Beyond LinkedIn — Creative Ways to Land a New Job
There was a time when careers advisors would warn jobseekers against printing their resumes on pink paper, using strange fonts or including pictures to make their names stand out in the pile. It was enough to have good skills, solid results and a persuasive cover letter to grab attention, they would say. The rest was up to the interview. Not any more. In an age of almost 10 percent unemployment, LinkedIn profiles, job sites and social media, tech-savvy jobseekers are using all their skills to grab attention and win an interview.
YouTube is for Lolcats and Video Resumes
It worked for Justin Bieber, and for countless other amateur music stars who shot footage of themselves singing into the vacuum cleaner, uploaded it to the Web’s biggest video site and found a record contract and a new career waiting in their comments. Almost. But these things are rare. The more usual route, even for bands, is to build an audience on the pub or student circuit then watch bootlegged versions of their gigs appear on the site once they’ve made it. For people looking for jobs whose descriptions don’t include bad haircuts or television-tossing though, video resumes are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to Word docs and PDFs. Search on the site for “video resumes” and you’ll be offered a list of more than 235,000 results, including both resumes themselves and guides from “experts” explaining what to include and how to make a good impression.
And for some people, it seems to work. When Graeme Anthony began searching for a job with a PR company in England he uploaded a video that showed himself sitting at a table with a guitar in the background. Having introduced himself, he then invited viewers to click through to other parts of his resume, with the clicks leading to new, more detailed clips. It was all well done, very professional and won him a job with a PR company.
But not all video resumes are that well done. Too many look dull and lifeless, with little to offer the viewer but an audio speech. While written resumes needed very little writing skills, the best video resumes need some pretty keen awareness of video editing — and of copyright too.
If the technical challenge of creating a video resume isn’t a big enough hurdle, there are also a couple more. The resume has to be seen, first of all. Serious jobseekers can’t expect to upload the story of their life and wait for the offers to pour in. Employers, like everyone else on the site, are looking for lolcats not potential employees. Even Graeme Anthony’s video was unlisted and viewable only by those who had the link. The video might be the resume but you’ll still need a cover letter to persuade people to look at it.
And there’s also the matter of being taken seriously. Some of those 235,000 results for video resumes include some pretty toe-curling spoofs. You don’t want to look anything like Dave.
See More Great Tips and The Rest Of The Article
26 Tips to Enhance Your Experience on LinkedIn
By Debbie Hemley
With more than 85 million users and “a new member being added every second,” LinkedIn is often regarded as the premier social networking site for business professionals. Companies also see LinkedIn as a valuable place to promote their products and services.
Let’s explore LinkedIn together and see if you can identify new ways to enhance your user experience by considering the topics discussed below. As I’ve done in the companion pieces to this post, 26 Twitter Tips and 26 Facebook Tips, I’ll introduce LinkedIn Tips from A-Z.
These tips will reference both personal and company perspectives. But before we get started, let’s go over a couple of LinkedIn basics—who’s on LinkedIn, creating your LinkedIn profile and developing your list of LinkedIn connections.
Your connections are what make LinkedIn work for you, so taking the time to expand your reach is time well spent. A unique perspective on connections is offered by Stephanie Sammons in her post, How Connecting Your Connections to Connect with One Another Will Help Elevate Your Social Status.
For example, on my LinkedIn profile I’m currently using Reading List by Amazon, Blog Link and the new Publications feature. You can have a total of 15 modules and/or applications on your profile. A message bar will appear at the top of the page if you need to remove an application prior to adding another.
“Since the Company Page roll-out, 20,000 companies are sharing over 40,000 products. Companies of all sizes and industries are using Company Pages,” said Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn’s director of product management. When a LinkedIn member recommends a company’s product, they share the recommendation with all of their connections.
Ryan spoke about the power of recommendations for businesses, and referred to the Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, in which Nielsen found that recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising. Ninety percent of consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.
You can also follow LinkedIn events on Twitter.
LinkedIn has restrictions about whom you can reach out to with a free account. The person has to have been a colleague, classmate, someone you’ve done business with or a friend. One of the best bonus features of Groups is that you can send InMail to group members without having to upgrade to a premium account.
