Storytelling may seem like a topic more appropriate for preschoolers than job seekers, but the most astute and successful job seekers understand how important it is to be able to articulate an interesting and compelling story detailing their work history and accomplishments. Do not underestimate the importance of outlining your background and describing it effectively. Hiring managers want to read your story, and they want you to prove you are a good fit for the job. It’s important to note: the story you tell should focus more on the skills and information the employer wants to see and less on information that you assume is most important. Tell your story in a way that makes it clear that you are a good fit for the position.

Identify Your Relevant Skills

The first step to a great career story is to outline your best skills and accomplishments. What do you want people to know about your work history? How can you explain what you have done in your past in a way that convinces your target employer to want to hire you? You need to understand what you offer before you can decide how to market yourself. Think about examples of times when you navigated problems and challenges at work and when you delivered measurable results.

One easy way to help you decide on a focus for your story is to study the job descriptions that interest you. Highlight everything in the job description that relates to your background and experience. Use the highlighted information to help you decide what parts of your story will interest the employer.

Mold Your Stories

With a list of skills and accomplishments that interest the employer, you can begin to outline your career story for each part of your job search.

Networking. Share your story in person and online. Showcase your best skills in your LinkedIn profile. Use the LinkedIn About section to feature a conversational bio demonstrating what you do and why you are good at it. You can use the first person (I, me or my) in the summary to speak directly to readers via LinkedIn. For example, if you are in customer service, you may say, “Growing up, I helped all of my friends solve their problems. Today, I do it for a living.”

‘ When you meet in person, remember to tell your story succinctly and directly. No one is interested in long, drawn-out tales about your skills and background. Narrow your story to about 30-40 words at the most.

In your resume. All of your bullet points should focus on your career story. Include important information about how you solved problems by using the PAR method; include details about the problem, the action you took, and the results you created. Focus extensively on the job description and incorporate keywords that match the employee’s needs when you explain why you are a good match.

In the interview. Prepare for interviews by identifying several stories that will address typical interview questions. Ultimately, the big question you must answer is: Why are you the right person for the job? Use the PAR approach when you prepare so you will be able to discuss problems you solved, explain how (what actions you took) and discuss results you accomplished during the interview. Spend the majority of your time explaining how you overcame the problem and the rest of your time detailing the results of your efforts. Ideally, you will mention the long-term impact you had on your organization. For example, “One year later, the office is still following the protocols I instituted.”

Remember, in all cases, be brief, focus on results, address the items the employer wants to know and practice your stories so you are able to flexibly adjust based on the situation and question. Once you identify the stories to tell, you will be well on your way to job search success!

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Today’s post is a contribution for the annual Job Action Day. The theme is inspired by Mike Roweâ€s online commencement speech for Prager University. “He suggests, instead of following their passion, jobseekers should consider following the opportunities that are available to them—and then bring their passions with them to the job.”

Have you consciously identified a need to have passion for your work vs. considering your job a practical necessity? Do you let your bias regarding this impact your job search? Have you hesitated to pursue job opportunities because you aren’t committed to or excited about the work? Of course, the best career or job is the one in which youâ€re using the skills you enjoy. But, not every job needs to address all of your passions. It makes sense to use every job as an opportunity to learn something new and keep an open mind; you may find that you really enjoy something you never imagined would appeal to you.

Sometimes, however, a job can be just a job. Many, many people take care of problems at work not because they are passionate about what they are doing, but because they take pride in a job well done. It’s powerful to recognize work can be a way to make a living and doesn’t need to be steeped in passion.

If you are concerned that you should be more passionate about your work, here are some steps to take to make the most out of your current job, no matter what you do.

Evaluate your job.  Maybe there are parts of your job that play to your passions without you even recognizing it! For example, if you are in customer service, you may dislike handling problems all day, but solving concerns is something you really enjoy. Give credit to all the parts of your job that appeal to you.

Leverage your interests. Perhaps you can influence a change in your current work environment. If you’re in a job that doesn’t offer much in the way of upward mobility, consider offering to volunteer to head up an initiative that does play to your passions. For example, maybe you’d like to see your company recycle more, and you can offer to help work on that. Or, maybe you want to organize a collection to donate to the local food pantry. Perhaps you’d like to have a series of speakers come to talk to you and your colleagues. If you volunteer to set it up, your employer may support this effort. Just because your job may be static doesn’t mean you can’t extend yourself and try new things.

