The Tampa Employment Guide is helping put the community back to work and we want to start with you. On Tuesday, September 22nd we will be taking over the Harborview Center in Clearwater to continue to "Put America Back to Work." This year the Employment Guide is committed to putting over 15,000 people back to work through our job fair series and the next stop is right here in the Tampa Bay community.

Join the following companies for a day of networking, turning in resumes and applications and looking for an opportunity to make a change in your life and the life of your family.

• Argosy Education Group
• AARP
• Bank of America
• Best Price Resume
• Bright House
• Central Florida College
• Change Of Course
• Fast Train
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Fort Hays State University
• International Academy of Design & Technology
• Massey Services Inc.
• Tech Skills
• United States Army
• United States Navy
• Verizon Wireless

The Harborview Center is located at
300 Cleveland St.
Clearwater, FL 33755

Here is a map for your convenience:


View Larger Map

For more information and to pre-register for the Tampa Job Fair, please visit this link.

We will also be hosting a Virtual Job Fair September 23rd - September 30th. More information on the available Tampa Bay area jobs and companies for this event will be posted soon.

See you Tuesday Tampa!

The economy has changed and so has the landscape for finding new job opportunities. Building your network, growing skill sets and portfolios and looking for jobs in not all the right places, but in all the available places has come to full fruition as we prepare to enter the summer months here in Tampa.



The Tampa Employment Guide is very excited to play a role in a nationwide campaign to put 10,000 Americans back to work through our job fair series. At a job fair across I-4 a few weeks back in Orlando, they were able to put a dent into that 10,000 mark. Employers from the event were confident that over 500 attendees would be hired from the day alone. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist also stopped in to say some encouraging words. The video below show some highlights from his talk and how you can gain the confidence needed to gain employment in these rough economic times.



Now that the dust has settled across the highway, it is now our turn to bring the Tampa Bay community and the employers together and help put our community back to work. We are committed to bringing you jobs that will help you provide for your family and put some money aside to prepare for the future. The job fair will be held at the Museum of Science and Industry off Fowler Ave in Tampa. A map has been provided below:


View Larger Map

Job seekers are encouraged to pre-register for the event by clicking below. This will help us determine the need of the community and also allow you early access to the event. As always there is no charge for job seekers and we have a few spots left for employers. Please email me if you are interested in participating as a vendor at greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.



We wish you success Tampa and in the time leading up to the event we will be providing key tips and tactics to having a successful job fair.

Happy hunting Tampa.

-Greg

Ryan Healy, co-founder of Brazen Careerist, a blogging network for young professionals, has released a new free eBook entitled, "Career Blogging." On all of the Florida JobSpots, I have stated the importance of personal branding and establishing yourself as an industry player. Google is quickly becoming the new resume destination and reputations online are the new first impressions that were found at job fairs or walking into places of employment.

With the need to stand out among your peers and competition now more than ever, Ryan Healy has released this eBook at an optimal time to re-energize your job profile.

It is an easy read, coming it at 27 pages and it printer friendly as well. Ryan covers topics such as

• Old vs. New in job hunting trends
• Why blogging is an effective career tool
• How students can become effective bloggers to position themselves for greatness after graduation
• Real life examples of people that have had success from their blog

Download it here!

So stop thinking about it and take some action! 2009 will be a very interesting year indeed, but the power you take into your own life will have many reflections on how it pans out for you!

Happy hunting Tampa!

-Greg Rollett

This Sunday the mecca of American sports come into Tampa showing no mercy. Despite the souring economy, Tampa Bay & Company, the area tourism bureau, has reported that they still expect 100,000 fans to travel to the area for the festivities. This is good news for area hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs that will experience a spike in sales and may start to spread some dollars across the area.

Forecasters still expect $150 million is directly related spending for Tampa, much needed funds for an economy that is expected to lose 40,000+ jobs this year.

For job seekers the Super Bowl may not have a direct impact. The sales spike is not long term and jobs for security and extra staff may only be seasonal. So how do job seekers get ahead with all the attention in the world being on the hometown?

The same as it always has. Be prepared for opportunities. Have your resume prepped and updated. Stay on top of new jobs being posted by utilizing RSS Feeds on job boards or picking up news publications the day they are released (typically Monday mornings).

