Posts Tagged ‘outplacement’

Margo Rose, Founder & CEO of HireFriday and the brand new website http://hirefriday.com launching in 2011.

Gratitude is an action word. As you review the people, and thing for which you give thanks, consider matching your thankfulness with compassionate action. Unemployment is Hard. HireFriday can help. Lend a hand and encourage a heart.  We are the only stream on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin that focuses solely on job seekers.  I  keep the focus on unemployed people, and those interested in making a career change because I believe the power of HireFriday is based on community building for people who need our help!

HireFriday is a people stream, not a job stream that focuses on commercial profit.  We want to get our candidates HireFriday by providing access, and connections to employers, recruiters, and people that are in a position to hire.  I connect people to me on a variety of social networks.  I offer resume review, job search coaching, occupational personality assessment, and assessment tools that will guide you in making an informed decision about your next job, or even career.  On my new website, http://hirefriday.com, I will offer videos, books, e-books, HireFriday Bootcamp webinars.  In addition, I will provide I am launching the HireFriday podcast.  I will interview world-famous career professions that will help you with your career transition.

My podcast will give you access to me, and all that I have learned about career development outplacement, job search strategy, networking, marketing, and branding yourself as a stellar candidate for any employer.  I will make you shine, and I will make you famous among the people in my contact network.  I will encourage people in my community network to amplify your search by recommending, and retweeting , and giving you visibility to their networks on Facebook, and Linkedin.  Your credentials will be seen around the world  The next thing you know is that your credentials are being seen, and considered to hundreds, and thousands of people globally. world.

I will introduce you to recruiters, employers, and human resource professionals based upon your interests, and needs.  I offer you the first 15 minutes of my time free of charge.  I will even review your resume before we meet.  Once we meet, I will conduct an assessment to determine targeted, and strategic next steps.  My website, my videos, podcasts, webinars, seminars, and books will accelerate your job search.  I will help you get HiredFriday.  I have your best interests at heart.  I believe passionately in Compassionate HR, infact that is the theme of my blogtalkradio where I interview industry leaders about strategic philanthropy, service learning, and the path to career satisfaction.

Unemployment is hard. HireFriday can help.

My goal is simple.  I want to change the world for the better.  My passion is to use social media for social good.  The service I provide on public networks, such as #HireFriday and #HFChat on Twitter will be free of charge.  Access to our facebook page, group, and linkedin group will also be pro-bono.  I will only charge for the time I invest in you.  All I want to do is make an honest living that is in keeping with my values of respect, dignity, compassion, and integrity.  I believe in the concept of right livelihood, and in so doing serve humankind.  I hope to monetize HireFriday in a way that supports our community in a meaningful, and truly helpful way.

Won’t you please give me a minute of your time.  As I explore ways to monetize HireFriday with maximum integrity, how do you think I should go about it.  What would be the best method.  What services would you buy?  What services do you think are the most meaningful.  What do you like most about my presence as a leader of the HireFriday community.  I honestly need your feedback and advice, because it is people like you that will determine my future success.  Please help me out.  Give me your opinion, and comments.

Thank you,

Margo Rose,

Founder & CEO of HireFriday

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What are the top 5 mistakes job seekers make when using Linkedin?

Mistakes, we all make them. What really counts is the correcting mistakes, and moving forward. As a job search strategist, and candidate advocate, it is my job to help job seekers put their best foot forward. Linkedin is one of the best places for job seekers to market themselves. Are you standing out as the go-to expert in your industry on linkedin? It’s Brand You. You are the brand, the human product of intellectual capital. You are the reason recruiters and hiring managers want to recruit you. The question becomes: How well are you managing your online brand. How well are you selling yourself? Are you on-message? Are you marketing yourself in a way that makes you stand out, or are you getting lost in the online clutter? What happens to your resume when it goes into a company’s applicant tracking system?

The problem is so many job seekers don’t know how to promote their brand on linkedin (and other online employment networks). Instead of “suggestions,” I’m prioritizing the top 5 mistakes job seekers make when using linkedin.

