Article by TheEmploymentExpert
You're all alone in the job search end zone and here comes the ball. It's yours to catch and be victorious, or it's yours to fumble and return to the bench. Your education, skills, experience and connections navigated you past all worthy defenders. You're in the open and the ball is headed your way. At this point it's yours to lose, and there is only one way to not drop the ball right then and there.
Manage Your Small Talk!
It's true, chit-chat or small talk will kill nearly any interview if you are not very careful. I know, everyone thinks that they are great at small talk. I agree that you may have wonderful communication skills, but when it comes to the job interview the rules are different. Make a mistake here, and you'll be hoping Obama extends unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks because you're going to need it.
You see, small talk uncovers more about a person than any direct interview question ever could. Anyone who interviews often will work on using the brief transitions in an interview to get the job seeker to (unknowingly) open up while their guard is down. This is where the unsuspecting job seeker falls into the trap. You see, this tiny part of your interview uncovers your faults and weakness in a way that you would never show during the formal interview.
Now before you object to this because you are just too smart to fall for that - no you not. As an executive recruiter I've interviewed over six thousand people in the past 15 years, and I can tell you that almost everyone tells me more than they should. This is why it's so seductive for the interviewer to engage you in casual conversation, because everyone falls for it.
It usually starts before the interview. You're waiting in the lobby, and the interviewer comes out to greet you, and walks you back to their office. You had a great firm handshake, great eye contact, and a pleasant demeanor. You've succeeded at the first impression and you celebrate your mini-success - or have you? What you don't realize is your interview began five minutes prior with the admin in the lobby. They were instructed to engage you in small talk and find out more about you. Because your guard was down you mentioned how your recent triple bypass was giving you some discomfort and FUMBLE-RUSKI! You dropped the ball and the clock just ran out.
Will you become the next VP of Marketing with a bad ticker and chest pain? Not likely.
Now while you're walking back through the office a more deadly conversation begins. It always starts with, "Did you find your way here alright"?
Plan your response to this question before it is asked. Never explain car trouble, being lost, going to the wrong building. Again, your guard is down at this point. You want to convey success and confidence. Your answers should be positive and planned out. Whatever you do, don't talk about the weather.
Small talk does however provide you the opportunity to combat any perceived issues you think you might have. Are you overweight and you're concerned that this could be a concern? Well then talk about the tennis tournament you played over the weekend, or the ten mile hike you went on the day before. Alleviate that concern when small talk arises.
If you're worried that your skills are rusty, then bring up how you just attended a conference on the cutting edge new software package that seems to be the buzz in your industry. You always want to combat your perceived weakness during the soft talk phase of the interview, and never succumb to the enticement of the chit-chat. It's difficult because it's so unknowingly seductive.
If you fear that you are perceived as too old then you need to plan your small talk to combat this. So when you're asked how your weekend was you shouldn't respond that you were celebrating the birth of your 12th granddaughter. Certainly a joyous event, but they may want to fit you for a blue vest and direct you to the nearest Wal-Mart. Again, give them a reason to see that you're young, hip and going to be around awhile. Find a way to talk about how you were Tweeting your kids with your cell phone while hiking to the top of Pikes Peak. If you can pull that one off, you've just scored the winning touchdown!
Michael C. Webb is The Employment Expert, Author of Six Weeks to Multiple Job Offers, and a Partner in the executive search firm CFOs2GO. Find Michael on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/theemploymentexpert
Original Article
How IBM Uses Social Media to Spur Employee Innovation
By Casey Hibbard
“Be yourself.” It’s one of the rules of social media. If you’re blogging, tweeting or Facebooking for business, be real—or you won’t be followed.
Yet, how do you pull off “authentic” while maintaining the company brand message?
It’s tough enough for a small business. What if you’re #2 on Business Week’s best global brands list, with nearly 400,000 employees across 170 countries?
At IBM, it’s about losing control.
“We don’t have a corporate blog or a corporate Twitter ID because we want the ‘IBMers’ in aggregate to be the corporate blog and the corporate Twitter ID,” says Adam Christensen, social media communications at IBM Corporation.
“We represent our brand online the way it always has been, which is employees first. Our brand is largely shaped by the interactions that they have with customers.”
Thousands of IBMers are the voice of the company. Such an approach might be surprising for #14 on the Fortune 500.
