Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Envision your future to help your job hunt

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ladder on wall249101134_32ca4e0285_mMy friend Cindy Petersiel, a business coach who blogs at Design Your Success, suggested an idea I have been meaning to share, and “Job Search Future Planning Week” is the perfect time to share it! When you are looking for a job, knowing where you are going is the most important thing. As Cindy notes: “What good is climbing the ladder if it’s leaning against the wrong wall?” To help you figure out the right wall…

This is what Cindy says:

Envision yourself 5 years from now being featured in an article for a magazine or newspaper.   Ask yourself these questions:

What publication is featuring the article?

Who are you or what have you done to gain the interest of the magazine?

Now consider some questions that might be asked by the interviewer:

What lead you to this path in your life and in your work?  How have your core values influenced your path?  What are the steps that you took to get here?  What were the milestones along the way?  What do you love about your life and your accomplishments?  What have been the obstacles along the way and how have you surmounted them?  What has your work brought to you?

Notice that all of these questions are in the present tense.  When you answer them, keep that present tense.

So, what do you think? When you envision yourself 5 years down the road, what magazine is writing an article about you? Why?

Cindy suggests you think about:

Who have you become or what have you done that has captured the publication’s interest?   At the top of a piece of paper, write the name of the magazine.  Leave room for an article title – you’ll fill that in last.

Write out the interview questions above.  What other questions could there be?  Write them out.  Make sure you have about 20 to 30 minutes of quiet alone time and write out the answers to these questions.  Really pretend that you are there, 5 years from now.  Feel the pride and the joy.

Lastly, come up with a title for the article and write it at the top of the page.  This could end up being a battle cry or bolstering mantra as you move toward your 5-year vision.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s idea to extend the fun and pretend to help you firm up your vision of the future!

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!

photo by anihatzis

Plan your job hunt using The Vision Board to guide you

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Regular readers know that I usually stick to highly practical job search advice – I want to offer a toolbox of practical job hunting tips and advice. But, my tag line is “Encouraging, enlightening and empowering job seekers for success.” So, with that in mind, I want to suggest a book that job seekers and all professionals may want to consider reading!

Joyce Schwarz’s visually beautiful and inspiring book, The Vision Board, reminds readers of a key life lesson. As she says in the introduction, “Your time is now.” She shows her readers how to take the bull by the horns and take hold of their own destinies by offering moving stories of people (and families!) who have used vision boards to improve their lives.

For those of us who have never engaged in this type of work, Ms. Schwarz offers step-by-step instructions that not only help readers know what to DO, but also make the concept of the Law of Attraction understandable and attainable to even the most skeptical of audiences.

By offering her own framework to help the reader engage in this work (GRABS), which stands for Gratitude, Release and Receive, Acknowledge and Ask, Be and Believe and Share, the author helps readers really understand their roles in what she calls their own “quantum leap.” She literally offers readers a “passport to possibility” by describing how to get started both from a spiritual perspective (offering accounts of personal stories, sound advice and tips for expressing gratitude) AND from a practical perspective (even suggesting what type of adhesive to use).

One of my favorite things about this book was that it leads the reader to understand and agree with the premise without seeming preachy or “out there.” For example, who can’t understand the value of stopping during the day for a short walk or a coloring break with kids? Ms. Schwarz offers these as examples of ways to “say thanks for your body and the power of your mind.”

Having read The Vision Board, I suggested that my business mastermind group work on our own vision board projects to help us solidify our goals and propel our plans forward. I  recommend it to anyone who wants to jump-start his or her plans, even if you aren’t already a believer in the Law of Attraction!

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!


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Job search planning – steps, tips and tricks

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july2582874758_5bebef06c2_mSince we are on the cusp of a new month, a new fiscal year for some and have just officially crossed into a new season, I am declaring this week on my blog as “Job Search Future Planning Week.” Everyone engaged in a successful search needs to have a plan.

Today, some tips and/or reminders about how to get your job hunt off on the right foot. Stay tuned this week for posts and ideas that are a little off my typical path!

