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 Betty 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.

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.

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!

Everyone needs a social media strategy to complement their career management and job search plan and there’s so much more than just LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Follow the link below to download your copy from our homepage.

Online Identity and Networking Tools

1. On Twitter, when you only want a message to go to one person (a DM or direct message) double check your messaging options (best to do this with both hands on the keyboard).
2. Don’t assume a private DM on Twitter is really that private. After all, it is the Internet.
3. Don’t put anything online that could be sliced and diced, misinterpreted or taken out of context.
4. Don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother (or your wife!) to see.
5. Don’t jeopardize a career that took years to build with one stupid picture or 140 character message.

Feel free to post additional tips for Weiner here.

“In your opinion, how likely is it that profiles on networking sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, will replace traditional resumes in the future?” Their responses are below.

I think the survey is interesting, but I wonder if we are asking the wrong question. Is it that online profiles will replace the traditional resume or simply allow them to evolve naturally? I tend to think the later. Social media offers another platform for sharing information and marketing yourself…two things that are critical during a job search. Social media and online platforms facilitate the process of matching candidates with employers. It doesn’t need to be one versus the other. Whether your resume is on paper, online, or somewhere else is not the point. What’s important is that the information that describes you is clear and compelling with quantifiable results and that people know who you are. Having a profile on LinkedIn will be no better than having a resume posted on a job board if the job seeker is doing nothing to facilitate the relationship. Relationship trumps resume and LinkedIn profile. Use LinkedIn but go past building a profile. Build real relationships…with real people. And once you start the relationship, take it offline. People hire people, not resumes or profiles.

Ever since I can remember, my mom has wanted to stay on the cutting-edge of technology. Back in the late 70s, she immersed herself in Wang manuals so she could make the transition from an IBM Selectric to a computer. In the 80s, she was the only one in the house who took the time to figure out how to program the VCR. In the 90s she embraced the Internet and became vigilant about her anti-virus protection. By 2000 she seemed to be on a first name basis with everyone in tech support at Dell. And a few years ago she discovered video chat and uses it to stay in touch with my brother’s kids who she doesn’t get to see nearly enough.

So it’s no surprise that my mom now wants a phone with a data plan and a Mac. She’s always understood the importance of keeping up with technology. In the 70s she did it to protect her job and her livelihood. After that she did it because she was truly fascinated with what technology could do and how it could improve the quality of her life. She also knew it was important to stay relevant.

Older job seekers frequently worry about being eliminated from an employer’s consideration because of their age. And while I’m not denying that ageism exists, I think the real issue that hurts an older job seeker’s chances is relevance. If an older worker can’t prove that they have kept up with technology and leading-edge concepts for their industry or job function, they will lose out to their younger counterparts that appear more “in the know.” So how do you counter potential age bias and quickly show hiring managers that you are just as relevant as the next applicant? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Add your LinkedIn url to your resume and create a LinkedIn strategy. Placing your LinkedIn url alongside your contact information on your resume shows employers you are using LinkedIn to network and be found. Adding the url to your business card is a great way to say “here’s my resume” without actually handing someone a copy. Including the url gives the contact the option of learning more about you online. Check out I’m on LinkedIn… Now What??? to learn how to leverage LinkedIn for job search.
2. Get on Twitter and start having relevant online conversations with opinion leaders in your industry. Acknowledging the power of Twitter and becoming an active user can help accelerate your job search and get you on the radar of decision makers in your industry. Spend a little bit of time lurking to see how others are using the tool and then jump in. To learn more about how Twitter can help you in your job search check out The Twitter Job Search Guide.
3. Attend a Tweet up or a Meet Up. Tweet Ups are live meetings where people who have connected on Twitter can meet in person. Meet Up is a site where you can find people in your geography who are interested in the same topics as you (both professional and personal) to arrange meeting in person in a group setting.
4. Take the time to learn something new. If you’ve been a writer or editor for a traditional publication, learn how to use blogging software. If you are a mainframe computer specialist, learn a new technology. If you are a PR professional, learn how to manage social media communities to engage your audience. You get my drift. Figure out what is leading-edge for your industry and learn how to do it.
5. Lose phrases like “back in the day.” You will quickly turn off recruiters and hiring managers if you spend too much time focusing on what worked in the past. Back in the day, my mom could “take a letter” like nobody’s business and push the return bar on her manual typewriter with speed and agility. But that’s not really relevant in today’s world, so why waste precious space on a resume or time during an interview referencing it?

