Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Holidays are great for networking.

By

bbq138519714_b63415aa6e_mAre you on your way to a Labor 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. It’s free! Click here to subscribe and receive a free ebook.

Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt.

photo by andreassolberg

Conscious awareness and your job hunt

By

cookies3544731083_141829b5ee_mIf you are looking for a job, do you feel stuck and like you don’t know what to do next? You are not alone, as most job seekers I know don’t intend to become professional job hunters and don’t feel confident that they can move from step to step, knowing exactly what they are doing.

Last month, I attended a workshop with Havi Brooks. She specializes in what she calls “Destuckification: working through the stucknesses that get in the way of doing your thing.” Havi teaches about how to get unstuck via a mind-body/yoga practice called Shiva Nata. She calls it “brain training that looks like martial arts and acts like drugs-that-make-you-smart-and-hot.”

Even Havi calls is “wacky,” and it is nothing if not a bit unconventional – teaching your brain to act differently by focusing on patterns, deconstructing them and building new ones!  (I’m no expert on the subject, having just starting studying it, but I think that gets at the basics for our purposes! Read Havi’s blog and explore her site for more details.)

So, what does this all have to do with you – the job seeker who is stuck and can’t figure out the next step? One of the big things we discussed at the workshop was how important it is to bring “conscious awareness” to patterns in order to challenge and change them. Really, that’s just a fancy way of saying that you need to notice what’s happening and point it out to yourself to impact a change.

So, instead of wallowing in self-doubt and avoiding your job search like the plague, stop and think, “Hmmm…how am I feeling when I think of my job hunt?” Does it give you a stomach ache? Your head hurts? You panic? You know it’s important and urgent, but instead of working on it, you decide to take a bike ride instead? Or, eat a plate of cookies?

Every time you think of your job hunt and you go numb and panic, try to be aware of the pattern.

Look at  your intellectual response – I “should” do this now. I feel guilty if I don’t work on my search.
Examine the physical response – I can’t breathe. I get a pain in my neck. Stress creeps into my shoulders.
Focus on what you do – I clean the house instead. Or eat chocolate. Or watch TV.

Then, think about little steps you could do differently. If, when you think of sitting down to your search and start getting stressed, you took a moment to be really aware of all that is going into those feelings, you may have a much better chance of jumping over the hurdle and making a change – step-by-step. Maybe instead of cleaning the whole house, or eating the whole box of cookies, you decide that you’ll JUST clean one bathroom or eat two cookies and then do 30 minutes of job searching.

I’m no expert in teaching about conscious awareness, and I want to make it clear that is my interpretation of when of the things I learned from Havi, but I thought it was too important of a concept NOT to share the idea. Take some time to be aware of what is going on with you – you may be surprised by the results!

Would it help to have a coach on your side? Learn more about how I can help you overcome your “stuck” by teaching you what you need to know to propel your search forward!

photo by dyanna


Looking for a job? Use old-fashioned marketing techniques – be where they are!

By

deli meat.3387838463_c25c1b844fThe other day, I was in our local Target Super Store…School starts today where I live in Atlanta, so the store was packed with school-supply shopping parents and kids. Clearly, the area with the most traffic was in the back corner, with bins of Elmer’s glue, Crayola crayons and a slew of other “must haves” for school kids.

While rummaging through 6-for-a-dollar bins of glue sticks, I was surprised by a rolling food cart. The woman from the deli was bringing her wares to the back of the store – samples of deli meat. If you bought something, you received a free package of cheese.

Since it seems as if every experience I have turns into a lesson for job seekers, it struck me that the lesson of the deli cart is simple: Go where the people are! The majority of shoppers that day were tending to spend time in the back of the store, maybe skipping the deli counter. Bringing the deli counter to the people was a great idea, and I am sure many people bought something they might not have considered as a result.

