Archive for the ‘Jackson career & Life Coaching’ Tag
1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can trust that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.
2. Take a morning walk of gratitude. I call it a “Thank You Walk.” It will create a fertile mind ready for success.
3. Make your first meal the biggest and your last meal the smallest. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid.
4. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.
5. Talk to yourself instead of listen to yourself. Instead of listening to your complaints, fears and doubts, talk to yourself and feed your mind with the words and encouragement you need to keep moving forward.
6. Remember that adversity is not a dead-end but a detour to a better outcome.
7. Don’t chase dollars or success. Decide to make a difference and build meaningful relationships and success will find you.
8. Get more sleep. You can’t replace sleep with a double latte.
9. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in your purpose, people and the positive present moment.
10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.
11. Live with the 3 E’s. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.
12. Remember there’s no such thing as an overnight success. There’s no substitute for hard work.
13. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.
14. Implement the No Complaining Rule. Remember that if you are complaining, you’re not leading.
15. Read more books than you did in 2013.
16. Don’t seek happiness. Instead decide to live with passion and purpose and happiness will find you.
17. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation.
18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for __________.
Today I accomplished____________.
19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.
20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.
– See more at: http://www.profitgroove.com/20-tips-for-a-positive-new-year/#sthash.fow5mU5Y.dpuf
Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:
1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?
2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu
3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle
5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!
“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle
6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, many things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy; no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.
7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.
8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.
9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it. “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell
10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer
11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place. “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.
13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.
14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self-less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.
15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.
4 Essentials For Reaching Out To Strangers On LinkedIn
Last week, I received an info interview request from a total stranger as a direct message on LinkedIn. And despite my very busy schedule, I decided to take his call. Over the weekend, I asked myself, “Why did I agree?”
Let’s take his e-mail apart and put it into four essential elements so you can use them in your own LinkedIn networking communications.
First, here’s the e-mail I got over LinkedIn from J.:
Hi Joshua,
I noticed we are both connected to M. F. – how do you know M.? I first met her at J.P., and she actually photographed my wedding. Small world
I wanted to touch base with you because I saw an open position at J.R. I thought would be a great fit for me. I’m located in Portland now, and do social media strategy for a digital marketing agency here in town.
It’s a fun role, but you know how agencies are – fingers in a lot of different businesses, but no ability to truly own a marketing program. It looks like I would be able to do that with the Marketing Communications Manager role that is posted.
Would you mind if I called you sometime this week to hear about your experience at J.R. and your perspective on the marketing organization there? I’d really appreciate it.
1. Lead with Something In Common
My interviewee, J., began his e-mail by pointing out our mutual friend M.F., and although I know M.F. from my sister’s college days, what really got my attention was M.F. was the photographer at her wedding.
Now, with LinkedIn, there is a danger the first degree connection isn’t really a close friend. I went through an Open Networking phase and about 100 people in my LinkedIn network are complete strangers to me.
So don’t assume just because they’re connected, they know each other.
J. took a calculated risk. However, he mitigates that risk by further sharing a personal tid-bit…he’s married. And as another recently married guy, I can very much relate to his situation. (i.e. He has my sympathy.)
2. Get to the Point – Fast
J. wastes no time for BS or apologies. He’s writing to me because he saw an open position at a company I have a relationship with and thinks he’d be a fit.
Notice he says, “I saw an open position.” He doesn’t assume I know anything about this position. In fact, it was news to me. And so I can infer he’s not assuming I’m any kind of decision maker. I know this is going to be a purely informational interview.
Furthermore, he concludes the e-mail by re-affirming that he’s just looking to hear about my experience with J.R., the company and my perspective on their marketing organization.
My guard goes down because I know he’s not going to put me on the spot or ask me for more than just my opinion.
3. What Makes Him Qualified?
Without bragging, J. makes it clear that he’s a serious candidate, not one of those job fisherman.
He tells me he already works at an agency. And that even though he enjoys the agency, he’s looking for more. He wants to “truly own a marketing program.”
It might occur to me, after all, that if he already has a job, why is he looking to make a change? That concern is assuaged.
4. What Do You Want From Me?
He concludes his e-mail with, “Would you mind if I called you sometime this week…” meaning, I won’t have to do anything except wait for a phone call and talk to him. Sounds easy.
I would have even mentioned the exact amount of time such a conversation would have taken, “Would you mind if I called you this week for just 10 or 15 minutes?”
