Have you seen the new Nike ad with Tiger Woods featuring the voice of his deceased father? It looks like Tiger may have added some new brand attributes to his already tarnished image including, creepy, odd, and opportunistic. And I’m wondering if Nike and Tiger would have been better off just leaving the scandal alone and letting time heal some of the wounds.

But beyond that, the ad prompted me to revisit a conversation I started when the Tiger Woods scandal was first leaked. Should Tiger’s career be judged based on his indiscretions or based on his contribution to the sport of golf?

I get all the theories of branding and the importance of creating and living a brand that is authentic and integral to who that person is as a human being. But do I really need to be concerned about all aspect of a person’s lifestyle or do I only need to pay attention to those brand attributes that impact me? If my accountant commits tax fraud, that is integral to his professional brand and cause for concern. If my doctor is practicing medicine without a license, I will take issue with that. But does what these professionals do in their personal life affect their ability to deliver a quality service to me? Not really.

And what about me? Would you want to know about all my personal mistakes or indiscretions before hiring me to write your resume? If I had done something that you don’t agree with morally, would that mean that I was any less skilled at my craft?

And where do we draw the line on what’s right and wrong? Who ultimately gets to decide? If Tiger had been a heroin addict, or had been caught shoplifting, or was someone who was trying to climb the corporate ladder and was caught lying on his resume, would we treat him differently?

I’m certainly not condoning the actions of Tiger Woods. I just think that “celebrity-dom” creates brands that are impossible to maintain and forces famous figures to take on responsibilities that they never asked for when they first chose to pursue their passion.

At the end of the day, shouldn’t Tiger ultimately be judged on his contribution to his sport? And shouldn’t Nike be promoting his impact and influence on that sport rather than abandoning the essence of the Tiger Woods career brand? What do you think?

Lately I’ve been getting several invitations on LinkedIn either from people I don’t know or from people who get past some of the LinkedIn screening features by claiming they know me from working together someplace I have never worked. In both scenarios, I am rarely given an explanation of why they want to connect; just the standard “I’d like to add you to my network” line.

I’m certainly not a LinkedIn prude and I do connect on LinkedIn with people I don’t know…If they tell me how they heard about me and why they think we should connect.

Part of the beauty of LinkedIn is the ability to transcend geography, industry, profession, and age to meet new people who can add value to your network and who you can offer reciprocal help. It’s all about building long term relationships. So if you want to connect with me, tell me why you think we should “be in a relationship.” Don’t invite me into your network with no explanation…I’m not into one night stands.

Last week Brian Tietje, Sales Manager for LinkedIn, delivered an excellent presentation on LinkedIn to members of the Human Resources Association of New York networking group. Here are my top ten takeaways for job seekers.

