7 tips for tapping into your virtual networks to find a job
Virtual social networks like Facebook and Linkedin have changed the way people look for jobs forever. I think most people understand this but it is amazing how many people do not understand how to leverage and actually make us of the networks they have been working hard to build. Obviously, Linkedin and Facebook are very different networks and in my opinion should not mix but that does not mean that you cannot tap into both networks when you are searching for your next job.
Here are 7 tips to help you successfully tap into your virtual network
Don’t be Shy
Sometimes reaching out to people can be a nerve racking experience whether it is in the real world or in the virtual word. The first thing you need to do is build up your confidence and give yourself a pep talk and get pumped up to propel yourself to greatness. What you will find is that people will really want to help and will do so if they can.
Be Real
What I mean by this is to genuine in your approach. Do not reach out under false pretenses and pretend that you are looking to rekindle an old friendship. The best approach is to state that the reason you are reaching out is to see if they could help you in your search.
Be Proactive
The best time to ask someone to help you in your career is when you are not looking for a job. It is good practice to stay connected with people in your network. Interact with them on Linkedin, follow them on Twitter, engage with them on Facebook. In essence take the time and steps to keep the relationship open so when you need to ask for a favor it won’t seem like a big deal.
Advance contacts to relationships
This is something I have been doing lately especially with my Linkedin contacts. I have been attempting to move from the contact stage to the relationship stage. As an example, when you see that a contact has a new title or moved to a new company, send them a message and congratulate them. A simple move that will make it easier to connect when you need to.
Use your real friends
If you have a network in the hundreds, chances are you will have maybe 10-20 real friends and the rest may be former coworkers or friends of friends. Use your established solid contacts to help you initiate a conversation with others in your network.
Take it offline
Sometimes the best way to tap into your virtual network is to take it offline. If you can connect with someone over coffee or an adult beverage to talk about your career, go for it! It never hurts to ask someone to lunch especially if you do not need their help immediately. When you do, I am sure they would be more than willing to help you out.
Have you found a job through networking with your social network? Let me know in the comments
Job Hoppers Prosper – True or False?
Here are some facts:
The average tenure for an executive at a company these days is a bit over 3 years.
External job changes out number internal job changes by nearly two to one.
As a recruiter I have persuaded many candidates that the best way to move up the corporate ladder and make more money is to switch companies. I have made some very compelling arguments as to why it would be in their best interest to move out to move up. This is a statement that I believe is true and from my 12 years in the career profession, I have seem many more examples of this being reality versus the opposite.
This is why I was so surprised when I read an article from the Harvard Business Journal that claims the total opposite. According to the research that was conducted, executives that stay put have a greater likelihood of reaching the top.
I think the major flaw with this study is the fact that it is already dated. Although the research that was conducted is current, the fact is that the data is based on executives that who have been navigating their career path for the past 3o years. In the business environment that we find ourselves in today, I think that diversity of experience and having worked for several companies is actually a positive and can help propel you to the top quicker than just being exposed to one company and one business model.
When I am recruiting for executive level talent, there is a preference for candidates that have been with several companies versus candidates that have only been with one company.
I am curious to hear your thoughts about this. In your opinion, do you think it is better to look outside of your company to advance your career or look within your company to move to the top?
Will Facebook replace Linkedin for job seekers?
We all know that Facebook is the most dominant social media site in the world. Will it also become the most dominant job site as well? Currently, that role is held by Linkedin. I have written may articles about how to use Linkedin to find your next job and they are growing their network exponentially at this point.
Let me get right to the point of this article. Do you think Facebook will eclipse Linkedin as the dominant social network for job seekers? I know what your are thinking…you are probably saying, “Facebook is more social and personal and Linkedin is more professional.” I definitely agree with you, but I will counter by saying that Facebook has 10 times more active users than Linkedin. Additionally, your connections on Facebook may be deeper and more established than your connections on Linkedin. A couple of months ago there was a game changing app that was introduced to the Facebook community. This app combined with the sheer number of Facebook users will help Facebook leap frog over Linkedin as the most important tool for job seekers (imho).
The app is called BranchOut and when you install it, it transforms Facebook into career networking super site.
You can:
- See where your friends work and see where the friends of your friends work.
- Search by company and see if anyone in your network works there.
- Invite your friends and expand your network, you will then see where their friends work too.
- Use the Branchout job board to see what jobs people in your network have posted.
