Internet has changed the way to approach job searches. Nowadays, if you don't have at least a professional profile in Linkedin, you are definitively missing out a great opportunity.

Remember this: Internet is not an effective tool to find a job. Still, 80% of jobs are found through personal connections. However, Internet is an unbeatable tool to be found by those who matter the most: the ones who have the jobs you want!

Enjoy this clip from an interview I had with CNN en Espanol yesterday. Thank you Adriana Hauser...you are a top-notch journalist.

Yesterday was an exciting day. Unemployment numbers were better than expected, and I was interviewed by Adriana Hausner on CNN en Espanol to give my views on it. We had a five-minute interview, that got magically edited into a 2-minute segment. Adriana is a fantastic journalist who made me feel at ease since the moment I first saw her.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be featured on a segment on "oh not so negative" unemployment numbers. Although 8.9% unemployment represents almost 14 million individuals out of work, the pace of unemployment is slowing down, and that is something to be happy about. It means that waiting time to get a new job is getting shorter. Because unemployment is a lagging indicator, one can interpret that the end of the recession is closer, and companies could start hiring earlier than anticipated.
 
A few minutes after the interview aired, I was being contacted by friends across Latin America, some of whom I had not seen or even spoken to in years. It was awesome to reconnect thanks to the magic of CNN!

So, here is the video. If I you and I met at some point in our lives, get in touch. You can reach me at rfiguera@thetalentcircle.com. I would love to hear from you.

The story of how Marlo Scott baked herself a happier career.    
                                                                    
Marlo Scott can’t stop smiling today. How could she? In January 2009 she spent an afternoon with Martha Stewart making cupcakes for an upcoming show.  Being chosen for this segment was amazing and beyond anything she ever imagined.

If you ask Marlo for the recipe of her Crimson and Cream Cupcake, she will gladly share it with you as she recently did for Fox5 Good Day New York, to celebrate Valentine’s Day. She is also more than glad to give you her recipe for a happier life. Like many people on a career track, Marlo thought she had the ingredients for success. But after an MBA at the University of Michigan and three layoffs, she discovered that her original recipe had a certain aftertaste that she needed to eliminate. So with a few ounces of inspiration, a splash of networking and lot of hard work, Marlo baked up the idea for a cupcake, wine and beer bar and a happier existence.

Marlo thought she had it all. Even after being laid off from two different jobs, she still thought she was on the right track and considered her career a successful one. She had a great job in business development within Time inc.; she was motivated, well-liked, and up for a promotion. “Life just doesn’t get better than this,” she thought. And she was right, it didn’t. In fact, Marlo’s professional life took a nosedive from that point on.

After delivering outstanding results and successfully leading a business group, her reward was the deferral of her promotion for 9 months. Marlo was underwhelmed and disappointed, and she came to the conclusion that Corporate America just wasn’t the place for her. She soul searched to sort out her next steps. “The hardest thing was to figure out what I wanted, where my passion was. Once I did that, things started coming together”.

Marlo eventually discovered that her true calling was, in fact, very sweet. Everyday on her way to work, she passed by a popular New York cupcake bakery. Marlo observed its operations and after months of due dilligence – and a few extra cupcake pounds – Marlo came to the conclusion that the famed bakery had sweet cupcakes but an even sweeter horizon if given an opportunity to differentiate. “I would pass by every day and think what I would do differently. I started to brainstorm on my concept and I looked for opportunities to educate myself on the industry”. She signed up for restaurant administration courses and began networking with entrepreneurs and restaurant owners. She spent countless hours in the kitchen, perfecting her cupcakes and writing recipes from scratch.

In January 2007, she was laid off along with 200 others at Time Inc. The news came as a shock but mostly as a relief. She knew instantly that fate was intervening, and she was being given the opportunity to add sweetness to her life. “Getting laid off gave me a chance to put life in perspective. It allowed me the freedom to take a bet on myself. I felt empowered to go for it – to build a business and a brand that would offer a sweet environment for me, the good folks that work with me and for all my lovely patrons”.

