Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Career tip — what makes you special and how will they remember you?

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This is part two of my series where I share tips from colleagues I met in October, when I attended the Career Directors International conference in San Diego. Today, a tip from Sherry Mirshahi of Interview Roadmap:

I agree that it is a great idea to carry networking cards. Some believe they are out-of-date, because people are using smart phones and apps to exchange information (via “bump” or another, similar technology). I admit that I am as guilty as the next person of taking a business card and intending to follow up, while the card slips to the black hole that seems to live inside my purse! However, I also often find myself referring to the cards I collected for contact information, a reminder of someone’s website I wanted to visit or to get connected via LinkedIn or Twitter after an event.

I don’t always remember all the details that I need to follow up, so business and/or networking cards are great for me.

However, be sure your card is professional. Alicia Sanera, founder and CEO of Sanera, The People Development Company, is a distinguished business consultant, coach, corporate facilitator and speaker. She recently wrote a post called, “Why I’m Shredding Your Business Card.” Sounds harsh, but her points are well taken, including:

  • Tiny font (we need to be able to read it)
  • No name (!)
  • No email contact

Make sure you hand out cards that represent the image you want to portray. I’m a fan of inexpensive services such as VistaPrint, but don’t hand out their free card with the ad on the back; it doesn’t say anything good about you, especially since the upgrade is only a few dollars. Aren’t you worth it?

Read Susan Kelly-Easton’s tip here.

photo by medialoog

Important LinkedIn change impacts job seekers

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Watching changes in social networking platforms and keeping up-to-date on their ever-changing tools can be a full-time job. My colleague, Jason Alba, author of I’m On LinkedIn, Now What?, posted yesterday about a new development in LinkedIn search that is important for job seekers. He explains that when a non-paying LinkedIn user reviews a third-degree connection’s profile, LinkedIn does not share that person’s name in the headline. (It lists the first name and last initial — see photo below/right). 

It then prompts the user with two choices:

1. To expand your network to enhance your opportunity to connect with the user at a second-degree level. (This would be free, but takes effort.)

2. To upgrade to a paid account that will allow the person to easily find full names for third-degree contacts

This is an interesting development, and Jason notes that it probably is a precursor for other, similar moves by LinkedIn to withhold information and potentially encourage more people to become paid members.

However, at this point, LinkedIn really does not have the upper hand in preventing people from identifying full contact information or names of those whose last names it may withhold. I can (at this point) still see the entire actual profile of my third-degree connections (sans last name in the headline). Any information they share in their profiles (including listing an email address or full name in their profile or Summary section, their personal websites, Twitter accounts, Slideshares, etc.) is still readily available.

My advice to job seekers (and everyone who wants to make it easy — and free) for people to know who you are? Include your full name in your Summary section, link your other professional websites and social networks that have links to your work or work products and consider sharing an email in the context of your Summary.

While it is possible that LinkedIn will become draconian and try to prevent us from sharing this information, or that it will set things up so we cannot easily access other identifying information (such as Twitter account, websites, etc.), that is not the case right now.

Help someone find you by updating your profile. And, consider having your own social resume — a website that you control to share information you want people to know about you. Contact me if you’re interested in owning YourName.com, but could use some help creating a fully operational site that search engines will love and will showcase your best professional information!

Consider using Quora to enhance your professional profile

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If you are a regular reader, you know I recommend using social media (Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)  to enhance your network and expand your reach as a job seeker or entrepreneur.  At a recent social event with other contributors and speakers for Social Media Atlanta’s HR and Recruiting track, I met Douglas Kling, (@DouglasKling), Director of Recruiting at HUNTER Technical Resources. He recommended I look at Quora.com, a network focused on asking and answering questions.

Quora calls itself “A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it.” Their goal? “To have each question page become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question.”

Crunchbase notes that Quora was founded in June 2009 and launched in private beta in January 2010:

“One way you can think of (Quora) is as a cache for the research that people do looking things up on the web and asking other people. Eventually, when you see a link to a question page on Quora, your feeling should be: “Oh, great! That’s going to have all the information I want about that.” It’s also a place where new stuff–that no one has written about yet–can get pulled onto the web.”

I found executive recruiter Harry Urschel’s new post in my Google reader while I was writing this post. Harry explains,

“…Quora is unique in the level of professional and expert responses you encounter. Ask a question regarding an Engineering challenge, and it’s not unlikely to get an answer from a Chief Engineer at Motorola or Intel. Ask a question regarding start-ups, and you’re likely to get a response from a Venture Capital expert. Ask questions about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or virtually any other successful site, and you’re just as likely to get an answer from a Senior Executive from one of those organizations as you are from a power user.”

