Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search

LinkedIn is a lot like chocolate -
more useful than it seems, and healthy too!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Linkedin_Chocolates.jpg)

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Chances are if you’re reading this, you have at least one social networking profile. You’re connected to tons of people on Facebook and Google+, get yourself into a whirlpool of crafty things to do on Pintrest, or hang out and chat with people on Twitter all day long. Have you made yourself a LinkedIn profile yet?

LinkedIn is probably the most useful tool in your online job search toolbox. This is where your professional life is on display for anyone to see, from recruiters to human resources at that company you would give your eyeteeth to go to work for – if you have a profile.

You don’t have to be an especially tech savvy person to create a LinkedIn profile. If you figured out Facebook, you’ve figured out how to fill in all the boxes on LinkedIn. Plus, they walk you through the weak spots in your profile and can give you suggestions on how to improve it. It is a good idea to get someone to read behind you and make sure that you didn’t make any spelling or grammatical errors. Following the link above should give you some really good pointers to make your profile stand out from the crowd.

The search box in the top right is the most useful part of LinkedIn, after making that profile so that you can be found and seen and possibly contacted about a job. Your connections are awesome, that’s true, because their networks are a good way to get you in contact with jobs, but you can also follow the specific companies who might have jobs available.

Those companies, from big ones to little ones, list their openings all the time on LinkedIn, and sometimes even before they update their jobs portal on their home website! Follow those companies, and you have an inside peek at those job openings, and you don’t have to use another job board to find them.

The latest news from LinkedIn is that they have updated their search engine, so you can actually search by job title (like “administrative assistant”). If you use the advanced search option, you can filter by company and people you know who work at those companies. You can also set LinkedIn to e-mail you results that match your specific search criteria – so you don’t have to do the same search each week.

One final thing to note about the power of a LinkedIn profile – and why you should always keep it updated – lots of hiring managers use it as a reference tool to see if your resume matches up with your work experience. The link above is a how-to guide on using LinkedIn to check up on job applicants.

How have you used social media sites to find jobs? Would you recommend that your friends create a LinkedIn profile after reading this? Let us know in the comments!

Safety Nets and Your Path to Success

A visual to help you keep track of where you are in the program.
Click to enlarge.

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

There are many ways that employment networks, like ERS, do business. Some of them are simple mom and pop organizations, with one or two employees. Some are a bit larger, but they don't just do Ticket to Work – they are a part of a larger business. We're one-of-a-kind; we operate a phone bank where we access our clients entirely over the phone and e-mail.

One of the biggest challenges our coaches face is helping Ticket Holders understand the safety nets of the program.  Our staff also expressed that it's hard to describe the entire process to someone who doesn't have a visual in front of them.  That's understandable, because this is complicated stuff to understand!

So I brainstormed and thought, what if I could create a visual representation of the important details, then you would be better prepared! Presenting our first infographic!

The Social Security Administration has allowed there to be different safety nets for each type of benefit, SSDI and SSI. Each one is treated as a separate check, so the safety nets only affect one or the other, but not both at the same time, if you receive both.

For SSDI, which is paid based upon a temporary or permanent disability claim, the safety nets are designed to help someone try their ability to work without affecting their benefits right away. Your Medicare is covered for a particular amount of time, as is your check, and you can re-enroll for your full check if your disability flares up again. The technical terms for these nets are found on the left side of the poster.

For SSI, which is a need-based benefit (they have an equation that determines this amount), your benefits are affected, but with a variety of ways to ease you back into supporting yourself so that you potentially don't lose your entire check right away. You can also reapply for your benefit check if you find your disability is interfering with your work, your Medicaid is covered, and there are several income equations that Social Security takes into account when you start working. The technical terms for each of these are found on the right side of the page.

Below these charts is the list and definition of the safety nets that SSDI and SSI share. If you receive both SSDI and SSI, you get all of these safety nets. You'll see each one of these safety nets in action.

At the bottom, you’ll see the path to self-sufficiency that we encourage you to stick with when you're a client of ERS. I started it when you first sign up for your benefits with Social Security, understanding that that's usually when you're unemployed. Each step ERS takes is outlined, along with each step you are expected to take.