Organization: IBM
Social Media Stats:
- No IBM corporate blog or Twitter account
- 17,000 internal blogs
- 100,000 employees using internal blogs
- 53,000 members on SocialBlue (like Facebook for employees)
- A few thousand “IBMers” on Twitter
- Thousands of external bloggers,
- Almost 200,000 on LinkedIn
- As many as 500,000 participants in company crowd-sourcing “jams”
- 50,000 in alum networks on Facebook and LinkedIn
Results:
- Crowd-sourcing identified 10 best incubator businesses, which IBM funded with $100 million
- $100 billion in total revenue with a 44.1% gross profit margin in 2008
Edgy at 114
At 114 years old, IBM seems to be the Madonna of the corporate world, staying relevant from decade to decade. The first company to build a mainframe computer and help NASA land a man on the moon still holds more patents than any other U.S.-based technology company.
As it turns out, its decentralized social media approach is another milestone in the company’s history—driving unprecedented collaboration and innovation.
IBM lets employees talk—to each other and the public—without intervention. With a culture as diverse and distributed as IBM’s, getting employees to collaborate and share makes good business sense.
“We’re very much a knowledge-based company. It’s really the expertise of the employee that we’re hitting on,” Christensen says.
Hire My Friend Facebook Application
Everyone, at least almost everyone, is on Facebook and a lot of us spend a good amount of time there. What better way than to put Facebook to good use than to help your friends find a job? There's a new Facebook application - Hire My Friend - that lets you leverage the power of your network to help your job searching friends.
It's actually old fashioned networking (telling people you know about someone who needs a job) using the advantage of social media. Maybe, even probably, one of your friends knows someone who is hiring or has seen a job lead that might be a good fit or can recommend a company or refer your friend to one of their friends or to a LinkedIn connection.
After you add the Hire My Friend application, you answer a few questions about who your friend is, what they do, and what type of job they are looking for. You can include a link to their LinkedIn profile. Then your friend will be added to your profile. Your friends will be able to send a message to the job seekers or add them as a friend.
Do me a favor though, and before you use this, ask your friends if they want your help. Not everyone wants to publicize their job search on Facebook. Even though you mean well, you're not doing anyone a favor if you make their job search more public than they want it to be.
On a related note, there are lots of job search related iPhone apps, too. You can download job search iPhone apps that search for jobs by keyword and location (using the iPhone GPS function), email job listings, keep track of your contacts, and even create a resume.
Many iPhone applications are free. Before you buy an app, check for reviews in the iTunes store to make sure it's worth investing a few dollars.
Related: Facebook Job search Apps | Job Search iPhone Job Search Apps
20 Tips for Building Your Personal Brand on Twitter
Since I started using Twitter last year, I've learned a few things (ok, a lot of things). I am grateful for the positive example set by so many professionals I've met through Twitter.
Whether you are promoting your business or your credentials as a job seeker, here are 20 Tips for Building Your Brand on Twitter:
1. Don't Sell A Thing
This one is important. Using Twitter is about paying it forward not paying it backward to yourself. Don't get me wrong. I applaud every business owner out there that offers products and services of value, and makes a living doing so. You deserve to make money. You need to make money to support your family, create jobs, and contribute to your community.
Just don't use Twitter to insert a sales pitch every 8th tweet. Your intentions become quite transparent. Instead, use Twitter with the simple mindset of offering content of value, promoting (and connecting) other people, and showing gratitude.
In networking situations offline, the most appreciated and effective participants are those that serve as matchmakers at an event (even if they just met each person!). Use the same approach on Twitter.
A consistent approach of paying it forward will do more for your business than you can imagine.
2. Be Your Own Voice
Social media is about creating a personal connection with your colleagues, customers, and fans. People want the authentic you, not a hired intern to tweet for you. If you (or your CEO) do not have time to tweet, that’s fine. Just don’t pretend it’s you.
President Obama dropped a social media bombshell recently in China when he indicated he has never used Twitter (in spite of the fact that tweets from @barackobama were a key component of a very successful social media campaign leading up to the election). I think it’s ok to give the President a waiver on this one. For the rest of us, it's important to be your own voice on Twitter.
3. Use a Real Picture
Just like on LinkedIn, it’s hard to make a personal connection with a logo or someone's pet:
???
Whether you are promoting your business or your credentials as a job seeker, here are 20 Tips for Building Your Brand on Twitter:
1. Don't Sell A Thing
This one is important. Using Twitter is about paying it forward not paying it backward to yourself. Don't get me wrong. I applaud every business owner out there that offers products and services of value, and makes a living doing so. You deserve to make money. You need to make money to support your family, create jobs, and contribute to your community.
