Let’s start with this simple truism — Layoffs suck!

It sucks to get laid off, and many of you out there are pissed off about it.

I don’t blame you. It’s natural to be angry.

Many of you have told me what bothered you most was that it just “wasn’t fair” that your manager would boot you out after so many years. Others have this gnawing anger they just can’t overcome, and that anger is often directed at your former boss. Revenge seems pretty sweet right about now as some of you fantasize about your boss getting his or her comeuppance.

Well, none of that is going to help you, my unemployed friend.

I’m not belittling the anger you feel, and some of it is good, but lately I’ve been hearing more and more stories of unemployed individuals who cracked and shot up there whole families.

I know, these guys were probably wacko to begin with, but seething in anger will marinate you in bad vibes and keep you from launching an effective job search.

“When anger builds, it can get out of hand,” says Jo Anne White, a therapist from New Jersey, who’s also an author and professional coach. “It can create more stress for a person, and more of a sense of negativity in terms of any interactions they have with other people, and how they’re presenting themselves to other people.”

White isn’t opposed to a little anger, because it helps you get it out of yourself and find ways to deal with it. But wallowing in negativity, she says, will only impact your emotional and job-hunting state.

How do you know if you’re harboring anger too long: “If they’re holding onto the anger for months and it’s interfering with relationships with a spouse, kids, friends; or if in every situation they are not seeing the glass half full, and it’s distorting every other aspect of their lives.”

OK, if you know this is you, go to the gym, or find other ways to get rid of the darkness. You can also throw yourself into the job search, taking the energy from that anger, and using it in a productive way, White advises.

There’s a self esteem piece to this as well, she adds. People feel bad about themselves when they are laid off and they need someone to build them up, not tear them down, and that includes the person that’s been laid off. You have to constantly be telling yourself you’re great, and solicit positive feedback from friends and family, she stresses.

And, if you’re a family member or friend, do what you can to be that person’s cheerleader. Telling them they’re not doing enough is just dumb.

Anger will probably hinder your effectiveness when it comes to networking folks, a key tool in finding a new gig.

“People who are angry don’t reach out as broadly as they can to networking sources,” says Elaine Varelas, managing partner at HR consulting firm Keystone Partners. “The anger usually drives fear of rejection and more anger, so you end up limiting your potential contacts.”

I’m telling you people, that brewing anger comes through loud and clear to all the people around you, especially hiring managers.

No one is going to want to hire a sad sack or an angry sack, not in this economy.

I’m not saying you should wear a lampshade and pretend you’re happy Pete.

As I said, layoffs suck. I’ve been there. I know they suck.

Just don’t let the anger SUCK you in.

Go hit a punching bag, get it out of your system, and MOVE ON.

Congress is now fighting over whether the Big Three U.S. automobile companies should get a bailout, but there’s a bigger battle going on in this country — the battle to keep blue collar and manufacturing jobs.

To hear some pundits, politicians and even average Joes lately, you’d think no one wants or respects jobs that require workers to work with their hands.

I just wrote about this for MSNBC.com and I was surprised by the flood of response so far from readers.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

Ron Maccari, who works at the Newport, Del., plant that makes GM’s Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice, thinks blue-collar work is getting a bum rap.

“If someone is producing something in this country, is making money and has a semi-decent house, we thumb our nose at them,” he said. “I read what they’re saying on blogs: ‘Let the auto industry die.’”

Maccari sees a growing movement in the United States to “disregard manufacturing, to eliminate it.”

Maccari’s not alone in his feelings.

“What killed Detroit was Washington, the government of the United States, politicians, journalists and muckrakers who have long harbored a deep animus against the manufacturing class that ran the smokestack industries that won World War II,” conservative pundit Pat Buchanan said in a recent article published on WorldNetDaily.com. (Buchanan is a msnbc political analyst.)

Today only about 13 million people work in the manufacturing sector, down from nearly 18 million 10 years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the decline in jobs, there are expected shortages of skilled production workers in a host of industries. These include everything from aerospace to medical manufacturing to products needed for infrastructure improvements and green industries favored by President-elect Barack Obama, says Patricia Lee, a spokeswoman with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, a trade group.

A recent survey by the group found that the most serious concern about the sector, behind the cost of raw materials, was availability of skilled labor.

It’s a problem that is expected to get worse in the years ahead. But does this nation really want a manufacturing workforce? Do parents hope their kids follow a career path into U.S. factories?

Manufacturing has an image problem, many experts say.

Indeed, so many of us career writers never even think of blue-collar jobs when we’re offering advice. Some of my regular readers may notice that I just added a “manufacturing” category to this blog. (Sorry it took so long.)

I got this email from a reader just last week:

I noticed your column leans more toward the professional, white collar workers (over paid and underworked). Not many columns of interest geared toward the blue collar workers.

