Social Networking Snafus & Your Job Search

Do you have a photo of yourself posted proudly on your personal social networking page? No, I don’t mean that professional portrait you framed and gave to your grandma last Christmas. I’m talking about that night two weeks ago when you and 20 of your closest friends decided to play beer pong on the roof of a abandoned petrochemical facility and Bob captured the moment on his phone…

In that handy “personal information” section of the same profile did you list the following dislikes?:Working, collating, filing,bosses, HR departments and wage slavery?

Before you send your resume out to the employer of your dreams ( or lets face it in this economy, any employer) you may want to tighten the privacy settings on your Facebook/MySpace/Social Networking Site of Your Choice and other personal ephemera floating around out there on the ‘net.

Prospective employers do treat these resources like a free background check and they will judge you by what they find.

According to research done by the Career Builders website 53% of potential employers will research you online. 43% of those who do research you rely on common search engines and 12% go directly to Facebook to check you out. According to Career Builders, two in five employers found information during such a background check that dissuaded them from hiring a candidate. One third of employers said that an online search of candidates qualifications proved said candidate lied about his or her qualifications.

Once you’re hired you need to be careful too. 28% of employers reported firing an employee over material they posted on the web. In most cases this material was derogatory towards an employer or another employee. It is important to realize that the internet is a memory monster, all those blogs you wrote when you were 16, those wild beer pong photos, political affiliations, likes, dislikes, music and friends are out there once you put them out there. The best solution is to never give out personal information over the internet. If you do, use a pseudonym and don’t post identifying photographs. Many people live a great deal of their lives on the web so this may be an impossible option. As an alternative, protect the flow of information. Go into your account settings and crank up the privacy. Plug your name into a search engine and read your results. If you see any issues try to fix them if that is possible.

Also remember that Social Networking can be used for good. You may be able to make employment contacts or employers may reach out to you. Make your best impression!

Don’t put your name or identifying information to anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandma to read…unless your grandma belongs to a motorcycle gang ( Hi Grandma!).

Let It Begin In 2010

Attention world: Let it begin in 2010!

Let what begin? Your career, your attitude, and the rest of your life. Put it in your head that this is your year. Allow yourself to succeed beyond your wildest dreams and reach heights yet unseen. How are you going to do this? Remember this phrase: It’s all in your head!

Your outlook on life will determine the quality of your mood, the company you keep, and most definitely your career. If you’re unemployed: change it! You might say to yourself, “But there are no jobs!”

THAT IS NOT TRUE!

Check out sites like Hound and Employment Crossing today. Don’t wait. The longer you allow yourself to go unemployed, the more problems you are likely to have.

There is no need to fear, log on and find a job that suits your expectations. If you are currently in a  job you can’t stand, cross over to a job you love with Employment Crossing.

You can have the life you want. Let it begin, in 2010!

Tags: 2010, Employment, get a job, hound, hunting, Job Search, Jobs, motivation, unemployment

Encouragement Part II

I previously wrote a post about the impact of encouragement on you and your career and I got some feedback asking for a more in depth look at the phenomenon of discouragement and encouragement and how it plays into your career.

I want you to stop whatever you are doing and think about five things you believe about yourself.

- Do you believe you are capable of earning a million dollar salary?
- Do you believe that you are capable of getting a promotion?
- Do you believe that you are on the verge of getting fired?
- Do you ALWAYS believe that you are on the verge of getting fired?

Okay, now I want you to think back to the origin of such beliefs. It is my guess that these sorts of self-perceptions have everything to do with the company you keep.

Have you ever watched an awards show like The Grammys or The Oscars? More often than not, you will hear the recipients of such awards doll out a long list of thank you’s. And they are also,  quite frequently, very long lists. This is an interesting bit of proof that the most successful of individuals do not do it all on their own. They do it with the encouragement and, more importantly, the belief of others that they can achieve such amazing feats.

Rarely, if ever, do you see someone go up on a stage after receiving an award saying they’d done it all on their own. In fact, I have never witnessed this.

My point is, you should take a step back and analyze your life in this way. Divide your friends and family into categories of those who encourage and those who do not encourage. Does your mother tell you that you are very intelligent. Does she tell you that she “knows” you can acheive anything you want in life? Then put her into the pile of those who encourage.

Conversely, do you have a father (or mother, even) who is always telling you that you cannot achieve this or that. Do they tell you that you need to revise your thinking to be more realistic? Do they say that you’re dreaming too big? Then put them into the other pile!

Once you’ve got your lists together, you have some serious soul searching to do. I do not believe that you should, or that it is realistic to completely excise these negative people out of your life; however, you do need to learn how to more or less ingore those people.

