When did LinkedIn become a job search site dressed up as a social network?

Posted by procureinsights

As LinkedIn moves closer and closer to launching their long-awaited IPO I cannot help but recall a line from the 1976 movie All The President’s Men, when Deep Throat admonished Bob Woodward (played by Hal Holbrook and Robert Redford respectively) to “follow the money.”

To what am I referring and, what does Watergate have to do with a social network IPO?  Well simply put of all the analysis that has been done so far in which data such as revenues, assets, cash on hand as well as registered users and page views, it is the trending relating to LinkedIn’s revenue source that stands out.
Let me share the following numbers with you:

• Job listings, Jan-Sept 2010: $65.9 million (41% of revenue)
• Job listings, 2009: $23.75 million (29% of revenue)

• Advertising, Jan-Sept 2010:$51.37 million (32% of revenue)
• Advertising, 2009: $23.8 million (30% of revenue)

• Premium subscriptions, Jan-Sept 2010: $44.1 million (27% of revenue)
• Premium subscriptions, 2009: $33.2 million (41% of revenue)

While advertising revenue has increased slightly by about 2% between this year and last, it is the almost equal reversal in the revenue percentages generated from Job Listings versus Premium Subscriptions over the past year that is noteworthy.

What these numbers say is that even though the dollar amount relating to subscriptions increased from $33.2 million in 2009 to $44.1 million in 2010, it’s premium memberships dropped significantly in terms of its percentage of LinkedIn’s overall earnings.

Conversely, revenue generated from job listings not only grew in terms of dollars from $23.75 million in 2009 to an incredible $65.9 million in 2010, but its share of the overall revenue generated by the network in in this most recent year grew to 41%.

These are not incidental, by the way numbers.  What they indicate is a trend which would seem to tell us that LinkedIn has become one of the first social networks to discover its true revenue producing formula or model.  And if you follow the money, it is more than likely going to lead to a re-branded business centered around jobs, jobs and more jobs.

Of course, and as I learned during the dot com bust . . . and subsequent boom, most of the early high flyers in the tech industry admitted that they really did not have any idea as to how they reached the lofty stratosphere of big dollar success – a point that was proven with the collapse of so many companies into a remember when oblivion.

In short, I am not certain that the fine people that occupy the executive suites of LinkedIn actually planned to become a premier job listing exchange however, and after their having grappled with various revenue model mixes, you graciously accept the results and capitalize on it through, you guessed it, an IPO.

Now I am certain that the brain trust at LinkedIn will probably pooh-pooh my take on the above numbers, indicating that they are at their core still a social network.  No doubt they will point to recent revisions of the site to include follow options and open forums to support this claim.  But bell and whistle introductions notwithstanding, the bottom line speaks volumes in that in 2009 LinkedIn’s net income was minus – that’s right minus <$3.4 million>.  In 2010 net income grew to a positive position of $10.1 million.  The big question is simply this, if their job listings service had remained the same as it was the year before, would they have turned a profit if their revenue was based on the increase in subscription revenue?  Follow the money.

This in turn leads to another question . . . is the growth in job listings an indication that perhaps LinkedIn has finally found the market’s hot button that will enable it to establish a genuine revenue model versus a pie in the sky valuation associated with other virtual realm sites such as Groupon?  For those who are unfamiliar with Groupon, it is a group buying site that offers collective purchasing power to its members who pass around the savings opportunities to people they know at a viral rate that would surpass any of the worst pandemics in history.  A hot property, Groupon received a $1 billion valuation despite having no visible means of revenue level to support it.  Ahhh, it reminds of the glorious days of the dot com era, when sizzle trumped substance.

The point I am making is that while the majority of social networks and related social media are still struggling to find their income producing footing, LinkedIn just may have found the money artery so to speak.

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Master LinkedIn's advanced search tips to get ahead of the competition

In a recent post, I talked about leveraging LinkedIn as a resource to help you identify both decision makers and competitors. To do that successfully, you have to get used to doing advanced search queries in LinkedIn's vast database. I'm going to give you a few scenarios below with specific examples to help you understand how to do this. If you're not technically inclined, it may seem a little daunting at first, but if you take the time to try these tips, you'll find that a wealth of information can be available to you in your job search.

Scenario 1: Research the Competition (Competitive Analysis)

Say you want to find competitor profiles to see how you stack up against them. If you're a writer, type in "writer" in LinkedIn's search box and you'll be presented with results that include "writer" in the profiles.  If you're a project manager, however, you have to include quotes around your search terms to find "project managers," instead of just profiles with the words "project" and "manager."

Type in: "Project Manager"

When you search for project managers, you're going to get profiles from various backgrounds. To exclude the non-relevant results, use the NOT feature (i.e. NOT construction would exclude results containing project managers with a construction background.) It's important that you use the word NOT in ALL CAPS.

Type in: "Project Manager" NOT construction

Scenario 2: Industry Networking

What happens if you're trying to set up informational interviews at various companies and you want to target people you may not already know? Say you're a software developer, and you know from experience that potential hiring managers would have the titles "Engineering Manager" or "Software Development Manager," etc. You can use the OR feature of LinkedIn to display both results.

Type in: "Engineering Manager" OR "Software Development Manager"

Scenario 3: Research Decision Makers (Prospecting)

Now you see a particular job at Microsoft that intrigues you, and you're tempted to blindly submit your resume. Then you remember from my columns that companies like Microsoft can get as many as 900 applications, so you don't want to be just one of the masses. You know that if you can speak to the potential hiring manager, you can learn more about the job beyond the job description and that can help you better tailor your application.

