The way social media can effect recruiting and retention was a hot topic at the recent ERE Social Recruiting Summit held this week at Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA.  Jenny DeVaughn attended and wrote a nice synopsis of her experience that can be viewed on the ERE Community site.  I watched many of the presentations through streaming video that was made available.  And I monitored the conversations that emanated live from the event on Twitter. 

One of the topics that caught my interest was the idea of "relational onboarding" presented by Sacha Chua.  Jenny DeVaughn describes the session:

"Sacha Chua led our next discussion on how we all can have the most awesomest job search ever. Sacha was unapologetically enthusiastic about her love for her current role with IBM.  Sacha described how important "relational onboarding" is to new or potential employees. It is vital to have genuine connections and relationships with your future co-workers before you start working. I agree with @JohnSumser, this is the key to seamless recruiting. Sacha also mentioned, once you are an employee, you are an ambassador. Laurie Ruettimann retweeted one of my tweets during this session while I was sitting two seats away from her. How cool is that?"

Here is a presentation Sasha Chua posted just prior to the SRS:

I touched on this subject in my article for Universum, Organic Branding for Employers.  The idea is that Social Networking should not only be encouraged at work, but that it should now be considered an essential part of the onboarding process and is key to company culture, retention, and job satisfaction.

Also of interest was the presentation by Reid Hoffman, CEO of LinkedIn, who believes that we should all think of ourselves as a small business.  Here are the slides from his presentation:

One of my growing fascinations is the potential for better communication with candidates and clients through Mobile Recruiting.  So you can bet I was dialed in for the Mobile Recruiting presentation by Chris Hoyt and Michael Marlatt.  Per Jenny, "They discussed the mobile myths: mobile is just hype, only used by the youth generation and that it is only a device for spam. They also shared that SMS (a text message to your phone) has a 94% read rate. We all participated in a live step-by-step text (short code) demonstration. In mobile marketing, we are only limited by our creativity; however, one must consistently create value."

Overall it appeared to be a really great event with cutting edge information shared by entertaining presenters.  Once again I was amazed at how easily those of us who couldn't attend could follow so closely through the live stream and on Twitter. 

Local Dallas recruiters and HR professionals will be treated to two low cost events here in DFW this year that will cover some of the same topics and more.  The Texas Recruiters Association - Workshop Seminar and Networking Event will be held on July 16th from 4pm to 7:30pm at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre.  The cost is a very affordable $40.  I will be one of those featured on the "expert panel" along with Chris Hoyt, April Leah Grady, and Dennis Smith.

The next event will be loosely based on the popular Twitter forum for Recruiters, #TalentNet.  TalentNet Live will also feature me, Chris Hoyt, Dennis Smith, and others who will provide training on leveraging the latest tools and techniques to more effectively recruit and grow your business.  It will be held on September 11th at Frito Lay Headquarters in Plano, TX.  Additional details for this event will be available soon.  This local recruiting expo will also be available for a low entry fee, a portion of which is planned to be donated to a charity for the families of firefighters. 

If you are one of the many Dallas area staffing professionals who couldn't attend the ERE Social Recruiting Summit, please consider coming out to one or both of these local workshops.  They will each provide unique and useful information that you can use for motivation and strategy in recruiting.

Labels: #TalentNet, branding, careers, Hiring, Recruiting, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

I ran across a great video today by Marty Nemko, career coach and contributing editor for U.S. News and World Report, on writing resumes.  Marty offers some great advice to job seekers on ways to make your resume stand out.  I agree with everything he says.

Below are the highlights, but the video is short and worth the watch.

• Target the employer to which you are sending your resume.  One resume may not work for every situation.
• Use a chronological resume, not a functional resume.
• Tell a couple of good 3-4 sentence success stories in your resume.
• Do a video intro.
• Write a white paper to highlight your ideas.

Labels: branding, careers, Job Hunting, Job Search, Resumes

There are now many great resources now to help job seekers better utilize Twitter in their job search.  I have put together a few of my old favorites and a couple of new ones to help job seekers either get started or take it to the next level. 

The first thing to do after you set up your twitter account is follow some people who regularly post job search advice and job openings on Twitter.  The list below was announced this week by Ryon Harms, The Social Executive, and is a "hand-picked collection of the 100 most influential personal branding gurus, power networkers, resume and interview experts, job boards and fellow executives on Twitter. If you're seeking out resources to assist you with your job search or for career advice, Harms calls his list the "who's who of career management." 

Follow TheCareer100 on Twitter to get assorted posts from all of these resources.  I know or follow many on this list, Ryon did his homework.  For more info about the list check out @TheCareer100 Must-Follow Mavens on Twitter by Ryon Harms, and The Social Executive: @TheCareer100 must-follow mavens on Twitter by Stephanie Lloyd.

Next, go to the Advanced Twitter Search and type in the word jobs in the space next to "This hashtag".  Then type in your zip code next to "Near this place".  Companies and recruiters now regularly attach #jobs to their postings on Twitter to make this a convenient way for job seekers to search.

Hope this is helpful.  Feel free to contact me if you need assistance.  And please follow me on Twitter!  @Fishdogs

Some other good resources to get you going are:

Mashable HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter

The Wise Job Search: Five Best Ways to Use Twitter for Your Job Search!

Fishdogs: Who Should I Follow on Twitter?

ComputerWorld: Twitter Bible: All You Need To Know About Twitter

The Career 100

Labels: careers, Job Hunting, Job Search, jobs, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

Last week I asked this question on Twitter and LinkedIn, "What should job seekers leave OFF of their resume?"  As of this writing, this question has generated 44 responses from recruiting, career, HR, and resume professionals and hiring managers.  The number one thing that was suggested to leave off of your resume is something that most job seekers simply put on there because that's how it has traditionally been done.  I'm talking about the Objective at the top of your resume. 

These days, if your resume is not laser focused on the job for which you are applying there is a good chance it will not make the cut.  An ambiguous Objective statement right at the top of your resume does nothing for that focus.  Career coach Ann-Marie Ditta suggested leaving off  "An objective that states "looking for a growth oriented opportunity where I can use my skills and experience" So what, it says nothing to the hiring manager other than you are desperate, self focused, or need a career coach. Avoid cutesy email addresses. "

Veteran recruiter Michael Kelemen, (AKA the Recruiting Animal) concurred with nixing the Objective, "I would leave off the OBJECTIVE or SUMMARY if they are just filled with hackneyed stuff like telling me they're results-oriented, time-sensitive workers. I've actually asked people for evidence of these claims. They tend to be shocked and angered by the question - again because they just mindlessly put down what some ancient resume book tells them to."

David Graziano, Darryl Dioso, Michael Keane, Andy Lester, Eric Thomas, Courtney Wunderlich, Tiffany Skoog, and Mike Avillion all agreed on eliminating the Objective.  There were only a couple of respondents who disagreed.  One caveat may be for a new grad for whom it's not obvious what they are seeking in a career.  But in general, I think if you are going to put anything in that top spot, it should be something of a positioning statement that speaks directly to the job description and includes every keyword in the employer's requirements.  If you don't have the background to back that up, you may not be a fit for the job.  Absolutely do not put anything there that is ambiguous.  When in doubt, leave it out.

The other main suggestion that was conveyed by the respondents is that job seekers should leave anything off of their resume that does not directly relate to the job at hand.  I think that is clear enough and covers quite a bit.  Less is more.  Bill Vick, author, and founder of ExtremeRecruiting.TV, suggests even that the resume itself is one of the smaller tools in a successful job search.    

"I think what should be included is as important to look at as what should be left off.

Too often smart, brainy and talented people forget what brought them to the party in the first place and spend so much time dinking around with their resume they seem to forget people hire people - not resumes.

Like driving your car glance in back of you as you drive down that road to your next job but concentrate on what's ahead and tell 'future' stories of what you can do - not what you have done. Telling is not selling and ultimately over 70% of all hires are done because of a reference or relationship. Focus on those, not your resume."

Thank you to all those who responded to this question, making this great list possible.

The top 10 things to leave OFF of your resume. 

10. Religious or Political Affiliations

9. Toastmasters

8. Hobbies

7. Photos

6. MENSA

5. Compensation

4. Family Info (Marital Status, Children, Pets)

3. References Available Upon Request

2. Anything not relevant to the position for which you are applying

1. Objective

View the full list of responses here.  What's your opinion?  Would love to hear your comments.

 

View additional comments at the RecruitingBlogs.com posting of this article:  http://www.recruitingblogs.com/top-10-things-to-leave-off-of-your-resume

Labels: careers, Hiring, interview tips, Job Hunting, jobs, LinkedIn, Recruiting, Resumes, Social Media, Twitter

This is how a highly skilled recruiter tackles an opportunity to land a dream job. 

I got to know Karla Porter through various recruiting networks over the last year or so, and more closely through Twitter over the last several months.  I have grown to respect her opinions, ideas, and her straight forward generosity.  So when she sent me a note on Twitter that said basically, "We are supposed to be the experts at this and I have a job interview pending that is making me very nervous", I immediately sent her some info to reassure her and offered heaps encouragement.  I asked her to keep me updated, and we kept digital fingers crossed through direct messages on Twitter for the next few weeks.

I didn't realize quite what Karla was going through until she told me one day that the finger crossing had worked and that she was offered this very high profile position.  I asked her to email me the details and she did.  But what she sent me was a lesson in expert preparation, interview strategy, and follow-up worthy of review by anyone pursuing a new job opportunity.

"I was a high volume, full-cycle Recruiter for entry through executive level positions in a fast-paced call center. I was there for 7.5 years and was so busy and entrenched I really never looked for another job in all that time. I was very comfortable there, live 5 minutes away and had a good amount of autonomy which I liked. For the past year or so I had toyed with the idea of independent recruiting and the dream of working from home but I know it's a tough market to break into and I never moved on it. I did join an on line staffing service that sucks $68. a month out of my bank account for backend services which I have never used. I think it is wrong I should have to pay a monthly fee and a sizeable cut of the commission too. Something about lifetime residual income doesn't sit right with me. Joining must have been some kind of psychological plea because I could be giving that money to charity each month and it would have a purpose, and I know better. I need to cancel my account.

About a month ago I received a call to ask if I would be interested in interviewing for the Director of Workforce Development position that was recently made vacant by a person who had been in the position for many years. I know this person and she liked the job very much but she had moved on to another chapter of her life. I figured I should give it a shot after I read the job description and it sounded about 85% like me. The other 15% I had no clue about but I scanned for the word algebra and it wasn't there so I assumed it would be safe.

The interview was a 6 person panel and really very conversational. It wasn't the stiff corporate interview I expected or the kind I am used to conducting myself. They said they were looking for "fit" and that they had narrowed down a flood of resumes to 6 very qualified candidates. All the interviews were conducted the same day and I was the last person scheduled. I decided that after a day of interviewing the panel would probably be ready to go to sleep from exhaustion so I strategized to wake them up and engage them.

I went prepared with a flash drive of work examples. They didn't want to see any of it. They said they were familiar with both my professional work and service to the community and my skills were not in question. The interview was scheduled for 45 minutes but they talked with me for 1.5 hours.  I would be kidding myself and you too if I said I didn't have some butterflies behind my rib cage the first few minutes. it had been a very long time since I was on the other side of the table. I took the approach to interview them; asking questions that I knew would set me up for success. Questions like, "Are you looking for someone to maintain the functions of the position status quo or move it to the next level?" and "How important is it that the candidate of choice understand the changing demographic of our local workforce?" These were questions that I knew the answers to and that I asked to further cement my skills, talents and experience in their minds. The interview was full of thoughtful, passionate, dynamic conversation with a sprinkle of humor. I left with a really good feeling.

I also let people I have a solid history with that I would want to use as references know I was interviewing. I called them the day before the interview to let them know of my intent, to let them know of my excitement at the opportunity and to ask for advice. Without having to ask for support they offered to make phone calls to let the organization's leaders know I would be a valuable asset to have on board. I was thrilled!

I did everything that I would expect a top candidate to do; down to the handwritten thank you notes promptly sent the day after the interview, etc. I focused on accomplishments not a laundry list of responsibilities in my resume. I talked to a couple of Recruiters I respect and a friend who is a marketing genius about the opportunity and my interview strategy. I never acted interested in salary during the interview and of course didn't bring it up. When asked why I was interested in the position I said it was my desire to serve my community that compelled me to apply and that I was not an active job seeker. I told them I was perfectly happy with my job but that the opportunity to use my talents for the greater good of the community was more attractive than using them for just one organization.

A week later I got a call asking if I was still interested. There was discussion of salary and benefits and I found out I was one of two final candidates. I offered to come for a second interview or to be assigned a project of their choosing. I was told it wouldn't be necessary but it was putting me over the edge in a good way to offer and that my energy was impressive and to just sit tight. The next week I got the offer call. Though I had very positive feelings the entire time, I was concerned politics might get in my way because I am not politically connected and I didn't know who the other candidate was. I feel really good that wasn't the case, that I was offered the position based on merit and that they were savvy enough to recognize the best person for the job.

