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The Johari Window

Sunday, March 25th, 2012

The Johari Window is a cognitive psychological tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham and is used to help you better understand your interpersonal communication and relationships!

Luft and Ingham called their Johari Window model ‘Johari’ after combining their first names, Joe and Harry.

The Johari Window is a model for understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, team development and inter-group relationships.

There are four quadrants to the Johari Window:

OPEN. what is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by others or ‘the arena’
BLIND. what is unknown by the person about him/herself but which others know or ‘the blindspot’
HIDDEN. what the person knows about him/herself that others do not know or ‘the facade’
UNKNOWN. what is unknown by the person about him/herself and is also unknown by others or ‘the unknown self’

Why is this important for you to know? Because successful communication depends on the degree to which we can align ourselves and our “Johari Window” to match to recruiters, hiring managers, whomever we interact with.

This tool will give you an insight into how much you reveal about yourself. Some folks are introverted and reveal little about themselves. Others are extroverted and reveal a great deal – hense keep their “window” open.

Each quadrant represents a different kind of personal information – Here is more detail about each quadrant:

Open quadrant represents the information that we know about ourselves and that also is obvious to others. For example, when you see someone you see important information about them: their gender, approximate age, skin color, if they appear to be fit and healthy or not. If you talked with them, you might be able to determine if English is their first language, or you may observe they have a wedding band on. With this information – there is no privacy – the way we look, how we speak, what we wear lets others know something about ourselves.

Blind refers to information that others know about us, but that we don’t know about ourselves. Others pick up information about us that is blinded to us. For example, a co-worker may observe that you move your knee rapidly when you’re bored in a meeting. If this information is pointed out to you, you will probably notice it the next time you’re sitting in a meeting. Knwing this means that it has shifted from being Blind information to being Hidden information and you are able to control it if you wish.

Hidden represents personal information that is known only to us: our life experiences, our thoughts, feeling, dreams…all of that information is within you and it is this information that we share with others. We’re always making decisions about how much of this information we disclose to others. The hidden aspect of ourselves is specific to self-disclosure.

Unknown refers to personal information that is known to no one—not even ourselves. It is information that is outside of our awareness but still may affect how we think, feel, and behave. Sometimes this type of information is called an unconscious influence over who we are as individuals – it means is that we can’t get conscious access to it.

Tags: Branding, Networking, Personal Website, Social Media
Posted in Branding, Networking, Social Media | Comments Off

Using Facebook as a Job Search Tool

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

This post is about using Facebook professionally. Facebook has more than 300 million active users … a good enough reason to use it as a job search and networking tool!

I admit that I had been reluctant to use Facebook for job searching for a year now. Just recently I decided to join Facebook and see if it has features which might be useful to me.

One of the reason Facebook is so important as a job search tool is because most businesses (who are net savy and know the power of web) are already there. And many recruiters are constantly checking social networking sites to reach out to potential candidates, and Facebook is a platform they always check for your presence or lack thereof.

Here are my findings:

I set up my Facebook Profile to be only about my work and my career goals. I am using my professional photo and my updates are relating to the SaaS field (which is my job search focus) and for certain job searching ideas I am finding. And yes, my Job Searching blog (the site you are on now) is listed on my Facebook Profile. My family and friend are finding me on Facebook so I am accepting these friends as well as my networking contacts whom I have met and know.

Key Facebook Tips for the Job Seeker

Review your Profile and decide what you want business contacts or prospective employers to see.
Create a simple profile with minimal graphics and widgets.
Choose your Friends wisely. (note: your Friends can see information about your other Friends in your Profile)
Post content relevant to your job search or career.
Use Facebook email to build relationships with your Friends.
Limit the photos you post.

Facebook Search

When you search for a key word or phrase on Facebook, you can narrow it down to people, pages, groups, link, etc. This provides a wide range of options as to who to network with and reach out to. For instance, if you are looking for jobs related to “SaaS” you can simply search for that term and connect with people in that particular field. You can search for people who are application developers and system implementators; or merely search for links that have the word “SaaS” in them. This allows you to connect with like minded people and build a relationship with them which can help you find a job later. Also if you are searching for links, you might find a job where someone is looking for an SaaS implementator.

