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TMI: Social Media Sabotage

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social media icons on a cellphone screenSociety is full of over-sharers. And the internet and the advent of social media has allowed this to blossom beyond anything anyone imagined. But having so many personal details posted online can have a detrimental effect when searching for a job. What is one to do?

Don’t be naive

Whether you like or not, hiring managers are looking you up on the world wide web. And you cannot really blame them. They want to know who they are hiring. So, why make it easier for companies to pass you by when you embarrass yourself through your social media accounts?

Where are you online?

You probably can quickly name off your most frequently visited social media sites. But you should also search yourself on the rest of the web to find what is really out there. What you don’t know can indeed hurt you.

You might be thinking what do these hiring managers find to be negative content? Most of it is pretty obvious. If you have pictures of you consuming drugs, posting inappropriate comments, naysaying previous employers, and just generally behaving in an unprofessional manner, potential employers won’t take the time to get your explanation. They’ll just move on to the next candidate.

Go in a hole

Although your social media accounts can be your downfall, this doesn’t mean that you go under a rock. It can be just as bad to be invisible on the internet, as it is to be all over it. The key is to be professional about what you post. You are a professional. Take you career seriously. And companies will do the same.

Ready for a smart social media decision?

Connect with Creative Talent Management and we’ll help you develop a perfect portfolio, online and off – one that hiring managers will covet and will help you achieve the career you want. Call us today at: 800.338.4327.

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Reasons to Job Hunt Even if You Aren’t Actually on the Hunt

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Being more informed, career-wise is never a bad thing. Even if you aren’t quite ready to leave your current position, you should make sure you brush up on your interviewing and job-seeking skills.

Being happily employed is also nothing to sneeze at either. But that doesn’t mean that opportunities might not be available when you are not really looking for them. And you need to be open to these. They offer great opportunities to learn and improve interviewing skills and potential advancement paths.

Read on for three ways to be on the job hunt even if you are not actually on the hunt.

Assess Your Current Situation

You are probably pretty happy with your current situation, or at least you tolerate it. But take a look at your old job posting for your current position. Do you feel that you fulfill all the qualifications? Now find the same job posting from a competitor. Again, could you step into the same role at another company? Now find a job posting for a step up from your current position. Are you currently building your brand and qualifications to be a better more skilled professional?

Take those ever-important keywords in those job postings and use them to your advantage. When you know exactly what the next steps are in your career, it becomes easier to develop those skills and increases your networking chances and ability to pursue continuing professional development.

Keep Your Trajectory Always Going Up

While you have those comparable job postings available, ask yourself if this is where you intended to be at this point in your career. If you aren’t quite there yet, are you still on track to get there? You simply want your time to mean something. Your career is a big part of your life and you want every opportunity to help you get a step higher than you were before. If you think you are missing a skill, how can you learn more about it and add it to your resume?

Grow, Grow, Grow

Now grab that old job description again (the one for your current position). Assess your growth (or lack thereof). Have you grown in your position, in terms of responsibilities, salary, skills, etc.? This is a chance to sort of audit your current professional situation – whether you are happy or not.

Researching job postings might seem like only something to do when you are actively looking to change jobs. But the details included within them offer a plethora of information to help you assess growth potential in your job and to help you see exactly where to take your next professional step.

Your First Job Posting Resource

Contact an experienced recruiter at 800.338.4327. Simplify and expedite your job search (or research) process the moment you need it with Creative Talent Management.

 

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8 Questions Your LinkedIn Profile Should Answer

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Employers really do look at your LinkedIn profile. It should not be left to gather dust bunnies and cobwebs. It can be your first impression to a potential employer and you don’t even know it. Employers want to be able to find out certain bits of information about you without really having to do a lot of work.

Ask yourself these 8 questions to see if your LinkedIn profile hits high marks on the impressive scale.

1) What is Your Current Job Title and/or Position?LinkedIn Icon

This sort of seems obvious. Employers need to see your current employment details. Make it your headline on your profile to snag their attention even earlier. Also, make sure that your job title properly reflects your abilities. Think about how you describe yourself when you meet new people or discuss career-related topics. This might offer you a chance to reflect and truly express your skill set.

2) How Do You Back Up Your Job Title?

This is your chance to be as thorough as you can. This is where you present your background and qualifications. List locations, companies, titles, as well as your responsibilities. Also, try not to be too general. Since you won’t be in front of the employee offering commentary, you have to fully explain everything in your profile – for them to read, and not make them guess.

