Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon: how to break out of your job search rut

By

Anyone who might have happened upon my tweets yesterday will know that I am a University of Michigan fan. Yes, I graduated from Michigan, and have terrific memories of trekking to Michigan Stadium with 100,000+ of my closest friends to watch games.

Today, I want to talk about Michigan’s new quarterback, Denard Robinson. He had an amazing start to the season. People were talking Heisman Trophy. Fans and pundits gave him credit for winning Michigan’s first four games where he posted amazing rushing and passing yards. In the first four games of the season, he ran for 905 yards, eight scores and threw for 1,008 yards and seven scores with only one interception.

Yesterday’s (34-17) loss against Michigan State was another story. Denard made three costly turnovers and ran for a season-low 86 yards. (Two should have been touchdowns instead of interceptions. Like a knife in a fan’s heart.)

Now, everyone’s saying “goodbye Heisman trophy” and recognizing Denard as vulnerable and human instead of a superstar.

What’s the career lesson here? Is it “You are only as good as your last job?”

How about “Remember, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon?” No matter what — if you are having success (or not), you need to stay on top of things to either 1) keep achieving the results you want or 2) change results that need to be different.

Just as Denard Robinson needs to move on from an admittedly pretty disastrous game, if your job search isn’t going well, you need to think about what you can do differently and do it. While Denard has tapes to watch and coaches to coach him on how he can do better next time, maybe you only have you and your lack of a job. Can you break out of a rut (if you’re having a rut) on your own? Maybe investing in some advice is a good idea. Think about it.

As a coach, I can’t help but suggest that there is nothing better than good, solid, one-on-one coaching to help identify problem areas. I’ve said this many times — an investment in your career or job search has the potential to repay you many times.

Another great option for job seekers is THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over at the close of business today – Sunday, October 10th.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE to learn more.

We can’t all be Big 10 quarterbacks with a staff to support us, but you can access tons of great professional advice via The Career Summit. Think about it!

5 things to do if you need to look for a job

By

Yesterday, I joined Steve Boese and Shawna Moerke on their online, call-in radio show,  HR Happy Hour. The show focuses on  current topics in Human Resources with leaders and experts in the field. I participated because this week’s show featured The Career Summit – a series of online webinars aimed at helping job seekers (and prospective job seekers) achieve their goals.

During the show, Laurie Ruettimann, one of the masterminds for the Summit, asked fellow guest Ryan Paugh, Community Manager for Brazen Careerist, a great question. She asked what he would do if he were looking for a job today.

Listening in, I started to think about how I would answer that question in a sound byte. I answer this question with clients every day — helping people decide what to do when they are ready for a career change is my business. What’s the “quick and dirty” reply?

1. Identify what you offer. Figure out your value proposition as it relates to the market. Practice explaining how your accomplishments and experiences support your ability to solve specific problems.

2. Research target organizations that will value your skills and expertise. Find organizations who have problems you can solve.

3. Create materials that target your ideal organizations and opportunities. This includes a focused resume, an optimized LinkedIn profile and a totally professional social networking identity.

4. Connect, connect, connect. Use best practices for social networking. Expand your network using Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook. One best practice: give before you get. There are many steps to help you succeed with online networking, but knowing what you have to offer others is an important first step toward success.

5. Keep doing it! Hopefully, the more you engage with others, both in person and online, the better you will get at doing it successfully.

These are some of my first steps for job seekers. What ideas do you have?

(You can listen to the whole HR Happy Hour here.)

If you are looking for a job, you may also want to check out THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over at the close of business Sunday, October 10th.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE.

photo by bellybouncer

Looking for meaningful work?

By

I’m excited to share an opportunity for those of you looking for an encore career. In case you are not familiar, Civic Ventures, which is “a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose,” defines “encore careers” as jobs that “combine personal meaning, continued income and social impact.” Sometimes, these may be post-retirement careers, although retirement should really be in quotes, since it seems the term has taken on new meaning in today’s economy and because many people are not ready to stop working at a traditional retirement age.