It’s not just that career writers don’t want to right about those that toil in plants, there sometimes seems to be a dearth of information out there. I’m working on a story right now about using cyber social networking to land a job, and almost every site I’m researching has little in the way of help for manufacturing professionals.

What do you all think? Is it OK if we lose all our blue-collar jobs? Should every American work in a office?

There’s a great story in the Wall Street Journal today that sums up some of the top job-seeking/job-board sites out there.

For those of you who don’t have time or the inclination to read the Journal, I asked my intern to check out the websites the reporter mentioned and boil down what they offer job seekers, beyond job listings:

By Katherine Guiney

In these harsh times, everyone is feeling the economic strain and losing your job is nothing to be ashamed of. Even Tiger Woods got laid off. With one year left on his 10-year Buick endorsement contract, General Motors pulled the plug on the deal.

But Tiger and all you job seekers out there have more resources than ever to help you land a new gig. With the jobless rate at a 14-year high, many new job search engines have popped up and existing ones have enhanced their features in an effort to help the out of work find employment.

Where can you go?

MarketVendorJobs.com
This new job site has a resource center with overviews on interview techniques, resume writing, salary negotiation, networking and resigning.

CareerBuilder.com
In addition to letting you post your resume and get job alerts, CareerBuilder.com features a pop up on the right of the screen with jobs in your area, categorized by industry. In February, the site launched BrightFuse.com, where professionals can network and, coming next year, highlight skill sets and upload samples of work.

Vault.com
When looking for jobs on Vault.com you can search by industry or company. This site includes most job industries, but seems to focus on finance, law and consulting. In addition to samples of expert resumes and cover letters, message boards and a tab for colleges, the site offers something called “The Vault Recession Survival Package.” The package does cost, but it includes two 45-minutes coaching sessions, resume and cover letter work, and the Vault guide on finance, law or management consulting.

Glassdoor.com
A salary-review and employee-review Web site. It offers salary data for positions at numerous companies, so you can estimate what a certain position should make.

Indeed.com
The simple homepage asks you “what” want and “where” you want it, and then lists responses in a very Google-like fashion. Simple, but effective as it allows you to specify exactly what you are looking for.

Monster.com
In addition to the standard job search, Monster.com has information on money, furthering your education and job fairs.

Dice.com
Dice.com calls itself “The Career Hub for Tech Insiders” and is targeted at technology professionals. Before you even search, a list of jobs that may be of interest given your location is posted in the top right hand corner of the page.

eFinancialCareers.com
This site is geared toward finance-industry workers. It launched an emergency toolkit in September, which contains tips and articles on networking, interviewing and resume writing for finance professionals specifically.

OK, now for the surprise job-seeking source — YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY!

No, I’m not kidding folks.

Once upon a time, before the Internet, people who were out of work would head over to their local libraries to get information on companies around the country, including an address and contact information. I know this seems so Stone Age, but we used to have thumb through thick reference books instead of clicking on a computer key board.

Ever since cyber mania became the norm for job seekers, many of you have just forgotten about that big building in your neighborhood crammed with all those dusty books.

Time to rethink the local library.

The Brooklyn Public Library, in particular, is getting out the word on all the great stuff they have for the jobless.

The BPL offers assistance through its Education and Job Information Center, which provides library members free job training and career guidance.

Here’s a rundown on what’s available at the BPL and many other libraries around the country:

- Assessment software (sigi) library patrons can use to determine which careers would be a good match
- Print collection of books on careers, colleges, entrance exams, etc.
- Series of programs that help assess your skills/career development training
- Proctoring for paper-based exams for students
- Learning express library software: Database allows patrons to take practice tests for college entrance exams (like CUNY) for civil servants and GED
- Skills, Training and Employment Program (STEP) offers one on one assistance with trained staff member who reviews resumes, take them through referral brochures which they can consult for training or job search help, etc.
- Offer access to Career Cruising, a Web site that patrons can utilize for free to explore different occupations. This site is not free if you try to access it outside the library.
- Provide referral guides that list recommended resources for searching out financial aid and scholarships
- Provide free access to Career Cruising, a website which people can access to explore different occupations and search for scholarships.

And the best part of the library as job resource is you get to get off your big butt and head out into the real world where you are forced to interact with human beings. You’ll need that kind of exposure if you want to be on your toes during a job interview, especially if you’ve been out of work for a while and have no one to talk to but your dog or cat.

There’s a great way to use social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn that few of us think about — making friends at work.

A colleague of mine recently told me another woman in her office sent her a Facebook friend request and she accepted. She didn’t know this woman very well, other than passing hellos in the hallway, but after the cyber friend connection they started talking in real time — you know, face to face.

“She’s really cool,” my colleague told me recently. “We never would have become friends if it weren’t for Facebook.”