Get my free white paper: 5 Mistakes Job Seekers Make and How to Avoid Them.

Learn new things. Would you like to extend your career in a different direction, but you don’t have the resume to support the change? Identify what skills you are missing and take a class. Or, use volunteer opportunities to help get some experience. For example, if you don’t have any formal experience using management skills, managing that food drive or planning a speaker series can give you some of these skills.

Leverage your passions outside of work. If you donâ€t have a passion for your work, make more of an effort to enjoy your time outside of work. You may even find that newfound passion can become a side business that leads to work happiness down the road. Are you a creative person, but you work in an uncreative profession? Look for a hobby or take a class. When you’re not working, you have more control over how you spend your time, so be sure to tap into your passions. When you spend more time doing what you love, it helps your overall happiness, which will positively affect how you feel at work.

You may be surprised to learn you have an opportunity to include many more passionate interests in your job and in your free time than you may have realized!

The post Can You Uncover Your Passion in a Job You Don’t Love? appeared first on Keppie Careers.

Avoid these killer interview mistakes and you’ll be that much closer to a new job.

1. Don’t prepare what to wear. This is a bigger mistake than you may realize. When you reach into your closet to select your interview attire and find something has chewed its way through the sleeve, or you forgot the huge ketchup stain on your lucky tie, you could be in trouble if you don’t have a plan B. How you look is important, and you need to present a professional appearance. Even if you aren’t interviewing to be a fashion diva, consider preparing what to wear a priority.

2. Ignore your Ps and Qs. You never know who is walking in right behind you on your way to the interview. It won’t make a very good impression if you let the door slam on your interviewer. Everything you do or say at the interview – or on the way to the interview – can be part of the evaluation. Some companies ask the receptionist for an opinion about candidates. If you sat around rolling your eyes or acting annoyed while you waited, you’re not likely to land the job.

3. Help yourself to a chair before someone offers it to you. It’s just common courtesy to wait to be offered a seat.

4. Answer your cell phone. It doesn’t matter how important you are: turn off your cell phone and put it away when you’re interviewing. If you forget and instinctively answer it when it rings or buzzes, you may be saying goodbye to a new opportunity.

5. You don’t know why you want the job. Okay, we all know you want a job, but why this particular position? If you don’t know why this job is a good fit, you’re wasting everyone’s time with the interview. You should know what the job involves, why your skills are a good fit and why you are a better candidate than the last person interviewed.

6. Your answers ramble on. Do not torture your interviewer by drawing out your answers. Answer the question and be done – do not elaborate or expand on your answers more than necessary. How long should answers be? Just long enough to address the question and make sure the interviewer has a chance to picture you doing the job.

7. You’re making lame jokes. Don’t joke. Even if you think your jokes are funny, keep them out of the interview room. You are equally likely to offend as you are to amuse an interviewer, so don’t take a chance.

8. You’re badmouthing your previous employer. It doesn’t matter if you worked for Atilla the Hun, your interviewer does not need to know how terribly your old employer treated you. Keep it to yourself, and do not be tempted to share stories – no matter what the interviewer asks you.

9. You’re offering up lots of information. Yes, there is such a thing is “TMI” in an interview. This phenomenon happens when the job seeker gets nervous and starts sharing information that isn’t really relevant or, worse, is detrimental.

10. You can’t ‘tell me about yourself.’ If you don’t have an answer to this obvious question, things probably aren’t going to go very smoothly. Be prepared to introduce yourself without delving into inconsequential biographical details. Never start, “I was born in…” If you do, you can be sure your interviewer has already checked out. Instead, focus on how the position is a good fit based on your past experiences and accomplishments and spare the interviewer the details about where you grew up!

11. You don’t have your story straight. No one is suggesting you lie in an interview, but many job seekers have stories they’d rather not tell. For example, if they were fired, or if they had a major personality clash with their former boss. If you have this type of history in your background, the best solution is to decide how to address it before you get to the interview, so if it comes up, there’s nothing to be surprised about. Your goal? Get in and get out – not literally, but figuratively: quickly address the question and then stop talking.

12. You have nothing to ask. Seriously – if you want the job, you should have several well-considered inquiries for your interviewer that cannot be answered with a quick Google search about the company. You’ll be surprised by how few candidates make a point to research organizations before they interview, so any pointed questions referencing your research should help impress your interviewer.

