Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Holiday Networking – Free Ebook

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Am I the only one who can hardly believe we are quickly approaching the new year? Did 2008 fly by or what?

Here’s hoping that 2009 turns into a much better year for our economy and  the job market. To get you started on the right foot, I put together the first in my “Drive Your Own Career Bus” e-Series on Holiday Networking. It is specially designed to help those of you who are about to embark upon the (sometimes dreaded) holiday party networking circuit.

With the right preparation and follow-up, in-person networking events offer unmatched opportunities to broaden your networking circle and to connect with people who may be in a good mood!

Don’t miss out on all of the great opportunities awaiting you! Pick up your copy of Drive Your Own Career Bus – Holiday Networking for Success. It is full of advice, tips and tricks to get you through this holiday season in good networking shape.

How do you get your copy? For a limited time, it is yours free when you subscribe to Keppie Careers.

All you need to do is enter your email in the navy box on the right side of your screen. That’s it – enter your valid email address and press “Subscribe Me.” You’ll receive a free subscription to my blog (a weekly email) and we will email you a copy of Drive Your Own Career Bus – Holiday Networking for Success.

What a deal!

Don’t delay, this offer is limited. My marketing team thinks I should sell this report, but I’m in a giving mood, so I decided to make it free for a limited time!

If you are already a subscriber, just send an email to [email protected] from the email address where you are already subscribed and we’ll be happy to forward you a copy.

Don’t forget that Keppie Careers offers many services to help you get your job hunt on track. Stop wasting your time! Visit the OUR SERVICES link for more information about how we can help you.


photo by smaku

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Don't Be Desperate – Lying on Your Resume is a Bad Idea

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There is a car wash not far from where I live with a marquee out front that reads, “We are not participating in the recession.”

I drive by frequently, but today, the sign made me stop and think. (Literally stop – it was a really long red light!)

Maybe it sounds silly, but can individuals deny the recession? Some would talk about the power of positive thinking and how it can impact our reality. I’m no economist, but I know that the stock market rises and falls on confidence levels and expectations. Can we wish ourselves
out of a recession?

Maybe not, but job seekers should control one factor – acting on desperation.

Desperate people do foolish things. We’ve all watched the movies where the main character, anxious to achieve some goal, takes paths that lead away from the target instead of toward it…Viewers feel like shouting at the screen – NO – STOP! Don’t do it! If you were a character in a movie, what would you say to yourself?

One mistake you never want to make is lying or embellishing your resume. The Wall Street Journal recently noted that “about 20% of job seekers and employees undergoing background checks exaggerate their educational backgrounds. In a 2004 survey of human-resource professionals, 61% said they “often” or “sometimes” find résumé inaccuracies when vetting prospective hires, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.”

You can imagine that finding a lie on your resume would be a deal breaker in a job hunt. Anita Bruzzese recently suggested a great list of facts that an employer can easily check. Here is her list of items you should review on your resume to be sure everything is on the up and up:

1. Schools. Make sure your dates are correct, as well as the major field of study, GPA, etc.

2. Honors. Everything from graduating at the top of your class to an industry award can be verified with a couple of phone calls by an employer.

3.  Job titles. While many former employers will only verify your dates of employment, it’s easy enough to use online resources to find people who used to work with you and can talk about your past work performance, titles, duties, etc.

4. Credit history. If you are applying for a position where you will have anything to do with money, chances are good your credit history may be reviewed. Be prepared to explain why it’s bad, if that’s the case, and what you’re doing to improve it.

5. Criminal history. Unless you’re applying for a government job, it won’t be required that you answer if you were charged with a crime. And, most employers are willing to even overlook some convictions if it was a youthful indiscretion or you got caught with one too many glasses of wine in your system. If you were convicted of a crimes that involve sex, drugs or theft, it’s going to be tougher. On the application, simply note that you would like to discuss the issue. Remember: It’s pretty simple to access court records concerning a conviction, so it’s better to come clean in person and try and explain it rather than lying outright.

6. Online. First, try and clean up your reputation with these tips. Second, get your story together on how you’ll explain anything that an employer digs up about you online. It’s better to show you’ve learned your lesson rather than trying to lie about something unflattering that is revealed on the Internet.

Another thing that raises a red flag? Many people do not write their LinkedIn profiles carefully. An employer who finds that your LinkedIn and resume have discrepencies may hesitate to contact you for an interview.

What would raise a red flag for you? Do you think that this job market will drive job seekers to desperate measures? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Don’t wait until you are desperate! Keppie Careers will help get your job hunt on the right track.

photo by the hidaway

Interview with Liz Lynch, Author of Smart Networking

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Liz Lynch, founder of the Center for Networking Excellence and author of the newly released Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, mastered the skill of networking from the ground up and is now a sought-after speaker who brings a practical and insightful perspective to networking that has connected with a global audience. Her printed and audio products have sold on six continents, she’s been invited to speak at conferences and organizations around the world and her writings have been translated into multiple languages.

