Lisa Johnson Mandell

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” That’s one of my favorite Michael Corleone quotes, and probably the best thing about The Godfather: Part III. It certainly applies to my own professional status these days. While I’ve spent most of my time over the past few years helping match people with jobs they love in this challenging economy, I’ve still been quietly utilizing my matchmaking skills to help people find partners they’ll love forever.

Recently, it’s been brought to my attention that the first book I wrote in 1998, long before I was married, ‘How to Snare a Millionaire’ (St. Martin’s Press), is outselling the most current one, ‘Career Comeback–Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want‘ (Hachette). In all honesty, I think the latter book is much more substantial, but the heart wants what the heart wants. So I think it’s high time I write the sequel, ‘How to Snare a Millionaire NOW’ with updated information on how to find your ideal mate in the 21st Century. He doesn’t have to be rich–all that matters is that he’s worth a million to you.

All this time I’ve spent writing, blogging and giving advice as a career expert, as well as filling you in on entertainment news, I never gave up on bringing happy couples together. I was finding, however,  that  it was difficult for people to be confident in a relationship when they didn’t have a job. You have to be able to take care of yourself and meet your own needs before you can feel good about meeting the needs of others, so finding a job you love can often be the first step towards finding a person you love. I decided to put first things first, and help people become gainfully employed. Career Comeback was born of that, as well as my own reinvention, which is sometimes necessary whether you’re looking for a job or a mate.

I have several other exciting projects in the works right now. I’m talking to a number of television production companies about some really fun plans, and I’m researching and writing my next book. Meanwhile, I’m also doing entertainment news for Yahoo, continuing my Undercover Boss interviews and movie reviews and updates. I expect to have some big news soon, so stay tuned. And meanwhile, whether you’re redoubling your efforts to find the right job or the right man, here’s to your comeback!

Have you been wondering why you’ve sent out dozens of resumes and haven’t heard a word back? The reason might be that you’re unintentionally committing a resume sin that’s damning you to unemployment. Yahoo Finance came to me recently wanting to know about resume blunders that go on beyond typos. Everyone already knows the devil is in the details, but what about those glaring gaffes that might not have even been a consideration five years ago, or the last time you were job hunting?

I’m talking about things like including a fax number, or omitting an email address. Both can make you look outdated and disconnected. Believe it or not (and this is something I didn’t include in the Yahoo! article) substituting a web address for a street address can be a big plus — your neighborhood could work for or against you, while having a web site not only makes you look savvy and prominent, but it can impress potential employers with information and photos you can’t include on your resume.

You’ll find the rest of the deadly resume sins by clicking here. Don’t send out another resume until you’ve checked this out. You’ll also find more resume tips and tactics in my book, Career Comeback–Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want.

A bright light went out on Jan. 23rd, when my good friend and talented style author Charla Krupp lost her battle with breast cancer. Charla, the author of “How Not to Look Old” and “How Never to Look Fat Again,” was only 58.

Charla and I first met on the CBS Early Show (see video at right), and we became fast friends, visiting each other when we were on either coast. She contributed a style piece to Career Comeback: ’12 Items You Need to Throw Away Now’ and ’12 Must-Haves for Every Hip Professional Woman.’ She also gave me a fabulous cover quote:

“I have been sharing Lisa’s tips with everyone I meet who is looking for a job–which is pretty much everyone I know. Do yourself a favor and read Lisa’s book before sending out another resume!”

I delighted in attending her book signings on the West Coast, and often brought a girl posse along. I look in my closet and she Charla’s tips and advice on just about every hanger, and in every drawer. She was a style genius and a talented communicator. She was also a warm, caring, generous and supportive individual.

She is a remarkable inspiration to all of us, and continues to inspire even now. Please, ladies, take care of yourselves. Get you examinations–don’t put them off. Each one of you is equally precious. I don’t want to lose any of you.

If you’re looking for a job, or know someone who is, January is the perfect time to revitalize the hunt. You might find this hard to believe, but it’s possible to  completely refresh your professional image in one day, and hear back from potential employers within hours.

I call it The One Day Career Comeback, and you can find it in my book, Career Comeback–Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want, which you can find at the still low price of $9.95 by clicking here. A couple of magazines and websites have approached me about including The One Day Career Comeback in their features, it’s that effective.

“But does it really work?” you may ask. This is what Anna had to say about it when she tried it:

“I was worn out after spending the day Botoxing my resume, taking a flattering profile picture and posting it and networking, but not too tired to respond to the HR reps who contacted me that very day! I didn’t even have to wait until the next morning! And I didn’t even have to go to them — one of them found me on LinkedIn and contacted me for a position I didn’t even know existed!”

