Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Recruiters don't ease up during the holidays – neither should you

By

smartphone.red2306615976_2952f1cc23_mIf you are a regular reader, I hope you are already convinced that it’s important to job hunt during the holidays. Do you know where you are going with your job hunt? Today, I’m happy to share insight from the “other side of the hiring desk.” Today’s contributor, Craig Fisher, is a management and information technology recruiter, staffing entrepreneur and co-founder of A-List Solutions.

I know Craig via Twitter and saw him tweet on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving about placing a candidate:

craig tweet

Of course, I immediately DMed and asked if he’d contribute to this series. This is Craig’s take on looking for a job during the holidays…

So perhaps you are thinking that hiring managers won’t be in the office over the holidays.  Maybe you should ease up on your job search.  But you should know that your friendly neighborhood recruiter is likely still in touch with those managers and trying to make placements happen.

As a case in point, I just placed a candidate in a great new position.  It is Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving.  I was able to facilitate a background check and offer letter while both candidate and client were already out for vacation.  All parties were thrilled and the candidate gets to start work on this coming Monday morning.

Today it is easier than ever for recruiters to do business even when nobody is at work.  Smart phones make it so easy to text and view documents.  And smart recruiters know that many hiring managers are trying to spend budget money right now before year end.

Just remember that we recruiters are ALWAYS trying to get people placed in jobs.  And we are likely in touch with many of our clients even when they are out of the office.  Recruiters work hard all through the holidays.  And if you are a job seeker, you should too.

Craig Fisher is a founding partner of A-List solutions, blogger at http://blog.fishdogs.com/ and host of the TalentNet Live #TNL recruiter forum. As a 15-year recruiting industry veteran, Craig is a social recruiting and new media branding strategist for job seekers and employers. Follow Craig on Twitter @Fishdogs

Don’t miss all the great advice from my colleagues and friends for holiday job seeking:

Part 1 – My suggestions and a free ebook offer

Part 2 – Walter Akana – Take care of yourself

Part 3 – Anita Bruzzese – Stay ahead of the crowd

Part 4 – Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter – Unplug and embrace rest

Part 5 – Wendy Enelow – Ideas for employed and unemployed job seekers

Part 6 – GL Hoffman – Use time to research and prepare

Part 7 – Meghan M. Biro – Use the holidays for self assessment

So, what do you think? Are you planning to go at your job hunt full force? Share in the comments!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by geedarryl

Job search resources for Boomers via Civic Ventures

By

civic.ventures.logo_cvWith record levels of unemployment, all job seekers are looking for new ideas and resources to help move their search forward successfully. I can tell you from experience that Baby Boomers come to the table with concerns that are unique to their generation. They worry about ageism, about interviewing with bosses young enough to be their children and about the fact that job search techniques and methods have changed dramatically since they last looked for opportunities.

For Boomers ready for a real career change after their primary career has ended, a terrific resource is available. Civic Ventures, a think tank on Boomers, work and social purpose, provides information and advice to help Boomers transition to what they term, “encore careers.” Civic ventures recently hired Marci Alboher, a highly respected expert on career issues and workplace trends, author of the book, One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success (Warner Books, 2007) (and one of my favorite writers on the subject of career and job search issues), to help boomers hoping to transition to meaningful and different career opportunities.

I spoke to Marci recently about her new position and about Civic Ventures. She described  The Purpose Prize, which the organization offers annually to social innovators over 60 who are using their talents to make a difference in the world. (They receive between $50,000 and $100,000 for “creating new approaches to solving tough problems – from education and job training to global warming and hunger.” Read about the recently announced prize winners HERE. You may be inspired to follow in their footsteps.)

However, Marci explained that Civic Ventures does so much more. She noted, “Civic Ventures is committed to reinventing the years formerly known as retirement. Most Americans over age 65 are not planning to idle away their ‘retirement years.’ Many want to do work that matters after their primary career has ended. Civic Ventures is creating pathways to connect these talented professionals with meaningful and fulfilling work that provides continued income, personal meaning and social impact.” (Read more about Civic Ventures on Marci’s blog post announcing her new position.)

