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One of the best things about being involved and engaged via social media is the opportunity to meet and get to know so many colleagues online. When we were planning out how to launch our eBook, You Need a Job, 5 Steps to Get One, Hannah Morgan (@careersherpa) and I brainstormed about ways to share useful information for readers, and we both knew we wanted to tap into the brain trust in our extended social networks.

Many of these people, we have met in person, or have spoken to on the phone. Others we know only online, but weâ€re both thrilled and proud all of them agreed to share a tip (or two!) in response to the question: What mistakes do job seekers make?

(This is part one of two posts I have on tap this weekend with great information from our colleagues — and Hannah has two unique posts filled with more information planned for the weekend as well. – I told you our colleagues had plenty to share about the subject!) Be sure to check out Hannah’s post today.

 Getting started: strategy and planning (for everything)

Itâ€s so important to start off on the right foot. Many of our colleagues agree that strategy and being organized is key to job-search success:

Job seekers execute their job search without a strategy; they shoot, then aim, and unfortunately, this almost always results in a miss. ~ Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend.

Job seekers miss 30% of the opportunities because they’re simply disorganized and fail to track and follow up every single lead and application ~ Sital Ruparelia

Many jobseekers do not take time to record a personalized voice mail greeting or create one that is appropriate to a job search. They frequently fail to coach their references on their job search goals or what points to make if theyâ€re called. They do not provide their references with a current resume, and worst of all, some do not even notify the individual they are being used as a reference.  ~ Dawn Bugni, The Write Solution

Clarity about search, identifying a unique value proposition and researching

Once you have a strategy, itâ€s crucial to have clarity and to understand your unique value proposition. Donâ€t forget that researching your target organizations will help you stand out from a crowd.

Job seekers often lack a clear statement of value and the stories that can illustrate (and back up) what they can do. ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting

Many job seekers fail to market themselves — they must know their own strengths, weaknesses, skills, and unique selling points. No one is going to land a job for you! ~ Heather Huhman, Come Recommended 

Job seekers should consider conducting a people search, rather than a job search. By identifying target companies, and influencers within those companies, and then aiming to get meetings with them before a job opens, they will position themselves as the “known candidate” and will be tapped for an opportunity FIRST when a position does open up. ~ Laura Labovich, Aspire! Empower!

Not knowing what the market rate is for the position you’re applying for. Do your salary guide research or you simply won’t be able to negotiate benefits to your benefit. ~ Jacob Share, JobMob

Job seekers try to be all things to all employers instead of identifying their niche strengths, finding a matching position, and targeting their materials for it. ~ Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International

Get out and network:

We canâ€t overstate how important it is to network in order to find a job. Research shows referrals are the top source of hires; your network may be the difference between having a job or looking for one. Consider how you are growing and maintaining your network of colleagues, friends and supporters – and who you consider part of your network.

Job Seeker does not network inside of their professional communities.  ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting

Jobs seekers fail to engage their friends, family and contacts quickly enough in their search. ~ Sital Ruparelia

Many job seekers forget that developing a network needs to begin a long time before they actually need it. ~ Dawn Rasmussen, Pathfinder Writing and Career Services

One of the most fun parts of compiling these suggestions from our colleagues was that we address so many of these topics in our eBook, You Need a Job, 5 Steps to Get One. It provides you with information that you need to know to get your job search going in the right direction. Our goal is to help you save time, effort, energy and money…Letâ€s face it, the best job hunt is one that is well executed and is as short as possible.

Update: the ebook is available. If you want to learn how to find a job, learn more here. Don’s miss special bonuses for people who are the first to buy our eBook.

Be sure to visit Hannah’s post for more tips from our friends and colleagues.

photo by Gnu2000

The post What mistakes do job seekers make? Part 1 appeared first on Keppie Careers.

I write a lot about using social media and other “non-traditional” approaches to job search. I believe in social networking tools, and know that entrepreneurs can win business using them and job seekers can land opportunities. I particularly love Twitter, and have often waxed poetic about how useful it is for job seekers. (See this post for links to my thoughts about using Twitter for job hunting.)

Attending several conferences recently (Career Directors International, a career coaches’ and resume writers’ convention and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Atlanta, an organization dedicated to recruiting and HR issues) inspired me to go a little retro for this post.  I’d suggest that to create opportunity, you need to think about being a connector (someone who enjoys introducing people, for personal or professional benefit).