Read The Rest Of The Article And More Tips

Stanford's eHarmony-Style Job Search Offers Large Payoff

John Byrne offers a window into Stanford GSB's career services office with his article, "Creating An eHarmony Model for MBA Careers." He starts by reminding readers that graduates from Stanford GSB report the highest median base salaries—about $120,000/year compared to Harvard and Wharton's $110,000, Dartmouth and Kellogg's $105,000, and Columbia's $100,000. Furthermore, he states, nearly twice as many Stanford grads receive other guaranteed compensation as do HBS graduates.
Such numbers could be attributed to Stanford's small class size (about 385 a year compared to 910 at Harvard), to its location in the Silicon Valley, and/or to its phenomenal Career Management Center.
It is this latter consideration that Byrne focuses on in his article. The GSB's Career Management Center is headed by Pulin Sanghvi who is modeling the career match process to a system similar to that of eHarmony, a popular dating website.
Bryne sums up Sanghvi's understanding of the changing face of MBA recruiting as such:

"MBA recruiting is changing from the old recruiters-visit-campus model to one that is far more customized and targeted to individual student desires and goals. Roughly 80% of the companies that recruit at the school now hire only a single Stanford grad a year. For many of these recruiters, it makes little sense to come to campus and interview dozens to hundreds of students. Half of Stanford’s graduates now do self-directed job searches, forgoing the prestigious yet more traditional MBA jobs with McKinsey, BCG, Goldman and Morgan Stanley. Instead, they’re searching for positions with smaller companies in biotech, healthcare, private equity, or venture capital. They’re looking at small hedge funds along with Internet and technology startups."

To accommodate this change, Sanghvi is relying more on online resources to connect students with unique career opportunities. Similar to eHarmony's personalized matching system, Sanghvi is crafting custom support for individual students to connect them with jobs that best match their objectives and skills.
Stanford's career management staff uses an innovative software program to match student-updated online profiles to available career opportunities and to create customized support and mentorship between students and career advisors. The process is not automated, but more "an outcome of…high touch service" (15 full-time people in the career management center for 385 students). Such personalized matchmaking is realistic only when you're dealing with a student body the size of Stanford's.
“As we capture information online, we are using it to inform our one-on-one interactions with them,” says Sanghvi. “What we can bring every student is deeply customized support. Instead of focusing on generic topics, we’ll find out that there are ten students who want to know how to network in the clean tech industry. So then we can do customized programming for them, gathering best practices for that industry and bringing in alums from clean tech to speak with them.”
As a result of Sanghvi's program's success, many Stanford students are choosing not to participate in the fall recruiting cycle; the school has adopted a year-round recruiting schedule instead, recognizing that sometimes the longer you stay in the market, the greater the opportunities you may encounter.
Here are some statistics included in Byrne's article on how MBAs of Stanford's class of 2010 found their high-paying jobs:
SCHOOL-FACILITATED ACTIVITIES:
On-Campus Recruiting: 27%
Other (GSB-facilitated): 4%
Alumni: 4%
Job Boards: 6%
Resume Book: 2%
Career Fair: 1%
Faculty: 1%
GSB Class/Project: 1%
Student Club/Club Event: 1%
GRADUATE-FACILITATED ACTIVITIES:
Pre-MBA Employer: 23%
Family/Friend: 11%
Business Contact: 11%
Other (student-facilitated): 5%
Company Website: 2%
Executive Search Firm: 1%
Undergraduate Network: 1

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Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs

EpicLaunch


There are hundreds of social networks out there. You can’t be everywhere and we all need to focus our efforts and time on the most effective social networking sites. Here are the social networks I would recommend most for entrepreneurs.

Linkedin – Over 50 million professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas and opportunities.

Pro: Largest business network on the web.
Con: Some features require payment.

Entrepreneur Connect – Start networking with entrepreneurs just like you.

Pro: Free membership.
Con: Self promotion is not encouraged.

PartnerUp – Network with other small business owners just like you.

Pro: Free membership.
Con: Very wide range of topics.

StartupNation – Source for Small Business Advice and Entrepreneur Forum.

Pro: Many resources available and advice.
Con: Limited networking capabilities.

Biznik – Business Networking.

Pro: Free membership.
Con: Small network.

Perfect Business – Powerful Business Planning Software , Find Startup Funding.

Pro: Resources and networking.
Con: Very small network.

Young Entrepreneur – Small Business & Entrepreneur Community.

Pro: Very active community.
Con: Forum is a bit difficult to use.

Ryze – Business Networking.

Pro: Very easy to use.
Con: Design is poor.

Xing – Social Network for Business Professionals.

Pro: Second largest business network.
Con: LinkedIn is better to use for mass networking.

Musts:

• Facebook – Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them.
• Twitter – Twitter is without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is happening right now.
• Flickr – Flickr is certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world.

Reposted from EpicLaunch

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/top-10-social-networks-for-entrepreneurs-2011-1#ixzz1BaVPhNKI

Recruiters Rethink Online Playbook

By JOE LIGHT

As recruiters wade cautiously back into hiring mode, they're throwing out their old playbooks. Rather than sift through mounds of online applications, they are going out to hunt for candidates themselves.