- Post or share jobs on Branchout and you can earn a referral bonus
I have just started using this application and it is very easy to use and I think when it catches on it will be Huge. Like the old saying goes, it is not what you know but who you know!
Does Your Resume suffer from ADHD
As an experienced recruiter and resume writer I have probably seen several hundred thousand resumes over my career. I have identified several patterns that most resumes have in common. In this post I want to focus on a major resume blunder that may be dramatically affecting your ability to get interviews.
Does your resume lack focus?
The first question that I ask my client during the initial resume writing consultation is, “What are you looking to do in your next position?” Very few people are able to answer this question succinctly. Having a defined focus in essential to your job search and must be established front and center on your resume.
As an experienced recruiter, I can tell you that it is true what you hear about resumes being evaluated for an average of 11 seconds. If you can not get your message across to the person reviewing your resume in that time frame then forget about getting called in for an interview. A recruiter must be able to look at your resume and get a feel for who you are, what you have done, and how your skills and experience will fit in with what the company is looking for.
5 tips to focus your resume
- First you need to determine what you want to do. It is fine if you have several paths you are considering, you will just need to make sure that you have separate customized resumes for each path.
- Make sure you have a summary or profile that cleary articulates your experiences. If the first third of your resume does not sell who you are and why you are great for the job, then take some time to make some adjustments.
- Weave your objective statement into your summary. I do not recommend standard stand alone objective statements, but I do recommend that you make it clear in your summary statement exactly what you want to do.
- Be sure your experience section supports your summary and objective. Pull out the skills, responsibilities and accomplishments that are most relevant and supportive of your goal. If it doesn’t fit in, leave it out.
- Consider a Headline. Using a well writtenn headline write below your contact information can be very powerful and set the tone for the rest of the resume. If you could answer the “What is this candidate all about?” question right up front you will engage the reader to continue reading. When the reader sees that everything matches and tells a consistent story, you will be on your way to beginning the interview process.
The job market is way to competitive to leave your resume to chance. By making sure that your resume is tight and focused you will have a leg up on your competition.
Browse all our Local Job Postings at LocalJobsPost.com today.
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Author Bio- This post was written by Dan Keller. Dan is a career advice blogger and experienced resume writer . If you are want to see if your resume measures up, send an email to proreswriter@gmail for a free resume rating and evaluation.
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How to get found on Linkedin – a tip for job seekers
Linkedin now has over 70,000,000 members. With that many people looking to get noticed and increase their visibility, you might think it is impossible for job seekers to get noticed by recruiters. I have some great news, it is actually pretty darn easy, you just have to know some tricks of the trade. Don’t worry if you don’t…because I do!
Rather than get into a drawn out article, I want to keep this simple and strait forward. Many recruiters utilize the search feature on Linkedin to identify prospective candidates that would be a match for their positions. Obviously, the searches they conduct are based upon certain keywords. Following this logic it would stand to reason that if your profile is properly optimized you will pull up on the first page of the search results and increase your chances of getting noticed.
As a case study, type in the keywords “Resume Writer” (with or without quotes) and see what happens. Yup, that is me, the top ranked resume writer based on search results in Linkedin.
Imagine if you were able to get to one of the top positions for keywords related to your profession like:
Certified public accountant
Pharmaceutical Product Manager
Recruiting Director
You get the idea….
Did I mention this is really easy to do and you can see the results in minutes?
The trick is understanding the Linkedin search algorithm, and at the present time,it is very basic. In fact it is similar to the very first search engines and is based largely on the amount and placement of keywords.
I recently wrote a detailed step by step guide on my Blog about Blogging Blog and rather than just rehash the same content, I figured I would invite you all to follow the link over to my other blog and read aboutHow to Optimize your Linkedin Profile to get found in the search results.
Stop by and leave a comment and let us know if these tips worked for you and what keywords you are targeting and where you rank now.
Local Job Finder at LocalJobsPost.com to find your perfect job today
[stextbox id="grey"]About the author ~ This blog post was written by Dan Keller. Dan has written 103 articles on this career blog. If you are looking for professional resume writing services, please visit ProResumeWriter.com[/stextbox]
Top 5 benefits employees value most
I recently read a report that was put out by Robert Half called “Work Place Redefined” and a portion of the report revealed results of a survey that they conducted about the benefits that are most valued by employees in 2010. I was a little surprised by the findings and thought I would share them on my career blog and hopefully open this up to a discussion. I plan to open this discussion up to several target groups on Linkedin and Twitter and see if I can compile some results of my own for comparison. I am not saying that I challenge the veracity of the Robert Half report, but I do want to take the pulse of some people on my own and compare the results.
