LinkedIn is Not the Ultimate Recruiting Site, Twitter is

LinkedIn is Not the Ultimate Recruiting Site, Twitter is Twitter serves myriad purposes for millions of people. It’s provided space for brand campaigns, event  organizations, personal rants, and every other attention-seeking tactic imaginable since 2006. Though  many people use it for professional connections, some view it unprofessional at times â€" certainly not as  â€œrespectable” as LinkedIn for branding. So what makes Twitter such a uniquely useful resource for job seekers (and posters)? What Twitter has that LinkedIn doesn’t: The most obvious advantage Twitter holds over LinkedIn is its massive number of constantly active  users. Although LinkedIn is currently the top social network favored by recruiters, most of its users are  passive candidates, 60% of whom don’t log in more than once a day. (The only two job offers I’ve  ever gotten on LinkedIn came from headhunters outside my desired career field, while I was already  happily employed.) Active tweeters, by contrast, are much more likely to be “always on,” ready to catch  the latest news. If LinkedIn is a library, Twitter is Grand Central Station at rush hour. This makes it easier  for tweeters to get lost in the shuffle, but it also means they have a huge potential audience. Because so many more people are likely to tweet frequently (and without a brain-to-fingers filter) than  to update their LinkedIn statuses, Twitter is a better place for building a brand voice. With the famous  140-character limit, you get very good at expressing your viewpoint concisely, making your account  easier to differentiate from others. Recruiters want to know what kind of personality theyre dealing  with when they consider someone for a position. LinkedIn may tell them what you can do, but Twitter  will tell them who you are.  (Note: this only works if you tweet like you talk in real life. If your online persona is spicy and fearless,  but you have trouble meeting people’s eyes in face-to-face conversation, the dishonesty of your Twitter  voice will only hurt you in your job search.) Not only do your tweets accomplish this; your bio is another important resource. Bios are one of the  first things people check when they consider following someone new, so there’s no excuse not to make  yours awesome. People tend to be more creative with their Twitter bios than they are with their “career  objective” lines on LinkedIn. Which one do you think tells recruiters more of what they want to know? It’s easier to follow people who interest you on Twitter than it is on LinkedIn, because each social  network has its own unspoken protocol. Part of Twitter is the understanding that random follows and  unfollows just come with the territory. Sending a “connect” request on LinkedIn is a slightly more loaded  act if you don’t already know the person (or have a mutual connection). The recipient of your invitation  may wonder what you want from him if he’s never even heard of you before. Plus, Twitter doesn’t notify  people when you view their profiles, like LinkedIn does, so that minor awkward factor is gone. How you can optimize your profile to get a job: Now that you’re convinced of Twitter’s usefulness and are ready to put your best foot forward, we have  some incredible tips for you. All of your social media presence should contribute to making your name Google-friendly. Thus,  try to get your real name (or part of it) as your @ handle. If that’s taken, set aside some  brainstorming time to come up with something professional that makes sense with your name.  The name of your personal blog or startup are good options. The display name should also be  your full real name. As mentioned above, write a killer bio that includes hashtags and @ mentions that are relevant  to what you do. Include some industry-specific keywords as well, to make it easier for those  seeking candidates to find you. Use this hashtag-and-keyword principle also when you’re sending tweets specifically to find  jobs. (Keep these tweets rare, though; you want to test the waters, not sound like some kind of  job-board spambot.) Follows aren’t just for people â€" theyre for hashtags too. Keep track of the conversations  occurring under general job-search hashtags, as well as those specific to your field, to get a  better feel for whom you should talk to and where you should post. Seriously, keep your account clean. Squeaky clean. Whatever you wouldn’t say in an interview  shouldn’t be in your digital paper trail (except maybe for cautionary purposes). If you MUST  sound off about topics that might alienate future employers, establish a separate account with  no ties to your professional one and encourage all of your controversial friends to follow you  there. Don’t just be a bullhorn for yourself; interact. Retweet posts and articles from industry  champions that inspire you. Beyond that, just talk with people. Everyone else wants to be  noticed as badly as you do. By acknowledging someone else, you say, “I see you and I think what  you just said is pretty cool.” That makes both of you feel important, even if you can’t do  anything for each other at the moment. In conclusion, take a look at how some of the best use their Twitters. Francisco Rosales of Socialmouths  advises handing out follows and article backlinks generously in order to get noticed. Social exec Simon  Caine found that utilizing the local search and following employees of the companies he wanted to work  for got him some great connections. Charlie Loyd, a digital cartographer, went for the gold and tweeted  his satellite image work directly at the companies that could use it. Whatever your Twitter strategy ends up being, the main thing is not to be shy. Don’t see Twitter as a  vacuum, either; all of your major social-network profiles should cooperate to frame you as one  irresistible future employee. What’s your Twitter strategy? Are you a master of the network’s pithy communiqué, or will you be  sticking primarily with LinkedIn for all your business needs? Tell us below what’s worked for you, and  why! Author: Katherine Halek is a  Content Strategist at  Signazon.com, a leading online  printer that works with  thousands of small  businesses around the country.  Katherine enjoys writing about entrepreneurship,  marketing, and career advice.  Connect with her on  Google+.