Attend events like the Tampa Employment Guide job fair on February 25th at Lowery Park Zoo and begin networking with peers. Now is a great time to volunteer and make connections with people that can help you out.

Enjoy the Super Bowl and the spotlight it brings on Tampa this week and then be prepared to fight yourself, for the job and career that will help you win your own personal super bowl. I promise the rewards are more enduring than the $3 million commercials.

-Greg Rollett

If you are looking for a little bit of motivation and straight talk to get you going in 2009, here is a list of 5 great sites to get some solid career advice from. They are a part of my daily reads and I learn from them every time the keyboard hits the screen. Enjoy.

1. Brazen Careerist - This site is geared towards Gen-Y and the younger worker and has over 100 of the top young bloggers telling it like it is. Love them or hate them, Gen-Y is coming strong into the workforce over the next few years and Brazen Careerist is a great place to learn from the mouth itself.
2. Wiser Worker Blog - WiserWorker.com, a job site for older and mature workers has a fantastic resource for job seekers that are making a transition in careers or are looking to get back into the labor pool after retirement. It is written by Amy Hoster and is updated a few times a week with great content.
3. Lindsey Pollak Career Advice Blog - A JobSpot favorite and consistent advice giver. Look for Lindsey on Podcasts, her own writing and new syndication with ABC News on Campus.
4. Personal Branding Blog - While not a job specific blog, Dan Schawbel does an excellent job in helping you understand hwo your personal brand will ultimately help your career. As an added bonus, Dan interviews top CEO's and business leaders to gain their perspective on their job, career and branding outlook.
5. ERE.net - This is a great series of blogs that works from the recruiter end. If you ever wanted to get into the head of a top recruiter to see what they are looking for, trends in the industry and how you can get a step ahead, this is a great resource for you.

Those are my top 5. What do you have that you can bring to the table?

Have a great holiday.

While browsing through job tip articles across the web, I ran across an article by Lindsey Pollak that highlighted 11 key tips in finding a job in today's landscape. I find Lindsey's work refreshing, as she stresses the importance of working hard to find a job and that if you put in the time, have the resources and build your network, there is an opportunity out there for you.

Some of the highlights in her post include:
#7 - Volunteer. Lindsey says,

"Instead of using this time to worry about when you’ll land a job, use this time to help other people. Especially during the holiday season, volunteer opportunities are everywhere."

I agree. I think that volunteering not only allows you to help others, but also fosters your soft skills like communication, team work and leadership abilities.

#9 - Build your personal brand. Here Lindsey says,

"It includes developing personal “marketing materials” (your resume, a website or career-related blog, a work portfolio, business cards, etc.), having a professional online presence, practicing the way you introduce yourself and more."

With the tools that web provides and the low start up cost (use Blogger to get a FREE blog and all Social Networks cost you nothing but time) there is no reason not to be online, networking and building up credibility for yourself and the industry that you want to work in.

#10 - Send holiday greetings.

"use the holiday season as an excuse to reach out to every single person you know or even sort-of know,"

says Lindsey. Break out the old school pen and paper and foster the relationships that you have build throughout the years, whether it is a past co-worker, former boss, relatives or past clients and customers. Be genuine in your approach and the communication channels will re-open.

Head over to Lindsey Pollak's blog to read the rest of the tips and be sure to subscribe to her RSS feeds for the latest in job seeking advice.

To read more from Lindsey and a conversation she had with the Orlando JobSpot click here.

-Greg Rollett

The answer may be surprising. Or it may not. Social Networking is at an all time high and leading the pack are high school students are teenagers across the country. Popular sites like Myspace and Facebook allow anyone on their networks to post text, videos and photos to their pages, walls and on their friends pages. This has resulted in some less than spectacular backlash for these students when looking into colleges.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, 10% of college admissions reps are looking at social networking profiles when making an enrollment decision. Of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant.

Job seekers have recently been in the same boat. Local media have named the trend "digital dirt," however I think it goes beyond the bad.

Everyone is quick to point fingers and join the blame game when incriminating evidence is found online. The fact of the matter is that for something to make it online, it had to be put there by a person. If you are controlling what is put online, you have nothing to worry about.