We both marveled at how cool it was, but then she told me about another person who works for her company that also sent her a Facebook friend request. It came from a weird guy that sort of creeped her out. And she was told by other women in the office that the guy liked to friend request lots of women. She figured she should accept or risk alienating the colleague, which could cause some awkward work moments.

But now she had “friending” regret. The guy keeps writing strange things on his Facebook page and she’d rather weed him out.

The conundrum? How do you de-friend a non friend without disturbing the cyber gods and creating hell for herself at work?

It’s hard enough de-friending, or not friending, a non friend who lives in another state, or is a long lost friend you really didn’t want to reconnect with. (Check out this great story on that topic by a colleague of mine at MSNBC.com)

But de-friending a workmate, that’s a whole other story. It can actually impact your job, work, career.

I emailed social-networking guru Jason Alba, CEO of JibberJobber.com and author of “I’m on LinkedIn – Now What?” and coauthor of “I’m on Facebook – Now What?”, because this riddle needed Batman caliber brains.

Turns out there’s a way to de-friend someone without them knowing you ever did, he explains:

In Facebook, I go to the person’s profile page and scroll to the bottom of the left column… you’ll see a link that says “Remove from Friends.”

In LinkedIn, click on Contacts, then towards the top right you’ll see a link that says “Remove Connections.” Click that, choose all the connections you want to remove, and then finish by clicking the “Remove Connections” button.

In both cases people won’t get a notification that you have removed them, and I’d argue most people will never notice.

But, he adds, if the friend is a coworker, or worse, a boss, “who asked you to connect, that might be problematic, but even then they might not know you aren’t connected anymore.”

He blogged about this issue on Facebook here. And on LinkedIn here.

I asked him two followup questions that related directly to my colleague.

What if the person you de-friend checks up on you and asks, “did you read my message about the work thing, or party?”

Some people might avoid the issue by saying “I didn’t see that,” or “I missed that,” or “I didn’t notice.” I would say “I was cleaning up my Facebook Friends and unfriended a bunch of people, I might have unfreinded you. Will you send me another invitation?” I would only ask for another one if I think I’d be interested in following them again, and since they asked they show they are actively using it as a communication medium. However, I’d make it clear that if they want to send work stuff, to send it to my email.

What if it’s the creepy guy in your office and you don’t want him bugging you?

I would definitely say “I was cleaning up my Facebook Friend list and deleted a bunch of connections. Sorry.”

Do you guys have a social networking friend/connection conundrum story you want to share? Do you need help? What did you learn from it?

It blows my mind that no one thought it would be difficult for large financial institutions to quickly merge with other large financial institutions.

There’s been hardly any government oversight of the merger mania going on in banking. And the head honchos at these financial firms have pretty much thrown due diligence out the window in their scramble to gobble up as many ailing banks as possible.

Merger sense is in the toilet. What once took months, even years to figure out, now happens hastily, sometimes over a weekend. And few questions are asked about whether a merger is really a good idea.

Well, in most cases, mergers are not good ideas, and the people that get hurt are not just shareholders but employees as well.

The statistics on success rates for mergers are dismal.

Sales growth post merger actually declines for both entities, according to a Federal Trade Commission report, “The Effects of Mergers and Post-Merger Integration.” And one of the major reasons mergers sputter is a failure to successfully combine the two work groups.

Most top executives underestimate how difficult it will be to integrate two different workforce cultures. And that’s when they have time to think about a merger and its after effects.

Not surprisingly, an article in the Wall Street Journal today talks about the employee “Culture Clash” following the merger of “the Wal-Mart of banking” Bank of America and financial fancy pants Merrill Lynch.

The culture clash may be most pronounced with Merrill’s “thundering herd” of nearly 17,000 stockbrokers, a group with a fierce independent streak that isn’t afraid to gripe to extract better terms from an employer.

For the denizens of the 94-year-old Merrill Lynch, which long prided itself on its fleet of top-producing brokers, it has been hard stomaching the new edicts from the Charlotte, North Carolina, bank. BofA prides itself on a Main Street approach, having expanded via $US110 billion ($167 billion) worth of acquisitions over the past five years, making it the nation’s largest bank by assets.

Merrill staffers joke nervously that Bank of America employees are recognisable in the elevators by their less expensive attire and American-flag lapel pins.

Ouch!

Merrill employees may be looking down on their new owners, but the reality is most of these joksters have little choice right now but to stay with Bank of America. Jobs are few and far between on Wall Street. Some of the Merrill crew were offered bonuses and to date, according to the WSJ, about 90 percent of the brokers have signed up with Bank of America.

Now comes the hard part. How the heck will all these employees be able to play nice in the banking sandbox? And how will workers there ensure their careers will not sputter at the new combined entity, or keep from being pink-slipped?

