2009 March « NotJobs – How NOT to Get a Job

Archive for March, 2009

NotJobs: How NOT to get a job with Twitter

Cisco Fatty Original Post Last week, a young, tech savvy 20-something named Connor Riley posted this snarky Tweet on Twitter. Cisco employees noticed and called her on it. The incident blew up into an internet meme tagged “Cisco Fatty“. Lately, Ms. Riley has been on MSNBC trying to explain how dumb her action was.

Back in January, James Andrews, an executive VP from Ketchum PR, tweeted about how horrible he found Memphis (above). Andrews was in town to speak at FedEx, a company headquartered in Memphis. A FedEx employee found the tweet, and sent it to Vice Presidents, Directors and the management at Ketchum. Andrews ended up having to apologize.

The moral here is – don’t be stupid in public. Also – don’t say anything in a social media forum that Social media can give you your fifteen minutes of fame. Just make sure that you get famous for the right things. Just as Kevin Colvin found out, there is no privacy on the Internet.

Here is a roundup of these stories – Cisco Fatty:

Key Influencer in Memphis:

On that note: Check out this view of the “Twouble with Twitters“

Add comment 30 March 2009

NotJobs: How NOT to get that attorney job

But then I realized that I was not applying to a stuffy ass federal prosecutor or corporate law job…

Thanks to Eagle I On-line, here are some humorous examples of bad cover letter text from aspiring lawyers. Susan Gainen at University of Minnesota Law School’s Career & Professional Development Blog published these actual errors from last year’s job seekers:

Trial advocacy and the defense of the indignant are the two primary forces behind my study of the law.
I would appreciate an opportunity to discuss my qualifications and how foregoing a relationship would be mutually beneficial.
If assiduousness and passion were candy, then I would leave you with a mouthful of cavities.
My anal retentiveness to minute details is quite possibly one of my greatest strengths, not withstanding my sense of humor.
As an inspiring defense attorney, I am particularly interested in working with the Public Defender Service.

She also notes that one shouldn’t walk in to the Hiring Partner’s office and say “I’d like to work here for a couple of years and then decide what I really want to do.”

See the whole sordid mess here.

Add comment 30 March 2009

NotJobs: How NOT to Get a Job via Social Networking

A few weeks ago, I found an old high school acquaintance on LinkedIn. Shortly after my invitation was accepted, she sent a blizzard of requests for introductions and job search help. No complaints there – as a recruiter in this economy, I’m used to getting asked to help with job searches. But it was glaringly obvious that my acquaintance had not even read the profiles of the people targeted by her introduction requests.

I’m pretty strict when it comes to people using my LinkedIn network. My philosophy on LinkedIn is that introductions have to make us both look good. My bar is pretty high, which helps me keep my connections from a lot of spurious traffic. I know that this is different than other people’s introduction philosophy. So when this intro blizzard arrived, I explained my philosophy and recommended she make a few changes her introductions.

I wish I had been able to point her to Scott Hepburn’s posting on the Media Emerging Blog about How NOT to Get a Job via Social Networking. Scott makes five points on how to use these tools to wreck your job search:

Blank/Incomplete Profile
“I Need a Job” Bio
Connect But Don’t Engage
Asking for Referrals Before You’ve Earned Them
No Blog (Or Other “Content Central”)

Scott has some great tips on how to deal with these issues. Check them out here. He’s also asking for your thoughts on Twitter.

BTW: My new LinkedIn connection didn’t take me up on my suggestions.

1 comment 29 March 2009

Mike Rowe on the War on Work

Since my employer is looking at a $54M budget shortfall, my civic co-workers and I enjoyed an unpaid furlough day today. While spending some time this morning shoveling out after yesterday’s blizzard, I had a chance to contemplate the nature of work. Once my driveway and that of my neighbors were clear, I came in to catch up on world news. Coincidentally, I found this 20 minute video of a talk that the Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe gave back in December 2008. Rowe explains how castrating lambs during a Dirty Jobs filming brought discovery and enlightenment about work.

