Looking for work today takes more than a good resume, a polished elevator pitch and some professional Tweets.

It requires a mindset of adaptability and creativity – and great communications skills. It requires thoughtful solutions and problem-solving aplenty, as well as an ability to get things done, or motivate workers to compete projects or goals.

The American Management Association identified four key traits – the 4Cs – as increasingly important to employers. They are communications, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. They are the very traits that will impress and help land your next job.

Here are four ideas on cultivating those from four posts or articles I wrote recently:

• COMMUNICATIONS. My Glassdoor.com piece on starring in a Skype interview offered nine tips for making the most of the Internet phone service. My favorite: Give a dog a bone, and get rid of other distractions just before and during the interview. The advice also included practice and practice some more. But the main message is: Learn to communicate effectively, with new tools and old ones.
• CREATIVITY. After the interview, comes the hardest part: the waiting. If you want to make those days or weeks feel more productive and less dismayingly long, read my Glassdoor.com post. Candidates can use their creativity to come up with many smart ways to stay connected and offer valuable information or assistance after the interview.  Pennell Locey at Keystone Management offered a half dozen ideas to expand the interview and advance your chances. Use your creativity liberally and suggest audacious approaches and amazing ideas.
• COLLABORATION. This trait is the glue of organizations, and includes the ability to work well with much older and much younger people. My AARP Bulletin piece shows how 50-somethings can learn from the interns; yet 20-somethings also need to show their ability to work in inter-generational teams. You could show your collaborative approach by sending thank you notes after the interview, or by giving a hiring manager a hand folding up her table after the job fair. You may not be on the team yet, but you want to appear a team player.
• CRITICAL THINKING. This may mean having a deep knowledge of a subject, or it could spring from a curiosity and thoughtful inquiry. I wrote about the power of great questions for Fortune.com - and managers who use questions to engage, motivate and learn. Not only are they engaging in critical thinking in asking the right question; they are encouraging it in their team.  A job seeker could use similar techniques to learn how a manager thinks or what the critical needs a client has or what opportunities or openings are likely to blossom in coming weeks. Look past the easy, obvious answers and engage your how does that change things? and what next? thinking.

Certainly, there are other ways to cultivate the 4Cs – and also my fifth one: A can-do, problem-solving approach. That upbeat attitude of action gives anyone an aura that’s appealing.  So show them these five traits from the get-go – in your cover letter and in your early conversations with the HR manager.  You could even come up with an example or story of success in each of these crucial Cs, which used correctly, will win you an A as a job candidate.

Today’s thought:  Shortages, whether of talent or time or a resource such as locally grown cut flowers, provide clear opportunities.

This idea came to me after reading the new Manpower report that shows 52 percent of U.S. employers are having difficulty hiring critical workers. It seems likely careers in recruiting, staff development and benefits and retention could rise as a result.

So see a shortage of sales experience and expertise – the job that always is in demand and shows up on many hard to fill jobs lists. Even if you don’t want to go into sales, perhaps you could become a sales trainer or sell sales people healthy snacks or . . . .

Likewise if no one sells cut flowers at your local farmers market, you may want to plant extra daisies and irises right away. Or you could develop a niche in typewriter repair and charge handsomely for your expertise – since apparently vintage typewriters are in vogue again, according to the San Francisco Chronicle article and others.

Other shortages are developing now – some tiny and others gargantuan – and they will open up avenues for businesses and individuals.

Those who step into the shortages will use them as stepping stones to success.

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Here’s the top of Manpower’s list of 10 jobs that are most difficult to fill:

1.  Skilled trades

2.  Sales representatives

3. Engineers

4.  Drivers

5. Accountants and finance staff

Boldface indicates the jobs have shown up for two or more years; Manpower surveys 1,300 U.S. employers

I’m getting ready to bike to work again occasionally, and I’m stocking up on deodorant and nuts – and some extra water bottles.
My bike to work commute started a few summers ago when I was teaching classes on the University of Michigan campus across town. The class focused on business and the economy just as the economy was sinking like a stone hurtled into Lake St. Clair. My ride to the classroom also had a steep incline, and in the June and July heat, I often arrived sweaty and red-faced.
So I quickly learned to pack a clean-up kit -  deodorant, a spritzer of cologne and a comb – and head to the ladies’ bathroom for a fast sink splash off. I’d make sure my laptop was far from the sink as I washed and wiped and cooled down.
Now as national Bike to Work Week approaches on May 16 – 20,  I’m thinking about resuming my bicycle commute at least for a bit.  When working from home, I guess I’ll bicycle around the block and end up back where I came from. On the other days, I’ll pedal seven miles into town – and decide later whether to jump on the bus for the return.
Overall, 534,896 people across the United States say they rode their bikes to work in 2005, up from the 488,497 in the 2000 Census. That’s twice as many people biking as riding a motorcycle to their job, but it’s still way below the 3.3 million who said they walk to their jobs, according to the U.S. Census.  The numbers are likely to rise right now because of higher gasoline prices and a need to live more frugally. Bicycling not only can help lower your blood pressure and reduce your stress levels it also costs a lot less than car or bus commuting.