Identify your 3%…

Peter Weddle explained that the genome project taught us that humans are 97% similar! So, he suggested that we each have 3% that is special and unique. Have you thought about that 3%? You need to focus and purposefully identify what you have to offer that makes you stand out from everyone else. It’s not enough to assume that it’s obvious or that everyone will recognize your talents. Stop, outline what you have to offer and focus on your goals. Then, move forward with intent.

Stay upbeat and positive – it really matters

You’re not alone – try to focus on the silver lining in the job hunt. No one wants to hire Debbie Downer. There’s no telling how much a positive attitude will help you succeed, so do your best to stay upbeat, or at least to look upbeat to the outside world.

Work on identifying companies – not just looking for openings.

Searching for job opportunities posted online can certainly take all of your time. Instead of focusing on open positions, consider targeting companies of interest (even if they do NOT have openings) and network your way into the organization so that you will be “top of mind” when there is an opportunity.

Know how to tell your story…

Did you know that being able to tell your story is probably the most important part of the job hunt? You need to be able to share your “elevator pitch” when you meet people and it’s important to have some good stories to tell on your resume, in your cover letter and during an interview. I like Kathy Hansen’s Tell Me About Yourself, a book that is all about how to tell your job search story. Be sure to pick up a copy!

Dive into social media if you haven’t already!

Yes, this can take some time if you are going to do it full force. But, you have time, so go for it! Start searching for blogs in your niche. Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop list is a perfect place to find blogs in an array of topics, but you can certainly use Google to find current information in your field of interest. Spend some time researching and exploring. See if you can identify the stars in your field. Use online mechanisms to connect to them! (More about LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook later.)

In fact, the New York Times published an article, The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy, which emphasizes the importance of expanding your network beyond your immediate circle:

This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Sociologists have long found that “weak ties” greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.

This idea is also proven in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, an excellent read for those interested in being connected!

LinkedIn

I can’t emphasize how important it is to enhance your LinkedIn profile. Recruiters are sourcing from LinkedIn in large numbers, so if you aren’t there with a strong statement of your qualifications, skills and accomplishments, you are missing out!

Use Twitter to help you find a job

Yes, you CAN tweet yourself to a job. Get set up using the tips linked above and follow these links to learn what people to follow to help accelerate your search and about Twitter applications to use to help you propel your job hunt.

FaceBook

While Facebook isn’t my favorite social network for job seekers, you can use Facebook groups to help with your job hunt, and there are many Facebook applications that are useful for job seekers. You may also want to review how to use Facebook for your job hunt.

Start taking care of your digital footprint

Satisfying Career, Happier Life suggests these services to help control your digital dirt:

These resources may be useful, but you don’t want to be in the position of worrying about whether or not unsavory pictures or trash talking could have cost you an interview or a job. Be careful what you put online and you’ll never have to find out how well or quickly these services work!

Don’t forget to keep up your in-person networking

If you want to succeed in business or your job hunt, you need to be able to engage on a person-to-person basis, tell your story and share information to help you connect.

Consider the cost benefits of seeking career advice.

The fact is, most people don’t have a very good resume and have no idea how to search for a job in today’s economy. In a competitive environment, your job seeking materials (this includes your LinkedIn profile and web 2.0 presence) will be even more important. Money may be tight, but hiring a coach and/or a resume writer might be just the boost you need to propel your search. Anita Bruzzese, career advice columnist and author suggests,

“If you don’t think you can afford a career coach, consider giving up some of the extras in your life (a gym membership, eating out, cable television, etc.) which can can help you pay for a coach.”

Consider the cost of unemployment and the fact that you are much more likely to land a job in a timely way if you have a great resume, understand how to market yourself and are well prepared to interview and negotiate.

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!

photo by phlyersphan

Can you find a job on Twitter?

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twitterbirdLindsay Olsen recently posted about how to help recruiters find you on Twitter. She should know, because she is a recruiter sourcing candidates on Twitter!

