Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Are You Linkedin?

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Today, my cyber-friend, Chris Russell blogged about how linkedin.com has become a national resume database and a source of choice for recruiters who love to snag “passive” job seekers who are not actually looking for work!

Personally, I think linkedin is a fabulous resource, even if you aren’t looking (even passively) for a job.  I first became a fan when I located two long-lost high school friends on linkedin when Google and other search resources proved useless.  

When I first joined, I was amazed at how quickly my network grew and the connections I gained.  If you don’t join, you may never know that a good friend of yours has a first-hand connection to someone in a position to hire you or provide crucial career advice or information!

In addition to serving as a source for recruiters, Linkedin offers tools to help you create and promote  a personal brand.  The “Answers” section provides a forum to demonstrate your expertise as well as a great place to network with professionals in your industry and beyond.   Often, if you provide a response that seems useful, you will be invited to “link” with the questioner, thus expanding your contacts.

Don’t forget that networking is important throughout your career, even when (especially when) you are NOT looking for a job.  Don’t miss the linkedin boat!

Keppie Careers will help you with every aspect of your job search.  www.keppiecareers.com

U.S. Jobs Data Isn't Pretty

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The AP reports on the March 7th Jobs data, and it isn’t pretty:

Employers Slash 63,000 Jobs in February, Most in 5 Years, Feeding Recession Fears

They also report that the unemployment rate actually went down from 4.9% in January to 4.8%  in February, indicating that hundreds of thousands of people stopped bothering to look for work. Hard hit sectors:  construction, manufacturing, retailing, financial services and professional and business services.

Better sectors:  education, health care, leisure and hospitality and the government.

The AP notes that the troubled job market  “Certainly solidifies the notion that the economy has fallen into a recession,” said Ken Mayland, economist at ClearView Economics.

A silver lining (if there is one), as economists predicted, workers with jobs showed slight wage gains, to to $17.80 in February, a 0.3 percent increase from the previous month.  The AP reminds us that these tiny increases don’t go far when prices for gas, food and other necessities continue to rise.

All of this information should re-focus the job seeker (and job holder) on the importance of a well run job search (and strong performance at work).  If you are an unemployed worker, consider alternatives to dropping out of the search – Keppie Careers  offers ideas for how to recession proof your career, suggestions of the best careers for today’s economy, information about what to do next if you’ve lost your job, rules for job hunting in a recession and tips if your search is going on and on.  

Be sure that your job search is on the right track.  Keppie Careers will write your resume,  help you with your correspondence and coach you through your interview and job hunt.  When you find your job, you will agree that seeking help is a great investment in yourself.

Be Sure to Vet Your References

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Do you know what your references are saying about you?

Many job seekers overlook this important part of the job hunt.  Especially if you have often reached the final stages without landing the job, touching base with those who may hold the keys to your next position is a great idea!

Whom to Ask?  Ideally, you should have a current or immediate past employer as a reference.  Co-workers and trusted subordinates may also be references, but most hiring managers will want to hear from employers.  If you are a student or recently graduated, faculty members may serve as references. If you have had a leadership role in a volunteer organization, “supervisors” from that organization may be good references for you.

Ask permission.  Once you have in mind who you’d like to serve, ask their permission.  If they seem hesitant or hedge at all, allow them to bow out gracefully. You don’t want to browbeat your references into helping you.  (They may hurt more than help.)  The best references are those who are enthusiastically supportive.

Prepare your references to support you! Be sure they have the most updated version of your resume and a cover letter for the position if you have one.  Let them know if you expect they will be called, and offer suggestions of topics they may want to emphasize.

When I was applying for one of my jobs, I knew that teamwork and the willingness to pitch in when necessary were crucial for my potential employer.  I emphasized how I was the perfect match (I really was!) in the interview. I also asked my current supervisor (who knew about my search and was my #1 reference) if she could mention some examples of my teamwork when she spoke to my potential boss, who offered me the job as soon as he spoke to her!

Hopefully, you will have a strong relationship with your references and will be comfortable making them partners in your search.  Let’s face it -you can get right to the job’s door by having a great resume and interviewing well.  The key to get in is in the hands of those who are willing to recommend you for the job!

