Natalie Jaffee writes:
"It may have seemed long at the time, but, as evolutions go, the white cane's journey from "tsk, tsk" to "good for you" took only 34 years in the U.S. -- from the first White Cane Ordinance in Illinois in December 1930 (giving blind pedestrians the right-of-way while carrying a white cane) to October 6, 1964, when a joint resolution of Congress proclaimed that October 15 of every year would be White Cane Safety Day. By then, the white cane had become the symbol of blind persons' ability to come and go on their own. So it remains today."
People in Florida get together each year to make motorists aware of the White Cane Law. Their driver awareness program reminds people that all vehicles are required to stop anytime a person with a white cane or guide dog is attempting to cross the street.
]]> Karen Montagnese, co-president of the Long Island Chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness writes about her experience learning to use a white cane. She describes it as "...a life lesson in acceptance."Internships are another kind of tool to help people gain independence -- the economic kind. Lighthouse International is working in partnership with a growing number of New York City-based corporations to identify internship opportunities for students who are visually impaired.
Students interested in applying for internships through Lighthouse International can find the criteria for selection, important dates and online application here.
Please share this information with anyone you know who can benefit from it.
Then, I encourage you to share your "tools for independence" suggestions with other eSight members by replying to this question:
What other tools for gaining independence have you found particularly helpful for people with visual impairments?]]>
First, the U.S. Department of Labor recently released disability employment statistics for September 2009 that show "the percentage of people in the labor force was 22.0 for people with disabilities compared with 70.5 for persons with no disability."
You can read more about these recent findings
Second, in his National Disability Employment Month proclamation, the President writes:
"...During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recommit ourselves to implementing effective policies and practices that increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities."
Read the President's proclamation
Third, eSight member James J. Elekes sent us President Obama's announcement about what steps his Administration is taking to provide "fair and equal access to employment" for people living with disabilities.
One of those steps is a "day-long, Federal Government-wide job fair for people with disabilities."
Find more information about these federal initiatives.
]]>What other initiatives could pave the way for]]>
increasing employment of people with disabilities?
He writes:
"Thus far in my job search, I've not mentioned my visual impairment in my resume or other written documentation. I figure that ‘first contact’ information needs to focus on where I add value to the company -- experience, skills, and training which can help them do what they do ..."When I do meet with (employers), somewhere in the conversation, (I) refer to my visual impairment in some way. I then let them know I already own most of the adaptive equipment I'd need to do the job …
"I also carry a tool with me that gives normally-sighted people an idea as to what I see, (letting) them know that I can see, even if it's different than they do …
"I usually end by telling them the vision issue has had a positive effect on my attention to detail …"
Notice how Jeff proactively manages to reveal, explain and position his visual impairment in terms that relate back to how he can help a prospective employer continue to be successful.
Amenah says:
"... My strategy is that I inform them after I have confirmed the interview -- generally the day prior to the interview itself -- that I am blind. I also prepare and give a PowerPoint presentation for the interview where I weave in the alternative skills that I use and how my skills transfer into the job itself. I have had great success with this. In fact, the first time I did it, I landed the job on the spot."...It really showed the hiring organization that I could present well and that I was creative about how I presented the issue as it relates to the organization. In doing the presentation, I had to do some research on the organization and learn what its priorities were."
Cecilia gets more specific:
"...If an employer responds to my resume by calling me with an appointment for an interview, I keep it short and make the appointment. The day before the job interview, I call to confirm and say, 'When I get off the elevator, which is the best way to find your office? Is it right or left? I have a visual impairment and knowing this is how I can acclimate myself.'"
Read about what Disability World’s Rob McInnes says about disclosing your disability to employers.
Check the eSight article, "Develop a Good Answer to Questions About Your Disability"
Please share your thoughts about how you can best manage the perception prospective employers have about your visual impairment.
We are approaching National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October) and now have an opportunity to use social media as a tool to educate employers about the benefits of hiring individuals who happen to have a disability.
Disability Mentoring Day, which this year will take place on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, is yet another way we help employers to change their perception when they open their doors for participants to explore career paths, learn interviewing skills and job shadow for a day.
Here are two eSight resources worth revisiting to help
us prepare for October:
"Addressing Concerns About Your Disability in A Job Interview" by eSight’s Nan Hawthorne.
How do you help prospective employers see past your visual impairment so they can focus on your abilities, skills and knowledge?
Then in October we will use Social media to share your
ideas and together begin to engage employers and
hiring managers in meaningful discussion.
