I’m getting a LOT of chats from people who have been laid off. Most of the time I find that they just aren’t presenting a good face to me for me to help them find a new job.
If you are laid off, here’s what you need to do:
1. Your blog is your resume. You need one and it needs to have 100 posts on it about what you want to be known for.
2. Remove all LOLCats from your blog.
3. Remove all friends from your facebook and twitter accounts that will embarrass you. We do look. If we see photos of people getting drunk with you that is a bad sign. Get rid of them. They will NOT help you get a job.
4. Demonstrate you are “clued in.” This means removing ANYTHING that says you are a “social media expert” from your Twitter account. There is no such thing and even if there were there’s no job in it for you. Chris Brogan already has that job and he’s not giving it up.
5. Demonstrate you have kids and hobbies, but they should be 1% of your public persona, not 99%. Look at my blog here. You’ll see my son’s photo on Flickr once in a while. But mostly I talk about the tech industry, cause that’s the job I want to have: talking to geeks and innovators.
6. Put what job you want into your blog’s header. Visit Joel Spolsky’s blog. He’s “on software.” That’s a major hint that if he were looking for a job that he is totally, 100%, thinking about software. If you want a job as a chef, you better have a blog that looks like you love cooking, like this.
7. Get rid of the LOLCats. Do not argue me on Twitter about this. Google finds Twitters. Do you want your future potential boss noticing that you post LOLCats all day long? Believe me, you do not. It will NOT help you.
8. Post something that teaches me something about what you want to do every day. If you want to drive a cab, you better go out and take pictures of cabs. Think about cabs. Put suggestions for cabbies up. Interview cabbies. You better have a blog that is nothing but cabs. Cabs. Cabs. Cabs all the time.
9. Do not beg for links. If you did the above, you can Twitter me and say “check out my great software blog” though. Include @scobleizer in the tweet so I’ll see it. I’m an egotistical baaahhhsssttttaarrrrddd so I read all Twitter replies that include my @scobleizer name in them. Hint: I haven’t met a blogger yet who is not an egotistical baaahhhhsssttttaaarrrdddd. Take advantage of it. But no begging.
10. If you want to be a plumber, look for other plumbers to add to Twitter, friendfeed, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Remove all others. Be 100% focused on what you want to do.
11. On Twitter ou can tell me what you had for lunch, but only after you posted 20 great items about what you want to do. Look at Tim O’Reilly’s tweet stream. Very little noise. Just great stuff that will make you think (he wants a job as a thinker, so do you get it yet?)
12. Invite influentials out to lunch. Getting a job is now your profession. If you were a salesperson, how would you get sales? You would take people out to lunch who can either buy what you’re selling, or influence others who can buy. That means take other bloggers (but only if they cover what you want to do) out to lunch. That means taking lots of industry executives out to lunch.
13. Send out resumes. Make sure yours is up to date and top notch on LinkedIn and other sites where employers look for employees. Craig’s List. Monster. Etc.
14. Go to industry events. I have a list of tech industry events up on Upcoming.org. If you want to be a plumber, go to where contractors go. Etc. Etc. Make sure you have clear business cards. Include your photo. Include your Twitter and LinkedIn addresses. Your cell phone. Your blog address. And the same line that’s at the top of your blog. Joel’s should say “on software.” Yours should say what you love to do. Hand them out, ask for theirs. Make notes on theirs. Email them later with your LinkedIn and blog URLs and say “you’ll find lots of good stuff about xxxxxxxx industry on my blog.”
15. When you meet someone who can hire and who you want to work for. Follow them on Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Their blog. Stalk them without being “creepy.” Learn everything you can about them. Build a friendfeed room with all their stuff. That way when they say on Twitter “I have a job opening” you can be the first one to Tweet back.
16. Tell others where the jobs are. One thing I learned in college is by helping other people get jobs you’ll get remembered. So, retweet jobs messages (if they are relevant to your professional friends and to you). Blog about job openings. Help people get jobs. Hold lunches for people who are jobless. Some of them will get jobs and they’ll remember you and invite you along.
17. Do what you want to do. Let’s assume you’ll be laid off for a year. Are you going to lay around on the couch waiting for a call? No. You will do exactly what you want to do. Want to be an engineer at a great startup? Go and volunteer to work there for free. Make sure you do a blog post about every day you do what you’re doing for free. Say “I could do this for you, call…”
18. Do some work on SEO. Make it possible for people to find you. THINK about how people would search for someone with your expertise and skills. Here’s how, Visit the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. Do a search on a word that you think represents best what you want to do. I just did one for “Electrical Engineering” and it brought up a ton of great info about what people are searching for. Include those terms in your blog. And, even better, blog about those things!
19. UPDATE: Mark Trapp added to remove any hint that you hated your old job from all your online things.
Good luck. It sucks. I know that. I was laid off last time and, who knows, might be laid off again, but if you’re doing all this stuff and you aren’t finding a job, let me know. You know where to find me.
Got any other ideas? Post them here or on my friendfeed.
UPDATE: you can still get a job even after weird photos and other things are posted about you. I have naked pictures of me out there on the Internet (and that’s been true for the past three jobs I’ve gotten). They still wanted to hire me. So, all of these rules can be broken, but break them carefully! 🙂
Scobleizer 
Yeah I’m out of work too because of “the current economic climate” excuse. It does indeed suck.
Linkedin is defo the key tho, am getting interviews slowly
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Yeah I’m out of work too because of “the current economic climate” excuse. It does indeed suck.
Linkedin is defo the key tho, am getting interviews slowly
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Yeah I’m out of work too because of “the current economic climate” excuse. It does indeed suck.
Linkedin is defo the key tho, am getting interviews slowly
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My sister is a perfect example. She was laid off 3-4 months back and starting hitting the social web hard. Picked up her blogging and tweeting, continued to meet for informational interviews and network hard. Then she got a job as the PR department for a high profile wealth manager in San Diego, Ray Lucia.
She’s bloggin at http://taylorgraves.wordpress.com and really kicking ass. This is a super tough thing to have happen to someone recently out of college but by embracing the web and not running from what happened she learned a ton and came out on top with a great gig.
The social web is real and its valuable. Great post Scoble.
I’m @ryangraves on Twitter.
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My sister is a perfect example. She was laid off 3-4 months back and starting hitting the social web hard. Picked up her blogging and tweeting, continued to meet for informational interviews and network hard. Then she got a job as the PR department for a high profile wealth manager in San Diego, Ray Lucia.
She’s bloggin at http://taylorgraves.wordpress.com and really kicking ass. This is a super tough thing to have happen to someone recently out of college but by embracing the web and not running from what happened she learned a ton and came out on top with a great gig.
The social web is real and its valuable. Great post Scoble.
I’m @ryangraves on Twitter.
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My sister is a perfect example. She was laid off 3-4 months back and starting hitting the social web hard. Picked up her blogging and tweeting, continued to meet for informational interviews and network hard. Then she got a job as the PR department for a high profile wealth manager in San Diego, Ray Lucia.
She’s bloggin at http://taylorgraves.wordpress.com and really kicking ass. This is a super tough thing to have happen to someone recently out of college but by embracing the web and not running from what happened she learned a ton and came out on top with a great gig.
The social web is real and its valuable. Great post Scoble.
I’m @ryangraves on Twitter.
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I’d also suggest that focus on building a personal network that reflects your professional interests. Get connected with real leaders in your business, people who are building businesses you are interested in. Lots of C level folks are twittering now, and guess what, they have a couple of hundred followers, not 10’s of thousands. Those guys are much more valuable to network with than some network marketer on twitter who has 10’s of thousands. Also, own your media, if you start a blog own the domain, and work on the design. Also, think about branding, what do you want to be known for? Focus on something achievable, plausible, and something you’re interested in.
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I’d also suggest that focus on building a personal network that reflects your professional interests. Get connected with real leaders in your business, people who are building businesses you are interested in. Lots of C level folks are twittering now, and guess what, they have a couple of hundred followers, not 10’s of thousands. Those guys are much more valuable to network with than some network marketer on twitter who has 10’s of thousands. Also, own your media, if you start a blog own the domain, and work on the design. Also, think about branding, what do you want to be known for? Focus on something achievable, plausible, and something you’re interested in.
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I’d also suggest that focus on building a personal network that reflects your professional interests. Get connected with real leaders in your business, people who are building businesses you are interested in. Lots of C level folks are twittering now, and guess what, they have a couple of hundred followers, not 10’s of thousands. Those guys are much more valuable to network with than some network marketer on twitter who has 10’s of thousands. Also, own your media, if you start a blog own the domain, and work on the design. Also, think about branding, what do you want to be known for? Focus on something achievable, plausible, and something you’re interested in.
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Sorry, just have to pimp myself a bit. Hopefully it helps someone find some work. 🙂
We’re hiring JavaScript engineers as fast as we can find good ones. So if you want to work for an amazing company and have JavaScript skills, look no further. http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2008/09/16/job-opening-social-sorcerer/
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Sorry, just have to pimp myself a bit. Hopefully it helps someone find some work. 🙂
We’re hiring JavaScript engineers as fast as we can find good ones. So if you want to work for an amazing company and have JavaScript skills, look no further. http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2008/09/16/job-opening-social-sorcerer/
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Sorry, just have to pimp myself a bit. Hopefully it helps someone find some work. 🙂
We’re hiring JavaScript engineers as fast as we can find good ones. So if you want to work for an amazing company and have JavaScript skills, look no further. http://blogs.smugmug.com/don/2008/09/16/job-opening-social-sorcerer/
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Don: I shocked that you aren’t so busy looking through great resumes already. (He’s the CEO of SmugMug and a really nice guy. Can’t think of a better company to work for if I were a programmer).
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Don: I shocked that you aren’t so busy looking through great resumes already. (He’s the CEO of SmugMug and a really nice guy. Can’t think of a better company to work for if I were a programmer).
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Don: I shocked that you aren’t so busy looking through great resumes already. (He’s the CEO of SmugMug and a really nice guy. Can’t think of a better company to work for if I were a programmer).
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Great advice here.
As an executive search consultant within a niche market, another site for those at 100K plus, join the Ladders. Recruiters are all over Ladders and post regularly those hidden positions that aren’t easily found anywhere else.
If you add video to any online sources as a resume, it is of much value if the video is well produced. Yucky video of yourself~~ you won’t see an interview.
Also, whatever works for you to become/ remain confident and upbeat~~ yoga, running, etc. Keep the “Mojo” happening
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Great advice here.
As an executive search consultant within a niche market, another site for those at 100K plus, join the Ladders. Recruiters are all over Ladders and post regularly those hidden positions that aren’t easily found anywhere else.
If you add video to any online sources as a resume, it is of much value if the video is well produced. Yucky video of yourself~~ you won’t see an interview.
Also, whatever works for you to become/ remain confident and upbeat~~ yoga, running, etc. Keep the “Mojo” happening
LikeLike
Great advice here.
As an executive search consultant within a niche market, another site for those at 100K plus, join the Ladders. Recruiters are all over Ladders and post regularly those hidden positions that aren’t easily found anywhere else.
If you add video to any online sources as a resume, it is of much value if the video is well produced. Yucky video of yourself~~ you won’t see an interview.
Also, whatever works for you to become/ remain confident and upbeat~~ yoga, running, etc. Keep the “Mojo” happening
LikeLike
I agreed with pretty much all you have written here. I got laid off on December 15th and I have been job searching ever since. Due to my involvement with the Adobe Usergroup community my tweet about being laid off was responded with 3 potential job opportunities which turned into 3 job interviews in the following days right before Christmas. Being laid off just before Christmas can be a bit of an issue but through twitter and the network I keep, I have no worries about landing a fantastic position in the new year. That being said, I am still on the market at the moment so please visit my blog if your interested in hiring a web developer or flex skinner or community manager.
