Tag Archives: Looking for a job

Up Next: Complementary #JobSearch Strategy Webinar

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To sign up for this complementary Webinar go to www.DiscoveringSocial.com.

Discovering Social was founded by myself and Sabrina Baker of Acacia HR Solutions and is designed to give job seekers in-depth training on major social media platforms and how to use them as part of their overall job search. Through a series of eBooks, webinars, workshops, newletters, case studies and individual coaching, job seekers gain knowledge and expertise that they can utilize in their daily lives. Presented by human resource, recruiting and social media experts, Discovering Social events are taking it to the next level.

Follow us on the Twitters @DiscSoc and join the groups on Linked In Discovering Social for Job Seekers, Discovering Social for HR and Recruiters.

Forward thinking: What NOT to post online!

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Today’s guest post comes from the folks over at OnlineClasses.org where this post, originally titled “To Post or Not to Post” first aired! I love this Infographic. Remembering your brand when posting online is always a good thing. 

There are 900 million social media users plugged into Facebook alone, and nearly 500 million of them log into the social network every single day. In fact, in just one day on Facebook, 250 million photos are uploaded, and 532 million statuses are updated. And that doesn’t even count the millions of tweets sent, tumblrs updated, and instagrams snapped.

With so much personal content constantly being uploaded to the web, it’s no small wonder that so many recruiters and would-be employers are turning to various social networking platforms to determine the personalities of prospective hires.

If you’re working toward your online degree, chances are you hope to one day apply for, interview at, and ultimately secure a great job. The first step to preparing for that future job, however, is to stay forward-thinking in the types of things you post, tweet, and otherwise put up online. In the information age, when everything about a person is available for scrutiny, the fact of the matter is that one incriminating photo or post can make or break the way people perceive you in the future.

And even if your social media habits don’t have an immediate impact on your employment dreams, the laws of social media etiquette dictate that sometimes, people need to think before they overshare.

The following infographic provides a handy flowchart to determine the ever-increasingly important question: To post, or not to post?

Can Social Media hinder you from getting that new job?

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Ten years ago, the mere thought of using social media to hire or fire someone was completely unheard of. Today employees wonder if their next update on Facebook will also mean the unemployment line for them. How can social media play such an important role in employment today?

It’s a proven fact, that more than half of employers today will use some form of social media to network and screen potential employees before offering them a position with their company. While there are very popular social media sites to choose from, almost 50% choose to use  LinkedIn, just a little over half choose Twitter, and almost 80% decide to use Facebook.

Even bosses sometimes try to avoid any type of confrontation if they can when using social media services, they do not have to depend on meeting the prospective candidate up front. Using social media allows them to feel more comfortable and help them to focus more on the real situation at hand.

Employers will most normally consider and interview a potential candidate for the job shortly after receiving their application. Most employers will have a special group of personnel in human resources to handle this daunting task for them so they can continue to work. There are several ways that HR can handle hiring an individual. Some may choose to use certain HR software, however if the business is run online they may choose to use an online software. This special software for HR professionals is not cheap but once you purchase it you may never go back to hiring people the old fashioned way.

Even positions that are available at a local location are sometimes found online first in order to find someone to fit the description of the ideal candidate and essentially take up less time of employer’s who already have a jammed pack schedule.

Today potential employees must worry about their presentation which all starts with a piece of paper listing who you are.

At the same time, employees who already have a job need to worry about what their bosses may say or do if you start venting on the social media sites about something that is not going right at work. Whether you mean to or not, what you say online can affect your entire future.

Be careful and think it through; you may only get one chance to make the right impression. (Liam Condit)

Susan’s Two-Cents

Here’s a little video I captured from one of Charlie Judy’s posts on Recruitment and HR that scared the padooky out of me!

While I’m at it, what’s your take on the subject?

About the Author:

Liam Condit, an HR Professional, has been writing industry related news and comment since 2006. Other interests include jobs, marketing, politics and sport. He works with Computers In Personnel specializing in recruitment and HR system hostings.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Follow Friday: Sabrina Baker – Make the Connection

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On my second #Follow Friday tribute I would like to introduce you to Sabrina Baker with Acacia HR Solutions.

A few years back when I really started hot-n-heavy with my social media marketing and online presence I connected with a local group on LinkedIn. It is in that group that I first met Sabrina. She was holding a discussion or asking a question in which several of us responded. Then I connected with her online.