What skill, experience or insight do you have that is valuable to those who are presently working within those sectors which, you believe, need reform?
Honest answers to that question will help you identify a demand for what you can offer as well as an issue that will truly motivate you and propel you to success.
You can identify that demand and confirm your motivation by actively participating in social media networks. Social media networks are your "playground" for doing some serious secondary research about what your small business should offer before you commit to your venture's complete game plan.
]]> You can integrate our society's need, your personal skill and your self-motivation into a social network research project that you can conduct for yourself.Here are six examples of how to do that.
Use your following to identify information needs that you can fulfill through a monetized blog or web site about global warming issues.
Note that each of these six small business concepts (and the online research to initially test their viability) are "visually impaired friendly." Most of the work involved can be done from your keyboard.
What other small business ideas would benefit from "social networking" research?]]>
As a single-owner proprietorship, you can set up a simple advisory board locally that includes a wide spectrum of professional expertise that you can draw on for advice. Such board members often are attorneys, certified public accountants, civic club leaders, owners or managers of businesses similar to yours or whom you do business with, and retired executives.
They could be three to five individuals who are knowledgeable about the environment in which you do business and are able to connect you with the information you need to make good decisions.
]]> The purpose of such an advisory board is to offer you objectivity. It should be people who are truthful with you and who will keep your disclosures confidential.Most advisory boards discuss specific business problems you have and brainstorm about possible solutions -- and help you take the next step in your development after you have been operating as a small business for awhile.
But, why not employ the advisory board concept to explore your market niche before you make a commitment to a business model?
You could charge the members of your temporary advisory board with this mission: help you define and identify a market niche of customers for your product or service who have discretionary money to spend or who are not affected by economic downturns.
In other words, they could help you "follow the money" by targeting potential customers who need your product or service and have the ability (and willingness) to pay you for what you offer.
The information you gain will help you develop your business plan for a profitable business.
And you can do all this online through social networking sites. For example, you could set up your own private LinkedIn group, Facebook fan page, Twitter chat etc. just for your temporary advisory board.
Here are five business guidelines and concrete examples your online group of advisors could help you evaluate in terms of potential profitability.
Guideline: Contact potential customers before they contact you about what the problems are. Can you help them in some way? You can gain a longtime relationship with a customer by approaching them proactively with the view of being there to help them through their own hard times.
Example: Have you been collecting tips about how to enjoy leisure travel when you have a visual impairment? You could write an eBook about them and offer it for sale through a web site targeting baby boomers who are financially ready to retire and travel but suddenly find themselves dealing with orientation and mobility issues. Would they be willing to pay for your eBook?
Guideline: Avoid market niches which already receive your services for free.
Example: Be aware that college students with disabilities often can get free career counseling through Student Disability Services on campus. So, if you’re a career coach, why would you target that market as an entrepreneur? Or, is there a specific need within the career management sector that is not being met by on-campus services – a void you could fill as an independent contractor?
Guideline: Follow local, state and federal priorities in public financing.
Example: Study government spending in your sector. If you’re serving a sector of the economy which is receiving stimulus money (such as education, infrastructure, energy etc.), how would you be able to tap into that emerging market buoyed by public money or receive grant money to service that market?
Guideline: Study trends in demographics which will have an impact on your product or service.
Example: Think of people who are in their peak earning years and beyond who are acquiring visual impairments. What do they need and want? Do they need or want to work beyond their normal retirement age but have little knowledge of the assistive technology that is now available. Would they pay for accommodation help from a private individual who has experience in mainstream employment and assistive technology?
Guideline: Study successful online entrepreneurs and what strategies they’ve used to reach their targeted market niche.
Example: Explore affiliate relationships, partnerships or alliances with your vendors or with products or services closely aligned with your own. Which alliance reaches the most profitable spectrum of potential customers?
Check this fact sheet for some of the many business resources that are available across the U.S. that can help you become self-employed or start a small business.
What other ideas do you have for using online networking to help you develop a profitable small business?]]>
But, before you begin talking, try listening.
Listen and do market research. This is critical if you want to start a small business at home and use social networking as a relationship-based marketing tool.
]]> Relationship-based marketing is all about gaining followers online and gaining the trust of those followers. After you have established your credibility with those followers (they trust you), they become potential leads and potential clients/customers.You can then show them that you have something of value to offer (which they are willing to pay for) -- such as coaching, music, photography, sign language interpretation, voiceovers etc.
But, first you need to listen to your prospects and track what your competitors are doing.
