Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

More free career advice – March Career Madness!

By

2323161584_d68e951385_mAh…March Madness. I remember a time (not SO long ago) that this was an exciting, edge-of-your-seat period that really interested me. Those were the days when my alma mater, the University of Michigan, actually WON the tournament (or, at the very least, was competitive). The year I started Michigan, they/we actually won BOTH the Rose Bowl AND the NCAA, but I digress…

In any case, my friend and colleague, Chandlee Bryan came up with a great idea to turn this month into a fun one for career advisors (and an informational one for job seekers) on Twitter! I’m delighted to be participating in “March Career Madness.”

This is how Chandlee introduces the event on her blog:

This event, which will run throughout the month of March, is a joint effort of a team of career experts who have committed to sharing their wit and wisdom with us in “tweets” of 140 characters or less on Twitter. Posts will be written on a singular theme–innovative strategies for your career.

All posts will include the following code: #mcm (referred to in the Twitterverse as a hashtag)

You can follow March Career Madness through Twitter Search (search #mcm) or by following the tweets of individual contributors (name and user “handles” listed at the bottom of this post). Share posts with others by “Retweeting.”

New to Twitter?

You haven’t gotten on Twitter yet? What are you waiting for? I am a big fan of Twitter for the job search. (I think it is right up there with LinkedIn as a way to make connections that will be useful for your search.)

I’ve written all about using Twitter for your job search. Here are some links for you:

Why use Twitter?

How to use Twitter for your job search.

People to follow on Twitter for advice about job hunting.

Can you find a job on Twitter? Yes you can!

Using Twitter to hire: the employer’s perspective

JobAngels is an amazing viral phenomenon, started on Twitter, to help connect job seekers with those who can offer resources and support. 

Participating Career Experts (& their Twitter “handle”)

Barbara Safani (barbarasafani)
Brian Kurth (briankurth)
Chandlee Bryan (Chandlee)
Dawn Bugni (dawnbugni)
Deb Dib (CEOCoach)
Kevin Donlin (kevindonlin)
Katherine Hansen (kathansen)
Kimberly Togman (ktogman)
Laura Allen (la15secondpitch)
Megan Fitzgerald (expatcoach)
Miriam Salpeter (Keppie_Careers)
Pam Slim (pamslim)
Paul Copcutt (Paulcopcutt)
Phyllis Shabad (Phyllisshabad)
Sital Ruparelia (SitalRuparelia)

You’re not sure how to use Twitter to your best advantage? I can help! Contact me to learn how you may benefit from coaching.

photo by jmacphoto

Network for success – don't be a bumper car

By

872986311_e33b9503b9_mI try to practice what I preach, so I’ve been making an effort to attend in-person networking events. Every time I go to these events, I learn something! This week’s lesson: don’t network like a bumper car.

Many networkers at the event seemed to spend their one-on-one time in pursuit of their next contact. You know the type: shifty eyes, impatient body language and unfocused conversations. I found it difficult to connect with these networkers, as it seemed that they were much more interested in the next conversation than in the current one!

In watching them interact during the night, they reminded me of bumper cars, haphazardly moving around the room, without any direction or focus. Maybe, incidentally, this type of networker will bump into someone and have a valuable interaction, but it seems more likely that this style would prevent meaningful interactions. After all, who would be interested in someone who doesn’t seem very interested in them?

On the flip side, I had several excellent networking conversations that reminded me how easy it is to form a connection with a stranger. I spoke to one person, a painter, for some time. Obviously a skilled networker, he asked about my work and talked to me about his business. Throughout the conversation, he was very focused on what I was saying, his eye contact focused on me (not his next “target”), and his responses to my questions were on point.

During our conversation, I felt that I had a strong sense of his professionalism and business philosophy. When we were finished speaking, I made a mental note to give him a call when I was ready to move forward with some painting projects I’ve had in mind.

Incidentally, his background and personal network turned out to be very related to my own networking goals, as he is very connected to the HR and recruiting world. So, in addition to the opportunity to learn about him and his business, he may be able to provide some valuable contacts for my business. This is another example of the fact that you can’t judge a book by its cover!

Focus on each person you encounter when networking (and even when you are not officially “networking.” You never know what you might learn and how it will propel you toward your goals!

Need help networking? I’m here to teach you what you need to know! Contact me to discuss how we can work together.

photo by whatdavesees

How to avoid being scammed on big job boards

By

scamFor a job seeker, I can’t think of anything more disheartening (and aggravating) than applying for positions online that don’t turn out to be actual jobs, but avenues for scam artists to try to take advantage of down-and-out job seekers. 

