The Value of a Referral

Corporate Recruiters Speak

Talent Technology - Your Source for Talent Generation

LinkedIn Apply: Giant Step for Jobseekers

Today, LinkedIn launched the Apply With LinkedIn feature. This is big,big news for jobseekers. Really big news.

The Apply feature allows employers and job boards to integrate an "Apply With LinkedIn" button on job postings. For jobseekers, this means eliminating the nee

d to create a new profile or complete a detailed application every time you apply for a job on a company's website or via a job board.

It might take a while, but we think most employers will eventually add the Apply With LinkedIn button. Some companies have already turned on the feature within their applicant tracking systems. At Tweetajob, we're working on adding the feature asap. Eventually, says LinkedIn, the Apply button will work on smart phones (making it easy to apply to jobs from Tweetajob straight from your phone!).

Hoorah for LinkedIn. They listened to end users, who have long complained that applying for jobs takes waaayyy too long. We agree. We're big advocates of creating tools that simplify job search for jobseekers.

As for other job boards, time will tell. The push to standardize online job applications may be too big too ignore, and perhaps the big job boards will eventually join in. They could have gotten together and done this years ago. They didn't. So along comes Web 2.0, open APIs and voila! What once seemed unlikely is now possible in a few simple steps. LinkedIn just created a HUGE competitive advantage, longevity and even more loyal users.

There is, of course, a potential downside. Making it even easier to apply for jobs encourages random, inappropriate applications, increasing the volume of resumes/profiles that employers must review. The problem of the resume "black hole" persists. But, for today, jobseekers can claim victory!

Big News: Post Jobs for FREE all Summer!

We want to help get America back to work.

So we're offering recruiters a 100% discount all summer long! That's right, post your jobs -- as many as you like, as often as you like -- for free until Oct 1, 2011. Apply code "HireFriday" at check-out to get your discount. Pass it along!

Thanks to Margo Rose of #HireFriday for the inspiration!

Social Media for Jobseekers

I co-presented this material with a small group a few months ago. I hope they are all gainfully employed by now!

Jobseeker Bootcamp

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New Website Helps Users Research Careers

Deciding what to do when you grow up is daunting. There are so many choices, and so little information about specific jobs. Until now. A new website, Inside Jobs, attempts to catalogue jobs and provide in-depth information about the education, skills and career pathing for a wide variety of jobs. The job profiles are written in clear, jargon-free language. Salary ranges, and even occupational outlook information is provided when available. Links to Wikipedia definitions and Bureau of Labor Statistics information are also incorporated into profiles.

The site is free for users. Advertisers -- mainly educational institutions --pay to attract students' attention.

Some jobs, such as infographic designer, even incorporate entertaining videos into the profile. The design is sleek and simple. The information is as rich as I've seen anywhere. This could easily become an invaluable resource to jobseekers, teachers, career changers and anyone looking for a way to explore new careers.

Meet the Recruiters at the Deluxe Corp.

More employers should help jobseekers understand the hiring process. Kudos to recruiting team at Deluxe Corp. for embracing social media!

On Common Courtesy and Job Hunting

The fine folks at Unconventional Wisdom Radio invited me to talk about job search in today's market. Thanks to Larry Shiller (and his team) for a great discussion.

My portion starts at about 01:00, but you may want to listen in to the prior guest, Nelly Yusupova, the CTO of Webgrrls International.

Technology and Fear

It's probably happened to you. You click on a website -- maybe you were searching for song lyrics -- and your computer blows up. Well it doesn't literally blow up. But hundreds of ominous sites appear at once on your screen. Your computer gets infected. It's scary. And expensive to fix. Sometimes you have to replace your computer.

Sounds like a car accident, doesn't it? Accidents happen. In cars and on computers.

But an accident shouldn't frighten you to the point of paralysis. Computers -- and the internet -- are the gateway to a world of information, interactions and relationships that are invaluable. It's important to be cautious, but no so cautious that you miss out on the benefits.

Mistakes happen. A spam email makes it through your firewall. You get the blue screen of death. That third cup of Starbucks ends up in your keyboard. It's not the end of the world.

So, in the spirit of accident prevention, we're encouraging everyone to review the Facebook Help Page, Privacy Guide and the Twitter Help Center.

Learn the features of these tools, be vigilant and careful, but don't forget to enjoy the bounty of technology.

The Low Down on Job Boards

The Superbowl is just around the corner, which means that we'll probably see a ton of creative job board advertisements during half-time. The ads are great, but really, do job boards work? Why do they feel like a black hole?

1. Job boards work. About 13% of the time, according a popular survey of major employers, who report that 13% of their external hires come from job boards. A break down of the sources of hires:

2. Companies pay a lot of money to advertise their jobs on job boards. About $60B dollars a year is spent on recruitment advertising. Companies want to find you on job boards, so as not to waste their investment.

