During a recent trip to New York City, I was excited to have a chance to get together with a colleague/new friend. We confirmed our meeting time and place. I got there early, stepped into the restroom to freshen up and then took a seat near the door, figuring my friend would be sure to see me when she came in.

As has been my norm since I started using my Google phone, I took it out and busied myself — checking email, Twitter, Facebook – whatever caught my attention. I certainly wasn’t going to just sit and watch for my friend if I could be productive! I occasionally kept my eye on the door and the clock, and noticed that my friend was a little late, but it didn’t phase me. She and I had each been at different parties, so I figured she got held up.

Ten minutes after we were scheduled to meet, my phone rang. It was my friend, “Um…Miriam? Aren’t we meeting tonight?”  Once we both looked up, we laughed — she was sitting several feet away, around a corner. She must have come in while I was freshening up, so we missed each other. Since both of us were early and busy on our phones — being productive — neither of us thought to really look around or keep a keen eye out for the other.

Do you remember a time when meeting someone involved actually watching for them, instead of keeping busy with your head buried in your phone? I do! Time seemed to move more slowly then — waiting actually involved waiting, not working or answering emails every second.

I think this is a great reminder for job seekers. Do you have your head down, buried in your search? Are you waiting for someone (or something), that is sitting right around the corner, but you’ll never notice, because you are too busy LOOKING for the job? Technology provides a lot of opportunities for job seekers, and I am the first one to extol the virtues of using social networking for job hunting. I think there are opportunities there, just waiting for people to discover them. But, if you are too self-involved, keeping busy doing what you think you should be doing, you are not likely to benefit. Like me and my friend in that restaurant, you may just miss exactly what (or who) you want to meet.

Keep your eyes open. Take your face out of your smart phone. Look around. You never know what you may find!

What have you found when you stopped to look around? Tell me your stories in the comments section!

I was honored to be invited to serve on a panel for the Voice of Careers webinar series. Mark Stelzner moderated the webinar: Social Media for Job Seekers: A Career Coaches Panel, where I joined fellow coaches, Dawn Bugni and Shahrzad Arasteh to provide advice for job seekers about how to leverage social media for job seeking.

Luckily, Laurie Ruettimann, co-founder (with Mark Stelzner and Yasha Morehouse Stelzner) of New Media Services, live tweeted our talk. The tweets are below…I hope there is a tidbit or new piece of information you have not considered. (Note – to read everything in order, start at the bottom and work your way up! These are in reverse chronological order.)

The next free Voice of Careers webinar  is Networking With A Purpose Via Social Media on September 15th!

Did you play with Lego blocks as a kid? (Or, maybe you still do? I have a friend whose brother – an adult – has a house full of Lego structures. He never outgrew his Lego obsession.)

Earlier this week, I shared thoughts about how to break down your job hunt, inspired by a Lego “big apple” I saw while visiting New York City in June. I took another photo during that visit that made me think. This big, faceless, naked Lego guy was in a window.

I couldn’t help but think that this figure represents a lot of job seekers; the ones who are not doing anything to make themselves stand out. The job seekers who believe applying online to hundreds of jobs is the same as a job search strategy. The employee who just does what it takes to get by and doesn’t think about his or her career plans or path.

Take a look at yourself; are you this Lego figure? Indistinguishable from your peers, with nothing significant to attract a hiring manager? If you are plain, it is going to be very difficult to land an opportunity.

Think about what you can do to distinguish yourself. Start here - put some SIZZLE in your job hunt – before summer is over!

It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. I have done some traveling, which always gives me some ideas to share. Usually, my inspirations come in unexpected, unlikely places. (That’s a career lesson in itself!)

Today’s post idea came while I was waiting to meet my friends and colleagues, Chandlee Bryan and Donna Sweidan, in NYC in June. We met in Rockefeller Center at a time that happened to coincide with the grand opening of a Lego store in the plaza. In celebration, they were building — what else — a big apple!

So, where is the career lesson? They didn’t just have a pile of blocks that the expert builders were using to create their masterpiece. Instead, there were stations set up where they invited guests and passersby to construct a block. Everyone who built a block contributed it to a box of blocks that the Lego employees used to construct the apple. (See photo below.)

