Posts Tagged ‘career transition’

There’s just one more thing I’d like to say. It is put so well in today’s theme song:

Ok, I know, just yesterday I took an oath to change my ways, and not lose my temper in the wrong places. I said I wasn’t going to be a ShockTalkRadio star. I said I was going to be The Compassionate HR Woman that I am deep down inside. But that song, is today’s theme song because it aptly describes my feelings after I’ve left crappy jobs, crappy relationships, and crappy, dysfunctional situations. Today, I am taking the low road to the high road, because like most human beings, I have to work through my feelings, and process them before I take them world-wide. So, why did I post this to my HR Blog? Because, I write for my HireFriday community too. They need to let off a little steam too, every now and then.

Today’s lesson continues, HireFriday Community. I encourage you to process the F-Us in private, and put the smiles on in public. Unless you are Howard Stern, or @Animal, it’s wise to keep your facebook page free of debris. Keep your twitter page filled with links to useful industry information, and participate in linkedin groups by answering questions in discussions. You might argue, HR Margo The F U song is your theme song today, well why don’t you…It’s my theme song today to teach you a lesson. DON’T DO THIS IF YOU ARE A JOB SEEKER.

The take away from this post is to be a proactive, classy job seeker. Dig your well before you are thirsty, as the saying goes. Help others along the way, because as you help one another, you are doing good deeds while getting ahead. Continue to to network after you land that great position, and unless you are me or @Animal in the midst of a debate: don’t air your dirty laundry on social media. It’s risky. I’ve lost friends by being mouthy on twitter, and on blogtalkradio shows. Do I regret that? Yes and No. It’s complicated. With that said, I’m self employed, a blogger, a public speaker, a trained facilitator, and coach, and being an outspoken advocate is part and parcel to my brand. Do I ever step on my own two feet? You bet I do. Do I learn my lessons? Most, but not all of the time. As I always say, the best we get to be in this lifetime is human.

What I want job seekers to take away from this post is to put your best foot forward, be original, be yourself, but your best self. Remember, the world is watching. One of my HireFriday Community members @PracticalWisdom suggest we play the “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” tune whenever somebody in our community gets #HiredFriday Woot. In her honor, I now give you a bonus two-fer theme song. Let’s Get Ready to RUMBLE your Job SEARCH

Strategy. Where would we be without one? Rowing rudderless down a rapid river without a paddle. If we don’t have an object, strategy, and plan our efforts are fruitless. The low rate of return is a waste of time. More importantly, if you are a recruiter, and your recruitment techniques are bad, you risk your reputation, and good standing in the recruitment community. Furthermore, you risk alienating job seekers, and clients which is just a faulty business practice. The the gold-standard recruiters, and recruitment firms this is not news. However; to job seekers it is a validation of how damaging poor recruitment practices can be.

Strategy. If you are a job seeker, and you are not both disciplined, and strategic in your job search planning, you will stall your re-employment, and sabotage your morale. In this economy, the unemployment rates can be depressing, and attitude deflating. If you subscribe to this blog, I consistently challenge job seekers to “think like a recruiter.” Likewise, I challenge recruiters to put themselves in the mindset of a candidate, and cultivate empathy for the job seeker, as well as the client. A recruiter must keep ever present in their minds that your candidate may one day be the hiring manager who will retain your services. Furthermore, the candidate you place, and even those you don’t place will be a treasure trove of referrals.

Strategy. I am a fierce candidate advocate. In addition, Compassionate HR isn’t just the name of my radio show, it is a way of life. I straddle the worlds of career development, recruitment, training and development, and organization effectiveness. First, let me define compassion. The dictionary defines compassion as follows:

“A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”

In 2007, I was struck my deep sympathy, and grief in the loss of 2 family members, and in the loss of the family members of dear friends. Compassion, however; does not mean a measly groveling of emotionalism. Rather, it reflects the mindset of equanimity. It acknowledges the suffering all around us, and a willingness to serve to alleviate the suffering that we are able. Compassionate HR, Recruitment, and Social Media is a way of being. It is a method of outreach to my professional community. There are those who would argue too much compassion can get in the way of working with our clients. I beg to differ. Compassion is a sound business practice so long as it is matched with sound pragmatic methods.

Recently, I have noticed an over abundance of pre-scheduled job spamming in the HireFriday, Job Angels, Jobs, and Careers twitter streams. This spray and pray recruitment approach is a joke. It is a fallacy that must be exposed. It is a bad business practice that alienates job seekers, and the average business person in your twitter/facebook network. News Flash recruiters. Nobody cares about your indiscrimanent job postings. Be strategic. Find the right venues for your job postings. Search the new media venues industry relevant candidates, and engage them in a dialogue about the jobs opportunities you have to offer. If I am not a java developer do you think I care to see your java developer job posts? I don’t, neither do most job seekers.