Use social networking to identify new needs for your product or service within a redefined niche. You need a special spin for what you offer so it stands out against your competition.
Note that your product or service can be your own. Or you can market and sell other people's products and services through partnerships or affiliate programs.
If you want to sell other people's products or services, you still need to listen and observe what is happening within social networks so you capture the right set of followers for what your affiliates are offering. You need to direct those followers to a landing place on a blog or a web site where you can offer them further information that they need for free in exchange for their contact information.
So, whichever path you take, you need to identify what individuals really need within a niche audience that others haven't already fully tapped.
Here are three ways to use social media to do that.
First, use Twitter to seek out potential prospects in your targeted field. You can also look at your competitors and see who is following them.
Let's say you want to market your voiceover talent.
You can go to http://search.Twitter.com and type in:
You'll be able to see ongoing Twitter conversations about voiceovers. You can then join the conversation, contact people directly, and ask questions (all with your marker research needs in mind).
Second, join a group on LinkedIn which most closely matches the niche customers you have in mind, and then listen and join the discussions and ask key questions which will help you identify what this niche really needs in terms of your product or service.
Third, use social bookmarking to further refine your market research.
Digg , StumbleUpon , Reddit, and Delicious are very popular sites for what is known as social bookmarking.
The great thing about social bookmarking is that you can get started with it even if you do not have your own content to share with others.
Through social bookmarking, you can discover useful information about a customer base for a certain tag.
A tag is just a keyword or term assigned to a piece of information. For example, "voiceover" is a tag, "sign language" is a tag etc.
By searching for all of the Web content tagged with your specialty or niche, you can begin to size up your competition and see what strikes a nerve with the community.
In what ways can you use online social networking to help you refine your own market niche?]]>
"A quarterly survey of 3,000 job seekers conducted by Chicago-based outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., released July 30, shows a near doubling in the year-to-year growth of job seekers turning to self-employment," Computerworld’s Patrick Thibodeau points out.
On the one hand, it could mean we’ll face stiffer competition from our fellow entrepreneurs.
That stiffer competition, I suspect, will come particularly from recent college graduates, returning veterans and baby boomers who decide to forego the job market and go into business for themselves.
But, consider the upside of this development. Imagine the goods, services and coaching these new small business owners will need to succeed as the economy recovers.
If you have a service or product or information or training to offer a niche within anyone of these groups, how can you make sure you’re there to serve them now – and when the economy recovers?
During the next several weeks, the discussions in eSight NetWork News and the eSight Networking Forum will show you how you can use online social networking to help you refine your focus, be realistic about your expectations and extend your reach as a small business owner to potential customers and partners so you can take advantage of this opportunity.
It’ll result in a new series of eSight articles and discussions we call "New Guidelines for Starting Your Small Business" – an extension of our previous seven weeks of dialogue about how effectively use social networking in searching for a job.
We’ll show you what has changed in the process of developing a small business – and how you can gain an edge on others within your particular niche in gaining the customers you need to make your business prosper.
At this stage of your development, what help do you need most in setting up your own small business?]]>
You want to make sure you are at the top of their minds (that they have automatically become "enrolled" in your support group as you search for your job) so they'll feed helpful information to you and you'll have an opportunity to help them in return.
How do you get individuals "enrolled" in your job marketing campaign? Express appreciation for the help you receive and help them in return.
Think of your online network as your job club, your mastermind group, or your support group - consisting of individuals who want to help and be helped.
If you experience a benefit from a referral, let those in your network who helped you get that referral know how valuable it was for your job marketing effort.
By showing genuine appreciation for the help you receive through your network, you'll also be demonstrating -- in a dramatic way and in a real situation -- your ability to establish effective interpersonal relationships, implement a creative marketing campaign, and conduct an extensive business research project.
In doing so, you're showcasing your skills in strategic planning, personal sales, business writing and project management for recruiters and hiring managers.
]]> Specifically, here are 10 ideas I've collected for helping members of your network become active participants in your job search:You can keep you contacts enrolled in your job search by routinely doing one, two or three of these networking activities in just 30 minutes a day -- perhaps 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening.
It's not much different than keeping the contacts enrolled that you gain through in-person informational interviewing. To find how that works, go to "Keeping Your Contacts Enrolled"
How do you keep your network interested in your job search efforts?
]]>Manage the information you gain through networking. That involves not only recording the information you gained and comparing it to what you wanted to obtain. It also means personally evaluating your contact's response to your current dialogue.
