Job Searching

Recently I was reading an advice column “Ask Amy” and the advice she gave her was sweet but this woman needs to be more direct. The troubled woman writes in to get advice on how to manage a co-worker who is teasing her beyond what is necessary about her having a housekeeper and having money. The trouble woman is single and self proclaimed frugal while the teasing woman is married to an out of work husband and has three children. The trouble woman has mentioned to this woman to stop when the comments started about her housekeeper but now the woman keeps making comments about her money. “Ask Amy” advice “From here on out, you can meet her comments with ... nothing. Just let it lie. Let the crickets pulse. And then say, "Anyway, moving on."

Hummm… not the way I would handle it. I would simple tell this woman  “ my money is not your concern, nor anyone else who happens to be in the room when you make the comment. Maybe when your husband gets a job you can afford a maid too or maybe you’ll need to wait for your kids to go off to college. Either way while I can afford it I’m going to have a one, maybe your out of work husband can be your maid since he probable home all day anyways.” Sounds like a way to finally get this woman to stop her comments.

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One source that people often forget about when looking for a job is Twitter. Most people just think of Twitter as a "waste of time" site that people post what they had for dinner or what they are watching on TV. For some it is, but if you use it right you can track down some pretty decent job leads on Twitter.

If you think about job searching, it's just networking and putting the word out that you are looking. What better place to do this than Twitter?

Where do I Start?

The first thing you need is a Twitter account, obviously. Then you need to find people to follow and you need to get followers. Usually when you follow people, they will follow you back as long as you have some interesting tweets. So spend some time updating your profile, upload a picture, and post some tweets that people might find interesting (news, gossip, tips, jokes, stories, whatever).

The great thing about Twitter, is it's not like Facebook where people want to know who you are. In Twitterland, nobody cares. People just want to build up their following, that's it.

How do I search?

Once you've built up a nice profile, get to know how to use local search, it is going to be your best friend. In the search box if you use location: and then your city, you can find all sorts of stuff. For instance, I did location:minneapolis and it came up with a bunch of stuff for Minneapolis. Now, if I compound this idea and use other local cities in my area, wow things get big quick. Don't forget to do search for location:minnesota as well. I also did searches for abbreviations such as MN, MPLS, etc. Read more »

Often times people get caught up in the online job search. Don't forget to check your local newspaper. Companies will still advertise in these papers. Especially, look at your local community paper, you'd be surprised how many jobs you can find in those. Some of these companies will only advertise in these papers, these jobs may never find their way to the internet.

What do you do to stand out from the crowd at an interview? Are you extra polite? Do you agree with everything the interviewer says? Do you show up a little earlier? Think about it. Would you hire you? In today’s market having a great resume isn’t enough. You have to stand out from others. Yes, be polite and do show up early but don’t agree with everything the interviewer says. You need to show them during the interview that you have ideas. Pay attention to what they say. Listen and then give your input. Don’t belittle what the interviewer says though. Do your research before the interview. Did the company have a bad 3^rd quarter? During the interview bring this up tell them what you would do to improve. If they had a great 3^rd quarter, tell them during the interview what you would do to make sure this is maintained. Show them you really want the job, not that you are just going through the emotions.