Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Is the Personal Professional?

By

 

Today, one of my “read daily” blog writers, Penelope Trunk, wrote about getting on Twitter and used it as a way to talk about doing something that scares you.

For those who don’t know, Twitter is a way to post updates about your daily activities so that your “followers” will know your every move. Some people use it to give details of their day. “Went to the store. No fresh chocolate croissants. Bummer.” You get the idea.

I actually started posting when I update my blog on Twitter. (Feel free to “follow” me. Don’t worry, I won’t let you know what I have for dinner or how many poopy diapers I change in a day!)

For me, Penelope’s post brought to mind an issue that is important for all professionals. Where do we draw the line between the personal and the professional? We already know that recruiters review FaceBook and “Google” potential employees to see if there is any “dirt” that would make them undesirable.

I met a woman this month who told me the story of a son’s friend (new college grad) who showed up for an interview at a big firm only to be shown all of the unflattering materials they had found about him online. They used it as an opportunity to let him know why they wouldn’t be following through with the interview.

Social media is here to stay, though. In fact, it becomes more and more necessary to understand and participate in it. (For example, if you’re not linkedin, you may be missing out on great professional opportunities.)

Where do we draw the line between the personal and the professional?

Keith Ferrazzi says something pertinent in his book, Never Eat Alone…

“Power, today comes from sharing information, not withholding it. More than ever, the lines demarcating the personal and the professional have blurred. We’re an open-source society, and that calls for open-source behavior.” (p.146)

It seems that Twitter and other social media encourage this openness and offer vehicles to link personal and professional interests. As “the personal is political,” maybe “the personal is professional.”

Something to think about…

Keppie Careers will help you use social media to your advantage. www.keppiecareers.com

Work Getting Lonely?

By

Feeling lonely at work?  Work by yourself or from home and miss all of that great office banter?  The exchange of ideas?  The politics?

Keith Ferrazzi suggests seeking out a peer for support and camaraderie.  It’s a great idea to find a colleague who is in your field or a complementary field (a realtor and a mortgage broker is a classic example) to get together, shoot the breeze and share ideas.  I make a point to get together with other career coaches as much as possible.  There’s only so much online networking you can do before you want to actually speak to someone in person!

Another great idea is to find a mentor.  Coincidentally, the folks over at brazencareerist.com are highlighting how to get and keep a mentor.  Check out blogs by Caitlin Weaver and Ben Casnocha for thoughts on another way to network and avoid a lonely work life. ÂÂ

Remember – it’s up to you to drive your own career bus.ÂÂ

Don’t be lonely during your job hunt.  Keppie Careers is here to help.  www.keppiecareers.com

Thinking of Adding Linkedin Link to Your Resume?

By

Have you considered adding a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile on your resume or other job-search correspondence?  If so, keep these tips in mind:

  • Make sure your LinkedIn and your resume match up 100%.  Sometimes, since it’s “just LinkedIn,” job seekers are not as careful about dates and details as they would be on a resume. You don’t want any discrepancies to raise red flags.
  • Spend as much time making your LinkedIn profile perfect as you do your resume.  Neither should have typos or careless errors.
  • Enhance your linkedin profile.  Be sure to optimize your online materials, as many recruiters source from that pool.
  • Be aware that potential employers use LinkedIn resources to find out about you.  Granted, this is true whether or not you offer the link, but if you have a profile and offer the link, be sure you don’t mind people following up with common connections without your knowledge.
  • Be careful about what information you make public.  For example, if you’ve asked a lot of questions about job hunting, you may not want to make your list of questions public on your LinkedIn profile.

If you have a strong profile, solid connections to colleagues and employers and have spent time enhancing your LinkedIn image, you will be prepared to use this network as a job-hunting tool.

I can help you with your LinkedIn profile, your resume and coach you through every step of your job hunt.

Don’t Dread Working a Room – Revise Your Thinking for Career Success

By

It’s always a good time for a reminder of the importance of extending ourselves in order to meet job success – literally.  Jason Jacobsohn at Networking Insight suggested that networkers who dread a room full of strangers change their mindsets to take full advantage of the potentially beneficial contacts before them.  He suggests the following mindsets (commentary my own):

Mindset 1: Room Full of Opportunity
Remember, all it takes is one great contact to get you on the way to where you want to go. If there is a room of people, every “Hello, my name is…” could turn into a possibility.  You may meet your next employer, business partner or spouse.  All you need to do is walk inside and introduce yourself.  No one is going to bite you.  Just do it!

