Interview Archives - Page 11 of 13 - The Voice of Job Seekers

More Career Advice I Won’t Follow From Politicians

As I said before, politics are full of career advice often exemplary and often leads to what NOT to do. I don’t like watching local or national political debates, however, I am riveted in listening to the political discussions of television pundits who speculate and comment about who they oppose. The successes and the mishaps maintain extraordinary value for career professionals and job seekers alike.

Still, there are rare moments where I feel that this local or state candidate understands my issues. The employer asks Here some of my insights, without mentioning names, dates, or candidates but the subtle messages are well-known. I won’t follow…

The perpetual need to express my insensitive opinions in conversations, interviews, or business meetings.

You never know who is offended easily, or insulted, whether it is a celebrity or a well-known person, labeling people in a negative way is offensive. A self-righteous air on a job candidate’s part can come across as arrogant, but politician-like. You could be right in your intent to describe someone’s seemingly inappropriate actions, but when expressed to the wrong person can result in a derailed effort to connect with that person and his or her audience. It doesn’t matter if the setting is casual or formal; perceived behavior, conduct, and rejects the noticeable lack of restraint.

2. Saying that I am the best without proving it

Job competition is challenging and often taken personally because of the obvious reasons. Vague statements such as a simple but repeated mantra, “I can do it better” leave key hiring influencers miffed about your abilities. Without proof of production, and specific ways to solve problems, you will sound like the crowd and unlike the chosen one. Competing reaches beyond a show-and-tell display for elementary school kids. Like the current political candidates, people want to hire a potential candidate based on substantial ideas that inspire change. Offer goals, time and quality objectives, and a roadmap that sounds more like a business plan than a T.V. guide.

3. Offer statements that sound like facts without research. They are lies and exaggerations.

It appears traditional for political candidates of every sort attempts exaggeration and mocks his or her political opponent’s statements to gain small but meaningful traction. Hopefully, your preparation for interviews includes understanding the nuances of your job market and ensuring you own the skills necessary to complete the job, even if the knowledge makes a small difference . Research is necessary for casual conversations if only to impress people who can possibly help you. Repeating what everyone else demonstrates a lack of depth of the subject matter, and undermines the development of credibility. Employers and key connector can easily filter through the pretenders to reach authentically viable potential professionals. No time for laziness. Study your market, potential employer, and competitors to gain an edge and stand out from the crowd.

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

Interview with Lauriana Zukowski Co-Founder of TweetMyJobs

Editor’s note: Lauriana and Gary Zukowski are the founders of TweetMyJobs. Lauriana and I have communicated through Twitter throughout the last 2 years and witness that her kindness and wisdom transcends 140 characters daily. She is very passionate about helping job seekers, and frequently tweets information and inspiration for them. Her mission reaches beyond connecting job seekers with jobs. Lauriana is influencing and equipping job seekers through content sharing , and inspiring them with hope. Both of us share an affection in supporting U.S. Veterans re-entering the workforce.

Lauriana’s bio: Lauriana Zukowski, co-founder of TweetMyJobs, is a big advocate of social media and job search. She regularly tweets information that is related to careers, work place concerns and jobseeker tips. She is also a strong supporter of our Veterans who are entering the workforce. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a Bachelors of Science and has a Masters degree from Northeastern University. Lauriana is the mother of five children. You can find and follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/laurianaZ.

How did you and Gary come up with the idea?

Unemployment was (and still is) sky high. Back then it was close to 10% yet there were millions of jobs available on hundreds of different job boards. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter were relatively young but their power in changing the way companies could do business online was obvious. We instinctively knew that leveraging this new technology was a smart way to help job seekers connect with employers. We focused on Twitter initially because of the real time nature of the service. Real time is crucial for both seekers and employers because they want their problem solved fast. Twitter enables this better than any other platform and has grown into an incredible ecosystem.

What need then did you see that was missing from job seekers connecting with recruiters/employers?

Two needs really – matching and distribution. It’s difficult for employers to distribute their open positions to job seekers because the old model relies on seekers finding them. We are disrupting this by pushing jobs to seekers where they are and not relying on them coming to us. We then match them – not just based on the preferences of the 2 parties but also on their social graph. There’s a reason you are more likely (20x) to get a job when you are introduced to a company. By leveraging a seekers social graph we can now enable better matches than any of the traditional online models can.

What need is missing now?

There’s still plenty of work to be done. Social recruiting is real but now we have to enable small and medium size businesses who employ the majority of Americans to have access to these tools. We are trying to do this through our work with government. Today the City of Atlanta is using TweetMyJobs as their platform to help local businesses distribute their jobs and get matched with local Atlanta citizens.

Is this form of recruiting driving down the cost of hiring?

Absolutely. Our customers are seeing incredibly low costs per hire by using our system because social recruiting enhances 3 things (1) speed, (2) yield and (3) reach – more quality candidates faster.

Are there parts of the hiring process that has become easier for hiring companies while using TMJ?