My boss claimed shock when I called to give my resignation notice. Other senior staff was surprised too.  But honestly, they shouldn't have been. For years I had worked outside of my job description, stretching it and pushing the boundary of it into other areas. I developed business cases and did presentations on the use of new recruiting technologies and employer brand management, educated my peers at other sites and superiors on Gen Y and effective strategies for multiple generations to work together, driven attract and retain initiatives, developed relationships with Area Agency on Aging for older workers, local technical schools and colleges. I was selected to serve on committees with Directors and VPs regarding HR and other areas like the integration of emerging technologies, for example. This in addition to 185 hires last year alone (The Generalist and I shared an admin assistant but it is a one Recruiter site). The hours were often marathon like.

These were things that my peers at other sites and our HR VP's were not versed on; they all just rely on internet job boards, newspaper classifieds and job fairs. I openly asked for opportunity which was often given but rarely recognized for in the way I had hoped. My hope had turned out to be an unrealistic one, that the company would recognize my contributions with a promotion or the creation of a specialized position. Senior leaders through the highest level expressed that they were sad to lose me but happy for my opportunity. I felt weird about it because I would have stayed with them had they allowed me to grow formally within the organization. Instead, it took an outside organization to recognize my value.

I'm overjoyed to have accepted a wonderful opportunity and high profile position in the community with what I see as endless possibility. I start April 10^th, wish me luck...."

Karla Porter can be found on major social networking sites. She welcomes you to follow her on Twitter @karla_porter .  I highly recommend that you do.  -CF

Labels: careers, interview tips, Job Hunting, Recruiting, Twitter

This week I had the dubious honor of being the featured guest on the Recruiting Animal Show on Blog Talk Radio.  The Recruiting Animal is sort of a Jim Rome type of interviewer.  His shtick is to be bombastic, throw curve balls, cut people off if they don't answer quickly or interestingly enough.  But he is smart and thoroughly researches his subjects who he enjoys picking apart.  So it was, with not so slight trepidation, that I joined him on his show on possibly the worst day for doing so, April Fools Day! 

Well it turned out that some friends called in to support me when the talk turned to searching for job candidates on Twitter.  And we ended up with a very informative show.  I didn't have to talk nearly as much as I feared I would have to for a one hour show.  Some listeners even complained that they didn't get to hear enough from me.  But I was fine with that.  And to Animal's credit, he expertly edited the audio to create an 18 minute file that clearly shows, step by step, how you can use Twitter to identify and contact prospective job candidates.

I have personally had good success recruiting with Twitter.  There are plenty of job seekers there, with good reason (there are lots of good recruiters there)  And I love technology.  And Twitter (as beautifully simple as it is) is still a bit of a technical wonder.  I think we converted some skeptics, and presented some great info for the recruiting community's collective tool belt.  One of these days I'll have time to do a written version of these tips.  But for now, here is the audio:

Here is the short version MP3 file of the edited Audio, How to recruit on Twitter

Here is the link to the show and the full-length audio

And here is Animal's post of the show on RecruitingBlogs.com

As to Animal (@animal on Twitter), I appreciate the work he puts into his show.  He wants it to be entertaining.  And guests are expected to help make that happen.  So I can't fault him for jumping in where he thinks it is warranted.  After all, its his show.  I had listened to it a few times before and winced along with the rest of the audience when he would pounce on an unresponsive guest.  But my experience with him was great.  Not always comfortable, but still great.  Sort of like when a comedian picks you out of the audience. 

Now I have to emphasize again that I had HELP!  Animal had a couple of sidekicks along (ostensibly ready to refute my stance that Twitter is a good recruiting tool) when I called in, recruiters Jerry Albright (@jerry_albright) and Harry Joiner (@ecommercejobs).  Maureen Sharib (@MaureenSharib) acts as producer and is always on hand.  Karla Porter (@karla_porter), David Graziano (@davegraziano), and Jason Davis (@recruitingblogs aka Slouch, creator of RecruitingBlogs.com) all called in for the discussion.  Everyone had something instructive to add and it really made for a good exchange. 

Here is a bit of what I wrote to Animal after the show:

"The only person I didn't know before the show was Harry Joiner.  And he played a great role.  Karla and Dave are pretty good Twitter friends of mine (damn it still sounds weird to say "twiiter friends").  And I kind of know Maureen, Jerry, and JD through Twitter. Recruitingblogs.com, TalentBar.com, etc.  Everyone did well and chipped in, which was quite a relief for me."

Thanks to all.  And a special shout out to Susan Kang Nam (@pinkolivefamily) who connected me with Animal in the first place. 

So, my friends, if you dare square off with Animal, my advice is to be sure you get to the point quickly.  And be sure the point is worth getting to.  Or have your friends ready to prop you up with some great subject matter. 

Good show Animal!

Labels: branding, careers, Hiring, Job Hunting, Recruiting, Recruiting Animal Show, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

I was recently asked by international employer branding news journal, Universum Quarterly, to be the guest writer for this quarter's edition.  Subscribers in HR organizations worldwide will receive the publication this week.

Universum Quarterly began in 2006 and is the world's first periodical for Employer Branding.  Each issue brings feature articles which investigate best practices and trends in employer branding, as well as examples of employer branding in action and instrumental tips for succeeding in certain industries, locations and with certain types of talent.

Organic Branding for Employers

by Craig Fisher, Courtesy of Universum Quarterly

An employer brand should be built from the inside out. Just as part of an organization's marketing message should come from its customers, the employer brand should be championed by its employees.  For better or worse, they are the vehicles by which the message will be conveyed on blogs and social networks. Smart employers will take advantage of this tremendous PR opportunity and embrace social networking, encouraging intercompany collaboration, and communication with those outside the corporate walls by their employees acting as their brand champions in social media.  The brand message itself must be authentic, unique and attractive. Job seekers today do not care about boiler plate HR selling points.  Sure, the message should be stated clearly on an effective recruiting Web site. But if it is not first conveyed to the internal employees and reinforced by meeting or surpassing their expectations, the organization will not have the brand champions it needs to convey that message online to job seekers.

Social networking at work

Organizations that place broad restrictions on the use of social media at work will soon feel the backlash in lower employee recruitment and retention. Workers at many levels these days are used to communicating and receiving information at a speed that is difficult to achieve with standard email and corporate intranets. In economic times such as these, where cutbacks are common, communication with your workforce is vital to maintain morale.  Social networking cannot only expedite communication, but also improve employees' sense of belonging and worth.

Top firms like IBM and Sun Microsystems have successfully incorporated social networking in the workplace. IBM created a wildly successful internal social network for communication and collaboration. Sun hosts a Twitter account that is automatically updated by Sun Microsystems' employee blogs worldwide.  Both companies have very clear employee guidelines about the use of social networking encouraging responsible engagement, communication, learning, and contribution.

Reach new talent Web 2.0 style

Jobseekers regularly google a prospective employer to find out what current and past employees are saying about working at that company. How do companies encourage a positive online portrayal by its workers? Social networking best practices should be taught in the workplace. Employees should be empowered to feel they are part of the positive message an employer wants to communicate. Your HR team can double as community managers by setting up employee group pages on sites like LinkedIn, Ning, or Facebook. Companies need to encourage employees to join and share knowledge. They should post helpful tips for new employees to get them integrated and productive quickly by networking with their peers and managers.

Prospective employees should be exposed to such networks to get a sense of the people with whom they will work and a feel for the corporate culture. Your new community managers can even use services like Twitter to announce updates, further promoting the brand.  With such an effort, your social collaboration will become an attractive feature to future employees. 

Control vs. respect

Companies cannot completely control what is said about them on blogs or social networks.  But viewing social media as a potential liability will not help matters. Companies who rely on simply a corporate blog or Web site to convey their message to customers or potential employees will miss the mark. Individual brand advocates within your ranks can be trained to effectively relate any message to the masses on social sites. Zappos.com is a company known for excellent customer service. However, Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh, has said that their main focus is not customer service, but rather their internal people. That is a powerful branding statement. One can easily ask Zappos.com's employees how they feel about it, as many of them have Twitter accounts with names like Zappos_Alfred or Zappos_Lynn.

It is natural to be concerned about what may be said by employees who are laid off by their former employer. Company policies of surprising workers with news that their job has been eliminated, locking them out of their offices, and ordering them off the premises are common place. Smart organizations can avoid this PR disaster with better communication and by assisting their displaced workers.  Instead, companies should set up a network for those who are laid off and post advice and leads to assist in job searching and outplacement.  Taking this a step further, they can even organize a "pink slip" party. Set it up on Facebook and invite local recruiters and career coaches to come and offer assistance to those outgoing workers. Word gets around fast about companies who treat their people well, even in the wake of layoffs.

Reinforce the message

A company's employer brand must be authentic, unique, and attractive. To consistently have the company message positively reflected in the external comments of workers, a company must clearly convey that brand to current and new employees and work to meet the expectations set by that message. From the perspective of new recruits, there must also be a strong employer recruiting site that clearly states the message and gives a good picture of what work-life at your company is like. Many of the top corporate career sites use recruiting videos that can be viewed on site, as well as on social spaces, like YouTube. These are particularly effective when utilizing current employees rather than actors.

Creating a positive atmosphere of trust and empowerment within a workforce will help to assure that the right message is communicated online. If employers remain true to their message, the brand is built naturally from the inside out. Social media becomes less of a liability and more of a recruiting tool. Empowered employees will be the best employer brand champions.

Growing your brand with social media

. Determine your authentic, unique and attractive brand message.
. Convey the message to employees and on an effective recruiting web site. Meet the expectations it sets.
. Embrace social networking in the workplace.
. Empower your people to champion your brand through social media.

Craig Fisher

Owner Principal A-List Solutions
Dallas, Texas, US

Craig Fisher has more than 18 years experience in sales and is a specialist in IT recruitment.  He is the co-founder of A-List Solutions, a full-service staffing and recruiting firm for management and IT professionals. Craig is also an avid blogger.

A-list Solutions is a full-service staffing firm providing permanent and contract placement services for management, marketing, and IT positions to organizations of all sizes. They consult with both job seekers and employers on branding strategies that utilize social media and web 2.0 technology.

Headquarters: Southlake, Texas, US

Labels: branding, careers, Employer Branding, FACEBOOK, Hiring, LinkedIn, Recruiting, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

Personal Branding.  Do those words make you cringe?  Let's choose something else like, Name Equity.  Whatever term you use, it's really all the same thing.  Mitch Joel posted a great article today on his blog that clearly illustrates the current need to take control of your online persona.  No matter who you are, or what you do, with today's technology there is no excuse for not having a good handle on your personal brand, and a substantial contact network to back it up.  I'm not just talking about people in the technology industry, or in marketing, or any of the industries you might associate with social media, networking, etc.  I am talking about you: manager, college student, stay at home mom or dad, accountant, fireman.

Can you conceive of a situation where you might actually have to ask people for help?  Or want to promote something?  Anything?  Garage sale?  Sell your house?  Help your spouse or kid find a job?  Raise money for a sick friend or relative?  You can certainly get on the phone and call people, or send out a group email to all your friends and contacts.  But most people, without the benefit of a social network, don't have the network power to make the kind of difference that can be made with a healthy group of online contacts.

If you have an established brand that people can find on Google, your chances of building a substantial network, getting a better job, getting venture capital, whatever, are increased exponentially.  People online will network with people they can "check out".  Employers will hire or recruit people who "check out" in a Google search.  People will offer assistance to you if you are active on social networks and have a trustworthy "brand".  But if someone goes online to Google you and all they turn up are some old high school photos that someone posted of you on MySpace or Facebook, well...

Here is a quick tip.  It's sort of the essence of branding.  Many of us have common names, or names that would compete with more famous or prominent folks of the same name online.  So find your niche (a word, or two words) and associate it with your name wherever you choose to place your brand.  My name, for instance, is pretty common.  There are hundreds or maybe thousands of people online with the same name, many of whom are more famous or more public a figure than I.  So everywhere I put my name online, every social media spot, blog post, directory, whatever, I always put what I do and list my web sites. 

Many people don't like to write anything about their work on social media sites because it is supposed to be social, right?  Wrong.  If you don't associate your name with the things you want to be known for, something that is specific and not too generic, you are doing yourself a disservice.  Google Craig Fisher and you will find me.  But I'm not right up there at the top.  However I'm in the recruiting business.  And I help companies and people to brand themselves better online so that I can more easily match them up together.  And my web sites where I write about all this are Fishdogs.com and AListSolutions.com.  So Google Craig Fisher and Recruiting, or Craig Fisher and branding, or Craig Fisher and Fishdogs or Craig fisher and A-List, and the results are much more satisfactory.

This exercise is not only an ingenious way to get people to Google me, it also demonstrates that if you, Jane Jones of knitting fame, pair your name continuously with something online that you would like to be known for, you are well on your way to creating a brand for yourself.  Now don't forget to be consistent, and genuine, and helpful, and informative, and creative, and knowledgeable...

Personal Branding Is Not An Option - It's Crucial To Success

March 26, 2009 5:58 AM

Posted by Mitch Joel

More layoffs. Giving back bonuses. Fewer work days to save the company from firing people. Doing the job of the three people that were let go in your department. Not hiring the five people you were thinking about hiring. Trying to find a job in this climate.

