New Facebook Changes: Advertising on Facebook

Last week Facebook began adding paid ads to user’s feeds which, like all new Facebook changes, caused quite the uproar.  Now, if a user likes a Facebook Page, updates from that page can now be featured as a form of advertising.   These featured stories are now suggestively placed within a Facebook feed instead of only to the right hand side of your page.  This Facebook change, or any change for that matter when it comes to Facebook, has caused quite a stir.

It’s no longer enough to get someone to “like” a Facebook page.  Liking no longer serves as a product endorsement or a celebration of a brand.  Mostly because there are millions of brand page but also because likes are easily obtained or even bought.  We live in a world of constant distraction.  I like to think of it as the new ADD Generation.  I blame Facebook.

Scientifically Proven That Facebook Makes You Smarter 

Except that Facebook might not be so bad after all.  I mean, we are spending nearly 16 hours a month connecting, poking, friending, and liking Facebook pages.  A recent study on Facebook and its impact on the brain have found a direct correlation to the size of your social network and the actual size of your brain.  The study, although small with only 164 participants, discovered a connection between the number of Facebook friends and the amount of “grey matter” in the brain.  This happens to be the part of the brain where mental process occurs. How’s that for social influence?

Using Facebook for Jobs

This Facebook change, in particular, offers a unique opportunity in social recruiting when it comes to creating engagement and building relationships with active and passive job seekers.

When it comes to engagement online and using social media influence as a form of job recruiting and building talent communities, Facebook is where the action is – no how many friends you have or don’t have.  Even if Facebook is no longer indexed by Google Search Engines and their Search Plus, Facebook is the online social network where people are the most themselves, offering an intersection between work and family.  Facebook is now exact place where companies should be courting candidates by developing meaningful relationships going beyond the average job board posting and into the mind and hearts of their potential candidate pool and fan base.

Facebook Social Ads Aid in Social Recruiting

As we continue down this journey and shift into the social media and online engagement era, companies must begin courting job candidates long before there are compelled to apply for a job. The  new Facebook changes of adding social advertisements  offer  companies a new option for social recruitment.  Like any form of canned, paid, or automated engagement, companies must tread lightly.  It’s like chocolate (except marketing or recruiting never tastes sweet) and there is too much of a good thing.    Relationships and friendships both online and offline do, however, taste just like chocolate.  Maybe even better if only because these social connections are proven to make you smarter!

Now, if you excuse me since I’m off to read some speak at a lecture on physics and time travel because I spend so much time on Facebook, I’m now a border line genius.

Photo Credit 

These days I seem to be part HR blogger and part Anne Landers providing readers advice and insights into navigating the world at work.   I guess it comes with the territory.  My business life right now during the holidays consists mostly of hoodie sweatshirts and house slippers so I’m up for the challenge, and hopefully so are you.  I received this email question a few weeks ago from a long time reader and experienced HR professional.  What kind of advice and suggestions can you provide her?

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I’m an HR Director for a nonprofit in California.  I’ve been here for 8 years, and as far as I can tell my performance has been okay.   We acquired a new CEO in May 2010 (although I don’t report to him), and he looked at a number of salaries to see if they were within market.  I asked him to look at mine, in August 2010, and he said he would.  Of course I informed my boss of my request, she said she would follow up on it.

I received a 3.6% increase in December last year.  All the other deptartment heads received raises of 6% or better, some as much as 10%.  I’m seriously underpaid, and he knows it.  Why I only got a token is a mystery to me…and I’m not about to go to him to ask him, simply for political reasons.   My boss had no clue, either.

My regular review date was in April.  I have yet to receive any kind of raise, even the standard 3% that we’re giving everyone who meets their job requirements.  In the meantime, I’ve asked my boss 3 more times about a raise.  I put together a bullet-point list of my accomplishments, goals, and presented that months ago.  I’m up to my eyeballs in work…and no one seems to give a rip.

I don’t know what to do.  I’ve started to look, but as you know there’s not much out there, at my level.  I’ve been hesitant to announce my desire to leave to my general HR sphere, but maybe I should go ahead and do that.

I guess I’m asking, HR pro to HR pro, what would you do?  I’m just baffled…and my life is pretty much at a standstill financially until I know if/what I’m getting in the way of a raise in pay.

I, as well as this reader would love to hear your insights, advice, and conversations.  Any help/advice you can offer would really be appreciated.

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And that leaves me to you blog readers. . . what do you think?  Should this person stay or should she go?  Is this a common quandary in just HR or are workers re-evaluating their priorities when it comes to work satisfaction as more than just a job?  Or maybe even still should this person just suck it up and be thankful they have a job?  Looking forward to your answers.  As for me, I’ll comment along with everyone else to this loyal reader.  

Photo Credit the smartly. 

A resume will get you through the door, but the interview is what will get you hired.

You might be the BEST at the JOB you are interviewing for, but if you don’t master communicating that in an interview, you may not get the job. Interviewing is a skill that can be learned… here is what you need to know to do it right.

