The Times They Are A-Changin'

If you aren't using Twitter you may be dismayed by yet another article about social media. This week alone, Fox, CNN, NPR, The View, The Jon Stewart Show, and Doonesbury all discussed Twitter in some fashion. Well read on. The Times They Are A-Changin' and you might as well know some ways in which it will affect you and your candidates as you seek to fill key positions.

As a fairly new user of Twitter, I have come to enjoy reading and writing 140 character messages for many reasons. The most important: it's educational. Twitter is populated with a lot of smart people and many of them share their knowledge via blog posts, pod casts, books and articles. Others take the time to find interesting blog posts, pod casts, books and articles and share them with their followers. So, I have a lot of new reading material and I have "met" many new people with whom I can share information. I am definitely not an early adopter. In fact, I'm more of a resigned follower in this time of change, one who is working to understand where everything fits in my life and business.

Yesterday on Twitter, Stuart C. Foster posted a question asking why he simply couldn't use his Linked In page as his resume. Since reviewing resumes and evaluating candidates is a major part of my job, I have definite opinions on the subject and shared them with Stuart on Twitter in a number of Tweets. (Stay with me.) When the 140 character limit got to me, we had an excellent phone conversation.

Stuart is Maine born and educated. living in Boston -- looking for work and consulting in marketing. Today Stuart contacted me to get my permission to use my Tweets in an article on his blog, and he treated me very kindly in an excellent piece on his view of the issue.

So what's the message? First of all, social media is here to stay. Deal with it. Learn it. If you want to hire the best and the brightest and if you seek to hire new college grads, then know that they are Linked In, on Facebook, and Twitter. (This is all very different - and much better than - "Tune in, turn on and drop out".) As hiring managers and employers it makes sense to network on Linked In and check out candidates on all major social media sites. It also makes sense for us to get up to speed on the technology and the issues surrounding it in terms of resumes, references, and hiring. You may also want to have some rules and expectations around blogging and micro-blogging for the company and for personal use.

Secondly, while my answers to Stuart are right in most situations today, you can expect things to change down the road. It will take a few years at least and the changes won't come easily to most small companies, but these new forms of communication and networking will absolutely create new forms of resumes and applications, and will provide us with new choices in finding and identifying the best candidates.

Perhaps most important, remember that in the area of social media, those of us who were listening to Dylan 40 years ago can learn a lot from those who may be discovering his music now. If you don't think so, just check out the sophistication of Stuart's blog post compared to mine. I bet it didn't take him forever to get the links right, either.

Finally, if you can find some work for the sharp, witty, and engaging young grads out there -- do it. We are going to need them.

By the way, join me on Linked In; and follow me on Twitter, where I'm @barbatsea.

A Message to Candidates

In this market, searching for a new position can be a daunting, nerve-wracking task. I have heard from candidates who are scared, angry, and depressed and have tried to provide advice that could help them. Unfortunately, that is not my job. Since Hire Well is not a recruiting firm, we don't keep a pool of candidates and don't have candidates that we aid or promote. Because of the way we work and the reasonable, flat fee we charge clients, we simply can't spend a lot of time helping candidates.

Here's is the truth: It is not the job of any hiring manager to help you get hired. It is your job to do whatever you can to present yourself the best way possible. If you don't know how to do that in this market, then get some qualified help. If you are in Maine and have some resources or outplacement support, I can recommend Rhoda Mitchell of New Leaves Consulting. If you don't have resources, talk with friends, or contact state and other agencies.

In the meantime, here are just three tips that may help:

1. Decide what you want to do and what type of company would be best for you. Just as I tell my clients to take the time to figure out the type of person they need, those looking for a career position should create a description of the perfect next job. Include things such as duties, required skills, opportunity for growth, location, size of company, culture -- everything that is important to you and everything that you can provide to the company. Eight years ago I had no idea what career I wanted to move towards, but I did write down the type of things that appealed to me, the things that were essential to my prosperity and happiness, and the type of company and specific location where I wanted to work. When my future employer approached me, I knew nothing of his industry -- but that position met every factor on my list. I stayed there happily and successfully for 6 years.

2. Read the ad carefully. It is very easy to have job boards notify you when a posted job contains your key words. Too many candidates simply apply to those positions without apparently reading the ad. One key example is that three of my current clients have "Account Manager" positions. Each of these clients consider that to be a support role. I understand that other companies consider that to be a sales position. If you simply apply to all Account Manager positions, you may only actually be interested in and at least marginally qualified for half of them. Read the ad to find out if this is the right Account Manager job for you.

3. Read the ad carefully and apply in the manner requested. If a cover letter is required, then write one. If a name is given, then address the letter to that person, not "To Whom it May Concern". If certain requirements are mentioned in the ad, use the letter to show how your experiences make you qualified. If the position is in sales and marketing -- then sell and market yourself and your communication skills. If the ad is placed by the potential employer, then check out their web site to find out more about them and use that information in the cover letter. I can assure you that the majority of candidates do not take the time to write a proper cover letter. If you are not a good fit for the position, the right letter won't change that. But if you are qualified and don't write a letter, or use a generic cover, or send one with typos - I will not schedule an interview with you.

Yes, all of this requires you to do some homework and to take more time when you email your resume. The competition is tough out there. Not everyone is going to get an interview, including some people who could actually succeed in the position. If you are looking for work, your job is to present yourself as a top candidate so that you get an interview. You do that by showing us why you are a top candidate and you do that by taking your time and doing your homework first.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year. May this be a year where companies find the best candidates for the position, and where each candidate finds the position that best suits them. That can only happen if we all do our homework first, and take the time to get it right.

I've been searching the web for other good advice and found the following article and blog that both speak to the truth:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/jobs/02career.html
http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2009/01/07/dig-your-job-how-to-find-a-new-one/