Tips 8 - 26 and Complete Article
With more than 85 million users and “a new member being added every second,” LinkedIn is often regarded as the premier social networking site for business professionals. Companies also see LinkedIn as a valuable place to promote their products and services.
Let’s explore LinkedIn together and see if you can identify new ways to enhance your user experience by considering the topics discussed below. As I’ve done in the companion pieces to this post, 26 Twitter Tips and 26 Facebook Tips, I’ll introduce LinkedIn Tips from A-Z.
These tips will reference both personal and company perspectives. But before we get started, let’s go over a couple of LinkedIn basics—who’s on LinkedIn, creating your LinkedIn profile and developing your list of LinkedIn connections.
Develop a network of relevant connections.
Who’s on LinkedIn?
To put it simply, everyone; full- and part-time employees, contractors, freelancers and key decision-makers from any given industry or company can be found on LinkedIn.Creating Your LinkedIn Profile
If you’re just getting started on LinkedIn, you’ll want to strive for 100% completeness on your personal profile by adding your current position, at least two past positions, information about your education, a summary of your background/experiences, a profile photo, details about your specialties and at least three recommendations. And if you’ve been on LinkedIn for a while, think about profile changes you can make to further demonstrate who you are and what you have to offer.Developing Your List of LinkedIn Connections
You can grow your list of LinkedIn connections through webmail contacts (email contacts who are already on LinkedIn), colleagues and classmates, and through networking on LinkedIn groups.Your connections are what make LinkedIn work for you, so taking the time to expand your reach is time well spent. A unique perspective on connections is offered by Stephanie Sammons in her post, How Connecting Your Connections to Connect with One Another Will Help Elevate Your Social Status.
LinkedIn Tips From A-Z
#1: Applications
As LinkedIn suggests, you can add third-party applications to “enrich your profile, share and collaborate with your network, and get the key insights that help you be more effective.” There are currently 19 applications to choose from. Depending on what you want to highlight, you can give a good example of your specialties, areas of interest, and work samples.For example, on my LinkedIn profile I’m currently using Reading List by Amazon, Blog Link and the new Publications feature. You can have a total of 15 modules and/or applications on your profile. A message bar will appear at the top of the page if you need to remove an application prior to adding another.
#2: Blog Links
You can bring your blog posts into LinkedIn with applications such as Blog Link or WordPress LinkedIn. It’s a powerful way to engage your connections with material you’ve written and if they hadn’t already been visiting your blog on a regular basis, your posts will make it in front of their eyes when they receive their LinkedIn updates.#3: Company Pages
LinkedIn has offered company profiles since 2008 and last month the profiles were upgraded to “Company Pages.” Companies can now showcase significantly more about their business. With the new Products and Services tab, companies are able to feature products and services with descriptive overviews. Videos can also be embedded on the page, one per product or service. At this time, you can only upload videos from YouTube, although LinkedIn expects that to change in the near future.Recommend your favorite products and services on LinkedIn Company Pages
Ryan spoke about the power of recommendations for businesses, and referred to the Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, in which Nielsen found that recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising. Ninety percent of consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.
#4: Direct Ad Campaigns
LinkedIn Direct Ads allow you to target ads by industry, company, geography, job function, seniority, gender and age. Ads can appear as a media box, banner ad or text hyperlink. Ads are pay-per-click or by impressions and can be stopped at any time.#5: Events
With the LinkedIn Events application, you can browse by event type, topic, location and add your own event for users to find, promote and attend. Coree Silvera has a helpful post, Promote Your Event by Using LinkedIn Event Application. As she suggests, you can share with your contacts and also purchase paid advertising options targeting a specific audience on LinkedIn. This would entail going outside your own network of connections using advertising methods such as CPC (cost-per-click), CPI (cost-per-impression) or text ads.You can also follow LinkedIn events on Twitter.
