Using LinkedIn and Facebook to Find a Job During the Recession

Using LinkedIn and Facebook to Find a Job During the Recession 20 A former job seeker tells how he used social media to quickly find a job during the recession. Although this story is about a job search in Israel, these tactics should work anywhere that LinkedIn and Facebook are popular. The job search began with LinkedIn I first thought of the companies I wanted to work for and did a search for people who worked for them on LinkedIn. I was able to contact the people either by: Sending a message if we shared a common LinkedIn Group or Sending the following message as an invite: Hi. My name is JOB SEEKER'S NAME. I am an American Oleh and recent MBA grad looking for a job in Israel. I am trying to get an entry level position in COMPANY NAME and by a LinkedIn search found that you work there. Would you be willing to talk on the phone? If not, could you give me some advice by e-mail? Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, JOB SEEKER'S NAME JOB SEEKER'S EMAIL ADDRESS JOB SEEKER'S PHONE NUMBERS Note that had enough people responded to my invite with “I don't know him,” my privilege to continue in such a manner would have been taken away. It didn't happen, but the chance was still there.eval Shockingly, about half of the people I emailed did respond by e-mail or by phone. Some were willing to forward my CV to their HR department but some were willing to chat on the phone. When I got the chance, I'd ask what the career path is in their company (i.e. what are the entry-level positions) and then for some general advice in getting a job in Israel. Many had a sort of interview with me and would send my CV to HR with a nice cover letter about our conversation, what they thought of me and where I could help the company. Basically, people just like to help people and when I shouted “could you give me some advice or help?” many came running to help me. I did the above process for about 10 companies. Unfortunately, all of them are currently on hiring freezes (this was in January 2009, when thousands of jobs were lost in Israel and many workers had their hours cut back). However, thanks to what I did I have contacts in all of them and already have a foot in the door when the time is right. Also, I've been emailing my contacts every so often to see what is going on with the hiring freezes.eval Using Facebook together with LinkedIn leads to the job In the end I got a job through another social network. I saw an ad for a job and I *almost* fit the job description but they wanted a certain requirement I did not have and to be honest, I didn't think you needed for the job. I took the contact's e-mail address and Googled it in order to get the contact's full name, which I then plugged into Facebook and LinkedIn. It turns out we have a few common friends on Facebook and we even attended a barbecue together at a common friend's house. I called the common friend of ours and asked her to see if I could get my CV through despite not having all of the requirements. My CV got through and after a few interviews, I got the job. What I learned about job searching in Israel The process reinforced one thing that I believe to be an absolute truth in Israel: The CV does not matter nearly as much as your connections. As long as your CV isn't something a monkey smeared on a wall it is fine. My interviews referred to my CV much less than my small connection to someone in the company. The person who trained me at the new job didn't even look at my CV but did notice that I knew someone in the company. As a side note- while I was looking for a job, I met with a professional HR person who told me that according to research she was given, 85% of jobs in Israel are found by networking. I can only imagine that this number will rise during the recession and in hard times, it is not those who are the most qualified, but those with the best connections that will get the jobs. Takeaway lessons If you ask people for help, they will often give it to you, especially if you make it easy for them Social media are a great way to get around the gatekeepers of HR Nurture and grow your network when and where you can Related articles Spend Less Time on Monster, More on FaceBook How Facebook Got Me a J-O-B! How To Find a Job Online: Forget Monster. Try Facebook. If you liked this article, you'll enjoy 37 Ideas to Grow Your Job Search Network Right Now. Inspired?

