Friday, April 17, 2009

10 Things Recruiters Wont' Tell You....




We love Careerealism for posting this article "10 Things Recruiters Won't Tell You, But I Will" As a former recruiter, and as a current career specialist for one of the worlds largest online universities I coach countless adult learners on how to find a job. Together, we tackle resumes, cover letters, job searching, and interviewing. Along the way there have been successes, crying, and shouts of joy. However, even the best resume, cover letter, and interview will not save a job seeker if the following offenses are committed below:
Here are the main points from the article:

  • Your interview attire is outdated/messy/too tight/too revealing/too flashy.

  • Your physical appearance is disheveled/outdated/sloppy/smelly/overpowering (i.e. too much perfume).

  • Your eye contact is weak/shifty/intense.

  • Your handshake is limp/too forceful/clammy.

  • You say ah/um/like too much.

  • You talk too much/use poor grammar/say inappropriate things (i.e. swearing) when you answer interview questions.

  • You appear overconfident/pushy/self-centered/insecure/aloof/ditzy/scatter-brained/desperate.

  • You talk too fast/too slow/too loud/too soft.

  • You giggle/fidget/act awkward/have facial tics/lack expression.

  • You lack sincerity/self-confidence/clarity/conviction.
For The Full Article CLICK HERE.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Are Lawyers and Law Firms On Twitter? Yes They Are!




Several months ago I joined Twitter.com with one question in mind - "Are Lawyers On Twitter?"


For a short time, I felt as if I were "Tweeting" in the dark (posts to Twitter.com are called "Tweets"), looking for lawyers that shared an interest in social media sites for the purpose of networking and sharing their insights into the legal field seemed daunting. How do I find them? How does this Twitter thing work? How can we converse with only 140 characters? But, I kept going in dogged determination always asking "Do Lawyers Tweet?"

The answer is - Yes They Do!

Lawyers, law firms, paralegals, and legal professionals in various legal industries are on Twitter and they are networking, talking, and sharing. These "tweets" are vibrant, informative, and interesting as people share insight into their worlds. My deepest thanks goes out to @Rex27 on Twitter for sharing the link to this blog posting called - Top 100 Twitter Feeds For Law School Students. This link lists lawyers on Twitter and more.

If you are on Twitter and wondering where to start - here you go!

Give me your feedback once you see the list. I would love to hear from you!

Friday, April 3, 2009

LinkedIn Experiment Part 7: Conclusion


Several months ago I started "The LinkedIn Experiment" to help people learn how to utilize LinkedIn to expand their network to help them find a job. It has been an interesting journey and I hope that you have found these tips useful.


In conclusion to The LinkedIn Experiment here are my final recommendations:

LinkedIn Is Not a Substitute For Face to Face Interaction: If you view LinkedIn as another medium to utilize in your networking arsenal then you are on the right track. LinkedIn is a great tool to discover new friends, business associates, learn new things to help you on your job, share great findings, and keep your finger on the "pulse" of an industry. Keep this perspective and don't throw "all of your eggs" in one basket to ensure job search success.


Join Groups: Join groups in your industry and if you find people that you are not connected to, but would like to connect to, then join their group to establish a connection.


Utilize the Job Boards: Hiring managers and recruiters do list opportunities there. Since a job searcher can't afford to "leave one stone unturned" it is important to utilize every tool available.


Create A Marketable Profile/Brand Yourself: Customize your profile based off of the job that you are looking for (brand yourself). Every piece of information should reflect your experience or interaction with some element of the job that you would like to work in someday. This means irrelevant information shouldn't be listed anywhere in your profile. If you must post unrelated information or seek an audience for information that is not relevant to your search, create a separate profile instead.


Utilize the Recommendation Feature: As the old saying goes, "People buy from people they know." A few targeted recommendations that speak on the areas that you want to be known for speaks volumes in comparison to general recommendations that flatter but offer little "back up" for the areas that you want to be known as an expert in. When you include your LinkedIn profile on your resume, it also serves as a great portfolio tool to help you find a job.


Follow Up: If you promise to contact someone that you met on LinkedIn, make sure to follow up. This also applies to people that you promised to send a LinkedIn invitation to as well.


Hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have enjoyed writing about it! Scroll through this blog to read more about "The Linked In Experiment." Feel free to contact me with additional questions by posting your comments below.