We have a pretty complex computer system that helps us keep track of where you are, and Maximus keeps track of the rest.

Let us know if this chart helps you understand our job a little better! I'll be giving the career coaches a copy of this infographic so that if you call in asking questions about it, they'll know what you’re talking about and what I have put online for you. Feel free to e-mail or open up a chat with me on Facebook or Twitter about it too. As we say, we're providing the power of knowledge and opportunity to you!

Top Five Fatal Mistakes Job Seekers Make

Image courtesy of: 
http://www.wpclipart.com/sign_language/American_Numbers/5.png.html

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Searching for a job can be really stressful; you question every move you make, and everywhere you turn, someone has a bit of advice for you.  But there are certain things that you shouldn’t do under any circumstances. These are the top five mistakes that job seekers make, just for you!

1. Not customizing your resume and cover letter for the position that you want.

During your job search, I bet you are finding a lot of really awesome job descriptions. Ones that fit you perfectly, others not so much, but you’re finding ones that you could fill. So why aren’t you customizing your stuff so that you stand out from the crowd?

With more and more employers using software that filter resumes and cover letters by keyword, you don’t want to sabotage yourself by not customizing your resume and cover letter to the job posting. One word of warning to the wise: don’t completely recreate the wheel, just spend five to ten minutes changing some words to fit the post.

2. Not researching the company before you go in for the interview.

What research? It’s just a company, right? Wrong. A company’s culture means a lot about your success or failure as an employee of that company. Some companies support your efforts to go back to school, some believe in professional development, and some companies have a really strict dress code. These are all things that you can find out with a little bit of research.

If you can, try to establish a connection within your network who has some experience with the company you’re applying to, or who has a friend who does, and really think about what you want out of an employer. Asking questions like, “What is your typical work day like?” is a great one to open with and listen for clues as to how often their interaction with their supervisor is, what their coworkers are like (even how good the coffee is), which are all good indicators of what the company is like.

3. Not having a solid answer to “Describe your biggest weakness.”

Preparing for the interview is one of the most important things that you can do! There are plenty of websites out there, like here and here, that can give you lists of popular interview questions and how best to answer them. We would also strongly encourage you to think outside the box on these and other questions, and really answer them as yourself, and then tweak those answers to fit the pat answers provided. Practice with someone!

4. Not asking for time to consider an offer before accepting it.

I know that it is exciting to get a job offer, especially if you've been out of work for a while. I’ve been there… out of work for six months and no real prospects on the horizon, and then out of the blue you get a call and an interview! It goes so well that you are so excited and want to accept… STOP. This is the time to consider your options carefully. Review the offer. If they are offering you the bottom of the pay scale for the position, say $12 an hour, but you have 7 years of experience, why not come back with a counteroffer of $17 an hour? They might accept, and they might not.

Consider the math. Twelve dollars an hour is $24,960 a year before taxes. Subtract about a third of that for taxes and FICA… that leaves you with $18,635.36 for yourself. Compare that with $17 an hour: $35,360 before taxes; $25,951.76 after taxes. Which will actually cover your monthly expenses? What about other perks, like medical and dental insurance? Paid time off, possibly to go to the doctor? (Please note that the above calculations were based on an assumption of 40 hours a week, filing as single, no deductions, and exempt, living in South Carolina.)

5. Not knowing when to say “No.”

One of the biggest harms to your job search is you. Your friends and family think that you have all of this time now that you can devote to them – and you really don’t, do you? Your full-time job right now, while you’re unemployed, is looking for a job. That means spending time on job board websites (like this one, this one, and this one) scrubbing for jobs that fit you, writing your resume so that it is customized for the positions you’re applying for, writing your cover letter fifty ways to Sunday, going to networking events… do they pay overtime for this?

I’m not saying don’t do stuff with your friends and family! Just prioritize your job search, just like you would if you did have a job. Don’t give in every time someone calls and asks you to do a huge favor for them, like walk their dog while they're out to lunch. You have priorities, so learn to say no so you can focus on those.

I hope these help you in your job hunt, and if you need any help with any of these tips, don’t hesitate to give us a call and let us know where you need help. That’s what we’re here for!