Mindset 2: Channel Fear into Energy
How many people do you know who LOVE to “work a room?” Probably not many.  Most of us (even extroverts) don’t jump for joy at the idea of a room full of strangers.  A little nervous energy could be a good thing.  Don’t let fear paralyze your chances for job search success.

Mindset 3: Speaking Practice
If you’ve developed and practiced your elevator pitch, there’s no better place to use it than a room full of potential contacts.  This is just the opportunity you’ve been waiting for!

Mindset 4: Posture Practice
Jacobsohn reminds us to have good posture, a firm handshake, smiles and strong eye contact.

Mindset 5: Learning Opportunity
It is nice to sell yourself, but remember that you have a great opportunity to learn about other people in networking situations.  Think about how you can help them before trying to figure out what they can do for you. You don’t know enough to know what it is you don’t know.  (Trust me…This is true.)

Networking is a way to open those doors.  I’ve written about the importance of speaking to people you think can’t help you.  One way to break the ice in a networking situation is to find someone whom you are pretty sure isn’t a great contact.  Approach them, introduce yourself and try out your elevator pitch.  You’ll get great practice and you may be surprised to learn how the “cold lead” may become your best networking ally.

Counter-intuitive Advice: Talk to People Who "Can't Help You"

By

“You don’t know enough to know what it is you don’t know.”

Does that describe you?  I bet that it does about some things.  Hopefully, there are areas about which you can confidently say you know a lot, but for most of us, especially in our high tech, ever changing world, there is always more to learn.  How many are experts in everything?  I would challenge you to find someone who could give you good advice about anything you might ask.

As part of my work for Keppie Careers, I keep a close eye on career and resume trends by reading books, blogs and keeping in touch with my advisory board of professionals in an array of industries.  

When I’m not writing resumes, coaching, blogging and reading, in the spirit of “practice what you preach,” I also frequently meet people for “informational interviews.” I attend Chamber of Commerce meetings, visit close-contact networking groups and seek out an array of networking opportunities.  It is amazing to me how our  need for networking (as entreuprenuers and as job seekers) has spawned a whole industry of people for whom networking is actually their business!

I’ve been to coffee with real estate professionals, a dentist, investment advisors, life coaches, travel professionals, vitamin sales people, photographers and a salesperson trainer, just to  name a few.  It never ceases to amaze me how much we have to share with each other, and the possible “touch points” between our businesses or our networks. 

Taking the time to meet these professionals offers me the opportunity to share information about my business, but more importantly, I have a chance to learn about programs, events and opportunities I might never have considered.  I also try to share something that will help them and offer to be a resource.

In a recession, it is even more important to expand our circles when job seeking. 

Some lessons:

Never underestimate the possibility for really interesting common ground.  Some of the meetings I’ve least felt like getting up at 6 a.m. to attend have been the most productive in terms of what I’ve learned.

Just because someone isn’t in your field doesn’t mean they don’t have useful information for you.  (Or you for them.) Our lives intersect in so many points.  Think of someone you consider least likely to be able to share good information with you for your search.  Meet for coffee.  You may be surprised!

Open your eyes to the opportunities!  Seek out places to meet new people.  Join an organization, a new health club or take a class.  Google “networking opportunities, (your city)” and see what comes up!  Then, don’t just attend, be an active participant.

I attended a great meeting last night.  It’s a networking group for women and is held at a home over dinner.  We all shared information about our businesses and there was time for chit-chat.  It was up to all of us to see how we could help each other.  I could have done my “elevator pitch,” listened to everyone else’s, and left.  That wouldn’t have been networking, though.  That would have been attending an event. 

I challenge you – find a new place to meet people and engage them.  You never know how you might be able to help each other.  Networking, or netweaving, is all about giving and getting.  I was a lot of fun for me to be able to connect several of the women at the event last night to other contacts in their fields, even though we had no obvious professional commonalities. 

Engage – ask questions…be able to explain who you are and what you do.  Don’t underestimate the value of every connection.  Everyone knows someone who knows someone who knows something.  Inserting yourself as part of the chain is a great step in the right direction!

Networking sounds too hard? Even if you are shy, you can learn how to be effective at networking!  Keppie Careers will help you.  Need a great resume?  Mock interview?  Contact Keppie Careers.  We advise, encourage and enlighten job seekers and offer a toolbox of practical tips and support.