Relevant Facts About Resume Writing

Relevant Facts About Resume WritingThe process of resume writing indeed needs to be well executed, to be effective. But it is also a fact that many people, especially those who are job hunting, tend to skip over resume writing. Why? This is an unfortunate situation where a person's resume is not even read by the employer, let alone being fully processed by the hiring office.Resume writing truly deserves to be on top of a person's priorities, because even though it may seem like a lengthy and tedious process, it is very crucial and vital. Why? If an applicant has a bad resume, this will generally discourage many potential employers from even taking a look at his or her application, which could prevent him or her from getting hired.The fact that many people only bother about resume writing when they have a job waiting for them, might be the real key. What would happen if they lose their job? They would most likely not continue working and resort back to resume writing again. This is un fortunate, as there are more resources available than ever before.Now that we know why resume writing is necessary, the next step is to figure out what type of resume we should be using. There are several choices. First is the traditional resume, which is simply the one in which all of the information is placed together in chronological order. It would be best to use a white board with this kind of resume, but you can try to write the information yourself.The next choice is the functional resume, which is designed in such a way that it can be formatted into a number of different formats. These include Microsoft Word documents, Power Point presentations, even PDF files. There are also different lengths to choose, from just a few pages to several hundred pages.Another kind of resume is the executive resume, which is designed to meet a specific requirement. Here, the information needed is more focused on the past experiences of the person, rather than anything else. This is actually th e best type of resume to write, because many employers look for people who have worked for them in the past.The final choice is the candidate resume, which focuses on the candidate's ability to perform and to get along with others, as an able-bodied person. Unlike the functional resume, this type of resume does not need to be organized, but simply needs to highlight the fact that the candidate is the right candidate for the job. It is best to use a blank document in order to work on it that way.Each of these three forms of resumes is suitable for different situations and should be used depending on how well or badly a person needs a job. For example, a functional resume may be useful if a person needs to have a job in the near future, while an executive resume will work well if he or she already has a job that is still an open position. A candidate resume may be needed if he or she is currently looking for a job, but his or her resume should still focus on his/her personality and ab ilities.

Tips For Successful Resume Writing

Tips For Successful Resume WritingIf you have had a hard time writing a resume, or if you are just not sure how to go about doing it, you might want to consider looking at the options in Los Angeles. There are several resumes writing services that can help you get your dream job in this wonderful area. You just need to know where to look.A resume is what most employers use to screen potential employees. Therefore, you want to make sure that you present yourself in the best possible light. This means that you should be as professional and impressive as possible. This will help your chances of getting hired.Once you have your resume ready, you might want to take some time to look through it. Make sure that you don't just copy and paste it. This can seem like the easiest thing to do, but it can also be the most obvious mistake. Your resume should have your own unique touch, and you can do this by using interesting words.Keep in mind that there are many different things that a person sho uld include on their resume. Some of them might be written in the information section, but some can be included in other sections. For example, if you want to work as a sales representative, then you can put this in the sales section.However, if you really want to stand out from the crowd, you can put this in the skills and experience section of your resume. These sections will look more professional. They will also give employers an idea of the kind of work you have done in the past. This is important because they will also be able to see how much experience you have.Resumes are important to employers when they are looking for someone to hire. In order to help make your resume a success, you will want to follow these tips when writing it. First, you should research the areas of the city that you are applying for. This will make it easier for you to think of things that would make it more appealing to employers.Another tip is to choose jobs that you feel would match your personality . This will help you become more organized when it comes to writing your resume. It will also make you look more competent and trustworthy to your employer. This is important because if you don't have a professional appearance, they will probably be turned off and be less likely to hire you.You will be surprised at how much of an impact your resume can have on your career in Los Angeles. Your resume is the first thing employers will see, so you need to make sure that you put as much time and effort into making it as you can. You will be surprised at how good you will feel when you get the job you want. Just remember that it doesn't matter where you live; you can find some great help in this city.

