Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Review of The Twitter Book

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thetwitterbook4166iaPKDKL._SL500_AA240_You didn’t think you needed another social network to propel your job search? You’re on LinkedIn – isn’t that enough? If you are a regular reader, you know that I am a bit of a Twitter evangelist! I think that Twitter is a terrific resource for job seekers, entrepreneurs and all professionals for connecting and network expanding.

While I think of using Twitter as second nature, there are many “ins and outs,” and it really is not all that obvious to everyone. So, I was excited to receive The Twitter Book, by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein. As the authors note in Chapter 1, “Twitter lives a dual life. On one hand, it’s a simple service. Besides letting you share and read very short messages, it has few bells and whistles. On the other hand, it can be surprisingly hard to figure out. The screens aren’t particularly intuitive and the jargon and symbols are obscure.”

So, I read the book both as an expert user and as a coach looking for resources to help my clients become more frequent and successful Tweeps. I was not disappointed on either count!

For new users, the book offers a tutorial on how to get signed up and started and how to create a profile. I was surprised and delighted to find that Sarah and Tim actually quoted my Twitter profile as an example of a bio that tells a story (see page 23)!

The book covers all of the terminology that Twitter users need to know and provides pictures and examples throughout. Need to know how to find people? Done. How to tweeet from the road? Done. What’s a RT (retweet) and can you edit it if it is too long to send? (Yes, but consider using “via” if you change it substantially,” p. 115).

Power users – did YOU know that there is an opp called 140it that “uses common cutting conventions to whittle down” your posts if they are too long? (It doesn’t work for every post, but I had never heard about it, and I’ve been tweeting up a storm for a while now.)

Suffice to say that any detail you need to know is available in this handy, easy to use reference.

But, using Twitter successfully requires more than just a list of “how to,” practical concerns. There are many nuanced aspects, and Sarah and Tim don’t forget about them in this book. Included in the book: discussions about how many people to follow, how to have great conversations, how to @ reply so the user will know what you mean, how often to tweet and how to go beyond “what are you doing?” to be a contributing member of your Twitter community and more.

I’d recommend this book to anyone hesitant to try Twitter because it seems overwhelming and current “tweeps” who would like to pick up some tips from the pros. You can follow the authors at @timoreilly and @SarahM and you can follow the book’s hashtag (“demystified” on page 41) -  #twitterbook.

Need help getting started using Twitter for your job hunt? Your resume isn’t doing the job it needs to do? Click here for informtion about how I can help with your search.

What's the cost of being unemployed?

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naked dad3320618374_003b2a716e_mRecently, my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter of Career Trend Resumes and Writing shared some information via Dawn Bugni (Twitter: @dawnbugni), who referenced the July 2009 Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches newsletter that highlighted the cost of lost wages to job seekers in a variety of income levels. This is the data from Jacqui’s blog:

If you expect a $20,000 salary, your weekly salary is $384.61 and an 18 week job hunt will cost you $6,992.98.

If you are looking for a job with a $50,000 salary, your weekly salary is $961.54 and an 18 week job hunt costs you $17,307.69.

If you are hoping for a $100,000 salary, your weekly salary is $1,923.08 and an 18 week job hunt costs you $34,615.38.

Clearly, it behooves job seekers to do everything they can to shorten their searches to land as quickly as possible. Jacqui’s post, which you should read in its entirety HERE, reminds readers that “navigating a job search without a compass” costs valuable time and money. Think about it…Wouldn’t it be nice to have an experienced coach and resume writer on your side? When I coach someone, I like to think of myself in the role of a helpful friend in the passenger seat offering directions as you are driving your own career bus!

Follow this link to learn more about me and how I can help you propel your search forward.

cartoon from Bearman

A new paradigm for work? Slash careers and Gen Y

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sunnyday325950178_aaa3c571cd_mA shadow seems to remain over the job market for new college grads. The Hire Ground blog quoted my colleage, Lindsey Pollak:

While many of Gen Y’s employment troubles can be blamed solely on the current economy, there are other difficult circumstances they must overcome, Pollak says. Those with the misfortune of having been born in the 1980s are also the first wave of job seekers who have been trained to seek conventional careers yet are entering a workplace that is alien to every previous generation.

“The old paradigm is clearly not working anymore,” she says. “The thinking was that all the baby boomers would start to retire and there would be lots of new positions open, but that’s not happening. Even the meaning of the word ‘career’ is changing. You’re not going to see people working for one company for 30 years anymore.”

There’s no doubt that Gen Y (and all) job seekers who embrace the new paradigm will be the most successful finding fulfilling positions, but those positions may look very different from the old norms.

The article notes:

Pollak, author of the new post-grad bible, “Getting From College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World,” says some new terms are cropping to describe the peripatetic nature of employment today, in which workers will commonly jump from job to job, sometimes moving into several different fields. Some are calling these “slash-careers,” she says, referring to the need to add a series of slashes in job descriptions (e.g., editor/speaker/dancer). Others say young job seekers are members of “free-agent nation” and need to become their own CEOs and take more control of their careers.

