Alison Doyle

One Day, One Job Book Review

I was thrilled to read the review of my book Internet Your Way to a New Job on One Day One Job (an excellent site, by the way, for entry level job and internship seekers).

Willy Frazen, One Day, One Job's founder, says:  "It’s a great resource for any job searcher, but it is especially helpful for new grads who have never been through the process before ...  Despite the fact that we consider ourselves job search experts, we still learned a few things from Alison. Her advice on following up and what to do when you don’t get a reply from an employer is especially helpful. We also like that she uses real life examples to prove that her tips actually work in real life situations.  Internet Your Way to a New Job is a worthwhile investment for any new college grad who is pursuing his or her job search online. Great job, Alison!"

Read the full review: One Day One Job

More Reviews: Internet Your Way to a New Job - How to Really Find a Job Online

Eight Belles - The End of Her Watch

I love horse racing.  I hate horse racing.  I don't think I've ever won money on a dead race horse before and I'm not going to cash the ticket.  Mostly because I knew that I probably shouldn't bet on a filly running against the boys, though I don't know if that had anything to do with Eight Belle's tragic end on the dirt during the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. 

A US Today article (which is well worth reading) about the questions that linger about the safety of horse racing, mentions that eight bells, in nautical terms, means the end of a watch.  I am saddened that Eight Belles ended her watch like this and my heart goes out to her owner, trainers, grooms, and everyone who loved her.   

One of the most heartbreaking things is to watch is a horse break down like that. I'm always reminded of Ruffian (whose picture is on my office wall), Go For Wand, Barbaro, George Washington, and the others whose names I'm sorry I don't remember or that I never heard.

As Jerry Izenberg said, "...she tried.  It's what race horses do."  That's true and that's part of what I love about race horsing - if you've ever seen mares and babies turned out in a field or a paddock full of yearlings, they do it as soon as they can. 

They run, they try, and those with heart and talent make it to the race track.  We hope that their people (and the industry and race tracks) do right by them and don't race them until they are ready, and do their best to run safe races and prevent injuries.

As much as I hate to look at it, I'm glad that Eight Belle's photo, in the last minutes of her life, made it to the cover of the New York Times.  It's painful to watch, but it reminds us of the fragility of thoroughbreds despite their size and what can happen for sometimes no apparant reason at all, especially when the race was over and she had already finished a strong second.  I hope it serves as a reminder that we need to do what we can so race horsing is as safe as possible Acknowledging the fact that three years perhaps aren't physically ready to race is worthing considering, as is the point made by someone who posted on the New York Times Rail blog: "I train and race horses in Europe where no medication is allowed and the fatal breakdown rate is half what it is here."

That said, congratulations to Big Brown - he's an awesome horse and it was a well earned victory in the run of the roses, and rest in peace, Eight Belles.

One of the Best Job Search Book in a Long Time

I was thrilled to read the review of my book Internet Your Way to a New Job - How to Really Find a Job Online on The Daily Machete. Here's a brief excerpt:

"When a great job seeking book comes out, The Daily Machete likes to review it for our readership.  That's why it's such a pleasure to showcase one of the best job search books in a long time - Internet Your Way to a New Job, by Alison Doyle…  Doyle also covers some extremely important aspects of modern job hunting, such as writing a blog, optimizing yourself and incorporating SEO (Search Engine Optimization)... Be sure to get your hands on a copy of Internet Your Way to a New Job.  It's one of those books that all job seekers should read and absorb so they can compete in the job market."
Read the entire review: The Daily Machete

More Reviews and Endorsements:

Read what top career experts and leading job search sites have to say about Internet Your Way to a New Job.

Order Your Paperback or eBook copy:

• Internet Your Way to a New Job from the publisher (save 15%)
• Internet Your Way to a New Job from Amazon

Twitter and My Toe

In the midst of my research on using Twitter for job searching and recruiting (and I've got some good information I'll share soon) I dislocated my toe. 

I didn't get much work done this morning because I was spending time getting x-rays and my dislocated toe reduced (I think that's what they call it when they fix it), but, on a career note, I was really happy with the attention I got at the urgent care facility and with how kind all the staff were.  I felt bad going because it was only a toe, even though it wouldn't have fixed itself, but they didn't mind in the least bit and wheeled me back and forth for x-rays and even had me hold the nurse's hand while the physician's assistant fixed it. 

I remember in the old days when going to the doctor wasn't always very pleasant and it's nice to see how far medicine has come from a caring perspective, as well as a medical one. 

If you're interested in a health career, Andrea Santiago, About.com's Guide to Health Careers has lots of useful career information on her site, as well as information on the top medical job boards.

The Last Lecture

Those who know me are probably aware that I lost my dad to the horrific disease that is pancreatic cancer. I wrote about my father, and our family, in an article called Without Hope We Have Nothing for the About.com Cancer site.  I was touched to hear from people from around the world who said that my article had helped them in their pc journey.

That's the reason why Randy Pausch is my hero.  He has made pancreatic cancer, which has been called the forgotten cancer, a household world.  He's touched many lives and he's shown all of us how you can live, really live, with a terminal disease. 

