Should You BeKnown or LinkedIn? plus 1 more | Career Rocketeer

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 03:30 AM PDT

LinkedIn has long been the leading personal branding and professional networking tool and network online for professionals and students worldwide.
However, Monster.com just launched BeKnown, a professional networking app for Facebook that dramatically changes the way Facebook users can leverage this traditionally social network to establish their personal brands, develop connections and advance their job search and careers.
Many careerists have leaned on LinkedIn as one of the few effective tools for personal branding and career management, sharing concerns about conducting their professional networking and job search on Facebook due to the more social nature of the network and in some cases, due to the potential liability their profile content may be to them in their career. As a result, they have done everything from censoring their profile photos and details, hiding their Facebook profiles from non-friends with increased privacy controls, and even creating separate Facebook pages for their professional selves.
With BeKnown, these concerns are no longer an issue and such counter efforts are no longer necessary. BeKnown is an app that brings the power of professional brand building, career networking and job searching to Facebook while simultaneously keeping them as separate from your social profile, connections and activities as you feel comfortable.
On BeKnown, you can:

create a professional resume profile with their step-by-step guide, importing your current information from your Monster, Facebook and/or LinkedIn profiles
make selective career connections from both your social and professional spheres
follow companies and stay up-to-date on their activities and job postings
search jobs posted by your connections and via Monster.com
review job listings tailored specifically to your listed experience, education and skills
and much more…

Supported by both Monster.com and Facebook, BeKnown is already big and is just going to get bigger, conveniently consolidating all of these top features and benefits on the most popular social network on the web.
But, as per the post's title, now that BeKnown is available, should you BeKnown or LinkedIn?
Honestly, my recommendation is that you be present and active on both. The launch of BeKnown is very exciting and offers professionals and students a new and powerful tool to leverage in their career progression, but by no means negates LinkedIn or anything you have already done to build your brand and your network on this platform.
LinkedIn still provides incredible value with highly-search-engine-ranked profiles, a network of millions of professionals, networking groups and Q&A, a comprehensive company directory, its own job board with unique listings and countless other features and benefits.
I know that there are tons of different tools and networks available to you and it can be overwhelming to look at them all and decide where to dedicate your time and efforts for maximum career ROI. BeKnown and LinkedIn are easy to start, build and regularly maintain, are definitely worth the investment and will undoubtedly serve you in your career moving forward.
What do you think about BeKnown?

Author:
Chris Perry, MBA, is a Gen Y brand and marketing generator, career search and personal branding expert, speaker, brand consultant and the founder of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad.

Toot Your Horn in Interviews Like Miles Davis

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:40 AM PDT

One of if not the most common interview questions is "Tell me a little something about yourself?"
On the flip side, in my coaching practice and during Q&A sessions at seminars, talk shows and job fairs I've participated in people often tell me "I have no problem tooting someone else's horn, but I have a real problem tooting my own. What can I do?"
Worse yet during the thousands of interviews I have conducted too many candidates overextended themselves or kept rambling on about "some useless information that's supposed to fire my imagination" (Rolling Stones) and ended up talking themselves out of contention for a position I thought they were a good candidate for.
So the two-fold question is how to answer this ubiquitous question and what in the world does Miles Davis have to do with this?
Let me answer the second question first. Miles Davis had two qualities every job seeker needs to emulate. The first is obvious; Miles Davis could toot his own horn better than any musician I know. This was true in both his trumpet playing and when he spoke publicly about himself and his music. He had a confidence in his ability that came through loud and clear that was an integral part of his public persona. This is what every job seeker has to work on and perfect. No matter what your do for a living and how experienced or inexperienced you are you need to exude confidence in who you are and come across as poised and positive about whom you are and the value you possess.
The second and perhaps more valuable quality that Miles had was his ability to adapt and change with the times; and not just over a few years but over several decades. When music changed direction Miles Davis was always at the forefront and got ahead of the curve rather than falling behind it. This is an important lesson on survival for job seekers in today's job market, especially those in the vulnerable 40+ Club. Since the business world is constantly evolving it is imperative that you keep pace and let people know this about you.
Now let's dissect this question and see how you can improve your answer during your next job interview.
First off notice how the interviewer's question is phrased (if they do not say it assume this is their intention) "tell me a LITTLE bit about yourself"; the optimal word here being little. So here are a few tips in random order on how to prepare for and answer this ice breaking question and start the interview off on the right foot.
1: Have your answer prepared and rehearsed in advance and practice it over and over until it flows naturally from your lips just like the notes flow from Miles Davis.
2: Keep your answer between one to three minutes maximum. At the beginning or end you can try and gain some control of the interview by asking the interviewer this question, "is there something specific you want to know."
3: Research the company and the job so you know what it is they are looking for and what they value the most in a new hire and speak directly to these points and these points only, and under no circumstances ramble on about useless information
4: Do your C-A-R exercises so you know what your value is to this employer and showcase these points when answering this question. Improvisation may be great in jazz or rock music but not on a job interview
5: Never overstate your qualifications, experience, accomplishments or abilities.
6. Just like on your resume, focus on the present and the future and don't dwell on the distant past. Tell people about the most recent part of your life and let them know how you have evolved with the times.
7. You are only as good as you see yourself. Work with a coach, a friend or a peer who can help you to gain confidence in what you have to offer and help you hone your ability to toot your own horn.
8. Validate who you are. Seek and post endorsements on Linked In that corroborate what you tell people about yourself.
9: Just like in music, you need to control your vocal tone, pitch, phrasing and pacing when you converse with people on an interview.
Let me know if this helps.

Author:
Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view his sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com, and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.