People may wonder: why am I so adamant about keeping the HireFriday twitter stream for candidates only? It is because I was once a job seeker who was turned off by streams that did not post relevant job postings. I’d unfollow companies that posted nothing but jobs. If I want to see job opportunities, I’d follow TweetMyJobs and request industry relevant jobs only. I’d go to a job board, see who’s hiring, then leverage my linkedin contacts to make inroads into the company. I’d tweet to the executives of companies where I wanted to work, and build those relationships. I’d tweet to the recruiters who were credible, ethical, and dignified, and build those relationships. I’d network with colleagues, and take those relationship from online to a face to face meeting, if local, and a teleconference if not.

There are ways to do things. There are ways to not do things. The reason why HireFriday is a success is precisely because it features, supports, and encourages job seekers. Most job seekers might watch the #jobs stream, and run a twitter search for key words that match their job title, but will they follow and watch a stream of just plain spammy, irrelevant jobs? I argue no!. HireFriday connects people to people who can offer contacts, opportunities, and jobs. If it were to become a mixed media of jobs, and people it would lose readers, members, and the job seekers would soon scatter, and disappear. I’ve seen this countless times with other online communities.

Strategy: in order for job seekers and recruiters to be successful in the use of HireFriday, they must connect with one another offline, and find one another online. People ask: can anyone control a twitter stream? I’d argue yes. I do it all time. I do not own the HireFriday stream, our community does. I manage the stream. I watch the stream like a hawk. I consistently post guidelines for job seekers, recruiters, and companies to follow. If I see someone behaving contrary to our community values, thus destroying the integrity of our group, I redirect them, and stop with if necessary.

You see, I am a fierce advocate. I’ve been a fighter of the good fight all my life. I am part sweetheart, and part scrappy terrier nipping at the heels of the big dogs. One thing I have learned is this: if you want to run with the big dogs, you have the aim for the high bushes. I encourage recruiters, and job seekers alike to aim for the high bushes, take a quality strategic approach that will yield fruitful results, and when necessary, take the high road. I also advocate fighting for your rights, your beliefs, and your integrity. In the final analysis, no one can strip us of our dignity, our integrity, and our self respect unless we let them.

Now it’s time for today’s theme song: The Beastie Boys Anthem: “You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party.” I selected this song for four reasons. 1) It’s fun. 2) You gotta fight for your rights. 3) I’m a rebel at heart. 4) If you want to play hard, delay gratification, be strategic, work hard, then party.

HireFriday Boot Camp Workshops and Coaching Now Available by Margo Rose

Have you ever written a book? This is the first book I’ve written. I’m convinced it won’t be my last. One day, I want to write a book about my Father, Rolly Schwartz, the man who trained olympic champions. Rolly is in 7 halls of fame, has been honored, and met 2 American Presidents (Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter). Daddy was my hero. He was involved in Olympic Boxing for more than 50 years. He used to say, “A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins.” He trained Cassius Clay (when he was an amateur boxer). I’ll never forget when he’d come to our house to dinner (when he lived in Kentucky). I was just a child, but I thought I was looking up at superman. Dad trained the greatest boxers who’ve ever lived. Now I know where I get my spunk.

He inspired me to champion others. As the founder of HireFriday on twitter, facebook, and linkedin, that’s just what I do. Unemployment is hard. HireFriday can help. I created a job seeker stream, not a job stream which is what makes my community special. I take tremendous pride in extolling the virtues, talents, skill-sets, and strengths of the job seekers in the HireFriday community. I cut my eye teeth on outplacement back in the 90′s. I was a project career consultant for Right Management, an internationally recognized outplacement firm.

It was then I knew helping job seekers was, and is my path. When I tap into the deepest part of my soul, and ask myself, what do I care about professionally more than anything else? The answer is crystal clear. It is to help unemployed people accelerate their job search. This is the basis of my book. I have a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development. The Career Development element of my educational training was the favorite part of my studies. I knew then there was a book inside me trying to get out.  I used to be a corporate trainer, and outplacement consultant.  I started working for Right Management, a nationally recognized outplacement firm while I was still in graduate school.  I took to the work like a duck to water. Working with job seekers brought me so much joy.  This book is my labor of love.

The book begins with my own journey of career transition from organization development, to owning The Paw Spa, and back into human resources. As a social media strategist, I knew it was important that I communicate the best practices I’ve learned to others. Life is meaningless unless there is a purpose, a purpose grounded in spiritual roots, and sound career development principles. I wanted to impart not just job search strategies, but also how to lift your spirits when the job search gets you down.

One of the most difficult parts of my own experience with career transition is the discouragement that comes with rejection, it’s so demotivating. I used to feel invisible, and forgotten. I never want the job seekers in the HireFriday community to experience the sense of despair and isolation that I experienced. I lifted myself up out of the rut of discouragement, but I didn’t do it alone. The recruiting, HR, and career and coaching community lifted me up, encouraged and empowered me, and most importantly I felt like I belonged to a community.

Follow Friday isn’t useless, people still find interesting people to follow through the stream on twitter. Whenever I saw a row of names without description, my eyes would glaze over. I grew bored and weary of #FF. I knew there had to be a better use of my time and energy. It started when I gave out the coveted HRMargo awards. I selected 1 or 2 people, and described what they do best, and why I thought they were super stars. Everybody loves awards. It got to a point that people started to dm me asking when their award was coming.

