I recently came across a video called Sh*t New Yorkers Say. The video is a funny account of what it’s like to live in New York City. It touches on all that is magical and all that is annoying about this city in less than 3 minutes. It’s accuracy is uncanny and as a native New Yorker I’ve undoubtedly uttered at least 90% of the same things about this city during my time here. But I think the beauty of the video is that it depicts New York City life in a transparent and authentic way. It’s a city that attracts and repels its inhabitants at the same time. The feeling you get living in New York City is not black or white. It’s gray. And to me, anything that appears only black or white is not authentic. There must be gray in order for it to be real.

Many of my clients come to me for advice on how to build and integrate a personal brand and an online persona into their job search strategy. Most want a LinkedIn profile and few consider Facebook an integral part of their online brand. If anything, they shy away from incorporating Facebook into their search strategy because they fear doing so will pull back the curtain on who they “really are” rather than keep the spotlight shining on who they would like to be perceived as. They want black and white, but not gray. But black and white is boring, one-dimensional and not believable. Just like many of the LinkedIn profile headlines I read…Visionary CEO…Dynamic Marketing Executive, Results-Oriented Operations Manager…Really? What does that mean? How does that help me get to know you as a professional I can trust? It doesn’t. This approach to online branding reminds me of a blog post a colleague recently shared titled R.I.P. Personal Branding that suggests that personal branding has evolved into no more than being fake. And no one wants to do business or be friends with someone who appears fake.

People who friend me on Facebook see the gray. Sure, they get job search advice, links to great articles and resources, and motivating success stories about my clients and all of this helps build their confidence in me as a professional.  But they also see what types of things I am interested in and they get a feel for who I am as a New Yorker, a mother, a daughter, a friend. And if they dig deeper they will figure out that I love dark chocolate,  running in Central Park, and high heeled shoes. They get the panoramic view of me rather than just the professional headline. People want to hire people that they relate to and connect with. And you can’t do that successfully by simply stating you are a visionary leader.

Whether you decide to use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or a combination of these and other social media platforms, remember to keep it real. Showing a bit of the gray is good for your brand.

At age 88 Betty White had a leading role in the TV show Hot in Cleveland, a memorable Snickers commercial that first aired during the Superbowl, and a guest host spot on Saturday Night Live. And in the two years that have followed, Bette White continues to be everywhere and the job offers don’t seem to be slowing down. Today is Betty White’s 90th birthday and she’s still working. And I think this is a testament to her relevance. Her age hasn’t held her back because she continues to be able to play roles that people young and old can relate to and appreciate.

In job search, people sometimes assume that they will be discriminated against because of their age. But I think that some candidates get passed up for others because they lack relevance. Maybe they don’t mesh well with the culture of a company with a demographic that skews younger, or their management style isn’t in sync with the needs of their younger subordinates. Perhaps their skills aren’t up to date or they are resistant to incorporate relevant social media and collaborative web-based project management tools into the way they do their job.

Perhaps we can all take a lesson from Bette White. Because whether you are 25, 35, 45, 55, or older you won’t be the right person for the job if you can’t prove you are relevant to a prospective employer’s needs.

Check out my earlier tribute to Betty White and 5 tips for remaining relevant in your career on AOL Jobs.

I don’t know what it is about resumes. People seem to get so caught up in what they think a resume “should” be that they overlook what a resume can be…an entree to a new role, a new career, a new life. Some people seem to treat their resumes like they are their tax returns…break a rule and get penalized; enter information in a different place and suffer the consequences…it really doesn’t need to be so formulaic…and it shouldn’t be. A good resume is a representation of your strengths, your passion, your dreams…all wrapped up into a compelling message of value. Here are ten mistakes I see people make when writing resumes and some tips for how to avoid these pitfalls.