For Merrill brokers, they are in a good position because the company obviously values them enough to offer bonuses in a crummy market. But that doesn’t mean any of you should be sitting on your hands. Most of the banking experts I’ve spoken with say Bank of America is just starting to look closely at all its new operations and will do what it can to create a lean, mean, streamlined banking machine. Right now you may be on the star list, but tomorrow you could end up on that other “S” list.

And for you Bank of America veterans, just being employed by the last company standing doesn’t guarantee your job, according to most post-merger statistics. While you have a better chance than your counterparts at the other firm, today’s economic environment means managers will be more ruthless when it comes to keeping those workers who have the most customers, are most productive, and bring in the most business.

So, here are some things to keep in mind that I’ve boiled down from a recent MSNBC column I wrote on surviving and thriving a merger:

* The management at the acquiring firm often relies on the leaders of major divisions at the company they’ve bought to tell them who should stay and who should go. If you’re the top banana at a profitable division within a company, often the new managers will want to keep things intact at that unit, even if they do impose their own manager to oversee the operation. For everyone else, it’s time to do more than just your job.

* Paula Kosin, career consultant for Career Vision, advises employees to “put your CEO hat on” and figure out what the top leaders would want from a business standpoint. “They want to make the merger a success and they are not looking to rape and pillage and destroy things. They want to make sure what is going well in the acquired company continues, but they are also looking at what they can do as far as creating efficiencies.”

* Go to every meeting you’re invited to. You need to start connecting with the new management and get your name out there so you can snag a seat at the integration table.

* You can even make calls or send e-mails to key officials when you have an appropriate opening so you can get to know them — and they can get to know you. Talk about what your unit is doing and outline your responsibilities. And offer suggestions on how to make things better, or how to compliment an existing project, or how to grow a division, experts say. But do this all with real information about the new company and its business strategies and goals.

It may also be a good time to start building your personal brand as well. While I don’t think everyone should have their own blog or be endlessly updating their Facebook page, there are some positions that can benefit from doing more to build your brand in your industry. Some customers will definitely feel more confident if their money gal or guy writes an authoritative blog, or has a well-done LinkedIn page with hundreds of contacts and recommendations.

I’m always a big fan of mentoring folks. Almost every CEO I’ve interviewed had a mentor at some point in their careers; and following a merger, the insights of someone with a bigger title than you will only help.

And keep the doom and gloom, and snide remarks at home. Everyone probably bitched about the merger right after it happened and each side probably thinks they’re better than the other, but now is the time to start concentrating on work and not how much things blow. One high level executive I talked to recently told me when she was deciding who to keep and who to fire, a positive attitude was always one of the top traits she looked for in an employee.

I know, it sucks that things are moving so quickly today that you might get lost in the shuffle even though you’re one of the best at your job. But this is the reality we all have to live in. Let’s stop licking our wounds.

In closing, I want to offer all you corner-office dudes some merger words of wisdom about why you should all think long and hard about culture integration.

A while ago I did a story for Workforce Management magazine about the US Airways and America West merger, and a merger expert I talked to then summed it up well.

Mitchell Marks, president of Joining Force.org and author “Joining Forces: Making One Plus One Equal Three in Mergers and Acquisitions” said under managing the melding of cultures can lead to discontent among the employees, a loss of productivity and retention issues as employees wonder what the future holds. “In mergers,” he added, “culture is a lot like breathing. You don’t have to think about breathing until something threatens your ability to breath. That’s the same thing with cultures in a merger.”

It amazes me that people still think you can upload your resume to a jobs site and instantly land a job.

You have the credentials, the experience, so why the heck wouldn’t the Internet gods just bestow you with a coveted job after your resume hits cyber space?

It’s not a magic resume folks.

My column this week on MSNBC.com looks at how you can go about getting a job working for Barack Obama at any level.

I talked about how important it was to figure out who you know that’s connected to the Obama campaign. While Obama’s team has already set up a website where you can post your resume, Change.gov, and there are other sites that will also post government jobs, including USAJOBS, I stressed that job seekers would have to pull out all the networking stops if they were going to realistically have a chance at working for the President elect because a flood of applicants are expected to pour in.

Maybe you volunteered for the President elect in your home town, or know someone who knows someone on Obama’s transition team. It’s a smart move to reach out to these people and get your resume in the right hands.

Makes sense no? Not to everyone.

I was shocked to see some of the responses to the piece on Newsvine.

The comments went something like this:

WOW Obama really does bring change… want a government job… what contacts or “good ‘ole boys” do you know? Oh no one… send a resume but, by the way, make sure it is longer than necessary so already chosen team can spend extra time reading it and point to your explicit experience just in case you fail, their asses will be covered.

YEP the Obama administration will sure bring a change to the white house and politics! I can see that.

and

Are you the best qualified person for that position??? To bad you are not getting that job. Sorry you do not know the “right people” maybe if you hob nobbed in the right (or is that left) circles you could be interviewed. What you were to busy working.. Well then if you are making at least 250,000 a year you will help us anyway, even if you do not want to. Thanks for your upcoming financial support. Your a friend of Bill Ayers?? In that case we should definitely be able to interview you at least. Thanks for applying. Obama administration a somewhat equal employment opportunity.

