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?

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.”

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.

Two key ingredients for a successful job interview are self-esteem and confidence. Read Career Intelligence blogger Carol Martin’s advice on how to take charge of the interview process in her posting titled “Oprah, Lady Gaga, and Your Interview.”

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) just released results of their hiring projections for students graduating this spring… and the good news is that employers are planning to hire 19.3% more new college grads in 2010-11 than they did in 2009-10. Last fall, a similar survey had projected only 13.5%.

The summary of the survey’s results includes skills and qualities employers are seeking in candidates. Verbal skills are ranked as number one; other high-ranking qualitiies include the ability to make decisions and solve problems, and the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work.

Read other highlites of the NACE hiring survey at Job Outlook: Hiring up 19.3 Percent This Year

When we the last time you revised your resume? Proud of it now? Great! Now make sure to replace any old resumes you uploaded in jobsites.

One of my colleagues prepares for an appointment with a student by looking at their resume in RamblerLink. When the student presents a wonderful new version, she asks why their old resume is still in RamblerLink. More often than not, they have completely forgotten they uploaded their resume. Unfortunately, if they had selected to include their resume in a filtered or opt-in resume books, their old poorly-constructed resume may have already made a bad impression with those employers who have access to the books.

In addition to our own RamblerLink system (in which all Loyola students have accounts), lots of other websites ask you to upload your resume. It’s important to keep a record of these different websites so you can keep your information and resume current.

This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education provides a useful reminder that our students and alumni are increasingly being asked to submit a CV for job applications outside of colleges and universities. Traditionally the province of academics, the curriculum vitae can be viewed, in this author’s words, as “an autobiography of your scholarly accomplishments.” Unlike a resume, which is normally limited to 1-2 pages, the CV may be quite a bit longer, depending on your discipline; however, it can still be written to highlight different aspects of your experience depending on the job you are targeting.

The advisors at the Career Development Center are happy to meet with you to discuss the appropriate content for your CV. In addition, we always encourage students to speak with their faculty to solicit sample CVs as an additional resource.

CareerBuilding just came out with their new list of common and some unusual interview mistakes, and some of their unusual examples were rather weird. (“Tossing his beer can in the outside trashcan before coming into the reception office”? Whited-out diploma?)

But the main reason I’m writing is because of the interview reminders included at the end.

• Keep it upbeat
• Prepare, prepare, prepare
• Keep it professional, not personal
• Practice does make perfect
• Honesty is the best policy

You can read the whole CareerBuilder article at CareerBuilder.

Ever think about all of the different types of internet marketing careers? Graphic design, web design, product advertising, web hosting, forum posting, and article writing are some of the potential careers you may wish to explore.

Learn more about this possible careers in internet marketing in JobsJournal.com’s recent posting “An Emerging Career as an Internet Marketer”.