The great thing is that there are many things that you can begin to do today to create a positive personal brand today to make it easier to get a job tomorrow.

• Smart Social Networking - Use these networks to meet people at organizations that you cannot contact normally. Cultivate relationships with these people through asking questions, complimenting their work and engaging in their conversations.
• Blogging - Become a thought leader for a niche that you specialize in. If you are a painter, load up photos and tell stories of some great houses, layout or fences that you have worked on. Upload how-to videos or tips to more effective painting.
• Media in your resume - Robert Scoble recently noted that out of 200 applicants for a job with a tech company that only one had a link to their site included within their resume. If you need to get a point across, link to it!

Whether you are a student or a job seeker, companies and universities are looking you up. What are they going to find? The answer is what you put there.

-Greg Rollett

The Tampa Rays are in the middle of an unbelievable season. Even die hard fans can tell you that they didn't expect to be leading the East come September. 

Well, the fat lady has not entered Tropicana Field quite yet, and those of you reading this are not pro ball players heading into an advertising heavy and money hungry post-season, the Rays give you some job prospecting hope.

Out With the Old, In With the New

1. Develop your skills over time. The Rays have a great farm system in place, meaning that their new young talent has time to develop and manage their skills in a simulated environment before taking on the million dollar pros in the big leagues. For you, this can mean jumping into an internship, volunteering or joining clubs and organizations. Maybe it's going back to school and pursuing your education. It may also mean taking an entry level job to gain the skills, contacts and learning experience before jumping into a big career change.
2. Competition is healthy. The Rays fought off the Bronx Bombers and are now neck to neck with the Boston Red Sox. Having competition breathing down your back keeps you on your toes and makes sure that your game face is always on. You can't win everyday, but with motivation of competition you can overcome your objectives, work hard and come out as a top revenue producer and excel at customer service. 
3. Play your best down the stretch. When there is great pressure there is usually great reward. As the year, quarter or other economic factors wear you down, you need to finish strong. You will find that looking for a job when all hope is lost, will usually result in a resurgence of new opportunities. It's like turning over that extra rock and finding gold, or grinding out the pain to throw one more fastball past Big Papi and clinching the East. This takes great concentration, but also some faith and the ability to see things before they happen. 
4. Silence your critics. Sometimes your friends and family are your worst critics. Some recruiters can push you to your bad side. The same goes in sports. ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others counted the Rays out before the season started. Now they are in the dug out laughing all the way to the playoffs. When adversity stares you in the face, it is you that has to make the ultimate decision if you will prevail or let your competition beat you out. Believing in yourself and your abilities are the key to keeping those critics quiet or better yet, turning them into fans and believers themselves. 

Down the stretch, never count yourself out. With all the difficulties in your way, it is very easy to lose sight of what you need to do. The Rays take it one day and one game at a time. For you, remember to take it one day and one interview at a time. 

Go Rays and happy hunting Tampa!

-Greg Rollett

Tampa Job Fair is coming September 23rd at Raymond James Stadium

Click on the screen shot below:

Head on over to HealthCareerWeb.com now and check out the bevy of health care jobs across Florida and find an opportunity or career path that will balance out your life. For any questions regarding the Virtual Job Fair, please send an email to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.

Thanks and happy hunting Tampa!!

-Greg Rollett

Start expressing yourself.
Your job search is all about how you present yourself. By creating a brand around your personality, school and work history and your network, you put yourself in a great position to succeed.

HealthCareerWeb.com is a place that allows you to do that. By joining in on forums specific to your industry, creating a profile and networking with other like minded job seekers and professionals, Health Career Web is defining how Health Care jobs are searched for.

We are proud to deliver an event that will not only get the conversation started on HCW, but also deliver opportunities from companies across the state. Starting Monday, August 25th job seekers from around the country and most importantly the state of Florida will be part of the Healthcare Virtual Job Fair hosted by the Employment Guide and HealthCareerWeb.

With gas a non-stop conversation piece and more employers turning to the net for recruiting, this event will give job seekers the opportunity to search for and apply for jobs in their own personal settings and time.

All you need to do is head on over here starting Monday morning at 10am.

For more information on the Job Fair, please shoot an email over to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.

Happy hunting Tampa!

-Greg Rollett