#6: Follow Companies
Company follows make it possible for you to keep your eye on key events happening at companies you’re interested in. You’ll see information regarding new jobs, new hires and promotions, what it’s like to work there via employee testimonials and how to contact a recruiter.#7: Groups
LinkedIn Groups are a great way to stay on top of topics of interest to you and to network with others in your field. You can see who was most influential in the group the past week and follow their activities on LinkedIn. To find groups, go to LinkedIn Groups Directory.LinkedIn has restrictions about whom you can reach out to with a free account. The person has to have been a colleague, classmate, someone you’ve done business with or a friend. One of the best bonus features of Groups is that you can send InMail to group members without having to upgrade to a premium account.
Tips 8 - 26 and Complete Article
20 Best iPhone Apps for Job Hunting
In college, no one ever bothers to tell students the tough truth that looking for a job is itself a full-time occupation. There are job boards to scour, resumes to type, cover letters to proofread, meetings to take, interviews to prepare for, and on and on. It can be daunting for anyone, especially recent grads just getting used to the pressure of the working world. There's no shortcut to making it easier to land a job — sorry — but there are plenty of ways you can streamline the job hunt and give yourself as many advantages as possible before, during, and after the all-important interview. These apps are a great place to start, whether you're looking for updated job listings or trying to brush up on what not to do when you meet with human resources. Most are free, and the rest are pretty inexpensive. (And really, if you're willing to pay several hundred dollars for a smartphone and contract, 99 cents isn't going to kill you.) Download away. And good luck.
- LinkedIn (free): LinkedIn is a social network that's a lot more limited than Facebook, but that's a good thing. It's not meant for cat pictures or pithy status updates; it's about connecting with colleagues, friends, and everyone else you've ever known in an attempt to learn about new jobs as soon as they become available. The free app lets you manage your profile, search jobs, send messages, and research companies on the go. Great for last-minute refreshers before an interview.
- Job Search by Indeed (free): Indeed.com is a wonderful job-search engine that combs multiple boards and displays all the results at once, so it's no surprise that its iPhone version is so popular. The app also saves recent job searches (e.g., "Manager" in "Los Angeles") for easy retrieval and updating.
- Jobs by CareerBuilder (free): CareerBuilder is one of the most popular job-search sites around — they launched in 1995, which makes them ancient in Internet years — and the app version is just as helpful as the full site. You can search for work by keyword or location, sync with your existing profile, mark job listings as favorites, and email results to yourself. A necessary tool for anyone.
- LinkUp (free): Some people question the worth of having multiple apps that cover multiple job boards and often provide overlapping results. Those people have a harder time finding work. The key to success in the job hunt is to cover as much ground as possible, and that means using as many tools as you can to bring in information about potential openings. LinkUp is another great aggregate that lists postings often found only on a company's specific website and not on general job boards, exposing you to more listings than other services.
- CraigsPro (99 cents): There are many versions of Craigslist available via the App Store, but CraigsPro is one of the better ones. It's only a buck, and it lets you simultaneously search multiple cities for specific keywords. It also detects phone numbers in postings and gives you the option of calling the poster directly. A good way to spot new job openings in different markets.
- Job Search Organizer: A must-have. Job Search Organizer is just what it sounds like: a way for you to keep track of every job you've applied for, manage your resume and info, and search for new listings.
- Resume Pro ($2.99): A simple but effective way to get your c.v. out there, this app takes your personal and professional information (and a photo, if you desire) and works up a professional resume that can then be emailed as a PDF to recruiters, managers, and the like.
- SnapDat (free): Making business cards can be expensive, so let this free app help you out. Create your own digital card that can be swapped with other app users via username searches or just emailed to new contacts. A helpful way to save some cash while looking for work.
- Internship Seeker (free): Whether you're a college student searching for that perfect internship or a seasoned worker in need of a change of direction, this app can get you where you need to go. You can search open listings, earmark your favorites, and more.
- iJobs (free): This simple, direct app does what it says it will: connect you with jobs in your area. The clean interface lets you search for jobs by ZIP code as well as limit those findings based on how far you're willing to travel.
College seniors: Start your job search in January, walk into a job in May
Matt Krumrie
Minneapolis Workplace Examiner
About-to-be new grads who begin their job search in April or May can get in real trouble, says Joanne Meehl. Also known as The Job Search Queen, Meehl is an accomplished career management expert who has worked with thousands of people in transition.
