Jarhead Communications» Jobs

Social Media = New Job

Jarhead — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:41:14 +0000

Three EASY steps:

1) Set up a “professional“ Facebook account, a LinkedIn account, and a Twitter account. Use the same username and password for ease. Note, your username is often visible, case in point, Twitter, so use something short, sweet, and memorable. “SexyGirl69@…” isn’t going to cut it unless you’re going clubbing. Also recommend getting a head and shoulder picture in a professional setting with either a coat and tie, or a blazer and blouse.

This goes without saying, but what you write in LinkedIn needs/must be PERFECT. Use all the tools available to provide as much granularity to your profile.

2) Your settings for all three accounts should be open and accessible to all. This means making sure everyone can see your entire profile in LinkedIn when you visit their profiles. This means automatically accepting all “followers” in Twitter. And this also means allowing all to see your page on Facebook.

This also goes without saying, but your “professional” Facebook should not have any photos from last weekend’s frat party or your antics at the last tailgating party. These pictures should be of your work and perhaps a photo or two in a personal setting that shows you’re a well-rounded person with activities other than work.

3) Last step is to begin looking for jobs that match your specifications. When you find one, apply. Please, please, please ensure you get someone else’s eyeballs on your resume before sending it out. Your eyes will deceive you! Have someone else check it. After applying, search the company on LinkedIn and follow it. Scroll through the listing of employees for keywords like “HR” or “Recruiter” and click on their profiles. If they have a Twitter account, there will be a semi-blue box with a check mark and “Follow Me” in it. Follow them.

This does two things. The next time the recruiter checks “Who viewed my profile”, they will see your bright shining smile along with your successes. When you follow them on Twitter, they will receive an email indicating that you are now a follower.

Now go get that job!

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Danny Chung is a professional communications consultant with more than 2 decades of strategic communication and public relations experience. His work has been on numerous news programs and television shows to include the New York Times, BBC, CNN, and The Fox News Channel.

Jobs report misses mark by 24,000

Jarhead — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:15:27 +0000

There’s good news and bad news.

The bad news is economists missed their forecast for jobs growth by 24,000.

The good news is that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates a growth of 162,000 jobs. This is the most significant increase within the last three years. That’s great news, but there’s more bad news…

Not that this is all bad, but consider the types of jobs that are part of that 164k growth number. Executive-level, high-paying jobs are NOT returning. Businesses are now operating leaner than ever and they’re not going back to the good ole days. This is good and bad. Good for the longterm economy leading to a more stable and sustainable growth, while bad for job-hunters.

Furthermore, to my surprise, I’ve discovered that the BLS stops counting those unemployed after a 6-months as “unemployed” and the military are not even considered as a part of the labor force… leading to even more skewed numbers.

Actual unemployment for Gulf War Veterans in 2009 was over 10.2%. You don’t see this on the evening news nor in headlines.

DON’T READ THIS!

Jarhead — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:44:43 +0000

Unless you want a job.

I don’t like TheLadders as I was able to find every job on its paid site on the free sites, and their recruiter networks were fruitless to say the least. It’s simply a ploy for TheLadders to get recruiters to pay them for having a list of suckers like us.

Also, stay away from third-party application sites. These are very deceptive sites that look like a job application, but after you’ve finished filling out all your personal information and clicking “submit”, you’ll quickly discover that you’ve just been conned into signing up for a college-degree information program or a newsletter of sorts.

If you do find a job that you’re interested in applying for, open another window and go directly to that company’s website and find their “careers” or “join us” sections. Don’t depend on job sites to connect you properly. Everyone’s out to make a buck, and some of the most susceptible people are those desperately looking for a job.

**Here are the best resources to finding your next job:**

1) LinkedIn.com (if you don’t have a free LinkedIn account, you don’t exist. Get one immediately, even if you have a steady job. It’s a great way for you to connect and network, not to mention stay abreast of what your connections are up to.)

2) Indeed.com is a compilation of jobs from ALL other sites to include newspapers, websites, and corporate job sites. This is especially helpful for trends and salary updates.

3) SimplyHired.com is another compilation, however, this one has a sidebar with automatic LinkedIn connections to show you who you may know that works at that particular job.

4) Ned’s Job of the Week at NedsJOTW.com (this one is particularly good for communications, public relations, and DoD contract jobs). Ned is a retired Navy Captain and devotes time to producing a very good list every Monday).

5) USA Jobs has an abundance of work available for almost anyone looking. Read the descriptions carefully as some require citizenship or prior federal service. This site includes the State Dep’t, the IRS, the EPA, DoD, and more. The best part is that government jobs are paying top-dollar and your chance of getting fired is slim to none, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. The name of the game with federal jobs is to know the rules.

Unless you’re interested in an entry-level job or a position that is ethically questionable at best, do not waste your time on Craigslist.

Communications and Public Relations professionals should focus their efforts on:

5) Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Job Center

6) International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Career Center

Networking opportunities are out there. In every city and for every niche there is an association, and Google won’t always suffice. Here’s a few: