Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Don't be like Conan – create your online presence BEFORE you need it!

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I don’t think I am going out on a limb here by assuming that most of my readers are not celebrities! But, you do have something in common with a celebrity; you should reserve YourName.com – even if you don’t plan to use it right now.

If you have been following the whole Conan O’Brian story, you know that NBC’s contract prohibits him from appearing on TV until September. But, did you know that Conan had never even considered having his own online presence before the whole debacle with NBC? It turns out that a squatter owns ConanOBrian.com, and Conan himself was a bit of a luddite when it came to using social media.

The New York Times reported about O’Brian:

Gainfully employed by NBC for some two decades, a personal Web site had hardly been a priority until, well, his tenure as host of “The Tonight Show” screeched to an end in January. Suddenly he needed a new platform. He joined Twitter, and last month, helped by just a few tweets, Mr. O’Brien largely sold out his 30-city comedy tour, which starts on Monday in Eugene, Ore.

(Thanks @Twitter_Tips for that link.)

But, having ramped up quickly, many people now believe that Conan is using social media (Twitter in particular) to sell himself to Fox. (Hat tip @KathyOreilly)

Don’t wait until you need social media to corral the tools you need. Start building your online presence now! A social resume can help you build your brand and share information much more flexibly than other online mediums, such as LinkedIn. Creating your own site and building it into your online home is a project worth starting. Don’t wait until it seems crucial and you are pressed for time.

Just as you don’t want to leave your work address as a primary contact for your LinkedIn profile – since you would be locked out if you lost that email in a layoff, for example – don’t sit back and wait for someone else to take over your online presence.

Not sure what to do? I can help! CONTACT ME to learn about creating an online presence that would make anyone proud!

photo by rkolson

Altruistic Tuesdays: Can volunteering win you a job?

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In a competitive job environment, I have often advised that clients and readers consider volunteering and/or interning for free in order to gain some valuable experience and/or to bridge a gap (in experience/in time since last worked for pay, etc.)

Adult internships are not new. In fact, in a New York Times article from two years ago, Elizabeth Pope wrote that:

Adult internships emerged about 10 years ago as the concept of “golden years” retirement expanded to include paid work, volunteering or pursuing a life passion, said Mark Oldman, a co-founder of the career site Vault.com.

A more recent piece by Tory Johnson reminds readers that an unpaid internship can be a great way to get experience that is directly related to your target job. It’s a good idea for people changing careers or planning to go back to school. Kind of a “try before you buy” approach.

Eve Tahmincioglu explored the legal ramifications of for-profit organizations working with unpaid interns in a story for Time Magazine this month. (Hat tip @heymarci.) Eve notes,  “Michael Schmidt, an employment attorney in New York City, has seen an uptick in recent months in private employers calling him to find out if they can bring in unpaid interns as a way to cut costs. His answer: volunteering at for-profit companies is, legally, a no-no. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has spelled out several criteria with the goal of ensuring that internships not only provide real training but also can’t be used by companies to displace regular employees.”

This is really the month for focusing on legal issues for unpaid interns. Steven Greenhouse wrote a piece for the April 2nd New York Times exploring the fact that “Leading federal and state regulators…worry that more employers are illegally using such internships for free labor.” The piece notes, “The rules for unpaid interns are less strict for non-profit groups like charities because people are allowed to do volunteer work for non-profits.” (Thanks @workinggirl for sharing the link.)

Clearly, this is a tricky issue, but nonprofit organizations may not be so concerned, as they are allowed to work with volunteers. So, especially if you are considering working for a nonprofit, it may make sense to log some valuable volunteer hours to indicate your strong interest in the organization. In some cases, your hard work and hours as a volunteer may help put you first in line for a job should one become available.

Encore.org has a very useful (and free) ebook on the subject of how to turn volunteering into a job. They suggest:

  • Find volunteer work in an organization whose mission you share.
  • Offer your expertise.
  • Show your range.
  • Make yourself indispensable.
  • Identify an organizational need.
  • Incorporate your volunteer work into your resume.

The ebook (available to download HERE) offers practical tips and resources and reminds careerists to focus on the experience and its usefulness rather than expect that it will lead to a job .

Be sure to visit Encore.org for many resources to help transitioning professionals.

photo by SanJose library

One way to empower yourself as a job seeker

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Under the “you never know what will inspire you to blog” category, I was listening to a local radio show last week – The Bert Show in Atlanta. They were interviewing Chilli (Rozonda Thomas) from TLC – @officialchilli on Twitter. You’re waiting for the career connection?

Chilli shared that she has a “list” when it comes to looking for Mr. Right. She explained that she has two categories – needs and wants. (Disclosure – I am paraphrasing here, as I was in the car listening and the audio isn’t posted online as of this writing!)

Needs according to Chilli include things that are “must haves.” Chilli’s needs for a life partner included “family man and Christian,” among others. Wants? “A six-pack” (she’s willing to date someone who has a 4-pack!) and a man who doesn’t eat pork (she can compromise), among a few other desires. Everyone on the show seemed to think it was great to have a list; they commented that it was empowering to know what you are looking for and to be able to quantify it clearly. It obviously helps Chilli to zone in on how to spend her time and energy when it comes to dating.