 

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Sarah Needleman reminds job seekers that, “It Isn’t Always A Job Behind the Online Posting.” She describes the story of a job seeker who uses CareerBuilder.com to apply for jobs. Twice in two years, Tom Greene was invited to interview for “positions” via postings at the popular site, only to encounter a sales pitch from a shady service offering career advice to the tune of $10,000!

Read the rest of the post on my blog at GreatPlaceJobs…

 

photo by jepoirrier

Identify a target for your job hunt

By

targetThis week, I am focusing on how small changes in your job search can make a big difference. Today, a lesson from one of the participants in the Land Your Dream Job Seminar I am offering with Carolann Jacobs from Vivid Epiphany, brain based coaching.

We were so pleased to hear that Melanie actually landed her dream job! Even more exciting (to me) was the lesson behind her success, which fits so well into the theme of “doing something different.” 

Melanie said, 

“I had been out of work for 6 months.  Unlike others, I was not laid off.  My options at the time were to resign or be fired.  I opted to resign.  So no severance for me and I was working very part time hours.  When I first joined your program, there was something you said that made me think.  It was “Do you find yourself in the same situation with each job?” and “Are you looking for a job that fits who you are?”  Those two questions made me do a more “focused” job search.  I hated having my family pay my bills and I knew I was originally just looking for a job…any job that would get me back on my feet without any additional financial help.  I knew in the long run it probably would result in traveling again and being miserable. I truly did not want that again.”

So, Melanie re-focused and targeted her job search. Instead of haphazardly applying to “any job” just hoping to bring in some income, she really identified what she wanted to do and determined where her skills would be most useful. She used her time, efforts and energy to apply for opportunities that were good fits for her.

Stay tuned for additional lessons from Melanie’s success story, which I hope will help inspire you to look at few things YOU can do differently for YOUR search!

Could you use some help making a few changes in your job hunt? I am happy to help! Contact me to learn how a revised resume and coaching can help make all the difference!

photo by pbo32

Get help for your job search before desperation sets in

By

phone

Looking for a job can be a lonely process, even when it is clear that no unemployed job seeker is alone. All you need to do is read or listen to the news to know that you are in good company if you’ve been laid off of your job. However, knowing that you’re not alone isn’t usually enough to help keep job hunters motivated and on track. In anything, the negative news may just send more people to bury their heads under their pillows to escape the incessent bad news

My colleague Alexandra Levit recently wrote about how job seekers are turning to “accountability groups,” teams of job seekers whose goal is to help each other stay motivated and on track.

She shared information from a New York Times article that reported on one such group in suburban Chicago. The article notes what we all recognize: being out of work and job hunting can be difficult and demoralizing. It may be a very lonely process, especially for those unaccustomed to job hunting and for job seekers who don’t know how to conduct a successful search.

The benefit of an accountability group is that job seekers encourage and support each other, network and keep each other motivated and on task in what might otherwise become a very unstructured time.

Alexandra notes,

According to the Times, membership in various networking organizations across the country for unemployed executives and other professionals has ballooned in recent months as the recession has continued its march, sparing not even the highly educated and skilled. Providing a spur as well as solace, the groups offer transition assistance for people who previously led comfortable lives in the middle and upper-middle class.

One thing that struck me about the group described in the New York Times article was that it was organized and run by the job seekers themselves. “Seven of nine members have been out of steady work for six months or longer; the other two are approaching the six-month mark.” The organizer of the group lost his job 16 months ago, struggled to get interviews and wondered if he was “spending too much time applying for jobs online.” The article quotes him as saying, “I’m not doing something right yet.”

Honestly, reading about this group breaks my heart! Clearly, these job seekers could benefit from some professional job hunting advice. What if they knew how much time to spend sending out online applications and had expert feedback about their resumes and other job search correspondence? I am sure they could benefit from up-to-date information about using online tools and social networks. I wonder how different their stories might be if they had engaged the services of a coach before things began to look so glum?

I am happy to announce that I will be facilitating “virtual” accountability groups to help job seekers succeed in this difficult and competitive market. Help is just a phone call away! Participants will benefit from targeted professional coaching, an understanding team of other job seekers for networking and support and a structured program to help keep their job hunt on track.

Please CONTACT ME if you are interested in learning more about these groups.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]