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I agreed with pretty much all you have written here. I got laid off on December 15th and I have been job searching ever since. Due to my involvement with the Adobe Usergroup community my tweet about being laid off was responded with 3 potential job opportunities which turned into 3 job interviews in the following days right before Christmas. Being laid off just before Christmas can be a bit of an issue but through twitter and the network I keep, I have no worries about landing a fantastic position in the new year. That being said, I am still on the market at the moment so please visit my blog if your interested in hiring a web developer or flex skinner or community manager.
LikeLike
I agreed with pretty much all you have written here. I got laid off on December 15th and I have been job searching ever since. Due to my involvement with the Adobe Usergroup community my tweet about being laid off was responded with 3 potential job opportunities which turned into 3 job interviews in the following days right before Christmas. Being laid off just before Christmas can be a bit of an issue but through twitter and the network I keep, I have no worries about landing a fantastic position in the new year. That being said, I am still on the market at the moment so please visit my blog if your interested in hiring a web developer or flex skinner or community manager.
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Great list. I think it’s an especially good idea to help other people when you can (#16) – there’s a lot of good will in the world, and our whole society is built on reciprocal favors (eventually called “friendships”).
I know that there are tons of people who are facing layoffs now and in the coming months. I wish everyone the best.
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Great list. I think it’s an especially good idea to help other people when you can (#16) – there’s a lot of good will in the world, and our whole society is built on reciprocal favors (eventually called “friendships”).
I know that there are tons of people who are facing layoffs now and in the coming months. I wish everyone the best.
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Great list. I think it’s an especially good idea to help other people when you can (#16) – there’s a lot of good will in the world, and our whole society is built on reciprocal favors (eventually called “friendships”).
I know that there are tons of people who are facing layoffs now and in the coming months. I wish everyone the best.
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I feel really stupid. I never thought of any of this. If I change my name on my “fun” Facebook and Twitter accounts, can they still find them? I didn’t post any really outlandish tweets or pics, but most of them are far from professional. Not what I would want a potential employer to see.
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I feel really stupid. I never thought of any of this. If I change my name on my “fun” Facebook and Twitter accounts, can they still find them? I didn’t post any really outlandish tweets or pics, but most of them are far from professional. Not what I would want a potential employer to see.
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I feel really stupid. I never thought of any of this. If I change my name on my “fun” Facebook and Twitter accounts, can they still find them? I didn’t post any really outlandish tweets or pics, but most of them are far from professional. Not what I would want a potential employer to see.
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Chris R: you can lock down your facebook account and keep outsiders from seeing inside of it. For outsiders I would just post a link to your blog or your LinkedIn page and be done with it. Go in with a friend and make sure you can’t see any of your drunken college photos. 🙂
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Chris R: you can lock down your facebook account and keep outsiders from seeing inside of it. For outsiders I would just post a link to your blog or your LinkedIn page and be done with it. Go in with a friend and make sure you can’t see any of your drunken college photos. 🙂
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Chris R: you can lock down your facebook account and keep outsiders from seeing inside of it. For outsiders I would just post a link to your blog or your LinkedIn page and be done with it. Go in with a friend and make sure you can’t see any of your drunken college photos. 🙂
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People can always check out dead pages with the “wayback machine” if they really want to.
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People can always check out dead pages with the “wayback machine” if they really want to.
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People can always check out dead pages with the “wayback machine” if they really want to.
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Basic resume tips here http://bestpracticeexchange.blogspot.com/2008/12/get-your-resume-in-shape-for-2009-job.html
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Basic resume tips here http://bestpracticeexchange.blogspot.com/2008/12/get-your-resume-in-shape-for-2009-job.html
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Basic resume tips here http://bestpracticeexchange.blogspot.com/2008/12/get-your-resume-in-shape-for-2009-job.html
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What a great post! I’ve been a job search coach for 10 years and couldn’t have said it any better.
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What a great post! I’ve been a job search coach for 10 years and couldn’t have said it any better.
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What a great post! I’ve been a job search coach for 10 years and couldn’t have said it any better.
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and remember, building long-term professional friendships means having something of value to bring to the table (an article, a blog entry on a common subject, something that shows you’re thinking of the other person), before you spam a total stranger and say “know anyone who’s hiring?”
Different approach, same rules of respect.
http://visualcv.com/karenmasullo
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and remember, building long-term professional friendships means having something of value to bring to the table (an article, a blog entry on a common subject, something that shows you’re thinking of the other person), before you spam a total stranger and say “know anyone who’s hiring?”
Different approach, same rules of respect.
http://visualcv.com/karenmasullo
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and remember, building long-term professional friendships means having something of value to bring to the table (an article, a blog entry on a common subject, something that shows you’re thinking of the other person), before you spam a total stranger and say “know anyone who’s hiring?”
Different approach, same rules of respect.
http://visualcv.com/karenmasullo
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Robert,
Here are some additional suggestions:
1) Your email signature should include your blog or profile
2) If you help someone pro bono, ask them to at least provide a reference or even better – interview them on your blog. Discuss what problems did you solve? What opportunities did you address?
3) DO NOT send your resume to your friends and family. Your resume is your ultimate weapon. You should ideally customize it for a specific opportunity or role to highlight *relevant experience*
4) Define your market (hat tip – Seth Godin) – it does not matter if your market is a handful of companies on the 101 freeway. But what matters is that you bring something very unique and very valuable to those companies.
5) Related to #4 and #6 – build your brand. Be known for *something*. It will help you for the next 10 years, not just the next 6 months. This would definitely differentiate you from the 20 other people vying for the same job.
6) Companies right now care about 2 things – revenue and cost. Can you leverage your experience to share ideas on your blog that help them to increase their revenues or reduce their costs? For example – how can companies develop special relationships with their customer using more personalization? how can they convert blog visits and subscriptions into sales leads etc.
7) Buy your URL – you can absolutely get a subdomain on blogger, typepad, wordpress or your latest fancy tool. But no one can take your URL away from you.
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Robert,
Here are some additional suggestions:
1) Your email signature should include your blog or profile
2) If you help someone pro bono, ask them to at least provide a reference or even better – interview them on your blog. Discuss what problems did you solve? What opportunities did you address?
3) DO NOT send your resume to your friends and family. Your resume is your ultimate weapon. You should ideally customize it for a specific opportunity or role to highlight *relevant experience*
4) Define your market (hat tip – Seth Godin) – it does not matter if your market is a handful of companies on the 101 freeway. But what matters is that you bring something very unique and very valuable to those companies.
5) Related to #4 and #6 – build your brand. Be known for *something*. It will help you for the next 10 years, not just the next 6 months. This would definitely differentiate you from the 20 other people vying for the same job.
6) Companies right now care about 2 things – revenue and cost. Can you leverage your experience to share ideas on your blog that help them to increase their revenues or reduce their costs? For example – how can companies develop special relationships with their customer using more personalization? how can they convert blog visits and subscriptions into sales leads etc.
7) Buy your URL – you can absolutely get a subdomain on blogger, typepad, wordpress or your latest fancy tool. But no one can take your URL away from you.
LikeLike
Robert,
Here are some additional suggestions:
1) Your email signature should include your blog or profile
2) If you help someone pro bono, ask them to at least provide a reference or even better – interview them on your blog. Discuss what problems did you solve? What opportunities did you address?
3) DO NOT send your resume to your friends and family. Your resume is your ultimate weapon. You should ideally customize it for a specific opportunity or role to highlight *relevant experience*
4) Define your market (hat tip – Seth Godin) – it does not matter if your market is a handful of companies on the 101 freeway. But what matters is that you bring something very unique and very valuable to those companies.
5) Related to #4 and #6 – build your brand. Be known for *something*. It will help you for the next 10 years, not just the next 6 months. This would definitely differentiate you from the 20 other people vying for the same job.
6) Companies right now care about 2 things – revenue and cost. Can you leverage your experience to share ideas on your blog that help them to increase their revenues or reduce their costs? For example – how can companies develop special relationships with their customer using more personalization? how can they convert blog visits and subscriptions into sales leads etc.
7) Buy your URL – you can absolutely get a subdomain on blogger, typepad, wordpress or your latest fancy tool. But no one can take your URL away from you.
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@Scobleizer –
Great points and advice. A couple of additions.
[1] Title should be modified to read “If you are laid off (or ever possibly could be laid off in the future) , here’s how to socially network” . Don’t forget that the LOLcats you tweet now while you are gainfully employed will still be in your google results years later when you may be on the bread line. Your advice here applies to all of us who participate in social networking, laid off and otherwise; the breadcrumbs we leave every day have a permanence we probably don’t appreciate.
[2] Please work all of the online tools to your advantage, I am especially keen to the value of LinkedIn as a tool utilized by many executive recruiters. But please don’t forget that true social networking happens with your right hand in a handshake, not on a mouse. A DM cannot replace an email which cannot replace a phone call which cannot replace a cup of coffee or lunch. You have to get out there and meet people. When you do, ask them what you can do for them prior to asking if they can help you. Pay it Forward works!!
Keep your chin up. The global economy is in a redistribution phase, but will settle out soon enough. Feel free to reach out to me if I can help any of you.
@JeffreyJDavis
President & COO, AGY
http://www.agy.com
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@Scobleizer –
Great points and advice. A couple of additions.
[1] Title should be modified to read “If you are laid off (or ever possibly could be laid off in the future) , here’s how to socially network” . Don’t forget that the LOLcats you tweet now while you are gainfully employed will still be in your google results years later when you may be on the bread line. Your advice here applies to all of us who participate in social networking, laid off and otherwise; the breadcrumbs we leave every day have a permanence we probably don’t appreciate.
[2] Please work all of the online tools to your advantage, I am especially keen to the value of LinkedIn as a tool utilized by many executive recruiters. But please don’t forget that true social networking happens with your right hand in a handshake, not on a mouse. A DM cannot replace an email which cannot replace a phone call which cannot replace a cup of coffee or lunch. You have to get out there and meet people. When you do, ask them what you can do for them prior to asking if they can help you. Pay it Forward works!!
Keep your chin up. The global economy is in a redistribution phase, but will settle out soon enough. Feel free to reach out to me if I can help any of you.
@JeffreyJDavis
President & COO, AGY
http://www.agy.com
LikeLike
@Scobleizer –
Great points and advice. A couple of additions.
[1] Title should be modified to read “If you are laid off (or ever possibly could be laid off in the future) , here’s how to socially network” . Don’t forget that the LOLcats you tweet now while you are gainfully employed will still be in your google results years later when you may be on the bread line. Your advice here applies to all of us who participate in social networking, laid off and otherwise; the breadcrumbs we leave every day have a permanence we probably don’t appreciate.
[2] Please work all of the online tools to your advantage, I am especially keen to the value of LinkedIn as a tool utilized by many executive recruiters. But please don’t forget that true social networking happens with your right hand in a handshake, not on a mouse. A DM cannot replace an email which cannot replace a phone call which cannot replace a cup of coffee or lunch. You have to get out there and meet people. When you do, ask them what you can do for them prior to asking if they can help you. Pay it Forward works!!
Keep your chin up. The global economy is in a redistribution phase, but will settle out soon enough. Feel free to reach out to me if I can help any of you.
@JeffreyJDavis
President & COO, AGY
http://www.agy.com
LikeLike
Some additional tips, from someone who is currently reviewing resumes:
1. When applying for a job, make sure you send a customized, relevant cover letter *in the body of the email*. Let me know exactly what experience you have that corresponds to what we’re looking for. I’m looking over so many resumes at a time, I have to skim a lot of them. If someone takes the time to tell me why they think they are right for the job (or why I’d be privileged to hire them) they get bonus points in the process.
2. Attach your resume in HTML format at a minimum (PDF or an HTTP link as a secondary format). DOC-format resumes take too long to load and not all of them load properly in iMail’s quickview. HTML resumes show inline in thunderbird and work well in quickview.
3. Double-check your fonts. Nothing says “I don’t care” like a resume or email messages that switches fonts halfway through, showing where you cut & pasted your form letter.
4. Tell me about your cool side projects and open-source work. Someone passionate about software is someone we want to hire.