Marlo opened Sweet Revenge in July 2008. The upscale, world-inspired cupcake, beer and wine bar has already made a mark.  Fox5’s morning should and Martha Stewart are not the only ones clamoring on her door. Time Out New York Magazine named Sweet Revenge the “Critic’s Pick” and is among the contenders for the 2009 EatOut Awards for Best New Bakery (results not yet published/known as of March 4, 2009). The Feedbag.com, Brides.Com, CupcakesTakeTheCake, and New York Metro, among others have profiled her.  She was also distinguished by New York City's Department of Small Business Services as an NYC Business Solutions Success Story.

“My life is unbelievable. Two years ago I was laid off, and almost to the day, I was baking my cupcakes with Martha Stewart”. Marlo smiles, “The best advice I can give to people wanting to change their lives is to have confidence and take a bet on yourself. It’s the safest one you can take and the most rewarding one too.”

Edited by Ignacio Villanueva

Have your own recipe for career success?  Share with us and inspire others.

A Banker’s Transition to the Intimate World of Women's fashion

Can you imagine juggling fourteen-hours a day in the office, planning a wedding in a foreign country, having a relationship, and maintaining a decent social life? Yeah, well, neither can we. But that used to be Cinthia Martinez’ life during her investment banking days. Growing up in Honduras, Cinthia always dreamed of becoming a Wall Street executive with designer pantsuits and a fabulous life. But after finally getting the job, achieving the rank and wearing the pantsuit, Cinthia discovered that the life she dreamed of wasn’t as fabulous as she expected. Actually, life wasn’t fabulous at all.  She was always on the run, feeling irritable, stressed, and with no time for herself. At one point her career started taking a toll in her relationship and was even affecting her health. During one of her “regular” workdays, Cinthia started hyperventilating and ended up collapsing at her desk. This disturbing incident, of course, marked a turning point in her life: either she changed careers or hired an on-staff hair stylist to color her fast-growing gray hairs.
   
Cinthia thought of searching a new career path even before her incident, but not knowing what else she wanted to do, quitting her job didn’t really sound like the wisest of choices.  She did know, however, that she wanted to have what her mother had back home: a career that would allow her to have a healthy balance between work and family. Based on this insightful finding, Cinthia dedicated herself to find a strong female role model with a well-rounded life balance and who she could look up to. It proved challenging, but she kept searching.

It took Cinthia one month after her panic attack to start actively searching for new career opportunities.  She started by sending her resume out to recruiters and applying to every job post that seemed interesting to her. As the interviews began, the search became more challenging since she was competing with candidates that had experience in the fields she was pursuing. However, Cinthia decided to get the most out of the interview process. “On every interview I had, I became the interviewer”. Today, she advises people to ask as many questions as possible during their interviews, so they can ensure they are transitioning into a field they would enjoy. She also took the opportunity to polish her creativity as she always looked for ways to turn her past work experience into relevant skills for any field.

Cinthia ended up finding her passion by accident, while listening to a guest speaker at a recruiting event she attended.  The speaker was a Harvard graduate and former Wall Street professional who had found greener pastures working as an executive for Victoria’s Secret.  As she heard the woman’s story, Cinthia realized that she could relate to everything she was saying. She also found herself very interested by the nature of the work that was being described. “This is it!” Cinthia thought, “this lady is the role model I’ve been looking for.” Motivated by her newly discovered interest in the world of undergarments, Cinthia decided to reach out to her new role model.   Impressed by Cinthia’s courage, the speaker connected her with the right person within Victoria’s Secret to further explore the potential fit.  Soon after, Cinthia got an interview and ended landing a job in their merchandising department.  Simultaneously, Cinthia received an offer from another bulge bracket firm in Wall Street. The offer implied a promotion and was more aligned with Cinthia’s experience and definitively within her comfort zone, which made the decision really tough. After carefully weighing her options with her husband – who had been very supportive during this transition process – Cinthia decided to go out on a limb and walk down the runway towards successful career in fashion.  “All along, I aimed for the perfect fit, because I knew that once I left I would never be back” said Cinthia, who has been extremely happy with her decision. 

