Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Archives for 2009

How having a blog can help you get a job

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blog.licenseA.2089328125_42a4fbd7ae_mI am so excited to share news from a client who just landed a great job. In and of itself, a client landing a job isn’t extraordinary – that is the point of  hiring me to help, after all! What is special about this client is that she was in a transitional search. She was finding that there were not a lot of opportunities in her field, so she needed to make a change. She was looking for jobs doing things she had not done before.

Anyone who talks to me about transitioning knows that this is a tough time to make a career change. While I would never discourage someone from trying, with the economy being what it is, employers tend to have a choice of people who have ALREADY done EXACTLY the thing the job requires. Many people are willing to take a step back for a job and are overqualified. In either case, employers have their pick of people who can just step right into the job. Taking a chance on someone who can learn isn’t typical.

In this case, a targeted resume is key – job seekers need to make a clear case that shows their skills and accomplishments as they relate to the desired job. However, there is so much more to success than just the resume, as my client demonstrated!

Previously a copy editor, she landed a job as a development coordinator, involving social media, fundraising and grant writing. None of those items were things she had been paid to do in the past.

She noted, “The hiring manager told me she initially wasn’t going to interview anyone without grant writing experience but was so impressed with my writing skills (on my cover letter, resume and blog; don’t know if she checked out my Twitter feed or LinkedIn profile) that she brought me in just to see. Turns out she liked me, her boss liked me during the second interview, and they decided to take a chance on me! Out of six candidates, I was the one chosen. So the blog definitely helped. Go tell your job seekers that.”

There is more to this story…Stay tuned!

Please share what YOU have done differently that led to success in your job search!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by Hawaii

Networking with a purpose – ideas from Joe Lavelle

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purpose2555523620_2c43403894_mYesterday, I shared a review of Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail. (You can read it HERE.) Today, I want to share more from Joe Lavelle’s book!

Joe talks about “Networking with a purpose.” This is so important. I hear from people all of the time who insist that they have been doing EVERYTHING for their job hunt – including networking. However, upon further inquiry, it is clear that they could be doing a lot more.

Joe offers this advice, which I believe is right on target. (Points are his, commentary my own):

Make meeting others a priority. So often, networking is something careerists only think about when it is time to look for a job. It should be something you do all of the time, no matter what. Joe suggests setting goals of how many people to contact in a certain period of time. It is key to focus on your networking, as we all know there are so many other priorities that take our time.

Network with empathy. This is a great way to describe how to network. Joe reminds readers to focus on making networking a two-way street. What do YOU offer? This is not all about taking – be sure you are also giving.

Find a location. You can meet people in all types of groups and programs. Join groups – both professional and personal, as you never know when or where you will meet someone who is a great match.

Ask questions. A lot of times, job seekers focus on how to ANSWER questions. It is just as important to know what questions to ask! I always tell my clients to be sure to know what they WANT to know when meeting a great networking contact. It sounds obvious, but often, people go into meetings (or informational interviews) without a clear goal. Have a goal – and great questions to ask. You won’t be sorry.

Listen for Clues. Good listening is so important. I’ve written about this and cannot say it enough.

Take notes. Personally, I write down everything I want to remember. You don’t want to forget who you met, what they told you, if you should follow up…There is so much to remember! Don’t miss an opportunity because something slipped your mind. Most people will be flattered if you make a point to write something down during a conversation!

Read what Joe has to say in his book…A great read!

What do you have to add about networking well?

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by mag3737

Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail – A review

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actasifaccelerate_your_career-hb-v1-3d“…Act with enthusiasm and confidence – act as if it were impossible to fail. Your beliefs become your reality, and your expectations have a direct result on the outcome of any given situation. Concentrate on your strengths, your triumphs and your successes as you power up the corporate ladder” (p.177). – Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, by Joe Lavelle

I “met” Joe Lavelle, author of Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail – The Employee Handbook That Your Empoyer Hasn’t Given You, via Twitter and when he began to comment on this blog. He writes the Act As If Blog, which offers great advice to anyone hoping to accelerate his or her career plans. So, I was delighted to read a copy of his book.

Joe doesn’t disappoint! His book is filled with stories that lead the reader to understand his points. My favorite was the story of how Ford rolled out the Edsel, as it relates to seeking (or not seeking!) feedback and the inevitable results. How often have you thought about feedback as a gift? If you hope to propel your career to a new level, it is something to focus on. If you are not getting the feedback you need, it is time to think about how to ask for it.