"Everyone else is looking then, and employers have already made a lot of choices," says Meehl, who offers a variety of career services for entry-level to executive-level job seekers and other career-minded individuals. "It's tough enough to find a job this year if you’re graduating, so why make it harder?"
If you start in January, you give yourself a longer runway. You may land a part-time job or internship now exactly where you want to be full-time. Prove yourself, and upon graduation, you could be stepping into a full time, professional position.
Here are several things Meehl recommends you should do now, in January and beyond, to get your job search going so that in May/June you can readily exchange your graduation gown for a suit:
- Focus on the companies or organizations you're interested in -- meaning, why do you want to work there over other places? What are their issues, needs, etc.? Then find the people – through LinkedIn and networking – who can tell you more about these places.
- Strengthen your LinkedIn profile (connect with Joanne Meehl on LinkedIn) -- Yes, you need to graduate to business networking sites like LinkedIn. You need to have a Summary here; borrow some phrasing from your resume for this. Add recommendations from faculty, former internship advisors, and others. Add to your connections; tap your existing network and any internship and job contacts.
- No resume? OUCH. Go to your Career Services office for help with this, or to a career coach, and do it NOW! Or, contact Matt Krumrie at mattkrum@yahoo.com to get a resume review and price quote.
- Sign up for Google alerts for job titles and company names. You'll get all kinds of news about your target companies.
- On Twitter and Facebook: Sign up to get alerts from companies you're following there, especially about job openings. Companies ARE posting openings only to Facebook and Twitter. Also, it’s time to get serious: Make sure your Facebook material is appropriate. Look at your material as a potential employer might. There’s “college”, then there’s professional.Delete any "lite" Twitter entries: You should be posting more professional things now, such as links to articles about your field and career area. Start following your idols in your business, and re-tweet what they say. This will create your brand.
- Start networking at any and every business gathering imaginable, in your college's area AND where you want to locate. Be sure to connect with alums there.
Starting to do these things now means you’ll be a stronger candidate who will be more likely to be getting a real paycheck upon graduation!
Resources
For a free booklet with a January-to-May month-by-month task list for your college senior job search, email your request, with the subject line “college booklet”, to Joanne@TheJobSearchQueen.com.
Read The Original Examiner Article
"Everyone else is looking then, and employers have already made a lot of choices," says Meehl, who offers a variety of career services for entry-level to executive-level job seekers and other career-minded individuals. "It's tough enough to find a job this year if you’re graduating, so why make it harder?"
If you start in January, you give yourself a longer runway. You may land a part-time job or internship now exactly where you want to be full-time. Prove yourself, and upon graduation, you could be stepping into a full time, professional position.
Here are several things Meehl recommends you should do now, in January and beyond, to get your job search going so that in May/June you can readily exchange your graduation gown for a suit:
- Focus on the companies or organizations you're interested in -- meaning, why do you want to work there over other places? What are their issues, needs, etc.? Then find the people – through LinkedIn and networking – who can tell you more about these places.
- Strengthen your LinkedIn profile (connect with Joanne Meehl on LinkedIn) -- Yes, you need to graduate to business networking sites like LinkedIn. You need to have a Summary here; borrow some phrasing from your resume for this. Add recommendations from faculty, former internship advisors, and others. Add to your connections; tap your existing network and any internship and job contacts.
- No resume? OUCH. Go to your Career Services office for help with this, or to a career coach, and do it NOW! Or, contact Matt Krumrie at mattkrum@yahoo.com to get a resume review and price quote.
- Sign up for Google alerts for job titles and company names. You'll get all kinds of news about your target companies.
- On Twitter and Facebook: Sign up to get alerts from companies you're following there, especially about job openings. Companies ARE posting openings only to Facebook and Twitter. Also, it’s time to get serious: Make sure your Facebook material is appropriate. Look at your material as a potential employer might. There’s “college”, then there’s professional.Delete any "lite" Twitter entries: You should be posting more professional things now, such as links to articles about your field and career area. Start following your idols in your business, and re-tweet what they say. This will create your brand.
- Start networking at any and every business gathering imaginable, in your college's area AND where you want to locate. Be sure to connect with alums there.
Starting to do these things now means you’ll be a stronger candidate who will be more likely to be getting a real paycheck upon graduation!