Additionally, you can also find links to blog posts or job openings for “SaaS.” To find links that contain the word “SaaS” simply click on “posts by friends” or “posts by everyone” on the left. Once you click either one based on your preference, you can now search for links, wall updates or Facebook notes that have the word “SaaS” in them.

Facebook Pages and Groups

Two very important features of Facebook are “Facebook Pages” and “Facebook Groups.” These features allow you to join a group of people with similar interests, or simply provide an opportunity for you to learn more about a company or connect with recruiters via Facebook. Key tip: let others know that you are available. Your active participation and engagement in these groups will help recruiters determine whether you are a good fit when there is a job opening.

One thing to keep in mind when joining groups and pages is that you want to narrow down as much as possible based on your field of expertise. Make sure to be an active user in these groups because when a job opportunity becomes available, recruiters looking for professionals will definitely look into specific groups and pages to see who they can contact based on their participation and skills.

Also Facebook has many groups and pages for career minded individuals as well as recruiters. Use the word “recruiter” when searching and you should be able to find many groups and pages. Choose the ones that seem active and start participating.

Facebook Applications

Facebook now has over 10,000 Applications in the directory! – some of which are great for job hunters on Facebook. I am listing 5 here the ones I view as most useful for you:

Easy CV – Easy CV is an add-on to the famous on-line resume service. It allows you to add a short summary of your resume on your Facebook Profile and a dedicated page for the complete CV. Recruiters can download your resume directly from your Facebook profile. If you are following and reaching out to the right people, applications like these can be a huge boost for your job search. Your resume can be placed in these formats: PDF, MS Word or video.

Indeed – Job Search – Find jobs where your friends work. Search millions of jobs from thousands of job sites and company career pages. Receive job proposals and resumes from your profile page.testimonials

My LinkedIn Profile – Promote your LinkedIn account with a badge on your Facebook profile.

Business Cards – Business Cards will help you network better on Facebook. Personalize your card and attach it to your Facebook messages! View postings and network with others!

Professional Profile – Create a professional profile on Facebook. With one-click,professionalupload your resume in or import your LinkedIn profile and recommendations. Get recommendations from friends. See resumes in your network.

Facebook Marketplace

This is a feature that you can check to see if it is useful to you. You can find the link to Facebook Marketplace at the bottom left of the main page. After you click on the marketplace icon you will be directed to a page which shows listings such as for sale items, housing, jobs, etc. To find more jobs simply click on jobs and you will be able to see all the jobs listed in the marketplace.

Facebook Ads

This is a cost item within Facebook. You may find this to be beneficial to your job search. Reason: you can target your ads and pin point who sees them. Although these ads may not land you a job, the fact that for $10 or $15 dollars you can be seen more than 20,000 times, it’s certainly an option to consider.

Conclusion

If you are going to use Facebook as a job search tool, be sure your Facebook Profile is professional (limit the pictures you post and the updates you make) for viewing by recruiters and hiring managers. Basic rule: always watch the content you post. You never know who will see your information in the future.

An option to consider: if you are uncomfortable setting up a personal page then create a second Facebook account for a more professional use and keep the two separate.

Tags: Branding, Business Cards, Facebook, Linkedin, Personal Website, Social Media
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How do you get started using Quora?

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

First off …. what is Quora you say?

Quora (URL: http://www.quora.com ) is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The most important thing is to have each question page become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question.

One way you can think of it is as a cache for the research that people do looking things up on the web and asking other people. Eventually, when you see a link to a question page on Quora, your feeling should be: “Oh, great! That’s going to have all the information I want about that.” It’s also a place where new stuff–that no one has written about yet–can get pulled onto the web.

Attributes of Quora…

Accumulating Knowledge
Reusable
Collaborative
Continually Improving
Organized
Targeted
People

People? Yes, everything on Quora is tied back to a person. Each question and answer has a revision history associated with it, and each change in the log is associated with the person who made it. People use their real names and pictures on Quora and have a short bio describing who they are; this helps anyone reading things they write to understand why they should believe what is written and take into account the author’s perspective.