I know there’s a tinge of political anger out there, especially if you voted for the other guy. (I’ve already gotten a few “Eve-you’re-Godless” emails.) But the cold reality is, especially in this tough economy, you need every advantage you can get when applying for jobs. The Obama administration will be no different.

And today it’s easier than ever to figure out if you’re connected to someone thanks to the Internet.

Pick any one of Obama’s transition team and research their background by Googling them, going to Facebook or LinkedIn. You can figure out where they went to school, and you can also see all of their connections and their connections’ connections.

There was a story in my local Delaware newspaper a week ago about some bigwig in the Obama campaign that grew up in the tiny state. I’m sure there are a lot of Delawareans who went to high school with the guy. Look him up. Why not?

You need a leg up people in almost every job you apply for today.

Is it fair? I can see why some of you would think it sucks. Our work, our merit, our education, our experience should speak for itself. That would be nice. And sometimes that happens when your resume lands in just the right hands and it ends up on just the right desk.

But let’s be realistic. Hundreds, thousands and even millions of resumes are now electronically heading for automatically-monitored jobs sites throughout Corporate America and the government, and your resume is just another needle in this cyber haystack. If no one sees it, it’s like you were never there.

There is a harsh reality for veterans when they leave the military and go out into the civilian workforce — many employers don’t value military service.

It’s just the way it is folks. I’ve heard this from hiring managers. It’s not that they’re prejudice against veterans it’s just that many are dumb about what you guys do beyond marching and carrying guns.

A survey released yesterday by CareerBuilder.com found that one in five vets think their biggest hurdle to landing a job “is employers’ inability to understand how military skills can fulfill qualifications for civilian positions.”

So who do you think is going to educate these folks about what veterans have done? I’ve written about the topic and always tout the experience to HR managers, but I’m not there with you guys and gals at the interview table, or when you’re crafting your cover letter.

That means veterans have to step up to the plate and show everybody how great they are, and how their experience would fit a particular job.

I know, this is easier said than done, but just practicing a mock interview with a spouse, or buddy will help you immensely. One veteran I interviewed a while back told me he took a basic job coaching class that included interview skills training and it paid off with a good job. You can hire someone to do this or you can connect with a host of veterans assistance agencies in the U.S. and get help for free.

There are government run sites to help ex military personnel find jobs and there are also independent sites for networking and job postings. Here are a few to check out: www.military.com; www.weservetoether.com; www.togetherweserved.com; www.m4l.com; vetfriends.com; gijobs.net. Also use any help the government provides. Most bases offer transition services for ex G.I.s, so go back to Uncle Sam and find out what you’re eligible for.

While I stress the importance of showing a hiring manager the merits of your service, that doesn’t mean you should show up for an interview with your uniform on and saluting everyone in sight.

You have to learn how to strike a balance.

Here are some general tips that may help:

* Get rid of the military jargon on your resume and try to keep it to one page long. Don’t include every job you held before the military and every post you had while serving. Pick out four or five key jobs and leave the rest out. When detailing the jobs you held in the military try to use words a civilian can understand. Just saying you were a Chief Petty Officer is going to go right over the head of most folks. Detail what that job included, administrative duties, project management, etc.

* Try to keep the “Yes Sirs” at bay during the interview. You’re just a regular guy or gal now and hiring managers are going to want to know you can make the transition from war to the workplace easily.

* Use your contacts in the military until you’ve exhausted them. Many of your fellow soldiers or commanders may now be in the civilian workforce and there’s nothing wrong with sending them an email or calling them if they work for a company you’d like to consider, or could just act as mentors as you navigate the job-seeking process.

* You have to make sure the hiring manager understands the skills you can bring to the job. Talk about a specific assignment that shows how you were able to map out a plan and then execute it. Keep code names for military operations, or model numbers of helicopters or tanks to yourself.

* Ex-military folks may have to pay some dues before they find just the right job. Many men and women go into service without getting a college degree and without substantial job experience, so just like everyone else, you may have to make some job concessions. That means possibly taking a short-term internship to learn the ropes. Also consider making a deal with an employer who is interested in you but just isn’t quite sure you’ll be able to make the transition into the regular workforce, advises Brian Drum, a consultant who also writes a monthly career column for military.com. Offer to do the job for a few months with no strings attached, and put it in writing if the hiring manager is more comfortable with that, he adds.

* He also suggests going through a temporary staffing agency. Many companies often hire temps as full time employee, he adds, when they see an individual can get the job done.

It’s all about staying positive and realizing that you face a tough battle ahead finding a job in this economy. But it will happen, I promise. Don’t give up and lock up negativity in your foot locker for good.