When I found out that she and I lived only about 5 minutes apart, I suggested that we meet for coffee. Yes, it was a little awkward at first (like we had connected on this dating site and were meeting IRL for the first time). But we had a nice lunch and had a great F2F meeting. We then connected on Twitter and started engaging on almost a daily basis, you know, shooting the shit! We really were able to get a sense of each others sense of humor, some things and even friends we had in common, and formed a genuine friendship.

After several conversations and meetings IRL, attending conferences together and local group meetups, we were almost inseparable (well, that’s my take on it – you’d have to ask her about where she stands) :)  

Sabrina started her company Acacia HR Solutions and specializes in HR Recruiting, Consulting and Job Search Coaching bridging the gap between the un/underemployed and employers.

She is the shiznik folks, and you definitely need to connect with her. She is a wealth of knowledge in the HR and recruiting space, and also helps with people in their job search. Why don’t I her tell you about it here – Watch this short interview:

My apologies for a whole lotta shaking going on. It was filmed before I invested in my tripod.

We then went on to start a local HR Roundtable and here is Sabrina officiating – Watch this short clip:

I’m super stoked to have her featured as she has become one of my great friends and confidants.

Connect with her here:

Twitter, Facebook, Company FB, Linked In, Website, Blog – HRChatterBox

4 Legal problems you could have when rescinding a job offer

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You don’t hear about employers rescinding job offers very often, but in this unstable economy you’ll want to protect yourself if you’re on the losing end. There are ethical issues when it comes to reneging an employment offer as well as legal issues that you should be aware of if you are leaving a current job for a new one. And a potential employee may be able to sue their almost employer for monetary damages with the help of a personal injury attorney under the following circumstances:

1. Discrimination

Discrimination protects all qualified candidates as far as race, background, religion, age, disability and gender. If a person covered under any of these categories can prove that an employer reneged on a job offer and then hired a person outside of the protected categories, the employer can be found guilty of discrimination.

2. Fraudulent misrepresentation of the position or company

Fraudulent misrepresentation is difficult to prove, as the individual must prove that the job offer was falsified—for example, say an individual quits his or her job for a promised new job, only to discover the company is moving offices and is rescinding their employment offer on their first day of work. If it can be proven that the move was known by the employer before the job offer was made, the individual can seek monetary damages for fraudulent misrepresentation.

3. Breach of contract

A breach of contract occurs when an employer or employee violates a signed employment contract, which outlines the terms of employment as well as the company policies. If the potential employee can prove that the employer violated the employment contract, for example, the employer makes you work hours outside of what was agreed upon and then rescinds employment because you won’t work those hours, they are guilty of a breach of contract.

4. Promissory estoppels

To prove promissory estoppels, the potential employee must prove that the loss of employment has resulted in a larger financial loss—i.e., if an individual leaves an existing job or pays to relocate only to be left without a job. In this case, the individual may be awarded damages suffered as a result of the reneged employment offer.

Photo Credit: gPrep.net

About the Author:

Colleen Harding is a freelance writer and guest blogger who specializes on writing about law. Her passion for the legal realm started with a job as a Legal Aid for a personal injury attorney and continued when she accepted a role as a Human Resources Coordinator for a mid-sized U.S. manufacturing company. Colleen is always looking of more freelance writing work and can be contacted at colleenaharding@gmail.com.

New Years resolutions, Baby Making, and Tired Words

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I recently heard “New Year’s resolutions are like babies: Fun to make, but extremely difficult to maintain.”  Bow chicka wow wow!

That’s funny yet true for most of us. It’s a known fact that most health club memberships are at their highest right after New Year’s Day.

Each January, roughly one in three Americans resolve to better themselves in some way. A much smaller percentage of people actually make good on those resolutions. While about 75 percent of people stick to their goals for at least a week, less than half (46 percent) are still on target six months later, or so a recent study found.

I get it! It’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm months after you’ve swept up the confetti, but is it impossible?

I intend to start back at the gym myself and go back on my “low carb and low sugar” eating plan in hopes to lose a few pounds and start feeling better from the sugar coma I maintained throughout the holidays.