Steps to get onto Quora:

1. Start by setting up a good feed.

* Your activity feed has recent activity about content that interests you. You can view your feed by going to the home page.
* You can build a good feed by following and searching for topics, people, and questions.
* Topics: When you follow a topic, questions and answers tagged with that topic will appear in your feed
* People. When you follow people, you will see questions and answers posted by these people in your feed.
* Questions: When you follow a question, you will see activity about that question in your news feed (example: when a new answer is posted on the question).
* The easiest first step: start by following some topics that you care about and some people who write about them.
* You can also read some interesting questions to get a feel for the site.

2. Learn more, including:

* What does a good answer on Quora look like?
* What makes a good question on Quora
* Learn more about how to use Quora for users in specific fields and professions.

3. Follow a topic on Quora by simply pressing the “Follow Topic” button located in the upper right corner of the topics main page.

There’s a green “Follow” button to the right of a user’s name on every profile but your own. If you are already following the person, there will be a grey “Unfollow” button

4. What are some good pages for you to check out?

Well, for example, consider the question that was recently posed on Quora:

Which human decision is the most important ever made? By decision, I mean to a specific situation where individual persons made a conscious choice..

See the answers - so far - at:

http://www.quora.com/Which-human-decision-is-the-most-important-ever-made

5. Categories and examples of Quora questions:

Businesses
* Why is Barnes & Noble performing well as a business while Borders is near (or has even reached) bankruptcy ?

Career Advice
* What would you advise your (hypothetical) 22-year old college-grad child to do with his or her life?

Children and Parenting
* What is the logic in making a child look up a word in the dictionary when they ask what it means, rather than just tell them the meaning?
* What is the right age to let your kids watch Star Wars? and Why do parents let their kids watch Star Wars at such a young age? Isn’t all the Darth Vader / killing stuff psychologically not good for little kids?
* Is it hypocritical to not report your child to the police if you know they have committed a minor crime? Why or why not?
* Why do some parents have their children circumcised?
* What are some alternatives to the Boy Scouts of America for families that don’t support their policies toward gays and atheists?

Etiquette
* How does one get better at remembering people’s names?
* If I see a missed call on my cellphone, but the caller didn’t leave a voicemail, am I socially obligated to return the call?
* Why is it important to teach children manners?
* How do you handle a friend who never chips in enough for a group dinner?

Food
* What are the best pizza toppings to get for a big group?
* In general, can you go to a restaurant and only get dessert?
* How can I learn to love salads?
* Is it rude to very politely ask a lingering group at a restaurant table when they are planning to leave?
* How should one think about the costs and benefits of opening a food truck?

History
* Which human decision is the most important ever made?
* What are good, accessible books on American history?
* Is there any point in studying the Middle Ages, in depth?
* What are some behaviors that are accepted now but might be considered immoral in the future?

Movies
* In The Dark Knight, how did the Joker really get his scars?
* In The Matrix, why doesn’t the Oracle tell Neo he’s the One?
* Was the movie Inception all a dream?
* Why were the Star Wars prequels so terrible?

Music
* Why is live music so loud?
* Who is the Alejandro that Lady Gaga sings about?
* What are the most iconic album covers?

Sports
* What are the most iconic images from the Olympics over history?
* How does a pitcher decide to become a closer instead of a starter?
* Should we root for Michael Vick?

Travel and Cities
* What are the best travel hacks?
* What are good tips for airplane travel with babies?
* Why do some people think San Francisco is the best city in the world?

Tags: Branding, Networking, Social Media
Posted in Branding, Social Media, Weblinks | Comments Off

Information overload – No time to read blogs, news, etc?

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

When browsing the net .. lets say you see something interesting and want to read it … but you do not have the time. Well … there is a solution … it is a TiVo like application … it is “Read It Later” …

Readitlater - for professionals like you allows the queuing up of articles to read later, from your Readitlater account page. Saving an article to read later is easy: you just add a bookmarklet to your Firefox bookmarks bar, and click it whenever you find something worth saving.

Some of the advantages that Read It Later offers are:

to add and read saved information from almost any devices available on the market by using the web interface, native apps, or any other apps that support the Read It Later environment:
to save information for offline reading, so you can continue reading your saved information even if your device is in airplane mode.
to synchronize the reading progress so you can continue reading on another device and pick up where you left off.