Whether you are an employee in a big, medium or small business, or an entrepreneur, or about to enter the workforce, never has it been more important to understand the power of having, maintaining and developing a strong personal brand. Never before has there been more ways for you to connect and build your personal brand through digital channels.

Never has a simple search on Google been able to tell us more about a person, who they are, what they do, and why they matter.

What does Google say about you?

If brands matter more than ever (and they do, just ask Apple, Starbucks and Twitter), then the ability for individuals to build a personal brand has never been more important. Maybe the idea of "branding yourself" seems ridiculous. It's not. It's a subject that famed management guru and author of the best-selling business book, In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters, first tackled in 1997 for an article in Fast Company magazine titled, The Brand Called You.

"Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. ... You're every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favourite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times."

Peters gave us the beginning of an insight: like big corporate brands, all of the people we connect with have some kind of similar emotions and thoughts when they think about us as people. That mental tattoo that our personas and reputations create in their mind's eye is the essence of our personal brand.

But Peters wrote this in a world where individuals were limited by how they could spread their personal brands - the Internet was just taking its commercial shape in 1997. Now, in a world of Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, our personal brands are resonating 24-hours-a-day, and the content we put in there and link to says more about who we are, as individuals than any one-page resum� ever could.

There's a small caution.

People working on their personal brand sometimes seem a little snake-oil salesy-like. They would state that they were working on their personal brand in a way that made it look like they were trying too hard. They were the same kind of people who manoeuvred through the local chamber of commerce event dumping business cards in any available and open hand No need to be that person.

The amazing thing about developing your personal brand online in social networks and by blogging, is that you can hone in on connecting with those that have shared values and similar interests.

One of the best places to get started is a search engine. Start looking for blogs in your industry, and start following some of the more notable people on Twitter. After you get a feel for the type of content people are publishing, you can dip you toes into the personal branding waters by leaving comments on those blogs or spaces. You can even go neck deep and start your own blog to demonstrate your own, unique, perspective.

Personal branding and the new media space creates a unique and mutually beneficial relationship. Anyone can express who they are to the world. And, if you're not sure what you have to say that is unique and different, just remember the immortal words of Oscar Wilde: "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."

Labels: branding, careers, FACEBOOK, Job Hunting, LinkedIn, marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

Penelope Trunk  recently wrote a great article with some take-action suggestions for anyone who is laid off or otherwise out of work.  She suggests spending time creating projects for yourself that will lead to increased productivity and networking.  This is very good advice that anyone can use to get moving in the right direction while on the job hunt.

5 Things to do when you're unemployed. Hint: It's not job hunting. | By Penelope Trunk

Let's say you get fired, or laid off, or you quit because after two weeks you know you're at the worst company on the planet. In all of those cases, you will face the interview question: What happened at your last job?

Here's the answer you should always give: "I left to do x." And you fill in for x.

Which brings me to what you should be really focusing on when you are unemployed: Learning and growing. Because this is what you are going to talk about in job interviews.

Most people require about six months to get another job. This is a big chunk of time that you can piss away sending resumes to Monster and wondering why no one responds. But you cannot job hunt for eight hours a day. Really. You'll go nuts. (Wait. Here's a time-saving job hunt tip from my mom.)

So spend the time creating projects for yourself and executing on them. This is good for you mentally - because you are doing something meaningful with your time and that will keep your spirits up.

But this is also good for you in your job hunt. Because when you talk about why you left the last company, you spin it in a positive light by talking about how you are excited about doing what you are doing. Your interview should include you telling a good story about focused personal growth, and no one will get stuck on why you left your last job. Here are five ways to set that story up:

1. Create a job for yourself. These projects can be wide ranging, but they have to show that you are driven, ambitious and focused. During one stint of unemployment, I worked for free for my boyfriend's company for a couple of hours a day. That way I didn't actually have a gap in my resume; a resume doesn't show part-time or full-time and it doesn't show pay or no pay. So volunteering at my boyfriend's company for a couple of hours a day ended up looking like a full-time job on my resume.

2. Focus on ambition and execution and not so much on work per se. Another time I got laid off I spent my days learning to swing dance. I took one or two lessons a day and practiced at night, and after my six months of job hunting, I was good enough to teach dancing just off Broadway. I didn't put that on my resume, but when people asked me why I left my job, I told them about how I gave myself time to fulfill lofty goals as a swing dancer.

3. Start a blog about the industry you want to go into. Blogging is a great way to keep up in your industry, network without looking desperate, and leverage the fact that you have more time on your hands that people who have jobs. Everyone who is unemployed should be blogging as a way to get their next job. Put your ideas out into the world and connect with people that way. This is why you want to be hired, right? For your ideas. So show them. The reason that people who blog have great careers is that bloggers are always thinking about issues in their industry. Show that side of yourself to people. Blogging takes a lot of time, sure. But you have a lot of time. So use it. Here's my guide for how to start a blog.

4. Start a company. Do you have a company idea? Try it now. During unemployment. There's nothing stopping you. You have time, and you can try ideas to see which one sticks. Also, whether or not your company does well, you'll be able to talk about it in an interview as a huge learning moment that will deflect from any problems at your last job. The company that never got out of your parent's basement can sit on your resume as professionally as a stint in the Fortune 500. It's all about how you write the bullet points: talk about accomplishments and learning.

5. Practice talking about yourself with everyone. High performers practice for interviews. So now you know what you're aiming for, but you need to talk about it with everyone - parties, at the gym, on the phone with friends. When they ask how you're doing, talk about what you're doing like you are in the job interview. And the good news is that the better you get at talking like that, the more you will actually believe your story, the story that being unemployed is lucky because you have learning opportunities.

What's important to remember here is that no one can tell you what experience you can gain and what you can't. You don't need a job in order to learn cool stuff and be on cool projects. You control what you do with your time and you can make it useful. Talk about that. There is no reason to talk about why the last job didn't work when you can talk about the great things that leaving opened up to you.

Labels: branding, careers, Job Hunting, jobs, Productivity, Self Improvement, Social Media, Social Networking, web2.0

Thanks to Flora Felisberto and Martin Burns of ZoomInfo for including me, alongside recruiting industry great, Lou Adler, in this edition of the newsletter.

If you haven't done so, I would recommend going to www.zoominfo.com and searching for yourself.  If you find yourself, but the info appears out of date, claim your profile and update the information.  This is a great place on the web to stamp "brand you".

Here is an excerpt from the February Zoominformer:

The social media phenomenon is no longer breaking news, but its impact on talent (finding, recruiting, and retaining) has started to accelerate.

Over the coming months, we'll be taking a closer look at social media trends. We're working with our clients and industry thought leaders to get to the "actual" behind all of the hype. It's our goal to help you work in the present, as well as understand the future. This month's newsletter will focus mainly on some of the practical impacts of social media, but we are also looking to a future that may be wildly disrupted by new methods of connecting with prospects, companies, and candidates.

If you have any ideas and interesting examples, please let us know. We are always amazed by the creativity of recruiters in navigating this world.

Stay tuned..

Are You a Web 2.0 Wannabe?
by Lou Adler

According to Lou Adler, "If you don't invest in finding tomorrow's candidates today, you'll become history." By investing time in key low-cost technologies, recruiters can increase both the visibility and interest of their job postings. In this article, Lou Adler describes the six most important web 2.0 trends and tools. Read on to find out if you're a "Neanderthal or a new ager."
Click here for the full article

Employer Branding with Web 2.0 & Social Media
by Craig Fisher

If your company's HR department is not already utilizing web 2.0 tools and social media to market the company to job seekers, it should be. A new report by Gartner, Inc., shows that even though corporate marketing and web strategies are embracing social media, HR departments are generally slow to align with those efforts for the purpose of employer branding.

Click here for the full article

The newsletter is: http://www.zoominfo.com/About/m/newsletters/february_2009.asp

You can subscribe to it here: http://www.zoominfo.com/About/resources/newsletters.aspx

ZoomInfo is a business information search engine used to quickly find information about industries, companies, people and products. ZoomInfo is used by sales and marketing professionals to identify business opportunities, by recruiters to locate talent, and by anyone conducting in-depth research about products, services and businesses. ZoomInfo's semantic search engine continually crawls the Business Web - the millions of company Websites, news feeds and other online sources - to identify company and people information which is then organized into fresh, comprehensive and objective profiles. ZoomInfo currently has profiles on more than 40 million people and over 3.5 million companies, and its search engine adds more than 20,000 new profiles every day.

Labels: branding, careers, Employer Branding, Hiring, jobs, marketing, Recruiting, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

A Twitter friend was having trouble with the shortened URLs of 3 job search articles I posted there, so I am posting the full URLs here for his and anyone else's convenience.

Your Next Employer Wants to Know: Where in Google Is That Guy?

http://articlemarketer.com/b2/b/article_marketer_blog.php/2009/02/18/your-next-employer-wants-to-know-where-i

How Adding a Tailored Sound Bite to My Resume Doubled Interview Requests

http://personalbrandingblog.com/how-adding-a-tailored-sound-bite-to-my-resume-doubled-interview-requests/

Help prospective employers find you

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=542

Labels: branding, careers, jobs, Resumes, Social Networking, Twitter

Steph Auteri has written a wonderful guest post on TwiTip.com about how Twitter has jumped off of your screen and into your home town.  I can attest that the networking potential at a Tweetup (a meet-up of Twitter enthusiasts) is superior to most networking events, chamber of commerce gatherings, job fairs, etc. that I have ever attended.  My goal in networking is about getting to know people interested in Social Media and also employers (potential clients) with hiring needs. 

But I feel strongly that job seekers with a genuine interest in Twitter and other social media would find fertile ground at a Tweetup to network for a new position.  The job you seek doesn't have to be related to social networking or new media, but your interest in it should be your entry into conversation.  Don't show up knowing nothing about Twitter and expect a good conversation with people that might lead to a job prospect.  Immerse yourself in all things Twitter as much as possible before attending a Twitter related event.  Newbies are welcome, but it really helps to be at least familiar with the terms and the technology.

8 Twitter Networking Tips: From Online to In-the-Flesh

I didn't know quite what to do with Twitter until I read a post on Problogger that advised setting Twitter goals. My mind immediately grasped upon the possibilities for promoting my multiple blogs and, since then, I have (I hope) maintained that focus. (Just ignore those tweets that mention Xanax, wine, and my three cats.) It was a happy surprise when it became clear just how much Twitter could help my career in other ways.

Read on for tips on how to use Twitter to take networking from online to in-the-flesh.

1. Use Your Twitter Profile As You Would a Business Card:

Those cards I had done up at VistaPrint are so perfect. They include my name, title, phone number, e-mail address, and website URL and, best of all, they even match my site's background! I love how they represent the brand I've created for myself. Your Twitter profile should operate in a similar manner. Pimp that URL of yours in the appropriate space. Craft a well-written professional description in the spot meant for your bio. Personalize the background also! It will help you stand out from the pack. And then include a link to your Twitter account on every last social networking site you belong to, and in your e-mail signature as well. (Bonus tip: If you want to go all out - and frighten friends and family! - order a T-shirt with your Twitter ID.)

2. Let Your Twitter Feed Be Your (Ongoing) Portolfio:

While I maintain a portfolio on my professional site, I often suspect that no one actually goes there. Even when I include a link in my cover letters. This makes me sad. But nothing beats the immediacy of a tweeted link! I tend to tweet the links to my latest clips, and also point my followers toward the blog posts I'm most proud of. This way, people don't become overwhelmed by how amazingly prolific I am, or mistake me for a spammer. If this is not a worry, there are Twitter applications - such as twitterfeed - that automatically feed your post titles and links straight to Twitter. Not only will you get a nice bump in traffic from your own tweeple, but followers might find your work so gosh-darn awesome that they retweet it, placing it in front of a constantly growing number of eyes. Who knows what could happen then! I've actually received additional writing assignments from those impressed with my already-existing work.

3. Grow Your Twitter Network:

If you're doing everything right - posting helpful and interesting tweets, maintaining a healthy level of back-and-forth, and seeking out other Twitter users worth following - your network will grow organically. Once you have them there, it's time to harness their remarkable power.

4. Get the Lowdown:

.by getting the lowdown on things like professional organizations, conferences, and other events. In musing - via tweet - about the pros and cons of joining the EFA, the NWU, or Freelance Success, I received immediate feedback of others' personal experiences with each. Being able to determine the effectiveness of real-work events and networking groups before paying an arm and a leg, based upon the firsthand experiences of others, can be invaluable.

5. Tweet Yourself Up:

.by advertising your wares. I tweet about the blog posts I'm working on. I tweet about the manuscripts I'm copy editing. I tweet about the articles I'm researching. It makes me sound way productive. Plus, it gives others an idea of where my skills and talents lie. If you happen to tweet a lot about your amazing grasp of the behavioral sciences, or of medical writing, you'll be the first person people think of when they need a medical copywriter. Or a shrink.