Resources
For a free booklet with a January-to-May month-by-month task list for your college senior job search, email your request, with the subject line “college booklet”, to Joanne@TheJobSearchQueen.com.
Read The Original Examiner Article
6 Tips to Use Social Networking More Effectively to Find Your Next Job
On October 28, 2010 I left my last job and had a number of interviews lined up by November 4, 2010. A month later, during a 7 day period, I had 6 serious inquiries into my availability with the result of 2 second interviews and 1 job offer. In a few weeks I will most likely return to Iraq with a significant pay increase. How did I do it? I used online social networking.
Online social networking will not get you a job alone. You still must have the right expertise, a great resume and above average interview skills. However, it will make meeting the right person who knows of an open position that much easier.
As I mentioned in my last post, it is very difficult to stand out from the crowd in a Monster, Dice, Corporate, or Recruiting firm’s database.
Do update your resume on your favorite job board but have realistic expectations. The days of the old, post resume in volume and the offers will come, technique are over. The best way to land a job is to have somebody already working there recommends you. To accomplish this you really need to put your laptop and Smartphone to work.
Update Your Social Media Profiles
When I arrived in Dubai on October 29, 2010 I had a 24 hour layover. After taking a quick nap, I cracked open my laptop and I logged onto LinkedIn to update my location. I changed my location back to where I am from in Texas and changed my industry from Defense & Aerospace on LinkedIn to Logistics and Supply Chain. This would allow me to indicate to Defense Logistics firms in the Killeen/ Temple and Austin areas I was available for an interview. This resulted in several stateside recruiters contacting me about positions I would not have otherwise learned about. I also clicked on recommended jobs and sent my profile to those firms as well.
I also posted on my Facebook page that I was returning to the US so that all my friends and family would know I was in the market. Besides my contracting buddies alerting me to overseas positions, my brother- in- law told me about Warehouse Manager position in Dallas,TX while people from my father’s network reached out to me with potential consulting gigs.
I made sure to connect my Twitter account to both my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. I did this in order to share articles, job opportunities and random job related thoughts across all three platforms and save time.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Joining Non-Work Related Online Groups
Join groups that you are interested in socially such as running, fantasy football, sorority, chess, shooting whatever it is. Eventually someone will open up about work and they may be in a similar field or know someone who is.
This worked great for me. I follow a group of people related to technology startups. Occasionally I chime in with my two cents through a tweet or a comment on a blog. I had this gentleman hit me back last week to discuss a job opportunity which led to a discussion about my site Log Dog Jobs (soon to be Hello I’m Logistics) and a lead to a potential investor.
I would never have run into this person during the course of my normal life.
Tips 4 - 6
Online social networking will not get you a job alone. You still must have the right expertise, a great resume and above average interview skills. However, it will make meeting the right person who knows of an open position that much easier.
As I mentioned in my last post, it is very difficult to stand out from the crowd in a Monster, Dice, Corporate, or Recruiting firm’s database.
Do update your resume on your favorite job board but have realistic expectations. The days of the old, post resume in volume and the offers will come, technique are over. The best way to land a job is to have somebody already working there recommends you. To accomplish this you really need to put your laptop and Smartphone to work.
Update Your Social Media Profiles
When I arrived in Dubai on October 29, 2010 I had a 24 hour layover. After taking a quick nap, I cracked open my laptop and I logged onto LinkedIn to update my location. I changed my location back to where I am from in Texas and changed my industry from Defense & Aerospace on LinkedIn to Logistics and Supply Chain. This would allow me to indicate to Defense Logistics firms in the Killeen/ Temple and Austin areas I was available for an interview. This resulted in several stateside recruiters contacting me about positions I would not have otherwise learned about. I also clicked on recommended jobs and sent my profile to those firms as well.
I also posted on my Facebook page that I was returning to the US so that all my friends and family would know I was in the market. Besides my contracting buddies alerting me to overseas positions, my brother- in- law told me about Warehouse Manager position in Dallas,TX while people from my father’s network reached out to me with potential consulting gigs.