Wikipedia defines “connector,” a term Malcolm Gladwell popularized in his 2000 book The Tipping Point:

Connectors are said…to be people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. Connectors usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles.

Although connectors are rare — only one in several thousand people might be thought of as a true connector — they are…very important in the healthy function of civil society and business. Connectors are also important in trendsetting.

My friend, Jenny DeVaughn, is the best example of being a connector that I know. Jenny is the Director, Social Strategy at Bernard Hodes Group, where she is “responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of social media strategies for clients, including ongoing training.” She is an expert regarding recruiting for today and develops and implements social media recruitment strategies for clients, including Fortune 500 organizations. She also has her own blog, Social Precision, where she shares tips and up-to-date ideas relevant to both the hiring side and job seekers.

I had a chance to see Jenny speak to a packed room at SHRM-Atlanta. (Read some of her advice  HERE.) She’s clearly way ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and connecting online. She shared that she is one of the top three most connected women on LinkedIn! You may assume someone so focused on online connecting might not be a skilled in-person networker, but the opposite is true when it comes to Jenny.

Jenny creates opportunity wherever she is. I have never stood next to her without watching Jenny introduce someone to another person, suggest some potential business or personal commonalities, make a connection or offer an idea. It amazes me how focused she is on helping other people succeed and what an awesome link she provides by letting each person know how the other person might relate to what he or she is doing.

Creating opportunity is an important and relevant topic, and one that job seekers need to think about in an environment when jobs are few and far between. Take a lesson from a connector — Jenny sees opportunity just by looking around and by thinking ahead. She obviously makes it a point to know what people do, what skills they have and makes the most of this information by sharing it and introducing people.

Think about it — how can you make opportunity by looking around? Who might you be able to introduce to someone else for a potential opportunity? How can you help those around you? When you are in that mindset of being a connector and serving as a hub of information and resources, it will also help you identify opportunities that may be available to you.

Stay tuned for a post about my friend Laura Labovich’s tips for how to introduce yourself effectively and for impact when meeting in person!

Please check out these blog posts that are joining mine in supporting Job Action Day 2010:

• Quintessential Careers Blog, Third annual Job Action Day arrives with job-seekers struggling with a new and more challenging future of work, future of job-hunting.
• Career Doctor Blog
• Quintessential Resume and Cover Letter Tips Blog, Career Experts Offer Tips for New Job-Search Realities: Job Action Day 2010.
• A Storied Career, Job Action Day 2010: Stories of Creating Opportunity Through LinkedIn.
• Susan Guarneri, New World of Work: Job Action Day 2010 Career Assessment Goddess.
• Wendy Terwelp, Job Action Day: Create Your Own Opportunity, Rock Your Career.
• Laura Labovich, Give-to-Get in the Protean Workplace!, Aspire! Empower!
• David Couper, Job Action: what can you do to help, David Couper Blog.
• Barbara Safani, Job Action Day-Opportunities Knock Harder When You Use Social Media, Career Solvers Blog.
• Maggie Mistal, Job Action Day: Soul Search, Research & Job Search To Create Real Opportunity, Career Advice Blog.
• Steven Rothberg, On Job Action Day 2010, Focus on Your Competencies, Interests, and values, CollegeRecruiter.com Blog
• Miriam Salpeter, Job Action Day — how to create job opportunities by being a connector, Keppie Careers.
• The Career Management Alliance Blog [multiple posts].
• Stephen Hinton, Focus On Certifications: How Can a Certification Help My Green Job Search?, Hinton Human Capital Blog.

You can also find Job Action Day 2010 posts on these blogs:

• Heather Krasna, Heather Krasna’s Public Service Career Blog.
• Meg Guiseppi, Executive Career Branding.
• Willy Franzen, One Day One Job.
• Deborah Shane, Deborah Shane Toolbox,
• Debra Wheatman, Careers Done Write Blog.
• Darrell Gurney, Career Guy Blog.
• Jason Alba, JibberJobber Blog.
• Rich Milgram, EmploymentMetrix Blog.
• Hannah Morgan, Career Sherpa.

The post Job Action Day – how to create job opportunities by being a connector appeared first on Keppie Careers.