How to set it up:

The first part is to create a free ReadItLater account on the “cloud”. Have your user id and a password ready (with email verification), and you are set up to go.

Set up a reading list:

Build your list the easy way by adding the “Read It Later” bookmarklet to your browser’s bookmark bar. This bookmarklet should be compatible with every browser:

When you are browsing the net – and see something to read but do not have time now – save it for viewing at a later time: Click the bookmarklet and the article will be saved.

Internet Explorer/FireFox plugins

Adding a plug to your favourite web browser allows you to mark web pages, items and text for reading later as you browse. Plugins for all major browsers are available for downloading: for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and iPad/phone. Once downloaded, if you see a page, URL or link that is of interest, right-click the page or link and you now have an option to ReadItLater. The URL link is now sent to your cloud account. A new ReadItLater chevron button
is also added in the toolbar to add the entire current page you are currently viewing.

Mobility with RIL

But what makes Read It Later work so well is its ability to move seamlessly between your computer and your mobile device. For example, if you were in the middle of an article that you read on your browser at home when you had to go to work, you can continue reading on your iPhone on the way to the office. Read It Later’s iPhone App would pick up where you left off. Then if your commute was not long enough for you to finish the article, you could continue your reading at the office’s computer.

To continue your reading on your mobile app, tap the “Currently Reading” option on the front page of the app.

Using this combination I no longer have to bookmark interesting items, add a ToDo to read them, or get distracted into reading them now.

Instead, I can mark the items that interest me, and Read Them Later when time allows.

Tags: Google Reader, Mobile Computing, Networking, Social Media
Posted in Social Media, Uncategorized | Comments Off

2011 New Year Resolutions for all of us

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade … time again to reflect on the lessons and successes of 2010 (during your job search) … and to gear up for 2011!

Here are New Year’s Resolutions to pick (why don’t you choose one, two, three OR ten..)

New Year’s Resolutions get a bad reputation for being something you say in January, but quit by February.

This year, make a resolution that you will …

think about what I liked and disliked in previous jobs and develop the ultimate job description. I will use this to give my search focus and meaning
network 80 % of the time and use the Web 20 % of the time
be open to exploring many new options in the job market, understanding that there may be interesting opportunities beyond my traditional field
review which tactics did and did not yield results in 2010, and I will work to understand how I might improve in those areas that did not do as well as I had hoped
promise not to apply for positions I am definitely not qualified for
ask friends or acquaintances who manage and hire people to evaluate my cover letter and resume and give me real feedback – even if it hurts to hear it
set myself weekly goals during my job search and keep to their deadlines
consider new industries and career paths, but I will research the likelihood of being able to make that switch easily
work on building relationships with your recruiter by helping him/her as much as they help me
will apply immediately (with a tailored cover letter and resume) and search for friends and colleagues who could act as referrals to help me network into the organization
consider my job search a full-time job and will not become complacent with my current situation. I will prioritize my job search above television, video games, or recreational internet use
meet (on the phone or in person) three new people a week who can help me with my job search
be thoughtful about when to send my resume, and I will not send my resume to everyone I know and not spam my resume to companies where I am seeking employment. Instead, I will tailor my resume to each company, so that my relevant skills are stressed for each specific position of department. The company will know I am serious and intent on working there
learn to leverage Social Media as a vehicle for communicating about myself, and not just as a distraction for hours chatting with new friends be specific about the type of work and organizations, including names of target organizations that I find most interesting
send thank-you cards after every interview, whether I thought the interview went well or poorly
not assume a person cannot help me find a job. They may know a great contact I need to meet
set up informal discussions with decision-makers/hiring managers even if they are not hiring right now. They may be hiring soon be open to exploring many options because an interesting opportunity may exist beyond what I can see on the surface start attending more job fairs and networking events, including those that may put me outside of my traditional industry
consider that my resume may not be as good as it could be and seek advice
acknowledge that I may not be an interviewing pro. Especially if I’ve interviewed a lot and have not landed a job. I will seek professional advice
start considering a wide array of employment opportunities, instead of only the areas I’ve been used to build a plan for my job hunt by outlining resources to research and key people to contact. I will create a schedule, too. Milestones and goals are important
provide or demonstrate my value to my newly-made contacts first, before asking for their help
share my concerns with a few trusted friends who can offer good advice (instead of giving up hope)
re-examine what my real financial needs are so that I can be more open to opportunities that may pay me less than what I want
meet, whether by phone,direct e-mail, or in person, three new people who can help me in my job search each week
will volunteer. I will make good use of my time by meeting new people and creating substance for a discussion on “what I’ve been up to recently.” I will make a difference when many can use my assistance
evaluate opportunities by recognizing that this job can be a stepping stone to another job (inside or outside the company) – especially as the market improves
not depend on my network to find a job for me, but will view it as one of several methods of finding employment
Read. Learn. Teach. I will educate myself or others on a subject-matter than is pertinent to my profession
do volunteer work to keep myself busy, and to also answer the question interviewers will put to me regarding what I have been up to recently in my unemployment
consider exercise to be a good stress-reliever and pick a program I will enjoy (not necessarily bring the fastest results)
ask friends or family to give me full and honest criticism of my resume and of my interview tactics, even if it may be difficult to hear
not become frustrated with my job search, or, if I do, I will not take out that frustration on my friends or family.