Sodexo's U.S. unit has cut job posts on third-party sites since the recession started. Above, its Paris offices.

Many plan to scale back their use of online job boards, which they say generate mostly unqualified leads, and hunt for candidates with a particular expertise on places like LinkedIn Corp.'s professional networking site before they post an opening. As the market gets more competitive again, they are hiring recruiters with expertise in headhunting and networking, rather than those with experience processing paperwork.

Inundated by online applicants, McLean, Va.-based government contractor Science Applications International Corp. plans to cut the number of job boards it uses in the coming fiscal year to six from 15 or so, says company vice president Kara Yarnot.
SAIC has asked its 125 U.S. recruiters to find candidates for analyst, engineering, and other jobs on professional social networks instead.

"It's almost a throwback to the old, dial-for-dollars method of recruiting," says Ms. Yarnot. "We need to reach candidates earlier, before they're being pursued by competitors."

About 24% of companies plan to decrease their usage of third-party employment websites and job boards this year, according to a December survey from the Corporate Executive Board Co., a business consulting firm. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of respondents said they plan to increase their use of job-board alternative methods this year, such as employee referrals and other websites like Facebook Inc. or LinkedIn.

Food services company Sodexo USA, owned by Paris-based Sodexo SA, slashed the number of jobs it posts to third-party job boards by more than half since the recession started, says vice president of talent acquisition Arie Ball. The number of applications to some executive openings at Sodexo rose more than 50% to 300 since the downturn started, Ms. Ball says, but the increase brought many unqualified candidates.

"Recruiters had to put in all this extra time to read applications but we didn't get benefit from it," she says. Now, the company is hiring different types of recruiters who specialize in headhunting, including finding candidates to poach from competitors, rather than those who are good at processing and filtering applications.

Companies are adapting their plans as they start hiring again after the downturn. Between November 2009 and November 2010, the total number of job openings rose 32%, according to the Labor Department.

Job seekers who were reluctant to leave their existing jobs—as well as unemployed workers sitting on the sidelines—have begun casting about for opportunities, too. Between December 2009 and December 2010, recruiters saw a 17% increase in applications per opening, according to the Corporate Executive Board.

The trend has in many ways been a boon for job boards, which say they haven't noticed any impact from some companies' pullback. But some of the largest sites acknowledge that the new environment means they must do more to keep customers happy.

In the coming months, Monster Worldwide Inc. plans to roll out technology that ranks candidates based on how well their applications fit requirements set by the recruiter, says chief global marketing officer Ted Gilvar. The product has been available to some customers since late last year.

Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc. remains concerned that relying too much on job boards could be bad for business.

Read The Rest Of The Wall Street Journal Article

26 Tips to Enhance Your Experience on LinkedIn

By Debbie Hemley


With more than 85 million users and “a new member being added every second,” LinkedIn is often regarded as the premier social networking site for business professionals. Companies also see LinkedIn as a valuable place to promote their products and services.
Let’s explore LinkedIn together and see if you can identify new ways to enhance your user experience by considering the topics discussed below. As I’ve done in the companion pieces to this post, 26 Twitter Tips and 26 Facebook Tips, I’ll introduce LinkedIn Tips from A-Z.

These tips will reference both personal and company perspectives. But before we get started, let’s go over a couple of LinkedIn basics—who’s on LinkedIn, creating your LinkedIn profile and developing your list of LinkedIn connections.

Develop a network of relevant connections.

Who’s on LinkedIn?

To put it simply, everyone; full- and part-time employees, contractors, freelancers and key decision-makers from any given industry or company can be found on LinkedIn.

Creating Your LinkedIn Profile

If you’re just getting started on LinkedIn, you’ll want to strive for 100% completeness on your personal profile by adding your current position, at least two past positions, information about your education, a summary of your background/experiences, a profile photo, details about your specialties and at least three recommendations. And if you’ve been on LinkedIn for a while, think about profile changes you can make to further demonstrate who you are and what you have to offer.

Developing Your List of LinkedIn Connections

You can grow your list of LinkedIn connections through webmail contacts (email contacts who are already on LinkedIn), colleagues and classmates, and through networking on LinkedIn groups.
Your connections are what make LinkedIn work for you, so taking the time to expand your reach is time well spent. A unique perspective on connections is offered by Stephanie Sammons in her post, How Connecting Your Connections to Connect with One Another Will Help Elevate Your Social Status.

LinkedIn Tips From A-Z

#1: Applications

As LinkedIn suggests, you can add third-party applications to “enrich your profile, share and collaborate with your network, and get the key insights that help you be more effective.” There are currently 19 applications to choose from. Depending on what you want to highlight, you can give a good example of your specialties, areas of interest, and work samples.
For example, on my LinkedIn profile I’m currently using Reading List by Amazon, Blog Link and the new Publications feature. You can have a total of 15 modules and/or applications on your profile. A message bar will appear at the top of the page if you need to remove an application prior to adding another.

#2: Blog Links

You can bring your blog posts into LinkedIn with applications such as Blog Link or WordPress LinkedIn. It’s a powerful way to engage your connections with material you’ve written and if they hadn’t already been visiting your blog on a regular basis, your posts will make it in front of their eyes when they receive their LinkedIn updates.