Most economic indicators say that things are going to look up in 2012, and more jobs are opening up. Be ready for them. This is going to be your year…I can feel it!

Even if you already have a job you love, there are probably a few people in your life who are looking for work. What could make their holidays happier than a great new gig? My book, “Career Comeback–Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want,” can help people find employment in 24-hours!

My publisher, Hachette, has just made it possible for me to offer Career Comeback at about a 60% discount, and because it’s very important to me to get this information out to the people who need it most, I’m kicking in the postage as well. At $9.95, it could even make a great stocking stuffer.

To be honest, I’ve always felt the $24.99 cover price was a little steep for the unemployed. Now it’s a tad more reasonable and realistic. Some people who have read the book and obtained fabulous jobs as a result are buying multiple copies to give to friends and family members, or to donate to  non-profit employment centers as a tax-deductible, charitable contribution. (Thank you, Susan and Rhonda, for doing just that and giving me the idea.)

So if you’d like to do something to improve the nation’s unemployment situation but aren’t exactly in a position to create thousands of jobs, you can help deserving people get the 3+ million jobs that are open right now. A copy of Career Comeback could be invaluable. Click here to order.

Also on the fabulous gift list, my friend Louisa Maccan Graves, the Hollywood Beauty Secrets expert who contributed to the chapter on looking your best and helped with the makeovers, is offering all the beauty and health products mentioned in the book at special, deep, deep discounts. Sign up for her free blog membership and/or newsletter, and get a special chapter of Career Comeback for free, in ebook format. Go to her website, HollywoodBeautySecrets.com, for details.

While I’m not particularly excited about what the Huffington Post’s free content model does for working journalists, you can’t top it when you’re looking for exposure — and what author isn’t? An exceptional journalist by the name of Melissa Hunter contacted me recently to discuss the Habits of Highly Effective Women. She quoted me extensively, along with my fabulous friend Maseena Ziegler, author of the bestseller Ladies Who Launch–Hong Kong. We gave her an earful about a subject we’re both very passionate about–women succeeding in the workplace.

We talked about how we can use the assets unique to our gender to get ahead, while down playing or completely eliminating what are often considered our gender-specific weaknesses, like crying and moodiness. “There’s no crying in baseball, or the boardroom” I told Melissa. Click here to read the rest of our advice.

A new book by British author Catherine Hakim states that women need to use everything they’ve got, including sexual attraction, to get ahead in the workplace. “Honey Money” is causing quite a stir in Great Britain, and Fox 26 in Houston recently contacted me to weigh in on the subject on their evening news cast, via Skype.

While my camera wasn’t great and my mic sounded tinny, I feel pretty good about what I said. The woman I was supposed to be debating even came around to my point of view rather quickly. Basically, I said you need to use whatever you’ve got in your arsenal, because if you don’t, someone else will. If that includes looks and sex appeal, so be it. If it doesn’t include looks and sex appeal, you need to play up your other strengths in order to present yourself as the most attractive and engaging candidate out there — and “attractive” and “engaging” can mean a lot of different things.

See what you think:

Using Looks to Get Ahead: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

We talked about this on the Mancow radio show this morning, and I wrote a piece on it for Yahoo.TV. Having been consulted on the casting for this show and several others, I have a unique perspective. The Armstrongs had obvious marital and financial problems when they were cast. I believe it was a big part of their appeal. The more drama, the more viewers, so they intentionally cast some troubled people, then ply them with alcohol and egg them on.

So what does that say about us, as viewers? Many do love their train wreck TV, but by tuning in, they’re creating a demand for it–no viewers, no show, no show, no platform or motivation for these people to do things in public so awful that some would rather die than face them. Read more about it in my Yahoo article by clicking here.

Remember Carolyn Kepcher, who used to be Donald Trump’s right hand woman on The Apprentice before Ivanka came on the scene? Now Carolyn has a really useful column in The New York Daily News, and I’m happy to say that this week’s entry feature moi, and my book, Career Comeback–Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want.

Her column today is full of great tips and much needed hope for “older workers” trying to find a job. Things aren’t so bad, my friends! There IS light at the end of the tunnel. Find out all about it here.

Both Jon Hamm and Mad Men cleaned up at the Critics Choice TV Awards, and the photo below is proof that Don Draper himself wished to thank me personally. Here’s hoping he and his peeps do as well at the Emmys. Yes, we were caught together at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And yes, my husband approved — he even snapped the photo.