Now the days when Cinthia got home from work at 11pm to find that her boss had already emailed her blackberry are over. Of course, her new career is not magically perfect; like everything else in life, fragrances and beauty can also give you headaches from time to time.  However, Cinthia is now able to leave the bad days at work, where they belong. She’s also working with a team of talented people that teach her something new everyday. And as for her investment banking skills, well, they have allowed her to always bring an innovative approach to every challenge she’s tackled. Happy with her work/life balance, Cinthia discovered that “when you have a job you enjoy, you never have to work a day in your life”.

Looking back at her career, Cinthia is very pleased with the way things turned out for her.  She is also passionate about sharing her story and giving tips to others. When asked to give advice to those seeking a career change, Cinthia said: “It is not easy to change, but I just want people to know that there is something beyond.  Pursue your passion.”   Many of her friends and acquaintances approach her for advice about career transition and she loves being a role model for them.  After all, not everyone is fortunate enough to have lots of support.  As for her future, she looks forward to keep enjoying the benefits of her new balanced life and improved relationships, and plans on starting the family she has always wanted. 

Have you changed careers? Tell us your story and help inspire others!

Edited by Ignacio Villanueva

At Talent Circle, we have decided that, no matter how tough the markets out there, we will keep a positive attitude -towards ourselves, our clients and our candidates. There is enough emotional wealth in the air, we just need to make sure we do a better job at distributing it!

Maybe because we are all a bit emotional in NY nowdays (elections around the corner, markets riding us hard) I want to share an inspirational tale today. Last weekend, I ran into my friend Ana. She is a beautiful woman, but on that night she was truly glowing. You could tell, she was just very very happy. While catching up, I learned that a few weeks ago, she had decided to quit (by choice) her job at a top-tier investment bank in New York, and went to work as an apprentice florist with a well-known expert in New York City...and today, as she spends her days among flowers and plants, I can assure you, she is one of the happiest people you will cross during these trouble times.

As you probably guessed...I am not suggesting that you leave your job in Wall Street and become a florist. But, as you sit there and feel the world tumbling down, think about what you are really passionate about. Allow plenty of it in your life. I promise, a job will never feel the same way.

Ana, I am so proud of you!

• 
  The hardest the job market gets, the more you are going to need to market yourself . As my coleague Olya puts it...is all about Personal Branding. You can think of yourself as a luxury item, or a commodity item, the important thing is that you find your space within the branding trend.
  
  For those of you looking for some quick tips, here they go. Make sure you stick to them, and we can assure you, things will happen!
  
  

• Make your job search a full time or part time job-  approach your job search as a job and set priorities and goals, and develop a strategy for getting it done. 
• 
  Don’t be overly opportunistic- realize current market conditions and define your clear, realistic, and obtainable job search goals.  Pay attention to job requirements because under the current market conditions employers are looking for the exact match.
• 
  Identify your strengths –for senior level professionals the tip is to analyze your accomplishments as employers will be looking for people who can bring them business.  Junior and entry level professionals should be ready to be more flexible in terms of their job duties.
• 
  Fine tune your job search strategy-  don’t limit yourself to only familiar job search outlets.  Expand your search to include new networking opportunities, recruiters, and online applications.   
• 
  Be informed on where the jobs are- as the leading companies in the market will be downsizing and restructuring, middle size banks will be looking for the best talent.  Determine where you can fit in within the emerging job area.
• 
  Air brush your resume-  have your resume ready and create a very easy to read format.  A hiring manager should be able to easily tell from your resume what your career goals are and how each job you have had contributed to you accomplishing these goals.  If you are applying to the equity research position make sure that your resume emphasizes your expertise and skills in equity research.
• 
  Improve your interviewing skills- learn interviewing techniques.  No matter how good you are you can always be better and stand out from other candidates.  First impressions go a long way, so make sure you present yourself in the most positive light. 
• 
  Stay upbeat- even during the hard economic times employers want to see optimistic candidates.  Stay optimistic and some companies will still be hiring. 
• 
  Manage your personal finances- the job search might take a lot longer even for the most qualified candidates.  Spend money only on necessities until you are hired.
• 
  Consider changing careers- if you have thought about changing careers before it might be a good time to look closer at your level of satisfaction with what you do.  Although it is harder to change careers in the slow economy it might still be a better choice for some professionals.