PS: We’re looking for Java and Javascript wizards that are interested in helping us build out our project (http://dotspots.com/jobs/). 😉
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Some additional tips, from someone who is currently reviewing resumes:
1. When applying for a job, make sure you send a customized, relevant cover letter *in the body of the email*. Let me know exactly what experience you have that corresponds to what we’re looking for. I’m looking over so many resumes at a time, I have to skim a lot of them. If someone takes the time to tell me why they think they are right for the job (or why I’d be privileged to hire them) they get bonus points in the process.
2. Attach your resume in HTML format at a minimum (PDF or an HTTP link as a secondary format). DOC-format resumes take too long to load and not all of them load properly in iMail’s quickview. HTML resumes show inline in thunderbird and work well in quickview.
3. Double-check your fonts. Nothing says “I don’t care” like a resume or email messages that switches fonts halfway through, showing where you cut & pasted your form letter.
4. Tell me about your cool side projects and open-source work. Someone passionate about software is someone we want to hire.
PS: We’re looking for Java and Javascript wizards that are interested in helping us build out our project (http://dotspots.com/jobs/). 😉
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Hmmm… The focus of all this seems to be on removing from your online identity everything that marks you as an actually fully-rounded human being, as opposed to a cog in someone else’s machine.
Do we really want to work for organisations which are so shallow that they only see their employees are workerdroids? Are things really so desperate that we want to dehumanise ourselves this much?
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Hmmm… The focus of all this seems to be on removing from your online identity everything that marks you as an actually fully-rounded human being, as opposed to a cog in someone else’s machine.
Do we really want to work for organisations which are so shallow that they only see their employees are workerdroids? Are things really so desperate that we want to dehumanise ourselves this much?
LikeLike
Hmmm… The focus of all this seems to be on removing from your online identity everything that marks you as an actually fully-rounded human being, as opposed to a cog in someone else’s machine.
Do we really want to work for organisations which are so shallow that they only see their employees are workerdroids? Are things really so desperate that we want to dehumanise ourselves this much?
LikeLike
Some additional tips, from someone who is currently reviewing resumes:
1. When applying for a job, make sure you send a customized, relevant cover letter *in the body of the email*. Let me know exactly what experience you have that corresponds to what we’re looking for. I’m looking over so many resumes at a time, I have to skim a lot of them. If someone takes the time to tell me why they think they are right for the job (or why I’d be privileged to hire them) they get bonus points in the process.
2. Attach your resume in HTML format at a minimum (PDF or an HTTP link as a secondary format). DOC-format resumes take too long to load and not all of them load properly in iMail’s quickview. HTML resumes show inline in thunderbird and work well in quickview.
3. Double-check your fonts. Nothing says “I don’t care” like a resume or email messages that switches fonts halfway through, showing where you cut & pasted your form letter.
4. Tell me about your cool side projects and open-source work. Someone passionate about software is someone we want to hire.
PS: We’re looking for Java and Javascript wizards that are interested in helping us build out our project (http://dotspots.com/jobs/). 😉
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20. Avoid saying stuff about yourself that is easily refuted via social proof and public analytics.
So, if you say you are a social media marketing expert (like that exists) and you’re following 2,000 people on twitter, you have 162 followers, the default background and avatar still showing, auto-DM’s with spammy links and 6 tweets, you fail the credibility test.
Similarly, if you position yourself as a blogging, traffic or online marketing expert and your blog has an average 0.2 comments per post, an Alexa of 5,000,000 and 7 feedburner subscribers, you fail again.
It’s okay to be a public newbie. Just because you’re not a known entity doesn’t mean you don’t have mad skills. Own up to it, be authentic, then crank out mind-blowing, high-value content and let your content prove your worth, rather than your claims.
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20. Avoid saying stuff about yourself that is easily refuted via social proof and public analytics.
So, if you say you are a social media marketing expert (like that exists) and you’re following 2,000 people on twitter, you have 162 followers, the default background and avatar still showing, auto-DM’s with spammy links and 6 tweets, you fail the credibility test.
Similarly, if you position yourself as a blogging, traffic or online marketing expert and your blog has an average 0.2 comments per post, an Alexa of 5,000,000 and 7 feedburner subscribers, you fail again.
It’s okay to be a public newbie. Just because you’re not a known entity doesn’t mean you don’t have mad skills. Own up to it, be authentic, then crank out mind-blowing, high-value content and let your content prove your worth, rather than your claims.
LikeLike
20. Avoid saying stuff about yourself that is easily refuted via social proof and public analytics.
So, if you say you are a social media marketing expert (like that exists) and you’re following 2,000 people on twitter, you have 162 followers, the default background and avatar still showing, auto-DM’s with spammy links and 6 tweets, you fail the credibility test.
Similarly, if you position yourself as a blogging, traffic or online marketing expert and your blog has an average 0.2 comments per post, an Alexa of 5,000,000 and 7 feedburner subscribers, you fail again.
It’s okay to be a public newbie. Just because you’re not a known entity doesn’t mean you don’t have mad skills. Own up to it, be authentic, then crank out mind-blowing, high-value content and let your content prove your worth, rather than your claims.
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Answer to Stilgherrian: No, that is NOT what I’m saying. I’m saying that your blog should be like mine. 95% focused on your career and what you want to be known for and 5% your personal life. If you don’t like that advice then create two blogs: one for your personal life and one for your career. Only send around your career blog and hopefully what’s on your personal blog won’t detract from it when potential employers Google for it. I have naked pictures of me on the Internet and lots of photos of me partying and I’ve never had trouble getting a job: you don’t see me usually posting those here and they don’t get that much attention on Google.
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Answer to Stilgherrian: No, that is NOT what I’m saying. I’m saying that your blog should be like mine. 95% focused on your career and what you want to be known for and 5% your personal life. If you don’t like that advice then create two blogs: one for your personal life and one for your career. Only send around your career blog and hopefully what’s on your personal blog won’t detract from it when potential employers Google for it. I have naked pictures of me on the Internet and lots of photos of me partying and I’ve never had trouble getting a job: you don’t see me usually posting those here and they don’t get that much attention on Google.
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Answer to Stilgherrian: No, that is NOT what I’m saying. I’m saying that your blog should be like mine. 95% focused on your career and what you want to be known for and 5% your personal life. If you don’t like that advice then create two blogs: one for your personal life and one for your career. Only send around your career blog and hopefully what’s on your personal blog won’t detract from it when potential employers Google for it. I have naked pictures of me on the Internet and lots of photos of me partying and I’ve never had trouble getting a job: you don’t see me usually posting those here and they don’t get that much attention on Google.
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“Your blog is your resume. You need one and it needs to have 100 posts on it about what you want to be known for.” Exactly my thoughts Robert. Professionals, who are smart and have points of view about their field, can really do a great job demonstrating their knowledge via a blog. Don’t worry about page views. Worry about what analysis and perspective you’re providing on the issues and news of your industry.
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“Your blog is your resume. You need one and it needs to have 100 posts on it about what you want to be known for.” Exactly my thoughts Robert. Professionals, who are smart and have points of view about their field, can really do a great job demonstrating their knowledge via a blog. Don’t worry about page views. Worry about what analysis and perspective you’re providing on the issues and news of your industry.
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“Your blog is your resume. You need one and it needs to have 100 posts on it about what you want to be known for.” Exactly my thoughts Robert. Professionals, who are smart and have points of view about their field, can really do a great job demonstrating their knowledge via a blog. Don’t worry about page views. Worry about what analysis and perspective you’re providing on the issues and news of your industry.
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Hutch and Robert touch on something important here. It’s not about the overall amount of traffic to your blog, it’s about the quality of that traffic.
A blog ranking 5,000,000 on Alexa may be actually be ok if your niche is tiny and the audience is influential in your field.
Meanwhile we do have to assume that everything we write online is available to everybody, but I’d also keep in mind that there are plenty of (generally older) employers that don’t track our every utterance. We can easily drown out the older bad stuff with sufficient intelligent posts.
Along with flippant posts, I’d also stay away from blogging about politics, as for sure your ideal employer is going to have at least some different views from yours.
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Hutch and Robert touch on something important here. It’s not about the overall amount of traffic to your blog, it’s about the quality of that traffic.
A blog ranking 5,000,000 on Alexa may be actually be ok if your niche is tiny and the audience is influential in your field.
Meanwhile we do have to assume that everything we write online is available to everybody, but I’d also keep in mind that there are plenty of (generally older) employers that don’t track our every utterance. We can easily drown out the older bad stuff with sufficient intelligent posts.
Along with flippant posts, I’d also stay away from blogging about politics, as for sure your ideal employer is going to have at least some different views from yours.
LikeLike
Hutch and Robert touch on something important here. It’s not about the overall amount of traffic to your blog, it’s about the quality of that traffic.
A blog ranking 5,000,000 on Alexa may be actually be ok if your niche is tiny and the audience is influential in your field.
Meanwhile we do have to assume that everything we write online is available to everybody, but I’d also keep in mind that there are plenty of (generally older) employers that don’t track our every utterance. We can easily drown out the older bad stuff with sufficient intelligent posts.
Along with flippant posts, I’d also stay away from blogging about politics, as for sure your ideal employer is going to have at least some different views from yours.
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Great post, but I definitely want to respond to Stilgherrian’s comment about “removing from your online identity everything that marks you as an actually fully-rounded human being, as opposed to a cog in someone else’s machine.”
I’m not sure (actually, I’m quite sure) that’s not Scoble’s point. Instead, it’s making yourself more presentable and consumable. It’s totally ok to love LOL cats, to blog about what you had for dinner, and to talk about your kids incessantly. But, like everything, there’s a time and a place for that. It’s important to make sure you have a clear professional identity aside from your personal identity. Sure, the two can overlap, and yeah, a great employer or hiring manager will both know and recognize that– but it’s also important to prove that you can have distinct, logical conversations about your field of expertise without busting out into an LOL cat reference every two seconds.
A twitter stream littered with LOL cats doesn’t prove this point.
My suggestion is that if you’re concerned with eliminating your true online personality, that you create a second ID that’s focused on the more professional aspects of your life. Sprinkle in bits of your real personality, and then go from there.
In other news, if anyone is looking to hire an online Community Manager in the Bay Area (ex-yahoo, hit by the recent layoffs) feel free to reach out to me on my blog (http://new2oldmedia.wordpress.com ) or on Twitter where I sprinkle in my personality 😉 @mndaniels
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Great post, but I definitely want to respond to Stilgherrian’s comment about “removing from your online identity everything that marks you as an actually fully-rounded human being, as opposed to a cog in someone else’s machine.”
I’m not sure (actually, I’m quite sure) that’s not Scoble’s point. Instead, it’s making yourself more presentable and consumable. It’s totally ok to love LOL cats, to blog about what you had for dinner, and to talk about your kids incessantly. But, like everything, there’s a time and a place for that. It’s important to make sure you have a clear professional identity aside from your personal identity. Sure, the two can overlap, and yeah, a great employer or hiring manager will both know and recognize that– but it’s also important to prove that you can have distinct, logical conversations about your field of expertise without busting out into an LOL cat reference every two seconds.
A twitter stream littered with LOL cats doesn’t prove this point.
My suggestion is that if you’re concerned with eliminating your true online personality, that you create a second ID that’s focused on the more professional aspects of your life. Sprinkle in bits of your real personality, and then go from there.
In other news, if anyone is looking to hire an online Community Manager in the Bay Area (ex-yahoo, hit by the recent layoffs) feel free to reach out to me on my blog (http://new2oldmedia.wordpress.com ) or on Twitter where I sprinkle in my personality 😉 @mndaniels
LikeLike
Great post, but I definitely want to respond to Stilgherrian’s comment about “removing from your online identity everything that marks you as an actually fully-rounded human being, as opposed to a cog in someone else’s machine.”