3. For the most part, the problem lies with job descriptions, not job boards. Job descriptions are notoriously inaccurate. They get re-used. They're outdated. They don't describe the nuance of the position. Some stuff -- like the company is looking for a young person, or someone more mature, or the manager hates people from Company X -- can't be put in writing. So every time you apply for a position, there is a huge chance that you're not right for the job, despite what the job description says. This is not likely to improve much. No one gets accolades for writing accurate job descriptions. In fact no one really claims responsibility for this task. Sometimes recruiters will take the time to make the description sexy ("bleeding edge technology" "kick-a$$ analyst wanted"), but you won't find out the real requirements of the job until you talk to someone.

4. The best approach includes applying online via a job board or the company career site AND doing everything you can to network with someone in the company to get referred. Speed counts. The faster you apply for a job online, the greater chance your resume will get reviewed.

Lastly, we can't think of a single job board that is worth your hard-earned money. Job boards, at their best, are free for jobseekers. Job boards, including this one, should get their money from employers, not jobseekers. Period.

Tweetajob Joins the IAEWS

We're thrilled to announce that we have joined the International Association of Employment Websites, an organization that supports the global online employmentservices industry. Yep, we're playing with the big boys and girls!

The IAEWS has more than 40,000 members! There are more than 40,000 websites where jobseekers get employment information online. Kind of blows your mind, doesn't it? Tweetajob's goal is to member websites use Twitter more effectively to post jobs and find talent.

We can't wait to network with other job boards to talk about improving the social recruiting experience for jobseekers and recruiters. Onward 2011!

Happy New Year - Own it!

Quite by accident, I rang in the new year with the inaugural minutes of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In my pajamas, I watched as this remarkable lady launched her own television network, and was reminded of a time, some years ago, when I actually met her.

It was the mid-90s, her nationally televised talk show was getting its sea legs. At that point, she could not command presidents and heads of state as guests. She was still

Oprah Winfrey, with a first name and a last name. I wa

s living in Chicago, and my mom was visiting from Detroit. She was a big Oprah fan, so I managed to get tickets to a taping.

The taping itself was not memorable. In fact, it was an awful show that featured the relatives of the victims of a famous serial killer. I could tell my mother was a bit disappointed after the show. But then, something magical happened. The producers asked the audience to line up to meet Oprah. My mother and I found ourselves near the end of the line, but no matter. Oprah stood there and personally greeted every single audience member -- I would say 200 or so folks -- with a smile, a handshake, a friendly word, a funny comment.

Apparently she did this after ever taping.

I have never forgotten how this woman -- clearly a rising star -- took the time to connect with strangers. My mother certainly hasn't forgotten it. Years and years later, she still talks about it. And she never misses Oprah. That day, Oprah made 200 life-long fans.

I learned something from Oprah. I learned the importance of connecting with people. Of being in the moment. After that show - bad as it was - she owned it. The show may have been dreadful, but it was her show, and she was grateful that we were there. What a lesson!

***

I am reminded of my first management job. I was suddenly promoted, plucked from my peer group, to do a job I had never done before. I had one direct report and a short timeline to prove myself. I'll never forget the words of our HR leader when I expressed my doubts about being a manager. He said, simply, "own it.". So I did.

Some years later, I offered the same advice to someone experiencing the same thing. A colleague who was experienced and talented and wise was reluctant to take on a leadership role. I offered her the same advice. As everyone around her could already see, she was a born leader. She needed only to own it.

***

So, in this new year, we have new opportunities to go at it with everything we have. And while few of us plan to launch television networks, we have dreams and goals and resolutions that we can own. We can step into whatever greatness awaits us, as if we were meant to be there all along.

From Lone Nut to Leader in Three Minutes

Thanks to Jennifer McClure for directing me to this video. Jennifer is the president of Unbridled Talent, and one of my recruiting heros. She is thoughtful, involved and supportive. She is a true leader in the recruiting and HR industry and in her community. Follow her on Twitter. Enjoy this short talk on leadership and followership, and have a great week!

It's Not Your Mother's LinkedIn

Have you tended to your LinkedIn profile lately? If you're actively seeking employment, it's likely that you visit LinkedIn at least weekly. Even if you're happily employed, this recession has taught you to nurture your networks and leverage social media to maintain valuable contacts.

Yesterday, LinkedIn announced new features aimed to improve results for active and passive jobseekers. LinkedIn Job For You leverages the information provided in your profile to serve up job ads that match your experience. Early tests show that the recommendations prove to be pretty accurate. To do: Make sure your profile is up-to-date, accurate and uses descriptive words. Avoid abbreviations and jargon, and make sure you that you highlight your relevant experience in the summary section.

Another long awaited feature, LinkedIn Referral Engine, is scheduled to be fully released in the first half of 2011, but some LinkedIn customers (employers) are using a beta version. The Referral Engine will make it easier for employees to refer their LinkedIn contacts for open positions. Employees are often incentivized to submit referrals -- many companies offer cash bonuses when a referred contact gets hired. What does this mean to you? In this case, size matters. The larger your network, the better chance that one of your contacts will refer you for an open position.