• Apply to the right jobs.  You wouldn’t go on a date with someone who is totally wrong for you, so why would you want to interview for a job that isn’t a good fit? As tempting as it is to go for the highest paying or status jobs you can find, you should really only apply to jobs you know you are qualified for. Also, know what YOU want out of a job. This way you can make sure that the jobs you interview for are ones you actually want and can get.

• Know your stuff – and stop studying for the interview like it’s a test.  An interview is a conversation, not a test. So Don’t try to predict what will be asked. If you are applying to the right jobs, you really DO already know everything you need to know to talk about what you can bring to the job. Do practice a few things you KNOW you want to talk about related to your experience and definitely research the company so you know what they do, but don’t practice canned answers like you are playing a part.

• Answer the question.  Pay attention to what they are telling you during the interview and what questions they are asking. If they ask how much you grew business in Q4 of last year in your current role and you start talking about what you plan to to do when you are hired, it may seem as though you can’t focus on the task at hand. Keep answers focused and to the point and know when to stop talking and just listen – he who talks the most thinks the interview went the best…let it be them!

• Ask what success looks like.  “What are your expectations for the person in this role?”  “What impact are you looking for someone to have?”  Asking them to talk more about what they are looking for not only shows you are serious, it also may give you important clues on how to represent your experience to help them see you are the perfect person for the job.

• Back your answers up with specific examples.  Know your numbers and how to use them… If you are asked what your strategy would be to increase awareness of their brand, be ready to talk about how you might use a similar strategy to that was successful in your current position: that killer ad campaign you launched resulted in 89% growth in profits year over year.  Quantifiable success goes a long way to proving you are more than just talk – you get results.

• Set expectations.  An interview is not a one way conversation…don’t be afraid to ask them questions that will help you both have a clear idea about timelines. Ask them for guidance in terms of when you can hear back, how far along they are in the interview process, and if they have a date in mind by which they need to hire someone.

Also, let them know you plan to follow up – ask them something like “Hey, if I don’t hear from you in 2 weeks, would it be OK if I check in to see how things are going?”
Questions like these help you manage your follow up, and make sure you don’t leave still waiting for the phone to ring two months later or worse..turning into a total stalker.

Wendy Doulton is a guest blogger for Blogging4Jobs.  She’s a corporate headhunter and executive career coach who works in LA.  For more tips, catch the re-airing of her new reality television special called “The Headhuntress” on Bravo TV.  You can also follow Wendy on Twitter at @theheadhuntress or connect with her company, Katalyst Career Group. 

Photo Credit Voice Advantage.

Four years ago I saw the writing on the wall. My job as a corporate recruiter was at risk. The trickling fall-in of the recession was taking its toll, seemingly one soul at a time. I surveyed the landscape of my gig and realized that, due to the changes that were taking place within my company and on Wall Street, I needed to prepare. I needed to prepare for the worst. I wasn’t really sure how to do that. My own landscape included a marriage beyond resuscitation, a job that was becoming as endangered as a spotted owl, and escalating bills.

I decided to look for work and once a new position was secured and that first month under my belt, I gave my husband his pink slip. With one less income in the house, the third issue -bills- was not going to go away any time soon. I had begun to write about recruiting and gone back to school to get my business degree, so life was well-rounded between my daytime job and the numerous activities my gut was telling me in which to get involved. Number one activity? Social Media. I had been unable to get enough of it - interestingly enough, I still feel that way today. While I watched the tragedy of the new recession unfold, my online writing increased and with much consternation from those around me, I decided that I needed to focus on new media / social media. I needed to figure it out and use it. I knew I did – I was pulled to it like a moth to flame.

I took a huge chance in making the choice to write more and dive into an unproven area of business. The thing is, the risk paid off. Through my study and writing, new areas opened up to me. I left the software sales recruiting firm at which I had landed and went in-house: my house. I started consulting small businesses about hiring practices and how to use social media to augment their online presence with the hope of increasing revenue as a result. I couldn’t stay away from the computer. I started getting asked to speak at local business meetings and networking events. I developed Bonus Track and presented the idea to Jason Davis at RecruitingBlogs. I worked consistently every day to build my own personal online presence. I created profiles on every network I could get my hands on. I attended networking events as close as two blocks from my home and as far away as 2600 miles. My bank account was non-existent and I was afraid…, but I kept at it.

Why? Why would I keep plugging along, working so hard at something that didn’t come close to paying my living expenses and supporting my family? Because it was work. It was hard work and in my book, hard work always has a pay-off. Always. The risk seemed greater every day. Every day, bills arrived at my door. Every day, I seemed to get further away from my goal. Then, about a year into my quest to survive and thrive, I met someone at a networking event that retained me to help him market his business – using social media. Then I contracted with someone else. Then someone else… It was working, I was working, getting paid a little, and I loved what I was doing. And it was hard work, it was constant work. I worked long hours and tried everything I could to scrounge a few dollars together to buy groceries. My children needed to be fed, I needed to be fed. I will be honest with you, it was extremely difficult. It was the hardest thing I have ever done; I wasn’t sleeping because those hours were filled with worry.

