Posts Tagged: Social Media
My interview on the Personal Branding Blog
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Social Media on February 25, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Many thanks to Dan Schawbel for interviewing me on his Personal Branding Blog.
Here is an excerpt:
Dan: When you go to speak to students across the country, how have you accessed their proficiency in job searching and resume building through online means? Most students I talk to don’t know what LinkedIn is. What are your experiences?
Lindsey: A year or so ago, very few students I met had even heard of LinkedIn. Today, I’d say about 1/4 of students at my workshops are aware of the site, but most don’t really know how to make the most of it. I believe that an active presence on LinkedIn is no longer optional for a career-minded person of any age, so I talk about it in every speech and workshop I give.
1. First, I advise students (and everyone else!) to set up a complete profile including keywords a recruiter or business owner might use to find someone with your skills and interests.
2. Then I recommend joining groups on LinkedIn (such as the Personal Branding group, of course) to build connections and become part of conversations about industry news.
3. Third, I recommend customizing those little “I’d like to add you as a connection” messages – that’s a great way to stand out and show that you are someone who takes the time to personalize your communications.
Another important tip, particularly for those who are just starting out in the workforce, is to scour other people’s LinkedIn profiles to look for companies you may want to apply to, job titles or professions you didn’t know about, professional organizations where you might network and people with similar interests who might be willing to offer some job search advice. If you’re trying to build your own personal brand, LinkedIn is incredibly valuable as a massive database of other people’s personal brands and career paths to research.
Tips for staying afloat in a grim job market
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis Generation Y Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources on February 10, 2009 at 8:17 am
If you walked around midtown Manhattan during the summer, you might have seen the financial executive, in his late 40s, who paraded around in a sandwich board declaring “Experienced MIT Grad for Hire” and handing out copies of his resume.
A few months later, you might have come across a group of job-hunting, 20-something recent graduates promoting their skills though sidebar advertisements on Facebook and links to their online resumes.
What intrigues me about these methods is not just the guts these job seekers displayed. It’s the different generational approaches to self-promotion. The baby boomer gravitated to in-person, face-to-face networking; the Millennial went right to the Web.
If you are looking for a job in the current recession, my best advice is to borrow from the playbook of both of these self-promoters: combine “old-fashioned” methods with new technologies. Diane K. Danielson, my colleague and co-author on the book The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking, calls this a “clicks and mix” strategy, and it’s an important marketing strategy if you’re looking for a new position.
Here’s why: Young adults are competing in the job market with much more qualified people who have been laid off and need to find any job they can. At the same time, older professionals are competing with younger workers who are willing to be hired for less money and security. And, in this economy, every job seeker has to try every job-hunting method available.
Here are some self-marketing tips for job seekers of all generations: click here to read the rest of this article on ABC News on Campus…
Job Action Day Post: 5 things to do right now if you are job hunting
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Social Media on November 3, 2008 at 1:00 am
Today is Job Action Day!
Job Action Day, started by Dr. Randall Hansen of Quintessential Careers, is a day of empowerment for workers and job seekers — a day “to put your career and job in the forefront, making plans, taking action.”
In the spirit of action, my post today focuses on five actions you can take right now if you are looking for a job (or suspect you might be job hunting soon). I’ve also included links to some additional career advice blogs and job hunting resources so you can find even more tips.
1. Get organized with a job search notebook. This will be your one and only place to keep track of to-do lists, ideas, company research, notes from workshops and interviews, advice from career advisors and other important information. From this point forward, keep your job search notebook with you at all times. You never know when you might think of a new idea or hear about a company or program or person you want to look into. By keeping all of your notes in one place, you’re less likely to lose any data and more likely to keep focused. If you’re really hard core, you can even keep the notebook on your nightstand, in case you have any great career brainstorms while you’re dozing off to sleep at night.
For more advice on organizing a job search, check out: JibberJobber.com.
2. Call your alma mater’s career services office. Almost every college and university career services office will provide free (that’s right, free) job search support to alumni. Services that can cost hundreds of dollars in the “real world” are available at no cost from the college you attended. This includes career counseling, resume editing, interview prep, exclusive networking events, access to alumni databases and much more. If you’re not working with your college’s career services office, you are missing an enormous opportunity. (more…)
30/20 Vision Podcast: Next episode Friday at 5:00pm ET
Posted in 30/20 Vision Career Advice Generation Y Life Advice Social Media on September 25, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Join twentysomething experts Alexandra Levit, Christine Hassler and me for a new episode of 30/20 Vision, airing on Blog Talk Radio Friday at 5PM ET.
