Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

JobAngels: A Twitter phenomenon helps job seekers

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jobangels_winglogo_stacked“It is the one certainty in today’s environment – change is inevitable. Dynamic market conditions necessitate the timely and continuous deployment of thoughtful strategies and approaches.”

It doesn’t surprise me that these sentiments lead Mark Stelzner’s business site.
If you haven’t heard of Mark, you’ll be interested to know that he is a human resources consultant who, while pondering the excessive number of layoffs and out-of-work people who could benefit from resources and support, sent out a tweet that started a fast-growing, timely and thoughtful movement to help job seekers!

The tweet:

marks-tweet

Apparently, his followers, including many recruiters, were game! The resulting business, JobAngels, has become a viral Twitter phenomenon, growing to over 1,700 followers in just a few short weeks and nearing 3,000 across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn since Mark’s initial message on January 29th. JobAngels now boasts a website (in development) that Mark refers to as the theoretical prodigy of Match.com and LinkedIn. More specifically, he said “If Match.com and LinkedIn had a child, this is what it would look like.”

I recently had a chance to speak to Charee Klimek, Chief Marketing Officer, COO and Guardian Angel. She originally became acquainted with Mark via Twitter, as did the rest of the core organizing team: Deirdre Honner, Chief Connection Officer and Guardian Angel and Chris Bailey, Chief Technical Officer and Community Manager. Charee marveled at how individuals in the community embraced the movement aimed at bringing like-minded people together for the common goal of helping just one person find a job.

Charee explained that JobAngels is working on becoming registered as a non-profit organization whose mission, vision and values will align with the generous outpouring of support this movement has engendered. JobAngels plans to maintain the “high-touch, high-tech” presence they have fostered and maintained since Mark’s original tweet. The organizing “Angels” (all volunteering their time) hope that their efforts to grow and strengthen this movement will serve as “sandbags” helping to stave off the flood of unemployment, one person at a time.

What do you need to know to get involved? If you are interested in helping to network or able to hire someone, simply follow @jobangels on Twitter or join their LinkedIn or Facebook communities and alert them that you are willing to be an ‘Angel.’ If you are looking for a job, feel free to DM @JobAngels with your location and the type of position you seek; they will broadcast your request for an Angel using #jobangels. You’ll also want to follow the hashtag: #jobangels to keep up with the stream of information on Twitter.

I have already experienced the amazing reach of this network myself! I tweeted a request for a client, a photographer in Georgia, and almost immediately heard back from a contact in Chicago who offered to try to help! Amazing!

Charee noted that the Guardian Angels believe that “every bit of help from an Angel, no matter how small, sets the foundation for a successful career search.” JobAngels seeks success stories as a result of this nascent movement. If you have a story to share, they ask that you send it to [email protected].

As hundreds of people roll up their sleeves to help – and job seekers recognize the value of “loose” networking connections – it’s only a matter of time before the stories start coming in!

Need help with your search? Assistance using Twitter and other social networking platforms to fuel your search? Contact me – I can help!

 


How to Use Facebook for Your Job Search

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Last week, I reported on an experiment that Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job conducted with new college grads who posted ads on Facebook advertising their interest in working in specific industries.

The technique is bold, a bit different and did result in some networking opportunities for the 20-somethings who participated. However, the fact is, advertising a job search on Facebook isn’t a strategy for every job seeker, as you run the risk of looking a bit desperate, which isn’t exactly the persona most hiring managers seek.

So, is Facebook useless for your job hunt? Absolutely not! Networking is the #1 way people find jobs, and, contrary to popular belief, not all of those networking connections are the result of “close connections” – such as your brother-in-law hiring your next-door neighbor. In reality, making connections in a variety of settings will help propel your search.

In fact, the New York Times recently published an article, The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy, which emphasizes the importance of expanding your network beyond your immediate circle:

This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Sociologists have long found that “weak ties” greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.

This idea is also proven in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, an excellent read for those interested in being connected!

Facebook offers many opportunities for connecting and expanding your network. Phil Rosenberg recently suggested the following ideas to use Facebook groups to expand your network:

Post the right message:
Commenting and posting links to industry articles in the spirit of sharing shows you as a giver and an expert at the same time. Make sure that the article or message is relevant to the group.