And for all of you hiring managers, bosses and employees out there in the civilian work world, it’s time to give the men and women who fought for this country a break and realize they have just as much to bring to the table as their non-military counterparts.

People are not cereal boxes!

Lately, it’s all about the image you portray when it comes to landing a job or getting promoted.

At least that’s what many career experts would have you believe.

Today, image building is known by fancy names like personal branding and brand management.

We’re all supposed to be building a brand for ourselves in cyber space and in our industries, or risk being left out in the career cold.

The branding experts say this applies to every type of career, every type of job.

I think that’s bologna.

Maybe you’re happy with the low-key persona you’ve created for yourself. Maybe it’s served you well and you don’t need to be Twittering all the time telling the whole world what you’re up to, or amassing connections on LinkedIn, like me.

And what if you’re not one for tooting your own horn, or someone that likes to remain in the background and just quietly work hard, behind the scenes, in your career? There are a lot of you out there. I hear from readers all the time that they just don’t have the nerve to ask their bosses for more money, or sing their own praises when it comes to getting recognition for their work.

How do people like this get a page on Facebook and let it all hang out? And trust me, the thought of starting a blog is insane to most of the people I talk to.

I think this whole personal branding, image building, etc., stuff is getting a bit out of hand. I really don’t think every employee in this world needs to be worried about it. That said, there are benefits to self selling. But let’s just keep it all in perspective folks.

On this historic Election Day, aka, Branding Big Daddy, I thought it would be a good time to really challenge a branding guru about branding and the average working stiff.

I’ve been informally asking one of my favorite personal branding buddies about this lately on Gmail, so I figured it may be time to have him go formal and actually do a Q&A with the CareerDiva.

I challenged Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert and author of the soon-to-be released branding book “Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success,” to a branding/no branding duel:

Q. What if someone thinks this whole personal branding thing is bullshit, and wants to advance their careers the old fashioned way? My dad was a furrier. He didn’t have a personal brand. My grandfather worked in a factory. He had no brand. My hubby’s dad was an engineer at DuPont. He didn’t have a brand. My mother in law was a X-ray technician. She didn’t have a brand. My mom ran a boutique and also was a seamstress. She didn’t have a brand.

A. Eve, as usual, you have great questions and are a great devil’s advocate. I’m a little bias here, but when I present to schools and companies, I always explain that you are your Google results and people are wanting to find you online. If you aren’t visible you don’t exist, nor will get the opportunities you are working hard for. Another important factor is that you need to invest in your self (your personal brand equity), which means that you need to be a content producer, not just consumer. This is how you can command a premium price (higher salary) for your brand name.

Q. What would you say to someone who says they are just too shy to start a blog or really get anything out of social networking sites?

A. Eve, I think it’s hard for someone to get outside of their comfort zone, show their true face to the world and start being overly aggressive using social media tools. I would recommend that people start a private blog on Google blogger and start to write about personal or professional topics. This way, they are performing the acts of blogging, but don’t have to worry about other people seeing it. It’s like a private journal diary of sorts. Once they get comfortable, they may either leverage that content for a public blog or start something else. By not blogging or being apart of social networking sites, you lose the chance at owning your Google results (they rank high in Google), you lose your freedom of speech and you miss valuable opportunities to be recruited or network with others who share your passion.

Q. Is there any way to use a surrogate so you can get your name out in cyber space?

A. You can do anything you want but people will find out and dishonestly spreads virally quicker than honesty. As bloggers or members of the web 2.0 consortium, it is in your best interest to be yourself, especially because everyone else is taken and replicas don’t sell for as much. There have been many stories of ghost writers for CEO’s and they have all been terrorized in the blogosphere for lacking authenticity, integrity and transparency. It’s not a good idea if you want to build brand you.

Q. How can someone convey their brand without tooting their own horn, which is so hard for some folks?

A. It’s actually very hard to do. At some level, I think all of us have to use social media to “indirectly” promote our brands to others. Theres a big difference when your bragging to people directly, relative to showing and demonstrating your knowledge on a blog. We have to market ourselves, or we will go unnoticed, but we have to be smart about it and only self-promote when called for. In an interview, you have to promote yourself or you won’t get the job, but in social situations, theres really no point. It’s better to have your friends or professional contacts spread your brand gospel then for you to do it.

You are the chief marketing officer for the brand called you, but what others say about your brand is more impactful that what you say about yourself. That being said, you should try and get as many endorsements as possible throughout your career.

Q. Does it make sense to hire your own PR person, image consultant?

A. It depends where you are in your career. I’ve never had a PR person before and I’ve been in Fast Company, BusinessWeek and many other publications. The world is still about who you know, but by starting a blog, it enables you to meet a ton of people who can aid in your quest to success. The term “image consultant” is looked down upon by anyone involved in the personal branding space. The difference is that image management is a product of constant manipulation, while personal branding is about sincerity. I think the role of the PR person has changed significantly. I value PR people, not just because I work in a Fortune 500 PR department, but because it’s another person who can help you, when you don’t have time to help yourself.

