Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Free eBooks for Job Seekers

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If a new job is one of your resolutions for 2009, you won’t want to miss two free resources to help you achieve your goals:

Chris Brogan, community and social media guru, is giving away a free eBook about using the social web to find work. If anyone can advise about the subject of social media, it is Chris. CLICK HERE to learn how to download this free resource.

I am offering a free eBook on the topic of holiday networking. CLICK HERE to learn more about how to receive a copy of Drive Your Own Career Bus – Holiday Networking for Success. My eBook will only be free until the new year, so don’t delay!

Between my book on in-person networking and Chris’ tips on using Web 2.0, you will be well positioned to network your way to a new job in the new year!

Happy Holidays!

A new career is one of your resolutions? Contact me to see how I can help you!

If you need help with your job hunt, visit my site, www.keppiecareers.com.  NOTE: I’m offering a FREE 8-week teleseminar with coach Carolann Jacobs – Land Your Dream Job. Tuesdays starting 1/8, 5:30 pm CST. Register HERE.

photo from Chris Brogan’s ebook

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Holiday Networking – Free Ebook

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Am I the only one who can hardly believe we are quickly approaching the new year? Did 2008 fly by or what?

Here’s hoping that 2009 turns into a much better year for our economy and  the job market. To get you started on the right foot, I put together the first in my “Drive Your Own Career Bus” e-Series on Holiday Networking. It is specially designed to help those of you who are about to embark upon the (sometimes dreaded) holiday party networking circuit.

With the right preparation and follow-up, in-person networking events offer unmatched opportunities to broaden your networking circle and to connect with people who may be in a good mood!

Don’t miss out on all of the great opportunities awaiting you! Pick up your copy of Drive Your Own Career Bus – Holiday Networking for Success. It is full of advice, tips and tricks to get you through this holiday season in good networking shape.

How do you get your copy? For a limited time, it is yours free when you subscribe to Keppie Careers.

All you need to do is enter your email in the navy box on the right side of your screen. That’s it – enter your valid email address and press “Subscribe Me.” You’ll receive a free subscription to my blog (a weekly email) and we will email you a copy of Drive Your Own Career Bus – Holiday Networking for Success.

What a deal!

Don’t delay, this offer is limited. My marketing team thinks I should sell this report, but I’m in a giving mood, so I decided to make it free for a limited time!

If you are already a subscriber, just send an email to [email protected] from the email address where you are already subscribed and we’ll be happy to forward you a copy.

Don’t forget that Keppie Careers offers many services to help you get your job hunt on track. Stop wasting your time! Visit the OUR SERVICES link for more information about how we can help you.


photo by smaku

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Interview with Liz Lynch, Author of Smart Networking

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Liz Lynch, founder of the Center for Networking Excellence and author of the newly released Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, mastered the skill of networking from the ground up and is now a sought-after speaker who brings a practical and insightful perspective to networking that has connected with a global audience. Her printed and audio products have sold on six continents, she’s been invited to speak at conferences and organizations around the world and her writings have been translated into multiple languages.

So, when Liz invited me to join her virtual interview series contest for bloggers, I was delighted to sign on! Liz touts her new book as “the essential guidebook for building business relationships in a wired world.” (Please vote for my interview by clicking HERE and scrolling to vote for me in week #2)

I enjoyed the opportunity to include her expert perspective on a topic regular readers know is one of the most important for job seekers: networking for success!

Here are my questions and what Liz had to say:

What “homework” should prospective networkers do before they attempt to engage in new networking relationships?

I’m glad you asked about homework, because so many people go into networking situations completely unprepared, expecting magic to happen. The best homework is to create a plan for your networking (Chapter 13 of Smart Networking takes you step-by-step to develop one). You want an overall plan, a big picture strategy, but you also want a plan for your ground game. Before you go into a networking event or even a one-on-one meeting, know exactly why you’re going, what you want to know and what you want to convey about yourself. Having a plan will help you sound more confident and give you more confidence. It will also help you achieve what you want much faster.

How do you advise busy people seeking to take advantage of the best online AND in-person networking? What are the “must haves” in a successful networking suitcase?

In marketing it’s almost always more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an old one. If you’re churning and burning through your network, you’ll have to do a lot more work and spend a lot more time just to stay even. So if I had to pick the “must haves” they would be those tools that allow you to stay in touch with your network and communicate with them easily, namely online sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, and those skills like mastering the art of the ask that help you get the help you need when you need it.

What are your top three tips to help professionals who are behind the 8-ball in today’s economy because they haven’t already built a strong network?

  1. Realize that you do have a network already of former colleagues, classmates, etc. and it’s worth spending time reconnecting with those folks to re-establish your connection.
  2. Use online networking sites to find these contacts and invite them to connect with you so you have an easy way to reach out to them later.
  3. Tell everyone you know what you are looking for.

How can an unemployed job seeker network effectively without seeming desperate?

First take action with the steps outlined in the previous question, so you have your network set up to help you. Then, take additional actions to get visible. It may be tempting to stay at home and not want to get out in public because you don’t feel great about yourself, but start meeting people in different ways, like volunteering at a local charity or signing up for art class. Depending how long you’ve been job hunting, getting in a new environment can help shake things up and give you a strong purpose to follow that can spill over into improving how you feel about your job search.

What advice do you have about cultural differences to consider when networking?

