Mark Anthony Dyson, Author at The Voice of Job Seekers

Second Chance for Job Seekers with GoodHire

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I started noticing then following GoodHire a while ago because they were publishing about the need to give ex-offenders a second chance. I loved their voice on employment discrimination and the ex-offenders reentering the workforce. If you have been listening to this podcast for awhile, you know I champion the “Ban The Box” campaign—very related to how GoodHire is helping ex-offenders having a second chance. More than 30,000 employers rely on their skilled compliance experts, helpful US-based customer service reps, and customizable technology to build teams based on trust, safety, and fairness.

Matthew Monahan is the CEO of GoodHire. l would love to hear your thoughts about this episode 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]

Matthew Monahan founded GoodHire with his brother Brian. For the last ten years, GoodHire has been helping job seekers with knowing what employers see on their background checks. The ex-offender especially benefits because they can add a personal narrative to their results. Unlike most company’s background checks, this humanizes the process.

Here are a few of our talking points:

Matthew explained that GoodHire’s mission is to build trust between job seekers and employers
Good Hires focuses much of their attention on the job seeker
Services are free to job seekers, give them a sense of empowerment by making background screens to job seekers
Unique features are available to job seekers to annotate their background check
Job seekers can see what employers can see and provide an explanation for the employer
GoodHire’s “True Me” feature adds humanity to the background. Opposite of most companies conducts where the process is automated

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!

Thanks for being among the thousands who listen every month. There’s so much more to come so stay tuned!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Reasons Job Seekers Will Use Instagram Stories Not Snapchat for their Job Search

Editor’s note: Feel free to listen to the reading of this article, or read along!

In today’s day and age, social proof and timeliness are critical to standing out in the job market. To make the most of your job search, you want to put your skills and career acumen where they will be viewed by your network, potential new connections, recruiters, hiring managers, and companies.

People have been talking about ways to use Snapchat in your job search for a while, and now there is a new contender in the social media world: Instagram Stories, Instagram’s latest feature that is unashamedly similar to Snapchat. Employers saw Instagram as an opportunity already, and now they see Instagram Stories as one, too.

This new feature is a big deal. If you’re looking for ideas on how to stand out to employers, I’ve got you! I know you’re tired of waiting for responses from job boards or referrals from friends. A few of you have already tried Snapchat to create stronger online presences – and that’s a good thing! Here are some reasons why you should also add Instagram Stories to your arsenal of job search tools:

1. More Variety of Content on One Platform

Your reach with Instagram was already more substantive than your reach with Snapchat before Instagram Stories arrived. Now, you have the chance to weave pictures and videos together into a custom story for your audience.

As a job seeker, you can alter, add, or omit content relevant to who engages with you, and you can respond to people in a timely and customized way. If you notice a recruiter or employer responding to your story or message, you have an opportunity to demonstrate your skills or entertain questions about your experience.

Read: Five Ways to Subtly Catch The Eyes of Employers During Your Job Search

2. More Measurable Engagement

Snapchat lacks metrics. In fact, it doesn’t provide anything useful. Instagram Stories are far more useful, especially for altering your content based on views and likes. A job seeker can easily make a “Frequently Asked Questions” video, schedule it, post images promoting it, and release the it on the same platform.

Comments are instantly visible, and you can easily respond to them throughout a single thread. Hashtags are the key to increasing reach, and the possibilities are endless. You can also repost the same content multiple times in a day, unlike Snapchat. However, your stories will go away in 24 hours, so keep that in mind.

3. Your Community Is Ready and Willing on Instagram

My bet is you have more followers on Instagram than on Snapchat, correct? If you were on Instagram in the day or two after the Instagram Stories were announced, you likely noticed that it wasn’t long before people were testing and adapting the feature – and they did that more quickly than they did on Snapchat, right?

People love familiarity, and when you add a new element to an already useful platform, it’s unlikely users will go elsewhere. We saw that when Facebook Live stole Periscope’s video mojo. Those who are new to video will likely try Instagram Stories before YouTube, Periscope, or yes, Snapchat.

Again, for the job seeker, you want the engagement, the audience size, and for others to share your content.

Read: Gender Pay Gap, Who is Hiring, and Use This Instagram Feature

4. You’ve Established Trust on Instagram

Credibility trumps bells and whistles during the job search. You don’t get engagement if you’re not looking for it, but you do get it if your content is compelling and useful. If you’ve been a reliable resource up to this point, then people will respond accordingly. Use Instagram Stories to impress people further.

Let’s say you attend an industry event that many of your colleagues and peers are not going to. You can broadcast live episodic segments to your Instagram account for your audience (again, likely a much larger audience than you have on Snapchat) and potential recruiters and employers to see.

Read: 8 Job Search Mobile Apps To Get it Done

5. You’ll Be More Inspired to Shape Content Around Your Personal Brand

If you keep in mind that every social platform can be a profession builder or a career killer, Instagram Stories will tempt you like a piece of chocolate cake.

All of your content doesn’t have to be serious to stay professional. I’ve always maintained the position that companies cannot train great personalities. Instagram Stories are a chance to show your personality off like you haven’t ever done before.

I originally wrote this article for Recruiter.com!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Get Ready for an Agile Job Search with Nissar Ahamed

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When I like a job search blog, I like to let you know about it. If you haven’t heard of Career Metis, then I encourage you to listen to this show and then head on over there. The blog founded by Nissar Ahamed is likely to give your job search a boost.

I found Career Metis a long time ago, but in the last 15-16 months, he has published articles several times a week. Not only about resumes and cover letters, but also the workplace and productivity too. I’d be remiss if I did not mention his new podcast containing more than 20 episodes to date.

I would love to hear what you think about his blog. Share your thoughts with me 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]

By day, Nissar is in software sales, but at night, he is the editor, writer, and publisher of Career Metis. It is an award-winning blog with awards from Career Igniter and PersonalIncome.org.

Here are a few highlights from our discussion:

In India, Nissar’s home country, employers lined up to hire graduates upon finishing. When he migrated to Toronto, Canada immediately after college graduation, he had to adapt to being solely responsible finding a job himself
He had to learn everything and solely relied on job boards, had to learn to write resumes and adjust on the fly. He learned to navigate the job market by doing
Branding is important if you want people to reach out to you. Be agile and visible, be ready to pivot
We discuss how to go from being under-appreciated to mastering navigating the job market
When people experience an adverse culture change will bring misery—often too late but start looking passively or activelyNeed 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!

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!