#3: Company Pages

LinkedIn has offered company profiles since 2008 and last month the profiles were upgraded to “Company Pages.” Companies can now showcase significantly more about their business. With the new Products and Services tab, companies are able to feature products and services with descriptive overviews. Videos can also be embedded on the page, one per product or service. At this time, you can only upload videos from YouTube, although LinkedIn expects that to change in the near future.

Recommend your favorite products and services on LinkedIn Company Pages

“Since the Company Page roll-out, 20,000 companies are sharing over 40,000 products. Companies of all sizes and industries are using Company Pages,” said Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn’s director of product management. When a LinkedIn member recommends a company’s product, they share the recommendation with all of their connections.
Ryan spoke about the power of recommendations for businesses, and referred to the Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, in which Nielsen found that recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising. Ninety percent of consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.

#4: Direct Ad Campaigns

LinkedIn Direct Ads allow you to target ads by industry, company, geography, job function, seniority, gender and age. Ads can appear as a media box, banner ad or text hyperlink. Ads are pay-per-click or by impressions and can be stopped at any time.

#5: Events

With the LinkedIn Events application, you can browse by event type, topic, location and add your own event for users to find, promote and attend. Coree Silvera has a helpful post, Promote Your Event by Using LinkedIn Event Application. As she suggests, you can share with your contacts and also purchase paid advertising options targeting a specific audience on LinkedIn. This would entail going outside your own network of connections using advertising methods such as CPC (cost-per-click), CPI (cost-per-impression) or text ads.
You can also follow LinkedIn events on Twitter.

#6: Follow Companies

Company follows make it possible for you to keep your eye on key events happening at companies you’re interested in. You’ll see information regarding new jobs, new hires and promotions, what it’s like to work there via employee testimonials and how to contact a recruiter.

#7: Groups

LinkedIn Groups are a great way to stay on top of topics of interest to you and to network with others in your field. You can see who was most influential in the group the past week and follow their activities on LinkedIn. To find groups, go to LinkedIn Groups Directory.
LinkedIn has restrictions about whom you can reach out to with a free account. The person has to have been a colleague, classmate, someone you’ve done business with or a friend. One of the best bonus features of Groups is that you can send InMail to group members without having to upgrade to a premium account.

Tips 8 - 26 and Complete Article

Virtual Meetings Are Like Broccoli: 8 Tips for Better Virtual Project Meetings

By Wayne Turmel


Running good meetings for  remote teams is like eating our vegetables: we know we should do it, we know how to do it, it’s critical to our health in the long run and we rationalize our way out of it every chance we get.
Just as the secret to a healthy diet isn’t much of a secret (if you burn off more calories than you put in your piehole you lose weight ) ,there isn’t some magic potion or mystery to running a good webmeeting or teleconference. But just like being nagged about eating our broccoli, a good reminder doesn’t hurt to keep us honest.
The ProjectWeb blog by Chris LeCompte offers 8 tips that, while blindingly obvious, are often ignored at the peril of your project, your team and your sanity:

1. Only hold necessary meetings- just sharing information is not a sufficient reason to get people together, especially if time zones are a problem. You can use email, shared file sites, recorded webcasts and other tools to put information out there. Meetings are designed to accomplish a purpose. You can often boost productivity by not pulling people away from important tasks.
2. Have a clear purpose- “It’s Monday and we always have a status meeting on Monday” is not a compelling purpose.
3. Clearly list your objectives-Is this a brainstorming session? People should come prepared to discuss the matter at hand and have ideas ready. Do you need to make a decision? Then read the attached material before the meeting. Knowing what your meeting is designed to achieve does two things for a leader: it allows you to help people prepare (and hold them accountable for their role in that preparation) and tells you when the meeting is over. You’ve either accomplished your objective or you haven’t. When you have, you’re done.
4. Know who really needs to be there- There’s nothing more frustrating than being forced to attend a meeting that you don’t have a stake in. Other than getting some email answered, the only thing it accomplishes is building resentment and sucking up time. An effective meeting leader knows who the stakeholders are based on the desired outcome. If you want team members to feel valued but not pressured, let them know the meeting is occurring but their attendance is optional and that you’ll send out a report with anything they need to know. As long as people don’t feel like they’re left out, it’s amazing how many will choose to do other things- actual productive things.

Tips 5 - 8 and Complete Article

20 Best iPhone Apps for Job Hunting

In college, no one ever bothers to tell students the tough truth that looking for a job is itself a full-time occupation. There are job boards to scour, resumes to type, cover letters to proofread, meetings to take, interviews to prepare for, and on and on. It can be daunting for anyone, especially recent grads just getting used to the pressure of the working world. There's no shortcut to making it easier to land a job — sorry — but there are plenty of ways you can streamline the job hunt and give yourself as many advantages as possible before, during, and after the all-important interview. These apps are a great place to start, whether you're looking for updated job listings or trying to brush up on what not to do when you meet with human resources. Most are free, and the rest are pretty inexpensive. (And really, if you're willing to pay several hundred dollars for a smartphone and contract, 99 cents isn't going to kill you.) Download away. And good luck.

