Using Twitter to Find a Job

Finding a job by typing 140 characters or less sounds too good to be true.  That is the number of characters (including spaces) that the social media site Twitter allows per tweet. And you’re right. It’s a little more involved than one tweet.  Social media is about building a user’s reputation over time.

There is a useful article by Elisha Hartwig from Mashable summarizing a live Tweet chat that took place last Thursday between the human resources people at Twitter and NPR. The topic was finding efficient ways to use Twitter to find a job.  You can find the article below with all it’s useful tips and suggestions.  It’s tips can be quickly applied  by  people who already know how to use Twitter. The problem is that since it is short on specific how tos, beginners can absorb the ideas, but not have a clue how to implement them.

There are different ways to learn how to use various social media sites.  Did you think of books?  For computers! Absolutely.  They flow sequentially which helps the beginner build a solid base of knowledge going from point A to B to C before branching out in various directions.  A book helps you learn the basics. Below I have included several that might help.

Sometimes you just need someone to teach you.  It’s a great opportunity to get your questions answered on the spot.  (No fishing around for just the right keyword.) Although the library does not have a class exclusively on Twitter, we do  have one that is an introduction to social media.  It does cover Twitter, but also Facebook, LinkedIn, Goggle+, Yelp and Foursquare — all in two hours.  If you are interested, the class is being held on Wednesday, February 27th from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Newton Free Library.  There are only twelve computers (PCs) in the training room on the second floor, so you need to call and reserve a place. The number is (617) 796-1380.

Links:

How to Effectively Use Twitter as a Job Search Resource
by Elisha Hartwig from Mashable 10 February 2013

Tweet Deals: Using Twitter to Find a Job
New York Post  18 May 2009

Although a much older article, Tweet Deals (above) approaches a job hunt on Twitter from a different perspective. It describes the response of a network of online acquaintances to one of their number who is unexpectedly laid off. It demonstrates the power of social networking on a personal scale.  It also gives suggestions for using Twitter.

Books:

The Rough Guide to Social Media for Beginners: Getting Started with Facebook, Twitter and Google+ by Sean Mahoney.  London: Rough Guides, 2012.  006.754 M27R.

140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form by Dom Sagolla. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.  808.066 S12O

How to Find a Job on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ by Brad Schepp. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012.  331.7 S32H

Class:

27 February 2013 from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Newton Free Library there will be a class on Introduction to Social Media Online. Call (617) 796-1380 to reserve a place.

Not Near Newton, MA?

If you do not live near Newton, check with your  local public library and your neighboring libraries.  They often develop their own classes for their patrons. You can also get the above books or books like them from your local public library or through its interlibrary loan services.

vea/11 February 2013
Newton Free Library
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Two Hour Revamped Job Searching Class Offered on Wednesday, November 28th from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.

There were two changes that were requested by a number of those who attended the library’s one hour afternoon classes on Applying for a Job Online.  The first was that it should be longer.  One hour was not enough time.  The second was that the class should be offered in the evening when more people could attend. The library listened.

This Wednesday, November 28th, the Newton Free Library will be offering a two hour “Introduction to Job Hunting and Resumes Online.”  It will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 in the evening in the computer training room on the second floor of the library.  If you are frustrated in your search for work and feel you need additional help, please give this class a try.  Even if you have been to one of the earlier classes, you will find new insight and suggestions in this restructured class.  John Walsh, the Assistant Head of Reference, will be teaching the class.  I was his backup in the talk he did on Optimal Resume this past September.  Trust me, it will be two hours very well spent and it will not be boring.  What you take away could just give you the edge you’ve been looking for.

If you would like to attend, please call (617) 796-1380 to register, or speak to a Reference Librarian at one of our information desks.  Pre-registration is required.  However, if for some reason you cannot call, still come. There is usually room for one more.  Often, even when a class is full, one or two people who have pre-registered do not make it. Come. Learn. Enjoy.

vea/26 November 2012
Newton Free Library                                                                                                                                                                                                                          330 Homer St.
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Networking — Dislike (or Dread) the Idea?

Networking is more than asking people if they know of job openings. There are people out there who have all sorts of information, about specific companies or industries, about free classes you might need, ways to tweak your resume, or technical tips for the job hunting you do on your computer. The problem for many of us is not only finding these people, but then asking for help. Even gregarious people can have problems.  For those of us who weigh in on the more introverted side of the scale, this whole process can be downright daunting.