Tags: Branding, Hidden Job Market, Jobsearch, Networking, Social Media
Posted in Branding, Social Media | Comments Off

Personal Branding vs Online Presence

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

“If you don’t brand yourself, Google will do it for you” – Sherry Beck Paprocki, co-author, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourself

“Personal branding describes the process by which individuals differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition… then leveraging it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal” – Dan Schawbel

“Just like flight attendants state, you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others” – Lindsay Pollack

You have the power to positively influence your professional reputation

Values, Skills, Character, Unique Voice, etc. = You
How it is “packaged” and conveyed outwardly = Branding
Your reputation as reflected back by others = Brand

You are advised to participate in social media professionally

Provides networking opportunities
Demonstrates motivation and engagement
Demonstrates computer skills
Demonstrates communication skills
Makes you “findable” to employers

Are you a job seeker?

A recent Jobvite survey indicated:

80 percent use or are planning to use social networking to find and attract candidates
72 percent plan to increase their use of social networks

Among those:

95% use linkedin.com
59% use facebook.com
42% use twitter.com

By contrast only 26 percent plan to increase use of job boards

The main points: Employers are both sourcing and screening online so get your brand correct: “own” your online presence It’s probably okay if nothing is found. But, it’s better to control the message.

The 5-step process of branding includes:

1:   Determine and differentiate your strengths for a particular context … who you are and what you do
2:   Shape your message … how you talk about your brand
3:   Manage information and presentation … where you talk about your brand and how it looks, i.e., establish the online presence
4:   Be consistent with on-message activities … same look and feel for all social media sites
5:   Monitor how efforts are being received .. obtain feedback from your professional colleagues on your “personal brand”

Set up a routine that works for you:

15-20 minutes of Twitter per day
2-3 Linkedin answers or blog comments per week
1 blog post per week
1 12 second.tv video per week

What is holding you back?

General reluctance or skepticism
Platform reluctance (twitter, for example)
Technological challenges/abilities
Understanding value
Return on investment
Lack of time/commitment

Get going now:

Preparing yourself:

Familiarize yourself with notable platforms
Linkedin
Facebook
Twitter
Wordpress
Establish your own online presence
Talk with colleagues and peers
Find time to read and learn on an ongoing basis
Best source = do it yourself!
Good reading = mashable.com

Tags: Added Value, Branding, Networking, Social Media
Posted in Branding, Social Media | Comments Off

Craigslist Job Search Tips – Did you know about these?

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Include Craigslist for your job searching; many employers are using the site for low cost job advertising because it is a tight knit and centralized network for jobs, gigs, résumés, etc.

Craigslist

Did you know that the number of job listings in Craigslist is more than 1 million new job listings each month!

Start searching for a job with Craigslist!