13. You don’t follow up. Statistically, few people actually send thank you notes after interviews. You have a chance to make a positive impression when you follow up with targeted, error-free notes thanking your interviewer for his or her time. Include several key reminders of why you are the best candidate for the job.

photo by SWARM Sounds

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You donâ€t need to transform into someone else altogether, but if you havenâ€t been successful in the past, make sure you avoid these 10 scary job search mistakes.

1. Frightening your network. Unwittingly, many job seekers compel their contacts to turn and run as if Freddy Krueger were chasing them. If you are asking everyone you know to help you find a job and are not having any luck, change your approach. Focus on what you have to offer people you want to meet and do not mention anything about looking for a job when you network and you may have more luck.
2. Not following up with contacts you meet during networking. Most job seekers are guilty of not keeping in touch with the people who may be able to influence their searches.
3. Not identifying and including targeted keywords in your resume and online materials. If you are applying for jobs and hoping for the best, you may as well dig a hole and throw your resume inside and place a “RIP” tombstone on top.
4. Making your resume about your past instead of your future. Be sure you donâ€t mummify your skills.
5. Failing to eliminate errors. Mistakes are a job search killer.
6. Scaring off hiring managers by applying for every position. You may be surprised to learn that 43% of recruiters would blacklist a candidate for applying to irrelevant positions, according to research from Bullhorn. (Hat tip Dan Schawbel.)  Just because you can apply for every job does not mean you should.
7. Not preparing to answer important questions in interview. If you want to win a competitive costume contest, youâ€ll plan in advance and have everything you need to create your “look.” Similarly, when itâ€s time to interview, itâ€s up to you to practice what youâ€ll say.
8. Not tapping into social media. If youâ€ve decided your privacy is more important than anything else and you don the equivalent of Harry Potterâ€s invisibility cloak online, you are making a big mistake.
9. Throwing up your hands and giving up. Unlike unsuspecting people in scary movies who always seem to find trouble, people who arenâ€t putting out the right feelers are not likely to find jobs.
10. Letting your guard down once you get a job. Once you do land in the job youâ€ve been seeking, celebrate, but donâ€t get complacent. No job is forever.

You donâ€t have to lose your brains during your job search — proper preparation can help you to avoid making common mistakes. Read all of the tips on my U.S. News & World Report column.

Halloween bonus! This infographic from Careerleaf, an all-in-one job search platform, outlines their 10 scariest job seeker mistakes–and how to avoid them. Enjoy! Follow all this advice to land more treats than tricks this year.

The post 10 scary job search mistakes appeared first on Keppie Careers.

It’s important to note — video resumes haven’t become mainstream, yet. However, in some cases, they may make a difference in helping someone land an interview.

For example, companies such as the nonprofit Music Saves Lives have successfully incorporated video introductions as part of their hiring and candidate screening process for volunteer positions. Chief Executive Officer Russel Hornbeek says: “By requesting and watching the videos we have found those that truly have enthusiasm for our life saving programs. It’s great to be able to have our on-site touring staff recognize the volunteers chosen for the event we have them scheduled for.”

These video introductions are becoming more common in customer-facing industries such as retail, hotel, and hospitality because they offer the hiring manager an opportunity to observe the job seeker’s customer engagement and relationship skills in action.

However, it’s possible to successfully connect with a recruiter in a more traditional industry with a video introduction. Mike Ramer, president of Ramer Search Consultants—a professional recruiting firm specializing in the financial, energy, biomedical, and human resources fields—agrees that video resumes are a useful way for some candidates to demonstrate their professionalism and to help them differentiate from the crowd. According to him, “If I received a video resume, I would review it, and if it’s impressive, it can absolutely help the candidate.”

MyNextGig.com founder and CEO Richard Linden agrees. “These online video introductions are a great way for corporate recruiters to get to know the job seekers beyond the traditional resume and online social networking profile,” he says. “Many companies don’t like to be contacted face-to-face until the interview. Video introductions allow job seekers an opportunity to build a relationship with the recruiter and on the recruiter’s terms.”

MyNextGig.com’s job board offers job seekers the opportunity to create a video introduction. Its tools allow you to create a digital job profile that showcases your video resume as your application.