Pixar gets it - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Pixar gets it - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog The Holllywwod way of organizing a movie is by using only contract labour. The vast majority of movie people, from grips and gaffers to high-paid actors, are in essence self-employed and are hired for one movie at a time. Pixar goes against this trend, by focusing on people: Contracts allow you to be irresponsible as a company. You dont need to worry about keeping people happy and fulfilled. What we have created here an incredible workspace, opportunities to learn and grow, and, most of all, great co-workers is better than any contract. Weve made the leap from an idea-centered business to a people-centered business. Instead of developing ideas, we develop people. Instead of investing in ideas, we invest in people. Were trying to create a culture of learning, filled with lifelong learners. Its no trick for talented people to be interesting, but its a gift to be interested. We want an organization filled with interested people. Says Randy S. Nelson, the dean of Pixar University. Among the advatages cited are: * People learn to work more efficiently together through long-term collaborations * People can better support each other through difficult creative processes * A culture of learning * People have more fun Also check out the amazing offices at Pixar. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

How to get a job when youre unemployed -

How to get a job when youre unemployed - Ironically, it’s easier to find a job when you already have a job. Unemployed job seekers are subject to a “damaged goods” bias; some employers assume a great candidate would already have a job. A new study, which will be presented at next month’s Academy of Management’s annual meeting, suggests there is evidence that human resource professionals and the general public have a tendency to show a bias against unemployed job seekers. Researcher Geoffrey Ho, a doctoral candidate at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a researcher for the study said the bias began “virtually from the outset of unemployment,” not only after a long period of joblessness. If you’re unemployed and looking for a job, you probably are not surprised. What can you do to help avoid being discriminated against just because you are unemployed? Have a well-rehearsed story describing your situation. Be able to confidently explain the situation at your company in a way that showcases your situation in the best possible light. Use a succinct response to explain why you are out of a job and do not delve into details. For example, if you were laid off: “When I joined X company, their goals and my skills were aligned, but their plans evolved in a different direction, which compelled them to eliminate my (position/department), even though we were on target to make our goals.” If you were fired, try to frame your situation in the most favorable light, for example, “When I interviewed for my last job, we agreed on specific plans and approaches, but a new supervisor joined who had different ideas about how to move forward. I was no longer a match, so I agreed to move on.” Tell a positive, matter-of-fact story without getting into your emotions. Do not lie, complain, or badmouth your past employer or organization and do not appear bitter or angry; it will come back to bite you. Maintain your skills. From the minute you are unemployed, keep in touch with your network and find ways to use your skills so prospective employers don’t think you are eating bon bons on the couch. Attend industry meetings and volunteer to handle projects relevant to your field. Use your skills and list that work and your accomplishments on your resume. If you cannot volunteer for a professional organization, seek out a non-profit group or even a company where you might want to work, identify a problem you can solve for them, and offer to take on a pro-bono project for a set time. When you take these steps, you can keep your resume and online profiles and updated with current activity so it’s not so obvious you’re unemployed. Even if you’ve been out of work for a while, you may be surprised by how helpful it can be to get started on a project or two to update your resume; it’s not too late. Network effectively. Instead of asking everyone you meet if they know of a job, have a short, targeted pitch to introduce yourself and your skills. Request meetings to learn more about people or companies that interest you, and make it clear you don’t expect a job as a result: you’re doing research, which will expand your contacts and the number of people who may be willing to refer you for a position. When you know how to ask for help when youre job searching, you have a much better chance of getting what you want. Use social media. If you can engage online and demonstrate your expertise by posting links to news and sharing your own commentary, you will keep yourself top-of-mind with those who could hire or refer you to positions. Update your LinkedIn status for a brief (one- or two-week) period to indicate you are “seeking an opportunity in _______” or “available for a new position as _______,” but once you’ve let your network know you are looking, don’t be “the person without a job.” Secure a project, list it on your LinkedIn profile, and share updates about your work on all of the social media channels. Additionally, you can learn what is going on at conferences, even if you cannot attend, by watching social media updates â€" for example, many conferences have people “live tweeting” what the speakers are discussing. You can keep up with all of this from the comfort of your home, and even participate, even if traveling and signing up to attend in person is too expensive. Another great reason to use social media? Employers are looking there to find candidates. A Jobvite study says, “Social recruiting has become an essential HR practice, with 92% of U.S. companies using social networks and media to find talent in 2012, up from 78% five years ago.” Put yourself on social media where employers are looking, and even if you are not employed, you are more likely to gain their attention. (Read more about how important social networking is to get a job.) It’s not easy looking for a job when you don’t have a job, but take advantage of your free time to research organizations and jobs, to network, and connect to a new opportunity that may be an even better fit than your last job. You can help overcome the bias against the unemployed by revving up your network, getting active online, and finding volunteer gigs where you can show what you know. photo by emilyvalenza

