Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Plans and attitudes are key for job seekers!

By

happyplanner.2190781982_57e218fecd_mU.S. News recently reported:

Researchers at the University of Missouri found evidence that developing and following a plan at the start of your job search, and having positive emotions later in the job search had a significant impact on success.

That is certainly not a surprise! Anecdotally, this is clear, and while they only studied 327 job seekers (between the ages of 20 and 40), it is useful to have some solid findings on the matter!

Readers of my blog already know that “setting goals and creating a plan of action helps job seekers stay more focused and eventually leads to more job interviews” and  that “positive emotions may help job seekers behave more confidently or cope better with stress, thereby making their search more efficient,” as U.S. News notes!

Here are some links with information to help if you need help to keep a positive attitude and to stay organized:

Tired of looking for a job? Jump start your job hunt

How to stay upbeat for your job hunt (pt 1)

How to stay upbeat for your job hunt (pt 2)

Stay positive and upbeat while job hunting

You control your job hunt destiny

Stress on the job and looking for work. Tips to manage

Job search planning tips and tricks

What to do if you lose your job

Unemployed? Use your time well for your job hunt

I can help you manage your job hunt! Learn more about me HERE.

photo by cat-sidh



How can a job seeker stand out?

By

cookiecutters1423128740_50b9ac55c8_mAs co-coordinator with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, I am proud to help launch a new community of expert career advisors and resume writing professionals called the called the Career Collective. Today’s post is one of many responses to the question, “Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?” I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which will all be linked at the end of my post by this afternoon! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

You’re a job seeker, so you want to stand out in a crowd. The LAST thing you want is to be called a “cookie cutter” applicant – someone who seems just like everyone else. We all know that the way to find a job is to stand out above a crowd. To be special – to be better.

So, the question is: How can you create your own shape?

As with many things, it may not be as complicated as you think.

– Know what you have to offer. You would be surprised (or maybe not!) to learn how few job seekers I meet can easily describe what skills they bring to the table. Being able to succinctly describe those skills in a networking setting – without resorting to the catch all/kiss of death, “I can do anything” will absolutely help you stand out. Follow THIS link for more ideas about your “elevator pitch.”

– Be a problem solver. Pitch yourself as a solutions oriented hire. Look for the organization’s “pain points” and identify ways that you can help. Remember – it’s all about what YOU can do for them! (Hat tip to Michael Long/The Red Recruiter and Stephanie Lloyd/Dream Job Radio.)

– Recommend someone on LinkedIn for helping you. This really shows that you want to pay it forward. Have something nice to say? Well, say it!  (Another hat tip to Michael Long/The Red Recruiter and Stephanie Lloyd/Dream Job Radio.)

– Know where to look. I teach clients to identify organizations and companies, not specific jobs. The fact is, most jobs are not actually advertised. (It may be as many as 70-80% of positions.) Rather, they are filled via networking and referrals. Stop spending all of your time looking for jobs. Research and target organizations instead and you will automatically stand out as someone not overly concerned with focusing on a specific job and more interested in the big picture.

– Use your ears more than your mouth. Ever been in a room full of people networking? They are all talking, but no one seems to listen? Be the listener. People LOVE listeners! Make a point to connect with people on a social and emotional level and you will stand out. (Learn more about this HERE.)

– Follow up! How many times have you networked your heart out, only to find yourself busy and overwhelmed? You didn’t make an effort to follow up and really connect after the event or to re-touch base online? Don’t let an opportunity slip through your fingers. Learn how to stand out by following up HERE. (There are probably some tips there you haven’t considered…They could change your job search for the better!)

– Great materials. This is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, most resumes are simply not very good. There are basic concerns – aesthetics, grammar, verb tense, consistency. These are not difficult to address. The bigger concern is making sure the resume specifically focuses on the employer’s needs and highlights the job seeker’s skills and accomplishments. If you are sending out a resume that lists “stuff” that you have done but is not adequately connecting to the employer’s needs, you are missing a key opportunity to stand out in the crowd.

There is no one ‘right’ way to look for a job that works for every person. So, don’t try to mold yourself into someone else’s shape. There is no “right” resume. There is no “best cover letter.” Not everyone likes or appreciates being approached the same way. So, stop trying to find the holy grail – it does not exist. Do your best to be your best. Go a little beyond the expected. You may be surprised.

Feel free to add your 2 cents to the comments…How can a job seeker stand out?

How have my colleagues responded? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective and read these posts:

Megan Fitzgerald, Career By Choice’s Expat Success Tips:
 Ongoing Career management is No Longer Optional for the Expat in Today’s New World of Work

Top Margin: Gayle’s Blog:
 Sabotaging Your Prospects: Cookie-cutter Style

J. T. O’Donnell of Careerealism:
 Cookie-cutters are for baking…not job searching

Chandlee Bryan of The Emerging Professional:
 On the cookie-cutter approach to the job search: Do you need a recipe?

