An air traffic controller at Kennedy Airport was suspended for bringing his two elementary school-aged children to work and letting them give instructions to pilots.

Bringing your child to work is a great idea, but obviously common sense needs to prevail. I don’t want to see my doctor’s kid in the examination room or a child sitting on his dad’s lap while he’s driving an 18-wheeler alongside me on a highway. And a kid in the air traffic control tower? Please, I have enough anxiety flying when the adults are the ones calling the shots.

Sixteen states are proposing legislation to ban credit checks on job applicants. Hawaii and Washington already ban credit checks on most job applicants.

Yet according to a 2010 study by the Society of Human Resources Management, 47 percent of companies currently conduct pre-employment credit checks on some candidates and 13 percent conduct them on all candidates. According to the suvey, credit checks may be performed to reduce or prevent theft or embezzlement, to minimize legal liability for negligent hiring or retention, to assess overall trustworthiness of job candidates, or to comply with state laws.

What do you think? Is a job applicant’s credit score a relevant indicator of how they will perform on the job?

This month the #careercollective is offering advice on how to overcome the negative aspects of job search and stay upbeat if your search efforts haven’t landed you a job yet. Job search is tough and it’s certainly a lot of work; but it doesn’t have to be drudgery. Here are ten suggestions for things you can do to make job search more rewarding, more enlightening, and hopefully more fun.

Eat. No, I’m not talking about pity eating and downing a bag of chips and a pint of ice cream in front of the TV. But meeting a friend for coffee, a drink, or lunch is a great way to combine something pleasant and fun with some power networking.
Write. Journaling is a great way to record how you are feeling during your search and examine the trends that could be indicators of what is working in your search and what is not. Some even turn their journals into blogs to create a following and make new friends and contacts as they chronicle their unemployment experience.
Study. Did you know that The Department of Labor funds job training programs? You may qualify for training in a specific skill or funding to return to school to complete a degree program. Going back to school can be fun.
Volunteer. Find a cause you are passionate about and volunteer for a role that allows you to create visibility in front of the decision makers in this volunteer community. You never know who these people may know and what types of introductions they may be able to make for you. And volunteering helps you feel needed and reminds you of all you have to be grateful for.
Exercise. Aerobic conditioning and weight workouts can help you feel better and burn calories more efficiently during the day. Pilates can help reduce the muscle aches often associated with hours of sitting at a desk hunched over a computer, and many people find that a regular yoga practice is a great way to reduce stress.
Do Someone a Favor. When you were working you probably didn’t have the time to watch someone else’s kids or pet or help someone with a home improvement project. Now that you have some free time, offer to help make someone’s life easier. Your efforts will be remembered and that help may be reciprocated in the form of an important introduction or job lead.
Primp and Pamper. This is not an indulgence. The little details like your hair and nails count during a job search. And it can be rejuvenating to get a new hairstyle or experiment with a new nail color.
Shop. I’m not suggesting a totally new wardrobe. But a new scarf, tie, hair piece, or handkerchief can change up the interview suit you are tired of wearing and give you a renewed sense of confidence.
Read. Books by Harvey Mackay and Keith Ferrazi have provided inspiration for millions of job seekers over the years. Check out some of their titles at your local library.
Reconnect. Get over your concerns about reconnecting with past colleagues and friends. Social media tools like LinkedIn and Facebook have made it fun, easy (and less creepy) to get back in touch with people from your past. Rekindle past relationships and you are bound to find a friend or two that can help you with some aspect of your search.

Be sure to also check out the advice of my esteemed colleagues below.

@MartinBuckland, Job Search Made Positive

@GayleHoward, Job Search: When It All Turns Sour

@chandlee, Strategy for Getting “Unstuck” and Feeling Better: Watch Lemonade

@heathermundell, Help for the Job Search Blues

@heatherhuhman, 10 Ways to Turn You Job Search Frown Upside-Down

@KCCareerCoach, You Can Beat the Job Search Blues: 5 + 3 Tips to Get Re-Energized

@WalterAkana, Light at the End of the Tunnel

@resumeservice, Don’t Sweat the Job Search

@careersherpa, Mind Over Matter: Moving Your Stalled Search Forward

@WorkWithIllness, Finding Opportunity in Quicksand

@KatCareerGal, Job-Hunting in a Weak Job Market: 5 Strategies for Staying Upbeat (and Improving Your Chances of Success)

@ErinKennedyCPRW, Dancing in the Rain–Kicking the Job Search Blues

@keppie_careers, What do do when you are discouraged with your job search

@DawnBugni, It’s the little things

@ValueIntoWords, Restoring Your Joy in Job Search

Thinking that maybe you are ready for your career “second act” but reluctant to take the plunge? I recently met some amazing people who transformed their passion into their dream job. Feel free to draw inspiration from their stories.

