Jackie Cameron - Coaching and Communication

Job hunters need to be smarter than ever to find the few jobs that are around when they are looking. The traditional newspaper and journal job adverts, along with online recruitment sites are a good place to start and  here  are some suggestions of how to use social networking online to support the search.

1 Make sure your professional profile is up to date no matter what sites you use

Always keep in mind that Google ( and other search engines) might find your Facebook/Linkedin/Twitter activity and you have to take advantage of that! There is nothing worse than searching for someone and finding an incomplete profile - or a dormant one! So take a look at what you are currently saying about yourself and give it a bit of polish.

2 Keep your CV live and visible on Linkedin

Linkedin makes it really easy for you. Just follow the steps and hey presto you have their equivalent of a CV.  Of course when you are applying for a job you should tailor your CV or application to fit the description but a generic Linkedin profile might just be the route to your next employer finding you without having to go to the “market”. Keep it short and relevant. Use language that fits with the sector you are or want to be in. Mention strengths that would appeal to a potential employer in a way that will cross over sectors ( ie leaving out the jargon) if you are looking to transition into something new!

Remember to keep it up to date - especially if you have a series of fixed term contracts. Linkedin highlights changes in your profile to your contacts which might just be the prompt they need to either get back in touch or mention you to someone they know that is looking for someone just like you.

3 Want to work in a specific sector or for a particular company - use your network for research

In a recent Radio 4 programme working with people who had lost their jobs one of the mentors was working with a guy who had been in IT but had always really wanted to be a teacher. The mentor asked him if he knew any teachers - and on checking his network he remembered that he had a couple of friends with teacher partners. The next suggestion was that he ask them for suggestions about how he might get into teaching. People like to help .  In the next programme he had been invited into a school to see for himself what it felt like and given links to where to get more information.

4 Build your credibility by answering questions

Linkedin has a question and answer section. If you feel you have something valuable to add do it! It will show up that you answer questions and indeed your contribution might even be ranked “best answer” . People ask questions all the time on Twitter . Do a Twitter search on topics you know about and then offer your advice or your knowledge too.  If they like what you say they will probably tell their friends. And other people will see you do it…

5 Make connections for others  when you can

This works when you do it honestly and without an agenda. You have people in your network - friends/contacts- that possibly could work together  so you make the introduction - and stand back to see what happens. When someone does you a good turn - genuinely  - you know how much you want to repay that kindness.

6 Talk about what you are up to - especially if you have a gap between jobs

This might seem counterintuitive - do you really want a future employer to know that you have been out of work? That works on the assumption that there is some sort of shame in not having a job. Many people who find themselves in that situation try to cover it up and miss out on reflecting on what they learned about themselves during what is a difficult time.

Clearly if you spend your time watching daytime TV between visits to the Job Centre you will have less to talk about than if you have done some volunteering. Think long and hard about everything you have done to fill the day and reflect on what that tells you about your approach, attitude and application….and log it on your profile at the time.

7 Ask for help

Following on from 3 above - think about what help you need and ask friends and contacts for  it.  Ask them to put you in touch with someone who can help answer questions, point you to useful web links, make introductions, highlight useful events.

And  - seriously - consider the impact of these

8 Review pictures online that include you

You may not like it but it is a fact of life - your private life as it is presented on your social networking sites is open to be seen by whomever you give permission and this includes potential employers. So take a look at the pictures available on your own pages and those tagged by others and do either a clean up or make them private  -  at least for  the duration of your job search.

9 Mind your language

Four suggestions here

First - if you are in the habit of swearing in your comments on Twitter or Facebook - while you are searching for a job think about how that might come across to a potential boss ( similar theme as pics)

Second - big yourself up. You are not “quite” good at something - simply “good” works.  Think about the difference removing “some” in front of “experience” has .

Third - don’t use text or online speak…

Four - never ever badmouth your current ( or indeed former) employers online. Disloyalty is not usually a good selling point!

A final suggestion

10 Saying thank you

Thank - and be seen to thank - anybody and everybody that has helped you. The people who have helped you will like it and others will admire gratitude as an attractive attribute!

Remember there can be no guarantees in job hunting but you owe it to yourself to give what you do your best shot.And when you do get that precious interview for the ideal job think about your preparation for that .  

I offer coaching for interviews, workshops and coaching for using social networking and advice and guidance on CVs and job applications. Get in touch for more information   jackie@consultcameron.com

It’s the New Year. Some people have gone back to work after the break with a heavy heart. Some have decided already that the want a new job in 2010  and will be scanning the job pages/sites as I write this.

It’s also the time for New Year Resolutions. They  are about change. Change takes time .

Why do so many resolutions fail? Often because they are just too big.

Like any goal breaking a big goal into small chunks to build on is often the best way to go about it.

As human beings - and especially as employees - we hate to feel powerless. That we have no control over our future.