My dad was like that, too - up until the end.  He made the most of the time he had, and at the end, decided enough was enough and it was time to leave us.  I appreciate now, maybe even more than I did then, the grace, courage and wisdom that he had - it made our journey so much easier.

Somebody posted on the Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer Discussion Forum that Randy should be more hopeful when speaking about pancreatic cancer.   I wasn't quite sure why and responded that:

"Randy Pausch speaks openly and honestly about his diagnosis. I can't imagine why he would be hopeful that he'll do anything other than, if he's lucky, outlive the doctor's prognosis of how long he lives.

That's the reality of his situation and if he said anything other than that - the truth - I can't imagine he would have brought the awareness about pc that he has.

He's not going to get cured and he's taking precious time away from his family for us - for all of us who are patients, caregivers, lost a loved one to a pc, etc. - to help help increase awareness. That's a gift - to all of us, because he's making a difference and his voice is getting heard."

That's the reason I mentioned this - I appreciate the gift more than I have the words to say that he has given all of us who have lost someone to pc, who are living - and dying - with it, and who are caregivers.    

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch's book, is now available on Amazon and from PanCan.

Creating a VisualCV

I spent some time this morning working on my VisualCV.  It took a little prompting from VisualCV's Director of Marketing, Pierce Resler, but I thought that since I've heard lots of good feedback and because I've recommended it to job seekers, I should have my own.

It was quick and simple to create.  I uploaded my photo and images of my book covers and added my work history, my memberships, and links to my web sites.

 

I have a dedicated url for my VisualCV: http://www.visualcv.com/alisondoyle and I can create a PDF version that looks really impressive.

One thing that I didn't do - by design - is list all my contact information next to my name. This was for a couple of reasons. First, I made my VisualCV available on the internet, so anyone can see it.  Secondly, I'm not looking for a job, and I already have more people getting in touch with me than I can effectively manage.

You can see more VisualCV samples on the web site, and you can also enter a contest for the best VisualCV in several categories. 

Building My Professional Brand

I've been having fun working on building my professional brand this week.  I've updated my LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.  I've polished up my VisualCV and I've signed up for Twitter.

In addition, I've been having some interesting discussion with colleagues on how their work, their career, and their online presence has benefited from spending time on all this stuff.  It is time consuming, but the bottom line is that there wasn't one of us who said they hadn't benefited from the time they spent creating profiles, networking online, getting the RSS for their blogs out there, and communicating with contacts.  It works and once you get your profiles set, it really isn't that much work to utilize all these online networking sites effectively.

Here's a look at where I am with building my brand:

• My LinkedIn Profile
• My Facebook Profile
• My VisualCV
• Twitter
• My About.com Job Search Bio

And, if you Google "Alison Doyle" you'll see how these have helped enhance my presence in the search engines - providing good information to anyone looking me.   Nine out of the top 10 search results are my links.

What a Week for Internet Your Way to a New Job

It's been quite a week for Internet Your Way to a New Job - How to Really Find a Job Online.  My new book is  available in print as well as e-book and it's already getting some nice reviews on Amazon.  I have more than a few interviews scheduled, review copies of the book are on the way, and we (that's me and my book) have a mention in career expert Joyce Lain Kennedy's syndicated newspaper column this weekend.

It's exciting that the book is generating so much interest and favorable reviews.  I'm never quite sure how well I did, when I write a book. It's hard to judge your own work. I'm especially pleased by the feedback from visitors to my About.com Job Searching site who took the time to write to tell me how much they appreciate my advice.

If you're interested in ordering a copy, here's how:

Order Your Paperback or eBook copy:

• Internet Your Way to a New Job direct from the publisher (save 15%)
• Internet Your Way to a New Job from Amazon

My first book, The About.com Guide to Job Searching, is also available on Amazon and in bookstores around the country.

Internet Your Way to a New Job Endorsement from HireVue

I am thrilled to receive an endorsement for my new book Internet Your Way to a New Job - How to Really Find a Job Online from Mark Newman, CEO, HireVue, the top video interviewing site:

 "When it comes to personal career management and advice you should look no further than Alison Doyle. Regardless of if you are a student, a mid career professional or executive, Alison offers deep insight into what it takes to find the right job and manage your career in this day and age where the rules of the game have changed. Her advice has benefited me professionally and I know will do the same for you."

More on HireVue and Video Interviewing:

• Video Job Interviews
• Alison Doyle's Favorite Job Search Sites

More endorsements from top career experts and leading job search sites for Internet Your Way to a New Job.

Book Endorsement from Jobfox

I am thrilled to receive an endorsement for my new book Internet Your Way to a New Job - How to Really Find a Job Online from someone who really understands the web and job searching.

Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox, author of Bring Your "A" Game and former CEO of CareerBuilder, says:

"Alison Doyle gets it. With the development of new Web 2.0 tools, the rules of job searching have dramatically changed. Internet Your Way to a New Job goes beyond just showing you how to hunt for jobs. It shows you how to be the hunted."

Read what top career experts and leading job search sites have to say about Internet Your Way to a New Job.

Jobfox, by the way, is an excellent resource for job seekers.  Jobfox matches you with employers, provides you with a professional web page, and has lots of tools to help you job search, including text messaging, resume tracking, and Instant Messaging from within Jobfox.