5 benefits employees value most
- Health care Coverage
- Vacation
- Dental Coverage
- 401k Programs
- Bonuses
I am surprised that certain benefits like training programs and education assistance did not make the list. Dental Coverage? I know it is important, trust me, I do enjoy having dental coverage, but I was not expecting it come in third on the list.
Please leave your comment below. Let me know what your thoughts are about the top 5 benefits as defined by the Robert Half survey as well as sharing your thoughts on what benefit you value most.
Local Job Vacancies at LocalJobsPost.com today.
Top 5 Twitter Tools for job seekers
It seems like every resume guru and career pro is singing the praises of Linkedin these days. I am guilty as well, having written several posts about how Linkedin can help during the job search. It seems like Twitter has taken a bit of a back seat. I don’t feel that bad as they have definitely had their time in the sun. When it comes to job hunting, most career strategy professionals will agree that a broad strategy that includes a variety of approaches works best. With that in mind, I think Linkedin and Twitter should be a major part of your job search plan. One of the greatest benefit of Twitter are the apps and other sites that have pooped up to enhance the Twitter experience.
Best Twitter Tools for Job seekers
TwtJobs – TwtJobs lets users create a “Twitter Resume” that they can then tweet out to employers or anyone else for that matter. As you probably guessed, this is designed to create a short version of your resume and aims to describe your experience and skills in 140 characters or less. There is also fields fro your headline and education.
Twitsume – Twitsume is another tool that allows users to create a resume for use on Twitter. This site is a little more traditional in the sense that you build a “regular” resume and then link it to your Twitter account. Your followers will have access to you resume and vice versa.
Twitres – Twitres is my favorite and I think the best Twitter resume tool. With this tool you can upload your existing resume and Twitres creates a page for your resume and provides you with a link. The page displays your twitter avatar and also has option to comment, share and/or download your resume.
Twitter Job Finder – Twitter Job Finder is a search engine that indexes and organizes job tweets over the past week. Very easy to use and a useful as well since many jobs are tweeted out before they hit the job boards.
Tweet My Jobs - I was saving the best for last. Tweet My Jobs is the largest Twitter related job board listing over 320,000 jobs from over 3,500 companies. This site is a lot like a traditional job board but and uses Twitter more as a messaging and broadcast tool.
I could probably list a dozen more tools but I think with these 5 you will be able to find the best Twitter resume tool and the best Twitter job search tool. If you have any to add to the list, please let me know in the comment section.
Browse all our Local Job Opportunities at LocalJobsPost.com today.
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This post was written by Dan Keller, Career Strategist and Pro Resume Writer . Dan has written 102 articles on this career advice blog .
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Another Linkedin Job Seeker tool
I have written dozens of articles about how Linkedin could help you during your job search. If you have been active on Linkedin lately, I am sure you have noticed major changes that have been implemented. There have been so many changes that I think some have slipped through the cracks.
Did you know you can rearrange your profile?
Linkedin now allows users to rearrange the order that sections appear in their profile.
If you are reading is and saying, “Big deal,” let me point out why this is huge for job hunters.
Yesterday, I wrote about How to develop your personal career brand. Your Linkedin profile is your billboard that tells the world what your personal brand is. You are now in control of your profile and can highlight certain parts of your personal brand for maximum impact.
Let’s say you are a recent college graduate that does not have much work experience. You can now swap around the sections and lead with your education much like you would do in your actual resume.
Or perhaps you are a freelancer or resume writer (like me), you will probably want to lead with your recommendations.
Maybe you are working for a well known company and are considering a job change, you will probably want to lead with the employer section and let the employer brand help strengthen your personal brand.
Have you switched your Linkedin profile around yet?
Local Jobs Hiring at LocalJobsPost.com today.
[stextbox id="info"]This post was written by Dan Keller. Dan has written 101 articles on this career blog. If you have any career related questions, contact me through the contact form and I will do my best to answer or may answer in a future blog post. If you are looking for a resume writer you can contact me via email at proreswriter@gmail.com[/stextbox]
What is a personal career brand and How do I create one?