I’m not sure (actually, I’m quite sure) that’s not Scoble’s point. Instead, it’s making yourself more presentable and consumable. It’s totally ok to love LOL cats, to blog about what you had for dinner, and to talk about your kids incessantly. But, like everything, there’s a time and a place for that. It’s important to make sure you have a clear professional identity aside from your personal identity. Sure, the two can overlap, and yeah, a great employer or hiring manager will both know and recognize that– but it’s also important to prove that you can have distinct, logical conversations about your field of expertise without busting out into an LOL cat reference every two seconds.
A twitter stream littered with LOL cats doesn’t prove this point.
My suggestion is that if you’re concerned with eliminating your true online personality, that you create a second ID that’s focused on the more professional aspects of your life. Sprinkle in bits of your real personality, and then go from there.
In other news, if anyone is looking to hire an online Community Manager in the Bay Area (ex-yahoo, hit by the recent layoffs) feel free to reach out to me on my blog (http://new2oldmedia.wordpress.com ) or on Twitter where I sprinkle in my personality 😉 @mndaniels
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Robert, these are solid tactical suggestions – thanks for some reminders of some smart and practical things I am going to do.
In addition, here are 3 less tech specific – but powerful – suggestions I’d offer, based on what I learned when the original Rivals.com liquidated in 2001 and it seemed like most of Seattle was laid off in the dotcom bust:
1) Now is a great time to take good care of yourself and get your body in shape.
If you are like I was then, skipping breakfast, eating instant ramen noodles from the vending machine for lunch, grabbing a few slices of pizza for dinner, then now is the time to fuel your body with healthy food. Want to have the abundant energy of Tim Ferriss (@tferris), you gotta get some better and healthier fuel. Since making this a priority, I have more energy and feel better than ever!
Along with that, now is the time to start exercising. Start with walking each day. Steve Jobs did that when was fired from Apple and he credits that with helping him relax and focus. Even Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) is starting to exercise – if the insanely busy Brogan can make time for it, so can you!
The benefit to you: you will feel more energized and less stressed. And if you are more energized and less stressed, you will have a more productive job search.
Most of us in tech spend so much time online it comes at the expense of health and fitness. In addition to all the smart health reasons I think Om Malik (@om) would suggest as reasons for better nutrition and exercise, good nutrition and fitness is a FOUNDATION for you to be able to do everything else you want to do, including getting a job.
I’ll be giving a talk related to this topic at SXSW and hope to hear some of you success stories in person then.
2) At the same time you’re getting your body in shape, now is the time to develop an even stronger attitude/psychology. Most of us tie our identity and self worth to our title, job, etc. and it can feel devastating after we lose the title, job, etc. This is a great time to learn how to put yourself in a peek state, where you can instantly feel 100% certainty – and unstoppable – not dependent on the external environment. Since learning how to do that, I feel like an entirely new person! People point it out to me all the time. I bet that prospective employers will notice this in you, too!
3) Keep in mind the big picture. Getting laid off could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Ask Jeff Pulver (@jeffpulver) about that, and he’ll tell you that getting fired from his job saved his life. Literally. Getting laid off from my job at Rivals.com in 2001 put me on a new path I never could have predicted. I have a belief that things have a way of working out. I know people say that all the time. And when you’ve been laid off, it doesn’t feel that way. But you’ve always found a way to come through hard times. And you will this time.
Net: do the smart tech and social networking things Robert is suggesting. And in addition, recognize that now is the time to innovate YOU!
@davideckoff
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Robert, these are solid tactical suggestions – thanks for some reminders of some smart and practical things I am going to do.
In addition, here are 3 less tech specific – but powerful – suggestions I’d offer, based on what I learned when the original Rivals.com liquidated in 2001 and it seemed like most of Seattle was laid off in the dotcom bust:
1) Now is a great time to take good care of yourself and get your body in shape.
If you are like I was then, skipping breakfast, eating instant ramen noodles from the vending machine for lunch, grabbing a few slices of pizza for dinner, then now is the time to fuel your body with healthy food. Want to have the abundant energy of Tim Ferriss (@tferris), you gotta get some better and healthier fuel. Since making this a priority, I have more energy and feel better than ever!
Along with that, now is the time to start exercising. Start with walking each day. Steve Jobs did that when was fired from Apple and he credits that with helping him relax and focus. Even Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) is starting to exercise – if the insanely busy Brogan can make time for it, so can you!
The benefit to you: you will feel more energized and less stressed. And if you are more energized and less stressed, you will have a more productive job search.
Most of us in tech spend so much time online it comes at the expense of health and fitness. In addition to all the smart health reasons I think Om Malik (@om) would suggest as reasons for better nutrition and exercise, good nutrition and fitness is a FOUNDATION for you to be able to do everything else you want to do, including getting a job.
I’ll be giving a talk related to this topic at SXSW and hope to hear some of you success stories in person then.
2) At the same time you’re getting your body in shape, now is the time to develop an even stronger attitude/psychology. Most of us tie our identity and self worth to our title, job, etc. and it can feel devastating after we lose the title, job, etc. This is a great time to learn how to put yourself in a peek state, where you can instantly feel 100% certainty – and unstoppable – not dependent on the external environment. Since learning how to do that, I feel like an entirely new person! People point it out to me all the time. I bet that prospective employers will notice this in you, too!
3) Keep in mind the big picture. Getting laid off could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Ask Jeff Pulver (@jeffpulver) about that, and he’ll tell you that getting fired from his job saved his life. Literally. Getting laid off from my job at Rivals.com in 2001 put me on a new path I never could have predicted. I have a belief that things have a way of working out. I know people say that all the time. And when you’ve been laid off, it doesn’t feel that way. But you’ve always found a way to come through hard times. And you will this time.
Net: do the smart tech and social networking things Robert is suggesting. And in addition, recognize that now is the time to innovate YOU!
@davideckoff
LikeLike
Robert, these are solid tactical suggestions – thanks for some reminders of some smart and practical things I am going to do.
In addition, here are 3 less tech specific – but powerful – suggestions I’d offer, based on what I learned when the original Rivals.com liquidated in 2001 and it seemed like most of Seattle was laid off in the dotcom bust:
1) Now is a great time to take good care of yourself and get your body in shape.
If you are like I was then, skipping breakfast, eating instant ramen noodles from the vending machine for lunch, grabbing a few slices of pizza for dinner, then now is the time to fuel your body with healthy food. Want to have the abundant energy of Tim Ferriss (@tferris), you gotta get some better and healthier fuel. Since making this a priority, I have more energy and feel better than ever!
Along with that, now is the time to start exercising. Start with walking each day. Steve Jobs did that when was fired from Apple and he credits that with helping him relax and focus. Even Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) is starting to exercise – if the insanely busy Brogan can make time for it, so can you!
The benefit to you: you will feel more energized and less stressed. And if you are more energized and less stressed, you will have a more productive job search.
Most of us in tech spend so much time online it comes at the expense of health and fitness. In addition to all the smart health reasons I think Om Malik (@om) would suggest as reasons for better nutrition and exercise, good nutrition and fitness is a FOUNDATION for you to be able to do everything else you want to do, including getting a job.
I’ll be giving a talk related to this topic at SXSW and hope to hear some of you success stories in person then.
2) At the same time you’re getting your body in shape, now is the time to develop an even stronger attitude/psychology. Most of us tie our identity and self worth to our title, job, etc. and it can feel devastating after we lose the title, job, etc. This is a great time to learn how to put yourself in a peek state, where you can instantly feel 100% certainty – and unstoppable – not dependent on the external environment. Since learning how to do that, I feel like an entirely new person! People point it out to me all the time. I bet that prospective employers will notice this in you, too!
3) Keep in mind the big picture. Getting laid off could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Ask Jeff Pulver (@jeffpulver) about that, and he’ll tell you that getting fired from his job saved his life. Literally. Getting laid off from my job at Rivals.com in 2001 put me on a new path I never could have predicted. I have a belief that things have a way of working out. I know people say that all the time. And when you’ve been laid off, it doesn’t feel that way. But you’ve always found a way to come through hard times. And you will this time.
Net: do the smart tech and social networking things Robert is suggesting. And in addition, recognize that now is the time to innovate YOU!
@davideckoff
LikeLike
Employers want to know who you are, where have you been, what have you accomplished, and what can you do for them. I prefer a well written cover/with short resume to present with a first meeting or phone conference. If your blog accomplishes these points ..fine. Lots of variables depending upon the position, company culture, etc.
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Employers want to know who you are, where have you been, what have you accomplished, and what can you do for them. I prefer a well written cover/with short resume to present with a first meeting or phone conference. If your blog accomplishes these points ..fine. Lots of variables depending upon the position, company culture, etc.
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Employers want to know who you are, where have you been, what have you accomplished, and what can you do for them. I prefer a well written cover/with short resume to present with a first meeting or phone conference. If your blog accomplishes these points ..fine. Lots of variables depending upon the position, company culture, etc.
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Another suggestion: Go back and read your Twitter posts, your blog posts, your Facebook status updates as though you are someone who might hire you. What do you think? Are you reading about someone positive, creative, interesting, dedicated, smart, interested and generally good to be around? Or are you reading about someone negative, sarcastic, grumpy, hateful, spiteful or rude?
This matters.
Melissa (@mchang16)
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Another suggestion: Go back and read your Twitter posts, your blog posts, your Facebook status updates as though you are someone who might hire you. What do you think? Are you reading about someone positive, creative, interesting, dedicated, smart, interested and generally good to be around? Or are you reading about someone negative, sarcastic, grumpy, hateful, spiteful or rude?
This matters.
Melissa (@mchang16)
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Another suggestion: Go back and read your Twitter posts, your blog posts, your Facebook status updates as though you are someone who might hire you. What do you think? Are you reading about someone positive, creative, interesting, dedicated, smart, interested and generally good to be around? Or are you reading about someone negative, sarcastic, grumpy, hateful, spiteful or rude?
This matters.
Melissa (@mchang16)
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Robert,
This is a timely post. I’m a PR professional who experienced a layoff last week and utilizing social networking for my job search is a necessity. Thanks everyone for the additional tips.
Tiffany
http://www.womenmakingmoves.org
Twitter ID: TiffanyPR
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Robert,
This is a timely post. I’m a PR professional who experienced a layoff last week and utilizing social networking for my job search is a necessity. Thanks everyone for the additional tips.
Tiffany
http://www.womenmakingmoves.org
Twitter ID: TiffanyPR
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Robert,
This is a timely post. I’m a PR professional who experienced a layoff last week and utilizing social networking for my job search is a necessity. Thanks everyone for the additional tips.
Tiffany
http://www.womenmakingmoves.org
Twitter ID: TiffanyPR
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Content is king!
Find your niche, start blogging and be passionate about it.
Before you even notice, you will start to monetize your blog and when you are one of these crazy techbloggers, you might also bump into Robert Scoble who will do a video interview then.
Then you are heading to your inbox the next day and you will find maybe 2 job offers, invitations to a couple of conferences as a speaker and the offer to write a book.
At this moment you realize, how hard you blogged to get a job and due to this, blogging became your job. Isn’t it cool to tell one of the global players, sorry guys, thanks for your offer but i love to be independent and i just love the job i am having now…
Everything is possible when you work hard for it!
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Content is king!
Find your niche, start blogging and be passionate about it.
Before you even notice, you will start to monetize your blog and when you are one of these crazy techbloggers, you might also bump into Robert Scoble who will do a video interview then.
Then you are heading to your inbox the next day and you will find maybe 2 job offers, invitations to a couple of conferences as a speaker and the offer to write a book.
At this moment you realize, how hard you blogged to get a job and due to this, blogging became your job. Isn’t it cool to tell one of the global players, sorry guys, thanks for your offer but i love to be independent and i just love the job i am having now…
Everything is possible when you work hard for it!
LikeLike
Content is king!
Find your niche, start blogging and be passionate about it.
Before you even notice, you will start to monetize your blog and when you are one of these crazy techbloggers, you might also bump into Robert Scoble who will do a video interview then.