As a result of my involvement and work at RecruitingBlogs, I started getting noticed and my requests for conversations were being granted. One such request was to speak to and have lunch with Kelly Robinson at Broadbean. By the end of our first conversation, Kelly offered me a job. A full-time job – not a contract position – like I had first thought. That was in the summer of 2009. The risk, the macaroni and cheese, the endless hours spent online building relationships and expanding networks, the marketing and business plans written for clients and partners, the late nights spent writing – blogging, the losses, the changes… They were all worth it. Social media proved to bring me significant ROI.  The investment hurt, the ache in my stomach was hunger, and not just for food, but for total sustenance.

A risk that paid off more than my credit cards – a nice side effect, by the way.

** Celebrating my 750th Bonus Track by recalling how I got here **
This is Bonus Track #547 and was picked up for publication as a “war story” (page 43) in Jay Conrad Levinson’s and David Perry‘s 3rd Edition of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters. 

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Every day brings new challenges to face and conquer. Whether or not you are able to triumph will depend upon, not only skill, but also resolve. Distractions line the way, as does discouragement. And as you age or become more entrenched in your work, the distractions change, as do the things that discourage you. I guess I am feeling my age these days. I don’t feel older but I’m one of them smart chicks; I know I am, older, that is.
Whenever I hear or read about discrimination, it is someone else facing it, not I. While I would not claim my life and the path I have trod as easy, I would not say it has been so overwhelming to be insurmountable. As I age and as younger generations surround me with their mad skills, their crazy knowledge, and understanding of technology, as well as their seemingly better way, I realize that I am on the back side of life. And I wonder how can it be? I still feel eighteen.

The last couple of weeks have brought this more into the forefront of my mind. Why? Because it is being spoken of, I suppose. I have a brother and friends who still cannot secure work and they are questioning if it is their age.  And after speaking with them all, it is clear that they are experiencing ageism.  There are a few that have had senior leadership positions for most of their adult life and now they find themselves “over-qualified” and unemployable.  Displaced Workers.  I still feel like I am brand-spanking-new to biz and the corporate world, ever intrigued and plagued by my desire to learn as much as I can every day. But when I look around my place of employment and I realize I am the elder in the room, it sometimes scares me.

Not that I am 48, I love being my age. Not that I have a few gray hairs and some smile crinkles to match; they are not wrinkles yet – really, they aren’t. Not that I feel like I cannot keep up or that I have “brain fog” – a term I learned a couple years ago from Recruiting Animal. Not that I have ever felt inadequate or insecure in my work or even my knowledge.

What I fear is that others will think those things.
That others will assume that my boat is getting further away from the harbor.
That conclusions will be jumped to, as I have witnessed happen to my older friends.
But wittingly enough on my part, I love the blue ocean. So, I don’t mind being away from a seemingly safe harbor. I thrive on finding that better way, on building a strong foundation around me and under whatever project on which I am working. How safe is a harbor that shackles you and keeps you from exploring. Neither Magellan nor Ponce De Leon have anything on me. My fountain of youth is what lies at my finger tips – the internet, a phone number dialed, press releases, and web copy written, whatever fantastic new technology with which I get to play ends up in my hands and a pen that takes frantic notes when information comes my way – that’s my fountain. I plan on drinking from it for a long time to come.

**The Fountain of Youth is part of a series about Discrimination, watch for more.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

What “So tell me about yourself” really means?

It’s usually the first question you hear at a job interview: “Job Seeker, so, tell me a little about yourself.”

A lot of us take this as an invitation to wow the interviewer about how cool we really are. Besides being qualified for this position, they’ll really be impressed by my Star Wars collection, my three pugs and my home beer brewing hobby!  I’ll tell them about my hopes and dreams, and being so impressed by my creativity, they’ll offer the job on the spot.

Usually, um… no.

I spent a lot of money on a career counselor once who gave me some of the best advice about how to answer this question and every other question during a job interview.

“They don’t want to hear about you. They want to hear about how you can benefit them.”

Simple as that. This is, after all, a conversation in which you are trying to convince a company that you can be an asset. As long as you keep in mind that you are selling your services, experience and talents as it applies to the position, you can’t go wrong.

Save the dog stories and the beer brewing for AFTER you get the job!

So, let’s go through it again.

Interviewer:  “Job Seeker, so, tell me a little about yourself.”

Job Seeker: “Well, I graduated from ABC University with a BA in Business. Since then, I’ve worked at numerous companies, quickly going from intern to supervisor within three years. I tripled the sales numbers at XYZ company within two years. I am particularly skilled in computer applications and sales, and I feel I could make an immediate contribution to the company from day one.”

Now shut up.

With every question that comes next, keep in mind that what the interviewer wants to know is how YOU WILL BENEFIT THEM.

It’s really not about you.

It’s about how you can help them.

Employers, what do you think? Do you really want to hear about a person personally, or are you more interested in their skills? Or both?

Photo Credit Flickr & Adelle Frank. 

Heide Brandes is a writer and content creator for Xceptional HR.  She has more than 15 years of experience as an award-winning journalist and editor who specializes in human resources, career, and recruiting topics. You can learn more about Heide at HeideWrites and follow her on Twitter @heidewrite.