I made sure to connect my Twitter account to both my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. I did this in order to share articles, job opportunities and random job related thoughts across all three platforms and save time.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Joining Non-Work Related Online Groups
Join groups that you are interested in socially such as running, fantasy football, sorority, chess, shooting whatever it is. Eventually someone will open up about work and they may be in a similar field or know someone who is.
This worked great for me. I follow a group of people related to technology startups. Occasionally I chime in with my two cents through a tweet or a comment on a blog. I had this gentleman hit me back last week to discuss a job opportunity which led to a discussion about my site Log Dog Jobs (soon to be Hello I’m Logistics) and a lead to a potential investor.
I would never have run into this person during the course of my normal life.
Tips 4 - 6
5 tips for finding a new job in 2011
CBS 6 Staff
Among the many new year’s resolutions, a popular one is getting a new job or career.
Answers Team member Dan Moran, President and Founder of Next-Act, says two things are needed to follow through on that resolution: a plan to fulfill it and the attitude to succeed.
Moran offers these tips:
* If you make the resolution to get a new job or career, create your plan to make this happen. “Break your resolution into a number of goals – such as updating your resume, making a list if network contacts you can approach, identify the ideal job or career – and each time you finish one of these goals, cross it of your list and reward yourself in some way for your achievement – even if it I just a hot chocolate”! Moran continued, “The most important tip – write your resolution down, post it on the mirror and write out your plan – it is critical to success and motivating as will”.
* Get organized. “Create calendars to keep your schedule on track, an schedule time to work on your resolution and make networking contacts. Being better organized will help you achieve your goals”.
* Be a better friend. “With social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and others, you can reconnect with friends and colleagues and let them know you are on the search for a new opportunity.
* Set realistic expectations. “This is very important as well. We live in a society of immediate gratification, but some big changes take time. Don’t think – and want a new job in two week – but be reasonable in your timeline or goals”.
* Develop an attitude of success. “You can only win if you believe you are a winner”, stated Moran. “ Creating a winning attitude in your mind will keep moving you forward. Give yourself permission to succeed – truly succeed. Be positive – and be with positive people – their positive energy will fill you, if you let it”.
Original CBS 6 Article
Among the many new year’s resolutions, a popular one is getting a new job or career.
Answers Team member Dan Moran, President and Founder of Next-Act, says two things are needed to follow through on that resolution: a plan to fulfill it and the attitude to succeed.
Moran offers these tips:
* If you make the resolution to get a new job or career, create your plan to make this happen. “Break your resolution into a number of goals – such as updating your resume, making a list if network contacts you can approach, identify the ideal job or career – and each time you finish one of these goals, cross it of your list and reward yourself in some way for your achievement – even if it I just a hot chocolate”! Moran continued, “The most important tip – write your resolution down, post it on the mirror and write out your plan – it is critical to success and motivating as will”.
* Get organized. “Create calendars to keep your schedule on track, an schedule time to work on your resolution and make networking contacts. Being better organized will help you achieve your goals”.
* Be a better friend. “With social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and others, you can reconnect with friends and colleagues and let them know you are on the search for a new opportunity.
* Set realistic expectations. “This is very important as well. We live in a society of immediate gratification, but some big changes take time. Don’t think – and want a new job in two week – but be reasonable in your timeline or goals”.
* Develop an attitude of success. “You can only win if you believe you are a winner”, stated Moran. “ Creating a winning attitude in your mind will keep moving you forward. Give yourself permission to succeed – truly succeed. Be positive – and be with positive people – their positive energy will fill you, if you let it”.
Original CBS 6 Article
The Job of finding a Job!!
posted by Dean DaCosta
The Job of finding a Job!!
That is right finding a job is a job, if you cannot commit a minimum of 3-4 hours a day looking, than you will lessen your chances of success. So were to start? What to do first? Well the first you need to decide is what you want to do. What kind of job do you want? What kind of company do you want to work for?
Once you have figured that out, you need to write a resume, learn how to write a cover letter, a thank you letter, and other job hunting communications. I will discuss these in a separate posting.