1. You think there is one acceptable resume format for your industry. I hear this a lot. “In my industry we don’t use resume profiles” or “No one in my industry ever writes a resume that is more than one page.” Usually these “rules” are perpetuated by people who have been using the same format for their resume since they graduated from college ten or more years ago. What worked then won’t necessarily work now. Or they are perpetuated by people who have gotten used to reading resumes that all look the same so they no longer question their value or relevance in today’s market.
2. You think that because you are confident in your writing abilities you can write a good resume. Sure it helps to have a strong command of the English language. But resume writing is less about the actual writing and more about the strategy than many people realize. A resume writer can look at your background objectively, analyze any potential obstacles in your search, and create a strategy that emphasizes your overarching accomplishments and doesn’t dwell on your more difficult to explain roles and transitions.
3. You think using visual elements on a resume is weird. Many of us are used to seeing PowerPoint presentations where charts, graphs, and other visuals are used to create engagement and communicate information succinctly. Why would you think that a presentation of your candidacy should be any different? Visual elements can differentiate you from your competitors, convey a lot of quality information in less space, and position you as a savvy communicator. Here’s an example of a more visual resume.
4. You are using a resume template to convey how special you are. A resume is all about showcasing your unique value. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by using a stale Microsoft resume template to explain your unique value proposition.
5. You have copied and pasted your previous job descriptions into your resume. The reality is that people in similar jobs perform similar job tasks. An accountant in company A may not have job tasks that are that different than the accountant in company B. Yet the value that each brings to their organization may be totally unique. Minimize content about job tasks and focus on more compelling accomplishments.
6. You don’t show a clear connection between your past achievements and your future direction. If your resume merely represents your chronology it may be difficult for a hiring manager to understand how your past experience relates to their current position. This is especially true if you are trying to transition to a new job function or industry. Your resume needs to be idiot proof. Be sure to connect the dots between past performance and future value to the organization (I recommend a profile at the top of the resume to accomplish this). No one will connect the dots for you. Take the time to create a clear roadmap from past accomplishments to future value.
7. You have no clue what keywords are. Keywords are the buzzwords or industry terminology that is relevant to your job function or industry. You can source keywords by reviewing job descriptions for positions you would consider applying to and looking for the consistency in these keywords from posting to posting. Many employers use ATS or Applicant Tracking Systems to source candidates and they will only find your resume if the words in your resume correlate to those posted in their job specs.
8. You are uploading a Word version of your resume into a database that requires a text version. Many people make the mistake of taking their formatted Word document and uploading it into a text box on a company website. The format is generally not preserved when you do this and your document will end up looking sloppy and unprofessional. Here are instructions on how to create a text resume.
9. Your resume is made up of big blocks of text that no one wants to read. Imagine going to a website looking for information and being confronted with a homepage with a huge paragraph of text. Would you stay on the site and read everything word for word or would you quickly navigate away in search of a site that enabled you to find the information you are looking for quickly. My guess is you would opt for the later. People who read resumes feel the same way. If they have to muddle through big chunks of text to figure out if you are a potential fit for their job, they will probably navigate away from your resume quickly. Use bullets, bold, shading, or text boxes to highlight critical information and help your reader figure out what you are all about in just a few seconds.
10. Your resume is overwhelming to the reader. If your resume is more than two pages it probably fits into this category. Examine your resume and edit, edit, edit. Do you really need to list the 7 management classes you took in 1987 now that you have been a CEO for the past 10 years? Do you really need to dedicate a full page to your employment experience before 1990? Probably not. Frequently with resumes, less is more.

I recently came across this SHRM article Former Employees Claim Ownership of Twitter Handles, LinkedIn Connections  describing the tug-of-war between employers and employees over ownership of Twitter handles and followers and LinkedIn accounts and connections once an employee leaves the company. While more and more companies seem to be creating more formalized social media policies, it’s obvious that there is still a lot of gray when it comes to deciding what rightfully belongs to the individual and what the employer can claim as theirs.

According to a Forbes article, Who Owns Your LinkedIn Contacts,  a court in England ordered that an employee who resigned to start his own consulting business turn over his LinkedIn contacts to his former employer, along with receipts and contracts proving that none of them became clients of his new firm.

Yet in another case in New York, a head hunter who left her firm to start her own practice was sued by her former employer for approaching candidates and clients who were her LinkedIn contacts and also part of the former employer’s  database.  Here the court ruled that LinkedIn connections do not qualify as trade secrets because LinkedIn connections are easily derived from public information.

