Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

2 Reasons you should not be looking for a job

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It may be unexpected advice from a job search coach, but ideally you should not be looking for a job. Here’s why you need to get off those job boards and readjust your approach:

1. Instead of searching for a job, find a problem you can solve.

This is a proactive approach, and forces you to network and interact with a variety of people and to research problems facing organizations requiring your expertise. Identify thought leaders in your field and begin to insert yourself in their conversations. (One good tip is to discover and read blogs targeting your industry. Check Alltop.com for a great list or use Google’s blog search.)

Trying to find a problem to solve instead of a job requires you to consciously identify skills you plan to use in your next opportunity and to outline your accomplishments. If you stop searching for a job and start paying attention to what you have to offer, you will recognize you control more than you may have realized when it comes to your search.

Read the rest on my NEW, weekly blog on U.S. News & World Report’s Careers site…

Don’t Look for a Job – Make the Job Come to You


Photo by Jeffrey Beall

Tips to help transform your resume

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Since transforming resumes is a big part of my business, maybe it is a bit ironic that I don’t write many posts about resume writing. However, I had an opportunity at the Career Management Alliance conference last week in NOLA to hear a highly respected professional – Don Orlando, speak about “Powerful New Ways to Showcase Clients’ Value.” He focused a lot on how to improve resumes and what types of things to include. I was nodding the whole time! Much of what he shared is exactly the type of advice I give my clients and the strategies he suggested are very similar to the ones I use when I write resumes, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to actually blog about the resume itself!

First, Don reminded listeners that the resume is about the future, not the past! How often have I told my clients that very thing? It is very important to remember that demonstrating how you can be useful in the future – how you can solve the employer’s problems – will make the difference in helping you land a job. Don’t write a resume full of jargon from your past positions if that is not the same jargon your targeted employer understands or speaks. That is akin to ordering in French at a Chinese restaurant; you are unlikely to get the food you crave.

Don reminded us how important it is to illustrate how you solved problems and achieved results on the resume. He also noted that focusing on relative results – in context – is key. That is, if you improved sales by 15% in a downturn, when averages were in the negative numbers – say so! If you overcame obstacles to achieve a desired result – the reader wants to know! Focus on transferable skills without stifling yourself as a result of misdirected modesty. Don notes, the story is about the job seeker, not about the company.

Remember, having a great resume is one way to help you prepare to successfully network, interview and negotiate an offer, as Don remarked while I nodded…Yes! Having a great resume helps you bridge to your next job. I always say, “Show, don’t tell.” An action-packed, fully optimized resume is key.

I’ve written about how to evaluate your resume – how to look at your resume and decide if it is answering the key questions. Are you doing more than listing a bunch of “stuff” on your resume? In a competitive market, you must ensure that your materials are optimized to help get you to the next step. Take a good, long look at your materials. Are they a bridge or a roadblock to your targeted opportunity?

photo by Sandy Austin

What Duct Tape Marketing has to do with your job hunt

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Last night, I had a chance to hear John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and (soon to be released) The Referral Engine. I was so excited to have the opportunity to meet John, as his highly acclaimed book has long been on my “to read” list. (It also seems to be on the “recommended” list of many of my colleagues’ blogs.) John has a great blog as well, dedicated to helping small businesses find “simple, effective and affordable” marketing solutions.

I also have to give a shout out here to the Atlanta Business Marketing Association and Kris Elliot (@regusatlanta) from Regus AtlantaOffice Solutions for hosting a terrific event in their beautiful office space! (Win one year of fully furnished office space at one of their 23 Atlanta locations enter HERE!)

I had a feeling that I’d get some great ideas to share with you from John, and I was not disappointed! The fact is (can’t say this enough): Job search is nothing more than marketing YOURSELF. And John’s definition of marketing absolutely hits the spot:

“Getting someone who has a need to know, like and trust you.” What a great way to define the point of the job search!

All too often, job seekers fail to connect and land because they don’t focus on what the organization or employer wants. Big mistake. Find this information by studying the job description, thoroughly reviewing the organization’s website and social networking sites and making good use of information from people you have met via informational interviews.