Lastly, have you checked out LinkedIn Company pages? They are terrific resources when researching potential employers. I'll write a more in-depth post about how to leverage the rich information found in LinkedIn Company pages next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

Bitter Much?

A quick word about about attitude. If you're in the job market (and you're always in the job market, passively or actively), you must become aware of your aura, your energy, your attitude.

And you have to learn how to manage your physical impression.

It's hard to write about this. There is no concrete study I can point to. But I know that if you're negative, depressed, bitter, angry, distrustful, skeptical, sad or otherwise unpleasant, you hurt your chances with potential employers.

I'm not saying your feelings are invalid -- far from it. Layoffs are unfair. The job market is rife with ageism, sexism, racism and any other type of "ism" you can think of . The slow economic recovery is downright depressing. You haven't gotten a raise in ages.

But you can't let these emotions overtake the happy, confident you. Bitterness announces itself like bad cologne. Once it's in the room, it's hard not to notice. And potential employers, or customers or contacts can't wait to get away from negative energy, and will be reluctant to invite bitterness into an already stressed workplace environment.

So shake it off. Exercise. Laugh. Listen to music. Read good books. Go to church (or not). Turn off the evening news. Do what you do to stay positive.

Surefire Way to Blow an Interview

Show up. Be prepared. Be engaged.

Win a Scholarship to the Career Summit!

BREAKING NEWS: We're giving away a ticket to the 2010 Career Summit. The Summit is a 5-week series of online sessions delivered by top recruiters (from Microsoft, Starbucks and Facebook) and top career advisors and authors.

To qualify for the free ticket, send a brief email (1 paragraph, 2 at the most) that tells us why you would like to attend. We'll pick the most compelling response by 4pm EST Monday, Oct 25. Act fast - we can only give away ONE ticket.

Access to the Summit, and all related materials, is $199. A bargain, if you ask me.

I'm old school. I think that jobseeker resources should be free. Here are a few reasons I think this event is worth the price of admission:

• I personally know many of the speakers. These folks are genuinely interested in helping jobseekers. They will bring it
• The bonus material promises to be a treasure trove of jobseeker resources
• Even if you are currently employed, now is a good time to do some soul-searching and think about the future and what it means for your career

Tweetajob is like Magic!

We have a new toy! The result is a series of videos for jobseekers. Our editing is a bit crude; with practice, I'm sure we'll get better. Watch the first in the series, "William and Alecia":

Baby Boomers and The Human Touch

Last Monday I conducted a workshop for jobseekers. A friend, who leads a "Life Group" at her church, asked me to talk about social media. This is one of those activities that make my life uber-busy, but I love to do it. I couldn't say no.

Jobseeker BootcampView more presentations from Tweetajob.

The church was in an affluent middle class suburb of Seattle. There was a Starbucks-like cafe in the lobby, computer kiosks everywhere and free wifi. I had barely entered the lobby before someone offered me dinner. There was a band, and plush seating for relaxing. It's been a while since I've been to church, so all of this impressed me.

Most of the two dozen workshop participants had been laid off, or couldn't find new contracts. They were mainly professionals with good educations and solid skills. Most were over 40. Some had their laptops, those who didn't came prepared to take notes. They were serious about securing their next opportunity (most were shocked at how difficult it had become to find a new position).

I always share this graphic when speaking to jobseekers (data from the Career Crossroads Source of Hire Study):

Then I tell them, their number one job as a jobseeker is to get themselves referred.

"How?", they ask.

That's where social media comes in, I tell them. "You have to make friends."

They began to gripe and moan, and listed a dozen reasons why they didn't want to talk to strangers on the internet.

"You double your chances of getting a job if you get referred."

One woman waved a manilla folder, three inches thick, filled with applications. "I applied online to all of these jobs."

"What," I asked, "were the results?"

"But it used to be so straightforward," someone lamented. "Now we have to connect with this one and that one...what happened to the human touch?"

It occurred to me - right then and there -- that these boomers weren't necessarily looking for a human touch. What could be more personal than reaching out an actual human to get referred for a job (compared to submitting an online application and hoping for the best)?

They longed for the simplicity and anonymity of submitting an application and waiting for the "system" to work. Those days, I told them, have passed. In this job market -- and likely even as the economy perks up -- they were going to have to compete for a job in the way small business owners compete for customers.

We spent the next hour discussing their trepidation about social networking -- rejection, privacy, security, exposure. I never even got to demo LinkedIn.

They asked if I could come back. That's a good sign. They're listening.

Of course I said yes, I'd come back.

Enhance Your Job Search with Social Media

We love this preso for many reasons, not the least of which is the hand-drawn artwork. "Work" has changed. Chris Brogan explains how to survive in this new economy.

Enhance Your Job Search with Social Media

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