The Net-Savvy Jobseeker

Keeping Current During Your Search

2009-02-13T01:42:01Z

At my last corporate job, we had someone who kept up with multiple sources of industry news and shared it with everyone in business management and marketing. You won't have that luxury in a job search, but it is good to keep current in your field. For you, these free, email-based news services will help you keep up without going crazy with trade journals.

SmartBrief
Huge variety of daily news summaries for industries and functional roles.
FierceMarkets
Regular news briefings for segments within telecom, life sciences, enterprise IT, healthcare and finance
VentureWire
Daily newsletters about startups and investment activity. Leads on companies and people.

I'm a big fan of using RSS to manage a bigger range of sources, but these newsletters are edited. If you choose wisely, they're unlikely to monopolize your day.

Job-Search Due Diligence

2008-04-17T20:48:33Z

One of my earliest posts was a list of things to do before the job interview. Since then, participation in online networks and media has grown tremendously, so there's more than ever to learn from people's online histories. New services like Twitter encourage a sort of stream-of-consciousness public life, which can lead to embarrassing or problematic public statements.

Willy Franzen suggests places to check for insights into employers and interviewers, including the new sources where people tend to be less careful. I disagree that the pre-interview research is about "digging dirt," though. Finding public information about people before doing business with them is just being smart, and interviewing with a company is entirely about doing business with them.

Net-savvy jobseekers will take steps to protect themselves and take advantage of the information available online:

Check your own digital footprints and clean up your online image now—don't wait for the interview. Assume that potential employers (and others you encounter in life) will look you up, and consider whether your online reputation is the one you want.
Before the interview, do your homework on the employer. Start with the basics, then explore Willy's updated list of online sources.
If you haven't already, learn to use RSS to collect current information. Many of the search engines and online sources you'll use in your research now support RSS. You'll save time and collect more useful information if you know how to use it.

Paying attention to online reputations and using social media (such as blogs) to improve your reputation are hot topics these days. For a longer discussion of how it all works—for your company and yourself—check out Radically Transparent by Andy Beal and Dr. Judy Strauss.

If you're nearby, you can hear Andy talk about online reputation at Blog Carolinas on May 9 in Research Triangle Park, NC. I'll be there, too, with a business-oriented session on monitoring and measuring social media. Be sure to say hello.

What? Networking doesn't work?

2008-04-17T20:06:39Z

Jason Alba just posted an idea that is the opposite of what you've heard: Networking doesn't work. The comments should heat up with an incendiary topic like that, but he's onto something. Networking is an indirect path to a job, and it's not as easy as we'd like to think. Even if you keep your commitment to networking, it's worth considering the alternatives and tradeoffs.

How to succeed at networking events

2008-02-06T16:22:38Z

If you ever hear anything about how to get a job, it's networking. In job search advice circles, it's the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth, and Perpetual Motion, all in one easy step. Only, it's not so easy, and the advice to start networking before you need a job isn't much help if you need a job. So you crank up the phone, send some emails, and head out to networking events.

Before you go to your next networking event, read John Wall's helpful article on being more effective at networking events. He has good thoughts about what people are doing at these events, and how they go about it. The section on how to work an event, in particular, is a must-read:

Fly with a wingman; alone you have no defense
Don’t be a job hunter
Be a hunter
Avoid being The creepy stalker
Master the handoff
Crack the power code
Hijack the event

It's worth your time to read the whole article before your next event. Good hunting!

Check yourself at Rapleaf

2007-09-05T19:23:03Z

While we're on the subject of online profiles and how people can find yours, take a look at Rapleaf. It's one of several interesting people-finding services you can use to learn about the people you meet, and you should assume that someone will use it to learn about you. Go ahead, look yourself up.

Rapleaf compiles basic information from a variety of sites, and it allows registered users to rate each other. But the interesting bit for today is the way it finds online profiles from social media sites you may use. So if you have a profile on sites like Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, LinkedIn or many more, Rapleaf will make it easy for people to find.

If you register with Rapleaf, you can claim your email address(es) and edit the privacy settings for your profile. That way, if you don't want people to find, for example, your Amazon.com wish list, you can delete it from your profile.

Whether you're a fan of personal branding or not, online profiles do start to build an image for you online. It's worth thinking about what impression you make with your online presence.

via Stefanie Olsen

Another reason to check your Facebook

2007-09-05T14:55:40Z

Facebook issued another reminder to think about what's in your profile today. Starting in a few weeks, Facebook profiles that are visible to "everyone" will be visible to everyone, when outside search engines are allowed to being indexing them. Jobseekers (and anyone else with a thought for their online reputations) should take advantage of this opportunity to clean up their profiles or adjust their privacy settings before what happens in Facebook appears in Google.

