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Facebook and the Job Search

By leidson on Monday, November 18, 2013

A recent CareerBuilder study shows three out of five companies use social media to screen potential candidates during the hiring process. Of those companies, 43 percent said they have found information that factored into their decision not to hire a candidate. This information shows just how important your social media profile is in the job searching process. From the moment you start looking for a job and throughout your career, your social media profiles can be important in finding and keeping a job.

Secure Your Facebook

With 1.2 billion active monthly Facebook users who can easily use the new Graph Search tool to see every picture you’ve posted or learn about you, it’s smart to make sure that what you post is seen only by who you want to see it, not by the world. If you click the privacy button in the top right corner of your Facebook home page you can customize your security and privacy settings, which lets you share your life and all your information with friends and everyone else, or keep it all private.

Clean Up Your Facebook

View the updates you’ve recently shared and remove anything that could be controversial or questionable if viewed by a potential future employer. If you have inappropriate content, remove it, because it can affect whether or not you’re considered for a job.

Keep it Professional

Maybe this whole concept of using Facebook and social media in the job search is foreign to you, or maybe you’ve been using social media for a while for personal use, staying in touch with friends, or to further your career. For whatever reason, it is in your best interest to keep your social media sites as professional as possible, because you never know when an interested employer could be researching you.

Has Facebook helped you land a job, or has it hurt your job search or worse, got you fired? Share with us in the comments section below.

Career Advancement Job Interviews The Daily Grind The Job Search Uncategorized

3 Tips for Your LinkedIn Photo

By leidson on Wednesday, November 13, 2013

LinkedIn encourages its users to provide a highly professional look to their profile and one way to do that is through your profile photo. In fact, some believe it’s one of the most important parts of a profile, because it helps people identify you and can immediately present a professional image.

If you’re looking for a new job or trying to improve your online presence, LinkedIn is a great place to start. This social network is built to help you find a job and help employers find you. Here are three important tips to remember when updating your LinkedIn photo.

1. Keep it Current
Don’t use an old photo. When you meet someone for the first time after making a connection with them on LinkedIn, it’s important for them to be able to recognize you. If your photo does not depict how you currently look, then it needs to be changed.

2. Convey Your Role
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what is your LinkedIn photo saying about you? If you can show yourself in action, do it. If you have a speaking engagement or event and someone snapped a photo of you, use it. A photo can convey passion, energy, charisma, and show that you’re approachable. Make sure your photo conveys your role in your industry. Get a headshot of yourself with your desk in the background or have someone take your picture in front of your workplace. It doesn’t have to be a professional photo, but make sure it is of good quality.

3. Fly Solo
The photo you choose should be of you by yourself. Family photos or crowd shots aren’t appropriate. Don’t ever keep it blank or use a logo. That’s not attractive to potential employers or connections; it’s also against LinkedIn rules. Besides, in an interview with Forbes magazine, LinkedIn career expert, Nicole Miller explained you are seven times more likely to be viewed if you have a photo on your profile. Also, your profile picture should not be cropped out of a larger picture.

For more insight on LinkedIn profile photo choices, take a look at the LinkedIn profiles of your co-workers and see what they have chosen. Lastly, don’t forget to smile, you want to look approachable.

Have you had any experiences on how a LinkedIn photo helped create a professional image? Share with us in the comment section below.

Career Advancement Career Options New Job Tips The Job Search

What You Should be Sharing on LinkedIn

By leidson on Friday, November 1, 2013

LinkedIn is a social media network that is focused on the networking of business professionals. As of June 2013, LinkedIn reported more than 225 million acquired users in over 200 countries. One purpose of the site is to allow users to maintain a list of contacts with whom they have some level of relationship, these are called Connections. With your LinkedIn connections, you can share thoughts, articles or other content-rich websites from several places. This is known as posting an update or sharing an update. You can use the share box, located on your profile, to share a wide variety of information also.

You can browse through LinkedIn’s job search page and find jobs from accounting to human resources to sales jobs. You can also search for jobs in specific locations.
If you’re looking for a job or just looking to network, LinkedIn is a great social media tool to help you. If you’re new to social media and LinkedIn, here is a tutorial to help you get started. It’s important to set up professional work-related social media profiles. This will help you build a professional image with future employers when they research your name. Check out this blog for more tips on job searching.