This video is worth watching. The first 7 minutes are the castration part, and then Rowe quotes Aristotle on discovery (ἀναγνώρισις or anagnorisis) over the next three minutes. At 16 minutes, Rowe hits on his theme: How modern American society has declared War on Work. See the whole thing:

Rowe’s great insight is about the War on Work. He points out that this was not a planned campaign, but that it is a civil war, and a cold war. Rowe correctly identifies four fronts in this War:

1. Hollywood
2. Madison Avenue
3. Washington DC
4. Silicon Valley

Listening to him provoked a minor bit of anagnorisis for me. As a technical recruiter, I’ve been guilty of fighting against skilled labor on the Silicon Valley front. At one point, I believed that everyone should become computer literate because ever job could be done with a computer. What I didn’t appreciate is that Innovation without execution is meaningless. I didn’t appreciate the hard work it takes to build great technological devices until I worked in a manufacturing plant. Every genius with a gizmo need people who can assemble multiple copies of that gizmo. That where the skill is.

Hearing Rowe talk about Madison Avenue’s message about the War on Work was enlightening. Thinking about America’s current struggle with “work/life balance”, I realized that Rowe puts the blame in the right place: on the Advertising View that works against Work:

So many of the commercials that come out of there (Madison Avenue) in the way of a message. What’s really being said is, “Your life would better if you could work a little less; if you didn’t have to work so hard; if you get home earlier; if you could retire faster; if you could punch out sooner. It’s all there – over and over; again and again.”

“Life is better if you work less” – that’s the core message we hear about work/life balance. Not that we have to be effective. Not that we have to get ‘er done. Less work doesn’t make people happier – accomplishments make people happy. Working, being needed, and demonstrating mastery are what make people happy. And we wonder what happened to the American work ethic.

To help raise awareness of the forgotten benefits of labor, Rowe has a new project:

People often tell me that Dirty Jobs reminds them of a time when Work was not seen as a thing to avoid. When skilled tradesmen were seen as role models, and a paycheck was not the only benefit of a job well done. We need to recapture that sentiment. We need to celebrate, on a bigger scale, the role models right in front of us. Dirty Jobs has given me the opportunity to do that. With a little luck and the right support, mikeroweWORKS, will take it to the next level.

Good work, Mike! For what it’s worth, I’m adding you to my blogroll.

Hat tip to The Anchoress for the video find.

Add comment 27 March 2009

Get the skills for the job you want. Now!

The City & County of Denver’s Office of Economic Development will be holding two job search workshops on Friday.

THE SKILLS CLINIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 27
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m

WORKSHOPS:
1-on-1 resume review • conducting a better interview • surviving a layoff: taking advantage of job fairs and networking • making your money work • apprenticeships 101 • getting in on green jobs • the how-tos of customer service • re-entering the workforce • and many more!

TWO LOCATIONS:

Mi Casa Resource Center
360 Acoma St, Denver
Colorado Community College System – Lowry,
Lowry Conference Center, 1061 Akron Way, Denver

DETAILS:
Denver County residents are encouraged to pre-register on ConnectingColorado.com. Space is limited – classes are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a hard copy of your resume for resume critiques. Free parking is available, plus bus routes to both locations. More info at www.milehigh.com, download the Skills Clinic flyer or call (720) 913-1999.

Add comment 24 March 2009

Tips: Answering 3 Uncomfortable Questions

Laura Whitelaw on the Secrets of the Job Hunt blog has a great post on How To Answer Three Uncomfortable Interview Questions:

Below are some common questions that people often feel tense about and sometimes need some coaching on how they might best answer them.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?

Why are you leaving your current position?

What are your salary expectations?

See the full post for all her wisdom.

Other popular NotJobs interviewing tips are:

Add comment 16 March 2009

Job Fair Calendar updated

More Colorado job fairs are popping up, most recently the 1st Annual Sustainability Career Fair on March 19, 2009. This new event is sponsored by the University of Colorado at Denver Career Center in conjunction with the Denver’s Office of Economic Development. Registration is limited and must be completed on-line at www.careers.cudenver.edu. The fair will run from 1:30PM to 4:00PM at the Colorado Convention Center.

Readers can find a full list of all the known job fairs at the bottom of the column on the right.

Related Link: How to Work a Job Fair from Workforce Colorado.

Add comment 4 March 2009