Just don't use Twitter to insert a sales pitch every 8th tweet. Your intentions become quite transparent. Instead, use Twitter with the simple mindset of offering content of value, promoting (and connecting) other people, and showing gratitude.
In networking situations offline, the most appreciated and effective participants are those that serve as matchmakers at an event (even if they just met each person!). Use the same approach on Twitter.
A consistent approach of paying it forward will do more for your business than you can imagine.
2. Be Your Own Voice
Social media is about creating a personal connection with your colleagues, customers, and fans. People want the authentic you, not a hired intern to tweet for you. If you (or your CEO) do not have time to tweet, that’s fine. Just don’t pretend it’s you.
President Obama dropped a social media bombshell recently in China when he indicated he has never used Twitter (in spite of the fact that tweets from @barackobama were a key component of a very successful social media campaign leading up to the election). I think it’s ok to give the President a waiver on this one. For the rest of us, it's important to be your own voice on Twitter.
3. Use a Real Picture
Just like on LinkedIn, it’s hard to make a personal connection with a logo or someone's pet:
???
Profiles done right:
4. Don’t Be a Social Media Expert
Mashable recently reported that over 15,000 profiles are marked as social media experts. Based on current growth, there will be 30 million social media experts on Twitter by this time 2012. In other words, everyone is an expert at social media. There are indeed social media experts out there and their credentials are reinforced by their books, blogs, and businesses. Unless social media is your business, my recomendation is profile your niche (e.g. project management, career development) and demonstrate social media proficiency.
5. Produce Your Own Content
Starting your own blog is critical (and super easy) for any professional. Taking the time to research and write your own articles will do more for your personal brand and credentials than probably anything else. It takes work, but once you get into a weekly rhythm, it is a lot of fun.
My best advice for content: Make it quick to read and actionable.
6. Add the Retweet Button to Your Blog Post
You’ve seen the Retweet Button at the top of most blog posts:
The key is to embed the code for this button in your blog post that retweets your Twitter handle, not the generic @tweetmeme handle. It is the third option noted on this link.
7. Make Your Latest Article Your Profile Link
If you make your latest blog post your Twitter website link, new followers will immediately discover the value of your content. It also increases the probability of your most recent article getting re-tweeted by new followers.
8. Help Others
Search Twitter for questions people are asking, and if you are in a position to help, please do so. Don’t just look for questions in your field. I always remember (and recommend) good people who simply respond to questions I may have about movies, the start time of a game, or where to eat in a new city.
(Oh, and still waiting to see Avatar. Up In The Air was very good though.)
9. Ask Questions
Asking questions is a great way to engage new people every day. When someone responds professionally, do not forget to acknowledge the person publically with another tweet.
4. Don’t Be a Social Media Expert
Mashable recently reported that over 15,000 profiles are marked as social media experts. Based on current growth, there will be 30 million social media experts on Twitter by this time 2012. In other words, everyone is an expert at social media. There are indeed social media experts out there and their credentials are reinforced by their books, blogs, and businesses. Unless social media is your business, my recomendation is profile your niche (e.g. project management, career development) and demonstrate social media proficiency.
5. Produce Your Own Content
Starting your own blog is critical (and super easy) for any professional. Taking the time to research and write your own articles will do more for your personal brand and credentials than probably anything else. It takes work, but once you get into a weekly rhythm, it is a lot of fun.
My best advice for content: Make it quick to read and actionable.
6. Add the Retweet Button to Your Blog Post
You’ve seen the Retweet Button at the top of most blog posts:
The key is to embed the code for this button in your blog post that retweets your Twitter handle, not the generic @tweetmeme handle. It is the third option noted on this link.
7. Make Your Latest Article Your Profile Link
If you make your latest blog post your Twitter website link, new followers will immediately discover the value of your content. It also increases the probability of your most recent article getting re-tweeted by new followers.
8. Help Others
Search Twitter for questions people are asking, and if you are in a position to help, please do so. Don’t just look for questions in your field. I always remember (and recommend) good people who simply respond to questions I may have about movies, the start time of a game, or where to eat in a new city.
(Oh, and still waiting to see Avatar. Up In The Air was very good though.)
9. Ask Questions
Asking questions is a great way to engage new people every day. When someone responds professionally, do not forget to acknowledge the person publically with another tweet.
