plus 1, Stop Job Hunting—Create Your Own Job - US News and World Report

Stop Job Hunting—Create Your Own Job - US News and World Report

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This economic revival is like a slow train chugging up a steep mountain—with a heavy load and too many conductors. As politicians bicker over how to get the world economy moving again, job seekers are struggling, waiting for good news.

Some job seekers, anyhow. Others are proactively creating their own jobs. Last year, Americans started their own businesses at the highest rate in 15 years, Inc. Magazine reported, based on data from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

So if you're out of work, and your prospects aren't looking much better than they did a few months ago, stop waiting.

Stop waiting for someone else to get up the guts to spend the money to hire you. Instead, look for a way to hire yourself.

[See 10 Smart Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search.]

Here are five ways to get on the path to creating your own job:

Start an entrepreneurial group among friends

Do you meet with an accountability group every week? A group of close friends with a mind for new ideas? Plan a weekly meet-up at a coffee house and start brainstorming the beginnings of a new company. Pick a new idea each week and see if it starts to grow on you. If it does, start assigning responsibilities. Week by week, your team will see the project come together.

[See Looking for a Job When You're Already Employed.]

Pick one passion and one natural skill

If you're more of the "solopreneur" type (you like to work by yourself), combine a passion and a natural talent, and see what business ideas come from it. For you it might be music (passion) and social media marketing (talent). Or wine (passion) and new product development (talent). Once you have a few combinations, start writing a mini business plan. What will you sell? Who are your target customers? And how is your product different from those already on the market?

Join a local meet-up group or attend an entrepreneur conference in your area

The point is to get around people who have a passion and desire to get started. You'll also connect with people who've paved the road for you, who can share mistakes, good practices, and resources. You'll get help with ideas, motivation, and practical steps you can take to begin moving toward becoming your own boss.

Start a group of your own to attract other entrepreneurs

While it's great to become involved in projects started by smart people around you, one of the ways you build influence in your community is by taking the lead. Because you started it, you get the credit—even if that's not your objective. You're seen as a leader from day one simply by taking initiative. You can start a group today on Meetup.com or LinkedIn and call it, for example, "Entrepreneurs of (Your City)".

[For more career advice, visit U.S. News Careers, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.]

Target start-up companies for contract or part-time work

This hybrid idea will keep you looking for work (and income) but also expose you to the real world of being an entrepreneur. You can help create a new company as you look to establish a habit of your own. Perhaps you come in as an intern for a few months, and in the wee hours during a new product launch, you get to bend the ear of the owner and learn how she got started.

Even if you get a job offer in a few weeks or months, one that pulls you away from your own project, you've still planted the seeds for long-term stability in your career.

And by working to start a new idea, you stay busy, meet new friends, and keep your mind challenged along the way.

Tim Tyrell-Smith is founder of Tim's Strategy, a site that helps professionals succeed in job search, career and life strategy. Follow Tim on Twitter, @TimsStrategy, and share his 30 Ideas Book with job-seeking friends.

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International Women's Day: The IT Job Board Calls for More Women in IT - msnbc.com

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LONDON, ENGLAND — Following research(1) into its candidate database, The IT Job Board, the UK's biggest IT specialist recruitment website, has revealed that only 16 percent of all job seekers are women. This confirms statistics(2) which highlight that women make up only one fifth of all employees in the IT sector.

As a direct response to its findings, The IT Job Board has launched its 'Women in IT' campaign, calling for more women to join the UK's technology sector. The IT Job Board will create a series of campaigns with the objective of encouraging women into a career in IT.

Drilling down into the data further, The IT Job Board has revealed its top two job titles for women working in IT companies and departments are: project manager and business analyst. For men; they are developer and project manager.

When it comes to the major cities attracting IT professionals, the top three for women are London, Reading and Birmingham (in that order), and for men - London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Commenting on the findings, Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, said: "Clearly our statistics, as the largest UK advertiser of IT jobs, confirm what we already know - that there is a serious lack of women working in the IT sector, but what are the reasons behind this?"

She adds: "The sector is male-dominated, and - I believe - a prejudice exists that men are perhaps more proficient when it comes to IT. Of course, this doesn't paint an accurate picture, and the sector boasts a wealth of female talent - talent which should be championed.

"As the backbone of business, IT can be a competitive and stressful environment to work in, with long hours that perhaps don't fit in with the needs of raising a family. However, I believe that companies need to focus on creating more diverse workforces, and to help women build and develop careers in IT.

Farrell also believes - given the prejudices highlighted - that there is a limited appetite for female graduates to enter into the sector. She adds:

"The Women and Equality Unit report also highlighted that girls disengage from IT subjects between the ages of 11 and 15, and I truly believe that the whole issue does stem back to childhood. Rather than sit and wait for things to improve, the sector needs to do more now to attract the female talent of the future. Through our 'Women in IT' campaign we hope to help work towards this."

Notes to editors

About The IT Job Board:

The IT Job Board group of companies was set up in April 2002 in recognition that recruitment in the IT sector was increasingly dominated by the internet.

Today, The IT Job Board (www.theitjobboard.co.uk) is the UK's biggest IT specialist recruitment website with approx. 15,500 (as at March 2011).

Online technology enables sophisticated targeting - for example by skill, region or experience - of The IT Job Board's database of 800,000 IT professionals. The company always tries to get closer to candidates either via planned content campaigns, or through the use of social networks.

The site also offers employers services such as branded job postings, a featured employer zone, targeted email campaigns and guidance on advertising copy. The managed campaign service filters responses to provide companies with a shortlist of applicants most suitable for the advertised position.

www.theitjobboard.co.uk's clients include Accenture, Barclays and Comparethemarket.com.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) February 2011 (2) The Women and Equality Unit report, "The Gender Pay Gap". When you look at specific jobs involving the development and production of technology, the figure drops still further.