When I wrote a piece for the Washington Post Capital Business about the joys and complications of bicycling to work around the Beltway, two of the big advantages are the exercise and wildlife bikers experience. “Beaver, kingfisher, wildlife — you see that while everyone else is honking at each other. I think I have the best deal going,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture economist Carol Goodloe, who’s biked to work for 30 plus years.
Hot weather and humidity aren’t a barrier. What may slow people down is reluctance to start or their fear of getting injured while riding. So Goodloe and others suggest you learn the rules of the road – including local bike ordinances. “Be very safety conscious. Ring your bell when you pass. Always look over your shoulder,” said Goodloe. And if you’re on a heavily traveled road or bike path, try to avoid the busiest hours when bike and auto traffic can make the commute more stressful.
Here’s my three tips for those who want to start bicycling to work:

1. Figure out your arrival and gear. Know where you’re going to stash your bike and where you will head to wash off the sweat. Carve out a space for your biking gear – including those extra water or juice bottles you will want and a change of clothing or at least a fresh shirt or blouse for the really warm days. Give yourself 10 minutes after arriving for these tasks and also to change clothes if you work in a place where you must wear a suit.
2. Find a bicycling buddy or two. Connect with someone who’s earned their bicycle stripes, and can give you some insights and ideas. Or join a bicycle club – there are thousands, those that offer leisurely Sunday afternoon rides and those that challenge you to climb steep mountains on a bike. You could also find camaraderie by signing on for a 50- or 100-mile charity ride team (though make sure you do that soon so you’re in shape for the trip).
3. Handle hunger and hydration. Depending on the length of your commute, you may feel hungry once you arrive. So make sure you have some dried nuts or fresh fruit to nosh on at your desk. Stock up on cC\ereal or granola bars, energy bars and other healthy energy boosts. And drink up too. In the summer months you may need two or more bottles of water to dehydrate appropriately.

Tell me about your bike to work trip and tips. What works for you?
Happy, safe biking!

As I watch the trees and flowers unfurl and fill with life, and as I prepare for some big changes in my life, today’s thought comes in a pair of questions:

1. How is the world around you changing? And what opportunities, openings and problems are being created as a result?

2. How are you changing the world? How can you make your corner a little better or a little brighter today and tomorrow?

(Wishing I had time to find and load a photo of the redbud tree in brilliant pink against the soft green leaves growing bigger every day – but I cannot. So please visualize the trees and nests with baby birds calling out.)

My life is so crazy busy now – moving in just two weeks, deadlines three or four days a week many weeks and trying to restart Mity Nice and give some teens jobs – that sometimes I wonder when I’ll have time for my small acts of kindness. Yet I must give.

My attempts at  “everyday generosity” has been woven into my life, with a few frayed edges, for more than five years. Some days it’s something very small – an email or call to a friend who may be lonely – and other times it’s been much bigger – pro bono career and life coach-chats for strangers and colleagues.

Now inspired by Craig Newmark’s new blog post showing all the cause related work he’s juggling – on important topics including veterans assistance, volunteering and openness in government – I’m going to list my own much smaller efforts for the spring and summer. Though they are an eclectic array, they focus on teens and work, job search assistance, homeless people and education. Here’s my volunteer projects:

• Donate about one fifth of all the books I own to libraries and the Ann Arbor Kiwanis.
• Through Mity Nice stage nine fundraising events or participate in nine fundraisers by October 30. The first one is for 826 Michigan, a celebrity scooper event on May 22 or 29. For a small seasonal company, this will keep us hoppin’!