1. LinkedIn (free): LinkedIn is a social network that's a lot more limited than Facebook, but that's a good thing. It's not meant for cat pictures or pithy status updates; it's about connecting with colleagues, friends, and everyone else you've ever known in an attempt to learn about new jobs as soon as they become available. The free app lets you manage your profile, search jobs, send messages, and research companies on the go. Great for last-minute refreshers before an interview.
2. Job Search by Indeed (free): Indeed.com is a wonderful job-search engine that combs multiple boards and displays all the results at once, so it's no surprise that its iPhone version is so popular. The app also saves recent job searches (e.g., "Manager" in "Los Angeles") for easy retrieval and updating.
3. Jobs by CareerBuilder (free): CareerBuilder is one of the most popular job-search sites around — they launched in 1995, which makes them ancient in Internet years — and the app version is just as helpful as the full site. You can search for work by keyword or location, sync with your existing profile, mark job listings as favorites, and email results to yourself. A necessary tool for anyone.
4. LinkUp (free): Some people question the worth of having multiple apps that cover multiple job boards and often provide overlapping results. Those people have a harder time finding work. The key to success in the job hunt is to cover as much ground as possible, and that means using as many tools as you can to bring in information about potential openings. LinkUp is another great aggregate that lists postings often found only on a company's specific website and not on general job boards, exposing you to more listings than other services.
5. CraigsPro (99 cents): There are many versions of Craigslist available via the App Store, but CraigsPro is one of the better ones. It's only a buck, and it lets you simultaneously search multiple cities for specific keywords. It also detects phone numbers in postings and gives you the option of calling the poster directly. A good way to spot new job openings in different markets.
6. Job Search Organizer: A must-have. Job Search Organizer is just what it sounds like: a way for you to keep track of every job you've applied for, manage your resume and info, and search for new listings.
7. Resume Pro ($2.99): A simple but effective way to get your c.v. out there, this app takes your personal and professional information (and a photo, if you desire) and works up a professional resume that can then be emailed as a PDF to recruiters, managers, and the like.
8. SnapDat (free): Making business cards can be expensive, so let this free app help you out. Create your own digital card that can be swapped with other app users via username searches or just emailed to new contacts. A helpful way to save some cash while looking for work.
9. Internship Seeker (free): Whether you're a college student searching for that perfect internship or a seasoned worker in need of a change of direction, this app can get you where you need to go. You can search open listings, earmark your favorites, and more.
10. iJobs (free): This simple, direct app does what it says it will: connect you with jobs in your area. The clean interface lets you search for jobs by ZIP code as well as limit those findings based on how far you're willing to travel.

Apps 11 - 20

Operation B-School: Finding the Right MBA

By Francesca Di Meglio

Information overload makes finding the right B-school more difficult than it needs to be. Here's how to find what you need, and toss what you don't

In the millions of words of advice proffered each year on all aspects of the MBA experience, the very first step of the business school admissions process—the research—is virtually ignored. Yet choosing the right school is vital, and you can't do that without first popping a few hoods and taking a look inside.
From bloggers to business school associates themselves, people have a lot to say about the admissions process, including which schools should be on an applicant's radar, how to write a decent application essay, and where to get recommendation letters. Wading through all the material and so-called help to get the right list of potential schools can be overwhelming. Many do not know where to start.
"It can be a daunting task," says Bruce DelMonico, director of admissions at the Yale School of Management (Yale Full-Time MBA Profile). "There's so much info out there for you to process."

Your Priorities

Researching business schools is akin to trying to find oneself. Reflecting on what one wants to get out of a degree and the type of business school experience desired is key. Admissions directors say it's not too different from gazing into a crystal ball.
"Determine your priorities," says Kathleen Edwards, associate director of MBA admissions at Emory's Goizueta Business School (Goizueta Full-Time MBA Profile). "Think about how the degree will advance your career, the job you'd like to have, and your lifestyle. Then consider your preferences of location, personality of the school, the kind of alumni it produces."
After some introspection, an applicant can start talking to others. Informational interviews with those who have the jobs you're seeking is a great way to confirm choices and find out about schools that specialize in those areas, says Edwards.
"Really explore your career goals," she says. "It will help you in the application process, but also down the road in the job search."

Job Placement Info

One mistake many applicants make is failing to look at the list of recruiters and job placement statistics of particular schools before applying. Then, when they enroll in the business school, they are disappointed by the job opportunities presented to them, says Scott Shrum, director of MBA admissions research at Veritas Prep, a Malibu (Calif.)-based provider of GMAT test prep and admissions consulting services. This is particularly hard on international applicants, who attend U.S. business schools in the hopes that the MBA program will help them land a job stateside and are disappointed when they wind up back home.
To get a handle on recruiting and job placement, applicants can consult the detailed information on many schools available at sites like MBA.com or the schools' profiles on Businessweek.com, where a comparator tool allows applicants to compare placement stats, and even top recruiters, at various schools.Many schools also post placement data online, including Harvard Business School, but not everyone is as forthcoming.
"Schools don't go out of their way to share this [job placement] information," says Shrum. "Applicants should be asking these questions more."

Read The Rest Of The Bloomberg BW Article 

The Ins And Outs Of Collecting Unemployment - NPR

NEAL CONAN, host:

This is TALK OF THE NATION, from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington.
The Labor Department announced today that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits last week jumped to the highest level since late October. And today, we focus on two words in that familiar announcement: seeking benefits.
If you've never been to the unemployment office, it's difficult to understand the many rules and regulations, the paperwork and the overworked staffers once you finally reach an employment consultant. If you are out of work, what don't we understand with dealing with the unemployment office? Our phone number is 800-989-8255. Email us: talk@npr.org. You can also join the conversation on our website. That's at npr.org.