In any case, she shared some data from a recent survey from Hubspot on the state of the Twittersphere.

Of Twitter users:

  • 79.79% failed to provide a homepage URL (My tip: use your LinkedIn URL if you have nothing else.)
  • 75.86% of users have not entered a bio in their profile
  • 68.68% have not specified a location
  • 55.50% are not following anyone
  • 54.88% have never tweeted
  • 52.71% have no followers

Honestly, I was not all that surprised to see this data. While Twitter has grown exponentially in terms of people who have profiles, I think many join because they can’t turn on the TV without hearing someone talk about Twitter,  but they don’t know what to do once they get there. I often talk to certain Tweeps about the fact that Twitter fanatics and uber-users (Twuber users?) forget that this social media “stuff” isn’t second nature for everyone!

So, what is a job seeking Twitter wanna be user to do?

First of all, take a look at my intro to Twitter for the job search HERE. Then, take a look at some suggestions of applications you might want to use HERE. Finally, some people to follow for your job search HERE. Stay tuned for my review of The Twitter Book, by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein, a resource to help “twanna be” users become Tweeps in their own right!

Need a little help ramping up your search? Read how I can help get you going!

How to evaluate a job description – are you qualified?

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knocking on door206400298_9c650c5585_mThere are a lot of elements to job seeking. In a perfect world, no job seeker would ever need to apply for a job – the jobs would all come knocking. Well, clearly, this isn’t a perfect world. Most job seekers are not in the position to move from job to job effortlessly. So, reviewing and evaluating job descriptions is a necessary evil.

It’s both a blessing and a curse that todays descriptions are so elaborate and LONG. Some of you will remember when applying for a job involved reading a three-line ad in a newspaper and hoping you would get lucky and hit the nail on the head with your application materials. Now, companies have no limits to the number of words they can use in their “desired qualifications.” If you are lucky, someone who really knows what the job involves will write the description, but you can be sure there’ll be a lot of words, plenty of lingo and probably a lot of qualifications to meet.

So, what’s the good part of looking at these job descriptions that don’t seem to end? At least you get a good sense of what the organization values. If they want four of five key qualifications, they will list all of them (and then some), so you will know from the start their wish list. (In the old days, they may have left something off that would come back to bite you in the butt later in the process.)

The other advantage to long job descriptions? You can use them to help connect the dots between what they need and what you offer. Connecting the dots is the key to success with applications.

When you review a job description – first, think about the type of organization. Is it a government job? If there are required minimum qualifications (for example, a four-year degree in a particular industry AND 4 years of related work experience) – you are likely out of luck if you do not have those exact qualifications. Applying for that job without the minimum qualifications, unless you have some sort of great networking connection or otherwise have reason to believe that you are  “special” circumstance, is likely to be a waste of your time for a government job. Since targeting your resume for each job is important and targeting and cover letter writing takes your valuable time, looking at the situation with a realistic view is important.

Does this mean that you should never consider jobs beyond your qualifications?

NO! In fact, I’ve written tips for applying for jobs that are a reach. However, it’s important to spend your application time well, so evaluating the job description is key.

We all know that job descriptions often seem to be seeking the “sun, moon and stars.” Employers “shoot for the moon.” They want the equivalent of an accountant who has written a novel and has a perfect golf game! In other words, an unlikely combination!

When “desired qualifications” include experiences you do not have, it can still be worth applying. As long as you can make a direct connection between what they want and what you offer, I advise going for it!

Make a point to understand your skills and qualifications. Know your limitations and where you have potential to successfully stretch.

A little self-assessment can go a long way. You must know yourself to sell your skills. If you apply for an interview for a position that is a stretch, be prepared to sell yourself and defend your ability to get the job done. Know what transferable skills you possess that will make you successful. You can apply for “reach” jobs until you are blue in the face, but if you don’t know how to convince the employer that you CAN do the job, even if you haven’t ALREADY done it, you’re going to be looking for a long time.

Let me help get you started ahead of the job seeking pack. Learn more about what I can do for you.

photo by cupe vampe