Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

What Duct Tape Marketing has to do with your job hunt

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Last night, I had a chance to hear John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and (soon to be released) The Referral Engine. I was so excited to have the opportunity to meet John, as his highly acclaimed book has long been on my “to read” list. (It also seems to be on the “recommended” list of many of my colleagues’ blogs.) John has a great blog as well, dedicated to helping small businesses find “simple, effective and affordable” marketing solutions.

I also have to give a shout out here to the Atlanta Business Marketing Association and Kris Elliot (@regusatlanta) from Regus AtlantaOffice Solutions for hosting a terrific event in their beautiful office space! (Win one year of fully furnished office space at one of their 23 Atlanta locations enter HERE!)

I had a feeling that I’d get some great ideas to share with you from John, and I was not disappointed! The fact is (can’t say this enough): Job search is nothing more than marketing YOURSELF. And John’s definition of marketing absolutely hits the spot:

“Getting someone who has a need to know, like and trust you.” What a great way to define the point of the job search!

All too often, job seekers fail to connect and land because they don’t focus on what the organization or employer wants. Big mistake. Find this information by studying the job description, thoroughly reviewing the organization’s website and social networking sites and making good use of information from people you have met via informational interviews.

What are their problems? (Their “pain points.”) You need to understand those problems before you can try to solve them. (Follow THIS LINK for a story that helps explain why!)

Job search is not about you. Your resume is not even all about you – it is an opportunity to make connections between what you offer and what the organization desires. If you ignore those all important NEEDS, it is unlikely that you will connect with an employer in this very competitive market.

Take a good look at your resume. Are you taking into consideration who will be reading it and what appeals to him or her? Do you make an effort to connect your skills and accomplishments in a context that resonates with your audience? What can you do to incorporate information with the “hooks” to appeal to the jobs you are hoping to “catch?”

Stay tuned for more that John shared that really resonated for me and related to job search!

How to get someone to know, like and trust you?

By

Last night, I had a chance to hear John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and (soon to be released) The Referral Engine. I was so excited to have the opportunity to meet John, as his highly acclaimed book has long been on my “to read” list. (It also seems to be on the “recommended” list of many of my colleagues’ blogs.) John has a great blog as well, dedicated to helping small businesses find “simple, effective and affordable” marketing solutions.

I also have to give a shout out here to the Atlanta Business Marketing Association and Kris Elliot (@regusatlanta) from Regus AtlantaOffice Solutions for hosting a terrific event in their beautiful office space! (Win one year of fully furnished office space at one of their 23 Atlanta locations enter HERE!)

I had a feeling that I’d get some great ideas to share with you from John, and I was not disappointed! The fact is (can’t say this enough): Job search is nothing more than marketing YOURSELF. And John’s definition of marketing absolutely hits the spot:

“Getting someone who has a need to know, like and trust you.” What a great way to define the point of the job search!

All too often, job seekers fail to connect and land because they don’t focus on what the organization or employer wants. Big mistake. Find this information by studying the job description, thoroughly reviewing the organization’s website and social networking sites and making good use of information from people you have met via informational interviews.

What are their problems? (Their “pain points.”) You need to understand those problems before you can try to solve them. (Follow THIS LINK for a story that helps explain why!)

Job search is not about you. Your resume is not even all about you – it is an opportunity to make connections between what you offer and what the organization desires. If you ignore those all important NEEDS, it is unlikely that you will connect with an employer in this very competitive market.

Take a good look at your resume. Are you taking into consideration who will be reading it and what appeals to him or her? Do you make an effort to connect your skills and accomplishments in a context that resonates with your audience? What can you do to incorporate information with the “hooks” to appeal to the jobs you are hoping to “catch?”

Stay tuned for more that John shared that really resonated for me and related to job search!

What you don't know about the job hunt will hurt you

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As you might imagine, I receive a lot of inquiries from blog readers about my services for job seekers. Sometimes, the communication between us reminds me of just how much help some job seekers need.

Recently, a very savvy, high-level professional with a stellar work history contacted me asking for help with her resume and with moving to a digital format. I replied, delighted to hear from someone who was asking me about a digital, or social, resume before I mentioned it first!

I explained that I am partnering now with an expert web developer to offer online resumes and described my services, which include a free coaching session “to discuss how to look for a job.”

The prospective client replied that she did not need to be told what to wear or how to interview, and assured me she was very capable, thank you very much. She also asked how much a social resume with fewer pages would cost, as she does not have enough to fill more than just an “about me” and resume page.

“Hmmm,” I thought, “This bright, talented and accomplished job seeker has no idea that there is so much she does NOT know about getting a job.” The fact that she thought my offer to help her learn “how to look for a job” would be about how to dress for an interview, yet she cannot envision what information she might use to fill her online profile seemed a bit ironic to me. However, how can you fault someone for not knowing what they need to know to succeed?

This was my reply:

Thanks for your note. I think that the key thing with a social resume is that you create the content to fill the tabs. Maybe it is links to the various news stories you generated, events you impacted, data or stories about previous companies (how they did while you were there), etc. The sky is really the limit – you have lots of room to share your “story,” and readers have the option to explore more or not! (Which is the major advantage of having a social resume that supplements the paper resume.)