It remains to be seen how these issues will play out in the years to come, but in the meantime, here are a few suggestions for increasing your chances of retaining ownership of your social media information following a departure from a company.

1. Attach your LinkedIn account to your personal email rather than your company email.
2. Create a PDF copy of your LinkedIn profile so if you ever get “locked out” of your account you can retrieve your information.
3. Export your contacts regularly and store them in another database not connected to your social media accounts.
4. Create a Twitter handle that uses your name rather than a company name.
5. Prior to accepting a new position, read the employee manual and learn what the social media policy (if any) is.
6. If you are required to sign a non-compete, review it carefully and try to negotiate for a non-compete with terms that are the most specific and the least limiting. This may include specific language about your ability to retain ownership of your social media contacts.

I’m really enjoying Glassdoor’s Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2011, complete with suggested responses from Glassdoor readers. Here are some of my favorites:

Q. How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30pm on a Friday?
A. More than are using Google+

Q. Name 5 uses of a stapler without staple pins.
A. Nutcracker

Q. How many planes are currently flying over Kansas?
A. All of them. Planes can’t fly below or through Kansas.

Q. What is 37 X 37?
A. Hold on let me check my iPhone calc app.

Q. How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator?

A. I’d use a really big blender.

Sometimes questions such as these are asked to assess a candidate’s reasoning and problem solving skills. Sometimes they are asked to see how a candidate answers something they didn’t expect to be asked. And sometimes they are asked to determine how engaging the candidate is or if they have a sense of humor. You may not be a fan of these types of interview questions, but it never hurts to be prepared. In addition to these brainteasers and other interview questions, members of Glassdoor anonymously post company reviews and salary information that can help others source valuable information for their job search. You can check out what they have to offer here.

The holidays are behind us. And maybe you’ve made a few New Year’s resolutions…Lose weight, save more money…or maybe look for a new job. There are many simple, painless changes you can make in 2012 to increase your chances of finding your next job. Here are my top ten.

1. Update your resume. The last week of December was one of my busiest weeks ever. People who had no expectations of being sourced for a position and interviewed called me in a frenzy because they had to put a resume together pronto. You never know when someone will want to speak to you about a great opportunity. Update your resume before you need it and keep a list of running accomplishments throughout the year so if someone wants to see your resume quickly you will be ready.
2. Stop ignoring Facebook as a job search tool. I speak to job seekers every day and ask them if they use Facebook as part of their networking and  job search strategy. Usually they snicker or say, “I just use Facebook for personal relationships.” Job search is about all relationships…personal and professional. You never know where your next job lead will come from. Embrace the gray area and blur the lines. A friend is just as likely to introduce you to a great connection as a business colleague. Use tools like BranchOut and BeKnown to optimize your chances of finding key people via the Facebook platform.
3. Invest in a professional photo. With the explosion of social media sites, the expectation is that your photo will accompany your profile. If no photo is there people wonder why. By investing in a professional photo, you can ensure the best angle and lighting and be able to select from multiple shots. And some photography studios can help with hair, makeup, and wardrobe choices. Some can even Photoshop out certain imperfections from the shot.
4. Update your wardrobe. You don’t need to make a huge investment. A new jacket, tie, sharp scarf, pin or something similar might be all you need. If your look screams 1985, you could give hiring managers the impression that your skills are stuck in that era as well. Find a style savvy friend to help you update your wardrobe or hire an image consultant to get you on the right track.
5. Join a professional association. Many job opportunities are shared through professional associations. Why post a job to thousands of strangers when you can go to your internal colleagues and advisors and quickly source the best candidates? Being involved in a professional association helps you become part of the inner circle in your professional community.
6. Let someone pick your brain. Perhaps you read the recent Forbes article, No You Can’t Pick My Brain, It Costs Too Much recommending you be cautious about giving free advice because doing so means you are devaluing your knowledge. I disagree. Giving free advice could mean more opportunities in the future. Spend 20 minutes with someone to help them resolve an issue and they will remember it. And you will be on the top of their list of people to help in the future. It’s possible for someone to pick your brain without them siphoning your entire knowledge base. Don’t be stingy with information.
7. Give kudos. Offer endorsements via LinkedIn and other social media sites to people whose work you know and trust. This will keep you top of mind with your network and increase the likelihood that people will in turn help you when you are seeking advice and information.
8. Make time for lunch. We get so wrapped up in work and other priorities that we forget to take time to socialize during the work day. The lunch hour is a time to reconnect with people, share advice, and gather information. This is a critical aspect of career management. The more people that know you and the more people know about you, the greater the likelihood that someone will be able to assist you with some aspect of your career in the future. And if you’ve been spending your lunch hour with the same 2 people for the past 5 years, now’s the time to change that and branch out your inner circle.
9. Buy a piggy bank. For many job seekers money is tight. They forgo a promising networking event or dues for a professional association membership due to the cost. They may fail to realize that for every week that they make poor job search decisions they stay unemployed longer and lose valuable income. Inquire about “in-transition” rates for professional organizations. Some don’t advertise these cost reductions aggressively but do offer a reduced rate for in-transition professionals.
10. Learn something new. What’s trending in your industry? Which of your skills are rusty? What gaps are there between your skills and the needs of your industry? Gaining education doesn’t have to be expensive and doesn’t necessarily require a formal education. Read industry publications, follow the blogs of industry thought leaders, or make an investment in a class or degree program if you think it is warranted.