For sure. There are a few things I would point to. First, our solution is as easy as pushing a button – no effort needed on the part of the hiring company as our technology takes care of everything. Second, the recruiter no longer needs to worry about what sites to post their jobs to as we do the hard work for them. We take the jobs directly from their site and post them not only to social networks like Twitter and Facebook but also to job aggregators like Simply Hired and Juju. Finally, we cut out the middle man job board and send candidates directly to the hiring company. So if you see a job on Twitter and click a link, you will go directly to our customers ATS system. That means you get more candidates to build your talent community.

What can a typical job seeker expect to experience using TMJobs?

We provide job seekers with great job matches, where they want them, when they want them. A job seeker only need visit TweetMyJobs once, tell us what role they desire, in what industry and what location and where they want us to deliver job matches that fit their preferences – Twitter, Facebook, email or mobile. If they give us access to their Facebook social graph by activating the Who? button application we will not just send them jobs that match their preferences but also let them know when one of their friends can help them get referred. That’s what moves a relevant job match to a great job match. Everyone knows you are more likely to get a job when you are introduced to the hiring company and we now facilitate that through TweetMyJobs.

How long does it take to sign up and how long does it take to see jobs?

It takes 2-3 minutes to sign up and, at the end of the process the seeker will be presented with relevant job matches. As soon as new jobs are posted on the system, we instantly notify (if that’s what the seeker wants) them of new jobs. Any new job posted on the system is literally instantly distributed to Twitter and Facebook.

Now that you are partnered with the Atlanta Development Authority, how will your partnership function?

One quick clarification, we are powering the City of Atlanta jobs platform. This is a platform to help facilitate the City and Mayor Reed’s Hire Atlanta initiative by enabling any job seeker in Atlanta to be matched with any employer hiring in Atlanta. In the same way as TweetMyJobs works seekers get job matches, where they want them, when they want them. Businesses are able to distribute their jobs for free. This is a platform specifically for the City and citizens – so it is very much a public-private partnership. The platform also will also provide powerful employment analytics to help facilitate executive decisions by the City.

Can you talk about the new Facebook initiative and joint venture with Job.com?

We are very excited about our partnership with Job.com which is one of the largest career sites online today with more than 33 million members. Job.com has integrated our Who? button across its site to enable its members to have a competitive edge when applying to jobs. The “Who?” button utilizes a user’s Facebook friends to alert a job seeker when they have a connection at a hiring company. The button lets the job seeker instantly see if they have any first or second degree Facebook connections at the hiring company and then to directly request a referral through Facebook. Once on the Facebook app, job seekers can tap into their contacts to request introductions at the hiring company, gain tips on how to apply, or to simply build their professional network. The Who? button is also integrated on TweetMyJobs, Internships.com and a number of other job sites.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Career Advice I Will Not Follow From Observing Politicians

Politics is an inflammatory subject that people take personally. But more often than not, politics is the lot for career advice. Americans in general take criticism of their favorite candidate seriously. I watch the debates, speeches, and commentaries and as it has reinforced what not to do in the job search. One thing that stands out to me is that you can turn people on and off without having a conversation.

Networking: Your hands say what your mouth won’t make clear

Despite what we believe on the political elections, we learned this week that your hands speak a language of its own, and those excluded from the conversation will interpret it any way we want. Hand gestures are easy to mis-interpret, thus terminating your employment candidacy. Hand gestures are not wrong, but undisciplined movement can fail efforts to communicate well. An article in Forbes in 2006 confirms,

“Use hand gestures for emphasis…”

and that,

“You’re not a cheerleader, and you don’t want to fidget unconsciously. This is why it’s important to practice before a mirror.”

The startling image of Jan Brewer pointing at President Obama thrilled some, and angered others, depending who you champion. If no one has coached your hand gestures through Toastmasters or Theater, then you may not know what non-verbal messages you’re sending. If second and third interviews are rare, consider getting some coaching, especially if your hand movements are family entertainment.

Interviews: Mean what you say, and show what you mean

The whole tax return controversy with Gingrich and Romney is a great lesson in sending clear messages. If what you show people is different from what you said, it is hard to retain credibility (assuming you earned it to begin with). This is a common issue with job seekers who are able to get interviews, but no call backs. A frequent anomaly is stating on your résumé a certain type of experience, but unclear in displaying through accomplishments and results the skills needed to perform the job.

It shows up in your writing, too. You are just the last one to know.

Job search: The first candidate is not always the best job candidate

CNN reported right after the South Carolina Republican primary, that Romney had spent over million dollars in Florida primary ads before the other candidates spent money. We don’t know the outcome of the Florida primary, and neither do you when you race to be the first to apply for job. When employers announce an opening, most job seekers race to apply. That is old thinking as employers have many choices, and will wait until they have a pool of candidates. For me to say that this is recent is wrong because it has been that way for years. That is why, you apply when you have established and determined that the package you offer is your best.