Linden suggests you follow these tips to create a video resume that makes a good impression:

1. Appearances are everything.

2. Short and sweet.

3. Don’t be afraid to be creative.

4. Highlights only, please.

Read the whole post on my U.S. News & World Report column.

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Think about it — if you have no picture, don’t you think people will wonder why?

Hereâ€s how to choose a photo for your LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other avatars:

1. Use a current, close-up picture of your face. Choose (or take) a close-up picture of your face. Dress professionally, so any clothing that appears in the picture enhances viewers’ impressions of you as someone they would want to hire. Avoid avatars including your dog, your fiance or your children.

There are other options for avatars — cartoons or illustrations, logos, QR codes — all are clever, but none are as personal as a picture of you.

2. Post a high-quality picture, taken in good light, and make sure itâ€s sharp and clear. Most avatars appear very small on screen. If the photo is taken in poor light or is at all blurry, it will not represent you well. Ideally, you’ll have a professional photo taken, but if thatâ€s not feasible, do your best to create as professional-looking a portrait as possible.

3. Pay attention to the background. Avoid distracting backgrounds. Make sure there isnâ€t anything too busy preventing people from focusing on you. Look at other avatars, especially if you use Twitter. Scrolling through, itâ€s always easier to identify avatars with where there is a sharp contrast between the subject and the background. You may want to create a backdrop to distinguish you from the crowd.

4. Donâ€t wear a distractingly large piece of jewelry or other accessory. You want people looking at your face, not the large, geometrical shapes dangling from your ears or neck. Sunglasses or a hat may have been the order of the day, but if no one can recognize you in your photo, itâ€s useless.

5. Evaluate the picture. In my book about social networking for career success, I suggest using a picture of you smiling, looking friendly and personable. If your picture resembles an ax murderer or someone you wouldnâ€t want to meet in a dark ally, donâ€t expect to garner many interview invitations.

6. Unless you are an actor or actress, thereâ€s no need for an overly dramatic pose. Try to appear as natural as possible, keeping in mind “natural” does not need to mean what you look like after a ball game. You may want to arrange to have your hair professionally styled or cut and consider having an expert apply makeup if you plan to wear it. You want the photo be be recognizably you, but you on your best day. (Note: if you post a new photo and everyone says it looks great, but they donâ€t recognize you—you need to start over!)

7. Choose an avatar and stick with it. Itâ€s easier for people to keep track of their social networking contacts when their avatars are similar across the board.

8. On LinkedIn, your picture may be a JPG, GIF, or PNG file. (File size limit is 4 MB). When you upload it, you have a choice to make it available to your connections, your network, or everyone. Select “everyone.” Remember, if people canâ€t see your avatar when they land on your profile, theyâ€ll wonder why not.

Following these tips will help you come across as professional and personal all at once, which can only help your chances of landing a job.

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For years, people who study workplace trends have been predicting companies will outsource as much work as possible and hire fewer traditional employees. What does this mean for you? That you should maintain a “job search” mindset at all times.

Not surprisingly, one of the best ways to keep yourself in the game is to maintain a strong network, but not just any network; use your time while employed to create an employer community network. Teela Jackson, the director of talent delivery for the contract recruiting and executive search firm Talent Connections, has worked as an internal recruiting consultant for CIGNA HealthCare, Georgia-Pacific, and Turner Broadcasting. She explains an “employer community network” is the group of people who could potentially hire you in the future.

Teela suggests all careerists earn some “job-search insurance” by following these easy steps:

1. Keep in touch.

2. Show, don’t tell. Demonstrate your skills via social media.

3. Stay on top of industry trends.

4. Enhance your personal brand by serving as a resource.

5. Create a community of advocates.

Read the whole post at my U.S. News & World Report post.

photo by mi8

The post 5 ways to be sure you always have a job appeared first on Keppie Careers.

Tiquan Underwood, a defensive lineman for the Patriots, was released from the team just before the Super Bowl, as reported by the Yahoo! Sports Blog. According to the article, it’s the third time the Patriots have cut him this season, and the move was not punitive, “The Patriots simply wanted another defensive lineman on the roster.”

Social media (especially Twitter) allows us to hear directly from people of interest — uncensored — as soon as news happens.

In these cases, it’s not unheard of to find derogatory tweets bashing the offending organization. People would probably understand if an angry player lashed out at a team that let him go right before THE big game. But, as you can see from a series of tweets captured here, Tiquan handled himself like a class act. I took a look at some of his tweets during the game, and they were supportive of the organization that just fired him.

