Fed chairman Ben Bernanke says the recession is “very likely over,” the Dow swaggers to the top of the 10,000 mark, and Obama is confident the worst is behind us.

So why does it still hurt so bad? If you are one of the millions in America looking for a job in this economy, it’s hard to believe the pundits.

“Employment is a lagging indicator,” they assure us, speaking like parents chiding a child for not eating his greens.

But if there ain’t no green in the pocket, it’s hard to swallow what they say. Everywhere, the stories are the same—making us wonder, is the economy really recovering?

“It’s a really bad market,” says Wonyoung Hong, a taxation major at New York’s Fordham University who moved from Korea last year.

“Really impossible to get a job. A lot of my friends were fired at the end of last year; they’re still looking for jobs. They all have good backgrounds, experience, and most went to school here. When I see such qualified people struggling, I feel it will be more difficult for me.”

Hong, 27, graduates next month and going by her description of her summer internship application process, she is ready for “hell.”

Read the rest of the piece at Koream Journal

The New Oxford American Dictionary has a quaint tradition of naming its “Word of the Year”  and 2009′s dubious winner is “Unfriend” – as in “unfriend” someone from Facebook.

Common Uses: “Oh I used to date that frog-face, but now we are broken up. Let me “unfriend him/her/it”

Waitaminit..isn’t that word “de-friend?” Or is just me?

Apparently, facebookers unfriend random people that they have “friended” in order to offload some of the dubious sorts they put on their friend list.

I think “friended” in itself should have also made the final list of contenders, which included “sexting,”  the sending of dirty text messages, “intexticated” – being distracted as you text and drive and ugh! The worst word of them all “funemployed!”

If “Unfriend” wasn’t annoying enough, “funemployed” drives me batty! It’s a cloying, cutesy way of saying you’re having fun whilst (yes, whilst! eat it.) being unemployed.

Who are these people deciding the word of the year anyways?! And why must it be a new word? It should be the word (s)  that people use the most – like “recession,” “depression,” “shoot myself” or “wait-I -have-a-college-degree- but -am underqualified-to-box-shoes?”

Ugh – I need to “unfriend” the New Oxford American Dictionary for being so uncool.

Yes, You are hired! Now, can you do headstands?

Yes, the economy! Still tanking, still reeling under the economic crisis, still sucking! So if you are out there still looking for a job, The Wall Street Journal has some ideas on how not to suck at an interview.

Tips include the famous

- Don’t arrive late

-Don’t dress sloppily

-Don’t act over familiar

-No typos in resume

-Don’t talk about salary or benefits off the bat

-Don’t be fidgety, keep a pen and notepad handy, and always take a copy of your resume with you

- A follow up thank-you email is enough, no need for cards and balloons.

But more than these tips, I found this survey- of 500 HR managers of the Society for Human Resource Management- insightful.

• 30% of hiring managers will decide whether to hire you within 15 minutes (Aha! So need to babble about thinking out of the box, or being a team player, post 15 minute mark, methinks!)
• 40% of hiring managers say a cellphone ringing in the middle of an interview is a “deal breaker” (Duh!)
• 70% prefer job candidates to have unpaid internship experience directly related to their companies’ work versus paid employment in an unrelated field (Yes, so please slave away at an unpaid internship, denying yourself the chance to make any real money, to keep your head above water, in a sinking city; so that when you meet said HR manager, you can show them how serious you are about finding a job in the field you are applying for.)
• 39% say “chemistry” with a job applicant accounts for half of their hiring decision

It is that time of the week again! Free unsolicited advice!

Thanks to our friends over at CareerMag.com, here’s some cool tips on how to build a professional online image.

As a job seeker, it is important to maintain a professional image throughout your job search and career. Below are a few steps that you can take to create a positive and professional online image:

* Join Online Professional Networks – Online professional networking sites are a great way to develop and extend your network of trusted contacts. With millions of business professionals now networking online, you don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity. In addition, your networking profile can double as an online resume and can help you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners that may lead to a potential job opportunity.

* Expand Your Online Exposure – Once you have created a social networking profile, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be easily found on the internet. It is important to complete your profile to its fullest extent and consider using Search Engine Optimization techniques through keyword placement and links to ensure your profile is highly ranked among search engines and you are getting noticed by potential employers.

* Create an Online Career Portfolio – A fast and easy way to create a positive online presence is by creating a career portfolio that showcases your resume and other relevant career-related information. By giving employers an opportunity to learn more about you online, it can help distinguish you from other candidates and give you an extra edge.

