Monthly Archives: March 2009

The Ten Commandments for Job Seekers on Twitter

Posted on 31 March 2009 by Wendy Mason | 1 Comment

With so many companies and recruiters on Twitter, it is a great place for a job seeker to find a job. But there are some ‘rules’ that they need to be aware of to have a chance at maximising their chances of finding a job opportunity there.

Therefore I have put together my tips to help job seekers on Twitter, because after all, many job seekers arriving at Twitter, will probably be Twitter Virgins and trying to use every means at their disposal to find a new job.

So here are my Ten Commandments for Job Seekers on Twitter:

1. Understand Twitter and what it is about.

The best way to do this, is to take off your boots off, just dive in and have a good look around. See what other people are talking about, how they are talking and how they use the 140 character limit. Get a sense of the twitter sphere before you join in.

Spend some time looking at other people’s bio’s and how they present themselves. Then ask yourself a question – would YOU follow that person? have they got your interest? Take note of your thoughts – you will need to bear this in mind for yourself soon.

2. Create a quality Profile and Bio.

a) No cat or dog photos – just a good head shot image of yourself. It gives recruiters a good impression of you straight away.

b) Your URL – use your blog | website | LinkedIn profile. If you have none of these, create a LinkedIn profile ( Download LinkedIn for beginnersif you need a hand setting one up) . Don’t put a profile up without a URL, because every serious job seeker will have some form of online profile, and you will lose the opportunity to get followed by the right people otherwise.

c) Your one line bio – you have 160 characters to sum up your career and what you are looking for. remember keywords from your industry. If you are actively looking for a job now – say so.

d) Background – go to TwitterGallery and choose a free background. It will be an extra way to help you stand out from other people.

Above all, be interesting – no-one will follow you if you have a boring profile and bio.

More at Sirona Says: The Ten Commandments for Job Seekers on Twitter.

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Posted in advice, recession, Unemployment

Tagged advice, business, Debate, Facebook, LinkedIn, recession, Redundancy, resource, Social Media, Social Networking, tips, Twitter, Unemployment, virtual networking

Life after redundancy – Thea Montgomerie-Anderson – Management Today

Posted on 30 March 2009 by Wendy Mason | Leave a comment

When Thea Montgomerie-Anderson was made redundant, she found a job in her hobby – stand-up comedy…

I used to work in the City for an American company selling IT software to investment banks and insurance companies. Gradually they made more and more people redundant, and when the pound went through the floor it was pretty obvious my days were numbered.

I’d started doing comedy two and a half years ago as a drunken bet with one of my clients. I used to just do open mike nights to de-stress. The world of sales is very aggressive: I was walking around with hair in a tight bun, wearing Gucci dresses, high-heels and pearls. Comedy was just a good release. Then I got made redundant last December. Now I’m in platforms and hotpants.

More at Life after redundancy – Thea Montgomerie-Anderson – Leisure & Tourism – Management Today.

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Posted in general, recession

Tagged advice, business, change, Economy, Management, recession, Redundancy, resource, Self confidence, tips, Unemployment

HOW CAN YOU STAY CONFIDENT WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR JOB

Posted on 30 March 2009 by Wendy Mason | Leave a comment

Most people feel a loss of confidence when they lose a job. It’s not just about losing the income but also an image of you. Many place a value of themselves based on their work. For many of us work is the place where we spend the majority of our waking life. It’s often where we find our friends and make our major achievements. So when we lose a job we lose part of ourselves and we grieve for it.

But you can get over it – just like any grief. You are much more than your job and your real friends and family value you for much more than your salary even when they are dependent upon it.
But here are some particular areas you may need to address

Understand why it happened

If you have been made redundant then remember it’s not personal – you were just unlucky and you are part of a very large and growing club. If you lost your job for other reasons then make sure you understand why and learn from it – change something about you to make sure it doesn’t happen again. In both situations, now is about going forward, not dwelling on the past.

Money Worries
You feel bad about the loss of income. But there is help – make it a project to find out all the sources of financial support available to you. There is guidance on this in other posts on this site for people in the UK. Take time to understand what you can get and then get out there and get it.

Feeling Alone

You have lost the contacts you had at work. Now you need to work on your own network. Get out the old address book; look up your email contacts and those on your mobile phone. Find people on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Friends Reunited etc. Pick up the contacts and find out what people are doing. It will give you company but also it might just give you a lead to the next job. Meet up – have a coffee with them if you can’t afford lunch – many people prefer that these days anyway. Tell them you are interested in new opportunities – don’t dwell on why you lost the last job – that is in the past now!

Lifestyle Changes

Living with less money may mean changes in lifestyle for all the family. Not so many meals out and subscriptions to clubs etc. Make the changes carefully, particularly if they affect your children – plan and prioritize just like you would at work. Hopefully it’s not going to be for very long. If you can’t eat out then become more creative about eating at home. Now is the time for long country walks perhaps rather than paying for theme parks. There are lots of free events around if you look for them – again use the involuntary spare time to find them.

Self Blame

We all do it but it doesn’t actually get us anywhere. Blaming yourself doesn’t change the past. But you can change the future. Leave the past to itself – it’s only useful if you can use it to learn from. If you lost you job because you lacked a skill, then it’s worth working on gaining it. Otherwise leave it alone and make the future your project. Get up each day determined to go one step forward even if it is only working on your exercise plan.

Last but not least

Don’t be hard on your self. You are one amongst thousands. You may not have a job but my word do you have a project and that is you.

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Posted in advice, recession, Unemployment

Tagged advice, business, change, Economy, Facebook, Job Search, LinkedIn, Management, recession, Redundancy, resource, Self confidence, support, tips, Twitter, Unemployment

What is Twitter, Social Networking, and Micro-blogging and How Can I Use Them

Posted on 30 March 2009 by Wendy Mason | Leave a comment

Twitter is a combination of two concepts, social networking and micro-blogging. When combined, they create a fascinating way for people to communicate and keep in touch. Let’s explore social networking and micro-blogging individually first.

Social Networking

This is the Myspace, and Facebook you’ve heard so much about. You already know what networking is – you create, build, and maintain personal and professional relationships to meet people, find opportunities, and learn new things. Successful practice managers are constantly networking to be in the know and stay ahead of the curve. Now add the social aspect of it to the equation. Social networking means starting with people you already know, and using that as a jumping off point. Take your existing network of contacts and digitize them to build an on-line community.

Think about your contact list in your address book, email, phone, or Blackberry. You have everyone in there: colleagues, friends, family. What if you also had access to the contact lists of everyone in their contact lists? There would be duplicate entries but there would also be a lot of people in this “friends of friends” list that you didn’t know before. You would probably see a lot of new names and faces, some of whom you might want to talk to about your organization, their organization, your product, their service, their hobbies, even ask out on a date!

When you walk into a room and see a friend talking to someone you don’t know, you go and say hello to your friend, and introduce yourself to the stranger- you are building your network by social networking!

More at What is Twitter, Social Networking, and Micro-blogging and How Can I Use Them to Manage My Practice? | Manage My Practice.com.