OK, well, your Facebook isn't going to show up entirely, but what is going to show up is your public profile—the picture preview box that doesn't reveal much. Outsiders who click on any of the links will go to a welcome screen that invites them to join Facebook, while logged-in Facebook users will be able to use the links.

What does this mean? People outside of Facebook will be able to use search engines to learn if someone is in Facebook, and Facebook profiles may become prominent in search results for people who have them. Combine the new search visibility with Facebook's membership growth beyond its original college crowd, and you can see the importance of considering what you share.

Facebook's privacy controls are actually pretty good, so you can control how much is visible to people you don't know. If you have a Facebook account, just follow the link in today's announcement to your Search Privacy settings. There, you can decide whether to allow people outside Facebook to see your public profile.

Just remember that "everyone" is a bigger crowd than it was last year.

Tags: Facebook reputation

Target your search

2007-05-15T16:57:29Z

OK, you've heard the conventional wisdom about networking your way to a new job. Still, those online job listings are tempting, and they do lead to the occasional interview. It helps if you go beyong the big, dumping-ground job boards and find the niche sites that target your field.

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on specialized job sites:

Job seekers who limit their searches to traditional online hotspots may be missing out on the best career opportunities, as more employers are advertising openings on Web sites that cater to specific career fields and geographic locations. They say these so-called niche sites attract better-matching candidates than sites that list positions in a wide range of career fields and ZIP codes.

The article also offers some ideas on how to find a good job site:

Visit trade groups online.
Peruse job-board lists.
Use search engines.
Refine your search:
- Compare special features.
- Take a test drive.
- Critique the quality.
- Consult with others.

You might also find helpful sites through blogs that cover your job specialty, industry or region. Some blogs even have their own job boards. And when you do find a promising site, look for an RSS feed so you don't have to go back to the web site every day / week / whatever.

The big boards have that signal-to-noise problem, for candidates and employers. Too many irrelevant (or worse) job listings and too many applications turn the big boards into a time sink with poor results. Targeted sites might be just the fix.

Unpredictable benefits of LinkedIn

2007-05-02T21:50:11Z

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Louis Pasteur

Scott Allen is running a group blogging project on smart ways to use LinkedIn. I'm sure a lot of folks are going to write up the intelligent, organized ways that they've used LinkedIn for their careers and businesses. I'm a fan of all that, but I'm going to tell you about how sheer randomness can play a beneficial role, too. Let's talk about serendipity.

serendipity: discovering something by accident while investigating something quite different (Wiktionary)

One of the more interesting people I've met was looking for someone else at the time. This corporate PR exec—let's call him Bob, since that's not his name—was looking for Steven Gilliatt, a New York advertising heavyweight, and he tried LinkedIn. It turns out that Mr. Gilliatt isn't in LinkedIn, but I am. A few key phrases in my profile related to Bob's current interests, so he followed the link to my blog and read a bit.

Then he sent me a LinkedIn connection request.

Now, I'm not an open networker. I like to have at least a little contact with someone before accepting a link. But considering the VP title and big-name employer, I decided to accept this one, and once we were connected, the obvious next step was to talk.

What I found was a well-informed, well-connected contact with significant areas of professional interest in common. He told me stories about companies and Wikipedia, and he's given me client-side feedback on my big research project. We've had several good conversations since then, too. Obviously, I'm glad I added Bob to my network.

Let's recap the pieces that led to this happy connection:

I'm in LinkedIn. If you want to be discovered, put yourself where people are looking.
My profile describes my interests and activities, so someone who happens across it will have some idea of whether they're interested in what I do. A good profile will help you appear in keyword searches, too.
My LinkedIn profile links to my business blog for more insight into what I'm about professionally.
My use of social media is consistent with the image I want to project. My blogs, comments, profiles and tags don't paint a confusing picture for someone who finds me by unusual methods.
Although I don't generally connect to people I don't know, I considered the potential and accepted Bob's connection.

Plans are great, but chance can be your friend if you're properly prepared.

Tags: LinkedIn networking

Marketing with your online presence

2007-04-09T16:21:39Z

Mario Sundar shares some ideas on using online visibility in your job search. 5 steps to let your dream job find you:

Start networking today—Offline events
Start a blog on your favorite topic—Online presence
Engage with those who share your enthusiasm for the topic
Find a tool to sustain both kinds of networking (online/offline)
Craft your online presence around your favorite topic

The long version is worth the time. Mario recently joined LinkedIn as Community Evangelist, so we can probably expect more on practical applications of LinkedIn from him.