Tips on Writing a Resume

Tips on Writing a ResumeIf you are looking to get your resume published in the various government recruitment websites, then writing your resume is an absolute must. This is because not only do these websites need a strong resume, but also someone who can properly showcase their skills, experiences and expertise.A good resume should be as professional as possible and therefore you must make sure that it does not deviate from this model. So what do you need to do to make a good resume? A few tips on how to write a resume are as follows:Professionalize - As a resume needs to be professional, it is better to have it written professionally by someone who knows what they are doing. You might need to pay for some kind of professional services for writing your resume, but they will definitely be worth it. For example, you might want to look at writers who know how to present information in a proper way and who knows how to properly design a resume layout.Length - A well-written resume is al ways longer than an average resume. In the past, people used to write shorter resumes to save time. Nowadays, resumes are more sophisticated and longer than ever before.Customize - Make sure that the resume that you submit to the various recruitment websites is exactly what they need to see. Do not choose the resume template that someone else gave you because that means that you are only using your personal preferences. There is no point in submitting a resume that is so similar to others because it won't impress any potential employer and he/she might give it another thought when choosing the person for a position.Typesetting - The most important aspect of a resume is the way it is formatted. If you are not able to format it correctly, then it will be useless.So in conclusion, the most important aspect of a resume is that it should be well written. These few tips will help you write your resume in the right way and thus it will get you published in the most suitable recruitment web sites.