Joe reminds readers that first impressions are important, but it is even more important to manage the impression you offer. In fact, he details a story of Karen, who had failed to make a good first impression, but who worked to revise how people viewed her. The point – “Every day is an opportunity to make a new first impression – to introduce the world to the new and improved you” (p. 13).

I really enjoyed Joe’s book. It is a good read, with lots of useful information to help anyone who hopes to drive his or her career bus, which is something I write about a lot and believe everyone should do!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

Paint your house – or plan your job hunt!

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paintedhouses229537032_51f40ea803_mThis week, I’m having my house painted. Inside and out – fresh paint, new colors. It has been a while. My friends know that this has been a long time in coming. I’ve been talking about painting for months!

The first obstacle – picking colors! For the interior decorators among you, this may be hard to believe, but choosing colors for several key rooms in the house seemed like an overwhelming problem. What if it looked bad? What needed to match? Or not match? I had no interest in making a mistake in my home.

What did I finally do? I hired an expert. Laura came in with her paint swatches, asked me what I liked and proceeded to explain what she would recommend. She has seen the colors she recommended to me in many, many homes. On the walls! I trusted her ideas and knew I could move forward confidently.

But, that wasn’t all. I still had a few choices to make. I needed to buy some samples and see how I liked them on the walls. But, being “too busy” (I really am busy – how do you think this blog gets written?!), I procrastinated. For a long time. It wasn’t until the painter I had said I would hire called back to check in that I finally went to work on making final color selections. It was easier to TALK about making a change than it was to actually make a change. Surprise!

Does this sound like you? Not about painting, but about your job hunt? Is it overwhelming to even think about starting? I hired someone to help me (trying to take my own advice to hire an expert). Should you do the same thing? Think about it – you can sit around and procrastinate or you can take some action!

Even when I had my professional advice, I still needed to actually take action and move forward. The same is true for you. No matter what, you will need to take steps to move forward. The fact is, nothing was going to get painted in my house unless I made a conscious choice – and took a bit of a chance.  Nothing happens without action.

What action are you taking to move your job hunt forward?

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by jaygooby

Career lessons from Carrie Prejean

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carrieprejean3616505852_9049427208_mI thought I would take the evening off tonight. I got settled in and turned on the TV, which was set to CNN and Larry King Live was on interviewing Carrie Prejean about her new book.

I vaguely remember her story, which Wikipedia sums up:

Caroline Michelle “Carrie” Prejean (born May 13, 1987)[1] is an American model and former beauty queen from Vista, California. She held the title of Miss California USA 2009, and placed first runner up in the Miss USA 2009 pageant. She gained nationwide attention over her answer to a question about same-sex marriage. She was eventually dethroned on June 10, 2009, with the producers of the Miss California USA pageant citing continued alleged breach of contract issues as the reason. Prejean called those claims false, and filed a libel suit alleging that she has been discriminated against due to her religious views.[2][3] However, the legal battle between her the pageant officials was settled out of court on November 3, 2009 following the revelation of a “sex tape” involving Prejean[4].

Since it would be a shame for me to take the evening off (!)…I happened to tune in to the interview when Carrie was talking about why she was fired from her role. She made it clear that she had not been released from her contract (which involved a highly confidential settlement) because of any moral considerations. Instead, she noted that it was because she was “difficult to work with.” Hmm…

I am not an expert on her case, but further in the interview, she did make a point of saying that she hopes her book teaches other young women to be careful of what they do and that they don’t do anything they’d be embarressed about down the road.

I have some career advice for Ms. Prejean – and everyone else:

Announcing that you are “difficult to work with” on national television is not a great career move. Maybe I am going out out a limb here, but I am willing to bet that there are more people out there who would work with someone who had a lapse in judgement as a teenager than people who would like to work with a self-professed “difficult to work with” 22-year old!

Ironically, the interview continued by Carrie telling Larry King he was being “inappropriate” in his questions to her, and then she almost walked off of the set when he took a phone call that she said was not part of the agreement. (Could she have just reminded him that she was not planning to take any calls?)

To me, it looked like a career lesson. On my evening off. So – there it is for you. Don’t make a sex tape. Don’t be rude on national television. And, most importantly, do NOT announce that you were considered “difficult to work with.” This is not an asset for most jobs.

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I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by cattius photo