Q. Are most hiring managers looking for prospective employees that have a strong personal brand? Are there certain industries, professions where this is much more important?

A. I don’t think many hiring managers are in tune with social media and personal branding quite yet. I think their main priority is to hire the best person for their job, rather than worry about branding. This will change soon, as I believe people will be measured in new “innovative” ways. One example that I’ve posted about recently, is hiring managers looking at how many LinkedIn contacts you have. If they have narrowed their pool down to a few candidates, they might choose the candidate with the larger network.

Matt Dickman was hired based on the brand he established online to be a Director at Fleishman Hillard and Steve Rubel was hired to be an executive at Edelman after achieving blogging fame years ago. Depending on your industry, I believe personal branding will be more of a factor than not. Marketing positions are probably the most important because people are looking for examples of how you can market a product, company or person (same tactics), in order to get results.

Q. What’s up with all this personal branding? Aren’t we all just full of our selves these days?

A. I think that’s half true. People, especially in Gen-Y, are more apt to give out their information freely. They want their friends to see they are attending this awesome Halloween party on Facebook and the pictures of that party the next day. I think the smart people will realize that personal branding is important for protection and promotion and without it, it’s harder to network. Networking is your only insurance policy in a failing economy and social media is proven to help you build a powerful network in the least possible time.

What do you all think? Branding may be able to elect a president, but do you think you need a personal brand to make it through life?

Think of Sarah Palin as just another job seeker looking to advance her career.

She knows that you need to look money if you want to impress hiring managers, aka, the American voters.

Sorry folks, that’s just the reality.

If you go into a job interview looking like Oliver — you know that poor kid from the 1960s musical — you’ll be shown the door pretty quick. I don’t care what position you’re applying for.

I was in Target the other day and whenever I’m in there I make a point to look at those tiny desks near the cash registers where job seekers come in and fill out job applications.

These desks have been pretty full lately, and not just with teens looking for part time work.

Anyway, I noticed a guy, maybe in his twenties, at one of these desks, and he looked like he had just rolled out of bed. (It was around noon.)

I couldn’t believe what he was wearing — old, dirty jeans, and a rumpled bomber jacket that was made out of a shiny, cheap polyester, a real China special.

This guy may have gotten the gig a few years back, but today, with the economy sinking, there’s a good chance he won’t get past the first interview.

This is the reality out there — you have to command respect from people who are considering giving you a job. If you look like a schlub you’re in trouble.

That’s why I’ve been perplexed at pundits lately who have been harping on Palin’s wardrobe. I’m not talking about the debate over whether voter donation money should have been used for her clothing. I’m talking about the debate over whether she should be spending lots of money on her look at all.

I argue, yes she should.

She’s going for one of the biggest positions in the country, vice president. I don’t care if she’s trying to sell herself as a hockey mom or not, she should not be shopping at Wal-Mart for her wardrobe.

Today, whether we like it or not, there’s a lot of crap clothing out there sold at these big box stores. You can spot this cheap stuff a mile away, and I’m sure we’d be making fun of Palin even more if she looked like a bargain basement babe.

The media has already cut her into little pieces over her glasses and her 1950s hairdo. Can you imagine if she had a personal shopper at Sears outfit her look?

This does not just apply to politicians.

Layoff announcements are pouring in the last few days, and I can feel a sense of panic among many people out there who have lost their jobs or are afraid of being next on the chopping block.

Everyone wants a leg up about now, and besides getting more education, credentials and networking contacts, sprucing up your appearance is also a good idea.

But don’t go to the extreme.

I’ve written a lot lately on how getting plastic surgery in order to land a job is a stupid idea. But that doesn’t mean looks don’t play a role in our careers.

There are many of you out there who scratch your heads every time you see a dumb, attractive person moving up in the ranks or getting that great job. I get a bunch of emails about this from readers of my MSNBC.com column. One thing I hear a lot about is the “sexy-woman syndrome.”

Here’s a recent sample:

The operations manager was a woman and often came to work scantily dressed with her breasts exposed to nipple line and in her jeans had tears in them that revealed her underwear. On top of this, she was very difficult to work with, neglected our project in favor of other projects and we were falling behind.

This reader, Jeanette, went to her boss and complained about the sexy woman’s behavior and how the project was going to be delayed as a result and the response she got from her supervisor:

Essentially, he placated me and said that the project would be completed in time and that I was making a big deal out of it. When I pressed him and asked why we enable her behavior, he said that maybe we like the way she looks.

This whole scenario made Jeanette so mad that even though she’s left this employer she emailed me to ask my opinion on what transpired.

“What would you recommend in case this happens again in the future?,” she asks.

