Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Twittering to Find a Job?
Looking for a new job? Try Twitter yet? I would ask if anyone is Twittering to find their next job, but it appears the answer is an overwhelming "yes". I just recently built out a Twitter page for JTL Services, Inc. and have already quickly gotten a few followers - pretty cool!
For those job seekers who are skeptical at adding another online social-type network to their eBranding arsenal, let me provide you some quick and easy to understand feedback.
From a job searching perspective, I would put Twitter in the top 5 online tools to help you find a job. Using Twitter can provide two advantages to you, the job seeker. The first is that hiring managers are beginning to really take advantage of Twitter to find talent. Therefore, they are listing open job opportunities in hopes to attract the perfect candidate. So from a search and find standpoint, Twitter can help.
The second advantage is maybe even more important. Find companies that you want to work for and "follow" them on Twitter. You can "follow" a company's Twitter page if you want to be kept in the loop of activity regarding that company, including new job opportunities. What is even better, is that you can "follow" this company right on your mobile phone. This provides you with real-time up-to-date job opening information from a specific company or recruiter.
In conclusion, I absolutely recommend getting on the bandwagon with this one!
For those job seekers who are skeptical at adding another online social-type network to their eBranding arsenal, let me provide you some quick and easy to understand feedback.
From a job searching perspective, I would put Twitter in the top 5 online tools to help you find a job. Using Twitter can provide two advantages to you, the job seeker. The first is that hiring managers are beginning to really take advantage of Twitter to find talent. Therefore, they are listing open job opportunities in hopes to attract the perfect candidate. So from a search and find standpoint, Twitter can help.
The second advantage is maybe even more important. Find companies that you want to work for and "follow" them on Twitter. You can "follow" a company's Twitter page if you want to be kept in the loop of activity regarding that company, including new job opportunities. What is even better, is that you can "follow" this company right on your mobile phone. This provides you with real-time up-to-date job opening information from a specific company or recruiter.
In conclusion, I absolutely recommend getting on the bandwagon with this one!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Resume Pirating on the Rise!
Let me ask you a question. Is it a good thing for someone to call you and say “hey I got you an interview at XYZ Company?” Well that would depend on whether or not you know that person and gave them the OK to send your resume. I have heard more complaints of job candidates resumes being downloaded from popular sites such as Monster and Careerbuilders and being sent to companies unbeknownst to them more than ever. It has always been an issue but not to this degree. Desperate times seem to bring out the “Machiavellian” in some, while others focus on what is the right thing to do.
The other day Facebook changed their “Bill of Rights” that made their users furious. Facebook wanted and I quote “an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license" to "use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute" of your information forever. Well you can all read up on the story but needless to say they went back to their old “Bill of Rights”. People were furious, spoke up, wrote about it and they have decided to go back to their original policy mentioning that they would revisit this in the future.
People, you need to protect your information. That is why you need to know where your information is being sent. When working with a recruiter they absolutely should tell you (every time) before sending your resume to a potential client and not a blanket statement during your meeting with them. Be very afraid of the phone call from a recruiter that you haven’t given any authority to that you have an interview. This practice is used by some recruiting firms who been around forever!
They tell you that they have been the President of CAPS and that they’ve been recruiting forever! Don’t fall victim to a few of these unethical recruiting agencies out there that prey on you the “job candidate” and take advantage of your situation. If this does happen to you, get all the information that you can by the recruiter. Call the client who you are meeting with and contact them to explain the situation upfront and don’t fear that they won’t hire you. Everyone sourcing resumes to clients know that unsolicited resumes are not warranted.
Read through some of our earlier blogs and you will find that we are upfront with job candidates by explaining the rules of conduct.
The other day Facebook changed their “Bill of Rights” that made their users furious. Facebook wanted and I quote “an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license" to "use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute" of your information forever. Well you can all read up on the story but needless to say they went back to their old “Bill of Rights”. People were furious, spoke up, wrote about it and they have decided to go back to their original policy mentioning that they would revisit this in the future.
People, you need to protect your information. That is why you need to know where your information is being sent. When working with a recruiter they absolutely should tell you (every time) before sending your resume to a potential client and not a blanket statement during your meeting with them. Be very afraid of the phone call from a recruiter that you haven’t given any authority to that you have an interview. This practice is used by some recruiting firms who been around forever!
They tell you that they have been the President of CAPS and that they’ve been recruiting forever! Don’t fall victim to a few of these unethical recruiting agencies out there that prey on you the “job candidate” and take advantage of your situation. If this does happen to you, get all the information that you can by the recruiter. Call the client who you are meeting with and contact them to explain the situation upfront and don’t fear that they won’t hire you. Everyone sourcing resumes to clients know that unsolicited resumes are not warranted.
Read through some of our earlier blogs and you will find that we are upfront with job candidates by explaining the rules of conduct.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Job Search Using Podcast
I have been listening and now watching podcasts via my iPod for quite some time now. Typically listening to information regarding business and marketing. However, as of late I have been paying particular attention to job and career podcasts.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a good mix of available podcasts regarding jobs and careers. Certainly, I recommend adding this to your arsenal of tools for helping to find your next job. With blogs, there is only so much higher level insight I can provide before I begin to bore you and lose your focus. But an audio or video podcast can keep you more intrigued and I can at the same time better educate you in Job Searching using Web 2.0 techniques.
