Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Stay Focused

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below discusses the importance of staying focused and persistently pursuing your goals.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Make Friends Not Contacts

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Networking 101: Make Friends Not Contacts: "Check your circle of friends. Surround yourself with people who aspire to do better."
• The Rainn Wilson Guide to Success: "For me, meditation is a great tool that I use in my daily life to ground me, to get me more connected to my soul. To the part of myself that’s beyond my thoughts. To God and to a higher purpose."
• 21 Ways to Unlock Creative Genius: "Consider this list of tricks and strategies your roadmap, all planned out with the benefit of the latest research and expert advice."
• Start Looking for an Internship!: "Interns that show professionalism and demonstrate their creativity gain a network of people who can mentor them, give recommendations, and collaborate on future projects."
• 4 Interview Tips for Veterans: "One of your greatest resources may be other veterans who have landed a job through mastering the interview process."

4 Steps to Your Job Search Plan

So, you're out of work, expect to be unemployed soon, or want to change jobs. What is your plan? In order to effectively move forward and find the right position for your interests and set of skills you need to have a job search plan.

Below are four steps to an effective job search plan:

1. Be specific. What position are you interested in pursuing, and in what industry? One key to your job search is to be as specific as possible about the job you want so you don't waste time, energy, and resources pursuing jobs that don't fit your skill set.

2. Clarify your offer. What is it, exactly, that you bring to the table? What are the range of skills you have that can make you successful in this job? Having a clear understanding of what you can bring to a job will enable you to clearly communicate this in your resume and when speaking with potential employers.

3. Find the right place(s). Where do you want to work? What are you looking for a place of employment? Decide if a startup works for you, or if you prefer a large established corporation. Maybe you'd like to work for a smaller, more intimate family-run business? Being clear about this will again help you be more specific in your search. And also think about location. Are you interested in leaving your city or state?

4. Find the right people. You likely know some people who can aid you in your job search. Or you know someone who knows someone who can assist you. Be sure to reach out to your network. But be choosy. Not everyone can help you. Select those individuals with a connection to the specific job and industry you are pursuing.

Searching for a new job can be stressful but implement these four steps to be more effective in your job search.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Career and Life Success with Less Stress

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below Darren Hardy, publisher of Success, shares 10 secrets to success with less stress.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 3 Ways to Be More Likeable at Work

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 3 Ways to Be More Likeable at Work: "Listening is like a superpower, and people who are likeable tend to intuitively understand this. They make time to listen to what others have to say."
• Why You Should Stop Going to Networking Events: "Networking events almost never lead to business. And I have been to hundreds of them. It was a way for me to think I was being productive, but it wasn’t. It was a distraction."
• How Serving Others Can Help Make You a Great Leader: "The more I help people, the more it comes back to me in some way—we get ahead by helping others get ahead. Don’t lose sight of that, ever."
• How to Manage Distractions: "While you probably can't disconnect for the entire day, as little as 20 to 30 minutes of focused time can take you much further than two hours spent on the same task filled with constant interruptions."
• 4 Tweaks to Rev Up a Stalled Job Search: "While you might view flexibility as a virtue, it may at the same time be self-defeating. Remember that employers hire people who answer their needs."

4 Tips to Get a Job Online

Finding a job can be a difficult process and requires patience, a plan, and persistence. Fortunately, the internet has made it easier to identify potential opportunities.... if you're using the internet correctly.

Below are 4 tips to use the internet during your next job search.

1. Identify the top five companies you'd like to work for and check their web sites regularly for job postings. Many companies require you to create a profile in order to apply for a job so go ahead and get some of the initial work out of the way. Then when you see a posting you're interested in you can get that application done early.

2. Search for jobs on twitter. You can do this is several ways but here are two to keep in mind: a) follow the companies you're interested in (again, many companies will post their new openings on twitter, or even Facebook), and b) search twitter for jobs by searching on #job and #titleofjob. For example, if you're interested in human resources you can search on #job and #humanresources to find jobs posted on twitter.

3. If you're a college graduate be sure to check your alumni association web site. Many alumni sites include job postings from businesses and individuals looking to hire someone just like you: someone who graduated from the same college or university.

4. Are you a member of a professional organization? If so, these organization web sites are great places to identify job openings. And you just might have the extra advantage of knowing the person doing the hiring.

Implement these four tips during your next job search and you'll be on your way to securing that new job.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Morning Visualization

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Entrepreneur, Franco Lofranco discusses the importance of daily visualization for career success.