Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Archives for 2009

30-Day Job Promotion – a review. Win a copy!

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30.day job promotionJ4475I am a big proponent of “driving your own career bus.” I believe that each individual maintains responsibility for his or her career path. Sometimes, driving your own career bus means identifying red flags at work that indicate a potential lay-off, sometimes it means finding a new job because you really hate the current position or because there are no growth opportunities. However, sometimes, driving your own career bus means purposefully seeking a promotion at your current job.

Some may ask, “Can I really work on getting a promotion? Isn’t it more about waiting for the good news from my boss?” If that is your approach, RUN, don’t walk to get a copy of 30-Day Job Promotion by Susan Britton Whitcomb. So much about your career is in your hands, and you need to have good information and advice to empower yourself to drive to the next stop in your career plan!

Susan takes the reader, step-by-step through a series of tasks and considerations. First stop? Figure out what the promotion will really do for you? Are you sure that is the job you want? The fact is, while you may have a more prestigious title and earn more money, it is important to consider how a promotion will impact your life and day-to-day happiness.

There are many important factors when considering seeking a promotion. A few covered in the book: timing and your promotability. With detailed charts, checklists and explanations, the author helps the reader uncover key issues and outline a game plan.

Susan reminds readers that being promoted is “all about value” (p. 132). You need to know it AND you must be able to communicate it well if you expect a positive result. Suggestions of what to research, sample scripts and success stories round out this useful book for anyone thinking about taking the next step in his or her career.

Win a copy of 30-Day Job Promotion by commenting here or on these blogs. Comment on all of the posts to improve your chances  in the random drawing!

Examiner

GreatPlaceJobs
Secrets of the Job Hunt

If you’re thinking a new job is a better idea than a promotion, you may need some help getting your job search jump started! Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

Looking for a job? Use old-fashioned marketing techniques – be where they are!

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deli meat.3387838463_c25c1b844fThe other day, I was in our local Target Super Store…School starts today where I live in Atlanta, so the store was packed with school-supply shopping parents and kids. Clearly, the area with the most traffic was in the back corner, with bins of Elmer’s glue, Crayola crayons and a slew of other “must haves” for school kids.

While rummaging through 6-for-a-dollar bins of glue sticks, I was surprised by a rolling food cart. The woman from the deli was bringing her wares to the back of the store – samples of deli meat. If you bought something, you received a free package of cheese.

Since it seems as if every experience I have turns into a lesson for job seekers, it struck me that the lesson of the deli cart is simple: Go where the people are! The majority of shoppers that day were tending to spend time in the back of the store, maybe skipping the deli counter. Bringing the deli counter to the people was a great idea, and I am sure many people bought something they might not have considered as a result.

So, if you are looking for a job, are you going where you are likely to encounter people who can positively influence your search? Some ideas:

Regular readers know I love to suggest using Twitter for the job hunt. If you’re on Twitter, you are in a space full of others like you, CEOs, coaches and a slew of people who may have common interests. It’s a place where there is a community for everyone. Even cat lovers! Everyone is a potential contact. If you are not there, you miss out.

LinkedIn. This is a given. If you don’t have an optimized LinkedIn profile, it’s going to be tough for all of those recruiters who are sourcing there to find you!

In-person meetings. Have you joined the local chapters of professional development groups in your field? (And do you attend their meetings?) Have you looked up Meetup.com in your area? How about your alumni organization? Don’t discount social groups that have nothing to do with your job hunt or professional interest. You never know who you might meet at a backyard barbeque or at the local swimming pool. Go where people you DON’T think can help you go!

What ideas do you have for meeting people where they are? It’s just as important for people marketing their skills and accomplishments to be in the right place at the right time as it is for merchants to target their customers with their products.

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Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.
In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.


Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.



photo by Johnswilliamsphd

How to find a captive audience to fuel your job search

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tv at gas.outcastLast night, on my way home from the #ATLMix tweetup I co-hosted with Stephanie A. Lloyd (which was terrific – we had a wonderful turnout and a great time meeting up with new and old friends. If you joined us – THANK YOU) — I noticed that my gas tank was running on empty. (I have this bad habit of always waiting until the very last minute to get gas.)

I stopped to fill up, and as I  was starting to fuel, I heard a grunting noise. Then, a gurgling. Not so thrilled to be at an unfamiliar station late at night, I looked around, concerned, and thinking that I should have gotten gas on my way TO the tweetup!