Here’s to your career in 2012 and beyond!

As 2011 draws to a close, I’m reflecting on some of my favorite blog posts of the year. Looking forward to sharing more job search advice, rants, and funny stories about the world of work in 2012. Happy New Year!

Job Search Advice

Common Interview Questions and What They Mean

Resume Writing Tips For Susan Lucci and Others Who Haven’t Written a Resume in 40 Years

Ask the Job Search Coach: How Can I Get a Raise?

Career Advice From the Class of 2015

Changing Careers: Look Before You Leap

Rants

The Real Reason Why Most LinkedIn Profiles Suck

Working Women Need Wives

Breastfeeding Breaks at Work: How Far Have We Really Come?

Working Mothers and Letting Go of the Guilt

Just for Fun

Handshake Horror Stories

Funny Job Postings

Outrageous Interview Blunders

Lying to Get a Job: 9 Famous Fibbers

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Other Famous Affairs With the Boss

I just finished reading an article about a growing trend in some college admissions offices requesting that applicants answer a supplemental essay question as part of the standard admissions process…and do it in just 20 to 25 words or less. Perhaps colleges are forging this new direction to appeal to a generation that grew up with status updates, texts, and microblogging or maybe admissions counselors see it as a way to cut down on the tedium of reading long-winded essays, but some think it’s an effective strategy for seeing another side of an applicant or learning things about them that they may not pick up on from reading a traditional essay. But in any case, it seems like the concept that less is sometimes more has finally penetrated the academic community and I think it’s a step in the right direction.

The concept that less is sometimes more is also a growing trend in resume writing which has been equally influenced by an information overloaded society that wants their content fast and in digestible sound bites. I’ve long been a proponent of shorter, tighter, writing, void of bloated summary paragraphs that espouse a candidate’s nebulous personal attributes or blocky chunks of text to describe mundane job responsibilities. Instead I favor concise bullets that communicate compelling actions and tangible results to support a person’s candidacy and most recruiters and hiring managers I talk to feel the same way.

The concept of less is sometimes more became most evident to me last year following my father’s passing. My father was cremated and we were instructed that we could have a message on the stone but were limited to just ten characters. At first this sounded like such a daunting task. How do you possibly sum up a man’s life in ten characters or less? But we quickly came up with numerous words that expressed our feelings and selected the simple word “beloved.” Accurate, to the point, and 3 characters to spare. Perfect for my father, a less is sometimes more kind of guy.

More is not necessarily better. Whether you are writing your resume, sending a networking email, applying to college, or remembering a loved one, sometimes fewer words are actually more powerful.