1. A picture says a thousand words.  If your picture is out of focus, or unprofessional, your profile won’t get a second look.
2. Job seekers leave out industry related key words. If your profile doesn’t include key words that recruiters and hiring managers are looking for, you will not be found.  Often, they use web crawlers, and search engines to do their bidding.  If your linkedin profiled is not search engine optimized, you will not be found.
3. Job seekers don’t participate in industry related groups. If you don’t ask and answer questions, you will not be acknowledged. The point is to position yourself as a thought leader, and an expert.  Participating in linkedin groups enable you to do just that.
4. Job seekers don’t personalize their linkedin contact invitations. Now, you must know that some people on linkedin think that’s downright unprofessional, or worse, creepy.  Always personalize your invitation to make contact.  Make sure you are polite, and show that person relevance, and the value of why you should share your network.
5. Job seekers don’t proof their profile.  It’s easy to get a friend, or colleague to review your profile.  If you haven’t done so, do it now.  If your profile isn’t well written that is a bad reflection on you, and your professionalism.  People want to hire people they like, and trust.  A flawless linkedin profile will either help you get an interview, or make you land in the circular file (trash can).  Don’t be a trash can statistic.  Polish your profile, and enlist  your friends to help you.

HireFriday is filled with people who want to help you. Tap into our resources, and remember tomorrow is HireFriday.  It’s your day to shine, because all of my volunteers will put you in the spot light.  I will personally RT your credentials to all of my contacts–but–if your profile is not credible, I won’t.  If you need help, feel free to email me, or dm one of our HireFriday community volunteers. Tomorrow from 12-1 p.m. est.Josh LeTourneau and I will lead another HireFriday Chat on twitter.  Just follow the stream, and ask your questions.

Your HireFriday Community Manager

HR Margo Rose

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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.

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Unemployment is Hard. HireFriday Is Here To Help

NEWS FLASH:  Twitter Chat on #HireFriday Noon–this is your opportunity to be a part of twitter’s fastest growing online job search international community!  Remember, the hashtag #HireFriday–It’s so much more meaningful than #FollowFriday.  Help yourself, your friends, and your family members find jobs.  By now recruiters, hiring managers, and human resource professionals are watching the #HireFriday twitter stream like a hawk. Why? because it’s a people stream, not a job stream.  We help real people looking for real jobs.  We found an innovative and dynamic way to help.  In addition to HireFriday on facebook, linkedin, and twitter, we will soon have a HireFriday website chocked full of resources, and services at your disposal.    Here’s the deets:

Follow the #HireFriday Twitter Chat with Margo Rose and Josh LeTourneau Noon-1 EST 9-10 PST  Everyone’s a recruiter on HireFriday.  Each of us is a job search evangelist, and through positive thinking, we can dynamically shift our attitude, and improve our search.  As the Community Manager of HireFriday, I want to remind everyone to help everyone else.  That’s how this works.  Each of you can be a HireFriday community evangelist.  It’s a great volunteer experience before you land your next job.  You’ll have the good feeling of know that while helping yourself get found by hiring managers, recruiters and HR professionals, you have the satisfaction of knowing you helped another job seeker in the twitter stream.  It’s pay it forward, magnified by the multitude of retweeting each other, supporting each other, and encouraging one another to go on, when you just don’t feel like it anymore.

HireFriday an Online Community That Connects Job Seekers With Opportunities

Here’s the deets on the #HireFriday twitter chat discussion.  If you are new to our community, tweet your @name/location/industry/link to linkedin profile or resume.  Between 12-1 est 9-10 pacific Josh and I will answer your questions.  You will get Josh’s perspective as a masterful recruiter, blogger and candidate sourcer.  You will receive my perspective as a career development expert with experience in outplacement.  We will structure our discussion around the following 3 questions:

Our first question:

1) Where are you getting stuck in your job search?

2) How are you packaging yourself and your candidate brand?

3) How can you work more effectively with recruiters.

Please spread the word, and remember: everyone’s a recruiter on HireFriday. HireFriday is about everybody helping everyone else. Be job search evangelists for one another. RT your community members.  Unemployment is hard: HireFriday is here to help!

You know I love theme songs so the theme song for #HireFriday, July 9 is “These Boots Are Made For Walking.”  Think of this song not as a somebody done somebody wrong song…think of it as your theme song to keep walking, and forge ahead resolutely.  Besides, I love Nancy Sinatra.  Yes, I’m that old.  So, I now give you the goddess of go-go boots, Nancy Sinatra:

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HireFriday an Online Community That Connects Job Seekers With Opportunities

When I launched HireFriday in late February, I had no idea that it would turn into an international trendsetting movement. The groundswell of support from around the world by thought leaders in my industry has motivated me beyond description. HireFriday reminds me of the children’s story “The Little Engine That Could.” There’s a line where the tiny little engine chugging up the giant mountain says, “I think I can, I think I can…,” and that is exactly our our online community was built. I saw a gap in the industry of places where job seekers could receive visibility and access. No, I’m not talking about being one of a thousand resumes on a job board. I’m talking about being a part of an online community where they are among people who genuinely care.