So you have your resume and it is time to make a search plan. A search plan is basically the places, resources, and methods you will use to search for a job. Let’s look at some of these:
Social Networking: LinkedIn, Twitter, Zoom Info, etc.. You need to create your brand (see my post on social networking). You need to google yourself and see what is out there about you. Join groups on LinkedIn and Twitter and be involved. Answer questions in the groups on LinkedIn, show you have knowledge and are not afraid to share it. Make sure you have a professional profile on Zoom Info. One big key is to remember anything posted on social networks is viewable and trust me companies are looking. Also keep in mind some of these social networking sites, have areas dedicated to job hunters and jobs such as tweetmyjob and more. In addition there are tools out there than can make social networking easy, such as tweetdeck and jobdeck. These tools allow you to post, and monitor the main social networking sites and most of the sub-sites, like the ones above all at once. Remember while I have listed allot of tools and sites, I have not listed them all.
Job boards: These are the Monsters, Dices, Careerbuilder, etc… Remember you need to not only search, but post your resume as well. These sites are also good places to do research. Also look for niche boards that cater to the types of jobs you are most interested in.
Companies: While job boards and social networking are great, they still do not hit every place. You need to check company websites as well. A good place to find allot of the companies in your area is LinkedIn, you can also check the below web address: http://www.hoovers.com/100003475-1.html .
Associations and Alumni groups: These can be very effective networking tools, and allot of their own websites with job boards, such as SHRM (Society of Human resource Management).
Read the rest of the ERE article
The Job of finding a Job!!
That is right finding a job is a job, if you cannot commit a minimum of 3-4 hours a day looking, than you will lessen your chances of success. So were to start? What to do first? Well the first you need to decide is what you want to do. What kind of job do you want? What kind of company do you want to work for?
Once you have figured that out, you need to write a resume, learn how to write a cover letter, a thank you letter, and other job hunting communications. I will discuss these in a separate posting.
So you have your resume and it is time to make a search plan. A search plan is basically the places, resources, and methods you will use to search for a job. Let’s look at some of these:
Social Networking: LinkedIn, Twitter, Zoom Info, etc.. You need to create your brand (see my post on social networking). You need to google yourself and see what is out there about you. Join groups on LinkedIn and Twitter and be involved. Answer questions in the groups on LinkedIn, show you have knowledge and are not afraid to share it. Make sure you have a professional profile on Zoom Info. One big key is to remember anything posted on social networks is viewable and trust me companies are looking. Also keep in mind some of these social networking sites, have areas dedicated to job hunters and jobs such as tweetmyjob and more. In addition there are tools out there than can make social networking easy, such as tweetdeck and jobdeck. These tools allow you to post, and monitor the main social networking sites and most of the sub-sites, like the ones above all at once. Remember while I have listed allot of tools and sites, I have not listed them all.
Job boards: These are the Monsters, Dices, Careerbuilder, etc… Remember you need to not only search, but post your resume as well. These sites are also good places to do research. Also look for niche boards that cater to the types of jobs you are most interested in.
Companies: While job boards and social networking are great, they still do not hit every place. You need to check company websites as well. A good place to find allot of the companies in your area is LinkedIn, you can also check the below web address: http://www.hoovers.com/100003475-1.html .
Associations and Alumni groups: These can be very effective networking tools, and allot of their own websites with job boards, such as SHRM (Society of Human resource Management).
Read the rest of the ERE article
Did you use one of these 10 most overused buzzwords in your LinkedIn profile this year?
Wonder what really makes people cringe when they look at your LinkedIn Profile? It’s those clichéd words and phrases. You know what they are — those ambiguous ones that really don’t tell you anything.
As we head into 2011 our Analytics Team decided to take a crack at finding the most clichéd and overused phrases for the past year using over 85 million LinkedIn profiles. Here are our 2010 top 10 buzzwords used in the USA.
Top 10 overused buzzwords in LinkedIn Profiles in the USA – 2010
1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial
Given the broad reach of LinkedIn across the world we went a step further and took a look at how overused terms are reflected around the world. While members from the USA, Canada and Australia tend to emphasize their “extensive experience”, Brazilians, Indians and Spaniards identify themselves as “dynamic” professionals. Members in the UK call themselves more “motivated” and the French, the Germans, the Italians and the Dutch see themselves as “innovative”.
Here’s a chart we put together that shows you the #1 most overused LinkedIn profile buzzword in each of those countries.