Marci also alerted me to Civic Ventures’ new guide for for those hoping to succeed in an encore career who want to get started on the right foot.  The guide is available as a series of free downloads HERE. It covers a myriad of topics, including what to expect, job hunting tips, volunteering as a bridge to your new career and updating your skills, among other key topics.

The opening of the guide resonated with me:

“We like to think that the key to a successful career change is knowing what we want to do next, then using that knowledge to guide our actions, writes Herminia Ibarra, author of Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career.

But, she continues,

“Studying people in the throes of the career change process…(suggests that)…Change actually happens the other way around. Doing comes first, knowing second…It’s a transition, not a transaction.”

If you are a Boomer thinking of making a change to a fulfilling “encore career,” don’t miss the resources at Encore Careers. Even if you are not sure of your next step, explore the quality materials and resources. Remember, as Herminia Ibarra noted, “It’s a transition, not a transaction.”

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

Vet your prospective boss – dig up some dirt, pt VI

By

digupdirt3875775536_dc0be3a2d6_mHave you been keeping up with horror story week at Keppie Careers? Where job seekers and hiring managers have a chance to share their tales of woe, in hopes
that we can all learn something?

This is a story originally left as a comment on a previous post. I thought it was too good not to share!

I was invited into an interview in a major city and I when I saw the agenda, I could not believe the schedule. It was an all-day interview, which lead me to believe they were just using that time to find things wrong with candidates and to be overly critical. Nonetheless, I went to the interview and was appalled to discover that another candidate for the same role had been invited there for the same time – a big red flag and inappropriate.

I went through the all-day job interview without being offered lunch and was dying to get home. The potential boss seemed amiable, but I believe he went overboard for this easy position. His name was very distinctive and he told me where he used to live. When I returned home from the job interview, I Googled this boss and this is the headline that I found of an article about him from a major newspaper: “Candidate charged with indecent exposure in ‘97”

Anyway, I never heard back from that company, and it was probably a blessing in disguise.

The writer reminded us in his comment how important it is to Google the names of our prospective employers. Doing research in advance is excellent, both for gathering information that builds rapport (Oh, you went to Florida State? So did I! Where did you live your first year?) AND to find out if there is any information that might make you think twice before working for someone.

eBossWatch is a service that allows employees to rate their bosses and review other ratings. Its site notes:

If you are a job seeker or if you are thinking about making a career change, check with eBossWatch to make sure that you won’t be stuck working for an abusive or bad boss. Search for the boss or company that you are interviewing with or considering working for and see how other employees have rated that boss.

Another site that might be helpful is GreatPlaceJobs.com, a job board that was developed to help people find jobs at the best employers, because everyone deserves a great and satisfying career.  GreatPlaceJobs is the largest site that features jobs exclusively at companies across the U.S. that have been certified as great workplaces.

While there is no guarantee that an award-winning organization would not have a dismal boss working for them, these businesses tend to have mechanisms in place that may have a tendency to prevent the very worst boss behavior. (Disclosure: I am a partner in GreatPlaceJobs and my business partner owns eBossWatch.)

A theme in these stories – (don’t miss Part I, II and III, IV and V) -  job seekers had a good sense that the opportunity might not be what they had hoped. I hope job seekers reading these stories will remember this the next time a red flag goes up at an interview!

So, what do you think? What’s YOUR story? Add it to the comments!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.
photo by mdavidford

Look at every available option to land a job

By

magicwand4035175361_9d6abd5897_mI watched 20/20 last night. A very interesting show with the authors of Superfreakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.  James Altucher from the Wall Street Journal writes:

SuperFreakonomics,” by the economist Steven Levitt and writer Stephen Dubner, is not only a book with mind-blowing ideas, innovative research and quality investigative journalism, it’s also a story about creativity and what it takes to get the mindset to turn conventional concepts upside down.

(Follow the link to learn more about the book. Suffice to say they have some pretty outrageous ideas and suggestions for solving problems. For example, to alleviate global warming, send a hose into the sky. Really.)

The point is that they are clearly thinking “outside of the box.” Let’s say their ideas would blow box wrappers away!

What does this have to do with you?