I was in China in June and realized how people there seem much more comfortable asking questions that we wouldn’t find appropriate here in the U.S. Questions like, “How much money do you make?” would leave most of us aghast. Networking across borders requires diplomacy. It’s helpful if you know you’re going to be traveling to get some guidance from a local. And be prepared to respectfully decline to answer questions that make you uncomfortable.

What questions do you have about networking? I’d be happy to answer them in a future post or direct you to a resource!

Don’t forget that I am available to help with all of your job search needs! Everything you need to know is right here on this site!

The Executive Rules – Tips to Find A Job Today!

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“A position becomes available within an organization when someone finally says, ‘I need help now!’ Whether or not you get the job depends on how well you convince that person that you can come in and make a positive impact.” – Thad Greer, The Executive Rules

Thad Greer is a nationwide executive recruiter and his book, The Executive Rules, offers job seekers real-world, practical advice and strategies to increase the odds of finding the right job.

I was particularly interested in the fact that The Executive Rules focuses quite a bit on what Thad calls the “Evaluation” aspect of the job hunt. The book offers a number of great resources to help the job seeker self-evaluate, including personality assessments and skills assessments. He reminds job seekers that basic needs, such as “environmental preferences” (commute, work schedule, office environment, etc.) are not small factors in a job search.

With so many job seekers anxious for a job – ANY job, Thad reminds readers that the most important thing for job seekers is to know what they offer and how to market themselves.

Long-time readers know that I love when other career experts offer advice that agrees with my own. I was delighted to read that Thad refers to the resume as “probably the most important professional document you’ll have in your entire life.” He goes on to say that you should not write your own resume and advises that “a comprehensive, keyword-rich, professionally written resume is mandatory if you want to compete in today’s job market.”

Much of Thad’s advice echos what you may have read here on my blog.  For example, he suggests starting a blog and leveraging your social network (with care). In addition, he offers plenty of great tips to help job hunters take advantage of job boards (with some fascinating advice regarding how to evaluate if an online posting is worth applying for), how to follow-up with a potential employer and why some interviews are over before they even start.

Thad advises job seekers to “Reach out to a person, not a company.” He describes how easy it is to make a positive impression on the phone, even in a cold call to a potential employer, and offers terrific tips about  following up and avoiding getting trapped in the HR maze.

Thad’s perspective as a recruiter who knows what employers expect, like and dislike is valuable for job seekers who don’t want to look like deer caught in the headlights when asked something along the lines of, “Were you to accept this position, is this a role you feel you would enjoy doing every day for the next five years?” (Hint: an enthusiastic reply in the affirmative is considered a good answer!)

Thad’s practical tips and expert advice are great additions to any job seeker’s arsenal! I highly recommend you give it a read! The Executive Rules is available at Amazon.com. Look for it at your favorite bookseller soon!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you via email! Prefer to subscribe in a reader? Click here for a link to receive Keppie Careers’ feed sent to the reader of your choice.

Need a great resume? Career search advice? Mock interview? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Review: Getting from College to Career by Lindsey Pollak: Career Advice that Transcends Generations!

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To top off my “getting organized for your job hunt” blogs, I thought this would be a perfect time to review and recommend Lindsey Pollak’s book, Getting from College to Career.

Lindsey is an author, speaker and consultant specializing in career development for college students and young professionals. In Getting from College to Career, she warmly and generously shares personal experiences and stories from all types of professionals covering topics such as: figuring out what you want to do, how to market yourself, where to look for opportunities (including entrepreneurship) and how to prepare for interviews.

While the book targets college students and recent grads, the advice transcends generations! Lindsey acknowledges her “obsession with taking action, trying new things, meeting new people and having a wide variety of experiences” to enhance a job hunt. She notes (and I agree) that you can’t plan your career by sitting around and “thinking really hard.”

Her first tip – “Start Wherever You Are” – is a perfect opening for the job seeker who thinks he or she needs more – more information, more advice, more research, before REALLY starting a successful search. My first boss on Wall Street always said, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” In other words, if you wait for all of the stars to align before starting something, you’ll never get off the ground. If you want to drive your own career bus, you first need to put the key in the ignition and turn it – no matter where you are parked!

Lindsey reminds her readers that “Action always yields rewards” and emphasizes the importance of taking action on behalf of your career every day. Make a call, write a note, send a follow-up email, attend a networking event…You can’t underestimate the value of every action you take to move your search forward.

How does Lindsey suggest you get organized for a job search?

  • Buy a notebook (with a cool cover) to record ideas and information.
  • Develop a filing system to keep all of the key paperwork that will pass through your hands.
  • Keep a calendar with ALL of your appointments to avoid double-booking.
  • Start a log or spreadsheet for all of your interactions with employers and networking contacts.
  • Create a database system to track everyone you meet along the way!

One of my favorite tips? #27 Relax. A Job Is Not a Soul Mate. The fact is, with workers expected to have 9 careers in a lifetime and an average of 3 jobs in each one (with 50% of those careers not even discovered yet), don’t think of a job as a marriage. If you make a mistake, you can take your transferable skills and move to another opportunity.

Getting from College to Career is a terrific resource, full of tips to guide job seekers along a successful path. I highly recommend it to anyone getting ready for a job hunt!

Ready to take the plunge and look for a job? Still need a great resume? Some help to write the perfect cover letter? I’m here to help!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!