And we begin with Andrew Stettner, deputy director of the National Employment Law Project, a group that works to enforce worker rights and help unemployed workers. And he's with us from our bureau in New York.
Nice to have you with us again.
Mr. ANDREW STETTNER (Deputy Director, National Employment Law Project): Good afternoon.
CONAN: And last month, President Obama signed a deal that, in addition to extending the Bush-era tax cuts, extended unemployment benefits for 13 months. Now, to a lot of people, that sounded like the 99ers, those who've been on unemployment for two years would be eligible to receive more unemployment insurance.
Mr. STETTNER: Yeah, that's correct. I think many people did think that. What that legislation did was it made sure everyone had at least the access to that same package that could go as long as 99 weeks. Many people who got laid off, you know, in the second half of the recession hadn't even received that and were going get cut off immediately in January. So what that bill did is that each individual will be able to receive that full package of benefits.
CONAN: So as much as 99 weeks, but for nobody beyond that.
Mr. STETTNER: Yeah, that's correct. And in many states, it's less than 99 weeks. And for some individuals with a spotty work history before they were laid off, it could be much, much less.


CONAN: And all of this is in a very confusing set of systems called tiers. If you're out of work through no fault of your own, you're eligible for unemployment insurance, but maybe just for tier one or tier two, and maybe not all the way to tier four.
Mr. STETTNER: So basically, the way you think about it is you get a certain amount of weeks added to your account. And if after each set of weeks, they're either 20 or 13 weeks at a time, if you're still out of work at the end of that tier and the program is still operating, you'll get the next tier. And that's what was crucially continued through December 31st, 2011. Workers will not have to worry. If they need to move from one tier to another in 2011, they're going to be able to do that. So it gives many people, three or four million people, the time they need to seek work.
CONAN: All right. We're talking with Andrew Stettner about unemployment insurance and what it's like to collect it. We'd like to hear your stories, as well. If you're unemployed, tell us about your difficulties or wonderful time dealing with the unemployment office. 800-989-8255. Email us: talk@npr.org.
Lisa's on the line from St. George in Utah.
LISA (Caller): Hi. I recently lost my job - well, last November. And when you file your weekly claim, you have to say whether or not you've had any work hours or anything like that and if - one thing I didn't understand before having been unemployed is that if you have a little bit of work, that you report that and then that deducts out of what your unemployment check is going to be for that week. And I have to say that our unemployment office down here has been extremely friendly when I've gone in, but they are so busy that you often wait - yesterday, in fact, I waited 50 minutes just to talk to a worker about it.
CONAN: Fifty, five-O, minutes?
LISA (Caller): Pardon?
CONAN: Fifty, five O, minutes?
LISA (Caller): Fifty, yeah.
CONAN: Oh, wow.
LISA (Caller): Fifty, as in almost an hour. And it's cut across all social and economic backgrounds and types of individuals that I've seen in there. I sat by a man last week where he had been at the same job for 30 years, and he was filing his first ever unemployment. I, as well, am filing my first ever unemployment, and I've been a worker since 1987.
CONAN: So quite - Yeah.
LISA (Caller): So I've never been unemployed. And you see - from young mothers - I saw a young mother in there the other day waiting on the phone with two young children, sitting underneath the desk that she was at because there was no place for her to take her children while she was waiting to talk to an eligibility worker on the phone. It just is - it's stunning when you go in there and you see all of the talent, all those individuals that are looking for work and of all different kinds, and there just isn't any.
CONAN: Well, Lisa, we wish you the best of luck as you look for work.
LISA (Caller): Thank you. I appreciate it.



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James Caan's top 10 tips to get a job

Searching for a new job can be a daunting task. It's hard to know how to distinguish yourself from other candidates and it can be disheartening when you apply for jobs but receive nothing back. Add to this the tough jobs market following the recession and you must make every effort to stand out from the crowd. Follow James Caan's tips for finding a new job and you should find your search becomes a little easier.

1. Like a good business plan, ensure your CV is interesting without giving too much away to clinch that all important interview.


2. Define your skills - especially IT skills that you use on a regular basis in your existing role. Disclose to potential employers how your skills will benefit the company, moreover how your skills will contribute to making the company more efficient and effective.


3. Like any good business, follow the rule of finding a need and filling it.

4. Channel all of your efforts towards finding a company which will actually have a job right for you.

5. Utilise every possible route of finding a job: direct applications, digital job boards, recruitment agencies, personal contacts. Furthermore, focus on reaching & impressing the decision maker (the person who is going to offer you the job you want)


Tips 6 - 10

James Caan is an experienced entrepreneur and a Dragon's Den member. His book, Get The Job You Really Want,  will be published on January 6, 2011 by Portfolio Penguin, £12.99.

6 Tips to Use Social Networking More Effectively to Find Your Next Job

On October 28, 2010 I left my last job and had a number of interviews lined up by November 4, 2010. A month later, during a 7 day period, I had 6 serious inquiries into my availability with the result of 2 second interviews and 1 job offer. In a few weeks I will most likely return to Iraq with a significant pay increase. How did I do it?  I used online social networking.
Online social networking will not get you a job alone. You still must have the right expertise, a great resume and above average interview skills. However, it will make meeting the right person who knows of an open position that much easier.

As I mentioned in my last post, it is very difficult to stand out from the crowd in a Monster, Dice, Corporate, or Recruiting firm’s database.


