The unorthodox gambits failed these job seekers-but taught them plenty about finding work, and could provide a playbook for countless unemployed Americans. Mr. Persky learned to become a multi-faceted entrepreneur. Mr. Williamson discovered why personal networks matter. Ms. Greco recognized the importance of targeted marketing.

Traditionally, career counseling has focused on career exploration, career redirection, assessment, education/ training, job search skills and placement. Little consideration has been given to the complex emotional dynamics of grief associated with job loss. Understanding grief in the context of job loss and lifestyle adjustment is particularly important when clients are confronting a major life change. Oftentimes, an overwhelming sense of loss distracts or impedes a person's readiness to conduct a job search or effectively move forward with a positive career-life change. Career Counselors working with clients who are experiencing a job or career loss compounded by the need to adjust lifestyle expectations need to comprehend the grief process if they are to empower their clients to succeed.

Career counseling courses have been perceived as plain and theory-based learning by many counseling students. The opportunities for learning should not be limited to lecture and textbooks. Readers who are interested in developing a creative curriculum for your career counseling course may find this article inspiring.

Many creative children are taught from a very young age that there is no real place for them to shine. From a young age, these children are trying to learn skills to which their talents are not applicable. As a result, these adolescents are frequently unable to create a satisfying future career. Career counselors are in a position to effect significant change in the lives of creative adolescents but often lack the understanding of this population that would make their interventions more effective.

We all know people who were not laid off. These people can be described in any number of ways: as the "nervously employed" (Feller & Wichard, 2005), or as those suffering from "recession rumination" (USA Today, 2008), or, as they are referred to here, as the working worried. Whatever we call them, the number of people going to work each day hoping it won't be their last appears to be at an all time high. While news reports indicate signs of economic recovery, for most, this doesn't change their personal reality.

I'm frequently asked how to make the transition from working in an organization to striking out on one's own. But here's a question that's rarely discussed: What if you're an entrepreneur or solo practitioner and must decide whether to return to the business world? Can you -- and should you -- go from your living room back to the boardroom?

If you are in the market for a job, especially if you have at least several years of work experience, you should be taking advantage of the significant benefits LinkedIn can bring to your job search, including warm leads into companies or to people you are targeting, the possibility of creating new job leads through recruiters who frequently use the site or people who are impressed with comments you post on the site, and access to posted and unposted job openings. So how do you take advantage of LinkedIn if you're a job seeker?

Get accurate, real-time salary reports based on your job title, location, education, skills and experience.

The federal suits highlight the legal issues sparked by the proliferation of personal technology as well as the blurring of work and free time.

In this market, many job candidates are desperate for an offer -- any offer. But even if you are new to an industry or have been unemployed for a while, is it smart to blindly accept the first number that an employer throws out? I don't think so.

Hello fellow Career Development group members,

Based on your feedback regarding the frequency and topics of forum posts, monthly news and announcements will be posted if there is something to report. Otherwise, please continue to post your questions, comments, and suggestions.

OK, here we go, News and Announcement for August:

We have four new members, please welcome:

Kristian Borglund
Peak Performance
CV Special
Rachel Simpson

To add them as friends, click on to their profiles to send them a "friend request".

I would like to congratulate Angel Roman for being quoted in Summer 2009 issue of the Occupational Outlook Online in an article entitled, "Career planning the second time around". To view it, go to: http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2009/summer/art02.htm or do a bookmark search of "Angel Roman". Kudos!

As members you are encouraged to share and post your professional activities and/or achievements such as workshops, speeches, group work, conference presentations, or publications. Feel free to post these or, if you like, I could include them in our monthly news and announcements. All other solicitations will be removed. That's what killed My Space.

Until next time!

Best regards,

-Leslie

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped in July to deliver the labor market's best performance in a year, and while the decline was slight it was enough to raise hopes that the economy is on the cusp of a recovery.

NEW YORK -- The first phone call comes 30 seconds after Kim Hall arrives at her desk. She groans, chases two Tylenol with a gulp from her extra-large coffee and sweeps her bangs away from her eyes. She reaches into a drawer and grabs the notepad that contains what her colleagues refer to as "the tally of destruction." After the third ring, Hall grabs the phone and presses it to her ear. It is 9:03 a.m. on a Wednesday, and another day of economic collapse has begun.

Introverts bring many unique strengths to organizations, including a focus on depth, an ability to listen, and a calm, reflective nature. If career counselors and coaches can deepen their understanding of how introverts are "wired," they can help create more wins for introverted clients and their organizations.

I've been pondering the future since my dad took me to visit the World Future Society headquarters in Bethesda, Md., when I was 10 years old. And now that I'm a career writer, it's my job to think about what the workplace will look like -- and what it will demand from us -- in 2025.

Until recently, I was a glass half-empty kind of girl. If 10 good things happened and one bad thing happened, guess what I would focus on? I put tremendous pressure on myself to achieve immediate success, and when my career didn't progress splendidly in all respects, I'd feel miserable.

A growing number of Americans struggle with job searches these days because a scandal destroyed their small employer-even though they played no role in its demise.

Solo entrepreneurs, freelancers and other self-employed professionals have always struggled to take vacations, and the recession is making it even harder. Being out of pocket can mean missing one of a diminishing number of business leads, and the rising tide of unemployed professionals has heightened competition for freelance work.

Many job seekers have been paying big bucks to have professionals rework their résumés, but when it comes to career counseling, free help abounds. By visiting a government-sponsored job center, your alma mater and even your local library, you can tap into a pool of professionals who will help you create or critique your résumé. By visiting a government-sponsored job center, your alma mater and even your local library, you can tap into a pool of professionals who will help you create or critique your résumé.

I've been pondering the future since my dad took me to visit the World Future Society headquarters in Bethesda, Md., when I was 10 years old. And now that I'm a career writer, it's my job to think about what the workplace will look like -- and what it will demand from us -- in 2025.