Social Media Stats

A recent article by Talent HQ indicates the following social media statistics from Spring 2012: Users

• Facebook – 850 million
• Twitter – 500 million
• LinkedIn – 161 million
• Google+ – 90 million
• Foursquare – 23 million
• Pinterest – 10.4 million

Daily Stats

• Facebook – 31% of users check-in daily for an average of 20 minutes
• Twitter – 175 million tweets per day
• LinkedIn – 11.5 million searches per day
• Google+ – 5 billion g+ buttons served each day (served, not clicked)
• YouTube – 4 billion video views per day

Personal Branding: Why These Stats Make It Relevant

“So what,” you say? “What do these social media statistics have to do with my personal brand, my IT resume or technical resume, and my job search?” It’s simple. Companies are going to expect to find you on one or more of these sites when considering you as a candidate for a job opening. As such, it opens the door for opportunity. I suppose you could try to be like everybody else out there is SoMe (social media) land. That’s easy enough. Just sign up for a few of these services and write the standard description of yourself that makes people reading it fall asleep within 3 seconds. The alternative is to craft a strong, compelling personal brand statement that is real to who you are, what you do, and what you want to do. Then put some creative messaging in place to effectively communicate this brand across all of the social media forums you’re a part of. Just keep in mind that these forums are all different, and the demographics are distinct for each…so the style you use to communicate your brand message should correlate with the site you’re on. ... Read more

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• Who are you?
• What have you done?
• What makes you special?
• Why should we hire you?

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The Harvard Business Review published an article on April 3, 2012 by Michael Fertik entitled, “Your Future Employer is Watching You Online. You Should be Too.”  Before I read this article, I had not fully considered all the different ways employers might be researching candidates. I had seen statistics, which  Fertik also shares, that more than 75% of employers actively research candidates online (note this was a December 2009 statistic from Microsoft and is probably higher now), and that more than 70% of employers have decided not to hire a candidate based on what they have found online. I assumed that recruiters were looking at major social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn; but according to this HBS article, recruiters dig much more deeply, looking through “shopping profiles, online gaming sites, classifieds and auction sites (think eBay and craigslist) – and even in virtual worlds like SecondLife!” ... Read more

How good a fit is the job you have now? The one you’re pursuing or interviewing for? While we’re at it, how good a fit is the company itself–your current employer or the one you’re aiming for next? If you haven’t asked yourself these questions yet, you really should. Failure to identify the answers can lead to failure in the job because it or the company isn’t a good fit for you, or vice-versa. A few years ago I took training to become a Certified Job Search Strategist (CJSS). The core training resource was a book called Job Search Magic, by Susan Whitcomb. I’ve used that book and its principles countless times since then to help clients focus their job search effectively. In view of the current challenging economy and changing work world, I thought it was time to revisit some of its ideas that you might not be familiar with... ... Read more

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson – he of the phantom computer science degree that found its way on his official resume filed with the SEC– was either fired or resigned. The question remains; whose fault was it that the resume mistake wasn’t caught earlier? The now-departed Thompson said that exec search firm Heidrick & Struggles was to blame; somebody on the search firm interviewed him for a role with eBay years ago when the error originally occurred, took incorrect information, and that’s how it got in the system and on to his Yahoo resume... ... Read more

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson resigned yesterday after it was discovered that he misrepresented his academic credentials. Thompson claimed to have a degree in computer science but he only holds a degree in accounting. Thompson’s certainly not the first person to lie on a resume. Many other high-profile executives, politicians, and sports and entertainment figures have bent the truth on their resumes only to have the situation backfire, yet the practice continues. While no one ever has a good reason to lie on a resume, Thompson’s case strikes me as a great example of a bad reason to lie on your resume. He is obviously an accomplished executive who held significant technology roles at PayPal, Visa, Barclay’s and other well-know companies prior to coming to Yahoo. His achievements were many. What was the point of pretending to have a technology-specific degree from 25+ years back? Can you imagine rejecting a candidate with so much relevant experience because he earned his degree in a different field over 3 decades ago? Thompson’s situation is unfortunate, but maybe it is a good reminder to all that a resume is an opportunity to prove your value and relevance to a prospective organization. Employers are most interested in what you have done lately that can help their organization move forward. If you are a job seeker with several years of experience under your belt, where you went to school and what you studied are rarely deal breakers. ... Read more

I kind of disregard the stats about how people find jobs.  I think the survey is too old, and too general.  It all boils down to networking anyway, no matter how you look at the stats.  I tend to say anywhere from 60 – 95% of jobs are found through networking … with a number of variables (like, the type of job, industry, etc.). I think informational interviews are the bomb.  THE BOMB.  Most people bomb them, though, because they don’t know what they are doing. I also think Micheal Webb developed one of the best systems to find a job I’ve ever heard of.  It’s simple… very simple.  But it is too scary for most people, because it involves picking up the phone and talking to … people! AAAAAH, people!!! Scary! It’s much more comfortable to just hide from your job search doing things like applying online, and “networking” online, etc.  But folks, if you want to end the unemployment, get good at picking up the phone. David, one of my favorite JibberJobber users, sent me an  article on Recruiter.com titled Cold Call Your Way to a New Job.  It is short, and brilliant. The length of the article doesn’t matter.  Getting a book on cold calling won’t necesarily help you, if you aren’t willing to actually pick up the phone and call.  You have to do this... ... Read more

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Could you be the next Scott Thompson – fired for lying on your resume? Few people hold such high-visibility jobs as Thompson, until recently the CEO of Yahoo. So you might not think a little white lie – a stretching of the truth – will matter on your resume. You might think no one will notice or no one will check. You know you can do the job – so what’s the harm? Well, for one thing, it’s a lie. For another, it’s the beginning of a slippery slope. First you lie on the resume, then that lie gets repeated in a company bio and becomes permanently attached to your name. The more widespread, the easier it is to check, and the more likely it will be spotted by someone who knows it for a lie. The risk is not worth the potential reward – and it’s the wrong thing to do. Most people who think about lying on resumes are, in my opinion, insecure about their credentials. They are sure their “issue” – whatever it is (lack of a degree, lack of a specific degree, a gap in employment, a lower-level job title) – will make it impossible for them to get the job they really want. They want to be competitive against other candidates who – they are certain! – have all the right stuff. My advice: Focus on what you DO have, not what you don’t. Emphasize your successes and be able to tell a compelling story about your challenges and accomplishments. Be confident in your value! And find ways to make that “issue” less obvious on your resume. (Hint: Hire a professional resume writer!) No, you can’t make yourself qualified for jobs for which you don’t have the required credentials. But the key issue is not the credential, it’s the mindset and confidence. Did Scott Thompson really think a degree in computer science from 25 or 30 years ago made him more qualified to lead a technology company than simply having an accounting degree? Chances are, no. But when he first perpetrated that lie, he believed that he needed it to land the job he wanted. It was all downhill – down the slippery slope – from there. ... Read more