Do update your resume on your favorite job board but have realistic expectations. The days of the old, post resume in volume and the offers will come, technique are over. The best way to land a job is to have somebody already working there recommends you. To accomplish this you really need to put your laptop and Smartphone to work.


Update Your Social Media Profiles
When I arrived in Dubai on October 29, 2010 I had a 24 hour layover. After taking a quick nap, I cracked open my laptop and I logged onto LinkedIn to update my location. I changed my location back to where I am from in Texas and changed my industry from Defense & Aerospace on LinkedIn to Logistics and Supply Chain. This would allow me to indicate to Defense Logistics firms in the Killeen/ Temple and Austin areas I was available for an interview. This resulted in several stateside recruiters contacting me about positions I would not have otherwise learned about. I also clicked on recommended jobs and sent my profile to those firms as well.
I also posted on my Facebook page that I was returning to the US so that all my friends and family would know I was in the market. Besides my contracting buddies alerting me to overseas positions, my brother- in- law told me about Warehouse Manager position in Dallas,TX while people from  my father’s network reached out to me with potential consulting gigs.
I made sure to connect my Twitter account to both my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. I did this in order to share articles, job opportunities and random job related thoughts across all three platforms and save time.


Don’t Be Afraid Of Joining Non-Work Related Online Groups
Join groups that you are interested in socially such as running, fantasy football, sorority, chess, shooting whatever it is. Eventually someone will open up about work and they may be in a similar field or know someone who is.
This worked great for me. I follow a group of people related to technology startups. Occasionally I chime in with my two cents through a tweet or a comment on a blog. I had this gentleman hit me back last week to discuss a job opportunity which led to a discussion about my site Log Dog Jobs (soon to be Hello I’m Logistics) and a lead to a potential investor.
I would never have run into this person during the course of my normal life.

Tips 4 - 6

Are you looking for a job or waiting for a job

Filed under Job Search Strategies

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by Kevin Donlin,
Are you looking for a job — really looking? Or are you simply waiting for employment to fall into your lap?
If you’re like about 75% of the job seekers I’ve met over the past nine years, you’re probably doing too much waiting and not enough searching.
Stop.
Now.
Instead, here are two ways to be more proactive — and much more effective — in your job search.
1) Stop waiting for job leads to appear. Start making your own.
Here’s a real estate analogy that directly relates to your job search. (Trust me.)
Where would you rather buy a 3-bedroom house, in Japan or the United States?
Considering the price would be about $2 million in Japan vs. about $200,000 in the US, you’d likely opt for an American home. And why is Japanese real estate so pricey? Mainly because only about 15% of Japan is habitable. The remaining 85% of land there is too mountainous to build on. So prices are driven into the stratosphere by the intense competition for prime real estate.
Well, the traditional employment market is just like Japanese real estate.
Advertised job openings — those listed on the Internet or in newspaper classifieds — are only about 15% of the market. Yet, this is where about 80-90% of job seekers spend most of their time looking … so the competition is fierce. And, like Japanese real estate, you are far less likely to find what you want.
It’s far better to spend most of your time looking for jobs that are not advertised, since you’ll have less competition.
And how can you find unadvertised job leads? The two best ways I know are:

1. Calling employers to ask for an interview (explained in a prior article of mine, here – http://www.gresumes.com/marky-stein-clients.htm)
2. Networking more effectively

Since so many people get networking so wrong, I’ll tackle that one next …
2) Stop waiting for people to hand you job leads. Start networking right.
Here’s a recent email from an unhappy job seeker with a common — and completely wrong — negative attitude about networking:

Past experience has shown that most people will only help you when it directly benefits them, such as when there is an incentive hiring plan. For many years, I have tried to keep in touch with numerous people I knew very well. Most refuse to even answer. No returned emails, calls, etc. If people won’t even answer, they certainly will not help you. I would speculate that 98% of the time when I contact past acquaintances, I get the cold shoulder.

Jim, Pennsylvania

Like most job hunters who network unsuccessfully, Jim is asking the wrong questions. And getting the wrong answers. And not getting hired.
Instead of, “Why won’t anyone return my calls or give me job leads?” Jim (and you) should ask, “How could I give people a reason to contact me with job leads?” This simple change in mindset will make all the difference. Try it and see.
Here are more questions to ask yourself if your networking is not panning out.

• How can I make networking a two-way street, and do something that benefits the people I want job leads from?
• What news/tips/advice/suggestions could I give to people in my network FIRST, which would ethically obligate them to help me in return?
• Who else could I be networking with?
• How many new people have I met this week who could give me job leads AFTER I help them out in some way?

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Networking is like skiing. If you give up and say, “It didn’t work for me,” it’s because you weren’t doing it right. Period.
Here’s hoping these two ways to uncover job leads and network better will help you get hired fast. Now, go out and make your own luck!
Kevin Donlin is contributing co-author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0.” and “Guerilla Resumes“   (Which I review here).  Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to more than 20,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others.Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. To learn about Guerrilla Resumes and how it could help you, visit his site at www.GuerrillaResumes.com