Unconscious Personal Branding - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Unconscious Personal Branding - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career We talk a lot here on the Personal Branding Blog about how to project a personal brand effectively.   But, what about the messages we unconsciously project? In the last couple years, Ive lived in some very different environments and its incredibly interesting to see how I needed to change simple automatic behaviors just to keep my personal brand consistent. One of the biggest adjustments Ive had to make is how I relate to strangers when I pass by them on the street. You wouldnt think that something as commonplace as a smile could have a big effect on someones personal brand but it does! I grew up in a suburb of St Paul, Minnesota.   Where I live, people are very nice to each other well happily smile at perfect strangers and strike up conversations.   But if someone doesnt feel like talking to strangers, all they need to do is avoid eye contact and theyre not considered rude. We wait to judge a personal brand until we get to know someone a bit. When I went to a small town in Iowa for college though, I had to start smiling more.   My college had around 2500 students with most living on campus.   So, if I walked by someone on the sidewalk and didnt smile or say hi theyd think that I was either (A) mad at them or (B) a 5-letter word that rhymes with glitch!   Simply neglecting to smile had a negative effect on my personal brand especially since everyone talked to each other. After college, I went to Europe for graduate school. When I got there, I had to completely reverse all the overt friendliness I learned in college.   In America, its fairly common to smile at complete strangers.   In Europe, not so much. Smiling at strangers was a big mistake in Malta.   Once, while waiting for a friend, I inadvertently smiled at a young man driving by. He slammed on the brakes, pulled over and asked me out.   I declined and he proceeded to drive past 5 more times, honking, and leaning out the window. Another smiling incident resulted in an uncomfortable 20 minutes at a deserted bus stop with a driver who wanted to take me to go to a bar with him.   (Of course, I can only speak from the female perspective.) In that case, my simple act of being nice projected that I was looking for a date. Not the image I wanted to project at all, and it got in the way of my other personal branding efforts. In northern Germany, the friendliness I picked-up at college didnt go over well either. People gave me suspicious glances when I smiled at them because they couldnt remember where they had seen me before.   In one sobering incident, I nearly killed an 80-year old woman when I gave her a big smile as I walked by and she fell off the sidewalk when she jumped backwards in shock! In Germany, if I wanted to make a good first impression, I needed to tone down the overt friendliness to strangers.   If I didnt, people didnt know what to make of me, and they were suspicious of my motives.   Of course, once I got to know someone, the northern Germans were incredibly nice. In London, smiling wasnt an option. Despite the hundreds of people on the streets and the Underground, it was extremely rare to make eye contact with anyone. (A prerequisite to being friendly.)   People rarely engaged with strangers.   They werent rude, it was just a way of coping with the high population density.   I quickly realized that smiling at strangers made me stand out as an outsider.   Even worse, it branded me as a naive TOURIST! When I actually was a tourist in a resort area of Turkey, I learned quickly to avoid eye contact and smiling on the streets. Any display of friendliness was enough to inspire an outpouring of affection from a shop keeper, and an invitation for apple tea.   Then came the sales pitch!   And for a friendly American, its a lot of work to get out of that situation without buying anything or being rude!   Especially since Im not interested comes across as bargaining. Simply being an American tourist labeled me as a potential buyer, and when I gave off signs of being friendly, the shopkeepers did their best to reel me in.   I never got a chance to advance my personal brand, I was too busy trying to defend my pocketbook! In each of those situations, Ive been surprised by the drastically different results of a simple smile (or lack of one.)   Each culture has a slightly different way of relating to each other, and I had to learn the normal behavior in order to project the image I wanted. If youre trying to advance your personal brand, you need to be aware of how different groups and cultures could view how you act so you can adjust your behavior appropriately. There are even differences between different regions of the US so its worth being aware even if youre only trying to appeal to a domestic audience.   After all, you dont want to waste hours and hours of effort creating your personal brand, only to start off on a bad foot because of a minor cultural difference! Author: Katie Konrath writes about “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped” at getFreshMinds.com, a top innovation blog.