Everyday I counsel job seekers on how to leverage social media to accelerate their job search. And I’m happy to report that over the last year, more and more people are using LinkedIn as a way to stay in touch with people and build new relationships. But when I ask clients if they use Facebook, 9 times out of 10 the reply is, “Well, I have a Facebook account, but I only use it to keep up with personal relationships, not for job search.”

Why is it that people think the two are mutually exclusive? Why do many  people assume that you can’t find a job on Facebook? According to a recent survey by JobVite, nearly nine out of 10 job seekers (86%) have a social media profile. Facebook has the majority with 84% of job seekers, followed by 39% using Twitter and 35% using LinkedIn. Nearly 1/3 of job seekers (31%) have a profile on all three networks. But more than 1/3 of job seekers surveyed that have a Facebook profile don’t use it in any way to look for work. On the other hand, nearly all job seekers with a profile on LinkedIn and almost 3/4 of those on Twitter leverage their networks for job hunting.

Of those surveyed, 42% had 150+ contacts on Facebook, compared to just 26% with the same number of contacts on LinkedIn and Twitter.  So job seekers are using social media more aggressively on the platforms where they have fewer contacts. The odds of finding someone who can help you are greater when you have a larger network to draw on. Why are avid Facebook users less inclined to use it for job search? Here are some of the reasons I have heard in the past and my rebuttals to the Facebook for job search naysayers.

1. My friends don’t know anyone. Usually when someone tells me this it means that their friends are not in their field so they don’t know anyone that could be useful in their search. But that is an incorrect assumption. You don’t know who your friends know until you ask them. Who are your friend’s friends and who do they know? That’s the real question you should be asking and Facebook is a great tool for shedding light on this.
2. I want to be myself on Facebook and I can’t do that if employers can view my profile. You don’t have to share everything about yourself with everyone. Facebook has an extensive privacy section and you can make decisions about who sees what every time you post.
3. My current boss is a Facebook friend and I don’t want  him to see my job search activity. Job seekers can use a third party application like BranchOut or BeKnown to source important contacts via Facebook without adding them as Facebook friends.
4. No serious employers will be sourcing talent via Facebook. Go to Facebook and do a search on an employer you are interested in. I’m pretty sure you will find their Facebook page. And that page is filled with fans who “like” their page and regularly comment on it. Facebook fan pages are a place where companies build engagement with the people who use their products and services. It’s also a place where job seekers can source valuable information about the company and even job leads.

I recently read Green Career Central’s excellent recommendations for building a target list of green companies. If you are interested in researching green jobs, check out Green Career Central founder Carol McClelland’s suggestions below.

1) Newsweek Green Company Rankings – Click on the headings to sort the data based on any of the following categories: Rank, company, country, industry sector, green score, environmental impact score, environmental management, and disclosure. Reading about the methodology will help you understand the meaning of the various scores.
a. Top 500 US Green Companies
b. 15 Greenest Companies
c. Top 500 Global Green Companies

2) GreenBiz.com’s State of Green Biz 2011 Report – This report that summarizes the most important trends of the previous year is released every February. Each section of the report highlights key companies making significant progress. Highly recommend reading this report from cover to cover to get a sense of the green economy in general while also scanning the appropriate sections of the report for possible companies.

3) Certified B Corps – A new legal structure is gaining traction in the US. According to the website, B Corps use “the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.” You can check out the 476 companies that are currently B Corps. Use the tabs on this page to slice and dice the data by industry, state, affiliations, and impact. Click on a map for a visual representation of where these companies are located.

4) Climate Counts – This site helps consumers understand how companies in various sectors stack up when it comes to combating climate change. This report is helpful to see which companies are just starting their efforts and which companies are making progress within a particular industry sector. Their latest data are to be released today, December 7, 2011.

5) State Report – Check out this list of green companies in Oregon.

6) Product Report – In some cases you can glean valuable information about which companies are green by seeing how the companies’ products stack up. In the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics you’ll learn some interesting information about how green (or not green) a variety of electronics companies are.