Positive encouragement is one of the most important tools you can possess in your quest for career. The affects it can have on your mood will increase your aptitude at work. They will even make those sleepy mornings easier by increasing your motivation for going to work. If you know that when you get to work, you’re going to achieve something great, then I have no doubt you’re going to be thrilled to get there.

On the other hand, if people are telling you that what you think you can achieve is unrealistic or that it’s not possible, then how do you think that will affect you at work? It will invariably diminish your ability to work to your full potential, and quite possibly leave you with a sense of depression and hopelessness.

Listen to me: You need to ignore those naysayers because we live in a world where anything is possible. And in your career the sky is the limit. That is, and always will be the truth.

When your outlook is positive, good things will happen. They may take time, but from the very moment you believe, you will start planting the seed of greatness. Your continued encouragement will act as the sunshine that lets them grow into beautiful flowers!

Tags: awards, Career, enocouragement, positivity, promotion, success

Christmas Shopping for the Job Seeker

It’s that time of the year again, with Christmas just around the corner.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Haunaka, or just like to spread around good cheer, it’s gift giving season.  So what do you get for that hip and trendy job seeker on your list?  Here are a few suggestions…

1. A document bag - Your favorite job seeker will look and feel more professional with a nice leather document bag to hold his or her resumes.  Prices range from $50 to $5000 but even an inexpensive document bag will lend an air of professionalism.

2. Spa treatment or a manicure - help your job seeker look and feel their very best.  When we look good, we feel more confident and that will translate into an interview win.  Home manicure kits range from $10 to $100 and a day at a spa can run a few hundred bucks.

3. A new pair of shoes - Shoes really do make the man or the woman.  Interviewers will notice a professional pair of well kept shoes.  Expect to spend a hundred or more on a pair of quality shoes, or treat your favorite job seeker to a quality shoe shine for a bit less.

Whatever you end up gifting, remember that first impressions count, and job seekers will appreciate the thoughtfulness of a gift that helps them make the best first impression possible.

Three Things You Can Do While Looking For A Job

There are only so many hours per day that you can spend surfing job sites and tweaking your resume.  Here are three things you can do to help enhance your prospects while looking for a job.  Your goal is to make it easy for an employer to choose you and these simple things will help.

1) Stay Current

Keep up with any innovations or reforms in your industry.  Subscribe to relevant trade journals or other publications and keep up your membership in any professional organizations.  When you’re out of work this may seem like an uneccesary expense, but prospective employers will find it easier to hire you if you can demonstrate up to date knowledge of your industry.

2) Stay Connected

Nobody likes the out of work friend that badgers everyone they know for a job.  Maintaining your friendships in your industry however is a great way to hear about job openings, often before anyone else does.  Word of mouth jobs often come with personal reccomendations which make it that much easier for a prospective employer to hire you.

3) Stay Involved

Social networking isn’t just a Facebook page and online contacts.  Get involved and stay involved in your community.  Join a fraternal organization, volunteer for a political campaign or a youth center.  Share your time with your church or other charitable organization.  Volunteer work can turn into a paying gig, but it also will help you make local contacts that can lead to word of mouth jobs and volunteerism will plug holes in your job history on your resume.

Jobs You Don’t Want…

In this topsy turvy economy, lots of Americans are looking for work.  No matter how bad things may seem at times, there are still some jobs you just don’t want.

Take for instance this Craigslist post from a lawyer in Chicago:

Loop law firm looking to hire am energetic woman for their open secretary/legal assistant position. Duties will include general secretarial work, some paralegal work and additional duties for two lawyers in the firm. No experience required, training will be provided. Generous annual salary and benefits will be provided, including medical, dental, life, disability, 401(k) etc. If interested, please send current resume and a few pictures along with a description of your physical features, including measurements. We look forward to meeting you.

Other than the next to last line, it all sounds pretty routine until the follow up letter arrives, containing the following:

As this is posted in the “adult gigs” section, in addition to the legal work, you would be required to have sexual interaction with me and my partner, sometimes together sometimes separate. This part of the job would require sexy dressing and flirtatious interaction with me and my partner, as well as sexual interaction. You will have to be comfortable doing this with us.

Lastly, we’ve actually hired a couple of girls in the past for this position. But they have not been able to handle the sexual aspect of the job later. We have to be sure you’re comfortable with that aspect, because I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. So since that time, we’ve decided that as part of the interview process you’ll be required to perform for us sexually (i didn’t do this before with the other girls i hired, now i think i have to because they couldn’t handle it). Because that aspect is an integral part of the job, I think it’s necessary to see if you can do that, because it’ll predict future behavior of you being able to handle it when you have the job.