What do I recommend? Nothing. You can’t win this battle folks. Even Palin’s sex appeal is garnering her some favor.

The one thing Jeanette said in her email is that she is attractive but she doesn’t play that up at work. Hello, nothing wrong with playing that up. I wouldn’t choose a low cut shirt to do it but a great, tailored, fitted suit can show off your attributes without inviting gawks from the perverts at the office.

And you want to look appealing to any one who’s considering hiring you. Nothing wrong with that. There have been endless studies done on how attractive people typically make more money than their plain counterparts. A story today in the New York Times Style section that touts how “Ugly Is In”, spends much of the piece talking about how the unattractive are screwed. Sorry Ugly Betty.

My advice is to spend some cash on a suit, or outfit. I’m not saying you should go out and buy a whole new wardrobe but that one interview suit is critical. Look at it as an investment.

My best buddy who’s a high-powered attorney in Boston is all about looking good because it inspires more than just confidence from her bosses but it inspires confidence in herself. “You look good you feel good” is her motto.

Now, let me make this clear, just because you spend $150,000 on your wardrobe doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to land the gig of your dreams. But the people that typically get the job are the ones that look like they don’t need it.

Layoffs are spreading like a virus. Chrysler, Yahoo, Goldman Sachs, Xerox, Merck all announced job cuts in recent days and most economists now believe the economic downturn is going to hit employees hard.

Jobless claims are at recessionary levels already and most analysts believe the worst is yet to come.

Everyone out there wants to tell you how you can keep your job during the bad times, but it’s time for a reality check folks.

There isn’t a lot you can do if your number comes up when managers are crafting the pink-slip list. I’ve been through a few downturns in my day, and most often the head honchos at most companies panic during times like this. They hack and slash and hold their collective breaths, hoping that the stupid, seat-of-their-pants moves they make will help them from loosing their jobs.

That’s just the way it goes. Few managers actually think about the bottom-line, about the long term and how certain employees will help them weather the tough times.

All they see is a bunch of heads and they typically start cutting the most expensive heads first, that is, not those in the corner office, but those regular Joes and Janes that make more than the other Joes and Janes.

But unfortunately, the idiots push out the people with the most experience as a result, experience that probably would come in handy right about now. And that’s just a dumb idea.

I’m telling you this because I want all of us to take a deep breath and realize that there will be little rhyme or reason to what happens at many firms as the employee cuts come down. So people, don’t take any of this personally and don’t spend too much energy trying to figure out why they cut you as opposed to someone else. That’s a lot of job-searching energy wasted.

With all that said, I will still offer you some tips on ways that might help you to keep your job. Emphasis on the “might.”

Maybe you work for one of those companies that actually use some forethought before they start handing out the pink slips. For this reason, and this reason alone, I’m offering these suggestions.

1. Make sure people think you’re working hard right about now. Coming in late and leaving early is probably not a great idea.
2. Make some friends. Loners are typically the ones with targets on their heads so take a coworker out to lunch, or ask a supervisor to have a cup of coffee.
3. Move to a division that’s making money. If you’re sure your department is bleeding red ink, it might be a good time to move to another department if you can, even if the position you can secure isn’t the perfect one.
4. Let people know what you’re doing. To often we assume our bosses know how hard we’re working and what we’re accomplishing. This is a load of crap. No one is watching your every move, especially in tough times. So keep your managers up to date on your work. Don’t be a pest, just send an occasional email, or pop into your manager’s office now and then to update them.

But I’m not saying you should kiss anyone’s ass right now. Just do your job and be smart about what the future may hold.

If you suspect layoffs maybe coming, it’s a good time to update your resume and reach out to contacts you have in your industry. If you haven’t gotten on LinkedIn or Facebook yet, pick one already and sign up.

Before the ax is about to fall and you know it’s going to behead you, Stephen Viscusi, author of “Bulletproof Your Job”, had a good suggestion that may save you your job. He suggests you talk to your boss about alternatives. “Say, ‘Let me take less, or work 3 days a week, instead of 5,’” he advises. “It is better to have a job than none.”

And be a bit selfish, Viscusi adds.

“Don”t worry about co-workers losing their jobs. Devise your own strategy for you only. Gossip is gold. Don’t be ‘the office gossip.’ but know who that person is, there is a grain of truth to all gossip-find out the who and the what of is going on — be prepared.”

Unlike me, he believes a bit of brown-nosing isn’t horrible.

“If it came down to brown nosing, what is wrong with that? Everyone loves flattery, even the boss. However I am describing getting the boss to ‘empathize why they should keep you’, and fire someone else. It is about making the boss’s job easier, being low maintenance, and letting the boss know the personal you. For instance, if your husband died in 9/11 and the boss did not know that, now is the time to bring it up.”

What do you all think? Is Viscusi pushing the keep-your-job envelope too far?