Then you are heading to your inbox the next day and you will find maybe 2 job offers, invitations to a couple of conferences as a speaker and the offer to write a book.
At this moment you realize, how hard you blogged to get a job and due to this, blogging became your job. Isn’t it cool to tell one of the global players, sorry guys, thanks for your offer but i love to be independent and i just love the job i am having now…
Everything is possible when you work hard for it!
LikeLike
What you have said is great for bloggers, but probably not for the general public looking for a job. For them, I’d suggest going to events. Spend your last nickel meeting people. Volunteer for nonprofits, and do great work there so the board members will recommend you. I’ve been “laid off” read “in business for myself” for all my adult life, and that’s how you build a brand. People have to KNOW who and where you are, and not everyone’s a good writer.
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What you have said is great for bloggers, but probably not for the general public looking for a job. For them, I’d suggest going to events. Spend your last nickel meeting people. Volunteer for nonprofits, and do great work there so the board members will recommend you. I’ve been “laid off” read “in business for myself” for all my adult life, and that’s how you build a brand. People have to KNOW who and where you are, and not everyone’s a good writer.
LikeLike
What you have said is great for bloggers, but probably not for the general public looking for a job. For them, I’d suggest going to events. Spend your last nickel meeting people. Volunteer for nonprofits, and do great work there so the board members will recommend you. I’ve been “laid off” read “in business for myself” for all my adult life, and that’s how you build a brand. People have to KNOW who and where you are, and not everyone’s a good writer.
LikeLike
This is why I have two blogs – one personal and one of more thoughtful essays – and two websites – again, one personal and the other professional.
If you want to know who I am when I’m home, read the personal. If you want to know what I think and who I am at work, read the other.
Although, come to think of it, even the personal blog doesn’t include any LOLCats. (My cats have their own blog.)
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This is why I have two blogs – one personal and one of more thoughtful essays – and two websites – again, one personal and the other professional.
If you want to know who I am when I’m home, read the personal. If you want to know what I think and who I am at work, read the other.
Although, come to think of it, even the personal blog doesn’t include any LOLCats. (My cats have their own blog.)
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This is why I have two blogs – one personal and one of more thoughtful essays – and two websites – again, one personal and the other professional.
If you want to know who I am when I’m home, read the personal. If you want to know what I think and who I am at work, read the other.
Although, come to think of it, even the personal blog doesn’t include any LOLCats. (My cats have their own blog.)
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Robert, thanks for taking the time to respond. But I’m seeing an inconsistency…
Your recommendations are that we consign to the memory hole all the personal stuff, and especially anything which says we’re not perfect workers, because employers will look for it and reject us if they find something “bad”. But then you say that you yourself have online nude photos and pics of yourself partying that haven’t prevented you getting a job.
I see nothing wrong with giving potential employers a “landing page” which emphasises your strengths from their point of view. Indeed, yur advice to have a separate blog for “personal” stuff is just the same thing. But why go to all the effort of erasing the rest of your identity? Why be so paranoid about just being human?
Two final points (for now)…
1. I reckon an employer who will only employ someone who doesn’t have any material online which doesn’t conform to some outmoded idea of “proper behaviour” is an employer you shouldn’t work for.
2. I reckon the compartmentalisation of one’s life into “work” and “personal” identities is unhealthy — especially now that mobile communications blur the boundaries.
Poorly-formed thoughts at this stage. I may blog abut this later. No LOLcats though. 😉
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Robert, thanks for taking the time to respond. But I’m seeing an inconsistency…
Your recommendations are that we consign to the memory hole all the personal stuff, and especially anything which says we’re not perfect workers, because employers will look for it and reject us if they find something “bad”. But then you say that you yourself have online nude photos and pics of yourself partying that haven’t prevented you getting a job.
I see nothing wrong with giving potential employers a “landing page” which emphasises your strengths from their point of view. Indeed, yur advice to have a separate blog for “personal” stuff is just the same thing. But why go to all the effort of erasing the rest of your identity? Why be so paranoid about just being human?
Two final points (for now)…
1. I reckon an employer who will only employ someone who doesn’t have any material online which doesn’t conform to some outmoded idea of “proper behaviour” is an employer you shouldn’t work for.
2. I reckon the compartmentalisation of one’s life into “work” and “personal” identities is unhealthy — especially now that mobile communications blur the boundaries.
Poorly-formed thoughts at this stage. I may blog abut this later. No LOLcats though. 😉
LikeLike
Robert, thanks for taking the time to respond. But I’m seeing an inconsistency…
Your recommendations are that we consign to the memory hole all the personal stuff, and especially anything which says we’re not perfect workers, because employers will look for it and reject us if they find something “bad”. But then you say that you yourself have online nude photos and pics of yourself partying that haven’t prevented you getting a job.
I see nothing wrong with giving potential employers a “landing page” which emphasises your strengths from their point of view. Indeed, yur advice to have a separate blog for “personal” stuff is just the same thing. But why go to all the effort of erasing the rest of your identity? Why be so paranoid about just being human?
Two final points (for now)…
1. I reckon an employer who will only employ someone who doesn’t have any material online which doesn’t conform to some outmoded idea of “proper behaviour” is an employer you shouldn’t work for.
2. I reckon the compartmentalisation of one’s life into “work” and “personal” identities is unhealthy — especially now that mobile communications blur the boundaries.
Poorly-formed thoughts at this stage. I may blog abut this later. No LOLcats though. 😉
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Focus:
There is so much information on the Internet that searches need to understand what you are about.
Consistent:
Keep your story (subject) consistent on the Internet.
Industries:
Look into industries that will grow during the recession: http://bit.ly/dtBq
Remarkable:
If possible be a little bit remarkable, but not too much as it will scare off your potential boss.
Sell:
You are in Sales now: selling yourself is the hardest thing to do.
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Focus:
There is so much information on the Internet that searches need to understand what you are about.
Consistent:
Keep your story (subject) consistent on the Internet.
Industries:
Look into industries that will grow during the recession: http://bit.ly/dtBq
Remarkable:
If possible be a little bit remarkable, but not too much as it will scare off your potential boss.
Sell:
You are in Sales now: selling yourself is the hardest thing to do.
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Focus:
There is so much information on the Internet that searches need to understand what you are about.
Consistent:
Keep your story (subject) consistent on the Internet.
Industries:
Look into industries that will grow during the recession: http://bit.ly/dtBq
Remarkable:
If possible be a little bit remarkable, but not too much as it will scare off your potential boss.
Sell:
You are in Sales now: selling yourself is the hardest thing to do.
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I agree with Stilgherrian,
If a company is going to reject me because of my online presence, it’s a good sign that they aren’t a pleasant lot to work for.
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I agree with Stilgherrian,
If a company is going to reject me because of my online presence, it’s a good sign that they aren’t a pleasant lot to work for.
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I agree with Stilgherrian,
If a company is going to reject me because of my online presence, it’s a good sign that they aren’t a pleasant lot to work for.
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Let me simplify this for your drones…
Use common sense and throttle the public postings of every boring nuance in your life and make damn sure the people you align yourself with aren’t going to harm you.
Privacy features are good. Use them. The world doesn’t need to know your life and your future employer sure as hell doesn’t either.
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Let me simplify this for your drones…
Use common sense and throttle the public postings of every boring nuance in your life and make damn sure the people you align yourself with aren’t going to harm you.
Privacy features are good. Use them. The world doesn’t need to know your life and your future employer sure as hell doesn’t either.
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Let me simplify this for your drones…
Use common sense and throttle the public postings of every boring nuance in your life and make damn sure the people you align yourself with aren’t going to harm you.
Privacy features are good. Use them. The world doesn’t need to know your life and your future employer sure as hell doesn’t either.
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thanks a lot, Robert!
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thanks a lot, Robert!
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thanks a lot, Robert!
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Aside from blogging, you can also start with a part time job. It’s only a part time job but hey it’s still a job. It can help give you added income.
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Aside from blogging, you can also start with a part time job. It’s only a part time job but hey it’s still a job. It can help give you added income.
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Aside from blogging, you can also start with a part time job. It’s only a part time job but hey it’s still a job. It can help give you added income.
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A lot to take in all at once.. I think I am accidentally already doing half of the things on this list, just from being active in social media and writing on my own blog. But I’m definitely going to try to take this advice to heart.
Thanks for sitting down and putting this together, Robert!
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A lot to take in all at once.. I think I am accidentally already doing half of the things on this list, just from being active in social media and writing on my own blog. But I’m definitely going to try to take this advice to heart.
Thanks for sitting down and putting this together, Robert!
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A lot to take in all at once.. I think I am accidentally already doing half of the things on this list, just from being active in social media and writing on my own blog. But I’m definitely going to try to take this advice to heart.
Thanks for sitting down and putting this together, Robert!
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Good to see down to earth advice people can really use. Especially the part about putting lots of naked photos of yourself on the Internet to help you get a job… 😉
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Good to see down to earth advice people can really use. Especially the part about putting lots of naked photos of yourself on the Internet to help you get a job… 😉
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Good to see down to earth advice people can really use. Especially the part about putting lots of naked photos of yourself on the Internet to help you get a job… 😉
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With all due respect, “send out resumes” and “don’t lay around on the couch” aren’t groundbreaking bits of advice. This whole post smacks of the author asking himself what’s hot in the news, and coming up with the answer “yeah, layoffs, that’s it!”
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With all due respect, “send out resumes” and “don’t lay around on the couch” aren’t groundbreaking bits of advice. This whole post smacks of the author asking himself what’s hot in the news, and coming up with the answer “yeah, layoffs, that’s it!”
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With all due respect, “send out resumes” and “don’t lay around on the couch” aren’t groundbreaking bits of advice. This whole post smacks of the author asking himself what’s hot in the news, and coming up with the answer “yeah, layoffs, that’s it!”
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Some useful pointers.
How would your post on twitter about wanting to get hold of software (Windows 7) regardless of the legality of doing so fit into your post above?
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Some useful pointers.
How would your post on twitter about wanting to get hold of software (Windows 7) regardless of the legality of doing so fit into your post above?
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Robert,
Terrific list!
Here is one:
If you do end up setting up a blog, don’t post 5 times, and let it sit. It looks amateurish.
Chris who?
The Franchise King, Joel Libava
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Robert,
Terrific list!
Here is one:
If you do end up setting up a blog, don’t post 5 times, and let it sit. It looks amateurish.
Chris who?
The Franchise King, Joel Libava
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good read, thanks a lot
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good read, thanks a lot
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good read, thanks a lot
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All of what was said in this article seems obvious to me, though I do not agree with what you said about people being Social Media experts. You can be an expert in people and the way they are, profiling them based upon experience and post secondary training. After all, being a Social Media “expert” ir about knowing humans and what drives them, Social Networking is all the stuff that happens around you, and an expert can help you dictate that reality, in my humble opinion. All the best in 2009.
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All of what was said in this article seems obvious to me, though I do not agree with what you said about people being Social Media experts. You can be an expert in people and the way they are, profiling them based upon experience and post secondary training. After all, being a Social Media “expert” ir about knowing humans and what drives them, Social Networking is all the stuff that happens around you, and an expert can help you dictate that reality, in my humble opinion. All the best in 2009.
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All of what was said in this article seems obvious to me, though I do not agree with what you said about people being Social Media experts. You can be an expert in people and the way they are, profiling them based upon experience and post secondary training. After all, being a Social Media “expert” ir about knowing humans and what drives them, Social Networking is all the stuff that happens around you, and an expert can help you dictate that reality, in my humble opinion. All the best in 2009.
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Engago Team: You nailed it~~ Sell Yourself.
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Engago Team: You nailed it~~ Sell Yourself.
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Engago Team: You nailed it~~ Sell Yourself.
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I actually have a google keyword campaign for my own name — Ted Murphy. It costs me a few dollars a day, and its worth it to me that someone looking for me sees me up top.
The other Ted Murphy out there doesn’t leave a lot of social media oxygen :).
