Social Networking: can it really get you a job?

It seems that everyone is participating in some form of social networking these days. Whether it’s Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, or some other form of online networking if you’re not using it, you’re quickly becoming part of the minority.

Social networking is great for a lot of things. Connecting with family and friends, sharing pictures, mass communications and meeting new professional and personal acquaintances are just some of the many pluses. However, some of you may be skeptical as to whether or not social media is the new type of networking that will build the bridges towards your next career opportunity. It’s hard to believe that online communication could ever take the place of face-to-face interactions. To be honest with you, I don’t think it will. Studies show that the human brain reacts differently to physical interactions than any other type of digital interaction. More emotion is involved and people naturally need to “see before they can believe”. But (and this is a big one) I do believe that this will become a front loader to how you get a face-to-face interview. Bottom line, whether you like it or not, social media is catching on quicker than anyone expected and it’s being used for both personal and professional matters. If you want to stay competitive in this increasingly difficult job market, becoming familiar with social media is essential and here’s why:
Social networking is faster than traditional face-to-face networking. Gone are the days of driving or walking around to different offices to drop off applications in hope that the senior manager will happen to walk by, see your smiling face, and stop to chat. People are getting busier and busier in their jobs and the chances of anyone, with the authority to actually hire you, to come out and greet you when you drop off your application is slim to none. Social networking is on their time. Instead of spending time commuting from one location to another, you can interact with exponentially more people on social media sites. Plus, your profile is always available for them to view. If they’re too busy at that particular time, they can always come back to view your profile when they have time. This increases the chances of the hiring authority actually viewing your profile. If your profile is done right (see profile tips below) it will become similar to a Curriculum Vitae. Social networking is also more complete than a traditional resume. If you’ve ever been negated an interview because your resume didn’t show how you met all the qualifications (but you know you could do the job), then social networking is the perfect opportunity for you. Sites like Linked In and Gov Loop have opportunities for you to post pictures, extra curricular activities, join professional interest groups and best of all for people to post recommendations about you. These are all added bonuses for hiring authorities to view into just how qualified and well-rounded you are.
So yeah, social networking is great, but there is always a catch. Social networking can also be very dangerous to your professional career if you don’t keep it professional. As hiring managers continue to use social media tools to find candidates, they become more savvy on how to locate the not-so-good information about candidates as well. Examples being a girl who sent out a fairly negative tweet about the looks of an interviewer she just interviewed with, only to find out that company was following her tweets. Or the guy whose Facebook profile contained inappropriate pictures and wall posts from friends only to have the hiring authority happen upon it. The one thing you must always keep in mind when using social media is that once it’s online it’s there forever and, for the most part, available for everyone to see. That being said, don’t run off and cancel your accounts and vow never to use the internet again. Social media will work if you know how to use it correctly. The following are some tips:

TIPS

• If you don’t want your mother reading it, don’t make it public. Most social media sites have options for you to privatize certain parts of your profile. Whether you make your entire profile accessible only to accepted friends or simply pick and choose which parts you want to hide, the odds are if you’re using it for both personal and private use, you will want to edit at least part of the content that’s viewable to the public eye.
• Choose the right sites. Not every social networking site is professional. So far, I have found that Linked In (www.linkedin.com), GovLoop (www.govloop.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com) seem to be the most popular professional sites. This doesn’t mean you can’t join the other sites but keep them private so that they don’t show up if a hiring authority runs a search on your name. Also, social media is changing quicker than most people can keep up. If you've found any other sites that you think are better for networking, please let me know.
• Join the right groups. There are a plethora of groups on social media sites. If you’re in the finance field, do a search on a page like Linked In to find any related groups. Once you join, you’re automatically connected to all the other professionals in that group. This makes your profile more visible to other people in your field and the chances of your profile being looked at by a hiring authority increase.
• Think about what you type. Social media sites are not formal as a resume but they do reflect your work. Spelling and grammatical errors can stick out like a sore thumb on your page. Make sure you put some thought into anything you post online and try not to use too much texting language (i.e. LOL or TTFN) or use a letter in place of a word (i.e. What R U doing L8r? Dunno, want 2 meet @ 8? K, sounds good. C U then.)

Hopefully this brief tutorial on social networking helps you better locate job opportunities. If you happen to join, or are already a member, feel free to find me on any of these sites. Happy job hunting.
Michaela Favre favrem@wsdot.wa.gov 360-705-6932