6. Ask for Help:

.by sending out an SOS. It's been known to happen. People have acquired employment by simply letting others know they were looking for work. But you can start smaller. Ask for input on that blog post you're working on. Search for interview subjects for that next article (I use Twellow or Twitter Search). Ask all of the tens of thousands of web developers out there why that plugin didn't work when you did the whatchamacallit to the thingamabobber. There is a world of wisdom out there, just waiting for your call.

7. And Help Others:

Is there a way to measure Twitter karma? Or is it wrong to quantify the ways in which you help others? Either way, I believe karma exists, and the more you help others, the more others are willing to help you. This can mean simply answering others' queries, making suggestions, or offering your help when a fellow Twitter user appears in distress. Some twitterers go a step further, and create accounts meant solely for charitable purposes. Twestival - which "brings together Twitter communities for an evening of fun and to raise money and awareness for charity" - is just one example (more information can be found here). Another one I've recently come across is JobAngels. They define themselves as a movement, in which they ask followers to help one person find a job. Several of the people I'm following have already retweeted their request.

8. Plan a Tweetup:

All of the above has referenced the real world only indirectly, by mentioning actions you can do in the Twitterverse in order to affect your non-virtual life. For my last point, I'd like to mention Tweetups, the happy and inevitable cousin of the Meetup. Rather than waiting for an event to happen, why not plan your own meeting of the (Twitter-based) minds? You can follow tweetup to learn about happenings in your area, or just send a shout-out to your own followers, asking if anyone would be game for taking things offline. While online networking can be amazing in its influence, I often find that nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. Placing a face to a name.being able to talk at length with more than 140 characters.bonding over a glass (or five) of wine or the healing powers of a cup of coffee.all of these things can help you to develop a more concrete connection with someone you've only been conversing with online. In marveling over the powers of the Internet, don't discredit the traditional tactics.

Labels: branding, careers, Hiring, jobs, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, web2.0

Did you know that people with more than twenty connections on LinkedIn are thirty-four times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five.  That fact came from Guy Kawasaki's blog in January of 2007.  And while his 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn are still a good primer, much has changed since then.

In case you didn't know, LinkedIn has many new features for networking, job searching, and recruiting.  This article contains some tips that I think are very helpful in getting more out of this powerful tool.

The first is an indisputable fact.  You should be LinkedIn with me.  Go to my LinkedIn Profile and invite me to join your network.  Right now.  If LinkedIn wants you to list my email address in order to invite me, here it is: craig@alistsolutions.com .  I don't sell anything there, and I will never harass you.  But I will answer questions, refer you to people with whom you wish to network (if your intentions are honorable), provide a plethora of great job search and networking advice, maximize your marketability, help you hire your next great employee, or help you find your dream job.  And I will scratch your back whenever I can. 

Now do you see how easy that was?  Building your network is an important part of being on LinkedIn.  It takes a little work, but it's worth it.  Just ask the people with less than 5 connections.  Oh, wait, you can't because you would probably never find them even if you did a search.  I'm not saying that you should indiscriminately network with just anyone.  But chances are, if you are reading this article, I want to know you, and you want to know me.  Don't be completely generic when asking people to join your network.  Give them a compelling reason or at least be friendly.  "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn" is neither, though that won't bother me.

Obviously there is more to it than just building up a great network.  Participation is another key to good networking.  Julius Solaris wrote a great piece on his blog entitled 10 tips to master the "new" LinkedIn: 

10. Group Discussion not Q&A

After Linkedin introduced discussions within Groups, Q&A are redundant. Group Discussions are more specific and targeted to your interests.

You can see threaded conversations and, if you are lucky enough, you get some moderation from the group manager.

Linkedin Groups

9. Share your trip details

An interesting application is My Travel from  Tripit.

One of the best uses of Linkedin is to find connections when you are travelling. I heard great stories of people setting up successful business meetings just by asking in the Q&A section.

My Travel brings the concept further and displays your network where you are and where you will be.

My Travel

8. Ask for opinions

The Linkedin Poll application achieves the simple task of asking for opinions.
Polls have been there forever in online communities, it was right about time to have that functionality in LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Polls

7. Update your profile, twitter style

The "Update" section is becoming key to Linkedin. Hopefully they will develop this feature even further with better search tools.

This section is a very powerful tool as it gives premium information such as "This person is hiring" or "Looking for a business partner".

Keep an eye on this one.

6. Promote and attend Events

The recently introduced Events section helps in finding relevant events in your area.

If you are organizing both, formal or informal gatherings, this is also a great opportunity to promote.

Linkedin Events

5. Be informed with the News section

I actually really like this section, it gives you the chance to see relevant information, again according to your Group belonging.

This feature used to be reserved to companies, welcomed opening.

4. Blog to the top

If you don't have a blog, you should get one soon.

Once you do have one, I strongly suggest you integrate either with the Blog Link or Wordpress app, the latter being my favourite.

Wordpress

Blog Link

3.Unleash your presentations

My beloved Slideshare.net released an application to show your slides in your profile.

Out of all the apps, this is the most relevant as it really serves the purpose of networking.

Presentations are indeed the most accepted form of business communication, a great match.

Slideshare Presentations

2. Collaborate

Huddle is a great service for online collaboration and sharing.

This is a great application which enables teamwork, really like the 1GB shared space.

Huddle Workspaces

1. Perform a better search

Linkedin focused on delivering an improved search experience.

Make sure you check below for few tips on how to perform better searches.

5 Tips on How to Search LinkedIn Like a Pro

LinkedIn for Sourcing

If you are a business owner, hiring manager, HR representative, or staffing professional, there are some great new tools on LinkedIn for you.

According to this article from Workforce Management about the upcoming LinkedIn tools for Recruiting, LinkedIn has recently been adding a million new members every two weeks, and officials say more than 829,000 HR professionals and 521,000 corporate recruiters now use the network. 

LinkedIn will soon offer four additional recruiting-related upgrades for business customers, starting with customizable company information pages that corporate customers can configure to match a job opening to the profile of the LinkedIn member reading the material.  It will also offer an improved e-mail marketing campaign tool that lets corporate customers tap into LinkedIn's existing InMail network to broadcast job openings or other messages to its 33 million members. Rounding out the new features are an expanded banner advertising program and a flat-fee annual subscription for job board postings.  You can read the full article here: http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/26/08/38.php

If you are not inclined to pay for such services, you have some alternatives.  Irina Shamaeva posted a great piece on ERE.net about LinkedIn Sourcing with a free account.  Many of the ideas are similar to the tips posted above, but are more tailored to recruiting.  Irina is the creator of the Boolean Strings group on RecruitingBlogs.com and always has great advice.

Regardless of how you use LinkedIn, you should probably be paying closer attention to it these days with so many ways to improve your professional profile, your personal or career brand, your employer brand, or your sales and recruiting efforts. 

Labels: careers, Hiring, jobs, LinkedIn, Social Media, Social Networking

These are from a list posted by Dmitri Davydov on Madconomist.com.  They are pretty funny and I can attest to the fact that people really do put some really stupid stuff on their resumes.  I wonder sometimes if these people ever even read their own resumes.  Many I get from people claiming to be experts in software architecture, or even from C and D level executives still have "12/1992 - Present" on a position that was 5 jobs ago.

If you are a job seeker, do yourself a favor and have a friend proofread your resume before you send it to anyone, even a recruiter.  Because, believe it or not, even though the recruiter may help you with your resume, they will still think that you should pay more attention to detail and may form a negative impression of you if your resume lacks polish.  Remember, your resume is often the first impression that someone has of you.  And these days when we should all have most of our resume online at LinkedIn or elsewhere, it is particularly important to make sure everything is up to date and that those typos are caught and eliminated.

None of this is made up. People really did put this stupid crazy (stuff) on their resumes or job applications.

1. I am very detail-oreinted.

2. My intensity and focus are at inordinately high levels, and my ability to complete projects on time is unspeakable.

3. Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!

4. Enclosed is a ruff draft of my resume.

5. It's best for employers that I not work with people.

6. Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.

7. I am a quick leaner, dependable, and motivated.

8. If this resume doesn't blow your hat off, then please return it in the enclosed envelope.

9. My fortune cookie said, "Your next interview will result in a job." And I like your company in particular.

10. I saw your ad on the information highway, and I came to a screeching halt.

11. Insufficient writing skills, thought processes have slowed down some. If I am not one of the best, I will look for another opportunity.

12. Please disregard the attached resume-it is terribly out of date.

13. Seek challenges that test my mind and body, since the two are usually inseparable.

14. Graduated in the top 66% of my class.

15. Reason for leaving last job: The owner gave new meaning to the word paranoia. I prefer to elaborate privately.

16. Previous experience: Self-employed-a fiasco.

17. Exposure to German for two years, but many words are inappropriate for business.

18. Experience: Watered, groomed, and fed the family dog for years.

19. I am a rabid typist.

20. I have a bachelorette degree in computers.

21. Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory; effective management skills; and very good at math.

22. Strengths: Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer.

23. I worked as a Corporate Lesion.

24. Reason for leaving last job: Pushed aside so the vice president's girlfriend could steal my job.

25. Married, eight children. Prefer frequent travel.

26. Objective: To have my skills and ethics challenged on a daily basis.

27. Special skills: Thyping.

28. My ruthlessness terrorized the competition and can sometimes offend.

29. I can play well with others.

30. Personal Goal: To hand-build a classic cottage from the ground up using my father-in-law.

31. Objective: I want a base salary of $50-$60,000 dollars, not including bonus. And some decent benefits. Like a retirement plan, health insurance, personal or sick days.

32. Experience: Provided correct answers to customers' questions.

33. Education: Graduated from predatory school with honors.

34. Never been fired, although it could happen anytime now.

35. I have happily been a "kept man" for the past 10 years.

36. Have extensive experience in turkey manufactures as well as new product development and implementation.

37. I am accustomed to speaking in front of all kinds of audiences. I make points as well as I can.

38. Personal: Five children. Dog: Jasper. Cat: Morris. Gerbil: Binky.

39. While in military, was instrumental in creation of a treat detection system.

40. My compensation package at my last job included a base salary of $64,500 with excellent benefits including flextime. I am looking for a position in which I can work a more flexible schedule.

41. Hire me and you won't regret it - I am funny, cute, smart and creative. really.

42. Referees available upon request.

43. Previous rank: Senior instigator.

44. I have recently sold my home and I now live in a large RV so I will be able to relocate quickly.

45. Reason for leaving: They stopped paying me.

46. Cover letter: Desire the chance to showcase my delightful personality, intelligence and superior judgment, which are so hard to find these days.

47. Personal achievements: Successfully played "Chop Sticks" on a toy piano with my big toes.

48. Objective: To obtain a position where I can make a difference, infecting others with my professionalism, enthusiasm and dedication.

49. Strengths: Impersonal skills.

50. Special interests: I like any projects that are fun.

51. Please explain any breaks in your employment career: 15 minute coffee break while working at a home improvement store.

52. Vocational plans: Sea World.

Labels: careers, Funny, Resumes

Great post from CareerFire.com

by GUEST BLOGGER on JANUARY 4, 2009

Today's career environment is different, at least for the information workers. What's different is that there are more ways to influence getting a job than in the past. You probably already know that the old saying is true: "it's not what you know; it's who you know." Well, the people you know has expanded a bit, thanks to social networks, and what people know about you has grown, too, thanks in part to the various tools you can employ in social media.

What follows are some ideas on building your online presence with your career in mind.

Your Blog Is A Resume

If you've not considered this yet, let me explain that my blog has been responsible for HUNDREDS of inquiries over the years. Why? Because people who might want to know about using video, or blogging, or making podcasts, or tying this all together into a strategy see examples, almost daily, of what I think, what I know, and how I've accomplished some of this in my own life and career.

Blogging about this stuff is like writing out my experience for a resume line by line. (Only less boring).

Use These Tools For You

The story of our work lives, and the story of what we do after work when we're expressing our passion can now be captured in ways we didn?t have available to us before. With free tools, free or inexpensive distribution, you can share your accomplishments with the world, and with Google, which most prospective employees use as a matter of course these days in their hiring diligence.

Elements To Consider

Once you start thinking that way, about your blog as a way for people to know more about you, what you stand for, who you are, you might consider doing a few things.

• Consider adding a picture of you on the main page. I admit that I take this to the extreme, but whatever. You won't ever NOT recognize me at a conference or a social event, and that's my goal.
• Make your ABOUT page robust. I write a lot about who I am, where to find me, what I am passionate about, and other things on my about page. In my case, I even have a speaking page, so that people know what I speak about at events (or some of what I speak about).
• Make it easy to contact you. My email is right there on the blog, as well as my phone number. People use them both all the time, and these bring me interesting opportunities that don't always land in the comments section.
• Consider WHAT you talk about in your blog. Even if you don't consider your blog your resume, Google will help your prospective employers figure out your web presence.

The Social Media Resume

Listing your previous jobs and titles is not nearly a full picture of who you are, what you know, what you're capable of, and who you know. There are other ways to do this. You might want to give more thought to posting more information about you online. There are ways to do this that don't seem as threatening to current employers, by the way.

If you haven't considered using LinkedIN, that's a baseline. But LinkedIN is still a resume of sorts, only with a few (really useful) features added in. LinkedIN can be explained to wary employers as a way to network with fellow professionals in your field and to find people who share interests. But don't stop there.

