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July 20, 2009

Ask the Right Questions

Do your research online about the industry, company and job you're targeting before you join a social network as a job seeker so you know what topics you want to discuss and what questions you want to ask.

Both informational interviewing and social networking accomplish one thing: they carry you beyond the shotgun approach of blindly sending out a bunch of resumes to companies and beyond the routine of submitting your resume electronically to job sites. Instead, they both allow you to target the industry, the company and the job which are right for you.

Social networking allows you to achieve that focus with less time and work at a lower cost than you would probably spend in conducting in-person informational interviews.

For a glimpse of what is involved in making sure you're prepared to ask the right questions in an in-person informational interview, go to "Preparing for Informational/referral Interviews"

I believe the following guidelines from that article for making sure you're asking the right questions in an informational interview are still valid in a social networking situation you may create for yourself today as a job seeker.

Here are those guidelines, divided into four categories: general, industry research, company research and job research.

General:

  1. Decide on the purpose of your social networking effort. Be sure you understand exactly what you want to accomplish by deciding what information you need from what group of people.

  2. Prepare a list of discussion topics or questions which are appropriate for the particular group of people you want to add to your network. Those will help you start a dialogue and establish relationships.

  3. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but do not waste your contact person's time by asking about something you could have obtained, for example, through a simple Internet search.

  4. Ask yourself what it is you want to know and then figure out who has an investment in knowing that sort of information. Conduct your Internet search. If you need more information, contact the public relations, communication or human resources department of your target company for brochures and pamphlets that it can send as an attachment to an e-mail message to you.

  5. Don't rely on Internet research alone. Through social networking, you become visible to decision makers in the right places -- putting you in a position of discovering job opportunities and career information you would otherwise probably never find.

  6. Try to avoid forming an opinion based on one person's enthusiasm, cynicism or observation. In a social networking situation, you have ample opportunities to form relationships with a range of people so you can get an accurate picture of an industry, a company and a job and whether they are right for you.

  7. Join groups available on your particular social network for members of your specific job sector or profession. Listen and participate. Ask questions of those in your group as a means of doing job sector and company research - just as you would in a one-on-one conversation with an attendee at a conference or in a more formal informational interview. By doing so, you'll hear about jobs which are open but not posted.


Industry Research:
  1. Go online at Dunn & Bradstreet's Small Business Solutions section and ThomasRegister.com to get a picture of the developmental stage and financial health of not only your targeted industry but also specific companies within that industry.

  2. Read all you can about your targeted job sector before you engage in an online dialogue.

  3. Decide what information you need to obtain through social networking about the industries and companies you find interesting.

Company Research:

  1. Consider using these two umbrella sites that walk you through the whole process of company research (in addition to the services of Dunn & Bradstreet and Thomas Register):
  2. Check these other resources: company web sites, annual reports, company literature, library reference materials and university career service offices.

Job Research:

  1. Select your contact people from those who are actually doing the type of job you want to know about. Consider those who are close to the level at which you would expect to begin working. Be sure they are in the department which interests you most. Beware of top-level people, supervisors, directors, managers etc. who may be out of touch with actually doing the job you're targeting.

  2. Query professors (particularly adjunct or part-time professors) online, asking if they know of anyone who is working in your target job. If they don't, ask them for the name of someone who might. Ask for an introduction, if they are both on LinkedIn .

Note that you can follow up such introductions with direct contact through LinkedIn, via e-mail or by telephone.

I've changed the 14 informational interview tips above only slightly to fit today's social networking environment. That again shows, I believe, that social media have only expanded and streamlined our networking opportunities - not replaced any one tactic.

But, one thing has not changed: the need to prepare for a mutually helpful dialogue once you know what you have to offer, once you can clearly express what you offer and once you get connected with the right people.

You need to do your industry, company and job research before you can ask the right questions. And you can do that mostly online.

What online resources have best prepared you for asking others the right questions about your job search?

