Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Job Action Day – how to create job opportunities by being a connector

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For the third year in a row, I am thrilled to be invited to participate in QuintCareers’ Job Action Day, when many career professionals write about the selected, timely topic. QuintCareers explains, “The theme for Job Action Day 2010 is “Creating Opportunity.” At a time when traditional full-time jobs with benefits are giving way to temp jobs, contract/project work, and part-time jobs with limited or no benefits, job-seekers must be both open to nontraditional twists on jobs and creative ways — such as through submitting job proposals to employers — to land positions.”

I write a lot about using social media and other “non-traditional” approaches to job search. I believe in social networking tools, and know that entrepreneurs can win business using them and job seekers can land opportunities. I particularly love Twitter, and have often waxed poetic about how useful it is for job seekers. (See this post for links to my thoughts about using Twitter for job hunting.)

Attending several conferences recently (Career Directors International, a career coaches’ and resume writers’ convention and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Atlanta, an organization dedicated to recruiting and HR issues) inspired me to go a little retro for this post.  I’d suggest that to create opportunity, you need to think about being a connector (someone who enjoys introducing people, for personal or professional benefit).

Wikipedia defines “connector,” a term Malcolm Gladwell popularized in his 2000 book The Tipping Point:

Connectors are said…to be people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. Connectors usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles.

Although connectors are rare — only one in several thousand people might be thought of as a true connector — they are…very important in the healthy function of civil society and business. Connectors are also important in trendsetting.

My friend, Jenny DeVaughn, is the best example of being a connector that I know. Jenny is the Director, Social Strategy at Bernard Hodes Group, where she is “responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of social media strategies for clients, including ongoing training.” She is an expert regarding recruiting for today and develops and implements social media recruitment strategies for clients, including Fortune 500 organizations. She also has her own blog, Social Precision, where she shares tips and up-to-date ideas relevant to both the hiring side and job seekers.

I had a chance to see Jenny speak to a packed room at SHRM-Atlanta. (Read some of her advice  HERE.) She’s clearly way ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and connecting online. She shared that she is one of the top three most connected women on LinkedIn! You may assume someone so focused on online connecting might not be a skilled in-person networker, but the opposite is true when it comes to Jenny.

Jenny creates opportunity wherever she is. I have never stood next to her without watching Jenny introduce someone to another person, suggest some potential business or personal commonalities, make a connection or offer an idea. It amazes me how focused she is on helping other people succeed and what an awesome link she provides by letting each person know how the other person might relate to what he or she is doing.

Creating opportunity is an important and relevant topic, and one that job seekers need to think about in an environment when jobs are few and far between. Take a lesson from a connector — Jenny sees opportunity just by looking around and by thinking ahead. She obviously makes it a point to know what people do, what skills they have and makes the most of this information by sharing it and introducing people.

Think about it — how can you make opportunity by looking around? Who might you be able to introduce to someone else for a potential opportunity? How can you help those around you? When you are in that mindset of being a connector and serving as a hub of information and resources, it will also help you identify opportunities that may be available to you.

Stay tuned for a post about my friend Laura Labovich’s tips for how to introduce yourself effectively and for impact when meeting in person!

Please check out these blog posts that are joining mine in supporting Job Action Day 2010:

You can also find Job Action Day 2010 posts on these blogs:

#ATLMix Tweetup

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I want to “personally” invite you to join me and Stephanie A. Lloyd for the third  #ATLMix Tweetup on Thursday, June 17th beginning at 6 pm at  Pizzeria Venti on Lenox Road in Buckhead. Pizzeria Venti’s owners, Brian and Jaime Lackey and their staff are so hospitable, and we appreciate their sponsorship of our event! If you’re on Twitter, follow the hashtag #ATLMix for information and to connect with other people who plan to attend.

Even if you are not using Twitter (yet!), feel free to join us! I invited a non-tweeting colleague who asked, “What is the advantage of a tweetup?” Let me count the ways! For the uninitiated, a tweetup is just the Twitter term for a get-together/opportunity to network with all different types of people. It’s amazing what synergies there are between professionals in very different fields.

For tips to network in-person AND a free ebook offer, CLICK HERE!

Networking is important for job seekers and non-job seekers alike. This tweetup (free to attend – you purchase your food and beverages) – is a great way to connect with people you would probably never otherwise meet! I hope to see you there, and feel free to invite your friends!

You can find details and registration here. Space is limited so be sure to sign up early.

Watch this fun video that Stephanie created…You won’t want to miss the fun!

Holidays are great for job seekers – a free eBook to get you started

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Are you on your way to a Memorial Day bar-b-que? Have you considered that it is a great opportunity to network if you are looking for a job?

Many new job seekers or people who haven’t looked for a job in a long time may not know about the “hidden job market.”  Sounds sinister, but all it really means is that most (70 – 80% or more!) of jobs aren’t actually filled with people applying to a job posting or announcement; they are filled via personal connections.