Both pieces of information for each of your contacts are important. Why? You're on a job search. You want to actively use the referrals you've collected to reach out to specialists in your chosen field who can give you specific information about the steps you need to take in charting your career path.
It's information you cannot obtain at the library or in Internet documents. It's information bringing you closer to the job and company that's best for you. You get it by visiting with people. That's the power of networking.
And your hiring contact may be two, three or four levels deep within your network (so-and-so knows so-and so who knows Mike who has a job open).
So, networking is real work. That's why streamlining the updates you send to your network and effectively managing the contact information you gain as a result of those updates is so important. Streamlining can save you time.
]]> Here are seven streamlining tips I've picked up during the last few months.First, use the same ID and password for all social networks you join (and keep a record of both), but open a separate, free e-mail account for each network you join (perhaps using a key word that applies to your job search in each address).
Second, the key to managing e-mail within each account is to keep only a few (under 30) e-mails in your inbox at any given time.
Third, read each e-mail only once. The first time you read an e-mail, try to delete it, respond to it, and/or move it to a folder.
Fourth, to minimize the number of inbox e-mails, sort e-mails into folders for different matters. Streamline this process by establishing "rules" in Outlook or LotusNotes that automatically deposit e-mails from specified individuals or groups into the right folder.
Fifth, be sure to use an application you find accessible to automatically cross post your newest blog entry or Twitter comment or LinkedIn comment in other social networks -- all at the same time with the click of one single button.
Check hellotxt or Ping.fm . There are others as well, and you can read about few of them in "Six Ways to Update Your Status".
Sixth, find a system that works best for you to organize your information by contact person, by company, by industry etc.
Whatever system you use, you should be able to record and retrieve information about each contact person easily and quickly. Such a system needs to include slots for these details:
Contact information:
Seventh, organize your contact information so you can easily identify which contacts are
Those are the people who can have the most impact on your job search. Use their suggestions. Follow up on their referrals -- and use their names.
For a glimpse into how managing information in a social network is similar to keeping track of contact and referral information generated by in-person information interviews, go to "Managing Contact Information."
James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM has provided us with an example of how to organize (and track) contact information in today's online world. Here's what he wrote in this forum last week:
"Having established (my) consultancy in April 2005, I now have approximately 100 strategic contacts in several industries (I) routinely contact (with) updates on a variety of topics.
"For each individual, (I) maintain a "Profile Card," synchronized between PDA and PC, which includes Contact Name, Job Title, Organization, Professional/Personal E-Mail, Telephone Numbers and Best Time to Call; Contact's Spouse Name; Contact and Spouse Birthday; Wedding Anniversary (if applicable); Children, their ages and quick fact about their activities (school, extracurricular etc.) and any significant notes from previous e-mail or telephone conversations.
"To facilitate management of this "Contact List," (I have it) on an Excel spreadsheet. In this way, when making contact, the last date contacted, (and) topic of last conversation can be readily accessed, using information as the starting point for updates.
"Aforementioned personalized information adds a personal touch to the conversation/communication, demonstrating focus on the individual and what's of meaning in his/her life.
"An Excel spreadsheet is also useful as I can log the date of the last contact, insuring no one drops-off the list and a schedule is maintained.
"It takes personal discipline to maintain an Excel spreadsheet, but the benefits are the ultimate reward."
What tip do you have for keeping track of job search information you generate through social networks?
Focus on the further information you need that is essential to your career goal -- information you could not get through your online research.
Always have these two questions in the back of your mind as you form social networking relationships: What information does this particular contact person have that can be helpful for me? What information do I have that can be helpful to that person?
In other words, establish your social networking strategy first before you dive into a relationship-based campaign to find the job that's right for you.
Then, you're ready to work on the details.
]]> On each social network you form, keep your bio and profile focused on key words which describe the job you're seeking and what you have to offer as a job candidate for that job.Recognize that some social networks, such as Twitter, work just like e-mail. And, just like e-mail, social networks can overwhelm you. So, set up a separate, free e-mail account for each social network, using a keyword from your profile in your e-mail address.
Keep a file of your good outgoing messages and the helpful information you receive.
Start small. Listen to what others in your job sector are saying. Then, start a dialogue with three or four people -- maybe some of whom you already know either in person or online.
For starters, you can focus your conversation on an issue that is currently "hot" in your targeted job sector. Ask questions, such as: What do you think about this?
Does this bother anybody else?
Think about how to challenge a paradigm within your job sector to gain attention.