Sitcom Writer to Health Care Healer

Banking Professional to Adult Day Care Owner

Economics Teacher to Financial Advisor

IT Engineer to Stand Up Comic

All of these people had guts, drive, patience, commitment, and hope. What about you? What’s your dream job and what’s holding you back?

Last night I watched the story of mogul skier Alexandre Bilodeau who won the gold medal for Canada on Sunday. He credits his older brother who has cerebral palsy for inspiring him and keeping him driven and focused on his goal. Doctors told his family that his brother would no longer be able to walk past the age of ten, but at age 28 his brother can still walk. So each day when Bilodeau thinks about the training challenges in front of him, he pauses for a moment and thinks of the challenges his brother faces every day, how he has overcome them, and how he continues to beat the odds.

What if job seekers could adopt this Olympic-winner attitude and create internal “tapes” to motivate them and move past their challenges? Perhaps then the setbacks they face would seem manageable and the hope would stay alive. Here are some positive messages job seekers should be sending themselves on a regular basis.

1. I will maintain a healthy life style so I can manage my search at an optimal performance level.
2. I will challenge myself to reach out to new people who may be able to help me with my search.
3. I will accept the help of friends and family during this difficult time even if it makes me a bit uncomfortable.
4. I will seek out coaches and mentors who can help me move closer to my goal.
5. I will put in the time necessary to research potential employers and market myself directly to them.
6. I will examine my resume and other personal marketing collateral to make sure they are the best they can be.
7. I will celebrate the victory of landing an interview, even if I don’t ultimately get the job.
8. I will not blame external factors for my situation.
9. I will be a good team member and support others in their job search when I can.
10. I will regularly envision the end goal of landing my new job.

Some days it’s hard for an athlete to muster up the motivation for the grueling training session ahead of him. Likewise,  some days it’s hard for a job seeker to stay motivated in a challenging market. Positive self-talk can help. So does keeping your eye on the gold. Let the games begin!

Move over Project Runway and Top Chef…A new reality TV series called Job Hunt has hit the air waves. Hosted by Women for Hire CEO Tory Johnson, the show profiles job seekers in New York City and offers advice on everything from how to improve your resume to how to spiffy up your interview wardrobe. The half hour show airs each Tuesday at 9pm on NYC Life (Time Warner/Fios/Direct TV/ Comcast – Channel 25, Cablevision – Channel 22). But if you don’t get that channel or can’t watch it live, you can view shows on demand after they air at the Job Hunt website.

What I like about the show is that it exposes the faces behind the unemployed and reminds us that each “statistic” is actually a person. Everyone can relate to the struggles of the job seekers but at the same time draw hope and inspiration from their messages. Viewers get to see where job seekers are making mistakes in their search strategy and the show’s experts offer advice on how to optimize your job search time.

The other reason I really like this show is that it makes me proud to be a New Yorker. The first episode profiled SIBL (The Science and Business Library) which in my opinion is one of the best resources for job seekers in all of New York City. SIBL offers access to several proprietary company databases including Vault and Wet Feet, classes to teach patrons how to use the databases,  job search coaching sessions from career professionals,  job search clubs, advice from retired executives on how to start a small business, and workshops on various job search related topics…all for free. The show, launched by New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg,  is just one example of what the mayor is trying to do to help New Yorkers find employment. Under his leadership the city also launched CareerLinkNYC to provide job seekers with additional online resources.

No one gets a modeling contract or a feature piece in Food & Wine Magazine on this show. But some of the job seekers profiled do get jobs and in my book that’s perhaps the sweetest victory or all.

Recently I interviewed Lisa Johnson Mandell author of Career Comeback. Lisa is an award-winning author, entertainment reporter, and film critic who has appeared on dozens of major news outlets and even Dr. Phil. Here’s what she had to say about the new rules of job search for 2010 and beyond.

1. Tell me a bit about yourself and what the inspiration for Career Comeback was.
It’s based on my own experience of successfully finding full time work in this economy, in my late 40’s. I’d been a multi-media journalist for more than 25 years and was freelancing, but found that most of the good positions were going to the young, nubile and “experience-free.” I live in Los Angeles, mind you, where no one even looks at you if you’re over 23 and under 36DD. My new husband noted my frustration, and asked to see the resumes I was sending out. We decided that I needed a complete “Career Makeover” that would involve removing the age lines from my resume, rabid social networking, and branding myself to give a fresh, hip, ageless impression. The new resume got immediate response (offers for interviews within 15 minutes of sending it out, I sold the self-promotional website I started within two months of launching it, and I received multiple full-time job offers. My efforts were so successful the Wall Street Journal decided to do a feature on me and my search strategy.  At that point my literary agent said, “Write a book on this…yesterday!” So I spent the next eight months researching, writing and interviewing and, voila! Career Comeback was born.

