Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Don’t make these online job hunting mistakes

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In an article for the Wall Street Journal, Elizabeth Garone shared five tips to help job seekers avoid typical social networking mistakes. While there are a lot of ways to use social media tools to help land an opportunity, it’s easy to make newbie mistakes when just getting started. I’m sure you’ve heard of or read about people who have been fired for what they posted on Facebook. Maybe you’ve seen the compilations of unwise posts from Twitter, such as ResumeBear’s 30 ways to lose a job on Twitter.

As a proponent of using social networking to enhance job seeking opportunities, I encourage people to jump in and take advantage of all the great tools, but it’s important to remember what NOT to do.

These are the mistakes Elizabeth highlights in her article. Be sure to READ THE FULL POST for specific advice and details.

1. Forgetting manners.

I was delighted to be quoted in this section! In short – “Assume your future boss is reading everything you share online.”

2. Overkill.

Signing up for too many networks and not making an effort to complete your profiles does not move your search forward.

3. Not getting the word out.

It’s important to let your networks know you are looking.

4. Quantity over quality.

Connect carefully and personalize your invitations.

5. Online exclusivity.

Don’t spend all of your time searching online; many jobs are not posted.

Don’t miss the expert advice from Sree Sreenivasan, dean of students at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokesperson, author Emily Bennington and personal branding expert Dan Schawbel in the Wall Street Journal’s FULL POST.

What you need to know about your endorser

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Is it a big election year where you live? In Georgia, this is a big primary season. We have about 100 people running to be governor, and equal numbers hoping to land jobs as insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, etc. (Well, maybe not 100 — but it seems that way!)

There is an inverse relationship when there are so many candidates – the more people running, the less likely it is that you know a lot about each person. Sure, there are always a few higher-profile candidates, but the rest likely fade into the background. (Sounds kind of like any job search, doesn’t it?)

One way to get ahead in your job search is to have someone endorse you — an internal referral directly to the hiring manager. This political season has made me stop to think about this concept of endorsing candidates (clearly an important way to help you land a job).

Earlier in the summer, there were several candidates I knew nothing about. Then, I learned that one had earned the recommendation of someone I did know  — and didn’t like. That helped make my decision easier. While I will still do some research about the candidate, the fact that someone I (vehemently) disagree with is endorsing her makes it pretty easy to determine that she will not earn my vote.

I know job seekers have plenty to worry about, but do you consider the standing of the person you are hoping will promote your candidacy? Is your contact well liked and well respected? If not, he or she is unlikely to help you land the job. Sometimes, you won’t know. You might have been lucky to land a referral and you can’t worry about anything else. Other times, you do have some opportunity to get insight…

Job hunting advice often includes the suggestion to find a mentor to help guide your career. Clearly, you don’t just pick a targeted mentor out of a hat. When you are researching people you respect, think about ways to identify how they are seen in their company. Is anything written about them? Do they have LinkedIn endorsements from colleagues, clients and staff? What about their digital footprint? What does Google say? What about their invisible resume? These are things to think about when identifying someone to endorse you. It’s one extra layer that could make the difference for your job hunt.

The fact is, a recommendation from someone who is not in favor is more likely to hurt than help you. It’s something to consider when you try to take advantage of an inside track at an organization.

What do you think? Do you consider the referrer’s reputation? How can job seekers decide if someone is a good bet or not?

photo by Svadilfari

With social media, you decide what others find when they Google your name

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Do you keep track of your online profile? Just as tracking your credit rating is key for learning what people might uncover about your financial history, it’s also important to know what people may find out when they Google your name. Consider tying it all together with a site such as Flavors.me. [Read more…] about With social media, you decide what others find when they Google your name

Job seekers and motivation – things to consider when job hunting

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The following is a guest post by Miri Zena McDonald, an organization development and communications strategist on a quest to help companies thrive by engaging employees, improving culture and promoting wellness. She tweets at @miri_orgchange.

Have you ever really thought about what it takes to motivate you? I think job seekers have an obligation to themselves and the companies where they would like to work to determine what really motivates them. Why do I say this? Gallup has been studying employee engagement over the past decade. Their latest data (July 2009) from a longitudinal study of over 7000 employees shows that:

  • 30% of respondents are engaged
  • 52% are not engaged
  • 18% are actively disengaged

Meaning, about 70% of employees are not engaged at work! To be honest, that depresses me because I think we should be proactive in determining what environment and characteristics engage us. I also think learning what motivates us is key to being engaged and new research makes it even easier for us to do so.

Daniel Pink recently spoke about motivation at The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). RSA produced an engaging video of the talk. It’s a bit long (about 10 minutes) but in my opinion worth viewing because it provides some actionable data for job seekers:

The first two findings that kind of blew my mind were the ones about money:

  • Money is a motivator but not in the way we might think. If you don’t pay people fairly, they will not be motivated. Fair compensation takes money off the table and people are freed up to think about work.
  • When tasks involved even simple cognitive ability, monetary rewards didn’t work. They actually had a detrimental effect on performance. Meaning, offering a big bonus is not really the best way to get the best thinking and solutions.

So if money doesn’t do it, what does? The data pointed to three factors that lead to better performance and personal satisfaction: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

  1. Autonomy allows employees to be self-directed.
  2. Mastery is working to get better at what you do.
  3. Purpose helps people feel they are part of something bigger.

Job seekers can use this information in a few ways.

  • Review Salary Data: Research salaries to determine fair pay for your field and geographic location. Prepare to negotiate what you think is fair given your skills and experience to know what salary offer will “take money off the table” in your mind.
  • Ask Questions: During your interview, tactfully ask questions about management style and the company’s overall mindset regarding self-directed work. Ask about formal and informal growth opportunities. What about the ability to create your own special projects?
  • Review Corporate Websites: To learn more about whether the company will inspire your purpose motive, read mission statements, look for community outreach initiatives, and other clues for a higher purpose other than revenue!

I think it’s easy to get lost in the “I hope they like me” mindset when looking for a job and after the thrill of getting that offer, we can forget that we actually have to come to this place every day and work! Wouldn’t it be much more fun if we could be motivated and engaged and as a result happier while we are there?

photo by sarkasmo

Twitter users are more likely to get job interviews

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Do you think of Twitter like this badge describes – as a pointless exercise? It may be time to rethink! Have you ever considered the skills you use to leverage Twitter well? It is not rocket science, but it does require key abilities, and not everyone has them. [Read more…] about Twitter users are more likely to get job interviews