Would you like to meet with other people who have the same problem and get some help from a professional career counselor — for free?  Come to the library next Tuesday, November 27th, at 7:00 pm.  Tammy Gooler Loeb will be presenting “Do What You Love, Love What You Do,” a program on networking, in the Druker Auditorium. You do not have to preregister.  Just come.

Whether you would like additional resources before or after the talk, I have put together a list of books that I hope you will find useful.  Clicking on the title will link you to the book in the library’s catalog.

A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market by Katharine Hansen.  I actually found out about this book from Tammy.

Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed and the Underconnected by Devora Zack.  This has to be my all time favorite title for a networking book. (You can see which side of the scale I weigh in on.)

Find a Job through Social Networking: Use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and More to Advance Your Career by Diane Crompton. Remember, you don’t have to read the entire book. The goal is not to overwhelm you, but to help you understand your options — at your own pace.  Sometimes an introductory chapter is enough to start with.

How to Find a Job On LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ by Brad Schepp.  This work includes the newest addition to the social networking family, Google+.

I’m On LinkedIn, Now What???: A Guide to Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn by Eric Butow.  LinkedIn is the most powerful online social networking tool for the job seeker.  It is devoted to careers, short range and long range.  You will be hearing a lot about it and may want to try it.

140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form by Dom Sagolia. Sometimes bigger is better, but often when you are on a social networking site, shorter is mandatory.  Even when it isn’t, shorter entries can get you more attention if done well. (As you can tell, I’m not exactly a 140 character type of person myself.) Mastering the form can take a little extra help and practice.  This book will give you a good start.

Never Apply for a Job Again! by Darrell W. Gurney.  This is the what online networking can accomplish over time.  The longer you use a social network, the more time you have to interact with others and build your reputation. As you do this, you may find people start coming to you. Some of those people may have been following you and decide they would like you to work for them.

Highly Effective Networking: Meet the Right People and Get a Great Job by Orville Pierson.

The Networking Survival Guide: Practical Advice to Help You Gain Confidence, Approach People, and Get the Success You Want by Diane Darling. This book emphasizes personal social networking skills rather than online networking.  It’s something people lose track of in our computer age.

If any of these books piques your curiosity, just click on the title.  That will not only bring you to our online catalog, but also to summaries and often to short reviews of the books.

Good luck with your job search.

Ginny

 

vea/20 November 2012
Newton Free Library
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Applying for Job LibGuide

Rethinking Your Career Options?

Starting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 23, the Newton Free Library will be holding the second in it’s “Job Seekers, Career and Professional Development Series”.   It will be in the Druker Auditorium, immediately to your left  as you come in from the parking lot. The topic is “Reinventing Yourself in Today’s Economy.”   The speaker will be Danila Szekely, a professional career coach.  To hire a career coach can be expensive.  At the library you have access to her advice and get to ask her questions at no cost.

Abandoning  an  established career can be a very scary prospect. Leaving what you know will be  a challenge whatever the reason.  Perhaps you have been laid off or are unhappy in your current position.  Not sure what to do next to secure a safe landing?  Do you want to explore your options? Coming to this program will give you the opportunity to talk to others,  to receive advice, and to see how others are dealing with the situation you are facing.

If you feel you would like more information on this topic, either before or after the program, you may want to take a look at some of the books I have listed below.  If you click on a title that interests you, the link will take you to the book’s entry in our library’s catalog. Once there, you can click on listed subject headings to find additonal books on the same topic. You can come in, retrieve it (or them), check it (or them) out,  and use whatever  meets your needs.  You can also call the Reference Department and have one of us pull available books for you for pick up at the library.  Before 4:00 we can probably pull them that day, once we are off desk.  After 4:00 p.m. they will be pulled between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. the next morning.  Just make sure you have your Minuteman library card handy so we can put in the reserve.