Lesson for Entrepreneurs from Alex Blumberg of Gimlet

Lesson for Entrepreneurs from Alex Blumberg of Gimlet Like many entrepreneurs, especially those of a certain age, Alex Blumberg never intended to ditch it all to launch a business. He was a producer for public radio program This American Life and worked on the popular business podcast/blog Planet Money. He was winning awards. Getting raises. Life was great. But all along Blumberg had an idea he couldn’t shake: to produce narrative journalism podcasts, in serial formâ€"to be, as he puts it, the HBO of podcasts. Blumberg tried to sell the idea to his NPR bosses. No luck. So he decided to go it alone, launching Gimlet Media in the fall of 2014. The company’s first 14-episode series, StartUp, chronicled his own adventures as a rookie entrepreneur. Since then he’s launched two more acclaimed series, and he expects the venture to generate revenues of $2 million this year. But the journey hasn’t been easy. As Blumberg, now 48, told MONEY: “It was only after I got into it that I realized how little I knew about running a company.” R ead on to get the benefit of his experience. Q: A lot of people have business ideas but never take the plunge. What made you take the next step? A: I was at Planet Money, and the business was growing rapidly. The audience was really passionate. I felt people liked the content but wanted to consume it in a different formâ€"in length and voice. I told people that we should put together shows like Planet Money where episodes come out once a week and people could listen on demand. In 2013 I realized that in order to make that happen, I was going to have to do it on my own. Did you question whether this would be a financially smart move? A: My wife and I both thought about it. I could have climbed the ladder at NPR and gotten higher salaries. In my old job I had more free time, less travel, and fewer early mornings and late nights. Right now, I’m poorer than I would have been. If anyone fully understood the magnitude of starting a businessâ€"the costs personally and financiallyâ€"they wouldn’t do it. So why do it? I felt the upside justified the risk. If the company became a multimillion-dollar company, I’d own a large chunk of it, and that would be way more upside than I would have earned at my old job. But if it doesn’t or the company turns south, which the odds say are the likeliest outcomes, I’ll have made a huge financial mistake. Do you worry about money now? A lot. My wife has a good job as a TV producer, and she got a raise, so that helped. I also did other stuff on the side, like speaking engagements, to bring money in. But we were hand to mouth there for a little bit. We were both pretty stressed by it. Have you had to change your lifestyle as a result? We never go out to movies or dinner. I just bought new clothes for the first time in maybe three years. I was wearing the same ratty pair of running shoes for a year and a half. But compared to most, we’re in fine shape. We go on vacation in the summer. And our kids still take swim lessons and go to camp. Did you tap your retirement funds to launch the company? I didn’t tap the 401(k). God, no! But we spent down our savings and racked up some credit card debt. You also raised almost $2 million from investors to start the business. How hard was that? I thought it was going to be pretty easy to raise money, that I’d be able to go to people and say, “Look, I did this and now I’m going to do more of it,” and it would be easy to convince them. I had my ass handed to me. One of the first guys I approached was this venture capitalist I interviewed on NPR. I didn’t know what a VC did. It was a ridiculous place to start, and he turned me down. I should have started by trying to raise money from people who were familiar with what I did. There were plenty of people in the public radio system who would have written me a check. You also realized that you needed a partner who knew something about business. It quickly became clear I needed help on the business side. I didn’t know what I was talking about on a profound level. I worked in public radio. It’s sort of a destination for pretty much the least savvy business people on the planet, you know? That’s when I met my co-founder, Matthew Lieber, who was working at the Boston Consulting Group. He’ll say, “No, this is a horrible thing for us to do” or “This is a great thing for us.” Matt sees things I don’t see and understands things I don’t understand. I don’t think in terms of what things will cost or make money. I think in terms of stories and how to tell them. It wasn’t until I teamed up with Matt that we actually started attracting investors. There’s an episode of StartUp in which you and your wife agonize over giving Matt an almost equal share of the business. But you eventually relented. That’s true. It was a risk because we didn’t really know each other. But if the company was going to work, we both needed to feel fully invested in its success. Fighting over equity percentages just felt like a bad use of time when the company is worth nothing. It was absolutely the right decision. What was it like to let these kinds of business and personal decisions play out in public? We worried before each episode. Would this be the time we reveal too much and have people use it against us? But every time, people related. I think it’s taught me the value of not being defensive. I now try more than ever to be as honest about my shortcomings as I can. The more you’re open about it, the more people respect you for your honesty. That’s good advice. What else should aspiring entrepreneurs know before starting a business? Don’t tellâ€"make. Fundraising went very slowly for us, and we’d still be fundraising if I hadn’t launched the first episode back in September 2014. I knew that people would like StartUp and it would attract some kind of audience. But more than that, it made it real to potential investors. It wasn’t until I made something completely on my own that investors took me seriously. The faster you can take your idea from theoretical to tangible, the better off you’ll be. Also, focus on what you’re good at. A company at the beginning is like a stem cell: It can grow into anything. We wrestled a lot with what exactly we should be. Should we focus on building podcast technology or exclusively on content? In the end we decided to stick with what we knewâ€" content. Focusing on a different discipline might have been too much. What are the most important lessons you’ve learned so far? One lesson I’ve learned over and over is that the reputation you personally built before starting a company is incredibly important. Finding good people who are willing to leave their jobs to join a “business” that is nothing more than an idea in the head of a public radio producer isn’t that simple. If you’ve pissed off a bunch of people in your past professional career, it would be really hard to start a company. But these days a lot of people launch companies when they’re young. Is it too late to start at your age, with young kids and all? Too late is maybe a better time to do it in a weird way. It is hard to start a business at this stage in life. But if I hadn’t done all these other phases of my career, it would have been so much harder. I couldn’t have done this when I was 23 or even 40. So many people I now work with I met in my old job. Also, having a family grounds you. It gives you discipline. I can’t couch surf and live off credit cards with a family to support. Last question: How’s business? Are you going to make it? Our audiences are bigger and our revenue is better than we thought it’d be. We have a couple of years to run on what we raised and the revenue we generate. I worry about ad rates plummeting and not being able to find other sources of revenue. But big picture, I’m about as optimistic as I’m capable of letting myself be. This interview has been edited.