Other Observations
You may have also noticed…
- The e-mail was VERY short. It took me less than 30 seconds to read it.
- He named the position he was after by name, he did his research and I know he won’t waste my time
- He is sensitive to and grateful for my time, “I would really appreciate it…”
The next time you are reaching out to someone new over LinkedIn; consider bringing in one or more of these elements to your message. I’m sure it will make a big difference in your response rate.
How many hours did you spend researching that last car or flat panel tv you bought? How many hours did you spend practicing for your job interviews? We all know that many jobs and perhaps careers are won or lost during the interview process. You have a Great resume, Great cover letter and Great attire. Win win win. Not so fast. If you did not prepare for the interview this will put you at a competitive disadvantage. So why not prepare? It really is pretty easy. Just requires some practice and time.(Editor’s Note) Lies We Tell Ourselves About Job Interviews Guest Contributor: Michael Neece, CEO, InterviewMastery.com I present frequently to groups large (200+) and small on job interview skills, and I am constantly amazed at the harmful lies people tell themselves about job interviews.
Few will argue about the importance of having a great resume; after all, it is the resume that generates job interviews. But nearly all job seekers minimize the importance of their own job interview skills. Minimizing the importance of interview skills reduces the probability of getting the job offer because it is only through an exceptional job interview performance that you’ll get hired. 17-to-one is the ratio of job interviews to job offers during a recession. During a recession, the average applicant will interview for 17 different opportunities before he/she gets one job offer. When job openings are plentiful and candidates are in high demand, the ratio drops to 6-to-1, meaning it takes only 6 interviews to get an offer during the good times. The lesson here is that without interview skills, you’ll waste 6 to 17 job opportunities before you get good enough at interviews to get an offer. (Article Continued Below)
Below are six lies (assumptions) we tell ourselves about job interviews: “I’ll do great on my job interviews because…”
1. I’m Great at My Job. The skills required to get the job are fundamentally different from the skills required to do a job. If you have ever looked for a job you know this all too well. 2. I’m a Good Communicator Being a good communicator is a good start, but most of our business communicating is one-on-one or in a setting where you are talking about work. During the job interview, you are often speaking with multiple interviewers and responding to thought-provoking questions about you and your talents. Convincing an interviewer of your abilities is a unique situation in the world of business communications. 3. I’ve Interviewed Hundreds of People Being an interviewer is different from being interviewed. Just ask anyone who has been interviewed recently. I consult internationally to organizations on interviewer skills. I also present to thousands each year on job interviewing for the job seeker. While the interviewer and the interviewee are in the same room, each is playing a different role that requires different skills to be successful. It’s a bit like dancing. One person leads while the other follows. The skills to lead are very different from the talents needed to follow. When each partner does his/her part, they dance beautifully. When the job applicant has the skills, he/she facilitates a conversation and usually gets the offer. 4. I’ve Had Many Practice Interviews Learning by trial and error can teach you a few things about effective interviewing, but it wastes a lot of great job opportunities. Besides, practicing the same unproductive job interview ritual will only make you comfortable with ineffective habits that can really hurt your career. 5. Interviewers Have Interviewing Skills Having traveled internationally to train interviewers, I can state with certainty that over 95% of interviewers are unskilled and have had no training on effective interviewing. That is exactly why interviewers still ask totally irrelevant and bogus questions like, “Tell me about yourself,” and “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” When an interviewers asks you one of these questions, you know they are completely unskilled at interviewing. 6. The Most Qualified, Get Hired Most of the Time Eleven years as a recruiter taught me one truth about the job market: the most qualified person never gets hired. The reason is that who is the most qualified is a matter of interviewer opinions, assumptions, and personal bias. Additionally, a job description is actually a collection of guesses as to what the prerequisites are for a specific job. A job description is a way for the hiring manager to say, “I want to hire someone who has already done, many times, what I want him or her to do for me.”
To secure a great job, you can either continue lying to yourself and go through 17 interviews before you get an offer, or you can invest the energy to learn successful job interviewing and significantly increase your odds of getting a great job sooner.
Whether you try Interview Mastery or another job interview program is irrelevant. What really matters, is that you improve your interview skills. Common advice is everywhere on the Internet, but this common wisdom will only get you common results.