A few people have talked about a social media resume. My first exposure to it was Bryan Person's post about it, with a link to his own social media resume. I've not employed this specifically, because I feel my profile on LinkedIN covers all that ground, but I could see someone choosing to split out their professional credentials from their social media experience, and then this would be the right tool.

Social Networks for Networking

First, I have to say that I have a problem with the notion of traditional networking, in the social sense. I perceive networking to mean those cocktail gatherings where you stand around and ask each other what you can do for each other. Though I understand it's usually genuine in intent, I've rarely found the right kind of relationship by doing the cursory dance at these events. Too shallow for my tastes.

Online social networks are different, insofar as we have the opportunity to know more about someone through repeated interactions. If you and I are friends on Twitter, I get to see what you deem interesting enough to post into a box. If we're friends on Facebook, I might learn a LOT about your interests and the like from what you put on your profile, which groups you belong to, your other posted media.

One more thing about Facebook: the repeat question of whether or not it's for business is only coming from people who aren't in there messing around with it. It's not the best thing in the world for businesses, and I can tell you lots of things I hate about it, but it's a way to find a more enriched profile of someone than what you get on LinkedIN, and that's the value statement there.

I think social networks, blogs, and all these various places like Seesmic, Utterli, Flickr , are great touchpoints to understanding someone's personal interests, tastes, and learn about their professional proclivities as well.

The Bonus Round

You might consider putting up a video about yourself. There's something different and more intimate about making video, and people can see even more about who you are, how you act, in a video.

One friend, Ben Yoskovitz, made a startup out of the idea of video in recruiting. It's brilliant, really, because it adds that piece that's missing.

And making video isn't especially hard these days. You can use a Flip video camera and pop a video onto YouTube without a lot of effort.

Now, making a GOOD video is another matter altogether, but then you might consider getting some help from a local expert. I've got friends in video all over the place, so if you want a little help with that, let me know.

A Note About WHERE To Find Jobs

This has changed a great deal over the last few years. Popular blogs and websites now have their own job boards (37 Signals, TechCrunch, and tons of other places, for instance). It's not just the world of Monster or HotJobs. Now, people and individuals are becoming hubs for jobs. Oh, and don't forget Craigslist.

At any one time, I have someone pinging me for either a social media position that's open, or a software engineer, or someone with an Internet skillset that isn't easy to find by sifting through resumes. So, be attentive to that as well. Sometimes, jobs aren't circulating in the traditional places, so the folks who might want to find you, are the same ones spending time online.

This post is part of a series by Chris Brogan, a social media expert, and is taken from his eBook titled Using the Social Web to Find Work.

Labels: blogging, branding, careers, FACEBOOK, Flickr, jobs, LinkedIn, Resumes, Social Media, Social Networking, web2.0

I often advise candidates on targeting their answers in a job interview.  But sometimes this gets misinterpreted.  It's something hiring managers will complain about occasionally,  "I think the candidate was just telling me what I want to hear."  Avoiding that seems to be a very slippery slope, and a very fine line when trying to do your best in a job interview.

It is always a good idea to ask the interviewer what they feel are the most important qualifications to have in the job for which you are interviewing.  Listen carefully to the response.  Then try to target your answers accordingly.  What you want to avoid is attempting to interpret what the interviewer wants to hear in answer to each question.

Interview questions come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are quite innocent and straight forward.  Others are designed to see how your respond to tricky questions.  Others still are open ended and attempt to get you to "speak freely" about a subject.  Don't attempt to get tricky in your response.  Just remember what the job is, and what the interviewer said are the qualities they feel are important.  Highlight the truth about your background and skill set that compliment those things.

It will help to be well prepared.  Be sure you know your resume as it applies to the job description.  In a great article written by A-List Solutions' Jeff Lipschultz on How To Prepare for the Interview, Jeff suggests making a check list to bring with you to the interview:

• On the left side of your desk, put the job description (and any other company information beyond the job description—a good recruiter will have this, along with the company’s web site).  Put your resume to the right.  Then put a blank sheet of paper next to the resume.
• Literally connect requirements and company info on the left with the resume experiences and skill set on the right.  Literally, it’s like connecting the dots with a crayon—child’s play!  Hopefully, you create a complex web of connections as you may connect a requirement to several spots on your resume.  And several requirements on the left may link to the same experience on the right.  These connections are checklist items.
• Build your checklist by listing the requirements (and related company info) along with the best examples of your ability and experience.  You should include boxes to check off as you interview.  You need not write out details, as all you will need is some code words to remind you of the example(s) you want to share.  More

And what about those tricky interview questions?  It may help your nerves a bit to know, in advance, what some of the seemingly innocent and obviously tricky questions you may be asked are geared toward.  Colleen Clark has a nice list of What an Interviewer Wants to Hear on Monster.com.

What motivates you the most?
They want to know what gets you out of bed - helping people, building a safe facility, developing teams, completing projects on time, implementing fair and honest practices, making people laugh.

How would you describe your personality?
Mention two or three personal characteristics that you are confident about -- a sense of humor, patience, supportive of others or highly versatile. Try to make them relevant to the company or position being applied to. If you have done any assessment testing, take words you most identify with out of them. Of course, prepare for this question beforehand.

How do your subordinates perceive you?
Stick as much as you can to work-related skills that you know they know you have. Interviews are not personality disclosing interrogations; they are to ensure you have the skills and fit to do the job. Say you are conscientious, ambitious, tenacious or helpful.

What can you offer us that other candidates cannot?
You have no idea what the other candidates bring to the table so your best answer is to mention at least two benefits you will provide: I will save the company money on.... OR I will decrease OR improve OR increase OR implement...

What is the most demotivating work environment for you?
This question comes in the back door of what kind of people or office personality do you like best? Negativity, inflexible, non-team supported or closed-door policy are safe answers and not too revealing. You can always turn that question around and say, work environments that are supportive, friendly, helpful and congenial are my favorite places to work.

Where would you like to be in five years from now?
Keep in mind that you are not interviewing for any other position than the one you are there for right now. Best you say something like, I hope to still be working for the company and hopefully promoted based on my accomplishments. Telling them you want their job is not a job idea or saying that you want to start your own business, but you need some practical experience first, do not go there.

What important trends do you see coming in our industry?
This is your opportunity to tell them your opinions and to show that you have read up to the minute articles or books on what's coming down the pike.

In your last position, what where the things you liked the least? The most?
Have a reserved list ready of activities or tasks that you don't like, but really try to accentuate the positive as best as you can. Know your must-haves and flexibilities.

So now that you have seen these questions, remember not to try to do any interpreting on the fly by saying what you think the interviewer wants to hear.  Know yourself, your background, and your skills.  Know how they apply to this job.  Target your answers, but don't suck up.  A savvy interviewer will spot it and likely rule you out as a candidate. 

The bottom line is that if you are well prepared, you will be most likely to do well in an interview.  Being prepared gives you confidence and a positive attitude.  And if that still isn't enough to you you the job?  Chances are there are other factors involved about which you will never know.  No use worrying about them.  It's also possible that the job is not right for you.  In which case you chalk that interview up to good experience and move on. 

You will land the right job if you continue to prepare properly and stay positive.  Happy hunting!

Labels: careers, First Impressions, Hiring, interview tips, jobs

I have collected the most clicked upon recent links that I have shared on Twitter about interviewing and job searches as compiled by Tweetburner.

There is some great info in these articles.  Hope you find them helpful.  If you want to tune in for these links in real-time you can follow me on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/fishdogs, where I am always sharing great career, hiring, marketing, and branding tips daily.  I will continue to list them here as well. 

Let me know what you think.

1. fishdogs: Life after layoffs: How to move forward after a job loss: http://twurl.nl/qxv5vj

2. Preparing For Your Next Job (Hint: start now) http://twurl.nl/qiq8y8

3. Happy Thursday good Twittizens: Do You Want Your Executive Resume to Generate More Interviews? http://twurl.nl/i31k2g

4. In Depth Interview Preparation and Checklists: http://twurl.nl/tekq3w

5. 8 Job Interview Tips: http://twurl.nl/vrccwv

6. Looking: Applying, Follow-Ups, and Interviews: http://twurl.nl/ns5zyf

7. Phone Interview Tips for Entry Level Job Seekers: http://twurl.nl/sc7tyh

8. The Idiotic Things People Say in Interviews : http://twurl.nl/d78rc1

9. How To Prepare for a Newspaper Interview: http://twurl.nl/cakyus

10. Pour some sugar on my . . .job search.  http://tinyurl.com/6mh9l4

11. Job seekers, don't take December off, experts advise:http://twurl.nl/sa0hlv

12. The Importance of Interview Practice: http://tinyurl.com/6rrdoe

13. Resumes and Interviews: A Thin Line Between Embellishment and Lies:http://twurl.nl/8ixvg5

14. Can social networking hurt your job prospects? Or help them?http://twurl.nl/tbvalr

Labels: branding, careers, Hiring, interview tips, jobs, Resumes, Twitter

If your company's HR department is not already utilizing Web 2.0 tools and Social Media to market the company to job seekers, it should be. A new report by Gartner, Inc., shows that even though corporate marketing and web strategies are embracing social media, HR departments are generally slow to align with those efforts for the purpose of employer branding.

Job seekers today research companies the same way recruiters research job seekers.  They look at what other people are saying about them on social media, blogs, and other Web 2.0 outlets.  HR Organizations who don't attempt to control their employer brands online are missing a great opportunity and run the risk of missing the most sought after job candidates.

A recent study by Potentialpark Communications, a Swedish-based research and consulting firm, surveyed 1,800 U.S. students and recent graduates in an effort to identify the leading corporate careers sites.  Rusty Weston wrote an article about the study, Checking Out the Best Corporate Careers Sites, that states:

"about one third of the rated companies use videos to present possible future colleagues, a walk through the office or the day-to-day work," says Potentialpark's Magdalena Knott. "The use of blogs, pod casts and web casts has not advanced too far until now, but the importance is rising."

The Top 10 U.S. Corporate Career Websites

by Potentialpark Communications

1. Deutsche Bank

2. Microsoft

3. BCG (Boston Consulting Group)

4. Merrill Lynch

5. Accenture

6. Charles Schwab

7. UBS

8. Booz Allen Hamilton

9. Intel

10. Bertelsmann

The Gartner report concludes that "By 2011, Organizations That Do Not Manage Their Employer Brands Effectively Will Fail to Attract Key Talent.

"Organizations are investing significantly in adopting marketing and sales strategies for social software, and Gartner predicts that by 2010, more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 companies with Web sites will have some form of community that can be used for marketing purposes. Although many organizations hasten to adopt and exploit social computing in marketing, sales and customer support roles, Gartner has found that HR tends to lag behind."

According to Gartner, the first step that organizations need to take is to understand what is being said about them on social networks and informally benchmark this against competitors and peers, as well as companies that tend to lead in this area. They need to be prepared for candidates to enter the recruitment process with a much-deeper understanding of the organization than would have been expected previously. The organization must also look at new ways of improving its image online."

So where is an HR organization to start?  UK-based Web 2.0 development firm, Organic Development, offers these suggestions.

5 ways social media can benefit an Employer brand

1) Blogging is a great way of building up your online presence and generating awareness of what it is like to be employed 'on the ground' within a company. They help the business engage with candidate and employee audiences directly. Moreover, with blogging comes the opportunity to 'comment', where readers can actually speak back to the business, giving their opinions and input: free market research.

2) Engage and respond to feedback. Responding to your candidate and staff opinions makes for a stronger relationship, gaining your customer's trust and understanding. If people say good things about you, say thanks. This shows that they are genuinely being considered and their opinion matters.

3) Recruitment and HR Managers should welcome social networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin and Myspace into the workplace. Not only are they tools for colleagues to recruit, promote HR policies, interact with employees and build relationships with each other but having them viewable by the public makes the company seem more approachable and engaging. Many companies are now using these sites already to recruit new members of staff, search for new business or to induct new team members.

4) Advanced search facilities allow people of all interests and niches to find and target what they are looking for quickly and easily. New and evolving audiences can be identified and reached without spending a penny.

5) If you create media that people enjoy and find useful in some way, they are likely to pass it on. Therefore, it is worthwhile seriously thinking about how social media could be incorporated into your business. The beauty of the concept is that through processes such as word of mouth, making a success of social media means sooner or later your audience will start to do the work for you. "

Blogger beware!  Corporate blogging has its pitfalls.  In an article written by Forrester Research analyst, and co-author of the book, Groundswell, Josh Bernoff comments on the recent Forrester survey that showed Only 16% of online consumers who read corporate blogs say they trust them.  Bernhoff says, "This means that if you blog, your goal should be to create a blog about which people say "I like that - I don't think of it as a company blog." For the most part, that's a hurdle you need to jump to gain their trust. I don't mean to hide who is writing the blog. I mean it has to be more about your customers than it is about you."

The survey, and Bernoff's comments, are geared more toward corporate marketing efforts than employer branding.  But the lesson is good for both.  The job candidates you are seeking are savvy.  They do read blogs and utilize social media.  So relying solely on a blog for your HR and employer branding is not advised.  Nor is posting the usual HR propaganda.  Get your real employees involved and make your message transparent and believable.  And use that content in conjunction with social media to create an organic source of top job candidates.  Give them a real face to associate with your Employer Brand.