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I actually have a google keyword campaign for my own name — Ted Murphy. It costs me a few dollars a day, and its worth it to me that someone looking for me sees me up top.
The other Ted Murphy out there doesn’t leave a lot of social media oxygen :).
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I actually have a google keyword campaign for my own name — Ted Murphy. It costs me a few dollars a day, and its worth it to me that someone looking for me sees me up top.
The other Ted Murphy out there doesn’t leave a lot of social media oxygen :).
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I performed a search for the term ‘jobs map’ to help people find out where the most jobs per capita are located in the US.
Turns out that San Jose has the most, but even places like Detroit have substantial numbers of new jobs available.
I linked to Indeed.com’s “Job Map” on the following post, which I hope helps some people who are looking for work:
http://www.joemescher.com/2009/01/where-are-the-jobs/
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I performed a search for the term ‘jobs map’ to help people find out where the most jobs per capita are located in the US.
Turns out that San Jose has the most, but even places like Detroit have substantial numbers of new jobs available.
I linked to Indeed.com’s “Job Map” on the following post, which I hope helps some people who are looking for work:
http://www.joemescher.com/2009/01/where-are-the-jobs/
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I performed a search for the term ‘jobs map’ to help people find out where the most jobs per capita are located in the US.
Turns out that San Jose has the most, but even places like Detroit have substantial numbers of new jobs available.
I linked to Indeed.com’s “Job Map” on the following post, which I hope helps some people who are looking for work:
http://www.joemescher.com/2009/01/where-are-the-jobs/
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Robert; Very good points and raises the question of separation of personal and professional on the web (can you?). Not sure if you’ve posted on this previously but would be curious as to your approach to this.
“Scobleizer” is your professional brand and persona and you have two Facebook accounts under “Robert Scoble” one open, one protected. My guess is that the protected account isn’t truly a personal Facebook account, but more an inner-sanctum professional account.
For most of us we wouldn’t be embarrassed to have a professional associate see picts of the kids opening their Xmas presents or the family reunion bbq but as your post points out, you don’t want that to be the majority of your “professional” persona.
As personal friends and family increasingly use Facebook, Twitter, etc, what is your individual strategy? Do you have a 3rd Facebook for “friends & family”? Do you have multiple Twitter feeds? How do you manage this separation between professional and truly personal?
Thanks
Clark
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Robert; Very good points and raises the question of separation of personal and professional on the web (can you?). Not sure if you’ve posted on this previously but would be curious as to your approach to this.
“Scobleizer” is your professional brand and persona and you have two Facebook accounts under “Robert Scoble” one open, one protected. My guess is that the protected account isn’t truly a personal Facebook account, but more an inner-sanctum professional account.
For most of us we wouldn’t be embarrassed to have a professional associate see picts of the kids opening their Xmas presents or the family reunion bbq but as your post points out, you don’t want that to be the majority of your “professional” persona.
As personal friends and family increasingly use Facebook, Twitter, etc, what is your individual strategy? Do you have a 3rd Facebook for “friends & family”? Do you have multiple Twitter feeds? How do you manage this separation between professional and truly personal?
Thanks
Clark
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Robert; Very good points and raises the question of separation of personal and professional on the web (can you?). Not sure if you’ve posted on this previously but would be curious as to your approach to this.
“Scobleizer” is your professional brand and persona and you have two Facebook accounts under “Robert Scoble” one open, one protected. My guess is that the protected account isn’t truly a personal Facebook account, but more an inner-sanctum professional account.
For most of us we wouldn’t be embarrassed to have a professional associate see picts of the kids opening their Xmas presents or the family reunion bbq but as your post points out, you don’t want that to be the majority of your “professional” persona.
As personal friends and family increasingly use Facebook, Twitter, etc, what is your individual strategy? Do you have a 3rd Facebook for “friends & family”? Do you have multiple Twitter feeds? How do you manage this separation between professional and truly personal?
Thanks
Clark
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Great information on using social networking tools to find a job. These are also good general tips on building your personal brand. If you keep your brand golden, you’ll bounce back from any layoff very quickly.
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Great information on using social networking tools to find a job. These are also good general tips on building your personal brand. If you keep your brand golden, you’ll bounce back from any layoff very quickly.
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Great information on using social networking tools to find a job. These are also good general tips on building your personal brand. If you keep your brand golden, you’ll bounce back from any layoff very quickly.
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All work and no play…
There’s no harm in having all the “bad” stuff out there, just make sure it’s not attributed to your real name. My friends know where to find me, but my profile is always an alias.
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All work and no play…
There’s no harm in having all the “bad” stuff out there, just make sure it’s not attributed to your real name. My friends know where to find me, but my profile is always an alias.
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All work and no play…
There’s no harm in having all the “bad” stuff out there, just make sure it’s not attributed to your real name. My friends know where to find me, but my profile is always an alias.
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Hmm, we actually request a link to a LOLcat in cover letters as a filter to ensure people actually read the job posting….
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Hmm, we actually request a link to a LOLcat in cover letters as a filter to ensure people actually read the job posting….
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C’Mon Scoble, I don’t want to jump through a million hoops to get another job, or change my blog to be more career-focused.
Can’t you just hire me as your assistant 🙂
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C’Mon Scoble, I don’t want to jump through a million hoops to get another job, or change my blog to be more career-focused.
Can’t you just hire me as your assistant 🙂
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C’Mon Scoble, I don’t want to jump through a million hoops to get another job, or change my blog to be more career-focused.
Can’t you just hire me as your assistant 🙂
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What are LOLCats?? Are they simply writing “LOL” slang?
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What are LOLCats?? Are they simply writing “LOL” slang?
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What are LOLCats?? Are they simply writing “LOL” slang?
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I think regular flossing is the way forward…
http://www.okathleen.wordpress.com
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I think regular flossing is the way forward…
http://www.okathleen.wordpress.com
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I think regular flossing is the way forward…
http://www.okathleen.wordpress.com
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And with that last little snippet of information about the existence of *photos*, the world has suddenly become a much scarier place.
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And with that last little snippet of information about the existence of *photos*, the world has suddenly become a much scarier place.
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And with that last little snippet of information about the existence of *photos*, the world has suddenly become a much scarier place.
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Nice post. I just posted some complementary resume advice (mostly tailored to getting your first job out of college, but it’s good info for if you’re laid off as well) on my blog:
http://blog.rosenblum.info/2009/01/how-to-get-your-first-job-after.html
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Nice post. I just posted some complementary resume advice (mostly tailored to getting your first job out of college, but it’s good info for if you’re laid off as well) on my blog:
http://blog.rosenblum.info/2009/01/how-to-get-your-first-job-after.html
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Nice post. I just posted some complementary resume advice (mostly tailored to getting your first job out of college, but it’s good info for if you’re laid off as well) on my blog:
http://blog.rosenblum.info/2009/01/how-to-get-your-first-job-after.html
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Great advice. Being laid off is exactly why I started my blog at http://www.breadline.wordpress.com. (Get it? The Bread Line, as in what unemployed people stood in for food during the Great Depression.) I’m an out-of-work newspaperman who would love to crack the commentary page of a newspaper again. Rough industry right now, though. If nothing else, the blog helps me keep my writing sharp – but hopefully it helps lead to something more, either by being noticed by the right person or as an extension of my resume I can show to prospective employers.
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Great advice. Being laid off is exactly why I started my blog at http://www.breadline.wordpress.com. (Get it? The Bread Line, as in what unemployed people stood in for food during the Great Depression.) I’m an out-of-work newspaperman who would love to crack the commentary page of a newspaper again. Rough industry right now, though. If nothing else, the blog helps me keep my writing sharp – but hopefully it helps lead to something more, either by being noticed by the right person or as an extension of my resume I can show to prospective employers.
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Great advice. Being laid off is exactly why I started my blog at http://www.breadline.wordpress.com. (Get it? The Bread Line, as in what unemployed people stood in for food during the Great Depression.) I’m an out-of-work newspaperman who would love to crack the commentary page of a newspaper again. Rough industry right now, though. If nothing else, the blog helps me keep my writing sharp – but hopefully it helps lead to something more, either by being noticed by the right person or as an extension of my resume I can show to prospective employers.
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Thanks for the helpful tips I will take them to heart. I just got laid off a week ago and am now refocusing my efforts.
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Thanks for the helpful tips I will take them to heart. I just got laid off a week ago and am now refocusing my efforts.
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Thanks for the helpful tips I will take them to heart. I just got laid off a week ago and am now refocusing my efforts.
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You also need to keep your network warm. Reach out to contacts before you get laid off, pay attention to their interests and needs, be as generous as possible in helping them.
Contacts who don’ read your blog, don’t follow you on twitter and who your don’t email won’t help you find your next job.
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You also need to keep your network warm. Reach out to contacts before you get laid off, pay attention to their interests and needs, be as generous as possible in helping them.
Contacts who don’ read your blog, don’t follow you on twitter and who your don’t email won’t help you find your next job.
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You also need to keep your network warm. Reach out to contacts before you get laid off, pay attention to their interests and needs, be as generous as possible in helping them.
Contacts who don’ read your blog, don’t follow you on twitter and who your don’t email won’t help you find your next job.
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I’m clearly not a social media expert because I’ve never heard of LOLCats until I saw this post.
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I’m clearly not a social media expert because I’ve never heard of LOLCats until I saw this post.
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I’m clearly not a social media expert because I’ve never heard of LOLCats until I saw this post.
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Recently I built http://www.happyjobsearch.com . Its purpose is to help you stay organized when looking for a job.
I built it because I got laid off from a startup because of funding, then three months later got laid off from another one for the same reason. So with my wide and deep experience in getting laid off, I found that being organized when job hunting really helps a lot.
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Recently I built http://www.happyjobsearch.com . Its purpose is to help you stay organized when looking for a job.
I built it because I got laid off from a startup because of funding, then three months later got laid off from another one for the same reason. So with my wide and deep experience in getting laid off, I found that being organized when job hunting really helps a lot.
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Recently I built http://www.happyjobsearch.com . Its purpose is to help you stay organized when looking for a job.
I built it because I got laid off from a startup because of funding, then three months later got laid off from another one for the same reason. So with my wide and deep experience in getting laid off, I found that being organized when job hunting really helps a lot.
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Great post. It’s definitely all about taking action and connecting with the right people (taking action).
My company isn’t in the tech industry- we recruit in building materials, which is in a very difficult spot right now. These tips are great for any industry, though!
I just started on our blog a couple of weeks ago, so any tips/comments are welcome. http://www.buildinggurus.wordpress.com
Good blog!
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Great post. It’s definitely all about taking action and connecting with the right people (taking action).
My company isn’t in the tech industry- we recruit in building materials, which is in a very difficult spot right now. These tips are great for any industry, though!
I just started on our blog a couple of weeks ago, so any tips/comments are welcome. http://www.buildinggurus.wordpress.com
Good blog!
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Great post. It’s definitely all about taking action and connecting with the right people (taking action).
My company isn’t in the tech industry- we recruit in building materials, which is in a very difficult spot right now. These tips are great for any industry, though!
I just started on our blog a couple of weeks ago, so any tips/comments are welcome. http://www.buildinggurus.wordpress.com
Good blog!