Networking with bloggers

2007-04-09T14:46:13Z

If you go to a job search support group, networking event or class, you'll hear that networking is your best path to a new job. I've always been a little dubious about the numbers people throw around, but a personal connection clearly opens doors faster than an unaccompanied résumé. Have you considered the possibility of networking with bloggers? I'm seeing more examples where they're helping clients fill positions.

I've developed a specialization in an active area of marketing and technology with healthy growth and not enough people for the open jobs. As a result, I'm starting to see job postings on blogs that don't usually talk about employment issues. Sometimes it's on a blog associated with the company, but they're also showing up on unrelated blogs, like this Marketing Director position on Jeremiah Owyang's blog.

Jeremiah's post tells you two things: First, there's obviously this opening, which you could pursue. I'll assume that you know to follow the instructions explicitly. More importantly, the blog shows that he's a well-connected consultant, and he probably knows about other companies with hiring needs. If you're interested in the things he's interested in, you might want to get on his radar. But do it the right way.

Here are some general guidelines for networking with bloggers:

Don't

Send a résumé unless the blogger asks for it.
Assume bloggers are recruiters, unless they say they are.
Email or call out of the blue for career advice.

Read interesting blogs in your field and from your target companies. Use a feed reader to manage the volume and avoid missing posts.
Read the blog before contacting a blogger. Learn what the blogger is about first.
Follow any contact guidelines the blogger has posted.
Read the blogger's profile.
Leave appropriate comments on the blog before you make direct contact. Demonstrate that you read the blog and are paying attention.
Consider starting your own blog for the connection opportunities. Bloggers like helping other bloggers.
Establish a connection before asking for help. Networking is based on relationships, not transactions.
Remember that networking is a two-way street. How can you help the blogger?

Networking with bloggers is like networking with anyone, because bloggers are—and this is hard for some—people, but blogs make two big differences. The blog gives you tons of information before you meet: about the blogger, his interests, thoughts and contacts; and the blog creates an opportunity to meet people regardless of physical location (especially if you have your own blog). A few blogs even have their own job boards, but that's a separate topic.

Oh, and if you're interested in the things I write about on The Net-Savvy Executive, I'm hearing about job openings, too. Now that I'm not looking for a job, they're starting to find me.

Tags: job search career networking bloggers

Work at home... for criminals

2007-01-30T19:23:09Z

Do the words "work from home" make you suspicious? They should. While legitimate freelance and telecommuter opportunities are out there, it's a lot easier to find the scammers. Part-time, work-from-home offers should set your spidey-sense tingling. Before you sign up, make sure you know what you're getting into.

A federal investigation recently revealed an international money-laundering scheme that used a work-from-home setup to launder counterfeit traveler's checks. Steve Bryant tells the story (via Techdirt):

Abbie began receiving FedEx packages from Saunders, and her job was to remove the brown envelopes inside and mail them in new FedEx boxes throughout the United States. Abbie also received U.S. Postal Money Orders, and was told to complete the money orders with names and addresses provided by Saunders. Abbie received two packages total, and was paid $100 for the first and $300 for the second.

Would it make sense to you to get paid hundreds of dollars to receive and resend checks? You know the rule—if it sounds too good to be true...

In this case, the work-from-home participants weren't victims; they were unwitting participants in a crime, and they got to experience the fun of being caught up in a federal investigation. Other easy-money scams that might come your way target your money:

Despite the timeless wisdom of Sutton's Law, jobseekers are targets for scammers and other criminals. Before you sign up for somebody's great program, take steps to protect yourself:

Know who you're dealing with. Opportunity doesn't knock anonymously.
Check up on the company, people, and business before signing up. Search on the company name and the names of any individuals—this includes recruiters. Add scam or fraud as an additional search term to see if the company's name is associated with those terms.
Understand how the business makes money. Does it make sense? Is it legal? A simple search on envelope stuffing or payment forwarding would give you ample warning. Snopes and Scam.com are also helpful.
Understand how your contribution is worth your compensation. If you're not doing anything worthwhile, why would they pay you? If the promised compensation is well above the market rate, why would they do that? Refer back to question 3.
Don't pay for a job—legitimate opportunities don't work that way.

Paranoid or not, some people are out to get you. Remember the line from Hill Street Blues: "Hey, let's be careful out there!"

Tags: jobs fraud scams crime

Postscript to a layoff

2007-01-05T15:33:32Z

Layoffs aren't easy for anyone. I've heard the stories of managers who preferred to resign rather than pick someone on their team. The trauma on the receiving end is obvious. Company support in the new job search varies tremendously, but I think this probably marks the upper limit of what the employer can do:

As noted, the Jobster employees laid off this past week were done so for strategic business reasons, not for performance reasons. This was a business focus move. Period.