General Books on Managing a Career Change:

Coach Yourself to a New Career: 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life by Talane Miedancer.  New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.  331.7 M58C

The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention: Essential Survival Skills for Any Economy by Pamela Mitchell.   New York: Dutton, 2010.  331.7 M69T

The Sequel: How to Change Your Career without Starting Over by Laurence Shatkin.  Indianapolis, IN:  JIST Works, 2011.  331.7 S53S

Strategies for Successful Career Change: Finding Your Very Best Next Work Life by Martha E. Mangelsdorf. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2009. 331.7 M31S

Related Books:

New Guide for Occupational Exploration: Linking Interests, Learning, and Careers by Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin.  Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, 2006.  331.7 FARR

The Age Advantage: Making the Most of Your Midlife Career Transition by Jean Erickson Walker.  New York: Berkley, 2000.  658.4 W15A

Are There Any Good Jobs Left?: Career Management in the Age of the Disposable Worker by R. William Holland. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2006. 331.7 H71A

I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know It’s Not This: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work by Julie Jansen. New York: Penguin Books, 2010.  331.7 J26I

The Career Change Resume by Kim Isaacs. New York, 2003.  331.115 ISAACS

A Useful Website:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes The Occupational Outlook Handbook each year.  They also maintain a website by the same title but with additional information.Both have occupation based articles with sections that describe the nature of the work; training, other qualifications, and chances for advancement; employment opportunities; job outlook; earnings; related occupations; and sources of additional information.  Click here to link to the Occupational Outlook Handbook Online. When you have the time, make sure you explore the tabs.

Good luck with your search.  Hope to see you at the library on the 23rd.

vea/17 October 2012
Newton Free Library
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Applying for Job LibGuide

How Our (Online) Universal Class Can Help You with Your Job Search

The Newton Free Library has recently subscribed to Universal Class. This is an online database with an offering of over 500 courses.  These are not the equivalent of college coursework.   However, have you ever heard of CEUs?  This stands for Continuing Education Units.  Some professions require a certain number of CEUs each year to show that a person is keeping up with developments in their field. Universal Classes are accepted for CEUs.  Whether you are showing your interest in something new or catching up with jobs or careers you’ve had in the past, listing a course you have completed with its CEUs on a resume could add just the leverage you need to get noticed.

Each course consists  of a number of online classes an hour or less in length.  You cannot skip around.  You must go class by class, answering questions or writing essays until you get to the end.  Don’t let this sound intimidating. It isn’t.  The questions I have seen are not difficult.  As in the best of our schooling, each class builds on the next, until you find that you’ve completed a course.  You  have nothing to lose by trying them out and everything to gain, especially if you feel your resume needs a little more substance or currency.  The classes are listed under broader subject headings, making it easier for you to find what you specifically need. Just a few of the subjects listed are Career Training, Business, Computers and Technology, Writing Help, Office Skills, Accounting and Bookkeeping.  There are even a number of  fun classes when you need a break:  Crafts and Hobbies, Cooking, Art and Photography. Curious?  For a complete list of courses click here.

Most classes have a video component and a printout (pdf format so everyone can print it out.)  Personally, I’m at a loss when just confronted with a video.  My brain just doesn’t absorb material that fast.  But give me a handout and a video and I’m good to go. It’s the best of both worlds.  Since I set up my own classes with handouts for everything I cover, I like the way these people think.

If you live in Newton, you can sign in from home.  All you need is a Newton Free  Library card that begins with 21323 connected to a Newton, MA address.  You also need to go in through our website into Universal Class.   If you don’t live in Newton, you can come into the library and sign up.  If you live farther afield, check to see if any of you local libraries offer the service.  Take a look and give it a trial run.

vea/27 September 2012
Newton Free Library
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Applying for Job LibGuide

Newton Free Library Now Subscribes to Optimal Resume

The Newton Free Library has recently invested in a new database to help our patrons who are looking for work.  Optimal Resume can help you build both your resume and and your career.  Curious?  Join us next Thursday, September 13th at 7:00 PM in Drucker Auditorium.  You will be introduced to our new database and be able to ask questions.

What can Optimal Resume do for you?

Optimal Resume provides a number of ways to create  a resume.  Once you sign in, you can build it by using subject blocks provided by Optimal Resume.  You can rearrange them at will.  Or you can start with actual resume samples that cover a number of careers,  jobs, and levels of experience. You can take a resume you like and edit it for your own use.  If you prefer starting from scratch, they also provide you with a blank piece of [online] paper.  They do the same for cover letters.  Once you have created your resume or cover letter, you will also be able to further edit it to match specific job openings.  You can then store your various resumes and cover letters under your account at Optimal Resume .

