After a successful career as news director of both channels 4 and 9, Ted Canova is seeking to help the unemployed with his online radio show Job Talk America. Canova, an Edina resident of 16 years, conceptualized the show in December 2009 when something began stirring inside him, compelling him to make use of his 25 years in communications to help those struggling in the job market. “What better way to use my experience than to attack something that’s affecting everyone?” he says.
Job Talk America offers expert advice to listeners of all kinds, from baby boomers to generation Y, who have experienced difficulty in finding work. Those who find themselves in mid-career crises have a lot to gain by tuning in. “In a lot of ways they’ve worked on cruise control,” Canova says of people who find themselves dissatisfied with jobs they’ve held for years.
One way Canova seeks to remedy dissatisfaction with jobs is by bringing in guests like fellow Edina resident Mark Richards, creator of candidateschair.com. The website is full of valuable job search tools like sample cover letters and advice on networking. “[Richards] taught us that networking is not what someone else is going to give you, but what you can give to someone else,” says Canova. “In community is where we find great success. People want to help people.”