* Avoid Unprofessional Content and Pictures – Review and monitor any social networking sites you have subscribed to, in order to be sure that you are presenting yourself in a positive manner. Remember to pay attention to tagged photos and content that you did not necessarily post, but can be equally damaging. Employers will review these sites and you will want to make a good impression. When in doubt, be conservative!

• Choose your application round carefully. Most schools have several windows in which applicants can apply. The deadlines start in November and can go as late as April. The key is to zero in on your top choice and work on that application before the others, says Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, which coaches individuals during the M.B.A. admissions process. But don’t wait until the third round to apply to a school you’re serious about. By that time, schools are looking for very specific types of people to round out the rest of the class, says Jennifer Hayes, senior associate director of admissions at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

• Break the news to your employer. Applicants with letters of recommendation from a current employer are much stronger than those without. Ideally, you have discussed your long-term goals with your employer, so this won’t come as a surprise. Ms. Blackman recommends telling your supervisor about your ambitions two years before you apply. However, if you feel as if sharing your goal will endanger your employment, include an additional letter addressed to the admissions committee explaining your concerns.

• Work harder in the office. Truth is, not every applicant will get into their dream school. Scott Shrum, director of M.B.A. admissions research of Veritas Prep, an admissions firm in Malibu, Calif., suggests finding ways to make your candidacy even stronger while waiting for a final answer. If there’s a new workplace project that needs a leader, volunteer. It will give you more to talk about if you make it to the personal interview at your choice schools, says Mr. Shrum.

Read the rest of the piece here.

Google yourself regularly to map and tweak your online image

When my best friend was visiting, I got her a t-shirt that read “Sometimes when I am alone, I google myself.” In the early days of the search engine, that seemed like a really funny joke.

But these days, googling yourself  is not a mere vanity, it’s almost essential, especially if you’re looking for a job.

Most employers will agree that once the stork delivers your resume into their hands, the first thing they do is check your online presence. So, Bam! Google!

And if the only thing that pops up in their search are racy pictures from your Spring break or incriminating, nasty posts about your co-workers, then that could potentially be a red light for your employers.

So, here is a list of Top Online Turnoffs I came across in Richmond magazine.

Profanity: If you wouldn’t say it in front of your grandmother or on national television, don’t post it online. It may actually end up in front of your grandmother or on national television, or — just as bad ­­— a recruiter.

Inconsistency: When you put online resumes and bios on LinkedIn, Facebook or your blog, make sure they match what you have in print. If you tweak anything, tweak it consistently.

All Play and No Work: Fool around all you want on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites. But be sure to mix in some online business — join some industry organizations, actively participate and tweet positive things about your work.

The magazine says it doesn’t help to be totally paranoid and log off Facebook forever. In fact, some recruiters get dissapointed when they look for you online and can’t find your Facebook page. “

“Recruiters want to see pictures of you interacting with others,” says one recruiter in the piece, “they want to see that you are a team player.”

So get going, Google yourself and mend that online image.

We won’t tell you to stop cribbing – go ahead- whine all you wan’t ‘coz we know how rough it is out there.

It’s a like a cranky grizzly bear that’s swiping it’s giant paws at everyone! Ok..so lets toss that grizzly a sandwich and hope it goes away.

In this case, sandwich = career advice and I had a chance to speak with Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-founder of SixFigureStart.com, a career coaching firm comprised of former Fortune 500 recruiters and she had a bunch of interesting things to say.

Nail That Internship!

If you’re looking for a job and can’t seem to find one (surprise, surprise!) Ceniza-Levine advises to go for broke and find an internship. “In booming times, if you had an internship, it was slam dunk, you would get hired by the company,” she said, “but even in a down market, an internship still puts you at an advantage.”

She urges students and recent grads to take up freelance work, temp jobs and unpaid internships in order to put something down on the resume that shows “that you are still in the game, not sitting on the couch.”

Know What You’re Looking For

For students or recent graduates looking to enter the job market, it also pays to know what sort of a job one is looking for. “There is nervousness about being specific,” she says. “People apply to everything and that hinders your prospects.”

Keep Your Job Search Specific

She urges applicants to keep their search specific. “It gives you direction, gives you very clear marching orders, what to see, whom to call,” adding that when you’re not specific about the kind of job you’re looking for, you will sound non-committed.

Be Focussed

“It makes you sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

Use Your Networks Carefully

“There is a less tolerance for people being called out of the blue just to talk. People don’t have the time right now,” she says, referring to upper level management that would, in normal circumstances, indulge a call from someone from the same network.

Be Bold, Bust Out That Superhero Costume!

“The approach that works best in this market is be bold.You have to do some heavy duty-networking. It’s a very sales and marketing oriented approach.”

Half a dozen tips to make that sandwich! Go ahead, Grizzly, piss us off now!