3) Are You a Strong Writer?

All of the above sections of your profile will be for naught if your writing is stinky. And if your writing skills are stinky, any potential employers will immediately see this and immediately click right on through to another candidate’s profile.

How can you instantly improve your profile? Check spelling, remove slang, or texting language, and overall poor grammar.

4) What Tools Do You Know?

Don’t just tell, show! It is critical to explain all of the software programs you have basic to advanced skills in. List tools, software programs, computer systems, and more that contribute to your experience. Also, add in how experienced you are with each tool.

5) How Do You Sell Yourself?

No one is going to sell you but you. How does your profile market your brand? Or does it? Your LinkedIn profile needs to tell employers what makes you different. This is where your creation of a tagline helps you stand out from the crowd. Also consider adding logo or design elements if you are graphically-inclined.

6) Are You Active?

Creating your profile and then letting it linger won’t help your career chances. It is important to show that you are active on the platform – through who you follow, post, etc. Make sure you stay in-the-know in your field, so it shows employers your desire to be ever-learning and gaining industry knowledge.

7) Do Others Think You Are Awesome Too?

Scoring recommendations for your skills, or be able to include quotes about your performance are strong additions to your profile. Some people may automatically offer these to you, while it is perfectly acceptable to ask trusted individuals to provide them to you.

8) What Are Your Famous for?

Don’t forget to include when you were tops! Maybe you won an award, or you raised sales or increased revenue for your company. Share the love! Tell employers through your profile. Because they aren’t going to just stumble upon it accidentally.

Polish up that Profile

A stellar profile needs a bunch of stellar opportunities. Let Creative Talent Management help you find your next opportunity. Get started today by calling one of our experienced recruiters at 800.338.4327.

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Kickstart Your Creative Career

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creative, designThe creative professional world is an intriguing industry. But finding that prime writer, web, and graphic designer opening can be difficult. Rather than give up your dream, use the tips below to help you get started in showcasing your mad skills.

Free Isn’t a Dirty Word
If you don’t really have a lot of experience or projects to show potential employers, consider taking on pro bono work. It might go against your grain to have to offer up your services gratis, but these opportunities become instant artifacts to add to your portfolio. Many non-profits or other local organizations often have a variety of designs or copy needed. Do a good deed for them, receive a return favor of more experience.
You can even contact these businesses or organizations yourself and pitch some creative suggestions to them. they are likely to be more open since you are offering the work for free. Here are some potential creative idea boosters: newsletters, photos, videos, PR, website design, and website management, to name a few.

Know the Lingo
If you don’t seamlessly incorporate industry lingo into work discussions, you might not be truly ready to join the field. And it doesn’t matter whether you went to school and officially studied design, etc. or taught it all to yourself. Within the lingo, you need to be aware of software programs commonly utilized, so you are prepared to work with a variety of them if the company you are interested in employs a different one than you normally use.

And for other creative jobs, such as writing, make yourself aware of the different kinds of writing that you might apply for (e.g. styles, standards, digital, print, marketing, industry-specific, etc.).

Show What You Know
Creating a portfolio is another critical step to entering the creative professional world. It is through a portfolio that you can back up your experience and prove to potential employers that you can really do the things you say you can do. In this age of the internet, creating this portfolio in digital form makes showcasing it that much easier (for you and employer), and that much more organized. When you submit your cover letter and resume, consider also supplying a link to your digital portfolio. There are several online options available: Coroflot and Behance are two such sites.

Brand Yourself
As someone who desires to be the creative force behind a company, you should consider first working on a brand that is much closer to home: YOURS. Developing a personal brand can help you figure out where you really want to go in your creative career. It can help you focus your design or writing skills and help you develop and hone them. so, how can “brand” yourself? It involves your social media persona, online profiles, resume, and more. It means tailoring these to a consistent design or direction.

And to take your brand to the next level, take advantage of the power of social media. When you build a consistent personal brand online, you can use it to network or be discovered (through LinkedIn for example). Share the work you have done with others in your industry and utilize various available resources that you are more likely to come across when you become more involved with your industry via social media outlets.

Tap into the Right Network
Whether you are seeking full-time, freelance, or contract work, your next opportunity is closer than you think. Tap into the right network to connect with the key decision makers in the hiring process. Find your creative outlet with Creative Talent Management. Our expert talent managers have firsthand knowledge of the fashion, beauty and advertising industries, and understand exactly how to match you to a position and company. Get started today by calling one of our experienced recruiters at 800.338.4327.

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