So, if you are looking for a job, are you going where you are likely to encounter people who can positively influence your search? Some ideas:

Regular readers know I love to suggest using Twitter for the job hunt. If you’re on Twitter, you are in a space full of others like you, CEOs, coaches and a slew of people who may have common interests. It’s a place where there is a community for everyone. Even cat lovers! Everyone is a potential contact. If you are not there, you miss out.

LinkedIn. This is a given. If you don’t have an optimized LinkedIn profile, it’s going to be tough for all of those recruiters who are sourcing there to find you!

In-person meetings. Have you joined the local chapters of professional development groups in your field? (And do you attend their meetings?) Have you looked up Meetup.com in your area? How about your alumni organization? Don’t discount social groups that have nothing to do with your job hunt or professional interest. You never know who you might meet at a backyard barbeque or at the local swimming pool. Go where people you DON’T think can help you go!

What ideas do you have for meeting people where they are? It’s just as important for people marketing their skills and accomplishments to be in the right place at the right time as it is for merchants to target their customers with their products.

—


Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.
In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.


Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.



photo by Johnswilliamsphd

How to find a captive audience to fuel your job search

By

tv at gas.outcastLast night, on my way home from the #ATLMix tweetup I co-hosted with Stephanie A. Lloyd (which was terrific – we had a wonderful turnout and a great time meeting up with new and old friends. If you joined us – THANK YOU) — I noticed that my gas tank was running on empty. (I have this bad habit of always waiting until the very last minute to get gas.)

I stopped to fill up, and as I  was starting to fuel, I heard a grunting noise. Then, a gurgling. Not so thrilled to be at an unfamiliar station late at night, I looked around, concerned, and thinking that I should have gotten gas on my way TO the tweetup!

Looking for the source of the noise, I noticed a video screen above the pump. Good – not a creepy person making strange noises. A baby. A LOUD baby in an ad above the gas register. Then, the screen flashed an inspiring message…”Advertise here. Why? Find a captive audience...” That was all I needed to see. What a concept – the captive audience.

Unless you already have made a name for yourself in your field and have a big following, it is unlikely that you already have a captive audience. So, as a job seeker – what can you do to find one?

First thing I would suggest is to expand your network. You need to connect with people who will appreciate your skills and experience and take a vested interest in moving your search forward. I love Twitter for this reason – it’s a great way to connect with all types of people and Twitter is a wonderful resource for your job hunt.

Another thing to consider – are you optimizing your LinkedIn presence? LinkedIn is probably the closest thing most job seekers have to a captive audience. Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly turning to LinkedIn to source candidates. Learn how a recruiter uses LinkedIn and how to optimize your LinkedIn profile to fuel your search. You need to be sure you are making it easy to find you, otherwise you are wasting untold numbers of opportunities!

The best way to find a captive audience – make sure you are where your target audience can find you. Social networking is one great way. What other ways have you found or do you suggest job seekers look for a captive audience?

Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.

A discussion of social media for job seekers

By

RADIOsmjDSC00798-800x572

Interested in some great tips about how to use social networking for your job hunt? Wonder why you should conduct vanity searches regularly and what to do if you have the same name as a death row inmate(!) Do you know about pipl.com and why you should incorporate it into your search? I have just the resource for you…

I hope you’ll listen to the High Velocity Radio Show, guest hosted by Stephanie A. Lloyd of Radiant Veracity. I was a guest along with  Jenny DeVaughn, Senior Talent Consultant with Talent Connections. (There we are in the picture at lunch after the show.) We talked about using social media for both recruiters and job-seekers. Listeners will gain lots of inside tips and tricks!

You can listen to the show by clicking HERE.

We were joined in the studio by Lee Kantor, co-host, who runs Business RadioX, “an Atlanta-based internet radio network that helps entrepreneurs and business owners connect with their prospects and dramatically grow their businesses by hosting their own radio show and podcasting it on the internet.” If you are in Atlanta, be sure to review Business RadioX to learn about opportunities to host a radio show!

Do you need help with your job search? Follow this link to learn how I can help propel your job hunt!

In Atlanta? GA is expecting 10.1% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.