Articles - Page 145 of 258 - The Voice of Job Seekers

How to Get Job Referrals With a Small Network

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For this last summer episode, this is a recent interview with Margo Wickersham who has a Blab show. Originally, she was going to have Hannah Morgan on her show. However, at the last minute Hannah couldn’t do it so Margo called me to fill in. You will see we had quite a robust conversation–get that coveted external referral!

How important are referrals to your career? Let’s talk about it. I would love your feedback in one of three ways:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
Send email feedback to [email protected]

Let me tell you a little bit more about Margo Wickersham. She provides business coaching and training for entrepreneurs through her website, MargoWickersham.com. She is a long-time executive and senior manager in the marketing space. Her Blab show is geared towards helping business people and job seekers thrive with advice and tools useful to achieve success.

Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:

Everyone has a skill set regardless of who you are. Even if you’re a Certified Nurse Assistant who has to sit with a patient with behavioral challenges, you have to be patient and courageous. Everyone has to extract from themselves what makes them marketable and referable
Investing in your network’s worth is the way to engage future referrers way before you need to find the next job
Your family and friends are still part of your network. Many unemployed job seekers don’t want family and friends to know, although not always as useful, they are emotionally vested
Margo added a good referral network doesn’t happen overnight but overtime
Many levels and layers are essential but it’s about relationships, context, and community
Being a good referrer helps you understand the dynamic. Margo mentioned “paying it forward” was essential in adding value to your network
Referrals whether giving or receiving should be an overflow of the heart. Build context!
Disrupt the hiring process by getting a referral. You “jump the shark” and automatically considered with candidates deemed highly-qualified by the ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
Margo shares a story of how she was able to re-connect with LinkedIn contacts and got a referral and a job
Familiarity is practically everything, even if it is not a close contact
Trust equity is associated with the person who refers you. The interview becomes a conversation rather than interrogation
Referrals can be positively disruptive, often meaning you’ll be memorable
Relationships even after the referrals is essential to your career and personally. Gratitude and the value exchange positively adds value
Giving more than taking says much about your character
How do you connect to more people when you just are in contact with 20? LinkedIn is the best at increasing your connection numbers quickly

Need help with your career goals, directions, or efforts? Do you need coaching or instruction? I am here for it!

Also, join our Linkedin community! You’ll enjoy some of the insights shared by community members and other career pros!

This is the last show of the summer. The next one will be Sept 6. I will be publishing new articles (up to 3x a week) on the blog. If you’re a career pro and love giving career advice, let me know. I would love to have more guest writers during my hiatus and beyond. Thanks for being among the thousands who listen every month. There’s so much more to come so stay tuned!

by Mark Anthony Dyson

8 Job Search Mobile Apps To Get it Done

This article was originally published on Recruiter.com!

I’m sure some of you still use your laptops for everything, but for more and more people these days, smartphones are the primary Internet-enabled device. For example, my sons and wife all use their phones constantly and go days without touching a computer! And they’re not alone: Mobile Internet usage is now more common than desktop Internet usage. Some even say laptops will be nonexistent in the next few years!

If you’re the type to rely on their smartphone for everything, then you probably want to use it for your job search, too – if you aren’t already, that is. I won’t say this article is a one-stop shop, but it will definitely help you turn your smartphone into a powerful tool for your mobile job hunt.

Here are eight great tools you may want to check out:

1. The Microsoft Office Mobile App

That’s right: Microsoft Office is now available on your smartphone. If your resumes and cover letters are Word documents, then you can now access and edit them right through your phone.

If you don’t want to do any document editing on your smartphone, you should at least keep the Outlook mobile app. That way, you can have all of your email accounts in one place.

2. The Browser on Your Phone

You’ve probably thought of this already, but it bears repeating – especially for those who are new to the mobile job hunt. Your smartphone has at least one browser installed, and it’s probably just as powerful as your laptop’s browser. Use it to search for jobs, research employers, look at job boards – your phone’s browser can do it all.

