Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

What's important to you at work?

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Do you feel empowered as a job seeker? Do you have a list of needs and wants? Are you bored at work, but haven’t taken any steps to remedy the problem?

I recently came across some of Penelope Trunk’s videos. (Hat tip @LRuettimann.)

This is an older video, but I think these points Penelope identifies as most important to Gen Y job seekers is, in one sense, timeless. (I think it is also true that these are values for a lot of people who are not Gen Y.)

– They value time over money.

– They recognize that it is important to have friends at work.

– Location is key.

View Penelope’s video:


What do you think? What is most important for you as a job seeker? How do you evaluate an opportunity? What makes the difference for you, and how do those things change depending on your situation? What are you doing to help yourself land the opportunity that is best suited to your needs?

7 tips to help you become a better ACTIVE listener

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I can’t talk enough about how important it is to be a good listener if you want to succeed in your job hunt. Earlier this week, I shared tips to help improve your listing skills. Today, some additional thoughts and advice!

I have written about how to stand out in a sea of sameness.  Instead of focusing on YOU – what you want, what you offer – start listening. Ask questions. Be the candidate who connects on an emotional level with your audience. There’s nothing that people like better than someone who seems interested in THEM – it’s human nature. Be the one who listens first and answers based on what you learn. You may be surprised by how well this technique works!

Being an active listener is just that – a process that involves your participation. On the surface, listening is something you do without thinking. In reality, to be a good listener, you need to work at it.

, who writes for the About.com Guide offered these tips to help become an active listener.

  1. Listen for verbal clues.
  2. Watch for nonverbal clues. “ Eyebrows, hands, pauses, eyes” – these note when a person makes an important point.
  3. Be mindful of your own reactions. Nod or smile, but try to avoid physically reacting to a negative comment. Fleming notes,  “As long as you’re managing your reactions, you’re still listening.”
  4. Avoid making predictions. Don’t assume what the person will say next, as it usually means you will stop listening.
  5. Focus on the words, not the person. Don’t focus on what the person wears or ugly hairstyle!
  6. Don’t get caught up on one detail. It is easy to get distracted, but you don’t want to miss the next important point.
  7. Don’t let your mind wander. Your “to do” list can wait. Push non-related thoughts from your mind to focus on the conversation.

Don’t miss the rest of my series about the five networking fundamentals to help you land a job. Review the pieces about the keys to researching your networking targets, how to ask good questions and six ways to improve your listening skills.

Once you have a chance to think about updating your skills, take  this quiz to evaluate your general listening skills.

Please share your ideas and comments about good listening in the comments!

photo by vickisnature

How to evaluate your resume

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Recently, I have been working on a corporate job. One of the things I have been doing is writing annotations of resumes. I review the documents and then write up some notes explaining how each one addresses the key issues that are necessary to connect with a hiring manager. I assess the points the author is making and indicate how the body of the document supports those main points.

It occurred to me that it is a GREAT idea for job seekers to use this analytical process to evaluate their own resumes. Think about it…

Identify your main points. (The goal is for these to resonate with the hiring manager.) For example, a manager may have the following points to include in the Highlights of Qualifications section:

  • Mentoring/supervisory skills,
  • Diplomacy/communication
  • Leadership and
  • Specific subject matter expertise.

Once you identify the important skills – review the resume and identify which of the bullets PROVE each of your main points. When someone else reads the resume, will that person see proof of the intended skills? Does the resume include accomplishments related to each of the points? It is not unusual to see a resume that states something but fails to prove it in the body of the resume. Any point that you are not supporting with evidence in your resume is a lost opportunity to drive home your point to the hiring manager.

So, take a stab at your own resume…How are you supporting your points? (Or not?) Fill in the details – include skills and accomplishments to really give a full picture. I always say to my clients: You don’t send a prospective employer a “dot-to-dot” and expect him or her to fill in the blanks. Send a fully fleshed out portrait that leaves no doubt that you have what it takes to solve the employer’s problems.

photo from Beth Hampton

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

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