If you don’t want to invest any money in yourself, at least make a list of the interview questions you expect and those that you fear. Then ask a former colleague to mock interview you using the questions you listed. Record the mock interview using audio or video. You may be surprised at how you actually sound.Remember, the job interview is the most important moment in your job search and in your career.
While your resume may get you to the interview, it is your job interview skills that will secure the job offer. Preparation and practice make all the difference in your performance because the most qualified person rarely gets the job. It’s the person who interviews the best who wins the job offer.
Good luck on your next interview. You’re going to be awesome!
Do you know how much you’re worth to employers? Or, how do you know how much you should expect in a job offer?
This is especially difficult for candidates to assess when one is entering a new field, making a career change, moving to a new location, or entering the workforce as a recent graduate. It’s also a question you should have an answer to before accepting a job offer.
In order to negotiate a competitive salary, you need to know what the industry standard is for that job and that location.
For instance, you can easily see a $20K or more salary difference for the same position simply by being based in a metropolitan city versus a small town, reflecting the associated cost of living.
Or if you have unique talent or skills valued by an employer, you may also have better leverage in negotiating a more competitive salary.
Although today’s market condition means that many candidates are more concerned about securing a job versus being offered competitive pay, do not sell yourself short. At minimum, research what you are worth so that you are prepared to negotiate with the employer for a salary that meets the industry standard when an offer is presented.
So, you may ask, “Where do I begin to look for or research salary information?” Here are several reliable ways to obtain salary information. Resort to more than one of these resources for a comprehensive view of what is reasonable and fair.
1. Your Own Network Of Contacts
Do you know someone in the particular field of practice? While most people do not share personal salary details, you may inform the person that you are seeking advice on salary to help with negotiation. Present your contact with a salary range and ask for their opinion as to whether they view it as low, reasonable, high or what they think would be fair.
2. Your Industry’s Professional Organizations And Publications
Many professional organizations and industry publications conduct annual surveys and publish results, breaking down fine details. For instance, public relation professionals may rely on PR Week’s annual Salary Survey results. It also offers information related to job satisfaction for professionals at various levels in the industry.
3. Research At Salary Websites
There are dozens of salary websites you can resort to in order to find details on what others are being paid for similar positions in particular fields, industries and locations. Each site varies in their method of salary calculation. However, by reviewing several of these sites, you will have a general understanding of what a competitive salary is for the position you seek. In alphabetical order, some of the salary websites include:
CareerBliss
Find salary information and reviews on positions at different companies and organizations from this site. Employees directly contribute to the information offered.
Glassdoor
This site’s data is based on information entered directly by employees at the companies included. In addition to salary information, you can obtain perspective on company and organization cultures.
Indeed.com
This site offers salary information and you can also see trends for particular industries in terms of employment growth.
PayScale
This site is relied on by candidates and employers, alike. The online compensation database provides current pay records collected from employees and employers. A salary calculator is also offered. Certain services and access require a nominal fee.
Salary.com
Provides real-time statistics on thousands of positions by location. You can price three jobs for free and other services and access require a nominal fee.
The Vault
In addition to finding particular positions within an organization and the salary scale for those positions, you can review company message boards for insight to how the interview process is conducted and take a peek at other insiders’ perspectives. There is a nominal fee to access certain information.
WetFeet
This site offers information on compensation for particular careers and insight into companies and desired talent and skills for positions.
At the moment, the job market is not in its best state. However, you still have the option to negotiate for an offer that meets industry standards. If you don’t bother asking, you will never know and may end up falling short.
Also keep in mind while salary is important, you should also factor in additional employee benefits that may make the overall offer package a greater value, including benefits, bonuses, 401K matches, and many other considerations
Let’s face it – there is no real science to job searching. If you Google it you’ll pull up countless stories, news articles, blogs, career coaches, et cetera, all claiming something different. What you need to remember is that there is no magic formula, no crystal ball and the number one thing to realize as you rethink your job search is…THERE IS NO BOX!
Don’t let the old way of doing things slow you down – finding a job is a job in itself, and creativity and innovation will be a determining factor in finding your next career.
Out With the Old…
Job searching used to be picking up a newspaper and just reading the classifieds. We then leapt to a new innovation – the Internet – to try to find our dreams, and now we get lost between the old ways and figuring out the new ways to job search. One thing your job search can’t be is desperation – too often you see people sending resumes everywhere and anywhere, and this is not effective.
