How to Use Facebook for Your Job Search

Last week, I reported on an experiment that Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job conducted with new college grads who posted ads on Facebook advertising their interest in working in specific industries.

The technique is bold, a bit different and did result in some networking opportunities for the 20-somethings who participated. However, the fact is, advertising a job search on Facebook isn’t a strategy for every job seeker, as you run the risk of looking a bit desperate, which isn’t exactly the persona most hiring managers seek.

So, is Facebook useless for your job hunt? Absolutely not! Networking is the #1 way people find jobs, and, contrary to popular belief, not all of those networking connections are the result of “close connections” – such as your brother-in-law hiring your next-door neighbor. In reality, making connections in a variety of settings will help propel your search.

In fact, the New York Times recently published an article, The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy, which emphasizes the importance of expanding your network beyond your immediate circle:

This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Sociologists have long found that “weak ties” greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.

This idea is also proven in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, an excellent read for those interested in being connected!

Facebook offers many opportunities for connecting and expanding your network. Phil Rosenberg recently suggested the following ideas to use Facebook groups to expand your network:

Post the right message:
Commenting and posting links to industry articles in the spirit of sharing shows you as a giver and an expert at the same time. Make sure that the article or message is relevant to the group.

Start the conversation:
Brag. If you’re creative, write about successful projects you’ve been involved in (you may not be able to include the company name if you can’t disclose). Again, this is sharing with the audience, and is both appreciated, and demonstrates your expertise.

Continue the conversation:
Comment on posts that others have started. Include more ideas than just “I agree”.

Include links:
Sign your post or comment with your signature block with live links to your Facebook, LinkedIN, personal Blog, personal webpage, etc. Why? Links get you Google and Yahoo rankings.

So, while you may not be a 20-something willing to advertise your job hunt, don’t discount Facebook as a place to propel your job search!

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Need help with your hunt? We can help you get your job hunt in gear! Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Stressed Out? Go Zen for Relief!

Photo by Brittney Bush

Are you “stressed out?” 

So many of us are so busy with our work and personal lives, stopping to think how to keep everything in balance doesn’t make the list of “things to do.”  Marci Alboher’s  Shifting Careers column in the New York Times recently recounted a session with Jennifer Edwards, whom she describes as “a ‘stress reduction educator’ with a background in dance, meditation and yoga.”  

Ms. Edwards encouraged the group to focus not on the actual stress point itself (the complaining co-worker, the high price of gas), but instead on “the stories we tell ourselves about these things and the way we respond to them that causes the stress.” 

Some of you may be familiar with the Buddhist state of nonattachment.  This involves avoiding judgements and expectations in your daily interactions.  We can’t control the stressors, but we can control our REACTION to the stress.  Yes, it is possible not to get your blood pressure up every time someone cuts you off on the highway or a co-worker shirks a responsibility.  (Maybe it takes some practice, though!)

Alboher mentions the physical techniques she learned in her workshop, such as “pausing during long stretches at our computers and applying some pressure to a point near the elbow (that)…helps reduce strain caused by repetitive movements like typing on a keyboard.”

After a long day myself, a new pressure point seems just the trick!  Does it work for you?

A long job hunt causing you stress?  Keppie Careers can help.  Let us encourage, enlighten and empower you for success by writing your resume, teaching you how to find a job and supporting you every step of the way.

Should You Have a Board of Advisors?

Recently, Marci Alboher’s Shifting Career’s article in the New York Times hosted a guest author on the topic of a personal board of advisors:

A personal board of directors is simply a collection of people who know you, are interested in your well-being, and have useful points of view. You consult with them on a regular basis -– say once every six months….A person doesn’t have to be famous, influential or even successful to be a good board member. All that’s required is knowledge in a particular area. Your sister may offer better insight than the head of a trade association.  

In the comments section of Alboher’s post, many laughed at the idea, suggesting that these advisors use to be called “friends.”  However, as Alboher notes in her introduction, assembling a personal board  is not a new concept.  In the press toward personal branding, professionalizing advice that we might normally seek from friends and family is not a surprising jump.

Someone who is stuck in a career or job and doesn’t know what to do next can benefit from purposefully assembling advisors. Networking throughout your career is one way to create an informal group of advisors (maybe even a mentor if you are lucky). 

Of course, it is important to vet your advisors.  You don’t want people who will always agree with you, but you do want people who know you, your situation and are skilled in the topic about which you need advice.  Asking the wrong people (those who don’t have your best interests at heart or don’t know what they are doing) defeats the purpose.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to hire advisors.  For example, if you need tax, financial planning or legal advice, you may want to consult a professional.  (Shameless plug:  if you need a resume written, do seek advice from those in your field, friends and relatives, but recognize that most of them probably do not have resumes that optimize their skills and accomplishments. You’ll do better if you hire someone to write it for you.  I’m not the only one offering this advice!)

Keppie Careers has a board of advisors to inform us about career trends in various industries.  Need a resume?  Job hunting advice?  Keppie Careers will help you every step of the way!  www.keppiecareers.com

Build Your Networking Base as a Connector

In her recent Shifting Gears column in The New York Times, How We Introduce, and What It Means, Marci Alboher discusses different types of connectors.  She references wikipedia‘s definition:

Connectors are people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. Connectors usually know people across an array of social, planes, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles.

Although connectors are rare — only one in several thousand people might be thought of as a true connector — they are, like mavens and salesmen, very important in the healthy function of civil society and business. Connectors are also important in trendsetting….

Alboher notes that there are different types of connectors, and describes these types in depth in her article.   In short, some are proactive, some passive and some don’t follow-up at all.

I recently attended a talk with Wendy Kinney, a networking guru, where she spoke about the different levels of connecting.  She noted that we must earn referrals by building trust and relationships with people. One of the strongest recommendations is when an ally inserts our name in a conversation and offers to set up a meeting without even being asked for a referral. (“It sounds like you should meet Miriam Salpeter.  She is a terrific career coach. I will set the meeting up.”)

This assumes that the connector has a fairly close relationship with each party and that it is possible to leverage the introduction.

Dan Shawbel, whose focus and website are all about personal branding,  reminds us that it is important to give before receiving.  I agree with this philosophy.  Just being aware of how important it is not only to be connected, but also to connect others, is a great step in the right direction.  Building trust and relationships with colleagues and associates is key to networking.  It’s something every professional should work on regularly – not only when job seeking.

Keppie Careers will help you get your career search off on the right foot.  We will write or edit your LinkedIn profile, compose your resume and coach you through the job hunt:  www.keppiecareers.com.