Book Giveaway 6 Timeless Principles to Network Your Way to the Top

Book Giveaway 6 Timeless Principles to Network Your Way to the Top To start your week off GREAT, I am giving away 5 copies of Up Your Game: 6 Timeless Principles for Networking Your Way to the Top by David Bradford. The book was just released so its a great opportunity to get your hands on it! No matter where you are on your career trajectory, a new college graduate, a CEO, or anywhere in between, networking is essential to your success. Here, David Bradford shows us networking doesnt have to be a four-letter word. Bradford, the Bottlecap Kid, rose from humble beginnings to become CEO of two of the countrys top 50 tech companies and is arguably the most connected human on planet Earth. In this book, he shares with us his six UP Principles â€" the very same strategies he attributes to his tremendous success. I write a lot about networking here on the blog because it is so crucial to your career success. Many of the principles that David talks about in the book I 100% agree with such as how networking is truly more about giving than getting and the importance of following up within 24 hours of any significant meeting. I think you will find a lot of the advice in this book very valuable so here are the  ways you can get your hands on a copy of the book. Please enter using Rafflecopter below: Like  Classy Career Girl on Facebook Follow me on Twitter  @classycareer Tweet about this giveaway (make sure you mention @classycareer) Leave a comment below telling us your networking fear. a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is open to all residents in the US and Canada. It begins NOW and ends on May 19th, 2014 at 11:59 PM. We will be giving away 5 copies of the book. The winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 24 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Good luck! Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the book to review but this did not change what I wrote about the book.

Monday Must-Reads Career Blogger All-Stars and Podcast Edition

Monday Must-Reads Career Blogger All-Stars and Podcast Edition I hope you had a great weekend!  I got to meet some of my favorite career bloggers in person on Friday night who were in town for HR Revolution.  Check out their blogs: Maren Hogan Sarah White Rich DeMatteo Jessica Merrell Craig Fischer Bill Boorman And todays issue of Monday Must-Reads is a bit different, because my recommendations must be heard, not read.  Here are four podcasts I love listening to.  I think you will love them too: 48 Days to the Work You Love Secrets of the Job Hunt The Naked Marketers Free Agent Underground What other podcasts do you guys love?  I listen to podcasts all the time so would love your recommendations! And a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to one of my favorite people, Matt Cheuvront, for tying the knot this weekend!  Give him a little shout on Twitter! Make it a great week!

Get Your Financial Career Up and Running Fast CareerMetis.com

Get Your Financial Career Up and Running Fast â€" CareerMetis.com Photo Credit- Pexels.comIf you are hoping for a career in the financial industry, then there is some good news. This is a sector of work that relies upon quite specific pre-set regulations and ideas. While some people might find this restricting, it does have one clear benefit.The aspiring professional knows exactly what it is that they are expected to do and what qualifications to have. This does, in many respects, make the process of getting your career started much easier. But that’s not all. There are some key ways to ensure that you get your financial career going in a strong way.If you are curious to know what those might be, then read on. Let’s have a look at how to make your financial career get off to a good start.1) Go Above Beyond With Your LearningevalWe have already seen how the financial industries often require a lot of training and qualifications in order to get ahead. However, you should be careful not to stop there if you really want your career to get going in a strong manner.The truth is, the more learning you carry out, the better. It is a good idea to go above and beyond in your learning as often as you possibly can. You should start thinking about this while you are still training. It is likely that there are plenty of extra courses you can take which will massively increase your chances of landing a job.Look for good quality CPE courses online as a starting point, but don’t stop there. You should also spend as much time as you can learning on your own. It is amazing how much you can teach yourself at home if you put the time in.Two key things to teach yourself are chart analytics and how to keep on top of world events. Knowing about these two will be hugely beneficial.2) Get All The Work Experience You CanLearning and qualifications are massively important, but still not as important as actual experience. In truth, you should work hard to get as much work experience as you can. If you don’t know where to start here, remember tha t any experience is worthwhile. This might mean interning for a short while if that is what is necessary.You don’t have to give up all of your time, but it is wise to spend one or two days a week in work experience. Having this to show for yourself will give you a dramatic boost when you are in a competitive job market such as the financial sector.3) Remember Other Extracurricular ActivitiesYou should be doing anything you can to impress your potential employees. In part at least, that means engaging in as many other activities as possible. You might be surprised at how many of these there are out there. This can be something as simple as preparing your friends’ tax returns in your spare time.evalEven working part-time at a bank might teach you a thing or two. Whatever it is, it all helps raise your chances of ongoing success.