Websites that offer a “quick apply” function do you a disservice, because there is no “quick” apply. You need to qualify for a company as much as for the job. You need to see if their culture and goals match up with your own. These small factors will determine more about your success within an organization than you skill set for the job.
There Is No Box…
There is no predetermined path that will lead you to greatness, and no predetermined path that will get you a job. It is up to you to think outside the box, or better yet, throw the box out and rethink everything.
Be creative and network, volunteer, write a blog, go to events, follow companies, talk to everyone and anyone who will listen and get involved in something you’re passionate about. Someone will notice, and someone will find you, because unlike Red Bull, your passion is what truly gives you wings, taking your job search to new heights. If you don’t feel that, you’re cheating yourself at work, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re fired or quit your job. Make sure you do something you like, love, or find real value in. Our worth is how we see ourselves, which will ultimately determine how an employer sees you.
No One Said It Would Be Easy…
Job searching is a fight, and there is definitely competition. The odds are against you, so you need sheer determination to see it through. Most things worth having in life are difficult to achieve – which is why you have to be more determined than anyone else among your competition.
Most job searches take 90-120 days, and this may mean you have to take an odd job while looking for your next career. Do not let this discourage you, and don’t think it’s “below” you to take a menial job while finding something else. At some point you have to be honest and realize you need to at least pay the bills. It doesn’t mean you have given up either – but it should give you the extra motivation you may need to hustle while searching for a job.
Never Underestimate Your Will Power…
The absolute truth life will show you is that there’s nothing stronger in the universe than human will. It has no boundaries, no limitations, no definition, and the best part is you control yours. Many successful people will tell you that they were not necessarily the best in their field, and there were others with more raw talent, but the one thing they possessed that the others did not was the sheer will to never quit – to never give up no matter how hard it got, and at the end of the day as long as you believe in what you are doing, nothing can stop you.
So re-think your job search, re-think who you want to be and you might be surprised at where you see yourself next.
Choose Happiness – Then Act To Make It Real!
Choose Happiness
“I have decided to be happy,” wrote the French writer Voltaire,”because it is good for my health.”
Is this true? Can choosing to be happy make you healthier?
Apparently so. Especially if you back up that choice with action such as paying attention to what you’re grateful for.
Gratitude Makes You Healthier
In his book “59 Seconds,” psychologist Richard Wiesman describes an experiment in which some people wrote for 15 minutes a week about things they were grateful for, while others wrote about what annoyed them and still others wrote about neutral topics.
The results of the study showed that the gratitude group was much happier than the other groups. They were very optimistic about the future. And they were physically healthier!
Other studies of people who keep “gratitude journals” show the same kinds of results. And writing seems to increase the effect over simply thinking grateful thoughts.
I do both. I keep a daily gratitude notebook and, at the end of each day, write down a half-dozen things for which I’m grateful that day. They’re not often big things. More often they’re small things that have a big effect such as “sunshine,” “birdsong,” “a delicious meal,” “a letter from a friend,” “a good book.”
I also go for “like walks” during the day. Going for a 10 minute walk about every 90 minutes can prevent stress hormones from accumulating. It can energize you. And, if you focus on things you like as you walk, it can tilt your positivity ratio in toward the healthy range where you feel happy, confident and optimistic.
Healthy Self-Talk Makes You Happier
“The happiness of your life,” said the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius, depends on the quality of your thoughts.”
We’re always chattering away to ourselves in our minds, but are often unaware what we’re saying to ourselves. Another way to choose happiness is to pay attention to your own self-talk — to the thoughts, beliefs and stories you tell yourself.
If your self-talk includes many negative thoughts such as “this will never work,” “I always screw up,” “nothing will come of this effort” you will feel negative, pessimistic.
But, if you catch those negative “trigger words” and soften them and make them more realistic — “this might not work first time,” “I succeed as much as I fail and learn from my mistakes,” or “there’s a chance that nothing will come from this, but at least I’ll know and can try something else — you’ll feel much better.
As well, much unhappiness stems from “shoulding” on yourself, others or the world. Shoulding turns normal desires into hard-to-live-up-to demands. Instead of “I’d like to do well,” we say “I should do well.” If we don’t do well, we judge ourself negatively. And feel down.
But, if you can catch your “shoulds” and turn them into desires — preferences — it makes a huge difference.
If you prefer to do well and don’t do so, you can say, “okay, that didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. So how can I fix it? What can I do next?”
Again, you’ll feel better, more energized to act, and happier with yourself.