While I was writing this post, my mom called me. Her life and priorities have changed a lot over the past few months after dealing with my father’s illness for over a decade. She now has a lot of free time and she wanted my advice on how  to score a work at home gig. I think she could do it and be a tremendous asset to someone. She may be old, but she will always be relevant. Shouldn’t you be too?

According to a CNN article, some members of the radio community have expressed frustration because there are so many others in the industry who have been let go, despite their talent. The article goes on to say that if you look at a site such as Voice123.com you will find a warehouse of radio talent.

Enter the new era of job search. There’s a ton of talent on Voice123.com as well as the traditional job boards out there. And it’s overwhelming. No one has time to listen to hundreds of voice reels or read even more resumes. And often, no one even wants that many choices.

Ted Williams has offers pouring in because he had a unique story and yes, a unique voice. No one had to dig for him. He was plastered all over the Internet within 24 hours of the video release. He became a hot commodity and “the guy we’ve got to have” in seconds. Because he stood out and you would have to be living under a rock not to notice him.

I read blog comments every day from frustrated job seekers claiming they post for hundreds of positions and get no results. And act surprised. And keep doing what they have been doing for the past year because they think this is what they are supposed to be doing. ..that these are the rules of job search. But the only rule of job search is that there are no rules.

The CNN article ends with this thought. “Imagine you get that automated e-mail sent from an HR department after they closed your profile saying, “Thank you for your interest in job #0002792614, but we have filled the position. In fact, we actually hired a homeless guy who we saw on YouTube. Good luck in your job search!”

I think their sarcasm is misplaced. If job seekers continue to use the same useless, non-differentiating methods of job search, they will indeed be beat out by someone who sets themselves apart from the pack.

Certainly William’s story is unique and not everyone can expect to land their job via a YouTube video, but William’s story proves that people take notice when you have an interesting story to tell and everyone knows who you are. Get off the job boards. Create your own great story and then find the right people to get it in front of. Hint-they aren’t the same people who are posting jobs on line.

At first I thought, “What the heck? Why would a company drop their name from their logo? How is that a sound marketing strategy?”

But then I thought about it. Maybe it’s an act of shear brilliance. Maybe it’s Starbucks’ way of saying, “Hey, we are Starbucks and everyone knows it.” Maybe it’s their way of keeping pace with our fast paced world where less is sometimes more.

Strong brands don’t need their name attached to their logos. Everyone recognizes the Nike swoosh, the McDonald’s arches, and Apple’s… apple. Maybe the world’s strongest brands don’t need a name next to their logo because it’s redundant. And who has time for redundant?

I think the same can be said for people with strong brands. Oprah certainly doesn’t need a name badge and Lady Gaga probably doesn’t either.

In both the cases of well-branded products and people, the name has almost become irrelevant because the brand emotions and attributes have become more powerful.

Can you imagine a professional life where you are so well-branded, so unique in what you do that you are immediately recognizable for what you represent and your name is just a mere appendage? Maybe it’s not a pipe dream.

Take some time this year to think about your professional brand and unique value proposition. Strip away the irrelevant, redundant, and outdated information. Be bold and take risks conveying who you are and what your market differentiator is. You may just find that your newly pruned image is a much stronger brand than you thought.

You may not agree with Sorrentino’s lifestyle, but you can’t dispute that he has a strong career brand. His chiseled abs have opened doors for him to endorse numerous products including nutritional supplements and vitamin water. He also has plans to create an exercise video. I think the reason people don’t get it is because Sorrentino doesn’t appear to have worked very hard for any of this popularity and they think that it’s just some sort of fluke. And people like to think that hard work and talent is what makes you successful.

But the reality is people become successful when they have something that someone else wants. Sorrentino has a killer six pack and that’s something that many young men (and older men for that matter) want. Advertisers know that and they know that by linking Sorrentino to their products they have a slam dunk.

Most of us are not expecting $5M to do our jobs but we still get caught up in the notion that promotions, money, and prestige come to those who “put in the time.” That may be the case for some, but in many business environments I believe that’s a myth. The employee who comes up with a solution to an employer’s pain is the one that lands a promotion. The person that figures out how to sell more of the company’s products gets the raise. The worker who emulates the values the company is trying to instill in its employees gets the recognition. So before you write off “The Situation,” ask yourself, are you doing something at work that helps solve an employer’s problems or are you just putting in the time?