Job seekers – think about your needs and wants. Since this isn’t a relationship advice blog, let’s take this concept to your job hunt. Do you have a list? What are YOUR needs/must-havea? A certain salary? Flexibility? Type of organization? What about your “wants?” Close to home? Ability to telecommute?

Have you narrowed down what you are looking for? If not, it’s a lot harder to find it!

Take some time today to make your list if you have not already clarified this for yourself. I’ve talked about searching for a company instead of a job, but it’s tough to choose a company before you really narrow down what YOU want. Empower yourself with a list. You deserve it!

photo by tinybanquet

How to research your way to a networking contact

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Is it socially acceptable to go up to random people on the street and invite them to coffee? Typically, no. You need to have a reason to meet, and it is up to you to come up with the reason before you do the inviting!

Research is a key factor for successful networking. I like to tell my clients, “Don’t look for a job, look for a company.” Similarly,  networkers should not first try to identify a list of people to meet, but rather identify organizations to infiltrate.

How to begin? Easy!

Think about geography. It’s always easier to connect in person with people who are local. Plus, are you willing to relocate for a job? If not, clearly, the organizations in your area will be your targets. Use all available resources to identify organizations of interest in your area. Don’t forget word-of-mouth resources, newspapers, information online and business journals.

Julie Abraham had some great ideas posted on Career Rocketeer to help job seekers:

“Research these companies by looking at their website to understand their mission and values. Use Hoovers or Yahoo finance or some other library database (like Mergent) to look up financials (if public company), read the most recent annual 10-K report (if public company) to understand their strategy and vision, check their website for PR articles and look up articles on Proquest or some other database at the library.

This should give you a good understanding of the companies strengths and weaknesses so you can ask intelligent questions when you speak with an officer of the company. Set-up Google alerts on these companies so you can read any breaking news. Search them on Twitter and other social media sites to understand their social media presence.”

Once you have identified several organizations, begin to tap your way into them. Leverage your LinkedIn connections and search other social networks (Twitter is my favorite) to determine logical connections. Now, it is time to contact people.

Every time I talk to clients about informational interviews, I always emphasize the importance of approaching contacts NOT as a job seeker, but as someone who is simply gathering information. If you can convince yourself AND the person you want to meet that you don’t expect the meeting to result in a job, you are much more likely to be successful securing appointments.

Let’s face it, if you approach as a job seeker, (“I am looking for an opportunity working in _____, and I would like to talk to you about positions at your organization.”), your contact will not want to speak to you unless he or she actually has an opportunity in mind. No one wants to disappoint another person, so if your target contact has no job in sight, he or she is likely to suggest that you send your resume to HR.

That tact will not help you get your foot in the door, and does not connect you one-on-one to a potential ally. So, be polite, but persistent. Insist that you are gathering information, “not expecting a specific opportunity as a result of our meeting,” and push to talk to contacts in person. If your targeted contact is not interested, ask for a referral. (“I appreciate that you are too busy to meet. Is there someone else in your department who might be able to speak with me?)

The fact is, most people love to talk about themselves, and few of us have a willing audience for our stories! Ask yourself, if someone called you and  requested that you share your story and information about your organization (assuming you weren’t working with classified information), what would you say? I would bet that most of you would be willing to help.

Stay tuned for information about what to ask once you land the meeting!

If you’re ready to hire someone to help you move ahead with your plans, contact me to find out how you can boost your job search – both online and off line. Check out my new book, Social Networking for Career Success, to learn how to use Branchout and other social networking tools to your advantage!

photo by BW Jones

Five networking fundamentals to land a job

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If I had a dollar for every job seeker who told me he or she was “networking ’til they were blue in the face,” but had made no progress in the job hunt, I could take a very nice vacation!

The fact is, many people think they are networking, but all they are doing is telling everyone they know that they are looking for a job. That is not networking. That is telling everyone you know that you are looking for a job. (Let’s ignore the questionable grammar there – you know what I mean.)

In fact, I volunteered recently at a non-profit job fair. I was waiting to have a word with the organizer, but one of the job seekers was speaking to her. He introduced himself and said, “I’d love to talk to someone in your organization about sales, as that is my specialty.” I watched the organizer…She looked like she wasn’t sure what to say or how to respond. The request was so broad and non-specific. I could hear her thinking, “What does he want from me?” (Or, at least that is what I imagine she was thinking!)

I know what I was thinking – “That is NOT a way to ask for a networking meeting or informational interview.”

In a conversation with a client recently, we discussed networking. He considers himself introverted and wonders if in-person networking is for him. My advice to introverted job seekers is the same as it is for my extroverted clients. To successfully network, you need to do five things:

  1. Research
  2. Ask questions
  3. Be interested in the replies
  4. Have a story
  5. Follow up

Stay tuned for more details and how to successfully leverage these steps for your networking enjoyment!

photo by Light Play