10. Tweet Often But Not With Rapid Fire
Nobody appreciates someone who floods their twitter feed with a new tweet every 30 seconds. You may be a very interesting person, but nobody likes the person either who walks into a party and does not let anyone get in a word edgewise.
Nobody appreciates someone who floods their twitter feed with a new tweet every 30 seconds. You may be a very interesting person, but nobody likes the person either who walks into a party and does not let anyone get in a word edgewise.
Using Job Search Strategies for Dating
Approach Finding a Mate Like Looking for Work
Searching for a job, like dating, can be time consuming and frustrating. Successful job hunters use many techniques for finding work that will also serve a dater well.
A successful career or a happy marriage can be the keys to happiness in someone’s life. So, too, achieving either one can be accomplished through similar methods.
Use Face to Face and Online Networking
Online professional networking sites have become a powerful tool for business and for job hunting. Sites like LinkedIn help people connect with friends, colleagues, and friends of friends in order to make personal contacts and perhaps get a foot in the door at a company where a resume might otherwise have been lost in the crowd.
Similarly, social networking sites are becoming a source for romantic dates. People already know they have friends in common and share similar interests. Strangers interact virtually on sites like Facebook through posting comments to mutual friends. A gutsy next step would be to make one-on-one contact with someone in a friend’s network and perhaps eventually suggest a live meeting. A newly married couple was featured in People magazine in 2009 because they “met” online when one emailed the other just to say, “Hey, we have the same name!”
Write a Good “Cover Letter”
Cover letters to potential employers that are an obvious cut-and-paste job generally wind up in the circular file. It is obvious that they are part of a careless mass mailing with no regard for the particular job being filled, and Human Resources will see them as weak and lazy.
Likewise, introductory emails that make no reference to the reader’s personal profile will show that the sender has blanketed the masses with this email with no rhyme or reason. A good email will demonstrate that the writer has read the reader’s profile and has legitimate reasons for thinking they might be a good match.
Go on Informational Interviews and “Practice” Dates
Sometimes a job hunter is uncertain about a particular job or a company and may be ambivalent about going on the live interview. Rarely, however, is such an interview a waste of time. Perhaps through a live meeting the interviewee will make a favorable impression on the employer and learn about a more suitable opening that is becoming available in the upcoming weeks. Maybe the interviewer will ask a provocative question that solicits an answer that the interviewee had not anticipated, but at another interview for a better job should a similar question arise again then a good response will already have been thought through.
A single might be ambivalent about whether or not to go on a date with someone. Approaching such a date as “practice” can yield unexpected consequences. At worst it will take an hour or two out of someone’s life. At best, the date can turn out better than expected and lead to something more. Somewhere in between a platonic friendship could be made, or the daters can practice small talk, always a useful skill.
TweetDeck, TwitJobSearch Team Up For Custom Job Search Desktop App
Robin Wauters
TechCrunch.comMonday, January 25, 2010; 2:55 AM
TwitJobSearch, a Twitter-based job search engine, has teamed up with TweetDeck to offer a desktop client dubbed JobDeck, as reported by Clickz earlier this morning.
The application indexes tweets related to recruitment from across the Twittersphere, in real-time, based on TwitJobSearch's algorithm (our earlier coverage).
Basically, it's just a custom branded TweetDeck client that comes with two additional default columns: 'Job Search Experts' and 'TwitJobSearch', although it can also prove helpful to add a LinkedIn column carrying the latest updates from the professional social network (and perhaps even your Facebook news feed).
Recruiters can follow a few simple steps to ensure their tweets are indexed by the TwitJobSearch service, helping them connect with potential candidates through social media more effectively, and for free. The TwitJobSearch site itself offers advertisers the ability to purchase premium, or "Tweetured" job listings, sold on a CPC basis. Current advertisers include brands such as Adidas, KFC, and Lloyds Banking Group, according to Clickz.
The JobDeck app itself will not feature any premium ad opportunities at this point.
3 Reasons Job Seekers Will Have to 'Hit the Gym' in 2010
Last week, we asked CAREEREALISM readers how long it's going to take to find a job in 2010. The majority of you (45%) said you expect it to take 3-5 months to find work. But honestly, current economic indicators suggest it will be even longer. With 6 job seekers to every job opening and unemployment expected to hover near 10% for most of 2010, the harsh reality is only the truly committed job seekers will find work. Similar to losing weight, job search will be tried by many, but achieved by few.