1. Create a keyword driven summary. Forget about the summaries that describe you as passionate, a great communicator, and a team player. LinkedIn is all about searchability and recruiters and hiring managers don’t search on those cliched phrases, Instead, focus on the relevant keywords for your industry and job function and be sure to really build out the specialties section. Like resumes, no recruiter is really reading your LinkedIn profile. They are performing multiple sophisticated keyword searches looking for a match. Make every word count.
2. Monitor your profile views. Check the jobs tab regularly to see how many people have viewed your profile. If the number is exceptionally low, perhaps you need to tweak your profile to improve your searchability.
3. Don’t ignore the events listings. Many hiring authorities search for top talent on LinkedIn by looking in the events section. They scour the list of events on LinkedIn to see who is attending certain industry events and often make connections directly through the events section rather than the user profile section.
4. Spend time in the answers section. Again, hiring managers are looking for the trend setters and industry leaders. Often these people are participating in the answers section of LinkedIn, providing leadership and guidance, building credibility, and demonstrating authority.
5. Include a picture. People want to see who they are doing business with. The picture starts solidifying the trust. The picture is part of your personal brand. Get over your insecurities about having the picture up on LinkedIn. It is here to stay and it is an important component in the relationship building process.
6. Use applications that help you track company information. The Company Buzz application on LinkedIn lets you track in real time who is saying what about certain companies and people on Twitter. This is an excellent way to be in the know about companies you are targeting.
7. Don’t worry about upgrading to the paid level of service. This level is designed for recruiters and marketers, not job seekers. LinkedIn has an enormous amount of utility for job seekers at the free level of service.
8. Pay attention to your privacy settings. LinkedIn generally assumes you want a high level of privacy and will default to that setting unless you tell it otherwise. But everyone should review their settings and make sure they are aligned with your professional goals. For example, you can control who can tell that you have reviewed their profile. As a job seeker you will probably be researching multiple LinkedIn profiles…you don’t necessarily want everyone to know you are searching their profile and you can change this setting to anonymous.
9. Ditch connections that don’t make sense. It is ok to terminate a connection with someone who you don’t know and don’t plan on building a relationship with. The degrees of separation work best when there is some affinity between you and the person you are connected to. Without that affinity it will be more difficult to reach out to that person for an introduction to someone in their network.
10. Keep learning about LinkedIn. Take advantage of the LinkedIn Learning Center and the LinkedIn blog to get the most out of LinkedIn and stay on top of new features.

As many of you know by now, I’m a big fan of Twitter and I use it on a regular basis to share musings on the job search process and to build community with my colleagues, friends, and job seekers. But many job seekers are still somewhat perplexed by Twitter and it’s value. Enter Marci Reynolds…I recently interviewed Marci Reynolds, author of the new e-book, How to Use Twitter for Your Job Search, to learn more about her philosophy on using Twitter to improve the quality and efficiency of a job search. Her book is a quick read packed with great strategic and tactical tips about Twitter.

What inspired you to write this book?

In my role as CEO and Chief Strategist at J2B Marketing, I work with job seekers one on one and in groups to discuss their online marketing, job search strategy. Most job seekers understand the value of using LinkedIn, but many have apprehension about using Twitter. They believe the site is geared towards celebrities or talking about what you had for lunch.

Once we spend time discussing the value of Twitter and I help them set up their Twitter presence, their opinions change. And, many now use Twitter daily, to help them find a new job.

I wrote this book to help job seekers across the globe fast track their job search using Twitter. There are no other books on the market like this.

What is the biggest mistake job seekers make on Twitter?

There are two Twitter job search mistakes that I’ve observed on a regular basis.

First, I have observed job seekers tweeting about their job search, instead of demonstrating their skills, knowledge and qualifications. I’ve read tweets about job search problems, venting, talking about bad interviews etc. Job seekers should focus on creating a professional brand, not an “unemployed” brand. And, everything you say on Twitter becomes a permanent record for future employers to find.

Second, I’ve seen a lot of job seekers sign up for a Twitter account, but then not use the tool. There are so many opportunities to fast track your job search with Twitter, from following companies that you want to work for, to signing up for Twitter feeds for target jobs, and connecting with recruiters. These job seekers are missing out on job search opportunities.

Can you share any success stories of people who landed a job using Twitter?

One of my favorite success stories is about Hal Thomas (@halthomas) who landed an Assistant Social Media Content Manager job at BFG Communications with just one tweet! You can read more about Hal’s story on the Career Diva Blog.

Another success story is Renee Libby, who was laid off earlier this year from a PR job, actively tweeted for two months, then got a new PR job after an employer observed her impressive Twitter presence. Renee was profiled on CNNMoney.com.

How much time do you recommend people spend each day managing their Twitter profile?

Job seekers should plan to invest about 30 minutes per day managing their Twitter presence. This includes time spent reading other people’s Tweets and related content (ex. links to blogs, news feeds), interacting with the Twitter community and planning and scheduling their own Tweets.

Do you have a favorite Twitter application?