Prepare for Your Interview

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There are many things to consider as you prepare for an interview.  The most important thing is to remember that the interview is another opportunity for you to SELL YOURSELF!  Your resume got you in the door, the interview is your chance to show the employer that you really  have what it takes to join their team.

  • Conduct a thorough self-assessment. Review your education, experience, interests, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and values.
  • Study your resume. Be able to support everything with specific examples, as you will be asked to elaborate on some of them during the interview.
  • Analyze the position for which you will be interviewing. Be able to describe how you will fit in and be able to contribute to the organization. Think about how the job will enable you to reach your professional goals and what you have to offer!
  • Research the organization. Leave no stone unturned.  Learn as much as you can about the organization’s culture and values, as well as specifics such as size, products and services. Hopefully, you have done some informational interviews before you were offered the job interview.  Speaking with employees of the company and people in the same profession is invaluable preparation for job interviews. 
  • Know how your experience, education and interests relate to the position and anticipate possible questions.  (I’ll post more about interview questions soon.)  This knowledge will allow you to answer why, when and where questions, and reflect your self-confidence and your ability to communicate and relate to others effectively.
  • Practice Interviewing. Talk to people in the field, and even your friends. Discuss techniques and practice in front of a professional. If possible, arrange a mock interview. (Keppie Careers offers mock interviews.) 
  • Acknowledge all preliminary correspondence promptly. This includes verifying the specifics of your interview including date, time, place, individuals conducting the interview and an itinerary.  Don’t make the mistake a friend made and assume an out-of-town interview will be over the phone when the employer expects to see you in person! 
  •  Clarify who will bear the costs of necessary transportation, meals, and overnight lodging, if applicable.  Find out what receipts you will need to provide and who will make the arrangements.

Remember:  If you appear prepared and competent in your interview, you will be perceived to be a prepared and competent employee. The reverse is true as well!

Stay tuned for more about preparing for an interview!

Keppie Careers will assist you with your job search.  We offer resume writing, career coaching, mock interviews and more!  www.keppiecareers.com

Thinking of Looking for Your Second Job?

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In a recent piece for the online Wall Street Journal, Elizabeth Garone raised some key points for those who are considering making the move to their second job.  Of note:

Update your resume and interview style. It sounds like a given, but a first-timer’s resume is likely to list internships and college leadership roles. Now you’ve got experience and you’ll need to make sure it shows. “The resume definitely needs to change to emphasize your accomplishments,” says [career and life coach] Mr. Steve Piazzale. …Your resume bullet points should demonstrate how you used your skills to solve problems and produce value at that first job. “With a first job under your belt, you can also use them as stories of value during interviews,” offers Mr. Piazzale.

This advice is key.  So many people forget that the resume they used right out of school isn’t going to be the right choice now that they have actual “work experience.” 

I’ve been asked to be a featured expert reviewer on the resume review site razume.com.  This site offers job seekers the opportunity to post their resume and request advice from the Razume community.  Anyone can offer a critique or post a resume for free.  Resume posters delete their personal information and select a user name so resumes are anonymous.  This is a great service for those who want to request feedback from trusted friends or relatives around the country; job seekers can post resumes and advisers can use a series of useful online tools to make comments and suggestions.

Many users of this site are seeking their second jobs.  A significant number of these job seekers fail to move their “Education” section to the bottom of their resume once they have a position and enough experience under their belt (and no specific reason to keep Education on top).  Many also still list their high school diploma, even when they have a bachelor’s degree. 

School activities and awards also play a prominent role in razume’s unrevised resumes.   For a first job out of school, these may be valuable and important.  After that point, some very prominent awards may remain on the resume, but college awards should not be a main focus of the resume beyond the first job.

There is no fail safe “one size fits all” advice for resume writers, but most job seekers will want to make these changes and more to their job seeking documents before seeking their next job.  Otherwise, they will appear less experienced than they may be and jeopardize their chances for an interview.

Keppie Careers will help you update your resume.  We also offer mock interviews to help you get market ready!  www.keppiecareers.com