As we head into 2011 our Analytics Team decided to take a crack at finding the most clichéd and overused phrases for the past year using over 85 million LinkedIn profiles. Here are our 2010 top 10 buzzwords used in the USA.
Top 10 overused buzzwords in LinkedIn Profiles in the USA – 2010
1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial
Given the broad reach of LinkedIn across the world we went a step further and took a look at how overused terms are reflected around the world. While members from the USA, Canada and Australia tend to emphasize their “extensive experience”, Brazilians, Indians and Spaniards identify themselves as “dynamic” professionals. Members in the UK call themselves more “motivated” and the French, the Germans, the Italians and the Dutch see themselves as “innovative”.
Here’s a chart we put together that shows you the #1 most overused LinkedIn profile buzzword in each of those countries.
Blend in or stand out? – Job Search Networking Tips
What do you think is a more effective networking strategy? Going to an industry event with others in your same profession? Or going to an event in a totally different industry where you’ll stand out?
One of the best ways to stand out in job search networking is to be the only one in the room like you. Why not crash an event in another industry?
If you’re an accounting professional, you may find some industry contacts from companies or recruiters who are hiring at a CPA society meeting. These folks will likely be crowded by dozens or hundreds of other job seekers at the event – so you can expect a great deal of competition, with little opportunity to stand out.
What if you went to an engineering event instead, in a room full of professionals outside your own profession?
At the engineering event, you probably won’t find many other bean counters. If you break the ice and find some common ground with a few people, an event in a different industry may allow you to create a greater number of contacts valuable to your search.
If you’re a advertising professional looking for another job at a networking event, it can be easier to remain front of mind with others who heard of advertising jobs, if you’re the only advertising person at the event. At an event full of advertising people, it’s tough for even the most talened professional to stand out.
Both types of events have their purpose and value in your networking strategy…but because of the comfort factor and maybe a little fear of the unknown, we tend to stick with our own crowds and go to our own industry events. We tend to not explore events for other industries.
I know it’s counter intuitive, but as a tech professional at a marketing event, it’s much easier to differentiate yourself, because … you’re the only one like you in the room.
How many other-industry events have you crashed?
Original Article
Blog partner Phil Rosenberg is President of reCareered, a career coaching service and website. Phil runs the Career Change Central group, one of Linkedin’s largest groups for job seekers. An active blogger about social media and career change, Phil has articles that have been republished by Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, AOL, FastCompany, CIO, ZDnet, The Examiner, and the leading job/career/recruiting sites. Phil can be contacted at phil.reCareered@gmail.com.
One of the best ways to stand out in job search networking is to be the only one in the room like you. Why not crash an event in another industry?
If you’re an accounting professional, you may find some industry contacts from companies or recruiters who are hiring at a CPA society meeting. These folks will likely be crowded by dozens or hundreds of other job seekers at the event – so you can expect a great deal of competition, with little opportunity to stand out.
What if you went to an engineering event instead, in a room full of professionals outside your own profession?
At the engineering event, you probably won’t find many other bean counters. If you break the ice and find some common ground with a few people, an event in a different industry may allow you to create a greater number of contacts valuable to your search.
If you’re a advertising professional looking for another job at a networking event, it can be easier to remain front of mind with others who heard of advertising jobs, if you’re the only advertising person at the event. At an event full of advertising people, it’s tough for even the most talened professional to stand out.
Both types of events have their purpose and value in your networking strategy…but because of the comfort factor and maybe a little fear of the unknown, we tend to stick with our own crowds and go to our own industry events. We tend to not explore events for other industries.
I know it’s counter intuitive, but as a tech professional at a marketing event, it’s much easier to differentiate yourself, because … you’re the only one like you in the room.
How many other-industry events have you crashed?
Original Article
Blog partner Phil Rosenberg is President of reCareered, a career coaching service and website. Phil runs the Career Change Central group, one of Linkedin’s largest groups for job seekers. An active blogger about social media and career change, Phil has articles that have been republished by Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, AOL, FastCompany, CIO, ZDnet, The Examiner, and the leading job/career/recruiting sites. Phil can be contacted at phil.reCareered@gmail.com.
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