In fact, we are quite proud of the fact that this company was built by some of the best and brightest people in the business.

I will personally go to bat for any of these individuals and am prepared to recommend each and every one of them. Part of my personal pledge to them is that I will do anything and everything in my power to smooth their transitions and help them land up in great places.

Jason Goldberg, Founder & CEO, Jobster

Jason's post continues with instructions on how to use Jobster to identify past and present Jobster employees, and then he invites recruiters to contact any of them—including the current employees.

How many CEOs would publish the company directory, invite recruiters to look around, and offer a personal recommendation of everyone he just laid off (and an implied recommendation of everyone who's still there)? Very nice.

If you haven't tried Jobster in your your search yet, give 'em a look.

Tags: Jobster layoff recruitment

Cost / benefit of a personal brand

2006-12-01T19:09:11Z

There's a great conversation on the costs (and benefits) of a personal brand over at the JibberJobber blog. It started with recognition for Heather Henricks's portfolio web site—a personal branding vehicle created by Brandego. The question that came up in the comments is whether her career is helped or hurt by a controversial volunteer organization she includes on her site.

Some points from the comments:

Branding will repel as well as attract people. Make sure your brand only repels people and companies you wouldn't want to work with.
You can put things on a web site that you wouldn't put on a résumé.
Your brand is not your value proposition. It's the difference between what you can do for a company and what sets you apart from the others who can do the same thing.
Never let a company manage your career. Only you can do it well.

And it's still going. Take a few minutes to read through the comments. A solid group of thoughtful folks have shared some useful insights. Then, take a look at Heather's site and think about whether your career would benefit from this kind of promotion—even (especially?) if you're currently employed.

Full disclosure: Brandego was founded by friends of mine, but I have no financial interest in their success.

Tags: career personal branding Brandego

Anecdotal salary comparisons - SalaryScout

2006-11-22T00:45:36Z

It's helpful to have solid information on your market value before your interview. I've pointed out some useful sources of salary information in the past; now SalaryScout offers a different way to compare numbers (via Techcrunch).

Instead of a survey, SalaryScout picks up on social computing trends to collect anecdotal salary information from their users and let everyone comment on each other's profiles.

When you sign up for an account on SalaryScout, it asks for lots of information about your current job, compensation, and employer (but no identifiable details). You'll want to follow the advice to use a meaningless user name and generalize some details (like your job title) to avoid giving too many clues to your—and your employer's—identity.

Searching for salary information is a breeze; just type in a search term and see if it gives you what you're looking for. Titles, keywords, locations—just try it. Every search generates an RSS feed, so you can track new results as they're entered. (You are using RSS, aren't you? It's so much better to let the computer do the repetitive searching.)

The trendy part of SalaryScout—beyond the overall design of the site—is its social aspect. Members can rate and comment on profiles, which has interesting potential as the database gets populated. You may also get comments on your own profile, giving you an idea of what some anonymous person thinks of your job.

Tags: salary career SalaryScout

Interactive marketing salary survey

2006-11-16T17:11:12Z

During the summer, I wrote about the talent shortage in interactive marketing. A few months don't resolve a shortage of skilled people, and demand is still strong. If you've wondered about whether it's a direction for you, you'll want to look through Talent Zoo's 2006-2007 Interactive Salary Report.

The report contains two major types of information: salary ranges (broken out by title and market size) and general job descriptions.I particularly like the job descriptions, since titles alone can be so uninformative. Here are a couple of examples:

Web Designer
Responsible for designing well-organized, user-centered web sites. Exceptional XHTML, CSS, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Creative Suite, and Microsoft Word skills are usually expected. Typically 4 to 6 years of experience.

Web Marketing Manager
Creates and implements the online marketing plan for the company. Adjusts plans based on the online marketplace. Usually manages a group of marketing individuals. Reports to top management. Typically 7 years of experience required.

Generic job descriptions can't give you the detail of specific openings, of course, but I think they're useful for getting an overview of the market. They can also suggest skills you might want to develop if this area appeals to you.

The real meat of a salary survey is in the numbers, and this report has 'em. Each job title has four salary ranges to correspond to different market sizes (population 2 million and up, 1-2 million, near 1 million, and under 1 million). It's not quite as helpful as the surveys that slice their samples by region, but it does help to avoid using NY/SF/LA numbers when you're looking for a job in Wichita.

Information is good, especially when it's time to talk money.

Tags: career salary interactive