My intention is to also enter this arena and offer a weekly podcast regarding jobs and careers at some point in the second quarter of 2009. I will of course, announce and market this here as well as other online avenues but in the meantime wanted to make sure that this element of job searching was made mention of in my blog.
If you own an iPod, why not go and download a number of these free podcasts and help educate you while you are driving or walking or running, etc.? Like I have been repeating, we absolutely are in an economic cycle where Darwinism will prevail. I would be willing to bet that you can quickly find some great podcasts with helpful insight that you might not have read or heard about before.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a good mix of available podcasts regarding jobs and careers. Certainly, I recommend adding this to your arsenal of tools for helping to find your next job. With blogs, there is only so much higher level insight I can provide before I begin to bore you and lose your focus. But an audio or video podcast can keep you more intrigued and I can at the same time better educate you in Job Searching using Web 2.0 techniques.
My intention is to also enter this arena and offer a weekly podcast regarding jobs and careers at some point in the second quarter of 2009. I will of course, announce and market this here as well as other online avenues but in the meantime wanted to make sure that this element of job searching was made mention of in my blog.
If you own an iPod, why not go and download a number of these free podcasts and help educate you while you are driving or walking or running, etc.? Like I have been repeating, we absolutely are in an economic cycle where Darwinism will prevail. I would be willing to bet that you can quickly find some great podcasts with helpful insight that you might not have read or heard about before.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Bailouts & Stimulus, & Spendulus, Oh My!
Whatever you want to call it, many of us are financially struggling or growing more and more concerned about our personal financial instabilities. I wont go into the politics of this bill that seems to have passed today, but I anxiously await, like so many others, for something to show us we have finally bottomed out.
Job data this month certainly did not indicate anywhere near a bottom and showed almost 600,000 more unemployed. Wow! That is staggering. In the past year, over 3 million jobs have been lost with about half of that occurring in the last 3 months.
If you are a job seeker, be patient. Realizing that patience only lasts so long, try to understand that you are not alone. There is lots of public information about how you can help yourself land that next job, including some information in my own blog posts. The trouble is, while I think you should try new things and stay the course in finding your next job, it could take time. More time than many of us can afford.
We will get through this. We will be a better country when this passes. That I feel strongly about. However, those who do nothing and don't realize that your career needs to constantly be in check will be the last to come out of this mess.
During a down time of unemployment, while seeking a job, spend some valuable time addressing your resume; get some quality professional references and letters of recommendations lined up and ready; join some quality professional networks like LinkedIn.com; connect with a successful recruiter in your area and in your industry. These are just some of the things that I have written about in my previous blog posts.
One of the items that I have left out seems to be the most obvious. Ask your own personal network if they know of job openings. Sites like Facebook.com are great for creating the ability to do things like this. For example, I am new to Facebook.com but have about 200 friends already. These are typically people from high school, college friends, family, general friends, neighbors and co-workers of current and past. When you add these up, you can see it can be easy to connect with lots of people.
Using the "Wall" in Facebook.com you can simply post a comment that you are looking for a new job and would appreciate your Facebook.com friends to keep their eyes and ears open. You might be surprised that someone in your own personal network may know of something or may find out something in the short term.
It's all about the Internet, regardless of how you connect to your next job in my opinion. Notice I didn't use the word "only" in that last sentence. Sure there are other variables besides the Internet, but I can assure you that the Internet is a huge factor with job connection for many.
Job data this month certainly did not indicate anywhere near a bottom and showed almost 600,000 more unemployed. Wow! That is staggering. In the past year, over 3 million jobs have been lost with about half of that occurring in the last 3 months.
If you are a job seeker, be patient. Realizing that patience only lasts so long, try to understand that you are not alone. There is lots of public information about how you can help yourself land that next job, including some information in my own blog posts. The trouble is, while I think you should try new things and stay the course in finding your next job, it could take time. More time than many of us can afford.
We will get through this. We will be a better country when this passes. That I feel strongly about. However, those who do nothing and don't realize that your career needs to constantly be in check will be the last to come out of this mess.
During a down time of unemployment, while seeking a job, spend some valuable time addressing your resume; get some quality professional references and letters of recommendations lined up and ready; join some quality professional networks like LinkedIn.com; connect with a successful recruiter in your area and in your industry. These are just some of the things that I have written about in my previous blog posts.
One of the items that I have left out seems to be the most obvious. Ask your own personal network if they know of job openings. Sites like Facebook.com are great for creating the ability to do things like this. For example, I am new to Facebook.com but have about 200 friends already. These are typically people from high school, college friends, family, general friends, neighbors and co-workers of current and past. When you add these up, you can see it can be easy to connect with lots of people.
Using the "Wall" in Facebook.com you can simply post a comment that you are looking for a new job and would appreciate your Facebook.com friends to keep their eyes and ears open. You might be surprised that someone in your own personal network may know of something or may find out something in the short term.
It's all about the Internet, regardless of how you connect to your next job in my opinion. Notice I didn't use the word "only" in that last sentence. Sure there are other variables besides the Internet, but I can assure you that the Internet is a huge factor with job connection for many.
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