Then, gradually begin to ask questions that will provide answers you are seeking during your job search.
You might begin by asking reflective questions such as: What makes a company successful in your industry? Or, in your industry, what are the qualities that make people successful? Or, where do you see your industry heading?
You may want to ask about your field's problems and trends - questions such as: What problems do you see your industry encountering in the future? And, what kinds of actions are companies taking to solve those problems? And, how are these changes affecting your job?
You can then get more specific about your job search and ask questions such as: With my skills and background, what kinds of problems do you see me working on within your industry? And, what obstacles might I expect in obtaining a job within your industry and how could I overcome them? Or, if you were in my shoes, what would you suggest I do first, second, and third and for what reasons?
Your can even form a chat room in Twitter, for instance, based on your job search goal. Or, find an existing chat that fits your needs through twitterchat.com/ .
Try to connect with influential people within your targeted job sector and within your area through twittergrader.com .
Always keep in mind that you need to be helpful for others within a social network by asking appropriate questions and offering needed information. Provide solutions to people's problems, and they'll return the favor. It's what is now called relationship-based marketing.
Before the Internet, information/referral interviewing was the forerunner of online relationship-based job searches.
For a glimpse into how starting a conversation in a social network is similar to conducting an information/referral interview, go to "Managing the Information/referral Interview" .
This whole process is a very indirect way of gaining the job information you need and learning about jobs which are open but not always posted -- jobs which are right for you.
It takes time and effort. But, you don't need to leave your keyboard. And, it works.
What ways have you found to be most helpful in establishing a social network dialogue?
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:
Company Research:
Job Research:
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?]]>
Many recruiters now consider LinkedIn a "must use" tool for locating active and passive candidates for jobs - especially those with unusual qualifications.
But, as a job seeker, you can turn the tables. You can use social networking to get connected with the specific individual who is going to make the hiring decision about your dream job. And, you can make that connection without leaving your keyboard.
In his "Reality Check" blog, Guy Kawasaki, in citing LinkedIn, says, "People with more than 20 connections are 34 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five."
And, by being proactive and savvy within a social network such as LinkedIn, you can eliminate much of the leg work involved in getting connected (and staying connected) with key people as you carry out your job marketing campaign.
For a picture of what was involved in networking with company contacts a decade ago, see "Making Appointments by Telephone for Your Information/referral Interviews"
Also see "Writing Effective Thank You Letters."
Today, social networking has streamlined the process, but the fundamentals of networking have not changed.
The social media culture assumes people want to connect and stay connected with others they find interesting and helpful. It's built on mutual need. And, social networking people want to help.
But, as in the past, you need to tell your fellow community members how they can help you. Telling people how you can help them and what you need is paramount.
So, on LinkedIn, for example, you must have a clear reason why you're involved and have a presence that is compelling.
To obtain that clarity, as in informational interviewing, you need to first listen. Listen to get a feel for how any specific social network works, what norms you're expected to follow as a community member and what topics are especially relevant for your targeted audience.
Then you can become active on a routine basis.
Here are seven suggestions for how to do that: Make new connections daily. Answer questions daily. Ask questions. Use recommendations weekly. Participate in the forums. Join targeted groups. Start a group of your own.
]]> But, specifically, how can you apply this type of networking to your job search campaign?Situation one: You know the company you're targeting as a job seeker because you've done your company research on such sites as indeed.com, simplyhired.com and hound.com.
You may have spotted your dream job on Twitterjobsearch.com.
Then, to get your foot in the door of your targeted company, type in the name of that company in LinkedIn's "People Search" box. You'll get a list of all your connections (and their connections) who are associated in some way with your targeted company.
Now you have the contact information for the person who can introduce you to the hiring authority within that company (or the department within that company). You can e-mail him or her or send a LinkedIn message, asking for an introduction. Or, you can simply add that person to your network and follow up after they accept.
Always remember to explain how you are connected: "I went to college with Joe, who now works in your accounting department."
Also, remember that you can get an introduction to a hiring authority through former employees of your targeted company.
In today's recruiting, an introduction carries much more weight than direct contact.
Situation 2: Trade shows, conferences and social networking events are prime locations to meet people who can assist in your job search. Most have an attendees list and at the least, a speakers list.
Use LinkedIn to see who is connected to people you want to meet. Make it a point to introduce yourself, share business cards and get back to them after the event.
Target 10 or 15 people you will meet before the conference or trade show is over by researching their own background on LinkedIn. Not only will you have conversation material, you will know exactly why you want to meet a given person.