We Are Happier Creating Desired Results Than When Solving Problems
Many of the “problems” we focus on and take action to “solve” are not really problems and are not solvable by conventional problem-solving strategies.
They are, rather, challenges to rise to and opportunities to create what matters. They are life’s normal limits and inevitabilities. They’re not problems to overcome but rather realities to accept and work with.
“By accepting life’s limits and inevitabilities,” said Greek philosopher and teacher Epictetus, “and working with them rather than fighting them, we become free.”
Problem solving focuses primarily on what we don’t like and don’t want and on action to get rid of it or get relief from it.
Creating, on the other hand, focuses on what we like or love and action to bring it into being.
Whereas most problem-solving at best promises only relief, creating promises real and lasting results — and the good feelings that accompany the creation of such results.
Choose To Be Happy
So, yes, you can choose to be happy and it’ll work — if you take the right kind of action to back up your choice on a daily basis.
Expressing gratitude, monitoring and changing negative self-talk to more positive self-talk and shifting from a problem focused life stance to the stance of the creator will all help you become energized, feel freer and happier.
There are many other ways to make choosing happiness work for you, but these three are a good place to start.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.”
The Death of the Paper Resume
For some employers, paper resumes are hopelessly out of date. Instead, they’re checking Klout scores and asking for resume submissions via Twitter.
When IT company Enterasys decided to hire a social media marketer, one thing stuck out in its job posting: no paper resumes accepted. The application requirements said qualified candidates will be identified using social influence metrics on Klout, Kred and Twitter. Using the hashtag #SocialCV, a marketing professional could apply for the position.
Enterasys develops, manufactures and delivers enterprise networking products in a business-to-business space. The Boston-based company employs approximately 1,000 people and serves clients at universities, banks and hospitals.
“The paper resume is dying,” said Vala Afshar, Enterasys’ chief marketing officer and chief customer officer. “And in the near future talent acquisition will use the Web for an applicant’s CV and social networks as mass references.” Afshar, who also co-authored The Pursuit of Social Business Excellence, isn’t responsible for acquiring talent solely in the marketing department; he’s involved in many integral aspects of the 30-year-old operation.
“If you’re not a social employer, you’re irrelevant over time,” he said. “I don’t have a resume, but I’m highly active. I believe that the very best talent, they are too busy changing the world, they’re not actively looking for work, but they are active on social networks.”
The hiring campaign was launched after Afshar said he found himself spending more time searching for a candidate on the Web than staring at a candidate’s paper resume. To be even considered for Enterasys’ social marketing position, an applicant must have a minimum of 1,000 Twitter followers. Also required to land an interview is a minimum Klout score of 60 and a minimum Kred influence score of 725.
Afshar said there’s going to be a lag until engineering, human resources, finance and other “back office” functions will require an applicant to have a social presence, but he warns that day will come. “I’m certain that we are going to find exceptional talent and whether it was the process or not, I’ll let other people judge. I’m just looking to bring a talented person into the company,” he said.
The use of social media is considered fair game for talent acquisition; a digital footprint can benefit both job candidates and recruiters. However, this hiring practice might also provide false positives.
Dino Baskovic, a digital strategist in Detroit and adjunct professor of technical and professional communication at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich., said it’s important to keep quantity versus quality in mind when looking at these numbers because one’s social profile isn’t the only place to network. Baskovic said Klout, Kred and Twitter followers are good early indicators, and give a manager or recruiter a sense of one’s ability to navigate the space. “It gives me an initial sense that this person more than likely has the competency I want for a social media position, but having said that, it’s an indicator, not the ‘be all, end all’ indicator.
“I’m a big believer in professional recruiters; they live and breathe this stuff every day. They know how to vet candidates more so than hiring managers would and they are going to know a lot of things about one’s background that a typical hiring manager may not,” Baskovic said.
He warns that while a candidate may have a wonderful blog and an abundant supply of followers, the candidate may be just a couple years out of college, or have no experience working within the organization’s industry. This is where a professional recruiter, he adds, can help a hiring manager employ the right prospect.
“I think it’s interesting to see that there’s a willingness to take what was formerly a very private and very trusted infrastructure that’s talent acquisition and shed a little more light on it,” Baskovic said. “We need to tread very carefully there because it’s untested and the waters are so uncharted, and I’d hate for a candidate or a company to get into trouble, inadvertently, over seemingly innocent online discourse.”
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