2. What is Career Comeback about and who should be reading it?
Career Comeback was written specifically for women over 35, but I’m getting a lot of feedback from men and people of all ages who say it’s very helpful. There’s a really useful chapter in the book called “Know Your Competition” about the perceived professional strengths and weaknesses of Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers. You can nip those negative stereotypes in the bud if you know what people expect of you. The book is full of tips and strategies for helping you get the job of your dreams, even in this tough economy. Personal branding and social networking are essential, and the book is sort of a primer on both.

3. In the book you advocate for Botoxing your resume. What does that mean?
Botoxing your resume means firming and freshening — removing the age lines that make you look old on paper. It involves deleting any outdated skills, and getting rid of experience that doesn’t pertain to the types of jobs you’re applying for today. It also means forgoing large blocks of type in favor of bulleted highlights (looks more vibrant, less stodgy), and using a web address  to immediately show that you’re web savvy enough to have your own blog or website.

4. What are your tips for looking the part in an interview?
Women should wear a skirt if at all possible, simply because it sets them apart from every other applicant wearing pants. A comfy pair of power heels are also a good choice for women, because they give you confidence. Both men and women should go for at least one pop of bright, cheery color — men can use it in their ties, of in their shirts if not too bright. Women can use color in blouses or accessories — again, you want to be memorable. Avoid too much gray, cream or khaki (boring); too much black (formal and/or depressing) and big, bold, bright prints (you don’t want potential employers to be so overwhelmed by your clothes they forget about who’s wearing them).

5. How do you suggest people leverage social media during a job search?
Brand yourself online, then use social media to publicize that brand. Have a fabulous, vital picture taken of yourself, and use it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and any other pertinent social networking sites. Every time you post anything, ask yourself these two questions: How will this benefit others? How will this further define my brand? If you use social networking sites for fun and recreation, set up separate pages for your job search. There are so many millions of messages being sent out every second these days, that the only ones that will catch people’s attentions are ones that answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”

6. What are your top 5 tips for successful interviewing?
1. Be prepared: Do your homework on the company and, if possible, the individual conducting the interview. Then layout your interview outfit several days in advance, so you’ll have plenty of time if you need to get anything dry-cleaned or purchase something new.

2. Dress appropriately. If you can’t visit the site and see how people dress there ahead of time, call HR and ask what’s appropriate. If you over dress, you look like you’re trying to hard. If you under dress, you look like you’re not trying hard enough

3. Emphasize WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM–what you will contribute, what feats you will help them achieve. NEVER talk about what they can do for you. Yourself, your assets, talents and skills all take a back seat to how you can help make the company better.

4. Listen! Instead of using the time the interviewer is talking to formulate your next answer, concentrate on their message. It’s okay if you pause briefly when the interviewer is done, to collect your thoughts. Do not try to fill in silences by over sharing personal information.

5. Exude confidence and positive energy. This comes out not only in your conversation, but in your posture, handshake, body language, etc. Never speak negatively of any former employer or work situation.

Lisa’s book is available at major bookstores and online at Amazon.

There is a great conversation going on over on the Punk Rock HR blog about passion and whether or not passion can be or should be measured as part of employee performance . Some say passion is generally not a term that is synonymous with work and others say that passion is not a measurable performance dimension. I have a slightly different take on this…that passion manifests itself in different ways in different people and there’s no one right way to spot it.

This became apparent to me twice this week for two different reasons. I’m currently reading the book Look Me in the Eye, a memoir by John Elder Robinson (brother of Running With Scissors author, Augusten Burroughs) about growing up and living with Asperger’s syndrome. Throughout the memoir, Robinson’s passion for what he does (he is a creative genius with savant-like engineering design skills) is obvious to the reader, but perhaps not to his supervisors who describe him as arrogant, not a team player, and a poor manager. As an Aspergian who often struggles with how to react in certain social situations, his passion for figuring out how things work was sometimes overshadowed by the fact that he relates to the world around him in a way that is different than others and often misinterpreted.

My second realization of how easy it can be to misinterpret or totally miss someone’s passion came during a conversation I had with a friend recently. He is in sales and his job is pretty stressful. He doesn’t earn a base salary and only makes money when he makes a sale. He’s basically on call seven days a week, people are always trying to get in touch with him at all hours of the day and night, and he needs to routinely deal with a lot of product defects, bureaucracy, and customers with unrealistic expectations. Needless to say, there are a lot of things that can go wrong and many things to complain about in his line of work. Yet the way he complains about all the uncertainty of what he does is also the telltale sign of how passionate he is about what he does. Now if you told him this he would probably roll his eyes or make a wisecrack like “Yeah, I guess I’m passionate about paying my rent” but I can tell that he is passionate about the satisfaction derived from working through all the problems, influencing customers, and ultimately closing the sale. But I’m not sure if he had a boss that person would recognize his style as passionate (luckily he is self-employed).

I would have to agree with Punk Rock HR blogger Laurie Reuttimann’s take on passion…that you own it, not your company, and organizations probably shouldn’t be trying to measure something that is really impossible to define in a consistent way.

Are you passionate about what you do in an offbeat, non-traditional, hard to measure way? I’d like to hear your story.

The co-op board of the building I live in is recommending a new policy that prohibits new renters and owners from smoking in their apartments and requires that current smokers stop smoking in their apartments after a period of three years. While it may seem odd to some of you that a residential building would ban smoking, some apartment buildings are moving in this direction.

People haven’t been allowed to smoke in office buildings for years. Yet more recently, companies seem to be upping the ante and not hiring people who smoke. Memorial Hospital of Chattanooga, TN will only hire non-smokers as of February 1, claiming that they want to set a good, healthy example in the community. Sarasota County stopped hiring smokers a few years ago, citing the burden they place on taxpayers who pay for government workers’ health insurance.

Thirty states have passed laws that protect smokers against job discrimination. But often the protection is only limited to conditions for employment. Some companies charge smokers more for insurance, don’t offer smoking breaks, or don’t allow people who have smoked within a two hour window to come onto the premises.

My father smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 47 years. I still remember the huge (and always full) ashtray in his office…he retired before the no smoking policies in offices were enacted. As I’ve watched his health and quality of life deteriorate over the past 13 years living with emphysema and COPD, I often wonder if my father would have made different choices if his ability to land a job or keep a job or live in a particular apartment building hinged on him quitting smoking. And even if he felt discriminated against because of those decisions, would I perhaps be grateful for that discrimination because he would have spent those 13 years and whatever time he has left as a healthier man.

What do you think about policies not to hire or fire employees who smoke? Is it discrimination or social responsibility?

Last week I attended the first of many college planning meetings at my daughter’s school. Jammed into the school auditorium with 200+ other neurotic parents of high school juniors, I listened to details about student entrance exam test dates, transcripts, and application deadlines. Parents who are going through this process for the second time offered advice to the newbies and shared anecdotal stories about oscillating between having true bonding moments and enlightening conversations with their children during the process and other moments where they just wanted to strangle their kids and be done with it.

I returned home that evening with a stack of tips sheets and even a flow chart of what was due when. It looked like the school had really done their homework and was on top of the process and the kids. They even included a list of questions to keep in mind when researching and visiting colleges…Lots and lots of questions.

But nowhere on any of the handouts was there information concerning college career and placement offices…no recommended questions about college career counseling services, requesting information on job placement metrics, or even asking what percentage of students take advantage of the services or report a positive experience.

It seems like many parents get so caught up in where their kids will be accepted. They focus on the fit for their child based on school size, location, academic rigor, social life, and perhaps most of all but least talked about… “street cred” or how good or bad it will sound to tell others where your kid goes to school. And I think the reason why the “street cred” is important to parents is because they equate the school’s name and legacy with opportunities for their kids down the road. So sure, where someone goes to school can help influence their ability to get into a certain field or company, but that’s just part of it. Schools need to have proactive career planning and placement offices that know how to help students land plum internships and counselors that can help students market themselves effectively on their resume. They need strong relationships with employers and they need to be up to speed on the importance of social media in a job search. Some believe that many schools provide excellent career counseling services for undergraduates and others believe that few schools offer strong career planning resources.

So this spring, when I embark on the college tour circuit with my daughter, I will do all the regular stuff that all the parents of Gen Y kids do…sit in on a class, talk to students, eat the dorm food (yikes!), and check out the surrounding neighborhood. But I also plan on meeting with someone from career services and taking a look at their processes for preparing kids for their job search after college. I don’t expect career services to get students jobs but I do expect them to have a plan for showing students how to best market their newly minted four-year degree.

In some ways I think career management starts well before a person’s career starts. And choosing a college that is going to help with that process should be part of the plan. You know the saying; it takes a village to raise a child…I think every child needs that same village to start their career.