• Find another way to support Groundcover, the homeless newspaper in Ann Arbor. I created a writers’ seminar for their contributors this spring and hope to come up with another one before the year is over.
• Offer my time and talents to the AAJA Chapter and convention in Detroit, maybe to serve as a resume medic or instant career advisor (gulp).
• Continue to serve as a career mentor / coach / friend to at least one person, and add another later this summer.
• Keep using my connections to help others, to bring together good people who could help each other.
• Designate two or three charities – including the Friends of Belle Isle – as places to send donations in lieu of wedding gifts.
• Find a couple of articles on generosity or very generous people that I could sell and write as a way to encourage “everyday generosity” in others. (Yes, I will make money on this, but also use proceeds to support other causes.)
• Buy one homeless or low income person a meal once a week. And restock my car with food to give others. Also keep looking for supplies for the homeless backpack project, which resumes on Sept. 15 (thanks Anita for your support on this one!)
• Bake and take. Make muffins and deliver them to someone who needs a cheer up. Or I could try giving them out free again on Main Street or State Street.
• Open myself up to invitations to join a nonprofit board of directors. I’m here and ready to leap in.

To be sure, this list may not be comprehensive. I’d like to help with another workshop or seminar on job search and I intend to write a nice check to a charity or individual in need (a quarterly goal of mine that I hope to advance to monthly then weekly as my income grows).And as I look for a new home to buy, I keep hoping we snag a duplex or triplex – so that eventually one apartment in it will serve as the starter of Generosity House.

So what are you doing to be generous? How do you find time for the kind acts that make life so lovely?

Even in a spring as full of gray chilly days with snow and sleet as this has been, eventually the tulips bloom and we start planting carrots, oregano and pepper plants. The U.S. job market may also be warming up nicely, with  268,000 jobs created by private-sector employers in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the highest since 2006.

The report Friday had other encouraging news too: More than 200,000 long-term jobless found work or consulting projects, or were otherwise not counted as unemployed. And every sector, except government and temporary employment, added jobs last month, with retail, manufacturing and health care showing especial strength in hiring.

Two months ago, in a blog post for Glassdoor.com, I listed seven signs of spring  in the job market, including some BLS numbers and hiring by small businesses for 12 months. Lately, more green is showing up in the hiring fields – and more flowers are preparing to bloom. So with hopes that my optimism will ring true in the months ahead, here then are seven more signs of growth in hiring:

1. Companies are recruiting more HR people. Human resources job penings increased 34 percent in the last year, same gain as health care, according to Indeed’s blog. Companies hire HR people when they need help with recruiting or retaining talent.
2. Some areas experience labor shortages. Recruiters say it is increasingly difficult to find well qualified candidates, according to the latest Society of Human Resource Executives LINE survey. In IT security, database administration and nurse practitioner openings, there are more jobs than job-seekers, according to CareerBuilder. The two-to-one ratio of jobs for candidate is a standout.
3. The number of quitters has inched up. The proportion of job leavers now is higher than the laid-off, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This is a big shift, and indicates people are confident they have other work options.
4. Hiring on college campuses has increased. This year, 42 percent of college seniors who had looked for work has received a job offer by graduation, up from 38 percent last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. More seniors also were saying no to offers, holding out for something better or more appropriate.
5. Metro unemployment rates keep declining. More cities are adding jobs, according to the BLS. And Indeed reports that 15 metro areas – from New York to Milwaukee to San Francisco – have one job for every candidate, meaning much less competition to land the opening you seek than a year or two ago.
6. Job openings are more plentiful. SimplyHired experienced a 33.9 percent increase in postings in the year ended in April, CareerBuilder’s job listings rose 23 percent as companies hire staff “in nearly every role.” These openings will mean more hiring in coming months.
7. Innovation seems to be increasing. Some jobs available today didn’t exist two years ago, and some  companies  hiring hundreds of people didn’t either. Think Etsy and Groupon and all those app makers. Think filmmakers for YouTube. Think about hiring on or creating another Google or Netflix in your city. Consider the virtual internships and start-ups showing up not just in Silicon Valley but in Saline, Mich., and Southern Georgia.

To be sure, there are concerns that could freeze some green shoots of hiring. High oil and gas prices are cutting hiring in the travel sector, SimplyHired reported. Initial jobless claims are rising, and many companies are sitting on the sidelines of hiring, or adding jobs outside the United States.  State and local governments continue to shed jobs and some are in danger of insolvency. We still have 13.7 million Americans out of work, and at current levels of hiring, it could take another five years to reach pre-recession unemployment levels, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Yet the pace of hiring is picking up – in the last three months it has averaged 233,000 jobs a month, double the rate of the previous three, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Small companies are being established and bringing on friends or part-timers to grow. Corporate profits are strong and many individuals have learned to grow gardens or their own jobs.

Call me an optimist, if you like, but the employment tulips have shown up in bright red and yellow and soon career roses and broccoli will bloom again – in the yards and lives of many.