Any self respecting job seeker would immediately steer clear of this one.  If a potential boss can’t be bothered to capitalize the pronoun “i”, you can hardly expect them to pay attention to other important details, like salary and benefits.

For a listing of jobs you do want, check out the listings at EmploymentCrossing.com.

Q: When Should You Work for Free? A: Almost Never

For a nation supposedly built on the backbone of Capitalism,  we sure have a lot of companies who want you to work for free.

If you are (1) a recent college graduate, (2) a creative professional (artist, writer, web designer), or (3) trying to break into a heavily-impacted industry (entertainment, fashion, advertising, music), then someone is going to ask you to work for free. They may call it an “internship” or an “apprenticeship” or “on spec” or a “contest.” But the practical upshot is that you work, the company makes money off you, and you get nothing.

You’ll be told that you will gain experience, and will expand your reel or portfolio. This is true. But people who get paid also gain experience and a thicker portfolio. So when should you give away your work?

Don’t participate in “contests.” This scam is especially prevalent among web sites and online t-shirt sellers. You’re asked to design web graphics or a t-shirt, and then submit your work as a “contest entry.” If you win, you get a “prize” — like one t-shirt, or $50. Meanwhile, your design goes on to make the company a ton of money. You have just gotten screwed. Never fall for this scam.

Don’t do free work just to get an interview. Lots of job ads out there now require applicants to actually do work on their behalf just to get an interview. Your existing portfolio is not enough — the ad describes a specific assignment the company wants you to complete and submit before they even look at your resume. This is unethical, and blatantly exploitative in the current job environment. You do not want to work for these people — they will never value your time, energy or talent.

Some internships can launch your career. If you’re trying to get into fashion or publishing, you may have to just bite the bullet and spend six months or so working for free. Make sure the internship is with a reputable firm, and find out what happened to previous interns. Were they offered jobs? Did the firm give them a solid recommendation? Only work for free if there’s good reason to believe the donation of your time and talent will turn into a real job, either with this company or another one.

If you’re trying to get into the entertainment industry, be very careful. Once you establish that you write scripts on spec, or work crew in exchange for lunch, you’ll get nothing but offers for free work until you get sick of it and go back to Nebraska. Don’t work for free for the same person twice. Donating your labor is a favor — and eventually, you need to expect the favor returned. Remind producers and filmmakers that you helped them out, and now you need a paying gig.

What about giving my own work away for free online? Absolutely do this. Work on your own projects and make sure people see them. It’s your own work, and you’re giving it away of your own free will. No one else will make a profit off of it without sharing a cut with you. Look into Creative Commons licensing. But if someone steals your work and uses it for profit, make a lot of very loud noise. Even if you can’t afford a lawyer, the Internet community may very well rally behind you.

Got any more advice for readers contemplating internships and spec work? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: contests, creative industries, entertainment industry, internships, job applicants, portfolios, spec work

How to Arrive at a Job Interview

Job applicants often give thought on how to maximize the positive impact when they first meet a recruiter or interviewer.

But by the time you meet the person who decides whether or not to hire you, you have probably already interacted with at least one other firm employee, and been seen by several others. You need to start making a good impression from the moment you arrive.

Walk into the office exactly 15 minutes early. By which I mean, leave an hour early. Employers don’t care about traffic, cars breaking down, and buses off-schedule. Leave extra early to ensure you get to the appointment early.

But don’t go into the office too soon before the appointment. Fifteen minutes early says “I’m taking this job interview seriously,” without saying “I have nothing better to do than loiter in your reception area for 45 minutes.”

Arrive at the office an hour early? That’s why they have Starbucks.

Be fully prepared before you enter the office. Make sure your clothes are taken care of before you arrive. Check your hair and makeup. Use a restroom — but not the one at the company! If you have to, plan ahead. Does the office building have public restrooms? Is there a fast food place nearby where you can spruce up?

Also, be sure to TYCPTFO. That means “Turn Your Cell Phone The F–k Off!”

The receptionist may not be a receptionist. Never assume the first person you see sitting at a desk by the front door is a receptionist. Treat this person with the same respect you intend to show the interviewer. Apologize for bothering them and ask for the person you’re there to see. Don’t ask this person for a drink, or the location of the bathroom, or if they can validate your parking — even if they ARE the receptionist. You can ask about the parking validation on your way out.

Don’t pace in the reception area. If there is a reception area, just sit quietly. You should be able to sit still for 15 minutes. Don’t mess up the magazines. Don’t bother the “receptionist” — he or she has work to do. Don’t chat with anyone unless they initiate the conversation. Smile politely at anyone who walks past.

