Career Chat

What? Recruiters look at my tweets? TechRepublic asked experienced IT Recruiter Tim Heard and had some very interesting observations and advice. Here’s a summary of his response:

People use Twitter for a variety of reasons – just think of how and why you use it. Then try to imagine what a recruiter will look for in your tweets. On a positive note, your tweets can demonstrate your competence; your compassion, interest and empathy; and possibly a way for them to connect with you. (Heard suggests that you provide a link in your profile to a place that allows someone to e-mail you directly.)

On the negative side, tweets that seem amusing to you and friends, may come across as pompous, mean and insensitive. He points out our polarized society and points out the consequences if a hiring manager of your “dream job” happens to be of political party targeted by one of your tweets. And while an employer may be impressed with our abilities as a “Twitter Black Belt” expert in your field, if your tweets are occurring all hours of the day or in the wee morning hours, he will have concerns about your productivity.

In general, the hiring manager is looking for someone who knows how to do his/her job well, and will be productive. This generally means someone who is bright, but not egotistical, someone who can stay on task and get the job done and someone who works and plays well with others.

Here’s the article:
What Do Recruiters Look for in Your Tweets?

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) just released the results of their early Fall 2010 survey results of which “soft” skills employers are seeking in potential employees. The top skills are: ability to work on a team; verbal communication skills; decision-making/problem-solving skills; the ability to obtain and process information; and the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work.

Other employer preferences noted in the study are some type of relevant work experience, and leadership experience. Nearly three-quarters of employers reported they also use use GPA, typically 3.0 or above, for screening entry level candidates.

Teamwork, Verbal Communication Top “Soft Skills” Employers Seek in Job Candidates

Need help identifying your soft skills? Not sure how to word them on your resume? The Career Development Center career advisors can help.

All current Loyola students:

Login to RamblerLink using your Loyola username and password – the same username and password as you use for LOCUS and Blackboard.

Whether you are looking for a part-time job, federal work study jobs, an internship, or a full-time position after graduation, RamblerLink is your resource for hundreds of job listings. Students and alumni can browse job postings, apply for positions, sign up for on-campus interviews, view upcoming employer information sessions, workshops and career fairs.

Looking for a part-time job to pay a few bills? A great internship? Community-based Federal Work Study Job? Service Learning volunteer opportunity? How about a full-time job?

Here’s the perfect career fair for Loyola students and recent Loyola alumni:

Fall 2011 Job, Internship & Service Fair
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Halas Sports Center, Lake Shore Campus

I decided I would tune in on Tori Johnson’s “How to Get Hired” Job Club. You can follow all of her job club’s activities from her Women for Hire website, and guys, this great advice isn’t just for gals!

In particular, I loved Day Three Day Three where Tori talks about the effect of fear on your job search.

For so many people, fear cripples their job search. Employers sense it, and friends and contacts do too. It will kill your job prospects. Acknowledge it, honor it by putting your thoughts on paper, and then get determined to control your life—instead of allowing that fear to control you

Day Three also includes a wonderful audio clip of Michelle Pippin introducing five strategies for controlling the fear instead of allowing it to control you. The clip is 20 minutes of great advice.

Feeling stuck in your job search? Tori Johnson, founder of Women for Hire, has formed a free month-long virtual job club. The club is for anyone who has become frustrated with their job search, whether you’ve been searching for months or are just starting your career.

Club participants will be given a task each day, aimed at “rebooting and re-energizing” your job search. According to Tori, “while there’s no guarantee of employment, if you follow our advice and actively engage each day, you will get results.”

For more information and registration, check out “Join My Virtual Job Club.”

CareerRookie just posted an article from CareerBuilder “5 Ways College Gave You More Training Than You Thought” with some great tips of pulling relevant experience into your resume. Experience can be gained from coursework, volunteer experiences, leadership roles, clubs and extra-curricular activities as well as from part-time jobs.

I just attended my second WordPress “WordCamp Chicago 2011″ conference last weekend. WordPress is the open source software used to create websites and blogs. In addition to the usual “techies,” the conference was loaded with people making a living from designing websites or blogging as a career. They work as independent contractors who set up and manage websites or blogs for companies, bringing their marketing and PR efforts into the wonderful world of social and digital networking.

RamblerLink continues to receive loads of jobs and internships seeking candidates to help build or increase an employer’s web presence and social network. Check it out!

Loyola freshmen and transfer students, as well as all other current students, can now log in to our RamblerLink job search system to search for jobs and internships.

Step one: complete or update all of the information on your Profile screens.

Step two: uploade your resume in the Documents section.

Step three: Click the Jobs tab, select RamblerLink jobs, and starting searching.

• Seeking a part-time on-campus job? Use Loyola in the keyword field on the job search form.
• Seeking a Community-Based Federal Work Study job? Use FWS in the keyword field on the job search form.

As always, contact the Career Development Center if you have questions or need help.

On the one hand, we hear of over 9% unemployment rate; on the other hand, we hear employers complain that they can’t fill their jobs. What’s going on?

According to Thomas L. Friedman, Op-Ed Columnist for the New York Times in his article “The Start-Up of You,” employers are all looking for the same kind of people with critical skills who can add value and have the ability to adapt quickly as the market changes.

Whatever you may be thinking when you apply for a job today, you can be sure the employer is asking this: Can this person add value every hour, every day — more than a worker in India, a robot or a computer? Can he or she help my company adapt by not only doing the job today but also reinventing the job for tomorrow? And can he or she adapt with all the change, so my company can adapt and export more into the fastest-growing global markets?

Read the article.