Your updates may be shared with your LinkedIn connections via email depending on their email settings. Learn more about adjusting your email settings.

Have you landed a job through LinkedIn? Share with us in the comment section below.

New Job Tips Uncategorized

3 Things to Know About Facebook Graph Search

By leidson on Monday, October 28, 2013

The Facebook Graph Search helps people explore Facebook in a whole new way. In the past, Facebook has been about staying in touch and communicating with people you know. Now it’s a helpful tool for finding people you should know, people you have common interests with, and people you could possibly work for in the future. Graph Search allows people to search for posts, pictures, interests, locations, and activities. Whether you’re posting about what you did last summer, where you had lunch today, or updating your most recent work experience, people can see it. For more information on how Graph Search works and ways to change your privacy settings, visit Facebook search privacy.

A New Way to Network
Not only is Facebook a great way to stay connected, with this new feature, it’s also a great way to network. Keep your profile up-to-date, and if you choose to upload pictures, make sure they’re professional looking. Social media networks like Facebook can help recruiters determine if you’ll be a good fit or not. So instead of just sharing your life story, make sure to share your work history. You never know when potential employers will notice you.

Facebook = Digital Resume
Consider your Facebook a digital resume and keep it clean. Keep your profile up-to-date with your job status and work history, and also keep that information public so employers can search and find you. If this news seems like Facebook is allowing too much, don’t worry. Recruiters can only see the information that each user marks as public.

You Can Control Who Sees Your Profile and Information
In the “About” section on your Facebook profile, you can change your basic information like you would on your resume. You can also manage your “activity log” including photos and status updates you’ve shared. For more information on privacy settings, visit Facebook search privacy.

For more ways to proactively use your Facebook for job searching, check this out.

Do you think your profile page provides valuable insight to a recruiter? Share with us in the comment section below.

Social Media The Job Search

I Know What You Tweeted Last Summer, Can Social Media Harm Your Job Search?

By Jared Cole on Friday, January 20, 2012

Social media has become an amazing tool millions of people use every day to meet, connect, and stay in touch with each other all over the world. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ help their users express themselves and meet like-minded individuals to share their thoughts and passions to build communities like never before.

They are also tools for potential employers to get a better picture of who you are outside of the interview or résumé. According to a recent survey conducted by the recruiting and applicant tracking software company Jobvite, 90% of employers will refer to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin before making a hire. Many employers feel that whatever you do in your normal social life will reflect in your work life. With the newest Facebook Timeline feature, it will be even easier for companies to see posts from your crazy college days, outbursts from teenage angst, or outrageous decisions as a young adult from two or three years ago. Here are some ways social media may keep you from getting hired and how to avoid it.

Trash Talkin’

Any vicious or ill-tempered comments you make on your social media sites can make you look bad. These are reflections on you as a person outside of the job interview where you are actively trying to put your best foot forward and impress.

One of the most famous examples of this is the “Cisco Fatty” incident in 2009. Job seeker, Connor Riley was offered a position with consumer electronics company Cisco. Later that day, Riley posted the on her Twitter account:

“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”

Soon, a manager at Cisco found the tweet in a search and responded:

“Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.”

Needless to say, her job offer was soon withdrawn. Be careful when posting your thoughts and opinions online no matter what frame of mind you’re in at the time. You never know who is reading it. A safe bet is if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.

Picture Postin’

Pictures are great ways to highlight the best memories from your past. They can also be proof of some of the most unprofessional and embarrassing moments in your life. What you do in your free time reflects the kind of person you are. Potential employers will not see you as a reliable, serious candidate if your profiles are littered with party and prank photos. You might also want to avoid showcasing your record number of tattoos or piercings if looking for a job with a lot of face-to-face and direct business meetings.

Go Googlin’

Have you ever typed your name into Google and searched yourself? What do you think you’ll find? You should search your name regularly during your job hunt to see what pops up. If you want to use your profiles for silly pictures and rants, set your profiles to private. It won’t keep everything from those looking for you, it will help. If you want your name to appear more professional, sign up for several other professional social networking sites like Ziggs, Ecademy, or Networking for Professionals, The more your name is out there producing positive content, the more good things will show up on Google.