So, when Liz invited me to join her virtual interview series contest for bloggers, I was delighted to sign on! Liz touts her new book as “the essential guidebook for building business relationships in a wired world.” (Please vote for my interview by clicking HERE and scrolling to vote for me in week #2)

I enjoyed the opportunity to include her expert perspective on a topic regular readers know is one of the most important for job seekers: networking for success!

Here are my questions and what Liz had to say:

What “homework” should prospective networkers do before they attempt to engage in new networking relationships?

I’m glad you asked about homework, because so many people go into networking situations completely unprepared, expecting magic to happen. The best homework is to create a plan for your networking (Chapter 13 of Smart Networking takes you step-by-step to develop one). You want an overall plan, a big picture strategy, but you also want a plan for your ground game. Before you go into a networking event or even a one-on-one meeting, know exactly why you’re going, what you want to know and what you want to convey about yourself. Having a plan will help you sound more confident and give you more confidence. It will also help you achieve what you want much faster.

How do you advise busy people seeking to take advantage of the best online AND in-person networking? What are the “must haves” in a successful networking suitcase?

In marketing it’s almost always more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an old one. If you’re churning and burning through your network, you’ll have to do a lot more work and spend a lot more time just to stay even. So if I had to pick the “must haves” they would be those tools that allow you to stay in touch with your network and communicate with them easily, namely online sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, and those skills like mastering the art of the ask that help you get the help you need when you need it.

What are your top three tips to help professionals who are behind the 8-ball in today’s economy because they haven’t already built a strong network?

  1. Realize that you do have a network already of former colleagues, classmates, etc. and it’s worth spending time reconnecting with those folks to re-establish your connection.
  2. Use online networking sites to find these contacts and invite them to connect with you so you have an easy way to reach out to them later.
  3. Tell everyone you know what you are looking for.

How can an unemployed job seeker network effectively without seeming desperate?

First take action with the steps outlined in the previous question, so you have your network set up to help you. Then, take additional actions to get visible. It may be tempting to stay at home and not want to get out in public because you don’t feel great about yourself, but start meeting people in different ways, like volunteering at a local charity or signing up for art class. Depending how long you’ve been job hunting, getting in a new environment can help shake things up and give you a strong purpose to follow that can spill over into improving how you feel about your job search.

What advice do you have about cultural differences to consider when networking?

I was in China in June and realized how people there seem much more comfortable asking questions that we wouldn’t find appropriate here in the U.S. Questions like, “How much money do you make?” would leave most of us aghast. Networking across borders requires diplomacy. It’s helpful if you know you’re going to be traveling to get some guidance from a local. And be prepared to respectfully decline to answer questions that make you uncomfortable.

What questions do you have about networking? I’d be happy to answer them in a future post or direct you to a resource!

Don’t forget that I am available to help with all of your job search needs! Everything you need to know is right here on this site!

A Resume is Just a Resume?

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Last week, a client asked me if I thought “a resume is just a resume is just a resume.”

No, I replied…I don’t think so! A resume is a reflection of the resume’s owner. It must represent what you have to offer and directly target the employer you hope to reach.

Just as you (hopefully) wouldn’t just walk up to a rack of birthday cards and randomly select one to offer a loved one, you shouldn’t think of your resume as inconsequential to your search. Even as networking and personal branding become more and more important in job search, it is still necessary and important to have a solid, well-designed and written resume.

I recently spoke to a potential client who explained that he didn’t have a resume of any kind. He had been able to land an interview or two based on well written letters to targeted employers. The jobs didn’t pan out, but I reminded him that, at some point in a hiring process, he probably would have needed to produce a resume, even as a formality, for HR.

So, while you try to network your way to a job, using every tool at your disposal, take a good, hard look at your resume. Many times, clients believe that they aren’t getting interviews because of a specific thing that cannot change. Their age. Their level of experience. Their field. All of these may be factors if you are not landing interviews, but more often than not, there is something specific about your resume that is holding you back.

Make sure that your resume isn’t the one everyone is calling home about – for the wrong reasons! You want to stand out, but not because you misspelled “Public” or forgot to list your contact information. Your resume shouldn’t be a laundry list of “stuff” you’ve done, at the expense of listing your skills and accomplishments. Make sure that your resume isn’t a 5-page autobiography of every computer program you have ever touched in the last 12 years.

Review. Revise. Re-envision what you have to offer. You’ll be better off!

photo by abiznessdigital

Questions to Consider for Your Cover Letter

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Once you have a great resume, writing a terrific cover letter is the next important step. It’s not a good idea to skip the cover letter, as many employers think of it as the equivalent of an introductory handshake. If you wouldn’t skip the handshake, don’t skip the cover letter!

I’ve written all about cover letters…Follow THIS link to read my suggestions for how to compose yours.

I recently read a post by my colleague, J.T. O’Donnell that I thought offered some terrific, thought provoking questions for job seekers to consider when writing a cover letter. She suggests that they answer questions such as:

—Looking at your past professional success, what makes you good at what you do?

—How has your work inspired you?

—What value does it provide?

—If asked to describe yourself in an honest, humble, funny yet confident sort of way, what would you say?

The key thing is to connect what you have to offer with what will appeal to the employer. I think these questions are a great way to start thinking!

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Need a great resume? Career search advice? Mock interview? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.