It’s a good lesson in how you want to be remembered…Most of us don’t have a slew of people interested in our career ups and downs, but it isn’t difficult for potential employers or networking contacts to judge you based on how you behave under pressure.

You can be the employee who angrily lashes out and is considered a loose cannon, or you can take a play from Tiquan Underwood’s book. Your choice.

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I had a chance to speak to Brad Mauney, LinkedIn’s senior product manager, search & social graph. There’s not much more important than being found, especially if you’re in a job search. One of the most useful aspects of any social media platform is the opportunity for people to find you. The adage, “If Google doesnâ€t know you, you may be no one,” is becoming more prevalent in todayâ€s socially focused environment. LinkedIn tends to rank very well in Google searches, so having an optimized profile is one useful way to be found online.

Itâ€s also important to stand out within LinkedIn. When someone is searching for a candidate with your expertise in that network, how can you help ensure your profile comes up high in their search results? Mauney explained that part of the algorithm LinkedIn uses to determine where you rank in a given search takes into account 1) how often your profile comes up in LinkedInâ€s search results and 2) how often searchers click through to view your information when it does appear.

How can you influence this elusive aspect of being found in LinkedIn? Mauney emphasizes the importance of creating a profile that engages viewers and entices them to click through to learn more about you.

How can you encourage people to want to know more about you on LinkedIn? Mauney suggests the following:

Include a picture in your profile. Krista Canfield, LinkedInâ€s senior manager, corporate communications, says, “Folks who have a photo are seven times more likely to have their profile viewed in general than folks who donâ€t have a photo.” While the statistic does not include data about the type of photo, itâ€s a good idea to use a picture where you appear friendly and approachable. Smile, and be sure you look like yourself, but on a good day! Use appropriate lighting; a professional photo is a great idea, but if that is not possible, take a close-up of your face, wearing clothing that isnâ€t distracting or busy.

Write an engaging headline. What can you include in your headline to pique a readerâ€s curiosity? Since your headline appears in search results, it naturally affects how many people decide to click through to learn more about you. Since you can improve your overall ranking in search by earning more click-throughs, pay special attention to your headline. Mauney suggests incorporating an elevator pitch in the headline and not limiting it to your current job title.

Grow your network. Another important factor influencing click-throughs is whether or not you are connected to the person searching. Statistically, people are more likely to click through to learn more about someone if they share a common connection. (Search results list levels of connectivity.) Mauney says a baseline of at least 50 people in your LinkedIn network is important to help users begin to see a real benefit from their connections. He noted that a “trusted network” is the most useful, and encouraged LinkedIn users to connect with people they actually know or do business with.

Other suggestions to help people find you on LinkedIn?

Completely fill out your LinkedIn profile with as many details as possible.

Think about the searcherâ€s intent.

Titles and “headlines” are important in LinkedIn.

Use LinkedInâ€s various tools, including “groups” and “answers.”

Read the complete post at U.S. News & World Report

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Civic Ventures, which awards The Purpose Prize, is a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. The organization introduced the concept of encore careers, which combine meaning, continued income and social impact. They provide  social entrepreneurs over 60 $100,000 each for using their experience and passion to make an extraordinary impact on some of society’s biggest challenges. Now in its sixth year, the $17 million program is the nation’s only large-scale investment in social innovators in the second half of life.

Learn more about this winner below!

Edward Mazria (pictured), 70, Architecture 2030, Santa Fe, NM

An award-winning architect in Santa Fe, Mazria had a 40-year record of innovation and advocacy in sustainable building. But even he was surprised when in 2002 his analysis of U.S. government data revealed that the building sector consumes approximately half of all energy production and causes about half of all greenhouse gas emissions each year. In 2003, Mazria founded Architecture 2030 to change those practices. The group issued the 2030 Challenge – a set of benchmarks for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment (buildings, homes and other man-made structures) to “carbon neutral” by 2030. The American Institute of Architects, U.S. Conference of Mayors, U.S. Green Building Council and National Governors Association immediately adopted the challenge. Legislation followed. Mazria will soon release the 2030 Palette, a global set of comprehensive guiding principles, which will be translated into multiple languages for application internationally.

photo and video courtesy of Civic Ventures

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