Lisa and Mad Man Jon Hamm the Critics Choice TV Awards

As many of you know, I wrote my latest book, “Career Comeback–Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want,” after finding some great gigs as an entertainment journalist and critic. Well, with that hat on, I’ve become a founding member of the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, and we’ve just announced our nominations for our Critics Choice Awards, which will precede the Emmys. What are your favorite shows? Feel free to give me input on how I should vote. Nominees are listed below:

LOS ANGELES (June 6, 2011) – The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), a new offshoot of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, today announced nominations for the inaugural Critics’ Choice Television Awards, hosted by Cat Deeley and scheduled to take place at a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on June 20, 2011.

ABC was the most nominated broadcast network with 16 nominations, followed closely by NBC with 12. AMC and FX led nominations for cable networks, with nine each. Modern Family was the most nominated series with six.

Best Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire – HBO
Dexter – Showtime
Friday Night Lights – DirecTV
Fringe – FOX
Game of Thrones – HBO
The Good Wife – CBS
Justified – FX
The Killing – AMC
Mad Men – AMC
The Walking Dead – AMC

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire – HBO
Kyle Chandler – Friday Night Lights – DirecTV
Michael C. Hall – Dexter – Showtime
Jon Hamm – Mad Men – AMC
William H. Macy – Shameless – Showtime
Timothy Olyphant – Justified – FX

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Connie Britton – Friday Night Lights – DirecTV
Mireille Enos – The Killing – AMC
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife – CBS
Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men – AMC
Katey Sagal – Sons of Anarchy – FX
Anna Torv – Fringe – FOX

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Alan Cumming – The Good Wife – CBS
Walton Goggins – Justified – FX
Shawn Hatosy – Southland – TNT
John Noble – Fringe – FOX
Michael Pitt – Boardwalk Empire – HBO
John Slattery – Mad Men – AMC

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Michelle Forbes – The Killing – AMC
Christina Hendricks – Mad Men – AMC
Margo Martindale – Justified – FX
Kelly Macdonald – Boardwalk Empire – HBO
Archie Panjabi – The Good Wife – CBS
Chloë Sevigny – Big Love – HBO

Best Reality Series
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – ABC
Hoarders – A&E
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – Bravo
Sister Wives – TLC
Undercover Boss – CBS

Best Reality Series – Competition
The Amazing Race – CBS
American Idol – FOX
Dancing with the Stars – ABC
Project Runway – Lifetime
RuPaul’s Drag Race – Logo
Top Chef – Bravo

Best Reality Show Host
Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars – ABC
Cat Deeley – So You Think You Can Dance – FOX
Ty Pennington – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – ABC
Mike Rowe – Dirty Jobs – Discovery
Ryan Seacrest – American Idol – FOX

Best Talk Show
Chelsea Lately – E!
The Daily Show – Comedy Central
The Ellen DeGeneres Show – Warner Bros.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! – ABC
The Oprah Winfrey Show – Harpo

Best Comedy Series
Archer – FX
The Big Bang Theory – CBS
Community – NBC
Glee – FOX
Louie – FX
The Middle – ABC
Modern Family – ABC
The Office – NBC
Parks and Recreation – NBC
30 Rock – NBC

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock – NBC
Steve Carell – The Office – NBC
Louis C.K. – Louie – FX
Charlie Day – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – FX
Joel McHale – Community – NBC
Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory – CBS

Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Courteney Cox – Cougar Town – ABC
Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie – Showtime
Tina Fey – 30 Rock – NBC
Patricia Heaton – The Middle – ABC
Martha Plimpton – Raising Hope – FOX
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation – NBC

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell – Modern Family – ABC
Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother – CBS
Nick Offerman – Parks and Recreation – NBC
Ed O’Neill – Modern Family – ABC
Danny Pudi – Community – NBC
Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family – ABC

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen – Modern Family – ABC
Jane Krakowski – 30 Rock – NBC
Jane Lynch – Glee – FOX
Busy Philipps – Cougar Town – ABC
Eden Sher – The Middle – ABC
Sofía Vergara – Modern Family – ABC

Submissions are still being accepted for The Most Exciting New Series category.

CareerBuilder’s Dr. Sanja Licina of DeVry University’s Career Advisory Board spends her entire professional life working with both employers and employees to help them all figure out what really works. Her insight, whether you’re employed or looking for a job, is invaluable.

The brilliant and well-educated Dana B. Myers is bringing sexy back with her classy, upscale bedroom products. Find out the secrets to her “sexcess.”

Find out how you can actually bring that genius idea of yours to market, or get paid to help others do the same on a very cool new website that just launched.

This week media guru and futurist Robert Tercek talks about how to stay relevant in the job market, and I invite my new boss Arianna Huffington to brunch to talk about our future together after all the layoffs at AOL.