Rosa Vargas of Creating Prints Resume Writing:
 Creating Prints Being a cookie-cutter jobseeker is a misfortune

Grace Kutney, Sweet Careers:
 Passive Job Seeker = Cookie Cutter Job Seeker

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers Blog:
 Cookie Cutter Resumes Can Leave a Bad Taste in the Hiring Manager’s Mouth

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend Blog: 
 Eating Bananas Doesn’t Make You an Ape

Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog:
 Avoiding Being a Cookie-Cutter Job-seeker In Your Resume and Throughout Your Job Search

Heather R. Huhman, HeatherHuhman.com: 
Break the Mold: Don’t Be a Cookie Cutter

Rosalind Joffe, WorkingWithChronicIllness.com
Forget the cookies! Start with vision

Career Sherpa, Hannah Morgan
Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?

Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt!
photo by alessandropinna


Guest post: Do something new for your job hunt, PT II

By

twitterppl1824234195_e6b913c563_mThis is Part II of a guest post from Jessica Lewis. Jessica is a job seeker who joined Twitter about a month ago with the intention
of using it to help her drive her own career bus. She has been writing a Twitter-for-beginners series on her blog (which you should read!)

You can find Jessica on Twitter @copytailor.

Read Part I HERE, where Jessica addresses hesitations about joining Twitter.

Focus your Twitter usage.

I heard that a college football coach recently said that those on Twitter are “a bunch of narcissists that want to sit and type stuff about themselves all the time.” Twitter sure does lend itself to facilitating narcissists, but using it doesn’t automatically make you a narcissist. You are going to enter Twitter as a niche user.

Career-focused people have smartly taken Twitter and focused it for their own use. They tweet actual information. They work to be seen as unique voices on Twitter. That means they don’t bother with the silly, time-wasting stuff generally associated with Twitter.

And as long as you more often than not aim your tweets at advancing your job search and show interest in others, Twitter will actually facilitate your success. And just as you see the value in a niche blog like this one, you’ll see the value in everyone’s niche microblog.

You can start from scratch. I did.

Step 1 is the most difficult: You’re going to start a Twitter account from scratch. This seems daunting because here you are with a pathetic number of followers trying to get the attention of people with thousands and thousands of followers. Trust me, no one will ever view your follower count as pathetic. If you are focusing your tweets, people will see that you are trying to be a valuable contributor to their conversation. Everyone on Twitter started from scratch. You just happen to be doing that right now. No big deal.

Here’s the bottom line about Twitter: It’s here right now, the people you need are on it, and it will help you get things done faster, whether advancing your career, learning information or targeting your job search. Just ignore the hype and perceptions, think of yourself as a unique voice in what you do (and if you’re not sure what that voice is, don’t worry because you’ll end up developing one), and get really good at being concise!

I’ll be happy to help your follower count grow. Just send me a tweet saying you found me on Keppie Careers.

Need help getting your job hunt going? Learn more about me and Keppie Careers!

Guest post: You can do something new for your job hunt

By

twitterpsych2382680812_34858bec65_mThis is a guest post from Jessica Lewis. Jessica is a job seeker who joined Twitter about a month ago with the intention of using it to help her drive her own career bus. She has been writing a Twitter-for-beginners series on her blog (which you should read!)

You can find Jessica on Twitter @copytailor.

If you’re reading this post, you’re obviously familiar with the concept of sharing information and opinions via blogs. And you’re familiar with the concept of niche blogs, like this one.

Remember back when blogs were a new concept? When they were generalized as boring ramblings from people enamored with themselves? No one I knew had a blog. I would have been embarrassed to write a blog back then because I would have been seen as enamored with myself.

The general perception of blogs back then is not much different from the general perception of Twitter now. It’s humorous when you realize Twitter is classified as microblogging! What’s wrong with the public perception is it’s making you miss out on great experiences and opportunities — two things that, I know from experience, you likely are sorely lacking as a job seeker.

If you’re going to be a sheep, at least be one with a clue.

Let’s say you feel uncomfortable joining Twitter because you think you’ll be one of the sheep. The people you know perceive Twitter in a negative, time-wasting way. And no one you know is on Twitter. These people are all just staying within their comfort zone, doing what they’ve always done, telling you they don’t have time for the silliness of Twitter.

Let me tell you something: You become a sheep anyway for following them.

You have read about Twitter on Keppie Careers. I know from experience that you likely have been turning away from such praise for Twitter — if you ignore it, it’ll go away and you can feel good that you kept doing what you’ve been doing and thinking, “Oh, I’m not falling for that one!”

One thing I’ve learned in my job search: Do not keep doing something if it’s not working. It sounds like common sense, but with you’re dealing with so many unknowns in a job search, it’s easy to fall back on old advice or latch onto one piece of advice you read online or do what other people do because it’s easier to follow than lead. You want to follow the herd you’re familiar with. The problem is that herd isn’t looking out for you.

Stay tuned for more from Jessica tomorrow!

Need help getting your job hunt going? Learn what I offer job seekers!

photo by xotoko