Using Your Network to Help Get You Through the Door

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

Professionals are constantly being reminded of the importance of developing and maintaining a good network, and I'm sure you are no exception. Making connections with fellow professionals in your field is necessary to help get work done-- network connections may become clients, partners or mentors-- and to help get work. Many employers are likely to take a close look at candidates who are recommended by employees or network connections of their own.
The people in your network are likely willing and able to provide referrals on your behalf, but it's up to you to seek those people out. Sort through your network, be it online or offline, and find those connections who work for the companies you've got your eye on, or those who are otherwise connected to important figures at those companies. Here are some tips to request valuable referrals with savvy.

• Using LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to connect with other professionals, and to see who is connected with others. Say you're interested in working for Company X, but none of your own connections work for them. LinkedIn can tell you if any of your second-degree connections-- friends of a friend, if you will-- work for them. The same goes for slightly more distant connections, as well. The messaging function built into LinkedIn will allow you to contact professionals in your network if you are unable to or prefer not to call or email.
• To Call or Write: When making contact with a network connection to ask for a referral, it may be preferential to present your request in writing. Written communication allows the other person a little time to think it over before making a decision as to whether or not they're willing to recommend you, and as to how they plan to do that. That having been said, it is easier to decline a request in writing compared to that over the phone.
• Making the Request Appropriately: How you ask can make a difference, especially depending on how well you know person you're asking. It's usually never appropriate to simply say "Can you refer me?" First off, that's a fairly unsavvy way of putting it, and second, anyone can refer you. The question is, do they really know enough about you and the position to do so effectively. You may want to ask "Do you feel you know my work well enough to refer me?" or "Do you feel comfortable referring me for this position?"
• Providing a Resume: If your potential referrer is someone you may not know especially well, or they think they should know more specifics about your work, it's recommended that you include an up-to-date resume or portfolio upon soliciting the referral, or at the request of the referrer. A recommendation from an uninformed connection can reflect poorly upon both of you.

During your career transition, don't be afraid to make use of your professional connections to get your foot through the door, and remember, networking is about reciprocity, so be willing to do the same for them.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

Social Media & the Job Seeker

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

You, the professional in career transition, have been told time and again to a) create a social networking profile or two, and b) make sure those profiles are fit to be seen by potential employers. Whether you have or have not followed this advice, the question may still remain as to why. Why should my social networking profiles matter in my job search? Because, simply put, employers are looking at them, and not just those that are intended for professional networking (i.e.: LinkedIn), either.
Before you can effectively edit your profile(s) for any potentially harmful content, you should know what employers are looking for, and we are here to tell you just that. Some research shows that anywhere between 45% and 91% of employers use social media to screen job candidates on a variety of both positive and negative criteria, and here is what those employers are looking at.

The Good-- yes! Employers are not only looking for incriminating photos of you from that wild weekend in Vegas. They're looking for all the great things you post, as well.

• Display of personality and good fit with the company.
• Profile supports professional qualifications.
• Profile showed candidate as creative.
• Candidate had good references posted by others.
• Profile showed good communication skills.
• Profile showed candidate as well-rounded.
• Candidate received awards and accolades.

The Bad (and the Ugly)-- now moving on to those incriminating photos and other things that could really damage your chances of being hired.

• Misrepresented professional qualifications.
• Posted inappropriate photos.
• Posted inappropriate comments.
• Posted negative comments about previous employers.
• Demonstrated poor communication skills.
• Posted content about drug-use.
• Made discriminatory comments.
• Posted content about alcohol-use.
• Shared confidential information from a previous employer.

If you have yet to do so, clean up your Twitter feed, revise your new Facebook timeline, put some work into your LinkedIn profile; armed with this information, you have a better idea of what to keep and what to toss. Remember, it's not only about getting rid of the bad, but also showing off the good, so don't be afraid to brag a little about professional accomplishments, request a reference from a connection or just show off your sparkling personality.

______________________________________________________________________________
Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

8 Quick Tips to Revive Your Job Search in the New Year

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

Let's just say hypothetically that you didn't heed our advice to continue your job search over the holidays, and now you're looking for a new approach, something to jazz things up for 2012. Everyone resolves to make changes to themselves in the new year, so why not make a few changes to your job search techniques as well, right?
Just in case this applies to you, here are a few quick tips that can help revitalize your job search and really get your career going this year.

1. Make a "to do" list everyday. This is an easy way to keep you on the right path, and to keep a good record of what you've accomplished. Your search will stay organized, and you'll be treated with a nice feeling of achievement with every item you get to check off the list.
2. Keep a record of what you've done. In conjuction with the previous suggestion, keep a list of employers you've contacted, the dates of contact and the names of the people with whom you've spoken. Again, it's an easy way to stay organized, and you'll know who to reach out to in the future if you need to contact that employer once more.
3. Change it up. Ok, so all this list-making is starting to sound tedious. While we encourage you to keep up with these records, feel free to switch up your day-to-day routine every now and then. This applies not only to your job search, but to the rest of your daily responsibilities, as well. Normally run a few errands after the day's job search work? Shake things up a little and make the trip to the supermarket beforehand. A little break in monotony may be all you need to keep yourself moving along.
4. Volunteer. Volunteer work is great for a number of reasons. First of all, it gives you the chance to lend a helping hand, but in addition, volunteering will give you the opportunity to change your usual routine and to meet new people. And meeting new people means expanding your network-- you never know who may be able to give your career transition the help it needs.
5. Consider a targeted e-mail campaign. Do your research, find the companies that you a) are genuinely interested in, and b) have yet to contact, and e-mail their hiring managers, including a personalized cover letter-type message in the body and your resume as an attachment. *An extra tip: save and attach your resume as a PDF file to avoid formatting issues between different versions of Word or between Macs and PCs.
6. Remember a few formalities. When e-mailing and meeting with potential employers, don't forget such simple steps as including your name and telephone number at the end of e-mail-- yes, some people forget to include their names on e-mails-- and sending a thank you note or e-mail to everyone with whom you've met or interviewed.
7. Get or stay LinkedIn. Social networking is continually on the rise, and employers are aware of this trend. First, if you don't have a LinkedIn profile, get one and fill it out completely. Second, keep your profile up-to-date and remain active in your groups-- this, of course, implies that you should join some groups. And lastly, include your LinkedIn profile URL on your resume. Just another way of letting a potential employer get to know who you are, plus you never know how the two of you may be linked by mutual connections.
8. Seek assistance. That isn't to say that you need to hire a professional resume writer or anything like that. Asking for a helping hand in your job search, be it from a family member, a trusted friend or a former co-worker, could make a world of difference in your efforts. A new perspective or unique advice may be just the ticket, and a little moral support never hurt anyone.

Now that 2012 is upon us, it's time to get the new year started right. Make the resolution to revamp your job search efforts with these quick and easy tips, and you may find yourself in a new job for the new year.

______________________________________________________________________________
Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

CareerCompile- This week's top Career-Minded articles

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

Each week we read articles we find on twitter, blogs and other social media platforms in order to stay ahead of the curve. We want to be able to present our clients, job seekers, HR professionals and recruiters with the most accurate and up-to-date information we possibly can. At the end of the week we always know which articles were the most valuable, so why not share that with all of you? This is the next weekly post compiling what we feel are the top career-minded articles.

On Being a Noob at Networking Events and Conferences
Rachael King (YouTern)

Whether you're a "noob" or not, networking can be intimidating, but as we all know, it's necessary to find a job. Take these tips with you to your next event.

Thank You Notes: Pardon Me But Your Attitude is Showing
Ronnie Ann (Work Coach Cafe)

Mind your manners during your job search and remember to send your interviewer a thank you note.

What to Avoid on LinkedIn
ResumeBear

The importance of using social media during your job search almost goes without saying at this point, but keep in mind that not every tool on every network is necessarily helpful.

How to Brand Yourself for the Job Hunt
Lindsay Olson (US News)

While on the job search, you're essentially trying to sell yourself to potential employers. Be sure to sell them a brand they'll remember.

Tips to Avoid Job Search Time Wasters
ResumeBear

Take a look at this two-part series to learn how you may be wasting valuable job-hunting time.

______________________________________________________________________________
Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

Finding You Online is Easier for Employers Than Ever

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

You’ve been warned a hundred times—and several warnings have come from this very blog—about employers screening potential job candidates by means of their social media profiles. Since April 2011, however, it’s become increasingly easy for employers to find not only your Facebook or LinkedIn profiles by searching through those websites or typing your name into Google to see what comes up, but to find your entire social presence collected into one complete profile.

The Social CV (a sort of “Google for people” as co-founder/director Bill Fisher has called it) aggregates data from over 30 social media platforms and allows employers to search this information using keywords (i.e.: data analyst, financial advisor) in order to find prospective candidates, and being so new, it’s possible you’ve never even heard of it. In the handful of months since its official launch, The Social CV has compiled information on upwards of 105 million candidates worldwide, and the numbers keep growing—their goal is to reach 1 billion, and with 400,000 new profiles added daily, they’re well on their way.

So, what does this mean for you, the job seeker? Well, the answer is two-fold; the implications of The Social CV’s ongoing efforts to compile all of your online information for easy access to employers are both good and bad, depending on what your profiles say about you.

First, assuming your profiles are in good shape, employers are able to find you easily, whether or not you’re aware of an opening at their company, whether or not there is a current opening—employers use this technology not only to fill current needs, but also to build a talent pool that will be available to them when a position does open up.

The catch, of course, is that, assuming your profiles are not in good shape, employers can still find you and judge you accordingly. The Social CV’s database is compiled by the company, itself, not by the candidates whose profiles appear on the site—there is an option to have your profile removed, but it is first compiled by The Social CV without your help.

The lesson here is simple: keep your social profiles in top shape, because it’s become even easier for employers to find them. Additionally, know what information The Social CV is giving the most attention. When an employer searches through profiles, the results are presented in ranking order, based on several components including quality of current/past jobs and places of employment, quality of colleges/universities, and others that combine to create a Talent Rank.

In an increasingly technological world, the job search is moving toward the digital along with everything else, and job seekers need to be aware of this ongoing shift. With over 105 million profiles from over 200 countries, The Social CV is quickly becoming the easiest way for employers to find those candidates who they may not have found using traditional job postings, even online, and ready or not, they may just stumble across your profile in their search.

______________________________________________________________________________
Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

CareerCompile: This week's top Career-Minded articles

Brittany Richter

Careerminds Consultant

Each week we read articles we find on twitter, blogs and other social media platforms in order to stay ahead of the curve. We want to be able to present our clients, job seekers, HR professionals and recruiters with the most accurate and up-to-date information we possibly can. At the end of the week we always know which articles were the most valuable, so why not share that with all of you? This is the next weekly post compiling what we feel are the top career-minded articles.

What Makes a Technology Resume Look Great To A Screener
Susan Ireland for Job Lounge

We've talked about the services that HR professionals are using to screen resume submissions. Now Susan tells you what to do to combat this process by making your resume look as good as possible.

What You Don't Get About the Job Search: The View From Employers
Derek Thompson for The Atlantic
 
A must read for job seekers! It is always helpful to be able to hear what employers have to say about the job search process – a new point of view!

How To Use LinkedIn To Increase Your Hirability
Melanie Pinola for lifehacker

There's a lot of things that a job seeker can do with LinkedIn to increase his or her hirability. We've told you about some of those things in the past, but as LinkedIn keeps evolving, it's important to stay ahead of the curve, and this post will bring you up to speed.

10 Words You Need To Stop Misspelling
The Oatmeal / CareerBuilder

The oatmeal put out an infographic on 10 words to stop misspelling. CareerBuilder tweeted it to job seekers, and we think that was clever, and useful. Review this infographic and then do another round of proofreading of your resume, just in case!


______________________________________________________________________________
Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

Apply With LinkedIn

Brittany Richter
Careerminds Consultant

It's important that you stay abreast of the next-big-thing when it comes to the job search. Not because it's good conversation, but because you never know what they're going to come up with next that could help you land that next big gig. Everyone functions differently, has different comfort levels and capabilities. The next-big-thing could just be what works best for you.

Recently we updated you on Google+ and how it can be used by you, the job seeker. This time around we're talking about LinkedIn's newest addition: Apply With LinkedIn. We love this and we think you will too.

According to Jonathan Seitel with LinkedIn, “[LinkedIn's] goal with Apply with LinkedIn is to help every professional put their best foot forward, anywhere across the web, when they take that leap to apply for a new position, a dream job. We are going to make it easy for you to submit your profile for any job application on the web with one simple click.”

Without a doubt, no matter your personal style, you should be on LinkedIn if you're conducting a job search. A large majority of jobs are landed via networking, and primarily through LinkedIn. And since you're already on LinkedIn, why make more work for yourself by utilizing lots of other resources?

With “Apply” LinkedIn has become a one-stop-shop for the job seeker: search, networking, and application all in one place – and it's credible!

We highly suggest you visit the LinkedIn blog and watch the introductory video in order to orient yourself with this new feature.

Let us know if you're already using Apply With LinkedIn, if you're skeptical or if you have any questions. We'd love to hear from you! Comment here or connect with us on Twitter or Facebook.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

How to Use LinkedIn In Your Job Search: Tips You Haven’t Heard Before

Brittany Richter
Careerminds Consultant

Just like any other social media platform, there are Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to using LinkedIn in the career transition process. Although LinkedIn is a self-proclaimed “networking tool to find connections to recommended job candidates, industry experts and business partners…” and is thus professional in nature and tone, there are still Do’s and Don’ts.

1.     Make Your Connections Count, Don’t Count Your Connections: LinkedIn is not about linking with every single person you can find. Make sure that you are truly connected in some way with those you connect with  - colleagues past and present, friends, family, and last but certainly not least, potential connections currently employed by companies you are applying to. Also consider connecting with individuals who are relevant to your career interests. For example, if you work in social media and professionals who do the same from other industries reach out to you, you may want to consider connecting with them; you never know when you may need to leverage that connection. A good rule of thumb would be to do a little research on those who reach out to you, and connect if you see it is fit and relevant. Employers will be more impressed with a well-defined profile, interaction between you and your connections and your recommendations than they will a huge number of connections.

2.     Make Your Recommendations Matter: Ask one or two people from each position you’ve held to recommend your work. Don’t go over-board, but be sure to have your bases covered. Ask supervisors as well as co-workers. They can provide two unique perspectives, both of which are important to potential employers. This combination can showcase how it is to oversee you as well as how well you work with others. Remember that you can hide a recommendation if it isn’t good. So if one seems lacking, hide it. Also: remember to personalize your message when you ask for a recommendation and to thank your recommenders after they do so!

3.     Don’t Fall To the Bottom of the Virtual Pile: Most recently updated profiles show up more often and higher up in search results on LinkedIn. Be sure to update your resume frequently and to utilize the different features of LinkedIn. We talked more about this when we talked about resumes, click here if you need a resume refresher.  

4.     Use it! : All too often I stumble upon someone’s page that has been inactive for weeks, months or even longer. As an active job seeker it is important that you actually use LinkedIn. This doesn’t mean connecting with as many people as possible or posting every single article that tickles your fancy. A few times daily, or at least once a week Monday-Friday, we recommend posting a link to an article relevant to your industry  and the job you’re applying for, or to your own content if you contribute to a professional blog. This will show that you are active and keeping up with the times.

5.     Use, but Don’t Abuse: As it was previously mentioned, it is important to use LinkedIn to its full advantage. But defining that advantage is up to you. Don’t add every widget, gadget and extra bell and whistle they offer: pick a few that are the most relevant to you and the positions you are applying to and stick with those. If you don’t have an active blog, don’t use the Wordpress function. If you aren’t currently reading, waiting on a book or just finished a great read, don’t use the Amazon Book List. Look through the list and choose a few that are the most relevant.

6.     Promote Yourself: Include your LinkedIn URL at the bottom of your e-mail signature, on your website, and even your business card if you have room. Don’t try to advertise yourself, but make your profile available to those who may be looking for it, such as potential new employers, hiring managers and recruiters.

Just starting to follow along? Click on each of these links if you missed our discussions of how to use Quora, Facebook, and Twitter in the career transition process.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.