Looking for the source of the noise, I noticed a video screen above the pump. Good – not a creepy person making strange noises. A baby. A LOUD baby in an ad above the gas register. Then, the screen flashed an inspiring message…”Advertise here. Why? Find a captive audience...” That was all I needed to see. What a concept – the captive audience.

Unless you already have made a name for yourself in your field and have a big following, it is unlikely that you already have a captive audience. So, as a job seeker – what can you do to find one?

First thing I would suggest is to expand your network. You need to connect with people who will appreciate your skills and experience and take a vested interest in moving your search forward. I love Twitter for this reason – it’s a great way to connect with all types of people and Twitter is a wonderful resource for your job hunt.

Another thing to consider – are you optimizing your LinkedIn presence? LinkedIn is probably the closest thing most job seekers have to a captive audience. Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly turning to LinkedIn to source candidates. Learn how a recruiter uses LinkedIn and how to optimize your LinkedIn profile to fuel your search. You need to be sure you are making it easy to find you, otherwise you are wasting untold numbers of opportunities!

The best way to find a captive audience – make sure you are where your target audience can find you. Social networking is one great way. What other ways have you found or do you suggest job seekers look for a captive audience?

Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.

Review of Next-Day Job Interview

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next day job interviewJ6042I would be the last one to suggest you leave your interview preparation to the last minute. So, I hesitated when I saw the title of this book and its subhead: “Prepare tonight and get the job tomorrow.” Hmm…Maybe not a good idea to suggest this tact to job seekers? In fact, the authors note that, ideally, you will spend a week or two preparing for an interview.

However, I like the gist of the book – you don’t need to memorize pat answers to questions in order to get the job. This is something I absolutely agree with, so I thought it would be worth reviewing Michael Farr and Dick Gaither’s Next-Day Job Interview for my readers.

I was not disappointed! Even reading the introduction can help job seekers dramatically improve their readiness for an interview. Questions such as: “Can you talk the talk of the industry, using buzzwords, jargon and acronyms that are common to the industry?” and “Can you identify three prominent employment-related successes or achievements you’ve had and talk about your role in them?” These are two of the key, important elements of interviewing that I teach my clients.

The book continues by describing various interview formats. It’s important to be prepared to handle all different circumstances and types of questions, so this section is a great help.

Self-analysis (knowing what you have to offer – and how it relates to your targeted job) is another crucial aspect of interviewing well, and the book helps walk the reader through identifying his or her skills, as well as outlines important skills that most employers seek, such as the ability to learn, communication and writing skills and others.

This in-depth book also offers four different approaches to the all important question, “Tell me about yourself?” (Skills based, personal history, defined focus and “returning the question.” The descriptions include impressive suggestions and tips to think about how to respond to this “make or break” question.

Next-Day Job Interview is a very thorough, well designed book to assist the job seeker in mastering the all important interview stage. However, I really think the title is a bit of a misnomer, as I have yet to meet  job seeker who can really take full advantage of this terrific information in less than several weeks without a coach.

So, my advice? Get this book NOW – before you are preparing for a specific interview – use the tips and tricks and you will be way ahead of the game when you get the call for an interview “tomorrow.”

Win a copy of this book! Just comment on one of my blogs regarding the review. Enter at all of my posts for a better chance at the random drawing:
GreatPlaceJobs
Secrets of the Job Hunt
Examiner

Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you prepare for an interview! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.


How transparent should you be?

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fish253323619_eb37d646b9_mWhen I was in New York last month, I was lucky to be able to spend time with Marci Alboher, freelance writer, journalist, author and speaker who focuses on career and workplace trends. Marci is an authority on “slash careers” (about “custom blending” different, sometimes divergent occupations and passions). She is the author of One Person/Multiple Careers, and someone whose work I have admired and followed for a long time.

In our conversation during a walk around Marci’s Greenwich Village neighborhood (where she seemed to know everyone!), we discussed a topic that is often on my mind – how much should we reveal about ourselves online? It’s a topic that is salient for job seekers using social networking sites and blogging to get their name out as an authority in their subject, and it is just as relevant for entrepreneurs, coaches and anyone engaging in the sphere known as Web 2.0.

Marci wrote about our conversation and raised some important questions about this topic on her blog today…be sure to click through to read more about our conversations and learn about “the illusion of transparency,” which may be just the ticket for job seekers!

There is no “one size fits all” career advice. Don’t you deserve the best, personalized information and help? Learn how I can help you with your search.

Frustrated that your search isn’t resulting in a job? In Atlanta? Join me and Stephanie A. Lloyd, CEO of Radiant Veracity for our series of in-person job search interventions. Read more about how to propel your search and sign up here.


photo by atrotskyite