You can find more great articles for Career and Employment at the A-List Solutions Weblog

Labels: blogging, branding, careers, Employer Branding, FACEBOOK, Hiring, jobs, LinkedIn, marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, web2.0

As a veteran of the recruiting industry I look at resumes every day.  Dozens of resumes.  Dozens of cover letters.  Most are very generic and appear to be intended for a mass email audience.  This is a big mistake, whether you are sending the resume to a staffing firm, or directly to an employer.  Recruiters in staffing firms have the same reaction as hiring managers and recruiters in corporations.  Generic cover letters and untargeted resumes often go to the bottom of the pile, added to a database and forgotten, or sent to the deleted items folder.

An article in the Interview Edge Blog entitled How Easy is it For Someone to Hire You? has some great suggestions to follow the requested protocol and target your approach to those who may help you get hired.

"many candidates make it simple for hiring managers to exclude them from consideration.

Worse yet, this often occurs very early in the process.

Don’t let it happen to you. Today we’ll focus on things you can do at the initial stages to improve your prospects.

Follow Instructions
Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Yet you might be surprised how frequently candidates fail to comply with directions.

Consider the application. Complete the entire form accurately and as indicated. If you’re doing this offline and are asked to print, for example, don’t submit something written in cursive. Don’t leave fields blank. If you’re asked to insert your resume in the body of the email, don’t ignore the request and send it as an attachment instead.

Avoid Sloppy Mistakes With Your Resume
• Proof it – more than once – and have someone else proof it, also. Don’t rely on spell check. Spell check won’t catch the fact that you used the word “their” when you really meant “there.”  Spell check won’t catch all consistency errors – like the fact that you switched between present and past tense from one sentence to the next.

• Next, make sure you’re sending your resume to the correct person. If Paul Adams is the hiring manager, but you mistakenly send your information to Sue Richardson, you’re not helping your cause.

• Send it to a person…not “Dear Hiring Manager.”

• If you’re sending a lot of resumes, keep track of what you’re doing. Make sure what’s inside the envelope matches what’s on the outside (i.e. Sue Richardson shouldn’t open the envelope to find a letter addressed to Paul Adams – at another company!). Same thing with email. If the body of the message opens with a cover letter to Sue, you’d better be sure you’re sending it to her email address.

• Make sure you’ve included your contact information – it should be easy for the hiring manager to get in touch with you. That means you need to provide them with multiple options: email, phone, physical address.

In addition, you should always include a cover letter with your resume. Even if you’re submitting your information electronically, add a cover. These few paragraphs are a golden opportunity to get your foot in the door. This is your sales letter – use it to capture the reader’s attention, communicate your unique selling proposition, and convince her to read your resume. "

Labels: careers, Hiring, jobs, Resumes

Executive Recruiter Herman Collins has some no-nonsense resume tips.

by qpk8rX5

My cousin came to me a while back upset about his resume. He had paid a professional over $300 to have a great resume written. But after sending out dozens of copies, he still had not been granted any interviews. He was blaming the resume and was disappointed with the person he paid to write it.

My cousin calmed down after I explained that the writer was not really the problem. The resume was well written, but a well written resume is not necessarily a great resume.

What a resume can not do, no matter who writes it, is guarantee you interviews. And the whole point of your effort is to get interviewed so that you can get a job offer. A great resume is one that gets you the interview you want.

The problem is that the definition of a great resume is completely different for recruiters and hiring managers than it is for most job seekers. A well written resume can help alleviate your anxiety that somehow you are going to lose an interview opportunity because your resume is not perfectly written. The truth is, you lose interview opportunities most often because your experience does not closely fit the job.

If your resume is clear, concise and without noticeable inaccuracies then it is sufficiently written from the perspective of style and form. But recruiters are mostly interested in content.

Here is the precious secret to a great resume. A great resume reads like the job description! That is it. That is everything. For a hiring manager or recruiter a particular resume is great simply because it matches the job requirements to a tee. Not because the formatting is perfect, or the grammar professorial or the syntax is flawless.

A great resume stands out like a Masai at a Pygmy party. You can not miss it. When reading your resume, if the recruiter does not see a close fit in the first third to half a page, they will not read too much further. However, if they see a good fit they will read it with glee, like it is a treasure map.

Put your resume to the test. Have some friends look at the job description of the position you are interested in carefully alongside your resume. Is there any doubt in their minds when reading both documents together that your background is a close fit?

Most likely your resume will not contain the exact sentences and verbiage as the job description. The key is that they are nearly equal in the very essence of the requirements listed.

If after reading your resume, your friends begin asking you for explanations or clarifications, then there is doubt. Perhaps you are not a close fit for that particular job. If you are a close fit but your resume does not clearly reflect this, then you will need to rewrite the resume.

You may have to customize your resume almost every time you send it out. Not to mislead anyone about your experience, but to emphasize the areas of your background which are most important in that particular job description. If you are paying a writer to do your resume, insist they create one that you can easily customize.

If you have a resume closely matches the job description, then for that particular position, you probably have written a great resume. If there is any doubt, then perhaps all you have is a well-written resume.

About the Author

Herman Collins is an acclaimed executive recruiter and known around the globe as The Job Search Specialist. His proven job hunting strategies have helped 1,000 's . Go to: http://www.realjobtips.com to discover how to put his free powerful tips to use!

Article Source: Content for Reprint

Labels: careers, jobs, Resumes

This is a great post by Jun Loayza on Brandon Mendelson's blog for Newby internet marketers, existing bloggers who are not monitizing their efforts, and jobseekers wishing to brand themselves as experts in their field in order to get noticed and recruited.

How to make a profitable blog with under $20 - The Graduate Student Survival Blog - Graduate student Brandon Mendelson - Albany NY - Times Union#comment-772

December 2, 2008 at 12:19 am by Brandon Mendelson

If you’re a graduate student, you’re probably broke. How can you make some money to help pay for school? How about blogging? With a budget of less than $20, what steps would you take to build a blog that would turn a profit in 90 days? I asked the experts, and they answered. Want to tell us your thoughts on making a profitable blog for under $20? Write a guest post.

How to make a profitable blog with under $20

By: Jun Loayza, jun[dot]loayza[at]gmail[dot]com

I was challenged by Brandon to write a post about how to make a profitable blog with under $20. I of course cannot turn down a challenge, so I excitedly accepted. Here are the assumptions of this blog post:

* I will give advice that is concrete and actionable. All of these tips should be things that you can immediately start doing tomorrow. You will find no generalities here
* Domain names cost $10 to register
* Hosting is $200, so you will be unable to host your own site
* The blogger is starting from absolute zero personal brand and equity
* For the purpose of this post, we will assume your focus is Fashion
There are several ways to make money with a blog: advertisement, consulting services, eCommerce, or speaker events. If you honestly think about it, it all boils down to one thing: traffic. If you have the traffic, then you will be able to leverage it to make money.

This challenge really isn’t as hard as you may think. It’s going to take A LOT of extremely hard work, but you CAN do it. Let’s go ahead and dive in.

Step #1 - Control your personal brand online

The first thing you’re going to do is sign up for every single social network, bookmark, and micro blog out there. Furthermore, you’re going to buy your domain name for $10 and build your blog on top of that domain name using Wordpress

Social Networks and Micro Blogs:

* Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Social Bookmarks

* Digg, Stumble, Mixx, Delicious

You do not have the money to host your own account; therefore, you’re going to have to find a friend or contact who can host the domain name for you. If you must, give him the other $10 you have to make it worth his while.
What if you do not have a friend who you can bum hosting from? Then what you do is go to every single blog out there and build a relationship with each of them. Once you have found someone who you have become great friends with, ask her if you can use her host to host your domain name. Hopefully she’ll say yes. We’ll talk more about how to build relationships with bloggers below.
Recommended blog network to start at: Brazen Careerist

Step #2 - Create your identity and thought leadership
Blogs that are profitable focus on one topic and one topic only. Just take a look at ZenHabits. Leo focuses purely on personal development. He focuses on it religious, to the point that he lives and breaths personal development. This is what you’re going to have to do.
Take a moment (a week or month if you have to) and really find that one thing that you absolutely love and have the deepest passion for possible. I’m talking about such a deep passion that you could talk about this one topic for the rest of your life and never get sick and tired of it. This is what you need to find.
Found it? Ok, lets get moving. (Remember, for this post, I am assuming your focus is Fashion)
Set up every single online outlet that you have to reflect your expertise in Fashion. Take a look at Dan’s Personal Branding Blog. I dare you to google personal branding or his name. This guy lives and breaths personal branding. Everything from his Facebook, Twitter, to LinkedIn all reflect personal branding. This is what you have to do.
Every single link, picture, about me, and status update should reflect your expertise in Fashion. Great, so now we have found your thought-leadership. Lets keep going!

Step #3 - Blog your life away
You now have all of your social networks set up and your thought-leadership figured out. You want to make a profit blogging right? Well, it’s time for you to blog.
Don’t write great posts; write posts that are TO DIE FOR. I learned this from my good friend Derek who writes Prevential. In the next step I will teach you how to market, but if the content is not to die for, then people will not subscribe and keep coming back. Worse, if your content is not to die for, then they won’t tell their friends and promote it all over Twitter.
Write a post every single day. You said you want to make money right? Well, you better be blogging a to-die-for post every single day of the week in order to build the traffic you need to make money. If you take one single break, then you’ve lost it.
Guest write on every blog out there. Yes, you should write a guest post for blogs that are about Fashion, but you don’t have to necessarily stick to just Fashion blogs. Write a guest post for a Tech blog by writing an article about the new Web 2.0 fashion style. Write a guest post for a marketing blog by writing about how Fashion companies can use social media to promote and brand themselves. There is a way to write a guest post for every single blog out there. Go out there and do it!

Step #4 - Evangelize, Evangelize, Evangelize!
After you write a post each day, you’re going to go out into the blogging community and comment on every single blog out there that has written about a very similar topic.
Use Google Blog Search to search recent blogs that have written about a very similar topic. If you wrote a blog post about Paris Fashion, then write those exact keywords on Google Blog Search. Now go to each of those posts and write a very relevant comment that adds value to the post and tell them about the blog post that you just wrote. Tell them that you feel your post is similar to the post that they just wrote and that you would value their feedback on it. They WILL go to your post, read it, and comment back.
Use Twitter Search in the same way you use Google Blog Search. Search for the keywords “Paris Fashion” and @reply to each one of the Tweeps who Tweeted about it. Tell them that you love Paris Fashion as well, and that they should definitely read your blog post. Tweeps are super friendly! They will @reply you back and hopefully follow you as well.
Build relationships on Stumble, Digg, and Mixx. This can be an extremely time consuming process, but if you do it very well, then it’s very worth it in terms of growing your traffic.

Step #5 - Generate Revenue
With enough hard work and amazing content, you can build your readership to 100K+ a month. Once you have this traffic, you can leverage it in any way you want to generate revenue.
You can of course, lay out ads all over your site. But isn’t that just so boring and messy? Here are some exciting ways that you can generate revenue:

1. Fashion Consulting. You have proven to be a powerhouse in the world of fashion. So what if you didn’t go to FIDM. So what if you haven’t worked in the corporate world of the fashion industry. You have 100K+ people following every word that your write about the fashion industry. You can leverage this following to become a fashion consultant.

2. Speaker Events. People want to read your every word about Fashion; therefore, organizations and companies will want to hire you to speak at their events. This works double time for you because you make money, and more importantly, you reach a new group of people who you can turn into your evangelists.

3. Sell an eBook for free. Yes I said it: “Sell it for free.” Why? Because I don’t believe you should sell an eBook for money. However, do ask for Donations. Write on the bottom of your eBook: “If you loved this eBook, I would greatly appreciate a $5 donation.” Trust me, people will give you money if you have high quality content.

And there you have it. In under $20, you just turned your blog into something profitable. You turned your blog into your career, and you did it by building your personal brand and spreading your thought-leadership.

Labels: blogging, branding, careers, marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, web2.0

This month Lisa Parker, CPRW, posted a great article with straight forward advice for establishing and marketing your business online.  Most of these principles can be applied to personal branding for other objectives, such as job hunting or hiring, as well.

The Art of Establishing Your Personal Business Brand

Each of us sports around our very own, unique personal brand. The many things that separate and identify us as individuals serve to become known as our personal brand. All of the principle components of our personal brand; to include first impressions, demeanor, accomplishments, and the value we place on interaction with others determine the level of success we experience in both our personal and professional lives.

As we establish our business and working relationships, we must incorporate those same principles in the strategy we use to develop our personal business brand. As an entrepreneur myself, I would like to share with you three basic steps I took to establish the foundation for personal branding in my business.      

Service and Reputation – The first step toward developing a personal business brand is to determine the type of service or product you intend to provide your clients or customers. You have to decide what your mission is and always deliver the service or product as promised; in the utmost professional manner. The expectation of, or perceived service is the reason your customers will choose your services over other competitors.  By visualizing the end result of your efforts, you will be able outline a plan of action in reaching your goals.    