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Well, the post is very interesting and I think almost all the points are covered. But a couple of days ago I came across a very interesting story on digg which I think is apt for this post
Check it out
http://digg.com/tech_news/10_Questions_with_Mr_Dushyant_Bhatia_CEO_of_Blogertize
A guy quit his job to help those who were laid off by helping them monetizing their blogs and inturn making some quick bucks
Lol – now thats what one should do when one is laid off
Mike
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Well, the post is very interesting and I think almost all the points are covered. But a couple of days ago I came across a very interesting story on digg which I think is apt for this post
Check it out
http://digg.com/tech_news/10_Questions_with_Mr_Dushyant_Bhatia_CEO_of_Blogertize
A guy quit his job to help those who were laid off by helping them monetizing their blogs and inturn making some quick bucks
Lol – now thats what one should do when one is laid off
Mike
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Well, the post is very interesting and I think almost all the points are covered. But a couple of days ago I came across a very interesting story on digg which I think is apt for this post
Check it out
http://digg.com/tech_news/10_Questions_with_Mr_Dushyant_Bhatia_CEO_of_Blogertize
A guy quit his job to help those who were laid off by helping them monetizing their blogs and inturn making some quick bucks
Lol – now thats what one should do when one is laid off
Mike
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technology bloggreat advice…i’ve already socialize in facebook and twitter but i just add members without focusing on my niche…tq for this tip
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technology bloggreat advice…i’ve already socialize in facebook and twitter but i just add members without focusing on my niche…tq for this tip
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technology bloggreat advice…i’ve already socialize in facebook and twitter but i just add members without focusing on my niche…tq for this tip
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Robert, a few more suggestions:
Present a consistent face to all audiences by linking together your twitter update to your facebook update as well as linking together your blog to your LinkedIn profile.
Join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your education, experiences and target industry and participate in the online discussions.
Aggressively follow the blogs of the people and companies you’re interested in talking to as well as the people and companies who are specialists in your area. Comment intelligently on the blogs, but don’t be a stalker.
Get involved in the developer and user group communities for the companies or technologies that interest you. In technology, nothing says “hire me” louder than being a rock star in the developer or user community.
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Robert, a few more suggestions:
Present a consistent face to all audiences by linking together your twitter update to your facebook update as well as linking together your blog to your LinkedIn profile.
Join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your education, experiences and target industry and participate in the online discussions.
Aggressively follow the blogs of the people and companies you’re interested in talking to as well as the people and companies who are specialists in your area. Comment intelligently on the blogs, but don’t be a stalker.
Get involved in the developer and user group communities for the companies or technologies that interest you. In technology, nothing says “hire me” louder than being a rock star in the developer or user community.
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Robert, a few more suggestions:
Present a consistent face to all audiences by linking together your twitter update to your facebook update as well as linking together your blog to your LinkedIn profile.
Join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your education, experiences and target industry and participate in the online discussions.
Aggressively follow the blogs of the people and companies you’re interested in talking to as well as the people and companies who are specialists in your area. Comment intelligently on the blogs, but don’t be a stalker.
Get involved in the developer and user group communities for the companies or technologies that interest you. In technology, nothing says “hire me” louder than being a rock star in the developer or user community.
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Robert you’re awesome. Hard not to comment. I remembered this and looked back today just so I could comment in relation to the pewinternet study. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/272/source/rss/report_display.asp
It’s a great, curmudgeonly point of view that nobody can really work as something so silly as “social media expert” and yet, this study seems to say it’s a growing business in a time when there aren’t many. Hah?
BTW, test our beta for adCenter Publisher.
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Robert you’re awesome. Hard not to comment. I remembered this and looked back today just so I could comment in relation to the pewinternet study. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/272/source/rss/report_display.asp
It’s a great, curmudgeonly point of view that nobody can really work as something so silly as “social media expert” and yet, this study seems to say it’s a growing business in a time when there aren’t many. Hah?
BTW, test our beta for adCenter Publisher.
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Robert you’re awesome. Hard not to comment. I remembered this and looked back today just so I could comment in relation to the pewinternet study. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/272/source/rss/report_display.asp
It’s a great, curmudgeonly point of view that nobody can really work as something so silly as “social media expert” and yet, this study seems to say it’s a growing business in a time when there aren’t many. Hah?
BTW, test our beta for adCenter Publisher.
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That’s a good idea to help people. And I’m sure that can help me…
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That’s a good idea to help people. And I’m sure that can help me…
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That’s a good idea to help people. And I’m sure that can help me…
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Great post, but this is important: Don’t forget companies have policies and have to follow laws. Tech companies are foward thinking about tech. Other industries may not be.
There are ALOT of companies that don’t want or allow their employees to be blogging about them. So make it clear in interviews that you follow rules about companies’ use of social media.
Laws: even if your blog is your resume, you still need a resume. Companies for the most part use applicant tracking systems to track data they’re required to track by law (like EEO).
Also, that’s why your video resume may not be so popular (see my blog about video resumes here: http://tinyurl.com/7xwox9). Many companies are just too scared to use them.
Whatever you do, don’t think in the “cool company” phase. Not all companies or industies are comprised of only cool start-ups that will let you blog or that even blog themselves. In your job search, make sure you tailor your online presence and think about it as such.
Susan Strayer, Recruiting Exec and Career Coach
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/6gbjbj
Twitter: @DailyCareerTips and @susandstrayer
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanstrayer
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Great post, but this is important: Don’t forget companies have policies and have to follow laws. Tech companies are foward thinking about tech. Other industries may not be.
There are ALOT of companies that don’t want or allow their employees to be blogging about them. So make it clear in interviews that you follow rules about companies’ use of social media.
Laws: even if your blog is your resume, you still need a resume. Companies for the most part use applicant tracking systems to track data they’re required to track by law (like EEO).
Also, that’s why your video resume may not be so popular (see my blog about video resumes here: http://tinyurl.com/7xwox9). Many companies are just too scared to use them.
Whatever you do, don’t think in the “cool company” phase. Not all companies or industies are comprised of only cool start-ups that will let you blog or that even blog themselves. In your job search, make sure you tailor your online presence and think about it as such.
Susan Strayer, Recruiting Exec and Career Coach
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/6gbjbj
Twitter: @DailyCareerTips and @susandstrayer
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanstrayer
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Great post, but this is important: Don’t forget companies have policies and have to follow laws. Tech companies are foward thinking about tech. Other industries may not be.
There are ALOT of companies that don’t want or allow their employees to be blogging about them. So make it clear in interviews that you follow rules about companies’ use of social media.
Laws: even if your blog is your resume, you still need a resume. Companies for the most part use applicant tracking systems to track data they’re required to track by law (like EEO).
Also, that’s why your video resume may not be so popular (see my blog about video resumes here: http://tinyurl.com/7xwox9). Many companies are just too scared to use them.
Whatever you do, don’t think in the “cool company” phase. Not all companies or industies are comprised of only cool start-ups that will let you blog or that even blog themselves. In your job search, make sure you tailor your online presence and think about it as such.
Susan Strayer, Recruiting Exec and Career Coach
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/6gbjbj
Twitter: @DailyCareerTips and @susandstrayer
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanstrayer
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Great advice.
“I have naked pictures of me out there on the Internet…”
I so do NOT want to see those. No offense.
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Great advice.
“I have naked pictures of me out there on the Internet…”
I so do NOT want to see those. No offense.
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Great advice.
“I have naked pictures of me out there on the Internet…”
I so do NOT want to see those. No offense.
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I would also add that the advice is for everyone who might ever have to look for a job. You might not have as much time to build out the network while you are working but it is easier to do without the pressure of having to find a new job.
These days you almost have to make preparing for the worst a part-time job on top of your real job.
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I would also add that the advice is for everyone who might ever have to look for a job. You might not have as much time to build out the network while you are working but it is easier to do without the pressure of having to find a new job.
These days you almost have to make preparing for the worst a part-time job on top of your real job.
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I would also add that the advice is for everyone who might ever have to look for a job. You might not have as much time to build out the network while you are working but it is easier to do without the pressure of having to find a new job.
These days you almost have to make preparing for the worst a part-time job on top of your real job.
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Hi everyone,
I am the in-house recruiter for Innovation Interactive and we are looking to hire great talent for our New York and Atlanta offices. In NY we are looking for Media Managers, Associate Media Directors with search experience. We are also looking for a Director of Customer Insights to lead and grow our current team and services. In Atlanta we have an array of openings from .Net Developers to Media Interns. Please feel free to email me at with resumes and inquiries:
Kfernandez@innovationinteractive.com
http://www.searchignite.com
Best of luck to you in your search!
Kat Fernandez
http://www.360i.com
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Hi everyone,
I am the in-house recruiter for Innovation Interactive and we are looking to hire great talent for our New York and Atlanta offices. In NY we are looking for Media Managers, Associate Media Directors with search experience. We are also looking for a Director of Customer Insights to lead and grow our current team and services. In Atlanta we have an array of openings from .Net Developers to Media Interns. Please feel free to email me at with resumes and inquiries:
Kfernandez@innovationinteractive.com
http://www.searchignite.com
Best of luck to you in your search!
Kat Fernandez
http://www.360i.com
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Hi everyone,
I am the in-house recruiter for Innovation Interactive and we are looking to hire great talent for our New York and Atlanta offices. In NY we are looking for Media Managers, Associate Media Directors with search experience. We are also looking for a Director of Customer Insights to lead and grow our current team and services. In Atlanta we have an array of openings from .Net Developers to Media Interns. Please feel free to email me at with resumes and inquiries:
Kfernandez@innovationinteractive.com
http://www.searchignite.com
Best of luck to you in your search!
Kat Fernandez
http://www.360i.com
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I laid myself off last June after 13 years at my previous job. I had already been doing most of the items on your list and already had several conversations with some companies about potential jobs in progress. Then the economy collapsed and all of those opportunities froze up. It took we a few months but I found a great job as a CTO for a startup working out of my house.
I already had a well established technology blog on ITToolbox. I created my own company and a new blog http://www.kavistechnology.com and started publishing PowerPoint presentations and offered to speak at numerous conferences for free. This not only gave me a great platform to promote myself but it also allowed me to attend many cool conferences at no cost.
Even though I have a steady job now, I still keep my own company’s blog going and occasionally get paid opportunities to speak or give brief consulting gigs on IT strategy. If for any reason I lose my current job, I know I will have something to fall back on. So I recommend a proactive approach for those who are not looking for work. This economy is expected to shed at least another 1M jobs in 2009. If even you are employed you should prepare as if you are about to get laid off. You never know what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for your post.
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I laid myself off last June after 13 years at my previous job. I had already been doing most of the items on your list and already had several conversations with some companies about potential jobs in progress. Then the economy collapsed and all of those opportunities froze up. It took we a few months but I found a great job as a CTO for a startup working out of my house.
I already had a well established technology blog on ITToolbox. I created my own company and a new blog http://www.kavistechnology.com and started publishing PowerPoint presentations and offered to speak at numerous conferences for free. This not only gave me a great platform to promote myself but it also allowed me to attend many cool conferences at no cost.
Even though I have a steady job now, I still keep my own company’s blog going and occasionally get paid opportunities to speak or give brief consulting gigs on IT strategy. If for any reason I lose my current job, I know I will have something to fall back on. So I recommend a proactive approach for those who are not looking for work. This economy is expected to shed at least another 1M jobs in 2009. If even you are employed you should prepare as if you are about to get laid off. You never know what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for your post.
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I laid myself off last June after 13 years at my previous job. I had already been doing most of the items on your list and already had several conversations with some companies about potential jobs in progress. Then the economy collapsed and all of those opportunities froze up. It took we a few months but I found a great job as a CTO for a startup working out of my house.
I already had a well established technology blog on ITToolbox. I created my own company and a new blog http://www.kavistechnology.com and started publishing PowerPoint presentations and offered to speak at numerous conferences for free. This not only gave me a great platform to promote myself but it also allowed me to attend many cool conferences at no cost.
Even though I have a steady job now, I still keep my own company’s blog going and occasionally get paid opportunities to speak or give brief consulting gigs on IT strategy. If for any reason I lose my current job, I know I will have something to fall back on. So I recommend a proactive approach for those who are not looking for work. This economy is expected to shed at least another 1M jobs in 2009. If even you are employed you should prepare as if you are about to get laid off. You never know what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for your post.
