Jobs no longer come to me...

The people uttering those words are more likely to be Baby Boomers in their 40- or 50-year-olds who have worked at least 20 years.  They might be laborers or white-collar workers, or something in between, but they have one thing in common: Their jobs have always come looking for them.

Sometimes, they helped the search along by mentioning to a friend or family member that they were ready for work.  Next thing they knew, someone was arranging an interview and the job was in the bag.

In other cases, they were just minding their own business when a recruiter called, or a colleague asked them to consider working for a competing company.  Voila.  Job change without a job search.

Perhaps, the only real problem is that the worker in this situation may not be making career decisions.  Rather, he or she is following the course laid out by others, or by a series of coincidences.  If that's the case, when it's time to actually look for work, the lack of previous career planning experience can be daunting.  Where does one start looking, when one never had to look before?

For some job search tips, go to: www.NetworkLinchpin.com 

Source: Amy Lindgren, The Pioneer Press, May 08 '05