Begin with a selection of your location, region; for example, SF bay area:

To use the search feature, simply type in the key word(s) that you are looking for, select the heading or category and then click ” > ” or “search” if you are already in a category.

Example: You type the word “analyst” and use the drop down to select “jobs” area. Click the ” > ” to see the results.

If you want to narrow your search to a particular subregion (north bay, city of san francisco, east bay, etc.), select the subregion from the right side of the home page and then do your search.

If simple keywords don’t find what you are looking for, here are some advanced features to try.

Phrase Search = by use of quotation marks to search for a phrase: Example: “business analyst“

Excluding Terms (filtering)

To specify one or more words you’d like to exclude, use a minus sign to negate them.

business analyst -manufacturing

That will look for postings that contain ‘business” and “analyst’ but not ‘manufacturing’. Note that a search must contain one non-excluded term.

“OR” Searches

By default, every term in your search must match unless it is excluded with the minus sign (see above). You can specify a list of terms that you want to find one or more of (instead of ALL of them) using a “pipe” character ‘|’ like this:

business | analyst

This query looks for postings that contain ‘business’ or ‘analyst’ (or both).

Grouping

Finally, you can group terms together in parenthesis when queries are complicated:

nonprofit (business | analyst) -2009 -2008

That query tries to find all listings that contain ‘nonprofit’ and either ‘business’ or ‘analyst’ (or both) but do not contain 2008 or 2009.

Tags: Craigslist, Jobsearch, Social Media
Posted in Jobsearch, Social Media | Comments Off

Recruiters are looking at your LinkedIn profile

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

In my experience with Linkedin over the last several years I am seeing that recruiters have increased their use of the site to find candidates.

Rather than using job boards like Monster and CareerBuillder, recruiters are seeing the value of social networking sites like LinkedIn. Social media tools such as LinkedIn make the recruiter’s job more efficient and often allow them to find job seekers more efficiently

It is true that the online social networking world is expanding, and recruiters need all the help they can get – from you and your Linkedin account. Read on to see what you can do to get the attention of employers who use LinkedIn Recruiting:

1. Update your LinkedIn “Status” regularly

• Link to articles you have written or in which you are quoted
• Update status with your latest blog posts
• Discuss business accomplishments
• If you are actively looking for a job, tell people what you are looking for!
• Update your status on Twitter.

2. Increase your number of trusted connections

• Use webmail importer to bring your real world professional relationships online and to find your contacts who are already on LinkedIn.
• Depending on whether you are using web mail or Outlook, check out the respective toolbars that will help organize your professional relationship.

3. Make your LinkedIn profile 100% complete

• Include all companies, education, and awards – all are key items that recruiters search for.
• References are very important. The more that is known about you the better.
• The more robust your profile, the higher you will be in the Google search rankings.
• The more information a recruiter has upfront, the more efficient the search process.

4. Include your web site and blog links

• Add suitable weblinks to the “Websites” section on your LinkedIn profile
• This could range from your career blog to your Twitter profile. Alternatively, you can also link to a guest blog post you wrote recently.

5. Do not block incoming emails

• The LinkedIn community is all about participation so accept incoming communication from fellow LinkedIn users.
• If a recruiter reaches out to you and you are not interested, let him or her know or better yet refer a friend
• Note that LinkedIn actually allows you to control how you receive emails and notifications.

6. Use the same profile picture that you use on other social media sites

• A picture helps to create and reinforce your online brand
• It will help a recruiter identify you on the interview day at “Peets”

7. Use the “Specialties” box to fill in keywords

• List as many keywords as possible that are relevant to your roles, capabilities, and interests that will help you turn up on LinkedIn Search
• Keyword rich, well-developed, complete profiles are recommended

8. Make changes to your profile after every job change or promotion

• The recruiters you are linked to will notice these changes
• It is harder to be found if people don’t know where you are
• Update your LinkedIn profile as you would your change-of-address at the post office

9. Join Linkedin Groups and post items of interest

• Share your interests, memberships, specializations, backgrounds, and experience
• Group members may also know of a potential opportunites that your are seaching for

10. Review company profiles and reach out to employees there for information interviews

• See who you may want to work for
• Research who is in the company for whom you have an interview with

Tags: Branding, hashtag, Jobsearch
Posted in Branding, Jobsearch, Social Media | Comments Off

How to “Stay Current” while out of work

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

With so many folks out of work these days (for Sept. 2009 – 9.2 % unemployment in the San Francisco, San Mateo region), I have noticed that it is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, month-to-month job search process, and forget to stay current in your industry.

