the way first, and then fit whatever else you can (the pebbles and sand) in the “jar” with what’s left of the time. Great in theory, except my pickle jar is often full of empty space by day’s end… and that would be procrastination time!
• On the subject of The Pickle Jar theory, here’s an interesting variation on the time management theme. “The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee” story takes the pickle jar concept (a mayonnaise jar in this case) and applies it across a lifetime. In other words make the “big” things in life a priority and the rest will fall into place, in the “space” between the rocks, the pebbles, and the sand.
• The Secret To Finding Dream Jobs. This articles contains a number of pearls of wisdom, including two of my favourites; “find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for doing it”, and “find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Finding your dream job is a secret no more!
• In Progress: this flow chart breaks down the whole career change process into its simplest form… and sometimes we need a bit more of this sort of thing! Take a few of whats, ifs, buts, and maybes out of the equation, and what are you left with? Raw determination, right?
• We probably hear a lot about how people hate their jobs, and despise their bosses. Etcetera. Have you ever given any thought to how your boss feels though? As Mira Katbamna reveals, we don’t even know the half of it!

Could regular, and acute, cases of Mondayitis be a symptom of a career rut?

It’s a four day week in this part of the world, following the four day Easter weekend, and one neighbour I met in the lift on Tuesday evening, who had just arrived home from work, was looking very much the worse for wear.

Or do we just hate Mondays, or the first day of the working week, regardless of how much we like our work? This is something that warrants further investigation. The good news, for those working a Monday to Friday week at least, is that Friday is here. At last. Enjoy the weekend; I know I will!

• How to set personal goals from the Study Habits blog. Achieving goals can be reasonably straightforward so long as we work to a plan. Or to guidelines. Even a “to-do” list is a great way to make sure things get done. While we’re on the subject of such lists, Remember The Milk is an excellent online personal organiser.
• And not being organised may also be another reason why you are not as successful as you would like to be, or doing as well as others. 9 Reasons You Are Not Successful, an article at Career Ramblings, looks at some of the things we need to consider in order to make an impression.
• Confidence Vs Experience. Almost written for career changers! Obviously we will be low on experience when establishing ourselves in a new career, so this is the time to work on boosting our confidence. Amit suggests a few ways to increase our self belief.
• Ten Reasons To Turn Off Your TV. My loathing of TV is legendary. I have always maintained there are better ways to spend time, even if that is just day dreaming; at least it is making use of the imagination! There’s a lot you can do with your (new found free) time if you ditch the TV though. How about start a second business, take an evening class, learn a new skill or a new hobby, and take on a major project? Never had time to start making that career change? Now you do!
• And finally a little humour for a Friday, thanks to the people at Flying Solo, who pointed out a couple of parody websites the other day. Huhcorp is a great take off of a consulting company, while Duhcorp as a go at application developers. Actually both companies seem fun places to work, I wonder if they’re hiring?

Today is the beginning of a four day weekend for many people. As if I need to say so. Hopefully most of you will be having some time off. I’ll be taking it easy while also tinkering around behind the scenes here. I can’t help it; it’s just in my nature! Enjoy your break, but read the Friday five first!

• Since Richard Bolles, author of “What Color Is Your Parachute?“, shares some of his thoughts in this article, I really thought I had to point to it! “Discovering your life’s purpose is more like putting together a big puzzle then it is finding a needle in a haystack.” I envy those who seem to have it all worked out!
• Setting goals is one thing, but working consistently towards achieving them can be something else. And while we all forget to do something, or are prone to procrastination at sometime or another, Jen has found a solution! Dreaminder allows you to list your goals or dreams, and then arrange for a reminder, or a follow-up, to be emailed to you at some point in the future. A kind of automated conscience maybe?
• Considering many of us have to return to work on Tuesday (something that is difficult enough after an extended weekend, doubly so if you also can’t stand the job!) you may want to skip over this one. Secrets of the nomads profiles a few (lucky) people who travel as part of their job. Not so much about working as such, but a great holiday weekend read nevertheless!
• Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster. May seem like commonsense for many people, but there are certainly one or two workplaces around that have no idea!
• A little motivational reading. Strength from Weakness and What You “Can’t Not Do”. Did you know that Richard Branson gets bored easily and that is why he started so many businesses? When working for one project starts to becomes a little familiar, he puts on another cap, and does something different for a while. How’s that for a response to boredom?! Gives the term “multitasking” a whole new meaning that’s for sure!

What do you know, it’s Friday already, and that must mean it’s time for another edition of the Friday five! Ah, some quiet reading, just the tonic for a week that was way too busy. Enjoy!

• Withdraw your resignation! No, I don’t mean your letter of resignation, I mean your resignation from leading a happy life, trying to get out of whatever rut you are in, or pursuing a career you really want. Sometimes we are pushed into a corner that we don’t like, but the real problem is when we don’t try and dig ourselves out of it. Leaden Winter, at Verve Coaching, offers some excellent advice for dealing with these sorts of situations.
• Perhaps a career as a writer appeals to you. The work is creative and as long as you can meet deadlines, the working hours flexible. So why not? That just leaves the problem of what area of writing to specialise in, and with the range as varied as the world is wide, the choice can be difficult to say the least. Not to worry though, the “What Type of Writer Should You Be?” quiz, is here to help you out!
• Changing careers is a big step for many people and sometimes the prospect of taking a big step, any big step, induces a certain inertia or reluctance to move forward. Or to be more precise, fear of change. These fears can be overcome as this article (which originally appeared at PayScale) at the Career Transition Resources suggests.
• Chances are you’re considering a career change because you not only find your current job un-fulfilling and boring, but you HATE it with a loathing as well! If the latter is the case then you should check out Disgruntled Workforce. Read about what peeves other workers and even submit your own stories. It’s great to really vent now and again and this is the perfect place to go!
• And if you do submit a workplace tale to Disgruntled Workforce, remember to be discreet, and not give away too many clues as to who you work for. It just may get you dooced or fired! But what if the worst has already come to fruition? First, calm down and try not to panic, and then second, read the advice from Career Hub about what to do in the hours immediately after a sacking.