It occurred to me that we need to take this approach more often in job hunting — and in life! Instead of thinking of a huge project (searching for a new job, for example) as one, big task, which may seem overwhelming, what if we thought about it one “block” at a time?

And, even better — what if we could collaborate and share pieces of the work to create a result everyone could enjoy? (Have you thought about partnering with an expert coach to walk you through the process?)

Think about it: what are the building blocks of your job hunt?

Have you thought about breaking it down into manageable pieces to make it seem easier to tackle?

You will need a pitch, a plan, a resume and a cover letter.

You will want optimized materials: a LinkedIn profile is a must, social (online) resumes are more and more common and an online presence is key. Not to mention use of Twitter and Facebook, both of which fuel today’s successful searches.

So, what is a job seeker to do?

It seems obvious – you can’t be successful until you get started. You can’t get started on everything at once, so break it down and work on one thing at a time.

As a career coach, I advise my clients to break down their tasks so they won’t be overwhelmed by the process of finding a job. It’s great advice for any of us facing lots to do and not enough time. (That pretty much describes most people I know!)

Some tips:

1.) Review your assignments and goals. Create a list of everything you need to do. Make sure you have a complete picture of the tasks and create a time frame.

2.) Break down the project into natural segments. “Write a resume” may be one project (with several parts). “Make a networking plan” is another task. Prioritize the segments and think about how much time each piece will take to complete.

3.) Focus on one thing at a time. Compile a daily “to do” list. Make sure it is reasonable; don’t give yourself too many tasks on one day. Depending on the job and your patience, you may need to further chunk down the steps. (No one should expect to write a resume in a day!)

To decide what to do first, consult your list of priorities. To keep your focus, try to include some fun, interesting or simple tasks early on. If you’re doing things you enjoy or finish rapidly, you’ll give your project a boost and quickly check things off of your “to do” list.

4.) Plan ahead. Make sure you have everything you need to work on your task as scheduled.

5.) Seek help. It helps to have a good support system. Ask for advice when you’re really stuck and to ensure that you are on the right track.

6.) Reward yourself. Celebrate your accomplishments. Do something fun!

I am excited to share details about a webinar panel that JobAngels founder Mark Stelzner invited me to join. The topic is one of my favorites! Details and a link to sign up for the free webinar are below:

Social Media for Job Seekers: A Career Coaches Panel

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Noon EST | 9:00 am PST

If you believe the hype, it would seem that all you need to do is turn on your computer, log into your favorite social media account and your dream job will be waiting for you. For many of you, reality is much different, as social media for job seeking is something you have yet to meaningfully pursue. Our distinguished panel of experts will help you separate fact from fiction and embrace social media as one of many tools in your career arsenal. We will address common questions, including:

• How do I prepare for a social media job search?
• How can I avoid common mistakes?
• Which tools are right for me?
• What should I share publicly?
• Will this actually work?

Moderated by JobAngels founder Mark Stelzner, our panel will answer these questions and more, including an opportunity for you to pose your own questions directly to our experts. Please welcome coaches Miriam Salpeter, Dawn Bugni and Shahrzad Arasteh as they join Mark for a taste of what these new and exciting tools have to offer. And if you’re on Twitter already, follow our hashtag #voc10 to participate in real-time with your fellow attendees. This is sure to be a popular event so sign up today!

illustration by Matt Hamm

I don’t make it a secret that Twitter is my favorite social network and one I think has great potential for job seekers. If you have not tried Twitter, it can be a useful tool to help you expand the network of people who know you (even if it is just virtually) and who may be willing to to provide information or advice to assist you with your career plans.

Here is a round up of the blogs I have written about using Twitter for the job hunt!

Twitter users are more likely to get interviews

LinkedIn helps you find friends on Twitter

Twitter chats – a great way to expand your network

Evidence that Twitter is important for job seekers

Can you find a job on Twitter?

What Twitter applications should you use for your job search?