Staying current is not only important to be on ready to be in top shape for your future employer, but given your weekly, variable schedule, you may be in an even better position to be able to step right into a new position, refreshed, knowledgeable and posed for a new opportunity.

What can you be doing now?

PARTICIPATING IN social networking

* Twitter – Follow people in your industry and you will find more links to articles and information than you can ask for.
* LinkedIn – Join groups, ask questions and answer questions.
* Blogs – Write, read and comment on blogs – it’s fast and an easy way to learn
* Other social networking sites and communities – Seek out other relevant sites based on your industry.

READING books, industry newsletters, magazines and blog posts (use Google Reader to assemble your RSS feeds in one place. With the internet continuing to explode, finding websites with good, relevant information is easy. I subscribe to over 30 industry blogs and have read a few social media books. In addition, Slideshare is a website that allows individuals to post presentations, so searching the site can provide you with a lot of relevant content to learn from.

WATCHING online webinars

Ultimately, companies create webinars to get potential customers familiar with who they are and establish themselves as experts. Lucky for us, they are usually incredibly informative and can easily fit into a busy schedule, as they are typically only an hour long.

VOLUNTEERING

I am volunteering at the California Academy of Sciences museum and at Taproot Foundation – to help the HR department select an applicant tracking system. I am not getting paid for these engagements, but they provide me an opportunity to put something new on my resume, and keep my skill set current.

Overall, there are a multitude of opportunities to stay current while you’re out of work. Doing so, could make the difference between getting a job or remaining unemployed and getting “rusty”.

Tags: Branding, Networking, Personal Website, Twitter, Volunteering
Posted in Jobsearch, Social Media, Volunteerism | Comments Off

Hold a Cost Free, Virtual Job Interview – with Skype

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Recommended for out-of-town interviewing…use Skype to save money and for mutual convenience - for both the company interviewer and you alike. Less pressure, less procedure.

Read on…

For a Skype job interview you will need to dress up, be professional (no noises in the room or neighbors outside mowing the lawn). Although it may seem informal, try to take it just as seriously as a real interview.

Tip: you can be the one to recommend to have a Skype job interview. If you think they’re techy enough to go for it, it’s a win-win-win for you. Why?

You’re being proactive.
You’re offering to save them money.
You’re also showing that you’re tech savvy.

Another plus: if you are the first one who have offered to do a virtual interview for them – this will indicate your initiative.

So what is Skype you ask?

Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.

To get started, download and install Skype and create a free user account. Your computer should have a fast broadband Internet connection, and you need a USB headset and mic (cost is from $25 to $30). If you have laptop, the built-in mic will work, but a headset sounds sound better. If your computer has a Bluetooth chip, you may be able to use the Bluetooth headset you use for your cell phone.

Now you are all set to make Skype calls from your computer. The software will allow you to test out your setup with a prompt asking you to say something. Skype will then play back what you said—if you can hear yourself, your setup is working.)

Calling other Skype users is free so arrange for your interview call in advance with an employer who is willing to use Skype for the intervew.

Calling people who don’t use Skype: This can be done but it is not free. Skype can connect to the phone system so you will need to give Skype your credit card number (or your PayPal account). Then type in the phone number and press Call.

Bottom Line: Since you are already paying for an Internet service connection, there really is no need to pay for phone service, too. The Internet is already your phone. Use it.

a) Select this link to watch a short Time magazine video entitled How to Ace a Job Interview on Skype:

Time Video – Using Skype

b) Select this link to read the original Time article entitled How Skype Is Changing the Job Interview:

Time Magazine Article

Blurb from the article:

“Get ready for a closeup: your next job interview might be on webcam. Looking to save time and money, companies are turning to video-chat software as a cheap, low-hassle way to vet job candidates. That means a growing number of people looking for work are meeting their prospective new bosses not at the office but in the comfort of their own home.”

