If you don't know who Chris Brogan is, then I must be the overly-honest person who tells you that your use of social media for business and career development purposes is probably still in its infancy. Chris is just one of several people who has gained ‘net celeb' because of his work leveraging online tools to create powerful virtual communities of people. His blog was recommended to me at the end of last year. I am still amazed at how much he teaches me weekly through his posts. I've never met him, but his blogging style is such that you can't help but think he'd be the kind of guy you'd want hang out with. In fact, Chris is the first one to play down his status in the blogging world. So, when the decision to start interviewing people on Careerealism.com for our new column, ‘Career Do-Over' was made - he was at the top of my list. I shot him an e-mail (expecting nothing), and was lucky enough to have his lovely colleague Kathryn respond to me saying if I was willing to send the questions online, Chris might be able to answer them. A little over a week later, I got the following responses:
1) What did you study in college, and then, knowing what you know now, do you wish you had studied something different? If so, what would it be and why?
All over the map. If I had to do it again, I'd study journalism, design, and small business administration. Though I enjoyed learning diverse things, I needed to know more fundamental things I could later employ to my own needs.
2) Tell us your career journey post-graduation through now in less than 200 words. Then tell us: If there was one thing you could do differently in that journey, what would it be?
My career was a strange series of coincidences. I spent 16 years in telecommunications where I learned a lot about enterprise technology, about project management, and about how midsized companies do business. It was very empowering. I took a sharp turn at the end of 2006, when I joined Jeff Pulver to run his Video on the Net conference and also contribute to his startup, Network2.tv.
I'm not sure I could do things differently. I somewhat regret not moving faster in the late 1990s with the Internet boom, but I'm making up for that now in 2009. : )
3) Name 1-2 things you've learned to date about career that you think young professionals (ages 18-40) would want to know.
Young professionals need to seize their own power through learning outside of their formal education. With books, I'd recommend learning from Jack Welch, and from Robert Greenleaf, and from Jeffrey Gitomer, from Donald Trump, and from Seth Godin. In practice, find entrepreneurs and learn how they differ from a typical MBA. Find artists and learn who is successful versus who is really talented. There are oh so many lessons to learn.
Oh, and start your professional online presence now. Swap out beer bong pictures on Facebook with a thoughtful website talking about the lessons you're learning, the wisdom you're accruing, and the innovative ideas you're experimenting and modeling. Build your personal social networks early, and feed them often.
Wow, such great advice from a guy who will most likely be called one of the ‘grandfathers' of successful online social media use someday. If you are interested in the growing trend/field of social media, you can start to learn more from Chris by following him on Twitter @chrisbrogan and by subscribing to his blog. And now readers, I ask you: Who would you like to see answer these three questions on Careerealism.com? Post their name and reasons why and we'll start trying to make it happen.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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