Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Facebook for your job hunt?

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FBfriendwheel693439830_51fcf34cc4_mI don’t write very much about using Facebook for your job hunt. Why? Honestly, it’s not my favorite social network. I’m a bit of a Twitter fanatic, and LinkedIn is an obvious social networking tool for job seekers. I usually say that Facebook is my #3 “go-to” social network for job seekers.

That said, you may have read recently that Facebook has reached over 300 million users. We know that, if it were a country, it would be the world’s 4th largest. My friend Dan Schawbel tweeted stats that LinkedIn just hit 50 million users and Twitter has ~20 million.

So, it would be unwise to ignore how job seekers can mobilize their Facebook networks for professional networking. That’s why I was so excited to read THIS POST by Sarah Welstead, a Recruitment Marketing Consultant who works with Head2Head and RetiredWorker. She really nails down some great reasons to re-look at Facebook.

Some of her points? (In bold – commentary is mine.)

Just because it’s ‘fun’ doesn’t mean it’s not ‘productive.’

Au contraire, mon frere. (Ah, Facebook reminds me of high school – just something my old friend used to say!) How amazing is it that something that is a “guilty pleasure” for some can actually be useful! How is it useful to reconnect with old high school (or grade school!) friends? Read on…

Still a ‘sphere of influence’ – just a different sphere

You need to network? Well, Facebook is a network! I have a colleague who mentioned that she gets a lot of referrals from connections on Facebook, as her high school friends are all professionals now, many of whom need resumes and job search help.

Similarly, you can connect with friends on Facebook for professional information and advice. You never know who knows someone who knows someone.

Your school friends have grown up into successful people – who’ll make great business contacts!

Welstead notes in her piece: “Remember, people tend to move in peer groups:  That means that if you’re ambitious and successful now, the kids you hung with in high school or university, and the friends you made in your first career jobs in your early 20s, have probably gone on to be successful and ambitious, too.  In other words, they’re worth knowing for professional reasons.”

So, if you use Facebook only to take quizzes and complain about your spouse, it probably won’t be terribly useful for professional networking. But, if you include enough information to let people know about the professional you, it can be a very personal and successful way to connect.

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!
Stay tuned tomorrow for more great reasons to be on Facebook!
If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you!

Stand out in a crowd to improve job prospects. Here's how.

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standoutincrowd2447128243_b9ed95ec74_mMonday, I reviewed Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book, Crush It! and yesterday I posted some additional thoughts inspired by his book regarding personal branding. (It’s looking like Gary Vaynerchuk week here at Keppie Careers! That’s okay – I think these are important points that job seekers don’t often stop to consider.)

Today, I’d like to share an interview that Pam Slim (author of Escape from Cubicle Nation) conducted. You can tell how passionate Gary is about the subject:


Interview with Gary Vaynerchuck, author of Crush It! from Pamela Slim on Vimeo.

A summary of the highlights:

  • Stop doing what you hate – the cost of doing what you love is a lot less than it was 10 years ago.
  • Everybody has a voice. Being in business now is like “working a room.” You can’t control the conversation.
  • Quality of your product is key.  Content is king.
  • Regarding integrity/credibility. If you are worried about credibility, it means you don’t have it.
  • Do what you love. Apply what you understand about social media to your passion. Apply social media to make things happen – it’s free! The gatekeepers are gone. Going through the trenches is gone.

Gary’s book is mainly directed to people who are considering breaking out and becoming a business owner. However, it’s important to focus on the fact that these points apply equally well to anyone who wants to work for someone else, but doesn’t want to get lost in the crowd.

If you think about what you have to offer and take some time to share it, you will improve your career profile and the number of opportunities available, whether or not you need them right now. I think it is worth investing some effort. Your return could be more than you think.

Think you could use a little help raising your career profile? I can help! Learn more about Keppie Careers.

photo by shellysblogger

New Media Atlanta – lessons for job seekers mimic those for business owners

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chriseditedDSC00965-800x572It’s always fun to get together with all of my social media friends! Atlanta has a great community of tweeters, bloggers and social media enthusiasts.

Yesterday, I attended the New Media Atlanta, a conference organized by Matt Fagioli and Brad Nix. (In the picture, I pose (from far left) with my friends Stephanie A. Lloyd and Stephanie Frost with key note speaker and social media guru, Chris Brogan.)

Listening to the speakers and panelists, one message came across very clearly to me:

Advice to entrepreneurs and business owners for using social media to improve their prospects parallels the advice I offer job seeking clients.

Below is a recap of my tweets from the conference. (In reverse chronological order.) See if you don’t agree that job seekers can learn a lot from information aimed at business owners!

For non Twitter users, #nmatl is a “hashtag” used for the conference to make it easier for people to follow the conversation on Twitter. If you search that tag on Twitter, you will find the entire stream of tweets about the conference.