Many experienced workers who find themselves searching for jobs are realizing that a lot has changed in regards to the job search. When I first started in the resume writing and recruiting business, 12 years ago, it was still common practice to advertise job openings in newspapers and receive faxed resumes. Fast forward a decade and you find yourself immersed with thousands of job boards, social networks,online resumes,video interviews,etc. Try asking a recruiter for their fax number so you can send a resume and they will laugh at you.
This new reality is something I refer to as Job Search 2.0. When I am working with my clients in devising job search strategies the first place I start is in developing a personal career brand and value statement. As a professional resume writer, I find it impossible to write a resume with out first crafting the personal brand message.
What is a personal career brand?
Simply stated, it is a statement that describes what is unique,valuable and marketable about you. In other words, what do you want to be known for and what message do you want to convey to future employers.
Example:
The Creative Catalyst – Your Agent for Positive Change
Now that we know what a personal career brand is and have an example of one above, let’s focus on how to leverage your brand and maximize the impact.
There are two simple elements to establishing your brand.
- Spread the Word and establish your authority in your niche
- Reinforce your message (over and over again)
How to Spread the Word
- Linkedin – Linkedin is an awesome tool to help promote your brand. Check out this recent post for Tips on How to Use Linkedin to get a Job . In addition to your profile, add value by joining and becoming active in Groups that are related to your niche.
- Twitter – Twitter can be valuable as well as long as you put the time in. Make your Twitter name stand out by making it related to your brand. For example, my Twitter handle is @careerblogger .
- Facebook – Although Facebook is mostly a personal social network, you can still position yourself as an expert in your niche by tweaking your profile and spreading links and “liking” things related to your area of expertise.
- Blog – It is very easy to create and maintain a blog. For a free option, you can go to blogspot.com and create a blog about your career topic. Become active in your niche by seeking out like-minded bloggers to network with.
- Be Visible – The above suggestions are all about spreading the word online but there is a lot you can do offline to promote and reinforce your career brand. For example, attend and participate in seminars in your field as well as local business events. Even becoming active in non work settings like country clubs or charities can be a great way to network and spread your message.
Hopefully, these examples will serve as a starting point for you to craft your message and start shouting it from the mountain tops.
Local Job Openings at LocalJobsPost.com today.
Why Job Boards are evil
Do I really think job boards are evil? Of course not, but it was a pretty catchy title, no?
The point I want to make with this post is that if you are using job boards as the primary tool for your job search then you may be in for a disappointing job hunt. When people are looking for a job, most times their first instinct is to head over to Monster and Career Builder or maybe even check out a niche site like Tech Jobs and see whats cooking. Maybe post your resume to both sites and then sit back and wait for the phone to ring off the hook. Oh, if it was only that easy..
As an experienced recruiter and purveyor of career advice let me tell it to you strait - Utilizing a job board centric job search strategy is a lazy and flawed way to look for your next job. It is hit or miss at best. More and more companies are not posting their positions to these big boards as they are realizing that they can not justify the return on investment.
As someone who has experience as a corporate recruiter, I can tell you that we filled less than 20% of our jobs through job boards.
My advice : Spend your precious time elsewhere
I am not telling you to abandon job boards but this should be a minor component of your strategy and you probably do not want to allocate more than 20% of your time here. There are many time savers that you can implement that will help maximize the time you spend on the boards.
Have you heard of Resume Rabbit? It is an awesome service that will save you hours on your job board strategy. You fill out one simple form and they automatically post your resume to over 75 job boards, including Monster, Career Builder, Hot Jobs, etc. I highly recommend their service.
Now you know the solution for posting your resume to the boards with ease – How about a one stop shop for searching all jobs?
Take your pick – Indeed , Simply Hired- These are job aggregators and they spider the web and deliver jobs from the other job boards as well as company websites.
“Hey Dan…you told us about what she should focus on 20% of the time, what should we be doing the other 80% of the time?”
I am glad you asked! That is coming in the next post. Subscribe to my blog feed to stay up to date.
Who is the Career CoPilot?
The owner and editor of Career Copilot is Dan Keller. Experienced in many facets of the career industry, Dan is uniquely qualified to lead the efforts of this blog and other related career services and communities. Dan possesses over a decade of recruiting experience, including retained search, contingency search and corporate recruiting. Dan is a certified resume writer and owns ProResumeWriter.com where he provides a variety of career related services with an emphasis on resume writing, personal branding and web 2.0 job search strategies. Dan holds a Master’s degree in Organization Psychology and is fascinated with the application of psychological principles and how they relate to the workplace.