In promoting my business, I researched other service providers in my career field, and chose to provide my clients with a level of service that I found missing in a sampling of my competition. Quite simply, “One-on-One Customer Service”.  The availability of this simple, consumer expectation is severely lacking in today’s market. A client can hardly expect satisfaction in seeking services when contact with a concerned service provider is practically extinct. As my business continues to grow, I note that most of the comments from satisfied customers focus on the need to express their appreciation of being able to contact an individual service provider.                        

Once you identify the needs of a potential client base, market your business based on the provision of those needs.

Marketing Strategy – The second step in promoting your personal business brand is obtaining visibility.  With the unlimited resources and marketing avenues available today, you don’t have to spend a great deal of money (if any) to establish your foundation. You may consider my techniques “shameless self promotion”, however I consider the results monetarily rewarding. In addition to a variety of local advertising assets such as newspapers, magazines and the Chamber of Commerce; there are plenty of online resources just waiting for you to tap into the benefits they provide. One little known example: using popular free blog websites such as “Word Press” will help you to get your information out on the world-wide-web in minutes.  I spent a short amount of time researching some of the opportunities available for free advertising, and you can view the results of my efforts first hand by taking time out to “Google” my business name in a variety of configurations (parker cprw, parkercprw, lisa parker cprw).  

Networking – The third step in laying a successful foundation for your personal business brand is to never underestimate the power of networking. In addition to the efforts you employ through other advertising and marketing resources, remember that opportunities for networking happen on a daily basis. Aside from the many organizations that enlist members to promote networking with others in your specific career field; there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer in support of events in your local community. As a business owner you can provide free workshops, schedule product demonstrations, distribute opportunities for entry into free drawings at local businesses and a number of other activities that will support the growth of your business. The key to effective networking is to be diverse in your connections, and by this I mean that you should not limit yourself to a particular region.  If your organization supports local events, wear a professional identification badge that mentions your business or service.    

A large amount of my clients have sought out my services after only seeing the business name, or speaking with other satisfied customers.

Association – The ultimate goal is to have your business name associated not only with the service or product you provide, but with your own personal name as well.  Most of us already have a business name before we begin to research and understand the importance of branding. That doesn’t mean that you should wait any longer to begin marketing your name side by side with that of your business. Consider “Trump Plaza”, Trump Towers”, “Trump University”, and “Trump Financial”. Do you know who I am referring to?

Personal Branding is the art of following the “Golden Rule” in the provision of service and interaction with clients and customers.  By learning how to manage other people and their perceptions of you and your business, you will naturally establish the unique value that sets you apart from competitors in your career field.

Labels: blogging, branding, careers, Hiring, marketing, Social Media, web2.0

As I sat watching live, streaming video from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Summit and Research Symposium in Vegas last week from the comfort of my cushy office chair in Southlake, TX, it occurred to me that the corporate philosophy being shared by the enigmatic Zappos.com CEO, Tony Hsieh (pronounced "Shay"), echoed something written over 70 years ago.

The video stream was courtesy of Interactive Marketing expert, David Armano, who makes a habit of live streaming from the various high profile marketing conferences and other events he attends.  When he announced on Twitter (see my Twitter blog post) that he was about to stream Hsieh's presentation, my interest was piqued.  According to this recent interview, Zappos is on track to better the $840M in gross sales it did in 2007.  Hsieh previously founded LinkExchange which he sold for $265M to Microsoft in 1998.  I follow him on Twitter.  He's good.

So I clicked on the link and watched Hsieh as he shared some entertaining stories and interesting ideas.   It was a good presentation.  I made a couple of notes and prepared to turn it off.  But then he said something toward the end that struck a chord with me. 

He said that Zappos, which is known for being fanatical about customer service, does not hold customer service as its first priority.  He and the company are more concerned with its people - hiring great people and fostering an excellent company culture.  Hsieh believes that if you hire great people who share your corporate philosophy of great service, then great service will take care of itself.

This sounded to me like more of a partnership than a typical employer to employee relationship.  And it reminded me of something I had read in the seminal work of author Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich.  In this, perhaps the best selling success book of all time, Hill shares his 13 principles for success in the form of a philosophy of personal achievement. 

  The book, originally published in 1937 and abridged by Hill himself in 1960, was inspired by Hill's association with American billionaire Andrew Carnegie, and Hill's interviewing of over 500 of the most affluent men and women of his time.  The chapter on the "sixth step to riches" is entitled Organized Planning, and Hill has a section within called The New Way of Marketing Services-"Jobs" are now "Partnerships".  Here is the excerpt:

Men and women who market their services to best advantage in the future must recognize the stupendous change that has taken place in connection in the relationship between employer and employee. In the future, the "Golden Rule," and not the "Rule of Gold" will be the dominating factor in the marketing of merchandise as well as personal services. The future relationship between employers and their employees will be more in the nature of a partnership consisting of:

a. The employer
b. The employee
c. The public they serve

This new way of marketing services is called new for many reasons.  First, both the employer and the employee of the future will be considered as fellow-employees whose business it will be to SERVE THE PUBLIC EFFICIENTLY.  In times past, employers and employees have bartered among themselves, driving the best bargains they could with one another, not considering that in the final analysis they were, in reality, BARGAINING AT THE EXPENSE OF THE 3RD PARTY, THE PUBLIC THEY SERVED.

In the future, both employers and employees will recognize that they are NO LONGER PRIVILEGED TO DRIVE BARGAINS AT THE EXPENSE OF THOSE WHOM THEY SERVE. The real employer of the future will be the public. This should be kept uppermost in mind by every person seeking to market their services effectively.

"Courtesy" and "Service" are the watch-words of merchandising today.  They apply to the person who is marketing their services even more directly than to the employer whom he serves, because, in the final analysis, both the employer and his employee are EMPLOYED BY THE PUBLIC THEY SERVE. If they fail to serve well, they pay by the loss of their privilege of serving.

Tony Hsieh's approach of carefully hiring great people, and placing the employees and the company culture first is an inspiring means to this end.  Everyone is on board and understands that great customer service will be what sets the company apart.  And the customer benefits because the whole organization is made to feel they are playing a critical role, plus they like their job and love their company. 

This is a partnership based on mutual commitment.  Zappos notoriously offers new employees a $1000 bonus to quit after the first week of  its four week new hire training.  About 10% accept the offer.  The rest are committed to the cause.  And the company is committed right back.

According to a recent article in the Las Vegas Sun online, Zappos is a tight-knit company that buys its employees lunch each day and has a dodgeball room in its corporate headquarters.  And when the company reluctantly  laid off 8% of its 1,300-member workforce earlier this month due to the economic downturn, Hsieh said in an email to the employees, that "laid-off employees will be paid through the end of the year, and employees who have been with the company for three or more years will receive additional pay. He also said Zappos will pay for six months of health coverage for all laid-off employees."

"In doing all of this to take care of laid-off employees, we expect that it will actually increase, not decrease, our costs for 2008, but we feel this is the right thing to do for our employees," Hsieh wrote.  "It will put us in the position of having a lot more financial flexibility in being able to respond to potential changes in the economy in 2009."

The book, Think and Grow Rich has many more lessons that apply here.  But this book was originally compiled over a 10-year period beginning just prior to the Great Depression.  No streaming video, no Twitter, no Internet.  Hill just found, through exhaustive research, the common qualities that bound hundreds of highly successful people and organizations.  And he was undaunted by the financial woes of the time.

In our current struggling economy employers and employees alike can benefit from thinking of our jobs as partnerships.  And, like Zappos, we can create a competitive advantage by employing the "Golden Rule," and not the "Rule of Gold" as the dominating factor in the marketing of merchandise and services.

Labels: branding, careers, Hiring, jobs, marketing, Social Media, Twitter

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In general it's a good idea to avoid a scorched earth policy when leaving a company, even if you were treated unfairly.  I'm all for standing up for yourself, but it's not worth it to tell off your employer and then trash their name publicly after you leave their employ. 

If you are tempted to do so, just sing "It's a Small World After All" to yourself to remember that there may very well come a time when someone from that company will come back into your professional life one way or another.  I see it all the time.  And I am always amused to see the "scorcher" acting surprised that the "scorchee" has somehow come back to bite them. 

Etiquette writer Jodi R. R. Smith of the Huffington Post has written a nice article outlining how to graciously leave your job.  Here are the high points:

I Quit! ~ While it is tempting to include a manifesto of the company's ills in your resignation letter, you are better served by keeping it simple. A resignation letter needs only three pieces of information. 1. Your last day. 2. Contact address and phone number. 3. Your signature with a date.

Time Your Timing ~ Once you have decided to leave a company you often become a lame duck. Plan your announcement and your time remaining carefully. When quitting, be sure to factor in time for a replacement to be found and some training to take place. Do not linger.

Let's Celebrate ~ As employees leave a company, it is common to arrange a good-bye party. The company should cover the costs of such an affair. The celebration can range from an after-hours cocktail party to cake in the break room. (Be aware, sometimes it is best not to have a public good-bye.)

Exit Interviews ~ Many companies interview outgoing employees to gather information. Answer all questions judiciously. Some exit interviews are confidential, while others are not. In addition, you want to be sure not to burn any bridges. Boomerang employees are more and more common. (Employees who leave a company only to be hired back a few years later.)

Six Degrees Of Separation ~ Just like the song says, it is a small world after all. If you have specialized in a specific field it is highly probable that you will cross paths in the future with the people you are leaving behind today. Keep relationships positive and the communication open. You never know when you might see these people again.

Take The High Road ~ Leaving a company can be a stressful and unnerving time. But it is at times like these that it is especially important to keep your wits about you. Do not yell at anyone, do not destroy company property, and do not disparage the organization to the media or to the clients. What you do reflects on you.

Keep In Touch ~ Be sure to build and maintain your professional networks: join professional organizations, attend alumni events, and subscribe to journals relating to your field. These networks help to ease the transition process.

Always Update ~ Even after you have found the job of your dreams, you should always keep your résumé updated. Because, as you have learned, you never know!

Jodi R. R. Smith: Gracious Good-Byes - Careers in Transition

Labels: branding, careers

Image by Jacob Bøtter via Flickr

A solid list of personal branding tips today on Resume Spider by John O'Connor.

5 Tips for Executive Jobseekers Who Want to Integrate Personal Branding Into Their Search

November 10th, 2008 by John O'Connor
Check and Refine Your Existing Online Brand. Your personal life is part of your professional brand, so inventory every part of it – in person and online. “I realized that I was casually on MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and even YouTube,” Jane Harding says. “I didn’t have anything embarrassing out there, but I wasn’t doing anything to properly network and raise my positive impressions when you Google searched me.” Jane Harding reduced and focused her social status online and immediately posted professional images and short videos, as well as gained references and referrals.

Associations Work, So Work Them. Immediately after noticing her lack of participation in groups supporting her volunteering efforts, she jumped back into those groups and took on leadership roles. “My network probably increased directly by 200 professionals overnight,” says Ms. Harding. “I put the causes and organizations first in my efforts, but also utilized this time to professionally let people know what I was looking for inside and outside of healthcare.”

Use Your Expertise to Contribute. “With some coaching,” says Ms. Harding, “I developed and delivered three speeches, filmed them and posted them on YouTube and to my online web portfolio. I started my own blog and wrote book reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online. Additionally, I authored four articles and published them in a volunteer magazine, on an online blog and in a regional sales magazine. It’s really stuff I could have and should have done while I was working; I learned that looking for a job is about branding yourself, not just pumping resumes out. The funny thing was that by doing this I got more responses from TheLadders and other postings too!” Join groups like Toastmasters and industry-related associations. Network and find ways to contribute productively first then ask for advice. Build relationships first and focus on what you can do for others. Then find subtle ways to introduce your needs.

Stop Making Excuses about Building Your Brand. Ms. Harding states, “On the surface I was successful and busy, but when I visited some young cancer patients during my job search I realized how lazy I was. I always had time, no matter how busy I was, to give back. I will never make excuses like that again.” For example, Ms. Harding hated writing, but she did it anyway because publishing helped her personal brand. She always seemed to be too busy to do the fundraiser, put in an hour at the hospital for volunteer stuff or to capture and edit video during her educational and other appearances. “So many opportunities are available to you to build your personal brand while you are deeply focused on your work. Even my former boss asked me why I hadn’t thought of it while I worked with him.” Ms. Harding also states, “I did things during my job search to take my own excuses away and it worked.”

Define Personal Branding for You. “What I found out is that personal branding is not a phony line made up by an advertising person,” says Ms. Harding. “For me it was about reinventing myself to be more like myself, if that makes sense. I decided to start by committing to things that mattered most to me – kids, volunteer activities, causes – and this inspired me to push myself way out of my comfort zone. I developed new, strong and enduring relationships. I became more like myself.” This advice can work for you. It simply does not matter if you find yourself in a high-flying sales position or in a low-profile operations position; you need to light a fire under your career and the core values of your personal brand. In today’s world of intense competition for the best jobs, becoming and staying proactive in developing your personal brand alongside your career is a must. Don’t wait until a layoff like Jane Harding. Staying proactive about your personal brand while employed is mandatory. Lightning can hit any global or highly-exposed industry at any time. For Jane Harding, the skies didn’t seem to be gray. It may take a forward-thinking friend or career coach to push you to work on your personal brand when you’re comfortable. So, what should you do now? Stay proactive about personal branding and it will drive current and future career opportunities. 