People to follow on Twitter to accelerate your job search

Use Twitter for your job search

Using Twitter to hire – the employer’s perspective

Can you find a job on Twitter? Yes, you can!

Last week, I attended BlogHer 2010 in New York City to speak on a panel about social networking profiles and resumes for job seekers. The JobLab, the brainchild of my friend Laurie Ruettimann, author of PunkRock HR and Cynical Girl, and the co-founder of New Media Services, included advice from many advisors with all types of expertise.

I live tweeted the panel Laurie moderated with Ana Roca-Castro, social media consultant and founder of Premier Social Media; Carmen Hudson, recruiter and founder of tweetajob; and Microsoft Recruiter Heather McGough.

That is Anna, Carmen and Heather in the photo (left to right). (Laurie had to leave before I had a chance to take this picture.)

These are my tweets from their talk. Lots of great advice there for job seekers! Be sure to follow everyone to keep up with their updates going forward!

If you follow the career advice tweeters and bloggers, you can’t help but know that Steven Slater (38), a flight attendant for JetBlue, “unleashed a profanity-laden tirade on the public address system, pulled the emergency-exit chute, slid off the plane and fled Kennedy International Airport” (per The New York Times) yesterday. Reportedly, the tirade was in response to a passenger who defied instructions to remain seated and wound up striking Slater in the head with luggage he was not allowed to be retrieving. Instead of apologizing, the passenger cursed at Slater, which seems to have been what set off his reaction.

Many of my colleagues noted that this was certainly a dramatic way to quit a job. (Have you ever fantasized about making a dramatic exit — whatever the equivalent of opening the exit chute and sliding off might be?)

One post I read mentioned that Slater had clearly thought about doing this before it happened. He supposedly grabbed two beers before sliding out of the plane. Clearly, the pressure cooker of his job finally got to him — this obnoxious passenger was probably the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. While he may get a lot of notoriety (some say he will wind up on the Letterman show and making the rounds of the talk shows as a vigilante hero), his situation is not one to cheer on or emulate.

What can you do to avoid a similar situation? If things are getting so bad at work that you are about to blow a gasket and open an exit hatch, instead of fantasizing about how to make a great escape that leaves you without a job, recommendations or choices, instead, focus your time thinking about making a clean break. Some ideas:

• Plan (fantasize) about a new, better job. What would you be doing? What type of company might it be? Maybe you want to work for yourself?
• Think about what you need to do to make your new fantasy a reality. Do you need additional training? Is it time to start networking? Do you have a LinkedIn profile (at the very least) and have you been keeping up-to-date with social networking opportunities that expand your circle of friends?
• Do you know how to look for a job today? (If it has been awhile?) Do you even have a resume ready to use if you saw an opportunity or someone told you to apply for something, but the deadline is “tomorrow?” I know you “don’t have time,” but you need to make the time if you want to make a change. Start to read up about making a change (my blog roll is a great place to start). Consider hiring a coach to help you land a dream job.
• Keep your eyes on the prize. If you are taking steps to change directions, you may be able to diffuse some of that negativity. Think about it — if you know you are moving away from a bad situation, it may be a lot easier to put up with your job. Focus on the present as a short-term scenario and save your energy for getting out — on your own terms.

Another thing that really struck me about this scenario is the fact that The New York Times used photos from Slater’s MySpace page and researched him using his LinkedIn account. An interesting topic for the next post!

What have you done to bide your time while waiting to get out of a job you hated?

photo by comedynose

I know – it seems overwhelming. The amount of information available, the articles, blogs, tweets, updates…Digesting it is more than most people really have time to do in a day. Some of us (raising my hand here) LOVE to read the blogs and filter through the articles relevant to us. Some of us (uh um) THRIVE on taking it all in, sharing what seems most relevant — all while managing the rest of our work.

People always ask me how I manage to stay so involved on Twitter. I often catch the undercurrent of their question — “You must not be very busy if you can tweet the way you do.” Sometimes, I explain that Twitter feels like a part of my day…it’s not an interruption to me to reply to people and share posts from my great Twitter community. Other times, I remind the questioner of  the adage, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” We have time to do what we prioritize.