You can see why it’s a good idea to get on this networking bandwagon!  Networking is a huge topic, and I have tons to say on the subject, but since we are in the midst of another holiday, let’s leave it at this:

If you’re going to a picnic or party, you will probably have an opportunity to meet some new people.

How can you introduce yourself with an eye toward seeing if there is a potential career link with your new acquaintance?  Ask someone if they did anything fun over the summer…Strike up some conversations that have NOTHING to do with your job search.

You never know where you’ll meet the professional connection that will link you to a new opportunity.

If you’d like a copy of my ebook about how to optimize your networking for holidays (or anytime, really), subscribe to receive my blog via email. (You must subscribe via the email link to get the eBook, although RSS is an option as well.)

It’s free! Click here to subscribe and receive a free ebook.

Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt.

photo by avixyz

Twitter chats – a great way to expand your network

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If you have not been using Twitter to expand your networking community and broaden your network – why not?

Even if you did not already know that the word  “Twitter” is the fastest growing term to appear in job postings appearing in job boards (per Indeed.com), you should still be using Twitter because it is an amazing place to connect and learn and to grow the number of people who *know* you and are able and willing to help you (with your job hunt or your workout routine).

Thanks to Christina Brown, I recently learned about a resource I had not used before – the Twitter Chat Schedule.  Another resource to find chats is Tweetreports.

A Twitter chat is a time when people who have similar interests hop on Twitter and tweet using a hashtag (a hashtag is a # along with a word or acronym) that helps everyone interested get in on the conversation. I have participated in #JobHuntChat (Monday nights at 10-11 pm eastern), which is a great opportunity to network and learn from career coaches, hiring managers, recruiters and other job seekers. Clearly, I follow the job searching community on Twitter pretty closely, which is how I knew about this chat.

However, I would never have imagined that there was a chat about strength training (#sbgym) or pharmaceutical marketing and social media (#socpharm), a chat for foodies (#SOSfood) and one to discuss fashion and style (#styletalk). The list goes on and on. Of course, there are a lot of chats having to do with social media, and there are several other career oriented chats – #internchat, for example…

The great thing about joining chats and communities pertaining to your hobbies and interests is that it gives you an opportunity to connect with other people about things that have nothing to do with jobs. Just as it is a good idea for job seekers to join a biking club if they enjoy biking, or an art class if artistically talented, Twitter provides an unprecedented way to reach out to new people and to extend your “loose” network – people you would otherwise never meet.

Don’t be shy – take a look at the schedule and find a fun chat…You will be surprised at how generous people are once you exchange a few tweets. The next-door neighbor of the person who may need to hire you may be on Twitter chatting right now!

Haven’t gotten started on Twitter? Read this post that I wrote to encourage job seekers to dive into this amazing network.

photo by joelaz

Body language matters in your job hunt

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I’ve been writing about listening skills last week don’t miss 7 tips to become a better active listener and 6 ways to become a better listener. One point that came up several times – body language is an important element of good listening. Think about it – eye contact, nodding, leaning in to listen – all of these help your conversation partner recognize how engaged you are and helps him or her feel valued as part of a conversation.

Body language may be more important than you think in a job hunt.

Kate Lorenz wrote about the topic for CareerBuilder.com. She said:

Research has shown that the first impression you make on an interviewer really sticks. In one study, untrained subjects were shown 20- to 32-second videotaped segments of job applicants greeting their interviewers. When the subjects rated the applicants on attributes like self-assurance and likeability, their assessments were very similar to the interviewers’ — who had spent more than 20 minutes with each applicant.

Seems like focusing on your body language – and first impressions – matters – a lot!

I once wrote a term paper about the importance of body language. The quote I remember from it,

“Don’t underestimate the power of body language,”

from The Little Mermaid, is no less true today!

(Yes, I really quoted a Disney movie in my paper. It worked.)

Did you know that people who are positive and confident outperform their peers in their job searches? Research shows that persistence and a postive attitude pay off in the job hunt. You can always pick out a pessimist by his or her body language – slumped shoulders, eyes down, expressionless (or frowning). No one wants to hire someone who seems sad or pessimistic. Straighten up, smile and make eye contact. Your body language speaks louder than your words.

In fact, research also shows that body language makes up more than half of how our communication is perceived. That means that you may be describing your greatest business accomplishment, but if your posture isn’t good and you don’t make effective eye contact, you might as well tell the interviewer about the time you lost your portfolio on the way to a presentation.

Another telling body language tool is the handshake.

How many times do we have to tell you – strong and firm gets the job done! BusinessWeek wrote about several different types of handshakes to use and some to avoid. Eye contact along with a firm handshake can make a world of difference to how you are being perceived.

Remember – the little things matter.

In fact, the “little things” may actually be the BIG things! Focus on every aspect of your presentation to ensure that you put your best foot forward with your job search.

photo by Gerwin Filius