Cover Letters & Letters of Interest - How to secure an Interview

As a recruiter, I’ve seen it on more than one occasion: a potentially good applicant applies for various positions around state government and uses the same letter of interest for every position they apply for. This is not a good idea.
You can turn in the same Application format and the same Resume for each position you apply to, but a letter of interest is something that should be specific to a particular job. The reason behind this is that your letter of interest is the explanation for everything that your resume and application do not show. This should be the strongest part of your application packet. For example, if there is a position open for a member of the Incident Response Team (IRT) and there are three people that all have their First Aid License and CDL (all things you would find on an application) but the hiring manager only has space to interview one more person, how would they decide which one would be interviewed? It would probably based on their letter of interest, whether or not they spoke about the soft skills listed on the job announcement and if they had them. Like, if they spoke about how they live less than 30 minutes from the office so they could easily respond to occasional off-hour emergencies, if they did not mind working on highways which would place them in imminent danger, if they have had previous experience working in a fast paced environment. These are all qualifications that were listed on a previous job announcement for an Incident Response Team member and there were many candidates who possessed the CDL and the First Aid License, but did not cover any of the soft skills listed. It was the candidates who wrote a good letter of interest that were awarded the opportunity for an interview.
What’s the difference between a Letter of Interest and a Cover Letter?
A cover letter and a Letter of Interest are essentially the same thing. They are a letter included in your application packet that is clear, concise and establishes reason for your interest /ability to do the job. Many employers will ask that your letter explain why you believe you are the best candidate for a position. This is why you want to make sure that you are addressing the qualifications for a particular job so the employer is aware that you do have those particular qualities.
What are some pointers to writing a good Letter of Interest?
First and foremost, you want it to be a concise as possible without leaving out any important information. Although it varies by position, in general, a good Letter of Interest is 1-2 pages long. One paragraph is too short and five pages is too long.
Second, you want to make sure that you cover the qualifications/job duties of the job and explain how you meet those qualifications and why you can do the job duties. You do not want to say “The qualification is this, and I can do it”. Instead, you want to show how you can meet a stated qualification with an example of your work. This is more believable. For example, instead of writing, I have strong communication skills and can multi-task, you can write: in my previous job, I frequently had to act as the facilitator between various offices in the country on one conference call. By using strong communication skills and establishing an organized meeting agenda, I was able to ensure that all offices were able to speak their ideas and still have enough time at the end for an open forum. This example is much better than just saying you have strong communication skills and can multi-task. Anyone can say that they are a good multi-tasker and have good communication skills but most hiring managers have been around the block enough times to know that just because someone says they do, doesn’t mean they actually do. By giving en example, you are giving primary evidence that you do in fact have those skills.
Third, address any issues or red flags that could be in your application. Don’t try to hide any red flags or hope that a hiring manager won’t see it. If you have a 2 year break in service because you had to take care of your sick mother. Let them know that although you took 2 years off to take care of your mother, you are ready and energized to get back into the work force. Put it this way, if you don’t say anything about it, it means that the employer could think anything about it. Imaginations can run wild, so it’s better to address anything up front and set the record straight; just remember to put a positive twist at the end of it.
Fourth, always put a header on your letter of interest that includes your name, phone number and email. This is a good idea because A) it reinforces your name. They can see it on top and at the bottom so they’re more likely to remember it. B) when you put an email on the top, Microsoft Word will automatically make in underlined and highlighted blue, this again makes your name stand out and C) If you have more than one page to a document, this is a good way to make sure that all the pages stay together. I once had 127 people apply for a job and the hiring manager wanted to view all the applications in paper format. When one of the pages got loose, it was almost impossible to figure out whose application that page was a part of. If your name is on top of all the pages, its an easy way to ensure that your application never loses a page.
Fifth, check your spelling and grammar. Written communication is part of almost anyone’s job. Your letter of interest directly reflects your writing capabilities. If you have spelling and grammar mistakes in there, it could count against you as it’s a tiebreaker when there are multiple employees that all meet the qualifications. Make sure you have someone read your Letter of Interest over before you turn it in. If you don’t have the time for this, try reading your letter backwards as you are more likely to catch your own mistakes if you are focusing on specific words and not just content.

The Election and its effect on State Jobs

This election year marks a historic year for both Washington State and the United States elections. This is the first year a major party has nominated an African American candidate and the first for a female to run with the Republican Party. Within our state of Washington, the primary elections have demonstrated that Governor Gregoire’s (D) run for re-election will be as tight with Republican Dino Rossi as it was four years ago. Although I am keeping mum on my vote, one thing is for sure: these close races have kept everyone interested both for historic and personal reasons.

With the economy continuing its first major hit since the 80s, Americans and Washingtonians are more and more concerned with who will be the best person to lead them out of this slump. For some, the choice is as simple as Democrat or Republican. For others, the choice is about a cadre of impossibles and the ultimatum of deciding which things we cannot live without and which we are willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

I have gone online to research both candidates, and unsurprisingly I find myself leaning towards the candidate I am researching; at least until I begin researching what the other candidate has said about them. In the presidential election and the Washington State Governor election, all candidates are promising a better economy, lower fuel and food prices, more jobs, in general: a better life.

So who’s telling the truth? Who will really make all or any this happen? The answer: I have no idea. I do not claim omnipotence. In reality, your guess is as good as mine. Don’t get me wrong, I know who I’m voting for. DO YOU? As a first generation American and the wife of a resident alien, I am constantly reminded of the power of my vote by those who do no yet have that power. As a Washington State and an American citizen, we all have the right and the obligation to vote for what we believe is right. Since the hiring freeze was implemented, I heard conflicting opinions about who will create more jobs in Washington State. For those of us not born into absolute wealth, our new governor and our new president will have a huge impact on our lives. Apathy is just not acceptable.

So here is what this article is about: getting the information you need to know who to vote for. This is a group effort. Opinions are opinions but in order for all of us to make informed decisions on this, we need to hear what other people know. At the moment, I am not making my opinion known so that people will feel comfortable to give their own. So please, let me and everyone else know how you feel about this election and how it will affect employment and all other aspects of life