But I digress! I am lucky, because I have a constant flow of information in my Twitter stream and many useful blogs in my Google reader, and I enjoy going though them and sharing what is useful for my community. You need to have tools and resources to help you get the best information so you can use it in the time that you have.

So, I thought it made sense to share some ideas and resources to help you gather the best information in the little time you probably have!

My first suggestion: sign up for SmartBrief. Their tagline is: “We read everything. You get what matters.” They have over 100 industry newsletters, including my favorites that may interest you (in the Business category): SmartBrief on Your Career and SmartBrief on Workforce. There are many categories of newsletters, each curated by expert editors who comb through the news of the day to share it with subscribers.

Newsletters are free, and delivered directly to your designated email. Visit SmartBrief to select the newsletters that interest you. I’d suggest that you follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

photo from Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos (ClintJCL)

On Monday, I shared a question from a job seeker who is trying to change fields, but is running into predictable problems, including the fact that she appears overqualified for her targeted jobs. I shared ideas about how to expand her network using social media to become a subject matter expert and possibly connect with someone who can help. Today, a few more ideas that don’t involve social media. Here is the question again:

My career background is as an analyst…My previous employers have been smaller firms, under 50 employees.  Social media isn’t used very much by advisory firms that I’ve targeted as a good fit.  Much of that is due to FINRA compliance constraints that keep them from engaging clients online.  I’m still tweeting, but relying more on networking in-person and making connections on LinkedIn where employees of these firms and their connections are likely to be.

The biggest challenge I’m having on the job search is that analytical roles in the personal (retail) side of the financial services industry have been slow to pick up. There are new demands for sales producers, operations and administrative staff, but very few new opportunities for analysts.  The institutional side of finance has also picked up, more so than the retail side.  It’s difficult to convince employers that skills can be transferable from retail to institutional, or from smaller firms to larger firms.

Some of the recent jobs I’ve interviewed for have been at a lower level of experience than I have, and the firms decided I was overqualified.  I would like to broaden the scope of the jobs that I’m looking at, because I think that my advanced skills.. could be applicable in many areas of corporate finance and planning. How can I best market my skills to other industries…so that employers will recognize the skills as transferable and qualified?

First thing: STOP applying for jobs that are beneath your qualifications. Look at comparable jobs that need your transferable skills instead. If you want to rely on transferable skills to land a job, the onus is on you to prove that you have what it takes.

1. Study the job descriptions. Break them down by skills and accomplishments. Use a highlighter to mark the parts of the job that you know you can do. Look at each skill and then prove your successes on your application materials, including your resume and online profiles. Keywords from job descriptions may be your best and easiest source of information.
2. Use LinkedIn to research information about people in your targeted job titles. Read their summary and skill sections. If these are filled out, you should be able to garner a lot of skills and keywords relevant to people who are successful in the jobs you want. Incorporate those keywords into your resume and online profiles.
3. Don’t include information in your application materials that the employer does not need to know or may distract him or her. In other words, everything on your resume must be relevant to the targeted job. Describe your background using words and phrases relevant to the desired employer — eliminate anything that will encourage the reader to say, “Oh, she wants to do XYZ,” when XYZ is not what they want. Make a point to describe the experience you have as relevant to what the employer wants. This is key.
4. Talk to people. Informational meetings are key to job seekers who are bridging industries or types of jobs. Ask questions about necessary skills. Mention the issues you have been encountering and make a clear pitch for why you know you can do the job. Focus on the organization’s needs – not your own. This isn’t about “I need a job.” It’s “I am skilled and experienced, and my background enhances my ability to do this job well.” You need to know how you solve the problems that the organization needs solved. Convince some people along the way by making a clear, solid case. Your goal is to connect with people willing to go to bat for you.
5. While it is controversial, consider offering to do some consulting or problem solving for a highly desired organization for a reduced fee or for free. Before you do this, make sure you understand exactly the parameters of what you will be allowed/expected to accomplish and how much leeway you will have, as well as what access to people you need to meet. Only do this if you are pretty sure it will be a win-win. It could be a way to prove your expertise and land an opportunity.

photo by Anirudh Koul