Career Musings

Last year, it was Google+, now it’s Pinterest! Social media is exploding at an alarming pace that it’s becoming quite difficult to keep up. At the same time, as a career coach, I have to know what tools are available so I can guide my job-seeking/career transition clients accordingly.

With that, and as an early adapter, I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and requested an invitation. A couple days later my request was granted and I created an account, curated my websites, then decided to explore the tool in more depth. It has visual appeal, for sure, is great for graphic content and creative job seekers could find ways to build their resumes. As a matter of fact, I found one resume I thought was unique and pinned it to my board.  So, since my foray into the tool two weeks ago, here’s what I found:

• It is a virtual Pinboard that “lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes”, and may I dare say, create somewhat of a resume.

• It drives more referral traffic than Google Plus, LinkedIn and YouTube combined. Shareaolic Report. If it drives more traffic than LinkedIn, should job seekers be playing in that space?

• Techcrunch reported that it had 11.7 million unique visitors, faster than any other standalone in history. It was also named by Techcrunch as the fastest startup in 2011. How many of those visitors were recruiters and hiring managers?

• Their goal is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” A bold goal!
  

• Toronto’s Globe and Mail says “Pinterest leads content curation boom”.

In a couple of days I will be speaking to a group of communications, advertising and marketing professionals, and with such a creative bunch, you bet Pinterest will be a part of the discussion!

Can job seekers use this tool to maximize their job search? What are your thoughts?

By the way, if you wish to come along for the ride, you can click here to follow me on Pinterest.

Related posts: Can Pinterest Help Your Job Search?.

Brampton, ON, February 20, 2012. The second edition of No Canadian Experience, Eh? A Career Success Guide for New Immigrants is now available as an ebook and in digital formats such as Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iPad. Career Coach and Author, Daisy Wright, who first published the hard copy version in 2007, said, “It is common for me to field enquiries about the book from professionals around the world who are planning to move to Canada and want to make sure they understand how to conduct an effective job search campaign on arrival in Canada”.

While the book addresses job search basics such as résumé and cover letter design, and how to prepare and master the interview, ways to build professional networks, and secrets to access the hidden job market, this edition includes contributions from 16 top career experts.

“The job search process has changed significantly since 2007, and it was important to give newcomers up-to-date tools and information that will help them compete with other job seekers in the crowded marketplace”, said Wright.

Wright says that while settling successfully in a new country is not an easy task, it is achievable if one adopts a success mindset and perseveres. “I hope that readers will recognize, and be inspired by, the consistent theme throughout the book – that perseverance and the application of various job search strategies can, in the end, provide the desired results and minimize the trauma often associated with settlement.”

The ebook can be ordered directly from the book’s website at No Canadian Experience, Smashwords, and Amazon. The regular hard copy can be ordered from Career/Life Skills Resources in Concord, Ontario as well as from CreateSpace, a division of Amazon.com. In a few months it will be available from Chapters-Indigo and Amazon.ca.

The Wright Career Solution is a full service career coaching firm providing job search strategies to individuals who are ready to move their careers forward.

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CONTACT:  Daisy Wright
The Wright Career Solution
Phone: (647) 930-4763
E-mail Address: daisy[at]thewrightcareer.com
Websites:  www.nceinstitute.com  & www.thewrightcareer.com

Wikipedia’s Definition of a patchwork quilt: a quilt in which the top layer consists of pieces of fabric sewn together to form a design.

By my own definition, a patchwork quilt résumé is one that is made up of phrases and sentences copied from other people’s career documents (résumé, cover letter, bio, or LinkedIn Profile), and presented as one’s own.

Recently, there was an intense discussion on the forum of one of my professional associations about someone who had copied blocks of a sample résumé to create her own then contacted one member to spruce it up for her. While scrutinizing the document, the member realized the contents didn’t gel, so she did a Google search. It turned out the sample résumé was crafted by another member of this same association and posted in an article on AOL.

I have had my share of people sending me résumés made up of bits and pieces of other people’s résumés, and sometimes cover letters. In one case, it was the summary from one of my own creations. As I started reading the résumé, I thought the wording sounded familiar. On checking, I realized it was one I had written for another client. This new client told me someone had helped him out for free but he wasn’t having much success with it.

When information is copied from someone else’s résumé, it is very easy to spot the patchwork quilt design. The information is incoherent; statements are generic and some phrases just do not match the person’s experience or background. Actions like these only serve to damage one’s brand, and elicit accusations of plagiarism, copyright infringements, and ethics. Moreover, if such a résumé lands on the desk of a discerning hiring manager, such a candidate’s credibility will come into question, and he or she will most likely not be called for an interview.

Here are the facts:

• Your résumé is a branding tool that tells YOUR story, not someone else’s, and shows the face YOU want employers to see.

• You are unique! There is no one else like you, with the same experience, accomplishments and work ethic. Your co-worker may have the same job description and may do the same work like you, but he or she is not your clone. You must differentiate yourself.

• Your aim is to create a résumé that captures your unique talents, accomplishments and experience; not one that looks like a patchwork quilt, or one that gives the impression you have a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

Here’s what you can do:

• Instead of scouring the Internet for sample résumés to build your own, take a look at your job description and ask yourself “What have I done with the job they asked me to do? How is the company better off since I joined?”

• Read each job description statement and apply the ‘so what’ factor to each. For example, if one of your responsibilities is to “monitor and analyze sales promotion results...” Ask yourself, “So what? What did I do? What happened?”

• Review your last two performance appraisals and look for the nuggets of your contributions from projects you worked on, objectives met and targets exceeded.

• Start building a résumé that tells YOUR story. Make sure each statement addresses your value proposition, and answers the employer’s question “Why should we hire you?” If you are unable to create your own résumé, find someone whom you trust; has credentials and know what they are doing.

Don’t damage your brand with a patchwork quilt résumé. Learn to tell your own story and get hired!