Here's why...
Job seekers deal with many of the same challenges dieter's do. There's a reason 95% of people trying to lose weight don't reach their goal - they are lacking one or more vital elements to success. The same applies for job seekers. While paved with good intentions, most job seekers don't have what they really need to complete a successful job search.
3 Elements for Success
Whether we are trying to lose weight or find a job, it all boils down to environment. Specifically, an environment that provides three things:
- - Inspiration
- - Education
- - Connection
When we have the above, our ability to succeed improves significantly. And, one of the best ways to gain access to these vital elements is to join a club.
Whether Dieting or Job Seeking, NOBODY Should Go it Alone!
Let's look at health club benefits. We join because we recognize we need to be motivated to workout. Additionally, we know we're not experts in exercise and want to take advantage of the expertise of fitness instructors and personal trainers on staff. Finally, (and most importantly), we hit the club so we can connect with other people looking to lose weight, which helps make the process feel less isolated and difficult. To sum it up: Joining a club offers multiple benefits we wouldn't be able to access on our own.
PREDICTION: Smart Job Seekers Will Seek Out and Join 'Career Clubs' in 2010!
For the same reason dieters join health clubs, job seekers who want to find work in 2010 will be wise to join career clubs that can provide the daily inspiration, education and connection needed to keep a job search moving forward. Examples of these clubs Include:
- - Subscribing to career advice blogs that offer cutting-edge information.
- - Using LinkedIn to connect with colleagues and join groups related to our career goals.
- - Creating and following lists of people we respect on Twitter.
Simply put, leveraging career clubs helps job seekers stay committed to their goals.
P.S. For Those Who Really Want to Ensure Success - Consider This...
Job seekers who want to put their search in high-gear (Think 'The Biggest Loser' approach), will seek out new tools and resources to help them get up-to-speed faster. One example is the FREE webinar we are doing on Wednesday, January 13th, entitled, "6 Things Every Job Seeker Must MASTER to Get Hired in 2010." In this hour-long session, job seekers will learn the strategic and tactical elements of job search that need to be leveraged for success.
So, if you haven't signed up, you can do so here. And, if you can't make the session, sign up anyways and we'll send you a link to the recorded session by e-mail the next day so you can listen to it later. Why? Because at the end we'll be unveiling a new 'career club' that you may want to know about.
Twitter Job Search Tips
By Alison Doyle, About.com Guide
When you're seeking employment, Twitter can be an effective part of your job search strategy. Used in conjunction with LinkedIn, job search engines, and other job sites, Twitter can help you make connections, find job listings, and build a personal brand that will help boost your career and expedite your job search.
What's the best way to use Twitter to job search, without getting bogged down in tons of tweets? Gary Zukowski, CEO and founder of TweetMyJOBS, the largest Twitter job board, share his top tips for using Twitter to job search.
How to Use Twitter to Expand the Job Search
Customizing Profile and Tweeting About Job Hunt Key to Success
Twitter is a simplified “micro-blogging” website where a person can post his or her status and in turn follow updates from family, friends, colleagues, and other interesting people. In recent days, the site has also become a job searching tool rivaling the likes of online career websites such as Monster and SimplyHired. Can a candidate really find employment in 140 characters or less? The answer is yes – and here’s how.
Customize the Twitter Profile
Candidates should approach their Twitter profile in a professional manner that takes every opportunity to showcase objectives, qualifications, and career skills. For the name, use the real name rather than a pseudonym. For the URL, enter a link to an online professional networking or resume site (e.g., Linkedin or VisualCV).
For the bio, provide a brief qualifications summary indicating employment goals, skills, and accomplishments (160 characters or less). Make sure the Protect my updates checkbox is unchecked so that employers have public access to the profile and contact information. The photo should be a professional-looking headshot, not a casual picture one would post for friends and family.
For the profile background, any of Twitter’s pre-selected themes will suffice. If the person would like to use a custom image for the background, make sure the image is clean and professional-looking.
Search for Employment Using Twitter
Candidates should tweet as much about the search as possible, providing up to the minute status updates (of course, in 140 characters or less). For example, “Interview at 2PM for a Senior SAP Implementation Specialist at Boston Chiptronics,” “Does anyone know if MicroSalient in Seattle is hiring Telecom Engineers?,” “Seeking full-time position in North Hollywood as a Talent Agent,” or, “Back from interview at Metre Systems International – went great!”
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