More often than not, I believe that job seekers with the gumption to see beyond the obvious are the ones who land the jobs. Several points struck me when I was watching this story on 20/20. I tweeted them (see below). Coincidentally, these tweets came right after I shared a link to Harry Urschel’s post listing reasons job seekers often give for not getting the job.

Picture 5

Harry Urschel (@eExecutives) notes: “I regularly hear people tell me that they can’t get a job because:

  • I’m too old and face age discrimination.
  • I’m too young and companies are hiring older more experienced people.
  • I don’t have a degree.
  • I’m over qualified with my graduate degree.
  • They are only hiring men.
  • They are only hiring women.
  • I have physical restrictions.
  • Companies want more experience with a particular skill.
  • Companies don’t want much experience these days.
  • I have too many jobs on my resume.
  • I’ve been at one company too long.
  • Companies are only hiring consultants.
  • Companies are focused on diversity, and I’m not “diverse”.
  • I’m a minority and face discrimination.
  • It’s a “Good Old Boys” network, and I’m not a “Good Old Boy”.
  • …and many, many more.

He goes on:

After 23 years in the executive search business, I can honestly tell you that many of the traditional barriers that used to be common, are all but gone.  “Conventional Wisdom” about age, or race, disability, or sex discrimination just don’t exist anywhere near where they used to even 10 or 20 years ago.  Certainly there are instances where it occurs, however, they are isolated and rare.  Most people that are convinced that they are being singled out though, “find” discrimination, or negative business reasons everywhere.

Even more interesting, Harry comments:

In fact, for almost any person that gives a reason why they cannot get hired, you can find another person with the same circumstances that got a job.  It may take more effort. It may take a different approach. However, the biggest stumbling block to getting a job is often the mindset of the seeker.

Be sure to read his full post HERE.

This reminds me a lot of my friend Stephanie A. Lloyd’s post, “75 Reasons You Didn’t Get the Job.” An excerpt:

  1. You laughed too much.
  2. You didn’t show a sense of humor.
  3. You talked too loud.
  4. You talked too softly.
  5. You seemed arrogant.
  6. You didn’t show enough confidence.
  7. You were late.
  8. You arrived *way* too early.
  9. Your resume is too long.
  10. Your resume is too short.
  11. Your hair is too long.
  12. Your hair is too short.

Hmm…Can’t win, can you? The fact is, there is no perfect job search technique. We coaches suggest best practices, advise what not to do, but there is really no magic wand…no silver bullet.

So – back to Freakonomics…Are you looking at EVERY AVAILABLE OPTION? Are you FORGETTING WHAT YOU WANT TO BE TRUE? Think about it….Let me know what you are doing and thinking!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by bhaven

ROI, your job search and social media

By

jump3113896395_fc8eb121ff_m“What’s the ROI? How do you know you are GETTING something from it? How much time do you spend?”

These are questions a friend of mine asks when I talk about how much I enjoy using Twitter to connect with colleagues and job seekers. She wants quantified RESULTS. How much money did I earn from it? How many clients do I have because of Twitter? She’s busy. She needs to make every second count.

I’m thinking, “Do you ask about the ROI and decide if you are going to use the phone for your business? Email?” Do you know much MONEY you made last month because you use the phone?

I’m thinking, “If you want to move your business to the next level and doing what you have always done is not working, it is time to try something new. Something new does not always come with any immediate ROI. It builds. Snowballs. When that something new is Twitter, the impact could come in drips – a new client here and there – a retweet or two, or it may come in a wave – a new business opportunity or partner, a new friend.”

We have lots of opportunities to expand our circles. Entrepreneurs have opportunities to share our expertise and sell our services. Similarly, job seekers can dive in, stake a claim online and lay claim to their own “brands.” Are you going to see an immediate “return” on your investment in social networks as a job seeker? Probably not, although you never know. (After all, it only takes one good contact.) Certainly, you can sit on the sidelines, shaking your head and saying, “That will never work. I can’t do that. It takes too much time.” It is your own choice.

My vote? Dive in “with wild abandon,” as my English teacher used to say. (Although, he was talking about great books, not Twitter!) Do something new! Try something different. It’s a chance. A risk that you will be “wasting your time.” Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you have something to offer, get out there and offer it or no one will know.

Just do it. What is stopping you?

If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community!

photo by nolly