New: an EVENING JibberJobber User Webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 7p EST. Register here. (other webinars listed here)

Many of them are not put together well, or the responses are not put together well.

Here are THREE of my favorite posts where I talk about how to introduce someone, or yourself:

Job Search and Networking Introductions (January 28, 2009) – how to introduce yourself and ask for help.

Introductions gone bad… (January 11, 2007) – thoughts on how to write that initial email introduction.

Solution to Introductions gone bad… ? (January 12, 2007) – how to respond to an introduction from someone else.

Those posts are old, but the ideas are not too shabby!

(Shoudn’t they teach this stuff in college??)

Thanks to Kristian Andersen for putting this together

I know Pam and Jill… and strongly encourage you to sign up for this no-cost webinar tomorrow. From an email Jill just sent out:

Hi All, In the past few weeks, we’ve seen numerous articles on how long it’s taking  to find a new position today. Plus, there’s been lots of talk on the need for job seekers to be entrepreneurial and the growing trend for people to have multiple jobs concurrently. That’s why this upcoming webinar is so darn important for you to attend. It’s about how to live, survive and even thrive in this changing economy of ours. You need to attend, even if you desperately want to return to “cubicle nation.” Why? Because it’s really about taking back control of your life again. UPCOMING F-R-E-E Webinar Escape from Cubicle Nation When: Wednesday, January 20 Time: 1pm ET, 12 noon CT, 11am MT, 10am PT Busy at that time? Sign up now and listen later Click to register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/844810859 The collapse of our world economy in 2009 brought tremendous hardship, but also tremendous opportunity.

If no work configuration is secure, we are all self-employed. This gives us many ways to earn a living, if we just know the way to research opportunities and market ourselves as employee and entrepreneur.

Join Pamela Slim, business coach and author of Escape from Cubicle Nation as she guides you through a way to develop a career strategy that will translate regardless of your personal work situation.

In this session you’ll learn:

• The starting place for any career path: a sound life plan
• The critical steps to start a business
• How to build a supportive tribe of supporters, peers and mentors to further your opportunities

Register now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/844810859

Self-employment is SCARY, but so is long-term unemployment.

For that matter, so is working for a company and not ever knowing when you might get the ax.

I just found a terrific post from Jeff Dickey-Chasins that explains some of the behind-the-scenes logic of fake job postings.

I HATE FAKE JOB POSTINGS.

I REALLY, REALLY HATE FAKE JOB POSTINGS.

But they are there, and apparently they are there for a reason.

Jeff writes his post from a job board perspective.  He gives a logical reason why companies might do it (to harvest resumes, especially if they have to put up a certain amount of postings before a certain date).

He offers a BRILLIANT alternative (to label the job as “future hiring,” so you know it’s not a current, open job.

The comments offer great insight, also.  Go check out his post and then let us know what you think.

For me, fake job postings are a slap in the face to job seekers.  And job seekers don’t need one more slap in the face.

Thoughts?

In my Google Alerts I found a link to a blog that mentioned JibberJobber (titled: What’s Wrong?).  In fact, the blogger wrote “newfangled jibberjobber”… hm, now my curiousity is piqued!

The blog post is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time… the blogger talks about all of the widgets and gadgets and tools that are supposed to make our lives easier, but in fact, don’t.  I think we all have at least one thing we’ve purchased that was supposed to make our lives easier, but just sat around unused?

The blog author talks about stuff from infomercials, kitchen utensils, phone accessories, etc.

And they threw JibberJobber into the conversation with this question:

“After all whats wrong with the OLD way of doing whatever the newfangled jibberjobber is supposed to replace?”

Let’s talk about that…

The OLD way of doing a job search is, well, old.  It’s outdated.  It doesn’t necessarily work.

Remember, the OLD way of doing a job search was in a different environment.  Back in the olden days (a few years ago) you could use job boards, apply to jobs, and it was a numbers game (how many resumes could you send in?  Someone was BOUND to hire you if you sent enough resumes).

The NEW way is, well, new.  It’s not so much a numbers game.  It might just be more about managing relationships.  And managing relationships is HARD.  Keeping track of relationships you manage is HARD, also, especially the more you network.

Try tracking hundreds of companies you are looking at.  Hundreds of resumes that you use to apply to hundreds of jobs.  And hundreds of people you network into (online and offline).

What OLD way would really help you manage that information?  3×5 cards not good enough?  Well, buy 4×6 cards then :p  Or wait, how about a spreadsheet?  Been there, done that, didn’t do the job after a while because there was TOO MUCH data to manage.