In your specific situation, how can today's social media help you connect with people who have the open job you want?]]>
Time has changed networking into a sophisticated job marketing tool.
30 years ago, networking for job seekers meant casually striking up a conversation with others at a conference, workshop or cocktail party about "work."
Job seekers sought to discover mutual interests, share information about "who is hiring," exchange calling cards and build their networks by following up a day or two later by telephone. It was basic career research. It was also job marketing.
20 years ago, career research for job seekers became more deliberate. Job seekers sought to expand their networks and go directly to the "hidden" job market by actively but discreetly doing job sector and company research through in-person "informational interviews."
Job seekers personally interviewed people within companies or organizations which met their criteria as a "targeted" employer. They asked about what they liked about their jobs etc. It was basic career research.
At the same time, job seekers sought to actively enroll these key company contacts into their efforts to expand their career research networks. They asked them for referrals to other people they could interview within their particular job sector.
Such interviews became job marketing opportunities.
For an example of that "information interview" approach see "Essential Career Marketing Tactic: Writing Effective Letters of Introduction"
Then, about 10 years ago, savvy job seekers started doing career research online and using e-mail lists to network with prospective employers. "Pay it forward" and "give to get" became the norms in that online environment, where being knowledgeable and helpful to others are keys to expanding the scope of researching a job - and marketing yourself as a job seeker.
Today, each of these forms of networking, when used judiciously, can play a role for us in researching a career, conducting company research, establishing relationships with key contacts, gaining access to the "hidden" job market and "selling" ourselves as a potential employee.
But, there are now additional resources we didn't have three decades (or a decade) ago: online social media, such as: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, etc.
The bottom line: As job seekers (especially those of us with visual impairments), we can now tap our creativity to make our career research and networking less invasive for everyone involved. In doing so, our job marketing efforts become more focused and more time-efficient with less effort and a lower cost.
By using LinkedIn, for example, you can connect with exactly the right people in the companies where you want to work.
If you don't know anyone in a company you're targeting, you can use LinkedIn to find a connection who can introduce you to the company or one of their connections who can make the introduction.
By doing so, you'll likely get higher priority consideration for an open job you would love to have.
That social media approach gives a new dimension to career networking, company research, and job marketing. But, first things first: You need to have your self-presentation (social media profile) and letter of introduction (introduction request) in good form before you start using the power of social networking in your job search.
]]> To help you get started, read "Letters of Introduction" for advice on how to carry out your search for the job and employer which are right for you.Then give us your thoughts about this question:
How do you make your case that a colleague should introduce you to a member of his or her social network?]]>
This week, we’re introducing a special interactive project for sharing ideas this summer about how you, as a job seeker with a visual impairment, can effectively use social media for networking so you can gain meaningful employment.
During the next two months, eSight will facilitate a LinkedIn group, "Using Social Media Networking as a Job Search Tool."
The purpose: to encourage HR professionals and hiring managers in the U.S. to share ideas about how job seekers with visual impairments can effectively use social media for their job searches so employers have access to the best available talent, regardless of disability.
Also, through Twitter, career counselors who coach visually impaired job seekers throughout the U.S. will share ideas about how these tips from employers can best be applied in the real world.
And, you, as an eNN reader, will be able to chime into this conversation, too. How?
All you have to do is follow the links below and add your thoughts to this week’s discussion on the eSight Network Forum.
By doing so, you’ll be able to hear what hiring managers are saying about how to find a job in today’s market using social media – and quickly add your own comments about what you think works and does not work in searching for a job online.
Here’s how you’ll benefit by joining your fellow eSight members in following this discussion:
One thing I can promise you. Stick with us over the next eight weeks, and you’ll look at job hunting in a whole new light.
eSight will highlight the key thoughts which come out of this Twitter conversation among eSight members in each week’s issue of eNN.
And, we’ll use the eSight Networking Forum to tie down some of the most important issues we may have with social media as a job hunting tool from a visual impairment standpoint.
We’ll also translate the insight generated by you, your fellow eSight members, career counselors and employers into a series of free articles, white papers and teleseminars about "Essential Job Search Tactics," which will become available on eSight over the next few months.
So, before you join Twitter or publish your profile on LinkedIn, please take this first step. Think about what you want an employer to know about you.
For background, read "Essential Career Marketing Tactic: Self-presentation"
]]> Then give us your thoughts about this question:
How do you transform your old elevator pitch into]]>
profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc. so
recruiters get an accurate picture of what you have
to offer a prospective employer?