When I started HireFriday, the tag line was “extend a hand, encourage a heart.” During my own career transition, the toughest issue I had to deal with was not ageism, the recession, the scarcity of available jobs in my industry. It was the impediment between my ears. It was my attitude. There came a point where I just felt like I was throwing spaghetti against a wall, but nothing was happening. This is what I heard repeatedly throughout 2009 and still today. It wasn’t the lack of strategy or skill. For goodness sakes, I am an HR Professional, with a background in outplacement. I used to train people to accelerate their job search. But, when it was me, it was personal, it was hard, and was discouraging.

What happens to most job seekers after a certain period of time that a cloud of gloom and despair descends. A sense of hopelessness can infiltrate the mind of a vulnerable job seeker, and it can feel like being hit by glacier. We can intellectually know the right thing to do. We can spend thousands of dollars with resume writers, job coaches, and tools, courses, workshops, and still not be able to break through to the other side. It’s not a skill thing, it’s an attitude thing. If the attitude is negative, kiss your job search goodbye, because I can tell you that your attitude will poison your presentation during networking meetings and interviews.

How do we overcome the dark cloud when it hovers? Embrace a community, get involved, and help others to do the same. I knew from the time I was a youngster that I was a masterful connector. I know how to connect people to opportunities, resources, and to other people. I’m a natural born match maker, but instead of matching for romance, I match people who can help one another. No, I’m not a recruiter, although I spent the first 5 years of my career as a recruiter. I am a community organizer. Online communities, like HireFriday don’t just connect job seekers to recruiters, HR professionals, and hiring managers, it is a place where people can support one another.

Community is having that sense of place, and belonging that makes you feel you are apart of something larger than yourself. HireFriday is doing just that. Sure, on the surface it looks like all we are doing is retweeting peoples linkedin profiles into cyberspace, but if you look closer, it is so much more. We encourage the hearts of the human beings in our community. We bolster their sense of self, and their worth as skilled workers. We make them feel important, because they are, and even if they feel like the economy has turned its back on them, we are here. HireFriday is a support group. Yet, it’s so much more than that. We connect the dots.

Is it the most populated twitter chat stream? Heavens no. Is it the most powerful resource out there? No, it isn’t. But what it is — is a very unique trend setting movement that is taking the world by storm.
I respect, and am inspired by work of Mark Stelzner, creator of Job Angels. He created something truly unique. HireFriday is a little different. We only do this once a week. Anymore than that, and all the retweeting of job seeker information would look just as cluttered as any job post stream. I don’t want that to happen. We are a small community that is growing a little bit everyday. We are now on linkedin, and facebook.
It is the quaintness of our community that makes it so special.

We don’t have meetings face to face. While tweeting, and retweeting a link to a job seeker’s resume, or linkedin profile might seem random, I’m hearing amazing success stories every day. So much has been written about the power of social media and job search. It is a tool, but it better not be your only tool. As I, and my colleagues have been saying all week: the goal of social media is to move the online relationships you develop to a face to face meeting, or a teleconference. Building community makes us feel better as human beings. Most people genuinely do want to be helpful. This much I know is true.

My point is this. Regardless if you are an unemployed professional with an MBA, or person in transition with a GED, it is our attitude that shapes the success of our search. Very few life experiences brutalize a person’s self worth like a protracted period of unemployment. Yesterday, I spoke with a senior level executive who has been unemployed for 11 months. He said, Margo, I’ve tried everything, I’ve been to career coaches, professional resume writers, I’ve read the books, talked to recruiters…I’m doing the foot work.” He continued to express how disheartening it was to knock on doors only to have them slammed in his face, to reach out to other executives and recruiters, and not even receive a return telephone call.

This is what I call the fall from grace, not by the job seeker mind you, rather by the recruiters, and hiring managers who aren’t gracious enough to dignify a return phone call. With the emergence on applicant tracking systems, and 300 lb gorilla job boards, our industry has lost its sense of common courtesy. Job seekers frequently tell me they rarely get return calls when they leave voice mails, or worse, they don’t even get a letter, or an email after an interview.

It’s the depersonalization of the career search process that is the eggregious offense. As a human resources, and social media professional, I will continue to be an advocate for courtesy. Please, never lose sight that unemployed people are human beings. They deserve our kindness, and respect.

Here’s a song to encourage your heart.  When you feel like you just can’t email one more resume, or make one more call, remember you are not alone.

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