There are only so many tools that will really, really cut an onion the right way.  And usually my favorite cutting tool is the knife. I can’t image a tool that will replace my set of Cutco knives.  They are the best tools in my kitchen.

In a job search, there never really was a knife (that super tool).  There still isn’t … finding a job and managing your career is more complex than cutting an onion.  So you might need multiple tools.  But if your OLD tools were paper-based, or a spreadsheet, and you are getting ready for a new job search, I’d suggest you seriously check out some newfangled tools… like JibberJobber.com and LinkedIn.  These are the closest knife-like tools you’ll find for your job search.

Twitter is … weird.  Yeah, weird.  I currently have 11,409 followers, and I wonder how many of those followers are spam and fake accounts. I rarely look at the home page to see what people are writing about (I used to, all the time) because it’s so NOISY.  Too much crap to wade through.

Having said that, I’ve gotten immense value out of Twitter. I put up a LinkedIn Question a few weeks ago asking: Twitter in the job search? I say: not yet. What do you think? I got some passionate replies telling me that YES, Twitter is all that, and other replies saying no way, pick up the phone instead.  Terrific responses.

The irony, for those so passionate about how Twitter is the best things since sliced bread, is that I’m not a Twitter hater… I even did an awesome video on Twitter in the job search. I think it’s a terrific tool for job seekers…

Let me share one of the coolest stories I’ve heard in a long time on how people are getting value out of Twitter (this isn’t a job search story, but it is a networking story).  It’s a terrific story about two ladies who really want to meet celebrity author Keith Ferrazzi in Guatemala… you can read the entire story here, on Keith’s blog.  Here’s the short of it:

Keith was in Guatemala to look at some charity opportunities (read more about Keith Ferrazzi’s charity work here) and let his readers/audience/fans know (Keith’s Twitter account). Sara and Suzette found out and were using Keith’s tweets to try and figure out where he was, hoping to run into him.  Finally, Susette tweeted to Keith asking if she could buy him a drink.

Keith saw that, replied, and the rest is history!  (read his post to see how cool the dinner was)

This worked because Keith was (a) on Twitter, (b) using Twitter, and (c) comfortable with Twitter.  There’s something about communicating with someone through a channel that they are comfortable with.

What’s interesting is that neither Susette nor Sara have done “all the right things,” as far as what others are saying you have to do.  They don’t have many followers, they don’t have bios or websites or links so you can learn more about them… they haven’t tweeted that much.  But they still hit grand slams… just by using the tool.

Not all of your target contacts are on, or use, Twitter.  However, I would check to see if they are.  I’ve communicated with other untouchables through Twitter and gotten further than if I would have just sent an email.

Don’t discount Twitter as a networking tool.  I don’t suggest you go crazy with it (my video shows you how to get value out of it – whether you have a Twitter account or not), but use it like all of the other networking tools you have access to.

The title of this book is 100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters.

Get a highlighter and then print this book out (17 pages) – there are so many gems in here it is crazy.  It’s free, and yes, it’s priceless.

I got a sneak peak of this book and thought it would be cool and informative. I grossly underestimated the amount of information and value the book provides.

In this book EMC recruiters questions like:

• What is your favorite recruiting story?
• What are your top recruiting sources?
• What are the top 3 common mistakes that job seekers make?
• What are your top 10 job search strategies?
• Any final words?

The input is AMAZING.

Some stories are funny, some are sad.

The “recruiting sources” (where these recruiters look for talent) might surprise you!

I’m not going to go on anymore…. go download the free ebook and see for yourself!

I just got information from my JibberJobber Partner, Beverly Harvey, about a telesminar she is hosting on Friday called “How To Conduct a Highly Successful Job Acquisition Campaign and Land Your Next Position ASAP”

The call is this Friday, Dec 18, at 1pm EST.  She says you’ll learn:

• Why the job acquisition techniques you used a few years ago aren’t working
• What decision makers and recruiters are really looking for
• Why you may not be getting called for interviews
• Why you can’t take any short cuts when it comes to your job acquisition campaign
• Why you need a well-though-out strategy, plan and system
• Why you must treat a job acquisition campaign like a marketing campaign
• Why a haphazard, trial-and-error approach won’t work in today’s market

You can register here (affiliate link – she’s introducing her Platinum Job Acquisition Progam on that call).

A little about Beverly: I have met Beverly a number of times at career conferences and have found her to be well-respected, and in fact she is involved in coaching and training job search coaches.  She is definitely current on job search (or, as she says, acquisition) strategies and techniques, and passionate about helping professionals move on.  Her reputation alone is well worth your time on her call on Friday…!