Some employers really do use online profiles to help make hiring decisions. Online image company Reppler reports almost 65% of employers say they have passed on prospective hires after taking a look at their social profiles. What have you done to help boost your professional image online?

Career Advancement Job Interviews New Job Tips

Ramp Up Your Stalled Summer Job Search

By Job Journey on Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Today marks the official first day of summer with many individuals still looking for that perfect summer job. The national unemployment rate has risen to 9.1%, leaving many seeking seasonal or part-time jobs feeling frustrated and lost.

So, what can you do to reignite your stalled summer job search? Whether you’re looking for a seasonal position, or a career in your desired field, keep the following tips in mind.

Your job hunt is your job.
When on the lookout for a job, treat your job hunt as if it’s your full-time job. The majority of job seekers send out a number of résumés and then wait for companies to contact them.

Be proactive in your search and follow up with organizations you haven’t heard back from. Sometimes all it takes is a simple phone call to check on the status of the open positions to get the hiring process started.

Treating your job search like a full-time job will encourage you to build momentum, become more invested in the process, and even get a few offers from interested companies.

Revamp your résumé.
Reassess your cover letters and résumé to highlight specific skills you’ve developed in previous positions, rather than just listing work history. Tailor each cover letter and résumé you send for the specific position or company you are applying for. Taking a little extra time during the application process will add a touch of sincerity employers will not take lightly.

Quantify your achievements on your résumés. For example, if you helped reduce costs or increased sales at your last position, say so. Naming your achievements will be far more impressive than only listing former employers.

Work on your online presence.
Broaden your networking contacts online to ramp up your job search. Having a LinkedIn profile can be an excellent tool to refer hiring managers to during the interview process. However, know that your online presence will be viewable by potential employers so manage it closely.

Use social media to expand your contacts, but avoid the pitfalls that typically come with it. Don’t publish suggestive pictures of yourself, offensive tweets, or even status updates complaining about your current employer. Remember that anyone interested in hiring you has the ability to find your online presence, so use social media with caution.

Summer is associated with relaxation, heat, and seasonal jobs. Knowing that employers will have many candidates to choose from, it’s important to not allow a few stalls in your job search to keep you down. Persevere throughout the bumps and trials that come with job hunting and you’ll have much to celebrate this season.

At Work Career Advancement

Free Time? Propel Your Career Forward Today

By Job Journey on Thursday, December 30, 2010

Whether you’re looking for a new job or planning to move up in your current position, now is the perfect time to focus on your career. Between use-it-or-lose-it vacation policies, inclement weather, and time off during the holidays, many people find themselves with additional free time during the winter.

Here are five ways to make the most of your time off and keep your professional life going forward.

Take a break: It may seem counterproductive, but give yourself permission to relax. A few days off can change your perspective, especially if you spend the time doing something you enjoy. You’ll come back to work or the job hunt with a refreshed viewpoint.

Update your résumé: Make changes to your résumé that reflect expanded job duties, additional volunteer work, or continued education. Double check that everything is current and take extra time to check for typos. Check out these tips to get your résumé into shape.

Write a new cover letter: Cover letters are a way to summarize your goals and strengths. Writing one can be a succinct way to prioritize your goals, even if you’re not planning to make a career move soon. Having a polished cover letter available also comes in handy if a dream position or promotion should become available. Not sure where to start? Check out these 30 power words that can help your letter get noticed.

Check out social media: If you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile, create one to connect with other professionals in your industry or the industry you’d like to work in. LinkedIn is a great place to find out about local networking events, and showcase your job skills. Also use this time to check your Facebook privacy settings and remove any questionable content a potential employer might see on your profile.

Sort through your wardrobe: Clean your closet and give those items that no longer fit your professional goals to charity. Dress for Success and Career Gear, national organizations that help disadvantaged women and men reach their goals of self-sufficiency by providing them interview clothes, provides receipts for tax-deductible donations. Take the time to try on your clothes to determine what you like, don’t like, need to have tailored, or sent to the dry cleaner. Replace essential items and organize your closet or dresser for speedier prep time on busy mornings.

These are just a few examples of how you can still be productive, but relaxed, during free time. A few minutes spent on tasks like these can reduce anxiety when you’re faced with a job interview or pivotal moment in your career. You’ll feel more confident and prepared, a terrific start to propelling your career.