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Doubtful anyone will use the wayback machine to check out a potential candidate. If your current profile cuts the mustard. Your probably ok. One more thing to add. Go to tweetups! I met a lot of interesting social people last night. at the Tampa Bay tweetup #tbtweet
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Doubtful anyone will use the wayback machine to check out a potential candidate. If your current profile cuts the mustard. Your probably ok. One more thing to add. Go to tweetups! I met a lot of interesting social people last night. at the Tampa Bay tweetup #tbtweet
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Doubtful anyone will use the wayback machine to check out a potential candidate. If your current profile cuts the mustard. Your probably ok. One more thing to add. Go to tweetups! I met a lot of interesting social people last night. at the Tampa Bay tweetup #tbtweet
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Sorry, dude, you’re wrong about the LOL stuff. People who make hiring decisions — HR professionals and the executives that we influence — read LOL Cheezburgers.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/11/15/pathos_lolcats/print.html
Trust me on this one. You’re wrong.
Laurie Ruettimann @ Punk Rock HR
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Sorry, dude, you’re wrong about the LOL stuff. People who make hiring decisions — HR professionals and the executives that we influence — read LOL Cheezburgers.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/11/15/pathos_lolcats/print.html
Trust me on this one. You’re wrong.
Laurie Ruettimann @ Punk Rock HR
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Sorry, dude, you’re wrong about the LOL stuff. People who make hiring decisions — HR professionals and the executives that we influence — read LOL Cheezburgers.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/11/15/pathos_lolcats/print.html
Trust me on this one. You’re wrong.
Laurie Ruettimann @ Punk Rock HR
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Found this via PSFK and love it. Thanks so much for the great ideas. I’ve just locked down my facebook and couldn’t be more thrilled.
Your advice–it’s all the sort of basic, “You should know this already” kind of info that most people “know” but rarely apply. It means so much when someone goes the extra mile & actually applies all those “oh yeah, I really should do that” things.
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Found this via PSFK and love it. Thanks so much for the great ideas. I’ve just locked down my facebook and couldn’t be more thrilled.
Your advice–it’s all the sort of basic, “You should know this already” kind of info that most people “know” but rarely apply. It means so much when someone goes the extra mile & actually applies all those “oh yeah, I really should do that” things.
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Found this via PSFK and love it. Thanks so much for the great ideas. I’ve just locked down my facebook and couldn’t be more thrilled.
Your advice–it’s all the sort of basic, “You should know this already” kind of info that most people “know” but rarely apply. It means so much when someone goes the extra mile & actually applies all those “oh yeah, I really should do that” things.
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I love how you emphasize mistake free writing, yet your tip #11 has a typo. Content wise, you posted useful advice. Once I figure out what it is that I want to do, I’ll follow your tips for finding productive employment in that area.
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I love how you emphasize mistake free writing, yet your tip #11 has a typo. Content wise, you posted useful advice. Once I figure out what it is that I want to do, I’ll follow your tips for finding productive employment in that area.
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I love how you emphasize mistake free writing, yet your tip #11 has a typo. Content wise, you posted useful advice. Once I figure out what it is that I want to do, I’ll follow your tips for finding productive employment in that area.
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Robert, what if I am passionate about many things and not just topics related to my career? For example, my job is not technology related at all (although I have acquired technical skills because of it). I am certainly passionate about technology, but not an expert in any specific area.
Nevertheless, that is a great list. I certainly need to blog more.
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Robert, what if I am passionate about many things and not just topics related to my career? For example, my job is not technology related at all (although I have acquired technical skills because of it). I am certainly passionate about technology, but not an expert in any specific area.
Nevertheless, that is a great list. I certainly need to blog more.
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Robert, what if I am passionate about many things and not just topics related to my career? For example, my job is not technology related at all (although I have acquired technical skills because of it). I am certainly passionate about technology, but not an expert in any specific area.
Nevertheless, that is a great list. I certainly need to blog more.
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Awesome post. Thanks for it. Am a career services rep for an association and hope I can get half these lessons across to our jobseeking members.
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Awesome post. Thanks for it. Am a career services rep for an association and hope I can get half these lessons across to our jobseeking members.
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Awesome post. Thanks for it. Am a career services rep for an association and hope I can get half these lessons across to our jobseeking members.
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I absolutely agree. There is no point sitting on your hands on crying in your beer.
Limerick is doing the same: http://opencoffeeclublimerick.com/?p=43
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I absolutely agree. There is no point sitting on your hands on crying in your beer.
Limerick is doing the same: http://opencoffeeclublimerick.com/?p=43
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I absolutely agree. There is no point sitting on your hands on crying in your beer.
Limerick is doing the same: http://opencoffeeclublimerick.com/?p=43
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This is practical advice but begs the question: What the hell is the hiring manager doing looking at your personal blog?!
He’s begging for a lawsuit! Has he heard of the OFCCP or the EEOC’s E-RACE initiative?
http://www.eeoc.gov/initiatives/e-race/goals.html
I definitely agree that recruiters should use social media, in addition to other sources that are not as heavily weighted to a particular demographic, to identify potentially qualified applicants. And smart job seekers should put their best face forward on all fronts. However, once they become a qualified candidate, no one in the company needs to be checking out their online profile. It’s an invitation for a lawsuit.
See my recent item on this issue at http://blogs.imperativeinfo.com/imperative_information/2009/01/the-wrong-way-to-use-social-networking-in-hr.html
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This is practical advice but begs the question: What the hell is the hiring manager doing looking at your personal blog?!
He’s begging for a lawsuit! Has he heard of the OFCCP or the EEOC’s E-RACE initiative?
http://www.eeoc.gov/initiatives/e-race/goals.html
I definitely agree that recruiters should use social media, in addition to other sources that are not as heavily weighted to a particular demographic, to identify potentially qualified applicants. And smart job seekers should put their best face forward on all fronts. However, once they become a qualified candidate, no one in the company needs to be checking out their online profile. It’s an invitation for a lawsuit.
See my recent item on this issue at http://blogs.imperativeinfo.com/imperative_information/2009/01/the-wrong-way-to-use-social-networking-in-hr.html
LikeLike
This is practical advice but begs the question: What the hell is the hiring manager doing looking at your personal blog?!
He’s begging for a lawsuit! Has he heard of the OFCCP or the EEOC’s E-RACE initiative?
http://www.eeoc.gov/initiatives/e-race/goals.html
I definitely agree that recruiters should use social media, in addition to other sources that are not as heavily weighted to a particular demographic, to identify potentially qualified applicants. And smart job seekers should put their best face forward on all fronts. However, once they become a qualified candidate, no one in the company needs to be checking out their online profile. It’s an invitation for a lawsuit.
See my recent item on this issue at http://blogs.imperativeinfo.com/imperative_information/2009/01/the-wrong-way-to-use-social-networking-in-hr.html
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Hi Robert, I found your post brilliant!! I’ve been always trying to follow those rules, Even when I wasn’t laid off.
I left my job a week ago to start my own social media company in Argentina, and I still think it’s the right decision. I’ve been very involved in social media the last year, and my team and I are pretty sure that we’ll have work to do.
Thanks for those tips.
Best,
Matias Paterlini
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Hi Robert, I found your post brilliant!! I’ve been always trying to follow those rules, Even when I wasn’t laid off.
I left my job a week ago to start my own social media company in Argentina, and I still think it’s the right decision. I’ve been very involved in social media the last year, and my team and I are pretty sure that we’ll have work to do.
Thanks for those tips.
Best,
Matias Paterlini
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Hi Robert, I found your post brilliant!! I’ve been always trying to follow those rules, Even when I wasn’t laid off.
I left my job a week ago to start my own social media company in Argentina, and I still think it’s the right decision. I’ve been very involved in social media the last year, and my team and I are pretty sure that we’ll have work to do.
Thanks for those tips.
Best,
Matias Paterlini
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Hi:
I just finished transcribing all the interviews for The Social Media Bible, http://www.TheSocialMediaBible.com . I became part of the team virtually; I am a virtual transcriptionist. I only mention this as a testament to the power of social media, or as I like to call this combo, Social Media ².
Joanne Zimakas
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
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Hi:
I just finished transcribing all the interviews for The Social Media Bible, http://www.TheSocialMediaBible.com . I became part of the team virtually; I am a virtual transcriptionist. I only mention this as a testament to the power of social media, or as I like to call this combo, Social Media ².
Joanne Zimakas
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
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Hi:
I just finished transcribing all the interviews for The Social Media Bible, http://www.TheSocialMediaBible.com . I became part of the team virtually; I am a virtual transcriptionist. I only mention this as a testament to the power of social media, or as I like to call this combo, Social Media ².
Joanne Zimakas
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
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Dear Robert,
Thanks for this very interesting piece; should help in an upliftment in such testing times indeed.
Having been laid off *twice* in a singe year, I can perhaps perfectly relate to the context that you are providing.
[Link: http://blog.mindgap.in/2008/07/hbr-right-way-to-be-fired.html%5D This analysis titled ‘the right way to be fired’ by Peobody and Stybel that featured in a Harvard Business Review helped me come to terms with accepting the job-market dynamics.
Best, Mil
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Dear Robert,
Thanks for this very interesting piece; should help in an upliftment in such testing times indeed.
Having been laid off *twice* in a singe year, I can perhaps perfectly relate to the context that you are providing.
[Link: http://blog.mindgap.in/2008/07/hbr-right-way-to-be-fired.html%5D This analysis titled ‘the right way to be fired’ by Peobody and Stybel that featured in a Harvard Business Review helped me come to terms with accepting the job-market dynamics.
Best, Mil
LikeLike
Dear Robert,
Thanks for this very interesting piece; should help in an upliftment in such testing times indeed.
Having been laid off *twice* in a singe year, I can perhaps perfectly relate to the context that you are providing.
[Link: http://blog.mindgap.in/2008/07/hbr-right-way-to-be-fired.html%5D This analysis titled ‘the right way to be fired’ by Peobody and Stybel that featured in a Harvard Business Review helped me come to terms with accepting the job-market dynamics.
Best, Mil
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These are great tips. In such a dim economy all of this optimism is encouraging. One tip that I would give, is to evaluate your marketable skills in the mean time and see what you can do as a consultant or a temp or an entrepreneur, and yes, blog about it.
I don’t like how there is a massive void when it comes to company/employee loyalty, but it will take generations to turn this around. So, in the mean time, you are only as valuable as you are useful so hone your skills well and if you are lucky follow #17 and you may find yourself never in this position again.
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These are great tips. In such a dim economy all of this optimism is encouraging. One tip that I would give, is to evaluate your marketable skills in the mean time and see what you can do as a consultant or a temp or an entrepreneur, and yes, blog about it.
I don’t like how there is a massive void when it comes to company/employee loyalty, but it will take generations to turn this around. So, in the mean time, you are only as valuable as you are useful so hone your skills well and if you are lucky follow #17 and you may find yourself never in this position again.
LikeLike
These are great tips. In such a dim economy all of this optimism is encouraging. One tip that I would give, is to evaluate your marketable skills in the mean time and see what you can do as a consultant or a temp or an entrepreneur, and yes, blog about it.
I don’t like how there is a massive void when it comes to company/employee loyalty, but it will take generations to turn this around. So, in the mean time, you are only as valuable as you are useful so hone your skills well and if you are lucky follow #17 and you may find yourself never in this position again.
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If you are laid off you can anonymously report it at Layoffmaps.com
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If you are laid off you can anonymously report it at Layoffmaps.com
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If you are laid off you can anonymously report it at Layoffmaps.com
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Thank you for sharing. Student Talk, Students Social Network Community and Utility that Help Students Socialize Around the world for Teacher Education and Meet, Exchange and Share Essays, Graphic Designs, Presentations, PowerPoint Projects. Students Looking to Educate in School College University Organization Institute Association, Totally Educational.
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Some of this is good advice but some of it is not.
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Nice Post.I want to share with you One New Place for social networking, Website Reviews,Website Rankings,Website Ratings and many more at Hiztoria.comhttp://www.hiztoria.com/index.php
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For anyone looking for work try http://www.jobbrowsing.com lots of jobs on there! Good Luck!
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For anyone looking for work try http://www.jobbrowsing.com lots of jobs on there! Good Luck!
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