Marci Alboher, author of One Person/Multiple Careers,  authority on “slash careers” and the writer who likely first coined the term notes on her website:

“…slash careers integrate and fully express the multiple passions, talents, and interests that a single career often cannot accommodate.“

Anyone looking for a job, particularly young people with less experience, will do well to embrace a variety of types of internships, part-time work and entrepreneurial options to take advantage of the opportunities the current economy offers. No, it isn’t your father’s job market…The situation requires a creative approach and may result in different types of results from the ones college students might have expected. However, there are positive aspects to the situation – the proverbial “silver lining.”

For one Gen Y’s optimistic take on the situation, see the video interview with Stephanie Perrett, a Gen Y intern for Stephanie A. Lloyd and Radiant Veracity:


If your search is stalling, consider getting some help to get it jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

photo by hana8hana

Senator Edward Kennedy’s lesson to job seekers

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It is inevitable that, after the death of an influential political figure, there will be a lot of commentary and talk. TV viewers can watch hours and hours of analysis about everything from his life and work to how many family members might have been around his bedside upon his death. Even Sarah Palin came out with a friendly, sympathetic statement.

A few lessons for careerists come to mind…

Soft Skills/Emotional Intelligence

What strikes me is the emphasis on Senator Kennedy’s ability to reach across the political aisle. Several commentators indicated that they believed the debate over healthcare reform might be much different had Senator Kennedy been able to be more intimately involved.

There is no doubt that the ability to communicate with all types of people from different ideologies and beliefs is a key “soft” skill that job seekers need to consider. Work environments are about relationships as much (if not more) than they are about “getting the job done.”

Quint Careers notes that the first and most important skill employers seek is the ability to communicate well. They say, “By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively.” No doubt, this skill helped lead to Ted Kennedy’s long career and will impact his legacy.

Whether or not you are looking for a job, think about your role in your organization. Are you the person who can bring people together? Can you interpret and communicate despite differences? These are key skills to emphasize on your resume when you do look to move on. Don’t underestimate their importance.

Overcoming Setbacks

Most students of modern American history can not help but associate Ted Kennedy’s name with the scandal of Chappaquiddick. The tragic incident in 1969 may have prevented Kennedy from being elected president, but his long career in the Senate since demonstrates that it is possible to overcome even the most horrible of circumstances. While most people will not have a scandal of these proportions nor the privilege Kennedy commanded that helped him overcome it, I think it is worth noting that even the most difficult circumstances may not necessarily fully define a career.

Some commentators mentioned that, while he was haunted by the tragedy, he re-focused his efforts on working in the Senate and determined that he would have an impact there. Some said he became one of the most influential and productive legislators of his time.

So, maybe it is a stretch to suggest that job seekers take heart that no negative circumstances need to totally define their future paths, but it is something to reflect on. What steps can you take to redefine your career road? How can you “drive your career bus” in a different direction? Where can you take control of your situation to alter where you will land? A lot is in your hands – probably more than you know.

Do you need help defining your job hunt? I can help!

Video resumes – more popular, but use with caution

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video77430740_80140b845e_mVideo resumes. They are all the rage in the personal branding community, but the jury is still out as far as the majority of recruiters go. A recent post in the New York Times is headlined “Video Resumes Get More Popular.” However, if you read the article, there are many caveats. (In other words, just because they are popular with the job seekers does not mean they are popular on the hiring side!)

When Serene Buckley received her first video resume from an applicant, she was interested and reviewed it, it seems more out of curiosity than anything else! She noted that it would be important for the video to be accompanied by a strong, traditional resume.

As candidates attempt to “stand out” in a tight job market, more and more applicants are turning to video. However, there are many concerns that are important to consider before directing “Resume You.”

  • Recruiters and hiring managers don’t have time to review videos. You only get 8-10 seconds for a resume!
  • Most companies use computer software to scan resumes and are not equipped to review video resumes.
  • The obvious emphasis on the candidate’s appearance could lead to racial discrimination.
  • The video could actually hurt a candidate who is not attractive.
  • A non-professionally produced video could highlight negative qualities.

The Times article quotes Don Straits, CEO of Corporate Warriors, an executive placement firm in Auburn, CA, ”...The only way that video resumes are really effective is when they’re used in context with supporting documents.” That means combining a video with a strong written resume and information about a person’s past performance.

”When video resumes are not used properly, they are worthless,” Straits said. ”And in fact, may do more harm than good.”

Not surprisingly, the article highlights the importance of production quality. Job seekers who know how to produce and edit a quality video (or hire someone to do it) have a strong advantage. It would be a shame to send a video that actually detracts from your search.

Before you start sending out a video of yourself, you want to really study what image you present. Look at your appearance, mannerisms, listen to how you sound.

Assume that your video (even if is well done and appropriate for your industry) is unlikely to help you unless your written materials catch the hiring manager’s eye first! In most cases, you must attract attention by communicating your value via traditional means that are easy to scan and assess, which usually means a strong written resume.

I can help you create a strong resume and online presence.  Learn more about how I can help with your job hunt.

photo by ezalis