The Executive Update

Ask the Coach: Don’t Get Caught Up In the Web

Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from our most recent session with Christine Dennison, The Job Search Coach.

The Internet is a wondrous thing. With the birth of the World Wide Web we now can access information and resources that were previously unheard of. In the early days, the Internet was a great tool for job seekers because it was clean and efficient. But then the Web became popular and prolific. Now we have bots and filters and spam and an incredible amount of online noise because everyone has figured out how easy it is to hit the “send” button to submit a resume. That means that yours is just another voice in the crowd, and it will be impossible to make your expertise stand out unless you understand how to properly use the Web as a resource.

This week, job search coach Christine Dennison shared some tips about how to think about and use the Web as part of your job search. She noted that as the din of the Web increased, hiring companies had to implement software filters to handle the data traffic from job applicants. Now all the big firms are using software to pick their job candidates, and this is where the entire online search process has gone hopelessly haywire.

There are a growing number of career information providers and opportunists trying to make money from job seekers. If you are posting to random job locations then you become a commodity, which means you won’t stand out. Your first step needs to be to control the noise. Align yourself with a reputable career service such as LinkedIn or NETSHARE to get the online traffic under control. And use the Web to conduct your own research. It’s a great tool to help you determine where the market opportunities lie, which companies are on the move, and where to apply your efforts both online and offline.

Should you apply to online job postings? Sure, but only dedicate 5 to 10 percent of your time to online postings. Remember that resumes are usually sorted by software and many are never actually seen by a human being. Even if you cram in all the keywords, chances are it will never surface. You can throw your resume in the mix, but it’s always better to network your way in using a resource such as LinkedIn.

Should you post your resume to job boards? You can “hang” your resume on online bulletin boards, but be discriminating so you can control access. Use services like NETSHARE where you know your information is protected. Otherwise you are just opening yourself up to spam and scam artists.

The bottom line is, don’t let the Web dominate your job search. Spend no more than an hour or two online each day. The Web is a great research tool and can help you find the right connections, but you need to make time for face-to-face activities. The Web is no substitute for personal contact, especially if you are looking for a new career opportunity.

You Can Tweet Your Way To a New Job if You Know the Ropes

Many thanks to recruiter Lindsay Olsen of the search firm Paradigm Staffing for her tips in U.S. News & World Report on how to harness Twitter for job search. We have been talking to NETSHARE members about Twitter use for some time, and a number of our career coaches have become avid tweeters. The rules of Twitter are much the same as the rules for LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo or any networking site. It’s a place where you need to be found, engage in a conversation, and start building connections that can lead to other conversations. Hiring managers and recruiters are posting new jobs and searches on Twitter daily, and the advantage of Twitter is you can tweet back directly to get more details.

Lindsay’s tips are not only valuable for job search, but should be applied by anyone using Twitter:

1. Create a user-friendly profile. The whole concept of social media is to be real and be found, so use your real name or a professional equivalent and make sure your bio includes details about you that will be of interest to a potential hiring manager.
2. Link to your online sales materials. You have a web link in your profile – use it to link to your online resume or other background about who you are and what your personal brand represents.
3. Keep your tweets out in the open. There is an option to keep your tweets public or private. If your goal is to be found, keep your comments out there for all to see, especially recruiters.
4. Search for relevant hashtags. Twitter, Tweetdeck, and other third-party Twitter dashboard applications let you search keywords to follow, such as #job, so you can look for relevant conversations to follow.
5. Follow others in your industry. Track companies you are targeting and professionals working at those companies. Those connections could reveal hidden career possibilities.
6. Twitter lists help you find new people to follow. You can make your own lists to manage your feeds, or better yet, find similar lists that others are compiling and follow them to find new contacts.
7. Tweet consistently. Post regularly, at least once or twice a day, and try to interact with other Twitterers.
8. Help others first. Blatant self-promotion doesn’t work well in Twitter or any social media site. Listen and engage first, then offer information that is of interest and value. This will make you part of the community and promote conversation.