3. Video Apps

You may need a couple of video apps for those companies that favor video interviews. Skype is the app of choice for most employers, but Google Hangouts is a close second. That being said, it won’t be long before many employers switch over to Blab.

4. Job Search Apps

Having a few job search apps on your phone can certainly be helpful. I am not going to recommend a specific one here, but I do have a few guidelines to help you choose the best one for your needs:

– Use an app that isn’t likely to hijack your phone’s OS. If you have a phone with 16GB of RAM or less, some apps may make your phone stall out. Even if you have more RAM, some job search apps can still slow down your phone. Choose wisely.

– Choose an app that will send you notifications about new job leads. Remember, the app is not a magic wand: Applying quickly may give you a small advantage, but that does not guarantee anything. Still, it’s good to have an app that will keep you updated, even when you aren’t actively using it.

-Speaking of notifications, make sure your app allows you to easily customize notifications. Notifications can be annoying, so you may need to cut down on some of the noise.

5. Spelling and Grammar Apps

If you find grammar and spelling challenging, the Ginger app ($3.99) is what you want. It replaces your keyboard and provides help if you are sending emails or updating your statuses on social networks. Every interaction counts during a job search, and misspelled words can discourage employers from considering you.

6. Online Education Tools

Podcasts, seminars, and even YouTube videos can help you learn more about your industry and increase your proficiency. That, in turn, will make you a much more attractive candidate.

7. Ditch Your Phone’s Voicemail for YouMail

I love everything about YouMail. The free version is cool, because it will send you mp3 copies of your voicemails that you can check from any device. For only $4.99 a month, though, you can record personalized greetings for each caller. So, if Marcia calls, she’ll hear: “Hi Marcia! Mark is not available right now … ” It’s a powerful way to make a good impression on people.

8. Scanning and Faxing Apps

You have many options if you need to sign and share paperwork via your phone. DocuSign and HelloSign are two apps that should give you all you need when it comes to tracking and completing important paperwork.

–

Your phone is now ready to be the control center of your job search. You now have a home office and mobile office in the palm of your hands – all because you downloaded the right apps. The new job search is mobile, and it’s only going to get even more so in the years to come. Prepare for it now!

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Finding Your Career Purpose

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For this week’s episode, Stacie Parker is back to discuss how he or she job seekers discovers their find purpose. As a career practitioner, many people want help finding a job, but don’t know his or her target career. Most of us rely on strategies requiring specific career intentions starting with what you want to do. Stacie provides some practical exercises to help you achieve career clarity.

I would love to hear what you think of the show. Are you clear about your career goals? Here’s how you can share with me:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
Send email feedback to [email protected]

Let me tell you a little about Stacie Parker. She is a CPRW, Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) and a Certified Coach. She is currently working on her Doctorate of Philosophy in Organization Development Psychology.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Stacie uses her studies in Psychology and career coaching knowledge and experience to help his or her individual journey
A large part of her applied knowledge based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Part of Stacie’s technique based on hypnosis and reflection, looking for connections from childhood to now and what they’re good at naturally
She believes those relationships in what we are naturally skilled at first discovered in their first six years
Passion doesn’t mean purpose—your purpose doesn’t serve you, but serves others
Emotional Intelligence is built on understanding and knowing yourself/self-awareness
Critical to understanding courage is needed to get out of our comfort zone and discovering purpose
Stacie discusses the importance of visualization, help people leave old stories behind to change the perceptions to build a new narrative
She explains how this is implemented to help her clients with interview preparation

Need help with your career goals, directions, or efforts? Do you need coaching or instruction? I am here for it!

Also, join our Linkedin community! You’ll enjoy some of the insights shared by community members and other career pros!

Don’t forget the last show for the season is July 26, and the new one will begin on Sept. 6. I will be publishing new articles (up to 3x a week) on the blog. If you’re a career pro and love giving career advice, let me know. I would love to have more guest writers during my hiatus and beyond.