When I talk to my clients about networking, one of the most difficult concepts to get across is the informational interview.

People who are out of work need ways to connect with others that will be personally enriching, use their skills and boost their confidence and ability to get a job. The best way to do this is to volunteer.

It’s called niche marketing, my friends, and it works. Who would you rather hire, the guy who says he is “open to anything” or the one who has deep experience in the specific area for which you’re hiring?

I posted this to my Examiner.com blog today and I wanted to share it with you. You don’t need me to tell you the job market is bad. All of my clients, and the clients of other career advisors I know, are having a very tough time. One of the by-products of having a job search drag on and on is a sense of isolation…

I had a bit of an epiphany the other day about why I enjoy being a career advisor. It links to one of the pastimes I enjoy most: playing Scrabble.

I was quoted in this past Sunday’s Career Couch column about how fraught networking with those who are employed can be since there are so many people out of work these days.