Labels: branding, careers, jobs, Social Media, Social Networking

  Joe President (not his real name) sits stiffly across from me at a Starbucks sipping a latte.  He hasn't been in this position very often.  "Craig, I don't think my current company has my best interests in mind and I want to look for a new job.  I don't really know where to start.  I would look at any executive level position, even a step down.  But I can't let my current company find out that I am looking!"  This is paraphrased from a conversation I had with the President of a privately held software firm this summer.

It's a fairly common thing these days.  I run across business leaders often who tell me they would like to quietly look for a new job.  The kind of jobs they want are rarely advertised and are not as numerous as a worker-bee job.  Many executives haven't been in a job interview in years and really don't know how to market themselves to get one without announcing to their network that they are looking.  They have never thought about personal branding.  It wasn't taught in MBA school back in their day. 

So I advise them to start building their personal brand and that this will have a dual effect.  It will increase the marketability of their current company if properly done (perhaps elevating the satisfaction of their current job).  And it will increase their personal marketability and recruiter calls without overtly searching for a new position. 

In an article from London-based Brand Republic, Brian Oliver says that "many business schools now teach personal branding and reputation management to their MBA students."

It also highlights the fact that many companies are now bolstering their marketing programs via the personal branding of their top people.  This, of course, has the side effect of these people getting a much higher number of recruiting calls.

Marketers build brand 'me' to promote their careers - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Labels: branding, careers

Do you remember the Atari game, Pitfall?  Great game.  The main character, Pitfall Harry, was constantly having to grab jungle vines, cling and swing for dear life to avoid quicksand, crocodiles, and tar pits. 

As anyone who does much of their work from home can attest, telecommuting can have plenty of it's own pitfalls.  From family interruptions to poor time management, the modern remote worker has to be wary of the quicksand and tar pits at their own home.

The current economy, combined with advancing technology and increased respect for balance in work and home life, have led to vast increases in remote workers.  According to a survey recently released by WorldatWork, a global HR association, 42 percent of U.S. companies now say they have a telework program, up from 30 percent in 2007. In Canada, the percentage jumped from 25 percent to 40 percent.

Author Susan Aston recently posted Four Golden Rules of Success with Telecommuting and Online Jobs:

Rule # 1: Set Out Your Schedule and Stick To It
Don't pay any attention to those lame television commercials professing that you can sleep until noon, work for an hour or two in the afternoon and still make mega bucks. Working from home is not about working at your leisure. It is about working without travel and overhead expenses. Haphazard, lazy schedules are extremely self-defeating. You cannot regard a telecommuting job as a "goofing off" opportunity. It does give you the flexibility though to work in the evening if you are not at your best in the morning. But whether you are a night lark or a morning bird, draw up your schedule and stick to it. Success will soon follow.

Rule # 2: Designate a Specific Work Area
Don't try to do your telecommuting work lying in bed with your laptop on your chest. This is a big "no-no" because it really cuts into your ability to be efficient. Instead, you should designate a room or a part of your home as an office. This will provide the cohesion and organization needed to make the workday effective.

Rule # 3: Dress for Success
As with having your workspace properly set up, it is also important not to dress too casually when working form home. Remember, anytime you are too leisurely in your approach , your ability to be efficient will be limited. You don't have to wear a suit and tie or a power outfit, but you should wear something conducive to a professional approach to your work - you do feel more business like if you are dressed accordingly.

Rule # 4: Make The Most of Tax Deductions
If you are employed on contract as opposed as an employee, be sure to take those special deductions related to working from home. For example, you can deduct a percentage of your rent or mortgage based on the amount of space your work area takes up. Other expense deductions can also add up so be sure to keep detailed records on what you spend related to your work.

Here are a few additional resources to help you recognize and avoid becoming a telecommuting Pitfall Harry. 

The Five Most Common Pitfalls of Telecommuting article on The Telecommuter Forum

Pitfalls of Telecommuting article from CareerBuilder on CNN.com

Telecommuting 101 by Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

Labels: branding, careers, jobs, telecommuting

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I'll admit that I have always wanted the ability to turn invisible.  Always.  Probably one of my earliest wishes.  I still wish this on a daily basis.  Think of all the things you could see and do if nobody knew you were there!  Way better than flying or super strength.

But if you are a job seeker, either active or passive, this is the last thing you should wish for, really.  I touched on this in my previous post, "Which is Worse, Bad Brand or No Brand?".  And it bares further exploration. 

Believe it or not I still run across people who are afraid to list any public info on social networks, etc.  However these same people will often upload a resume to a job board containing their full address, phone number, etc.  Makes no sense to me. 

If you are truly afraid of identity theft, telemarketers, or any number of other valid concerns then you should be on top of everything that is available about you on the Internet.  You are likely not quite as invisible as you think. 

If you think that anonymously posting extreme opinions or lewd comments on blogs or forums gives you that invisibility power, think again.  Many of the sites on which you post have ways to trace you.  And if you have ever registered for anything with your real email address, but didn't use your real name, try checking out Spokeo to see how transparent you can be, or not be.

 Web Worker Daily has some good thoughts on keeping your personal brand clean and safe in this article.  These steps will help you get a handle on how your are seen on the web.

The benefits of beefing up your online profile are numerous.  If you are a job seeker, they are essential.  Sure, submitting resumes to want ads still pays off occasionally.  But you should spend some of that time carefully crafting a profile online that steers potential employers directly to you.

Start with something easy like LinkedIn and maybe Facebook.    Gear your profiles here to give a full picture of your successes and capabilities.  Think of your target audience as someone for whom you would like to work (wow, proper grammar sounds strange sometimes).  This minimal effort will be a big difference in your favor over another job candidate who is "invisible".

Believe me when I tell you that when a recruiter or hiring manager goes looking for you (or someone like you) while seeking candidates for a job opening, or more info about a specific candidate they are considering for a job, and finds nothing, it's not a good thing.  Although it sounds fun to to be invisible, if you are looking for a job, you want to be as visible as possible.

Ask Kevin Bacon (Hollow Man), Jessica Alba (Invisible Girl), or Daniel Radcliffe (Invisible Cloak); they will likely tell you that it's fun to play at being invisible.  And they all probably wish they could really disappear at times.  But when it comes to being considered for a job they likely want as much positive info available as possible.  They want to be seen and found.  -CF

Labels: branding, careers, jobs, Social Networking

I found an interesting discussion thread on TechRepublic surrounding an article by Toni Bowers called Hiring manager: Step away from the Facebook!  about a job candidate who was sent a friend request for Facebook from the corporate recruiter with whom they had just interviewed.

I don't really care one way or another about the recruiter's motivation.  Either they were brilliant and it was a great test to see what the candidate has on their Facebook page, or to see how the candidate would react, or the recruiter was just plain silly.  There is general outrage on the article's thread about how these social networks should remain social.  Only a few clear heads touted the "that's life in the here and now" mantra.

My response was typical:

Labels: branding, careers, Social Networking

 
There is a recent article in the NY Times (courtesy of Yahoo) about using social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace) for job hunting.  While it does a great job of discussing the networking benefits, it does not discuss optimizing your personal profiles to best promote your expertise and maximize your exposure to potential employers. 

The benefits of optimizing your social network profiles (your personal brand) are at minimum two-fold. 

• It allows you to showcase your expertise in conjunction with your personality in a way that posting your resume to a job board will not.  Job boards are less and less effective.  And I have always believed that the best way to find a job is through networking.  So take advantage of the platform social networks offer.
• You can aid your current job or business while passively trolling for another one.  Add links to your company, your blog, your other sites.  Links increase your Google search ranking.

On LinkedIn you should have basically your resume in your profile showcasing your jobs and accomplishments for the last 7-9 years.  Make sure you are hitting the highlights.  And provide a solid summary laced with keywords that a recruiter might use to search for someone with your skills.  Ask and answer questions about your industry and show off your knowledge.  This site is all about networking and self-promotion, so be confident and get connected. 

On Facebook you should connect with current and old friends, classmates, former colleagues etc.  This is not a place to show off your resume.  But you can link to your LinkedIn page, your blog, your company, etc.  And it is a solid networking tool.  You can also add info about what you do in a more limited format.

MySpace is most casual.  Really good for keeping up with family and friends.  Also good for adding links back to your other pages.  Remember all this cross-linking improves your search-ability.

On all these sites you must be careful about being too casual about what you say, post, and do.  Think of the personal brand you are putting out there (and believe me, recruiters and HR personnel will find it, private or not).  Whether for the benefit of finding a new job, or promoting your current one, ask yourself, "Would I hire me?"

The-Social-Network-as-a-Career-Safety-Net

Labels: branding, careers, Social Networking

These are some of the standard interview tips I give to job candidates prior to an interview.  Of course there are endless other suggestions that can be made on a case by case basis.  But this is a solid general list.

Follow these tips all the way to a job offer.

• Be confident

• Ask the interviewer what he or she believes is the most important skill for this job.  Gear your answers to highlight that skill in your experience

• Answer questions thoroughly.  One to two paragraphs, never one word answers.  But don't give   a full page answer either.  If you feel that more answer is  necessary but have already given your one or two paragraphs,   stop and ask if this is what the interviewer is looking for and would they like you to continue.

• Be specific - you don't want an interviewer to feel that they have to pry information out of you.

• Don't say anything negative about your current or former employer.

• Remember that your object is to get a job offer.  So no matter what you think about this job, you want to be professional, enthusiastic, and get the offer.  You can't turn down an offer you never get.

• Towards the end of the interview ask the interviewer if there is any reason you are not a perfect fit for the job. If they give you a reason, then answer this objection.  "I have done something very similar to this (give example), and I am a very fast learner.  So I really don't see this a being an issue."

• Close again - any other reason you wouldn't offer me this job?

• Express your interest in the position:  "I am really interested in this position." or even "I want this  job, I am perfect for it, it is perfect for me."  Be enthusiastic!  Many people interviewing for a job feel that it is implied by their being there that they are interested in the  position.  But often after an interview the employer will call me and say that they "really liked so and so, but they just don't seem that interested in the position."  So and so didn't ask for the job.

• Find out what is the next step.  If an interviewer commits to you what the next step is during   the interviewer they are much more likely to follow-up   accordingly than if you don't get that commitment.

• Say thank you.

Related Fun:  Here are some crazy interview questions...

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• The best job interview questions from Microsoft, Google... and IKEA (Royal Pingdom)

Labels: branding, careers, interview tips, jobs

This is an excellent list of sites and tools you can use to promote your personal brand online, position yourself as an expert, and attract the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

By Phil Rosenberg

Top 50 Web 2.0 Tools for Job seekers - Secrets of the Job Hunt Network

Labels: branding, careers, jobs, Social Networking, web2.0

What in the world does this mean?  Well back in the mid 90's I started teaching myself web design because I wanted to know more about the tools that developers and designers were using so I could better understand job requirements from my clients and better screen job candidates (I am a headhunter if you didn't already know that).  Plus it was a fun creative outlet and problem-solving time-waste (just try it, you'll see).

Over the years I have used these web skills to craft creative job postings, attract the attention of potential job candidates and hiring managers, and built a respectable network of client and candidate connections.  You see, building your brand online isn't just about self-promotion.  It's about generating a ready network of contacts, creating an alluring web presence, and making yourself visible and available when opportunity wants to knock.

You may have seen my other blog which was mostly job postings. It's still alive, but will be undergoing some re-constructive surgery to get new skin.

In this new blog I wanted to illustrate the power of online branding. I often advise business leaders and job seekers to get their personal brand online to further their cause, upgrade their web presence, get noticed, etc.

I have had Fishdogs.com up since 1999 and have gotten steady traffic and plenty of connections because of it (in addition to keeping friends and family up to date). But in the last year I have been advising executives about online marketing, for themselves or their companies, outside of a corporate web site. It became apparent that I should have a good example of my own to show.

So here it is. I will be discussing the following topics among other unlimited tangents and unrelated minutia...

• Digital Branding - furthering your cause through strategic use of web presence, social networking, cross-linking, etc. Companies and job seekers alike benefit from carefully crafted exposure.
• Attraction & retention of top talent - how does a business market itself to great job candidates? Job boards are less and less effective. Candidates see them as a black hole. The answer for employers? You guessed it, digital branding, social networking, and assistance from key recruiters who know how to work that system.
• Job Seekers and Web2.0 - an overused term but a reality all the same. Just posting your resume doesn't cut it any more. What you have to do to get noticed in this era.
• Business Marketing, Sales, Recruiting, Job Hunting/Careers - my usual rhetoric on these topics (finely tuned after 18+ years in business) plus tips and articles from around the net.
• Internet and technology - no explanation required
• Web Design - one of my favorite hobbies

That's all for now. I have work to do!

Labels: branding, careers, marketing, web2.0