Add your comments to this posting

Posted by Liz Seger at July 20, 2009 06:17 PM

Comments

I believe my most valuable online resource is the time I take to listen to what others are saying within the one or two social networks I enjoy the most. Online directories are helpful, but they seem rather static. Social media are dynamic, giving me a glimpse into what people are thinking – right now.

Establishing and maintaining a social media footprint is not a one-time deal. It’s a process. Your social media footprint needs to evolve -– just like your career evolves.

So, dialogue with people in your industry (people you know personally and people you don’t know), using social networks, even if you’re not looking for a job right now. Start small. Develop relationships with maybe two o three people at first.

Be curious. Ask questions about topics that interest you. Help others with information you have that they need. Join groups on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Note what topics people within your network are discussing –- and what they avoid or overlook.

Then, when you do need a job, you’ll have an established network which can help you with your job hunting efforts.

And you’ll know when and where to reach out and ask the right questions –- questions which will help you move your job search to the next level.

Posted by: Jim Hasse at July 22, 2009 03:33 PM

I like Mashable.com, the social media guide. Check Mashable.com’s social media resources under the category, "jobs-lists." There you'll find some good tips for online job marketing.

Social media have completely flipped employee recruiting from the one of yesterday (candidate scarcity and limited information) to today’s overabundance of candidates and wide-ranging information available about each candidate.

That’s according to Boris Epstein, CEO and Founder of BINC, a professional search firm that specializes in the software marketplace. He’s featured on Mashable.com.

So, how do you stick out as the candidate to hire in this new recruitment environment?

Here are some answers I’ve gleaned from Mashable.com resources.

- You develop a personal branding statement that gets attention because in one sentence it simply tells what you do in your work life and who you serve.

- You use your personal branding statement to consistently identify yourself in the profiles of the social networking sites you have found most helpful for your job marketing campaign.

- You participate as a member of social media groups relevant to your profession.

- You read and pursue ongoing training in your field so, when you’re interacting online, you tend to ask questions others within your job sector (and recruiters and hiring managers) find intriguing.

Posted by: Jim Hasse at July 23, 2009 01:53 PM

Like Jim, I have become a fan of http://www.mashable.com in recent months and find it an excellent resource. Although I had problems with the ads being at the top of the page with Jaws and finally having to scroll down to find the articles after I'd click on the titles. Probably my ineptness at Jaws as I'm still learning how to use it.

http://mashable.com/category/jobs-lists/ has a spate of articles for the more advanced user to the neophyte. Some titles include 85 tools for freelancers and web workers, How to find a job on Twitter, 10 Ning Networks to help you land your job, Top Ten Social Sites for finding a job, 30 Plus Websites to visit when you're laid off and 10 Great Social Sites for resume building are just samples and that's on one day.

As the economy begins to recover, that doesn't mean that jobs will start to follow suit. A Bank of Montreal economist said last week on CBC news world that jobs may begin to recover by the end of 2009 but more likely will be mid year 2010. That means you'll need all the help you can get from online social networks to your regular social networks.

One of the advantages to online social networks is that you can easily find people in the same profession to link with using either http://www.linkedin.com or http://www.plaxo.com or http://www.twitter.com or http://www.facebook.com

It was also interesting to read that employers and recruiters no longer want you to separate your work life from you home life. But a cautionary note still be careful of what you post on any of the sites, from r rated pictures and videos to extremist positions on race, politics, ethical issues, religion, etc.

Also mind your language when you post because the language you use tells the employer a lot about the person you are. You don't have to be Pollyanna but you also don't have to sound like a foul mouthed comedian either.

On http://www.mashable.com there are tools to help with your cover letters, your resumes, business cards or DOPcards that electronic and just about anything you can think of when hunting for a job.

My Facebook friend, Steve Peck states, "flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success." I'll add Dale Carnegie's advice to that, as well, "talking your talk and walking your walk" ... or just show your trustworthiness as you hunt for that job or career.

Posted by: Liz Seger at July 27, 2009 04:20 PM

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