I don’t usually focus on how to dress for an interview with my clients. Like you, they know about that, but are less well schooled on how to leverage social media. Why are you not on Twitter? It’s my absolute favorite social network for job seekers. Do you really optimize LinkedIn? There is a lot that most job seekers don’t have the time (or the inclination) to feel their way through. I spend all of my time in that “space,” so I can help you get where you need to go faster. Especially in your line of work, I would imagine the return would be significant.

So, when I offer a free coaching session to discuss how to find a job, I am not talking about “your father’s job search” – what to say in an interview, how to stand up straight – I am offering insight and ideas for job search that you probably have not considered.

Think about it – do YOU know what you DON’T know that may be preventing you from moving forward with your career plans?

photo by flowerbeauty

Altruistic Tuesdays – Should you consider working for a charity?

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Have you considered making a change for a career in the non-profit sector? Now might be a good time to start thinking about it.

Dan Macsai for Fast Company reports that The Chronicle of Philanthropy found:

Despite tough times for charities, a trio of new surveys of nonprofit organizations in New York, New Jersey, and Washington [DC] shows that most plan to hire in the year ahead—and that the overwhelming majority plan to raise staff salaries in 2010 or at least hold them steady.

The survey, which studied 1,200 organizations from October to December of 2009 (700 of those located in New York) points to higher salaries for fund-raising jobs, which were up by 10%. Senior-level finance jobs paid 7% more.

Gayle Brandel, president of Professional for Nonprofits, said, “Even in tough times…nonprofit clients…have a hard time filling those roles, “so they’re willing to pay a little more.”

Fast Company offers some advice:

“Safe bets include educational groups, hospitals, and charities that work with homeless people or AIDS patients–program areas that received increased government funding. However, it’d be best to avoid small social-services or arts groups, both of which “seem to have the toughest time,” says Gayle Brandel, president of Professional for Nonprofits.”

Professionals for Nonprofits 2009 salary surveys are available free on the company’s Web site. Go to: http://www.nonprofitstaffing.com.

If you are in the Atlanta area, Opportunity Knocks and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits are presenting a day of workshops and consultative sessions to help you improve your job and nonprofit career development strategies and job-seeking skills. This is how they describe the event:

Led by experienced and qualified career consultants, nonprofit leaders and subject matter experts you will learn how to become more competitive in the nonprofit job marketplace.

Who Should Attend? Nonprofit professionals seeking to advance their career and for-profit/corporate professionals looking to switch careers to the nonprofit sector.

PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE!

March 23, 2010
The Lodge at Simpsonwood
Rollins Center Building
4511 Jones Bridge Circle, NW
Norcross, GA 30092
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Click here for information.

(I will be volunteering for part of the day at this event. Hope to see you there!)

photo by olib

Spring forward – The Progress Challenge

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It seems appropriate, on the day that we “spring forward” on our clocks, to share some things that I enjoyed about another book by Dean Lindsay, The Progress Challenge. (Read my review of his book, Cracking the Networking Code HERE.)

Lindsay notes,

“Change is inevitable, progress is a choice.”

In his trademark, high-energy style, Lindsay explains how to BE progress – to choose progress. He explains the connections between how we think about what we do and doing it, and provides a blueprint for meeting this challenge. He begins the book by asking a question that I believe is relevant for job seekers – What is motivational, and are you it?

Have you thought about it? He suggests that “each of us has the need and the opportunity to be motivated every day of our lives” (p 29). He points out, “Why else would others listen to us, utilize our services, hire us, be led by us?” Right from the start, a key career message. How do you motivate others? What impact do you (or might you) have that will appeal to someone?

Lindsay explains how to think about how to move forward and offers many suggestions to help even the most unmotivated candidate shake off the stress, anxiety and general malaise that may be preventing him or her from springing forward.

One coping mechanism that I like? “#5 Find and Create Humor (p. 138). How many times have you stopped to try to find a single iota of irony or laughter in a situation. If even things are so bad, laughing at it  (or thinking of crazy ways that it could be EVEN WORSE) can sometimes provide a little relief. Can you laugh at yourself? Is there any humor there? If not, maybe creating some would help?

The author reminds his readers: “Progress does not demand perfection, only persistence” (p. 198). How perfectly true! I often remind myself that the “Perfect is the enemy of the good” – if you stay paralyzed, waiting for perfection, it’s unlikely you will ever move ahead with your plans. Similarly, progress does not need to be perfect, it just needs to be moving, which requires consistent and frequent effort on your part.

I enjoyed The Progress Challenge and am sure anyone (job seeker, salesperson, manager, leader, anyone with an eye on the future) will get a lot out of the, yes – motivational book, quotes and action plans.

Want to receive a free copy? Leave a comment about what motivates you, what is keeping you stuck – what you think about any of this! I will choose a winner at random and Dean will send you a copy of his book! (He may even send out several!)

Learn more about Dean Lindsay at his website: www.DeanLindsay.com or follow him on Twitter @DeanLindsay.