That’s when I got the idea for HireFriday. We were on the heels of an ugly recession, and I thought, “hey wouldn’t be a great idea if everyone who tweets #FollowFriday would tweet #HireFriday instead?” Think how many job seekers we can help. The idea became viral, and is now in Canada and the UK. My book shows job seekers how to leverage their social media connections to find their next job. I discuss boots on the ground strategies for how to figure out what you want to do next, how to do Internet research, how to create a social media friendly resume, how to determine the best online job search sources, and how to align all of these resources with you goals.

I’m excited beyond description to share my book with the world. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Before Friday, polish your resume and linkedin profile and get ready to post it to our twitter stream, and facebook and linkedin group.

Today, I selected a motivational theme song that’s funny, and joyful. I now give you, “Who Let The Dogs Out.” This is the dance remix. If this doesn’t get you jumping, I don’t know what will. Celebrate your beautiful life.

There’s a facebook group called “Good Grammar is Sexy.”  When I met Karen Siwak, @ResumeStrategy on Twitter, I knew in my heart, I’d met a grammatical sexy wizard.  She’s passionate about writing the very best resumes that represent her clients in their brightest light.  In this guest post, she discusses the importance of storytelling.  No, not “The Three Bears,” storytelling, but “The Little Engine That Could,” storytelling.  Except you are the story.  The story is about how you can tell your story to a prospective hiring manager, and land that interview.  Storytelling is a performance art, and so is effective resume writing.  Read Karen’s post as if you were listening to a book on tape. Absorb the words, and let the message seep into the crevices of your mind.  Allow these lessons to guide you as your template, as you continue to polish your resume.  This is not an advertisement for Karen, but rather a post to empower you with strategies for engaging the hardest part of any search: selling You & Company.  It’s why resume writers are so successful, because this can be an arduous process.  Admittedly, it was the hardest part for me.   The best part of being a blogger is featuring the writers you respect the most.  It is in that spirit, I present to you, Karen Siwak.

Perhaps I’m an odd duck, but I actually enjoy critiquing resumes. And it’s not just because I like picking holes in people’s hard work, or that I take delight in being a grammar sergeant.  In fact my critiques will rarely make mention of a bad format choice (unless its atrocious), or a misplaced comma (unless it is glaringly obvious and bastardizes what you are trying to say).

So why do I like critiquing? It’s because I am a fanatic about resumes that tell an interesting story, and frankly, most don’t. In fact so many resumes fail spectacularly when it comes to story telling, that having to screen through a stack of resumes has been likened to water torture. I like critiquing because I know that I can offer a dozen client-specific suggestions that, if followed, will immediately elevate a resume above the crowd.

Here is my storytelling check list, and I can tell you that less than 10% of the resumes I’ve critiqued over the years have met even half of these criteria:

1. Is there a target job title and a profile or summary that speaks to a specific target audience?
2. Is the summary laden with warm and fuzzy “plays well with others” self-aggrandizements, or does it contain factual statements that show why this candidate is the perfect solution to a specific kind of challenge?
3. Is there an easy-to-read “table of contents” outlining the candidate’s top 10 to 12 core skills and expertise?
4. Does the skills summary use industry-specific language and keywords, and is it stripped of all extraneous words so that the keywords jump out?
5. Does the resume set the context for each job? Is there a brief description of the company, its products, its competitive position?
6. For each position, does the resume briefly list the candidate’s job mandate and the key challenges that they faced when they came on board?
7. Does the resume tell how the candidate stepped up to those challenges, and outline the results they achieved?
8. Does the resume describe how the candidate’s mandate changed over time, how their role evolved, how their company grew or changed as a result of their contributions?
9. If there was a promotion or series of promotions, does the resume describe how this came to be?
10. If applicable, does the resume indicate who the candidate’s clients and stakeholders were? Does it name names, or provide enough information to demonstrate the scope and scale of the client base?
11. If the candidate held similar positions with several different companies, does the resume just duplicate the description, or does it have something fresh and unique to say for each position?
12. When looked at in chronological order, does the candidate’s career progression demonstrate that they have grown professionally over the years?

Personal branding has become de rigeur in today’s internet-driven job market, and smart jobseekers know that they need to use cutting-edge marketing principles to build and sell their personal brand. What you say (and don’t say) in your resume contributes to your personal brand.

As any good marketing professional will tell you, storytelling is the new differentiator.  http://ko-kr.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=309910932696). Sure facts matter, details matter. But stories connect with people on an emotional level. In a job market where the choice of candidates can be endless, having a resume that tells a great story can be the very differentiator that you need to propel you to the top of the candidate pool, and ensure that you get the attention your skills and experience deserve.

If you’d like to reach Karen Directly:

Website: www.resumeconfidential.ca

Twitter: twitter.com/ResumeStrategy

Blog: www.resumeconfidential.ca/blog