I understand than an encore career can come any time in a person’s work history, not only after a lifetime of working. Are you tired of doing what you are doing? Maybe it is time to think of a new direction, and lucky for you, there is a great resource to help. Here is the information from Civic Venture’s press release:

What: Civic Ventures is partnering with the New York Times Knowledge Network to offer an online seminar for people interested in encore careers. The interactive course will offer practical advice about how to succeed in today’s job market to combine continued income, personal meaning and social impact.

Marci Alboher, careers expert and former New York Times columnist, will be leading the course. According to Alboher, “The idea of encore careers — second acts with social purpose — has started to take hold, but more people are now seeking guidance from experts and others who can teach by example.”

Topics will include: Will there really be enough jobs for the number of people who want to do meaningful work in their encore years? What kinds of job opportunities exist, and how do you make the leap into a field where you may have no experience or contacts? What should you do if you want to work but don’t have the interest or ability to work full time? How can you deal with age discrimination?

Who: The course will feature advice from experts as well as people who have or are on the path to meaningful encore careers. Speakers will include:

Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures

 Suzanne Braun Levine, founding editor of Ms. magazine and author of Fifty Is the New Fifty

David Bornstein, author of Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know and founder of Dowser.org

Laura Gassner Otting, president of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group and author of Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector

Lester Strong, CEO of Experience Corps and former television journalist

Stephen Alderman, Purpose Prize winner and co-founder of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation

When: Fridays, October 22 and 29, from 12-1:15 p.m. ET / 9-10:15 a.m. PT.

How: The online seminar costs $95. For more info and to register, click here.

Made possible in part by a generous grant from the New York Life Foundation.

—

If you are looking for a job, you may also want to check out THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE.

photo from gossamerpromise

Yes, you can use Facebook for job seeking. 5 steps to get started

By

How can you overlook a social network with more members than most countries? With more than 500 million active users; it’s likely that just about anyone you might want to find has a profile on Facebook.

There is a reason we hear more about people losing their jobs based on what they do on Facebook than about those finding jobs as a result of their activity there. Let’s face it (no pun intended!) — it was intended as a social network; it’s a place where people go to unwind, unload and vent. It’s where they go to show off their vacation photos or share a video of their infant’s latest sneeze.

That in mind, you can still create a professional-looking profile on Facebook that may very well be the link you need to land your next job. If you’re looking for a new job, you will want to take advantage of every useful tool. I’ve suggested five steps to help you get started on the right foot on Facebook. Read them on my Social Media and Job Search column at Job-Hunt.org.

If you want to learn how to look for a job today, check out The Career Summit…more than a dozen online presentations (including mine) to help you land that next job!

photo by laikolosse

The most important thing a job seeker can do

By

Being able to tell your story — and to tell it well — is one of the most important skills a job seeker can have. My friend, Ken Revenaugh’s blog, Fast Track Tools, shares information about how to tell good career stories. He reminds us that being a good communicator relies on collecting factoids and being able to share them with an audience.

Another resource for job search storytelling is fellow Career Collective member, Katharine Hansen’s book, Tell Me About Yourself. You may not have realized that interviewing is mainly about being able to tell a story well.

The most important thing for job seekers? Learning how to SHOW, not just TELL. This applies to the resume, all written correspondence, networking meetings, online profiles — any place where you have an opportunity to detail exactly how you can help the organization solve its problems. Maybe you can touch on problems the organization does not even know that it has? If you can network your way into a company, you have a chance to show why they need you.

A great example of how to show, not tell is the OnStar commercials. They say, “Whether you need help to get to where you’re going, or want peace of mind with safety and security in an emergency situation, OnStar has your back.” But, they don’t leave it at that. Their commercials vividly recount situations when having their system made the difference between life and death. I admit that most of the commercials give me goosebumps. (No, this is not a sponsored post!)

Take a look at their latest ad and think about how you can do a better job of being the person your target organization cannot do without.

If you want to learn how to look for a job today, check out The Career Summit…more than a dozen online presentations to help you land that next job!