So one important step that we can all take this  first week in January 2010 is to consider our own development needs. Ask for feedback from colleagues and your boss to help refine them. Think about your long term ambitions and make sure that what you do now will be useful then.

By all means discuss funding any training with your line manager but if the answer is “we have no budget” don’t use that as an excuse to sit back and moan about how unfair that is - decide what you can do with the resources you have. Not all learning opportunities come with a financial cost. 

• Taking a voluntary role with a local group can help develop skills.
• Researching areas of interest on line can improve your knowledge.
• Asking someone you admire to mentor you can add a different perspective to how you view yourself and your skills and talents. 
• Offering to listen to a friend and help them work out their future plans if they will do the same for you helps two people at the same time!

The longest journey starts with the first step - how about you take responsibility for that step today?

(With thanks to Wally Bock for this inspiring post )

I took this picture to try to capture the breathtaking beauty of the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh when they are covered by snow.  It’s been almost 3 weeks now since the first snow fell and if anything it has been getting worse. But this is unusual for this part of the world and whilst it has made travel very difficult - if not impossible at times - for me that effect the covering of snow has had on the scenery is magical.

But the view of these hills is great all year round. It has taken the snow to remind me that I take that for granted.

As we step out into a new year -  with new challenges, opportunities and adventures - why not take time to reflect on what is affecting your view of the future?

• There might be a view of something that you are taking for granted. Why not take time to reflect on what you already think you know and look at it again?
• There might be something enhancing it right now. And  just as snow is beautiful  it can also throw up problems. So it is always a good idea to get as much information as possible and be prepared for the conditions .
• And to stretch the weather analogy to its limits sometimes I can’t see the hills for low cloud and if that is the situation for your view of the future right now it might be wise to wait until it clears a bit before you make any serious decisions?

According to the Skills Council in England  recent research published this week 74%  of the people asked said they were planning to change their career but 25% of those said they won’t because they are unsure about  what they really want. This prompted the Careers Advice service to introduce travelling advice centres and the first one was sited at one of the busy London commuter stations.

The numbers got me thinking. I don’t know ( and at this point can’t find) details of the questions asked but  74% of people actually planning to change their jobs seems really high to me - talking about it maybe. In my role as coach the most common trigger for clients coming to me is dissatisfaction with their current job and to work out what they would prefer to do. Often that means something different for the same employer.

And the 25% of that 74% who won’t do anything about it because they don’t know what they want to do is much lower than I thought it would be. The  first question I ask when someone mentions not liking their current job  is what would you love to do? Leaving aside the dream of selling up and going to live on a Caribbean Island very few have a clear idea of what  their next step would be and even less idea of what goal they would be stepping towards.

In this week where the school exam results are out in Scotland and Scottish youngsters are making college and university choices I wonder how many have a clear idea of how they want to earn a living when they graduate. Even those who do might well change their minds during their studies - it happens all the time. New experience can - and possibly should - keep employees thinking about the next stage in their careers . As has been shown in the past year in particular nothing in the business world stays the same for long and being able to respond to change will be an asset for finding and retaining paid employment as changes happen faster and more often.

To go back  to the Skills Council new item if you read further it says that” 71 per cent [of those who responded]  think the best way to keep their career moving forward is through gaining a new qualification which I think is really encouraging if that means taking responsibility for your own continuing development.

And I found it interesting that more people would move to a new job because of a “desire to learn new things (60 per cent)” than “earn more money (47 per cent).”

Having careers advisors out and about might encourage people to stop and think about where they are going in their careers though and I am looking forward to hearing more about it as the intitiative takes off.

We will all have experienced it.

You want something done but the person you are speaking to is not “the right person”. Now the good outcome then is when that person says …”but let me get them for you” and the bad is of course is when they leave you to find out just who that someone else is yourself.

But there is another side to the “it’s someone else’s job” issue and I was reminded of this when I read this post from The Harvard Business Review  about leading when you don’t have formal authority. I had a boss once who was  ( in my humble opinion) hypersensitive about “stepping on someone’s toes” which meant that members of  their team were held back from being involved in projects that could have really benefitted from our input. I found it hard to see that happen and not step in but I still wanted to remain loyal to my boss so I would have a conversation at the coffee machine to get some more information to work on. Thankfully a couple of colleagues saw that as a good stategy too and before long we were invited into meetings and to collaborate on projects at the express wishes of the person whose job it was. And in turn we co-opted members of other teams to work  with us.

Generating interest in what you are doing by talking it up in an engaging, exciting way can work for everyone who becomes involved which can result in great outcomes for the business and the individuals involved. An important thing to remember though when this happens is to give timely and meaningful feedback to be included in any performance appraisal. It’s easy for work which is not done in the normal day to day job and has not been included in specific objectives to be overlooked.