Original Landing On Your Feet Posting

Get Organized for 2011 Job Search Success

To get the most out of your job search in the New Year, it is essential to get organized so you can effectively manage the sometimes chaotic process. In addition, an organized job search can be more time effective and efficient. Getting organized doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Here are a few simple ways to get organized to bring you the most job search success in 2011.
Calendar & Schedule
You can easily keep track of your daily plans, upcoming interviews, scheduled follow-ups with employers and other appointments with the help of a calendar. Many electronic calendars can be set to send you notifications a certain amount of time before upcoming events so you can prepare for them in advance. However, use what you’re the most comfortable with, whether that’s a calendar on your computer, your phone or even a daily planner.
Contact Manager
To take advantage of your network, create a list of contacts that you speak with during your job search. Include people you’ve interviewed with or met at networking events, recruiters you’ve been in contact with, and people who have served as your references. Make sure to make a note of how you’ve met them (or who introduced you), their contact information, company, when you last spoke and what they’ve done to help in your search (for thank you notes later). There are a few computer software options for contact management, however, a card file, address book or notebook can work just as well depending on your preferences.
Job Search Spreadsheet
Create your own job search spreadsheet to keep track of all of the positions you’ve applied to, including links to the jobs, your application date, when you plan to follow-up, the names of any contacts you have at that company and any other notes about the position. Not only will you avoid applying to the same position multiple times (which doesn’t look good to employers) but you can save time by having all the necessary information about each position in one place. By creating a spreadsheet with this information, you don’t have to research where you found the position, what the requirements are, or the name of the contact person.
File Management
When you target resumes and cover letters to specific opportunities, you’ll find yourself with multiple versions of these files saved on your computer after applying to a few positions. To keep track of all your files, consider organizing your application materials into separate folders. Make sure to use a file naming strategy that makes sense, such as “Resume-Manager Roles” or “Cover Letter-Edits from Pat” so you can easily find the right files.
In addition, you organize your email. File all job search correspondence into its own folder and consider creating additional subfolders for each employer you’ve emailed. This way, you can avoid losing any email with important information.
A little organization can go a long way when it comes to preparing for and jump starting your job search in 2011. If you have any other tips to organize your job search, please share them in the comments below.

Original Simply Hired Posting

The Leap of Faith - Smart New Year's Career Resolutions

Martin Yate CPC who is highly regarded as a career guru has provided an insightful post for Career Chatter for those in career flux. Martin Yate is an New York Times and an international bestselling author. His series of lifetime career management book Knock em Dead dynasties include: Knock 'em Dead Cover Letters; Knock 'em Dead Resumes and Knock 'em Dead The Ultimate Job Search Guide have been a source of knowledge and information for many decades.

Do read and absorb these words as their message is meant to provide comfort, inspire and strategically prepare for the New Year just around the corner. You will want to read them more then once, share them and then head to a library or the bookstore to pick up one or more of Martin Yate's learned books. To learn more about Martin visit his website, www.knockemdead.com.



Smart New Year's Career Resolutions:

The Leap of Faith

Everyone makes New Year's resolutions: we resolve to get a new job, make more money, win that promotion, but we rarely marry these desires with workable plans of action.

Typically Americans change jobs about every four years, and experiencing three or more careers changes that adds up to around 12 job changes over the span of a fifty-year worklife. Translation: professional change is a constant in your life. If you want your dreams to manifest this year, you have to do things differently.

The Leap of Faith

Believe in yourself and back up that belief with action. Make 2011 the year you replace blind loyalty to the corporation with loyalty to your own economic survival. Recognize that your next job maybe just a stop along the way; and of all the skills you have and all the skills you need to survive in this half-century worklife, the very weakest of all the skills you have, but the very strongest of all the skills you need are the skills of career management. Believe you can close this yawning gap between what you have and what you need and you can succeed in life.

Commit to Enlightened Self-Interest

You have to do things differently and that's to seriously commit to enlightened self-interest: make developing the means of your economic survival and personal fulfillment the center of your life. Start to think of yourself not as a person looking for a job, but as a company, MeInc., a financial entity that must maintain a steady cash flow over half a century. Think and operate as a corporation that always acts in the best interests of its survival and you can change the trajectory of your professional life.

The success of Me, Inc. depends on how well you run your company, which means that like every successful company, you must have products and services to sell today, and better ones to sell tomorrow. Translation: create ongoing initiatives for R&D, Strategic Planning, Marketing/Public Relations and Sales so that you know who you are selling to, what they are buying and how to reach your customers with the right message.

It all begins with Research & Product Development: Learning what's going on in your market and how to best respond for survival and growth. Your R&D department identifies and recommends the development of products and services with greatest appeal to your customers. Translation: the bundle of skills that make up the professional you are the products/services you develop and sell to your targeted customer base: those employers who hire people like you. Research & Product Development also works with all other departments so that every corporate initiative within MeInc.,operates with the latest intelligence.

Strategic Planning takes R&D's input and develops broad but specific initiatives for Marketing, PR and Sales, so that these departments in turn can develop the strategies and tactics that will keep MeInc., revenues flowing and growing. The Sales department exists to sell MeInc's products and services and will work on building new strengths in resume development and distribution, job search, interviewing and closing skills. Simultaneously Marketing & Public Relations will develop positioning strategies that promote your professional brand by
increasing your credibility and visibility throughout the professional community. Translation: Marketing & PR will work hard to develop the professional growth skills, and all the branding, career choice, career change and career management skills that help you navigate a 50-year worklife.

Change is constant in your professional world and no one really cares about your economic survival except you. It really is time to make the leap of faith to enlightened self-interest, because if you and believe in yourself and act intelligently on that belief you can change the trajectory of your professional life.

Martin Yate CPC
www.knockemdead.com

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