I recently read an article (in a newsletter, sorry, no link) about how to use Twitter in a job search. In short, the suggestions were:

1. Get on Twitter,
2. Tweet and get your brand out there, and
3. follow key job people, including coaches, recruiters, etc.

I absolutely, fundamentally disagree.

Not to sound like a pessimist, but the people who usually listen to me are (a) busy, (b) not necessarily early adopters to technology, and (c) busy.  Because of (b) I have to be careful when I recommend any technology.

I’m not opposed to technology, but telling a job seeker to do the three steps above, I think, will give them a false sense of “I’m doing the right thing in my job search!”  I bet I can come up with 20 (non-twitter) activities that are more important than those three steps. I would not put this as a top priority.

But I do tell job seekers to include Twitter as part of their job search strategy.  In a nutshell, I suggest:

• Use Twitter to find people who you can/should network with.  Best place to do this?  Twellow.com.  You don’t have to have a Twitter account to do this.
• Once you find a key contact, see if they have any lists, or are listed in any lists… if so, look for other key contacts to contact.  You don’t have to have a Twitter account to do this.
• IF you want to contact people, consider doing it through Twitter.  Now you need to get an account, but you can do this in a way that gets you in front of key people who you are targeting (instead of throwing twitter-mud on the wall).  Be onbrand and realize the purpose of this is to get a discussion with that person, not to do a general branding tweet.

Addressing point 2 above, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to use Twitter as a branding tool – in fact, it has been quite a tool for me.  But I have resources allocated to branding and marketing, and this fits into that.  Job seekers, like I said, could have at least 20 other activities that are more productive.

Addressing point 3 above, I don’t think there is as much value in following recruiters and those posting jobs on Twitter… no offense to @tweetmyjobs and such services, but if you are spending a considerable amount of time looking at job postings anywhere, there is something wrong with your job search.

Active job seekers should be as wary of posted jobs as recruiters are of active job seekers.

(if you didn’t get that last line, read it again – it might be one of the most important sentences I’ve written on this blog, ever)

I would suggest you follow job search coaches, resume writers, etc…. because they will throw out tips and advice… but if you find yourself reading and reading and reading most of the day, I’d tell you to stop your Twitter activity and go do some of the hard stuff in the job search.

Thoughts?

December.

What a great month to get laid off.

Not only are there thousands of private industry people who are losing their jobs this month, but there are plenty of government jobs lost.  From police officers to janitors, nothing says “happy holidays” like a pink slip.

Let me suggestion five things you might call “job search software.”  Understand that I’m quite biased, having been active in this industry for almost four years… so to me, not all job search software is the same.

Here are five areas to consider:

1. Organize your job search.  JibberJobber was arguably the first real job search organizer on the market.  I started the company shortly after I got laid off and it has since provided value to thousands of users as they track where they apply, where they are at with each application, who their network contacts are and where the relationship is.  Many continue to use JibberJobber after they land a job because it is a long-term career management tool, not a find-me-a-job bandaid.
2. Find job postings.  Job boards: one of the most misunderstood areas.  Think you’ll find current, relevant and open job postings on job boards?  GOOD LUCK.  Job boards have a purpose but if you misunderstand them, like I did, you’ll waste weeks and weeks and weeks, like I did.  Know their purpose, but don’t expect them to help you find the hidden job market.  Peter Weddle says (and I agree) that you should get job alerts from six boards: two large boards (think Monster and CareerBuilder), two niche/industry boards (think Dice or NursingJobs.com), and two local boards (think craigslist and whatever-your-county or city has (houstonjobs, for example).  If you understand that job boards care about you as much as recruiters do, you’ll be further ahead of where I was when I started my search.
3. Network with people. Real networking, not superficial stuff.  There is no networking silver bullet, and it can be “not easy,” but networking is career management 101 – you need to do it in your job search and when you are in-between job searches. I think LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook provide good-to-excellent networking opportunities.
4. Brand yourself. I don’t care if you think branding is only for cattle or products (you are neither, right?).  Personal branding is real, and it is important.  If you need to call it something else, that’s fine… I’m not big on semantics.  But if I google you, I should come up with something that might impress me.  It’s easy to get branded well… some things to consider are buying your own domain name, getting a blog (wordpress.com, typepad.com, etc.), etc.  Also, think about your LinkedIn Profile as well as a VisualCV account, or something like that.  Oh yeah, emurse.com is one I always recommend.
5. _________________.

Oops, that’s only four… well, I’ll let you tell me what #5 is.  Go for it in the comments