As you do more reading and look for additional help with your job search, you will find that Optimal Resume is one step ahead of you.  They offer help with assessing your skills and with practicing for interviews.  If a job application actually  requires a video resume, Optimal Resume will help you create one.

Did you know you could embed links to your work into your online resume?  Of course you can only do this if you have a web page or blog you can link to. Although Optimal Resume does not help you create a blog, it  does provide help in creating a simple online website as well as a location to keep it.  The link you add to your resume provides an interested employer with a place to quickly check samples of your work without adding length to your resume.

According to an article that appeared in the New York Post on July 4th, 2010 “Today’s workers will run through at least 10 jobs, three careers, and two layoffs between college and retirement.”  To have maximum impact in your job searches, your need to  keep track of prime examples of your work product and experience, as well as your job descriptions and a list of your various responsibilities.  It is a good idea to keep at least one portfolio (or more) of your work where you can find it and easily add to it. Optimal Resume gives you a place to create and keep one (or more) portfolios for yourself.

All in all, Optimal Resume can prove a very useful product throughout your career — both in finding and documenting your jobs.  The Newton Free Library would like to offer you the opportunity to use these resources to both aid in your job hunt and to build your career.   Take a look and join us next Thursday to learn more.

vea/7 September 2012
Newton Free Library
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Applying for Job LibGuide

For Veterans Looking for Work

The Department of Veterans Services for the City of Newton has put together a list of websites to help returning veterans find work. These sites will be useful to vets regardless of your geographical location.

Veteran Job Search Sites

Career Command Post	www.careercommandpost.com
Career One Stop	www.careeronestop.org/militarytransition /workforceprofessionals.aspx
Cintas	www.cintas.com/hr/military.asp
Clearance Jobs	www.clearancejobs.com
Corporate Gray	www.corporategrayonline.com
Department of Defense Job Search	www.dod.jobsearch.org
GI Jobs	www.gijobs.net
Helmets to Hardhats	www.helmetstohardhats.org
Hire Veterans	www.hireveterans.com
Intelligence Careers Inc	www.intelligencecareers.com
Military Hire	www.militaryhire.com
Military Exits	www.militaryexits.com
Military Spot	www.militaryspot.com
Military Stars	www.militarystars.com
NASA	wwww.nasapeople.nasa.gov/employeebenefits/ veterans/default.htm
Non-appropriated Funds	www.88thservices.com/humanresources.htm
Orion International	www.orioninternational.com
Purple Heart Foundation	www.purpleheartfoundation.org
Real Life Lines	www.dol.gov/elaws/realifelines.htm
Recruit Air Force	www.recruitairforce.com/recruitairforce
Recruit Military	www.recruitmilitary.com
Sprint Military Recruiting	www.sprint.com/hr/military
TA Online	www.taonline.com
Veteran Employment	www.veteranemployment.com
Vet Jobs	www.vetjobs.com
Vet Success	www.vetsuccess.gov
Work Force 3 One	www.workforce3one.org
7-Eleven	www.7eleven.com/careers/militaryjobs.asp

Veteran/Military Related Jobs

Army Civilian Personnel	www.cpol.army.mil
Base Commissary Employment	www.commissaries.com/inside_deca/ HR/index.cfm
COMTek	www.goarmyrotc.com
Defense Link	www.defenselink.mil
United Service Organization	www.uso.org
Veteran Affairs Employment Opportunities	www.va.gov/jobs
Veterans Affairs Health Care	www.vacareers.va.gov

Veteran Entrepreneur

Small Business Development	www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/ ovbd/index.html
SCORE	www.score.org/veteran.html
Veterans Corp	www.veteranscorp.org
Vet BiZ	www.vetbiz.gov

 

In addition to the Veteran Entrepreneur sites listed above, the New York Post recently published an article on this topic.  Click on “Bootstapping It:  Growing Number of  ‘Ventrepreneur’ programs help soldiers create start-ups” to link to the article.

For links to other topics of use to veterans provided by the Veterans Services Department click here.

vea/23 May 2012
Newton Free Library
Newton, Mass.

http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net


http://jobsearchchatter.wordpress.com

Applying for Job LibGuide