You’ve been asked to make a presentation at work, or you’re a consultant who delivers speeches and workshops to generate interest in your work. You have some time to prepare—and you’re anxious. Depending on how you regard public speaking, you may be extremely nervous. And probably a bit excited, too. How can you best use your anxiety to your advantage?

 You’ve heard it before: Ask 10 people to look at your resume and you’ll get 10 different opinions. So what’s a self-respecting job seeker in the throes of unemployment angst supposed to do?

I heard negotiation expert Katie Donovan interviewed for an 85 Broads webinar and thought my readers would benefit from her advice. Katie’s company, Equal Pay Negotiations, LLC, specializes in helping women negotiate for equal pay, benefits and promotions and Katie frequently addresses the topic of flexible schedules. Following is my Q&A with Katie on this important topic.

Each week I’ll feature three posts offering particularly good counsel for those early in their careers. Send along your favorites for consideration.

I love to get good questions from readers and share my answers in a post. Here’s one that addresses a few important issues:

Hi Allison,

I just read one of your articles on Forbes about how to job search on LinkedIn. I’m a twenty-something currently looking for an entry level job in NYC in the TV business.

Each week I’ll feature three posts offering particularly good counsel for those early in their careers. Send along your favorites for consideration.

Each week I’ll feature three posts offering particularly good counsel for those early in their careers. Send along your favorites for consideration.

Job search is a lot like dating—the more work you do at the front end to understand both yourself and your fit in the marketplace, the better the opportunities that will come your way.

For many people September presents a fresh start—like going back to school, it’s a time of renewed motivation and enthusiasm. Three things that help me get restarted are writing,  taking a course and attending a conference  especially in person. There’s nothing more inspiring than being in a shared interest group, with a lot of great speakers. And classes offer unlimited opportunities to network in a friendly setting.