4 Hot Career Paths In The Field Of Accounting - CareerAlley

4 Hot Career Paths In The Field Of Accounting - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. What type of career can you expect when you decide to go into accounting? Many people picture themselves as a private CPA or working at a tax firm at least part of the year. However, these are only a couple of the possibilities for accountants. When you begin your studies in accounting, you find that there are many options available, so you have to decide what type of career path you want to take. Many decide to go into public service while others make their way in the private sector, but all accountants need to know the basics of the field in any career choice. Government Accountants/Auditors As the title implies, government accountants or auditors work with one of the branches of government either at the federal, state or local level. While most people may think that government accountants work for the Internal Revenue Service, these accountants can work for other government organizations. For instance, some accountants work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation evaluating financial information agents find during criminal investigations. Some accountants simply do books for other government agencies and work on budgets. Many accounts also prepare, examine and analyze financial information including accounting records, financial reports and financial statements. Accountants also have to create and present reports on their findings and know how to use accounting software in any type of government job. Internal Auditors Many companies have their own internal auditors. This means that the auditor only has to review the books for that company. However, some auditors who work in this career work with their own companies and are hired by other businesses. Internal auditors essentially do detective work. They must examine the internal controls of a company as they look for instances of mismanagement, fraud and inaccuracy. Some auditors even try to prevent these instances. Management Accountants Management accountants generally work for one company and hold a position of responsibility and authority. These accountants have to keep up with the companys income and expenses. Management accountants can work in the private sector, public businesses or government agencies. They prepare data that the company can use for its benefit, which is something that many public accountants do not have to do. Different companies may also have different names for management accountants including corporate accountants, cost accountants, industrial accountants, managerial accountants and private accountants. However, they all perform similar functions as budgeters, decision makers, planners, risk managers and strategists. These accountants record and work with the numbers in order to help their companies budget efficiently and perform better. Also, as the name implies, management accountants supervise other employees who perform basic accounting tasks such as preparing income statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets. Public Accountants Most people are familiar with public accountants or certified public accountants. CPAs have a broad range of responsibilities, but some may specialize in specific areas including accounting, auditing, consulting and tax services. While some CPAs work for larger companies, there are many who work for themselves. However, they must build a reputation of trust and honesty if they hope to strike out on their own. Public accountants can work for individuals as well as for corporations, the government and nonprofit entities. These are the four major fields in accounting. These accountants have many of the same responsibilities, but they also vary depending upon what type of industry they work in and how much experience they have. Many accountants work in government jobs including but not exclusively for IRS and many public accountants offer their services to corporations as well as individuals. You have to decide which industry works best for you. Author Bio Joshua Turner is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he describes job opportunities in the field of accounting and aims to encourage further study with a master of science in accounting. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ Visit Joeys profile on Pinterest. what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Learn How to Say No at Work Can Help Your Career - Hallie Crawford

Learn How to Say No at Work Can Help Your Career Certified Career Coach, s latest article has been published on US News. Its called, 3 Ways Saying No at Work Can Boost Your Career. Sometimes saying no is the best way to manage your time and move your career forward. Many of us believe, whether consciously or not, that its important to say yes at work, especially to our bosses. Even if we realize rationally that sometimes we need to say no to better manage our time â€" because we are overwhelmed or if we arent capable of handling a task â€" I think most of us are hardwired to be pleasers and say yes at work. It makes sense on a basic level. We are there to do a job. When someone asks us to do something, our instinct can be to say yes. But we know rationally that its critically important to say no sometimes at work. And it takes emotional intelligence to not just react to a situation or a request, but take the time to step back, reflect on the best course of action, then act accordingly. Too often it is easier to fall prey to the knee-jerk reaction to say yes, instead of having a tougher â€" but perhaps more productive â€" conversation to say no or negotiate an alternative. If you are someone who tends to say yes more than you should, here are three ways to learn how to stop. Read the rest of the article.