What are their problems? (Their “pain points.”) You need to understand those problems before you can try to solve them. (Follow THIS LINK for a story that helps explain why!)

Job search is not about you. Your resume is not even all about you – it is an opportunity to make connections between what you offer and what the organization desires. If you ignore those all important NEEDS, it is unlikely that you will connect with an employer in this very competitive market.

Take a good look at your resume. Are you taking into consideration who will be reading it and what appeals to him or her? Do you make an effort to connect your skills and accomplishments in a context that resonates with your audience? What can you do to incorporate information with the “hooks” to appeal to the jobs you are hoping to “catch?”

Stay tuned for more that John shared that really resonated for me and related to job search!

Does your resume need to grow up?

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I see a lot of resumes. Some, quite honestly, need to grow up! If you are writing your resume in the style you learned in college, but college was…5, 10, maybe even 15 (!) years ago – it’s time for an update!

Certainly, styles have changed. Content has changed. (The previously required “Objective” is no longer even suggested, for example.) Suffice to say that a lot has changed! Do you really want to be sending the equivalent of “your father’s resume” when you apply for a job at that hip start-up? Or, even to the newly redesigned and rebranded business down the street? Probably not!

So many people forget that the resume style they used right out of school isn’t going to be the right choice now that they have actual “work experience.”

I hear from many job seekers who have many years of experience, but are still spending a lot of time listing awards won in college that have no significance for today’s reader. Many job seekers fail to move their “Education” section to the bottom of their resume once they have a position and enough experience under their belt (and no specific reason to keep Education on top).  A few still list their high school diploma, even when they have a bachelor’s degree.

There is no fail safe ”one size fits all” advice for resume writers, but most job seekers will want to make these changes and more to their job seeking documents before applying for their targeted jobs.  Otherwise, they will appear less experienced than they may be and jeopardize their chances for an interview.

Take a look at the “before” and “transformed” resumes on my site. Which one does your resume most resemble?

Need help with your job search? Contact me!

Art – and the "right" way to job search – are in the eye of the beholder

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met246896968_6dc95bda71_mThere’s a reason, I think, that so many artists and creative people live in New York City (and other big cities). There is so much going on there, it is almost impossible NOT to be inspired in some way – just in walking down the street. Having recently come back from a visit to the Big Apple, I decided to take a lesson from one of my blogging mentors, Anita Bruzzese, whom I admire, among other reasons, for the fact that she never has writer’s block!

Anita suggested that I should take inspiration from what is all around me. So, some NYC inspired thoughts for the job seeker…

One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A few thoughts the museum inspired in me…

Forgive me for saying so, but am I the only one who thinks, “Art is in the eye of the beholder” whenever I visit a museum? Of course, the halls were full of masterpieces, but when I visit their famous collection, there is always something I walk by and say “hmm…THAT’s in the Met?”

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To a certain extent, the same concept – art is in the eye of the beholder – applies to the job search.

I have written about the fact that there is no ONE right way to look for a job. If someone tells you that they offer the holy grail of job search, be wary. The fact is, just as certain art appeals to some more than others, resumes, job search techniques and approaches for the hunt can only be evaluated individually. Everyone brings a unique set of circumstances to the table – biases and personal preferences are an undeniable aspect of job hunting.

My colleague Louise Fletcher recently addressed the issue of including something on the resume that may not appeal to 100% of readers. Her client was concerned, but she argued that doing something that is  “calibrated to appeal to your target audience” has the potential to appeal to more people than not.

There are many nuances in job hunting…How you write your resume, what you say in your LinkedIn profile…If you should write a “social resume.” It’s not a “one size fits all” or a “come as you are” job market. Everyone has an opinion, and you want to be sure that you are listening to someone who is an expert to advise you.

Stay tuned for more thoughts…Feel free to share your insights!

There is no “one size fits all” career advice. Don’t you deserve the best, personalized information and help? Learn how I can help you with your search.

Frustrated that your search isn’t resulting in a job? In Atlanta? Join me and Stephanie A. Lloyd, CEO of Radiant Veracity for our series of in-person job search interventions. Read more about how to propel your search and sign up here.

Photo credits:  wallyg