2. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Branding Yourself" by Ray Paprocki and Sherry Beck Paprocki (Alpha Books). This book, written by two savvy journalists, is filled with tips on showing who you are and what you can do, and how to reach your target audience (think employer). It includes advice on using your resume to champion your accomplishments, and on tuning up your personal brand through community activities, cell phone, text messages and e-mail. Importantly, the authors explain techniques for reinventing your brand with the changing times -- especially in days of economic hardship.
DEAR JOYCE: What are good job boards for hourly-wage jobs? I always check the help-wanted ads in my newspaper, but, at 57, thought I should open the floodgates to look everywhere. -- P.N.
I assume you mean administrative, clerical, manual, trades, personal service and technical jobs.
The easiest online approach starts with general job boards and job-search engines, such as SnagAJob.com, YahooJobs.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com.
When you're willing to do more research, browse for "industry websites" or "industry job boards."
When you have a particular employer in mind, look on the company's Web site and click on Jobs, Careers or Open Positions.