Similar to LinkedIn’s Answers section, there are questions on Quora about a wide array of topics. For example, someone asked: “Are there metrics on how helpful it is to address a user by their first name for account/marketing emails?” One reply was from Ramit Sethi, a NYT bestselling author of I Will Teach You to be Rich.

You may ask a question to the community, or target it to a particular user. Like Twitter, you can choose to “follow” other users and you will have followers as well. When you sign up, Quora offers you the opportunity to link with your Twitter account, and it will automatically follow Quora members whom you follow on Twitter. I found a very small percentage of people I follow on Twitter were also on Quora right now.

How does a site like this help you? In general, it follows the same principle as other social media sites: sharing information and advice in your subject matter area helps you raise your profile. When you answer questions with good information and people begin to turn to you for advice, your digital footprint (how many people know about you online) increases. When more people know about you, your network grows and this improves your chances for learning about (and being recommended for) opportunities — both jobs and entrepreneurial ventures.

Harry noted that Google found his profile and answers and quickly indexed them (therefore indexing his expertise). Since many employers are Googling candidates, having another resource to showcase your knowledge, skills and abilities in your niche topic can be helpful. It’s also possible (as in any social networking site) to build a rapport with an expert or mentor, which may lead to opportunities to contribute to their projects and/or to meet in person.

As someone who has been using Quora for the past few months, Douglas confirms that it is a good use of time and an interesting use of social media. He explained,

“The format allows for interactive discussion amongst subject matter experts on an ever-growing variety of topics. But, it also levels the playing field between the known experts and the unknown experts. The platform allows heretofore unknown experts in a specific space to increase their digital footprint based on the actual quality of the information they provide.”

Check it out: Quora.com. If you sign up, be sure to look for me: http://www.quora.com/Miriam-Salpeter.

Career tip — Find out what people think of you!

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In October, I attended the Career Directors International conference in San Diego, but I have been so busy traveling and attending events since then, I have not had a chance to write about it yet!

One thing I did when I was there was take some video of my friends sharing their “best career tip.” Today, a tip from Susan Kelly-Easton of Competitive Edge Career Services.

It was so much fun meeting and spending time with Susan, and I am delighted to share this tip with you!

One way to collect this input is via the Reach 360, a tool that is available for free online for a 15-day test. It allows you to request feedback from people anonymously and to learn what your contacts and colleagues think of you!

The secret to effective job search

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Today’s post is one of many from members of the Career Collective community I co-coordinate with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter. I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which are linked at the end of my post. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

This month’s question focuses on common job search misconceptions. Unfortunately, “confused” is how job seekers often feel. They want to know the “right” way to apply for a job, what exactly their resume should say (and how it should look), whether or not anyone is reading their cover letter (should they even bother sending one?), when (and how often) to follow up…The list goes on and on.

However, I think the most important point that confuses job seekers is that the job search is not really about them. Nor is the resume, application, follow-up notes…None of it is about the job seeker.

The secret to successful job hunting? It’s about the employer.

If you are looking for a job, you need to research organizations and target your materials and networking efforts to appeal to them. You used XY skill at ABC place? That’s great, but what does it have to do with the job you want NOW? Everything on your resume and other communication (social media, in-person networking, etc.) needs to be geared to the employer’s interests and needs. Think of the employer as a spoiled child who wants everything his/her way. Avoid the temper tantrum in this case (which may be YOUR tantrum): give the employer what he needs to see. Convince her that you are the ONE candidate who is qualified and can do the job.

I’ve recently shared information about how to target your resume using keywords. Do that. If you are qualified for the position, you should be able to tweak and target your resume to appeal to your audience and land the interview.

When it comes to your resume, do your research to identify the employer’s salient points. For example, a manager may find that employers need candidates who have the following skills:

  • Mentoring/supervisory skills,
  • Diplomacy/communication
  • Leadership and
  • Specific subject matter expertise.

Once you identify the important skills – write the resume to identify and PROVE you are the candidate with the goods. When someone else reads the resume, will that person see proof of the necessary skills? Does the resume include accomplishments related to each of the points? It is not unusual to see a resume that states something but fails to prove it in the body of the resume. Any point that you are not supporting with evidence in your resume is a lost opportunity to drive home your point to the hiring manager.

Stop focusing on you and your needs – think about what someone else will be thinking when they encounter your materials or meet you. It’s the secret to job hunting successfully: it’s not about you.

Don’t miss my colleagues’ responses to this topic:

photo by Tambako the Jaguar