Don’t bother anyone if your interviewer is late. If it’s 20 minutes past the time of your appointment, you’ll feel like asking what the heck’s going on. Be patient (but make a mental note that this company may not be the place for you, if its employees miss meetings and/or don’t value people’s time).

If you haven’t heard anything in a half-hour, then you may wish to bug someone. A receptionist is the perfect person to bother. If they do not have one, maybe you can turn your cell back on and call whoever you have dealt with up to this point (a recruiter, HR manager, etc.).

And if no one helps you at the 45 minute mark, you should probably walk.

Got any other advice? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: bad interviewers, interpersonal communication, interview mistakes, interviews, job applicants, personal appearance

Humor: What Job Ads Really Mean

From around the Internet — what those standard phrases in job ads really mean:

Competitive Salary: We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.

Flexible Hours: Work 55 hours; get paid for 37.5.

Good Communication Skills: Management communicates — you listen, and try to figure out what they really mean. Then tell them, because they don’t know.

Ability to Handle a Heavy Workload: No whiners.

Career-Minded: You need to have your bosses’ career on your mind at all times.

Self-Motivated: Because we won’t motivate you.

Some Overtime Required: Some time each night, and some time each weekend.

Duties Will Vary: You’ll have eight bosses.

Competitive Environment: We fire people all the time.

Sales Position Requiring Motivated Self-Starter: We don’t provide leads, and you’re only paid on commission.

Casual Work Atmosphere: Dress however you like, subject to the incomprehensible whims of our HR manager. She’s bipolar.

PR or Marketing Experience a Bonus: Maybe you can tell us the difference between the two.

Seeking Candidates with a Wide Variety of Experience: You’ll be doing the jobs of three people we just fired.

Can Hit the Ground Running: No one’s been doing your job for six months.

Problem-Solving Skills a Must: Your boss will be too busy “taking lunch” and working on PowerPoint presentations to actually solve any problems.

Family Atmosphere: Everyone will blame you for the firing of your beloved predecessor.

3-5 Years Work Experience Required: You’re in your early 20s, so we can abuse you.

Excellent Benefits: It’s the same tired PPO plan from your last job. But we have a first aid kit in the supply closet.

Exciting Start-up Firm: We’ve been a “start-up” since 1997, and we’re still not making a profit.

Pay to be Dependent on Experience: Meaning you can experience the low pay we offer you, or you can experience the unemployment line.

Got any job ad phrases of your own? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: humor, Internet meme, job ads, Job Search

How to Discuss Salary with Your New Employer

Under the best of circumstances, it can be nerve-wracking to tackle the topic of compensation with a new or prospective employer. You worry that if you don’t negotiate, you’ll end up with the lowest possible salary (true); but if you play hardball, you may not get the job at all (usually untrue, but who knows?).

In this economy, employers are particularly keen to get you to accept the lowest end of whatever range of salary they are prepared to offer. And some employers won’t negotiate at all.

So what to do?

Don’t bring up salary until you get a firm job offer. That isn’t to say that the employer won’t bring it up sooner. But don’t mention it yourself until offered a position. Sometimes, an employer hasn’t even seriously considered salary — they wanted to see who they would hire first. Others are waiting for you to broach the topic, and you will have given the impression that you want the job for the job, and not just for the money.

Of course, this is all unfair — you’re putting in all the time and work of the interview process, and have no clear idea of how much the job pays. I once interviewed for a great job with a great company — and was told at the very end of the process that they really wanted me, but didn’t think I would like the pay. It was half of what I could conceivably live on, and I was forced to turn it down. If I’d known what the job paid from the beginning, I would have politely turned down the interview.

Find out what other people are paid for the same position at similar firms. This research is very easy to do online. In my experience, what websites list as the average salary for various positions is much higher than what employers actually offer. But if you can say “whatpeoplegetpaid.com says the average wage for a widget comptroller is $80,000,” the employer is put in the position of having to offer you something near the higher end of what the firm is willing to pay.

Don’t lie about past salaries. Often, employers ask what you made at your last job, and tack on 5% or 10%. If that total is within their acceptable salary range, that’s what they offer. This might tempt you to lie about your past salary. Don’t. Lying about something that can easily be fact-checked is a great way to end up back in the dole queue.

Don’t use your personal life in salary negotiations. Your prospective employer does not want to hear that your kid needs braces, or that your mortgage is past due. You haven’t even started yet, and you’re already dragging your home life into the office.

When negotiating salary, talk about the professional credentials and skills that will make you valuable to the firm. Make clear that by hiring you at better pay, they will in fact save money, and may just be snatching you away from other prospective employers. Don’t bring your personal life into it.

Got any more advice for negotiating salaries? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: compensation, interview tactics, job search advice, negotiating salaries