When thinking about 2011 in review I also thought about a few words or phrases we could retire in 2012. Here are my over-used picks: (yeah, I use them too)

  • #Occupy
  • Peeps
  • Tweeps
  • Tweepies
  • Tweeple
  • justsayin
  • fail
  • ugh
  • LOL
  • Seat-at-the-table
  • Swag
  • BFF
  • The American People
I recently read Linked In’s list of overused words /phrases  for job seekers on their resumes. Here they are:
  • creative
  • organizational
  • effective
  • extensive experience
  • track record
  • motivated
  • innovative
  • constipated (okay, I threw that in)
  • problem solving
  • communication skills

What are some of your New Year’s resolutions,tired words and or baby making stories?

Photo Credit: Silverchan20

Networking for a job; Virtual or IRL?

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I’ve been blogging and tweeting now for a little over four months and I can tell you that my social media  network consisting of my blog and Twitter is invaluable. I still can’t believe the level of expert information available just by connecting with people over Twitter and my blog.

I do have to signal a note of caution though about social media networks….they are no replacement for the real thing.

Let me explain. Due to my recent lay off I have been spending a lot of time working on my resume, blog, Twitter, and (of course) looking for a job. I know it’s a tough job market out there so I have jumped in with both feet into the deep end of the pool.

My social media network has provided me with access to hundreds of experts and loads of information for navigating the job market but I don’t think it is as valuable as my local network. 

If you are not actively working to develop a local network, you must begin to do that now.

What can a Local Network do for you?

  1. You will meet professionals in your area that do the same type of work,  or work in the same industry,  they understand and have been navigating the same territory,  you may even discover target companies you haven’t heard of before.
  2. You can frequently get the “inside” scoop from employees who work at your target companies or have worked there in the past.
  3.  Find out the best networking groups in your area. Why waste your time endlessly hopping to different networking groups? Find someone with similar career interests and ask them what they have found to be the best groups, then start with that list.

What can your Virtual Network do for you?

  1. Ability to connect with people all over the world.
  2. Access to best practices,  new ways of thinking and cutting edge professionals.
  3. Ability to show off your skill set and collaborate with others via your blog, twitter and other social media sites.

At the end of the day your social media network is a valuable asset but always remember that  recruitingislocal. Your social media network will never replace the value of  face to face time with your local network.

About the Author:

Melissa Fairman has been working in HR for 5+ years in a variety of positions in HR systems, recruiting, and projects.  All that experience coupled with an MBA and a PHR makes for a pretty dangerous HR blogger. You can connect with her via her blog: HrRemix, Twitter @HrRemix,  or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Embrace your weirdness

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Yesterday several of us in the HR / Recruiting space (How’d I get here? That’s for another time) attended Craig Fisher’s TNL in Aurora, IL where we discussed all kinds of issues from Jason Seiden’s profersional to a panel about influence, today’s candidates and how to stand out in the current job market. That last one reminded me of Joe Gerstandt’s “Fly your freak flag.” Embrace diversity!

As Jason and Craig were discussing “Pimping your LinkedIn Profile” I was thinking of my own profiles throughout the myriad of platforms and taking mental notes on how I could do a little improvement in that area. I’m all about being different, standing out, freak flag flying – if you will. Just ask those who attended the conference what I wore.

How boring would it be if we were all the same? (Okay, maybe if we were all like Jason or Joe that might be cool).

I’ve always been one to stand out among the crowd, not because I’m so gorgeous but because I like wearing vintage (hats, coats, and clothing). I haven’t adhered to those fabulous standards of mine the past couple of years for trying to “fit in.” In fact, this past summer in Vegas as SHRM I felt like I was wearing someone else’s skin. I took suits and frumpy outfits so I wouldn’t stand out. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I suppose in all my madness of trying to conform and act like “HR” in my plan of attack I blended in quite nicely. But I felt uncomfortable and ready to shed my skin (so to speak). Looking back, I would do things differently – as far as being true to me in my weirdness and said “F, you – if you don’t like it.” Because, that’s always been my motto!

This is something we don’t think about when writing our online profiles, especially on Linked In. I’m guilty as charged. It’s almost as if we are back in high school – trying to fit in.  The point the fellas were trying to get across in their session was to stand out. Not only incorporating keywords that would increase your page rank but in mixing a little “something-something” about you personally and your style to get you noticed by the right people (your target client / audience). The ones that you are trying to reach, and as Jason said “who is going to write the check” not your peers.

Here’s a recap of the session over at HR Fishbowl.

What’s making you stand out in the crowd? Are you being true to yourself? Are you reaching your target audience? Who are you influencing online and offline?

Some great questions to ask yourself, indeed.

Photo Credit: Brooke Moss