We’ll be talking about the dos and don’ts of social networking.
Hope you’ll join us on the call, and if you can’t make it, be sure to check out the archive!
Can you get a job by advertising yourself on Facebook?
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College Generation Y Job Hunting Social Media on September 4, 2008 at 8:16 pm
How 5 recent college grads used Facebook to entice employers…
Willy Franzen over at One Day, One Job blogged today about a unique experiment he coordinated with some entry-level job candidates:
Instead of helping employers target students with recruitment messages, why not help students/new grads target employers with Facebook ads? Basically, we want you to create an ad for yourself. The goal is to sell yourself in a few short sentences and convince any recruiters who may see your ads to click through to your resume/web page/contact information.
Read Willy’s post to see how five job candidates fared with their Facebook ads. He also provides a step-by-step guide to how you can apply this strategy if you’re interested in trying it.
All of this reminds me of the former investment banker who drew headlines this summer. Frustrated with his job search, he decided to stand on Park Avenue handing out resumes and wearing a sandwich board that said, “Experienced M.I.T. Grad for Hire.” The Facebook experiment seems to be the online version of the sandwich board job search strategy. (more…)
More advice on making the most of LinkedIn
Posted in Career Advice Networking Recommended Resources Social Media on August 14, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I’ve written a lot about LinkedIn as a helpful professional networking tool. Check out this new article, “World Wide Network,” by Teresa Odle, which provides some additional tips for using the site (thanks to Teresa for quoting me in the piece!):
We’re doing lots of activities online that we once did in person. Shopping? Sure. Paying bills? Of course. But professional networking? You bet – and with some great advantages. Finding a job still is all about whom you know. After making a few online connections, you can multiply your network a lot faster than at a local business meeting. (more…)
Read this before you delete your social networking profile
Posted in Career Advice Social Media on June 25, 2008 at 6:00 am
The news is full of stories about the dangers of having an inappropriate presence on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and other social networks (read my favorite horror story at Gradspot.com). If you’re looking for a job or trying to get promoted, should you just delete your online profiles altogether?
To find out my answer, check out 20-Something Manifesto author Christine Hassler’s recent column for the Huffington Post, where she interviews me and shares her advice on net etiquette…
Why you should use LinkedIn (if you aren’t already)
Posted in Career Change Networking Recommended Resources Social Media on June 18, 2008 at 9:31 am
Today’s New York Times article about LinkedIn.com is yet another indication that membership in this professional networking site (note: basic membership is free) is now essential for any career-minded professional. The article announces that LinkedIn just raised $53 million in capital, ensuring that it will grow even larger and more robust.
Wanting to know more about LinkedIn’s features and benefits, I recently took a tour of the site with Krista Canfield, PR manager at LinkedIn. Here are the top activities she recommends for young professionals to get the maximum benefit from membership in the site: (more…)
Yes, people really get jobs through social networking
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Social Media on May 6, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I often recommend social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook for professional networking. But do these sites really help people get jobs?
Yes.
The proof is currently sitting on the couch a few feet away from me, watching the Indiana returns on CNN. My husband Evan got his job on LinkedIn. It’s such a good story that LinkedIn featured him on the LinkedIn blog, and Alison Doyle, the About.com guide to job searching, wrote an article featuring Evan and other professionals who landed jobs through LinkedIn. Check out these stories for tips on how to use LinkedIn and other social networks to find real opportunities.
I like Doyle’s other articles on this topic, too. Check out “How to Use LinkedIn to Job Search” and “Should You Use Facebook for Professional Networking?” for more tips. Here are a few highlights:
- Be sure to include keywords in your profile that are related to the jobs you want to find. Not sure what words will pop? Grab words and phrases directly from job listings that appeal to you.
- Post content that is professional and relevant to your career, such as links to articles you’ve written and testimonials about your professional skills and experience.
- Increase your visibility to potential employers by building your network. Remember, it’s not just who you know, it’s who knows you (and can see your profile).
- Be active. People are more likely to contact you if you are actively updating your profile, updating your status and adding connections.
Have you found job opportunities, new clients or other professional benefits from social networking? Please share!
Tags: Facebook, Job Hunting, LinkedIn, Social Media