Tags: Jobsearch, Phone Interview, Podcasts, Skype, Videos
Posted in Jobsearch, Social Media | Comments Off

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San Francisco Views

The best way for any for any blog to succeed is to go beyond the expectations of the visitor - within the first few seconds. This site aims to do just that...

Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

The Johari Window is a cognitive psychological tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham and is used to help you better understand your interpersonal communication and relationships!

This post is about using Facebook professionally. Facebook has more than 300 million active users … a good enough reason to use it as a job search and networking tool!

I admit that I had been reluctant to use Facebook for job searching for a year now. Just recently I decided to join Facebook and see if it has features which might be useful to me.

Conclusion

Ever check yourself on Google? Like to “Google” someone to see what comes up?

4 Questions posed by Melissa C. Martin

Here are the 4 questions:

First off …. what is Quora you say?

Attributes of Quora…

Steps to get onto Quora:

Which human decision is the most important ever made? By decision, I mean to a specific situation where individual persons made a conscious choice..

When browsing the net .. lets say you see something interesting and want to read it … but you do not have the time. Well … there is a solution … it is a TiVo like application … it is “Read It Later” …

Some of the advantages that Read It Later offers are:

Set up a reading list:

Internet Explorer/FireFox plugins

Mobility with RIL

Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade … time again to reflect on the lessons and successes of 2010 (during your job search) … and to gear up for 2011!

Here are New Year’s Resolutions to pick (why don’t you choose one, two, three OR ten..)

New Year’s Resolutions get a bad reputation for being something you say in January, but quit by February.

This year, make a resolution that you will …

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You are advised to participate in social media professionally

Are you a job seeker?

The 5-step process of branding includes:

Set up a routine that works for you:

What is holding you back?

Get going now:

The Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2010 was conducted online between May and June 2010; over 600 human resource and recruiting professionals participated in the survey. Respondents answered questions using an online survey tools and the response data is available only in aggregate form.

Since you are looking for a job and should be active on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter (the three social networking websites most popular with employers, according to the survey), remember these four reasons to use these sites and actively manage your profiles.

Include Craigslist for your job searching; many employers are using the site for low cost job advertising because it is a tight knit and centralized network for jobs, gigs, résumés, etc.

Did you know that the number of job listings in Craigslist is more than 1 million new job listings each month!

Start searching for a job with Craigslist!

Begin with a selection of your location, region; for example, SF bay area:

To use the search feature, simply type in the key word(s) that you are looking for, select the heading or category and then click ” > ” or “search” if you are already in a category.

If you want to narrow your search to a particular subregion (north bay, city of san francisco, east bay, etc.), select the subregion from the right side of the home page and then do your search.

If simple keywords don’t find what you are looking for, here are some advanced features to try.

Phrase Search = by use of quotation marks to search for a phrase: Example: “business analyst“

Excluding Terms (filtering)

“OR” Searches

Grouping

Increase your chances of getting hired with a Job Seeker Premium Account

You Tube Video - Linkedin Job Seeker Service

Summary of the Service

Details of the Service:

Cost of the Service:

Recruiters are using online video interviews as a way to speed up and systematize the hiring process!

Details about article:

In my experience with Linkedin over the last several years I am seeing that recruiters have increased their use of the site to find candidates.

1. Update your LinkedIn “Status” regularly

2. Increase your number of trusted connections

3. Make your LinkedIn profile 100% complete

4. Include your web site and blog links

5. Do not block incoming emails

6. Use the same profile picture that you use on other social media sites

7. Use the “Specialties” box to fill in keywords

8. Make changes to your profile after every job change or promotion

9. Join Linkedin Groups and post items of interest

10. Review company profiles and reach out to employees there for information interviews

With so many folks out of work these days (for Sept. 2009 – 9.2 % unemployment in the San Francisco, San Mateo region), I have noticed that it is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, month-to-month job search process, and forget to stay current in your industry.

What can you be doing now?

Recommended for out-of-town interviewing…use Skype to save money and for mutual convenience - for both the company interviewer and you alike. Less pressure, less procedure.

Read on…

So what is Skype you ask?

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