The fight for your time networking and job searching on Facebook is about to get heated. Two companies want you as their clients - and they are going to have to go to blows to get you! Imagine a Facebook Career App boxing ring...“In this corner, weighing in at 500 lbs, with a 15+ year record in the online job search business, a purple monster ready for a big come back. And in this corner, a 150 lbs sprite newcomer with little experience in job search, but plenty of VC funding and the power of a West Coast technology pedigree.” Welcome to the boxing match of the century – and it’s going to take place on the #1 social network in the world: Facebook. As a career coach, I advise you to pay attention. Here’s why... Monster.com makes a legitimate BIG announcement. Last week, I was contacted by the PR folks at Monster.com and told they had a top secret project they wanted me to know about before it went live. I must admit, I was intrigued and took the bait. You see, they asked me to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and attend a private webinar explaining what was about to happen. Being from the East Coast (Monster.com was founded in greater Boston), and knowing their up and down business history, my immediate thought was, “This better be good Monster.com. You haven’t been in the limelight for a while. If all this hoop-jumping is for a big nothing, you could be nailing your coffin.”Well, they delivered. In the meeting, I learned of a very robust, easy-to-navigate career networking tool that bridges LinkedIn and Facebook. Where does the fight come in? There is already a somewhat established app in this area. Monster’s new BeKnown Facebook app is a direct competitor to the BranchOut Facebook app that does the same thing. Which means, the battle for market share is on. Ironically, I did a webinar on how to use the BranchOut app for our readers awhile back because I was truly excited to finally see someone recognizing the career networking potential of Facebook. At the time, BranchOut was dealing with some negative publicity around what some of their new users felt was spam-like activities on their Facebook wall when they signed up to use the BranchOut app. They’ve since resolved that, but not without leaving a really sour taste in many former users mouth. That hasn’t stopped BranchOut from securing a huge round of VC funding recently. I’m not sure if they intended to use that money on PR and marketing campaigns to build awareness, but candidly, I don’t see how they can afford not to now that Monster.com is on the scene with BeKnown. From what I’ve seen in the demo, the BeKnown app is far more advanced. Couple that with Monster.com’s established relationships with job seekers and corporations and you’ve got a potential comeback the likes of John Travolta after Pulp Fiction. BranchOut deserves credit so you shouldn’t underestimate them. That being said, it should be noted BranchOut was first on the scene with this type of Facebook app and deserves major kudos for its vision and time to market. I guarantee the BranchOut team has learned a lot about functionality and user-experience that is helping them move forward in their app’s effectiveness. Moreover, as a start-up, they have the business advantage of a smaller, more agile management structure that can make decisions and course corrections a lot faster than Monster.com. I expect to see them throw some quick jabs and upper-cuts in this fight that will make it very interesting. And, let’s not forget all that VC funding. They’ve got the fuel to last all 12 rounds – and then some. My advice: test and choose only one. The BeKnown and BranchOut Facebook apps have very similar abilities, but the designs are quite different. I think your best bet is to try both and see which one feels most user-friendly to you. Why? Because it doesn’t make sense to use both. As a career coach, I would rather see you pick one and use it consistently then spread yourself too thin by using both. These types of networking tools are only good if you actually use them – so the decision as to which one you find easier to use must be a priority in when choosing which one to invest your time in using. Watch this side-by-side comparison of BeKnown and BranchOut Facebook Apps. To help you with that, I recently put both Facebook apps to the test on our web TV show, Brand ME! I went over both applications and answer questions. So, watch it now and decide for yourself which one to use. The most important thing to remember is this: The goal is to choose one and use it! Regardless of whether you pick BranchOut or BeKnown, the fact is networking on Facebook is a must-do for your career. So, get in the game!
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
- How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
- The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
- How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
- The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
- And, a lot more hacks for job search success!
Let us show you the secrets to getting a new, better-paying job you actually love. Sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp today.
Are you ready to land the job of your dreams (and leave the job of your nightmares)?