MY TWITTER RECAP

. @chrisbrogan talking about “share vs. hoard.” Good for #jobseekers to think about-SHARE. You may be surprised at results

Don’t collect business cards like Pokemon via @chrisbrogan at #nmatl. DO: LISTEN-ASK-RECIPROCATE-COMMENT-COMMENT BACK

Business opportunities come to people who connect ppl to other ppl – via @chrisbrogan #nmatl

.@chrisbrogan reminds us that #jobseekers shouldn’t start looking for a job after they’ve been fired. Manage UR relationships along the way

“Your competitor is doing it.” @chrisbrogan on social media for businesses. SAME for #jobseekers. Find your niche & what you offer. #nmatl

. @chrisbrogan says “Reciprocity is a powerful thing” – YES. #Jobseekers – listen up! #nmatl

Integrate social media with all of your marketing efforts-advice for businesses from #nmatl. Also ++ for #jobseekers. Don’t rely on 1 thing.

Branding advice works for #jobseekers-Simple story, be articulate and intelligent! Take the time to KNOW YOUR STORY! #nmatl

#nmatl – Branding – Find a simple story in product and present it in articulate & intelligent, persuassive way – Bill Bernbach via @tobydiva

Brent Leary says “Listening to customers yields more than asking.” Same idea for #jobseekers-use your ears and mind to connect. #nmatl

Jeff Turner shares useful tool to monitor # convos: http://tweetgrid.com/irc #nmatl

Jeff Turner: “important to take risks.” Lesson for job seekers: Take a chance! Connect w/someone new. What’s worst that’ll happen? #nmatl

Relationships matter in web of interconnections. Key for jobseekers-networking = relationships. No matter what you call it. #nmatl

I posted a blog on the day of the conference that I’ve been holding for a while, but seemed perfect: Job seekers (and business owners) pitch what you offer, not what you WANT. I think this is a good reminder of many of the lessons that speakers shared. A lot of it boils down to a very basic message:

USE YOUR EARS FIRST! Listen, respond, connect.

It’s not rocket science, but clearly not everyone is doing this or doing it well. If you do it well, you can fuel your job hunt and/or entrepreneurial plans. Don’t get left behind!

Since this is all about connecting, here are some people I had a chance to either meet for the first time and/or spend time with again at the event and links to their Twitter accounts:

Stephanie A. Lloyd, Stephanie Frost, Marna Friedman, Taryn Pisaneschi, Robyn Cobb, Marisa Sharpe, Stone Payton, Todd Schnick, Jenny Devaughn, Chad Rothschild, Jeff Turner, Bert Dumars, Victoria Dunmire, Chris Jordan,  Kevin Metzger, Willie Jackson,  Andrea Walker and Sandra Spiller.

I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get to know some of my new friends and to possible business opportunities in the offing!

If you need help using social networking (Twitter, blogging, LinkedIn, FaceBook, etc.) for your business or job search – I can help! Please learn more about what I can do to help you!

Use an email address you "own" when you sign up for LinkedIn

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LinkedInpic_logo_119x32A friend recently contacted me to ask for  help for one of his clients. His dilemma? The client had created a LinkedIn profile, but he didn’t remember the password AND he had used a work email address only to set up the profile. Unfortunately, he was no longer at the job and did not have access to the email account that LinkedIn would use to send him a reset password!

While LinkedIn customer service might be able to help, it is a good reminder to everyone – DON’T use an email address that you won’t always have access to when you sign up for social networks. Instead, set up a Gmail or other “take with you” account as the primary address and add your current work mails as additionals. That way, you’ll never be locked out of your OWN profile!

Need more advice to help you move your job search forward? I can help!

Stand out in a sea of sameness

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standout3533395983_e846d2cf51_mThere’s no shortage of information about how difficult the job market is right now. Over and over, job seekers look for ways to “stand out,” to be one in a crowd, to grab (and keep) the attention of the hiring manager.

You might be surprised to know that it may not be as difficult as you think to stand out in a crowded market. Some ideas for your consideration:

– Know what you have to offer. You would be surprised (or maybe not!) to learn how few job seekers I meet can easily describe what skills they bring to the table. Being able to succinctly describe those skills in a networking setting – without resorting to the catch all/kiss of death, “I can do anything” will absolutely help you stand out. Follow THIS link for more ideas about your “elevator pitch.”

– Know where to look. I teach clients to identify organizations and companies, not specific jobs. The fact is, most jobs are not actually advertised. (It may be as many as 70-80% of positions.) Rather, they are filled via networking and referrals. Stop spending all of your time looking for jobs. Research and target organizations instead and you will automatically stand out as someone not overly concerned with focusing on a specific job and more interested in the big picture.

– Great materials. This is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, most resumes are simply not very good. There are basic concerns – aesthetics, grammar, verb tense, consistency. These are not difficult to address. The bigger concern is making sure the resume specifically focuses on the employer’s needs and highlights the job seeker’s skills and accomplishments. If you are sending out a resume that lists “stuff” that you have done but is not adequately connecting to the employer’s needs, you are missing a key opportunity to stand out in the crowd.

– Excellent follow-up. Again, a factor that is completely in the job seeker’s control. When you network, you have the opportunity to leave an impression and gain an advocate. However, everyone is busy. How you follow up can help you stand out in a way that may make the difference between learning about a “hidden” opportunity and not.

Stay tuned for my next post….Follow-up that is head and shoulders above the rest!

Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt.

photo by picsbycam