Start the conversation:
Brag. If you’re creative, write about successful projects you’ve been involved in (you may not be able to include the company name if you can’t disclose). Again, this is sharing with the audience, and is both appreciated, and demonstrates your expertise.

Continue the conversation:
Comment on posts that others have started. Include more ideas than just “I agree”.

Include links:
Sign your post or comment with your signature block with live links to your Facebook, LinkedIN, personal Blog, personal webpage, etc. Why? Links get you Google and Yahoo rankings.

So, while you may not be a 20-something willing to advertise your job hunt, don’t discount Facebook as a place to propel your job search!

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Need help with your hunt? We can help you get your job hunt in gear! Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Facebook May Propel Your Job Search Networking

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Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job, “an insider’s guide to unique and exciting entry-level job and career opportunities for recent college graduates,” recently ran an experiment with new college grads to see if posting ads about their desire to work in certain companies (Disney, Sprint) or certain fields (publishing, entry-level) could propel their job searches to the next level.

Although none of the 5 new grads who participated in the experiment landed a job as a result of their ads, they did have some interesting results. Willy notes some key takeaways:

1. The most successful students were those who targeted a single company with a very specific ad that mentioned the company’s name in the text.

2. Targeting by location draws too many extraneous clicks and seems to have a low return on investment.

3. Spending more on ads leads to more responses.

4. This method is best suited for targeting larger employers with significant populations of Facebook users.

So, should everyone advertise their job search on Facebook? I don’t think so, but I think there is a lot of potential for expanding your network as a new or recent college grad. For a more senior person seeking an opportunity, I think it may border on seeming desperate!

Some other important points…
Consider this type of marketing as part of your networking plan. I believe the best way to approach this is to hope to make connections who may be willing to help you with your job hunt.

Spend some time sprucing up the site where potential connections will wind up when they click through your ad. If that site is your linkedin profile, optimize it before you set up a campaign. If that site is your blog, make sure the blog is up-to-date and current and would appeal to your target audience.

Willy also notes (and I agree) that sealing the deal is key in this strategy. Just because you have an ad and people click through to learn more about you doesn’t mean that you will get a job. Your follow-up and ability to demonstrate why you are a great networking link (and a great hire) depends on how you manage the follow-through.

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!

Need help with your hunt? Did you know we offer a resume consulting service? We advise, you write! Or, hire us to write your resume for you. Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Nostalgia Leads to Networking

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If you’re a regular reader, you’ve noticed a pattern to this week’s posts. I’m feeling kind of nostalgic…remembering my college days, which makes me think back to high school.

My family moved away from my home town in the suburbs of Chicago when I went to college. Moving so far away, it was hard to keep in touch with any but my very closest friends from that time. (I know this probably seems a foreign concept to students today, but this was before social networking and Web 2.0. Think actually PAYING for long distance calls – made while tethered to a phone with a cord – and needing to mail letters!)

This nostalgia led to a little flurry of activity in my FaceBook account, which leads to me today’s post. Randomly (it seems), I’ve all of the sudden been compelled to spend time “friending” neighbors from my home town, classmates and even more distant aquaintances from high school. (Being more of a linkedin kind of gal, I admit to not spending a lot of time pursuing FaceBook connections in the past.)

We exchange a note, maybe post something on our “walls,” view photos…There’s no long-term investment of time or energy to touch base, and it is comforting to know that maybe I won’t lose track of these old friends again.

I like that this group of people who share a bond with me, albeit distant, is out there. I know that I’d be happy to help or support any of them if I could, and I think they would do the same for me.

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Luckily, I am not in this flurry of networking activity because I “need” something from any of these contacts. (It’s really more of a nostalgia thing.)…Which leads me to connect this post to a relevant career topic!

With prices going up and salaries going down (and some jobs becoming fewer and further between)….

NOW is the time to enhance, re-build or create your network.

Networking is about relationships…Most of us have relationships that we’ve let fall by the wayside. Maybe a little revival isn’t a bad idea.

Using social networks – which may or may not lead to offline meetings – there’s no specific time committment, no small talk (really), no “what do I wear to go to that event.” Reaching out is as easy as a click of the mouse, some exchanged emails and touching base once in a while. FaceBook gives you everyone in your networks’ birthdate – consider sending a note to remember their special day.

Baby steps to online networking are okay – find some “friends,” see if there may be some potential revived relationships and nurture them.

Stay tuned for more on FaceBook for job hunting…

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