My favorite Twitter application is HootSuite, which is a free, hosted service that allows you complete a number of Twitter tasks all in one place, which can save you a lot of time. On HootSuite you can read tweets, pre-schedule tweets, create Twitter lists and manage multiple social media accounts. I post updates to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook with just one, easy to use interface. (Other Twitter fans often recommend the Tweet Deck application, which has some similar features.)

I also recommend the Twitter directory website, Twellow.com, “The Twitter Yellow Pages”. Twellow allows you to easily search the content of Twitter user profiles, to help you find people or companies that you may want to follow.

Can you tell us more about the book and where job seekers can find out more?

“How To Use Twitter For Your Job Search” includes 12 chapters that cover an introduction to Twitter, a clear explanation of the benefits of Twitter to job search activities and step by step instructions on how to get started with a Twitter profile and a tweet content strategy.

Job seekers can download a PDF copy of the book to their own computer or purchase a Kindle version from Amazon.com.

For more information, please visit the book website, www.twitterjobsearchebook.com.

The topic of Tiger Woods’ tarnished brand is all over the Internet, TV, and print media. And while I understand the commentary I think that the concept of celebrity branding is doomed to fail because celebrity brands often represent attributes that nobody can maintain forever. No one makes the right choices all the time and no one can sustain the dubious distinction of role model 24/7. People make mistakes…big mistakes. That’s what makes them human.

Tiger Woods rose to fame because of his skills as a golfer. Similarly,  Brittany Spears acquired fame because of her vocal and dance talents. The media tacked on all the other brand spin and pedestal pushing and that’s what did these celebrities in. But they are still great at their core brand attributes…the authentic ones that they developed over the years with hard work and practice. And usually when celebrities bounce back it is because they refocus on what they are good at and regain credibility and public acceptance.

“Regular” people with strong career brands make mistakes everyday too. They just aren’t played out in real time for everyone to see. I’m sure there are many people out there who have earned a stellar reputation for what they do professionally, but have a less than squeaky clean scorecard when it comes to their personal life. I’m sure many have cheated on their spouses, been caught driving while intoxicated, made bad parenting decisions, and just screwed up in general. But that doesn’t mean that their professional brand isn’t valid and it doesn’t mean that their transgressions make them any less capable in their professional lives.

So maybe it’s time to start separating a strong professional brand from human nature. Maybe it’s just not realistic to link the two together so closely. I know I wouldn’t want my professional brand to be judged on every bad personal decision I have made. Would you?

My son is getting braces. In order to prepare for the braces, he first needs to wear a special “appliance” to realign his jaw. When you look in his mouth it looks like he has four giant screws in the back, all in different places. Each time he closes his mouth he must push his jaw forward in order to have the desired effect. As you can imagine, this makes chewing quite cumbersome. On the first day he could only eat soup and jello. Today he has moved on to mashed potatoes. And by the end of the week we are told that he will have figured out how to chew more solid foods.

I think that when people find themselves in a job search after many years of being comfortable in a job, they have a similar relearning process and nothing comes easy at first. The old methods of job search don’t work the same way anymore and job seekers need to work around more obstacles to find the right leads. Here are some ideas to chew on (pun intended) as you create a direction for your job search.

1. Take a bite out of that old resume. Examine the content of your resume closely. If there is information on it that is dated or irrelevant to your target audience, get rid of it.
2. Sink your teeth into networking. Building relationships takes time. Do something for your network everyday so the task is less overwhelming and more productive. Set attainable goals to schedule coffee with a colleague or lunch with an old friend. Be consistent and purposeful and remember to approach networking with a “give more than you get” attitude.
3. Get a taste of social media. Dabble in LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter and create profiles on Google and Zoom Info. Be part of the conversation and share expertise, ideas, musings, and your experiences.
4. Explore the different flavors of interview questions. Practice responses to behavior based interview questions such as tell me about yourself, tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision, or tell me about a project that failed and what you learned from it. Interview questions come in all flavors…some are about positive experiences and some are about difficult situations you faced…learn how to answer all of them with confidence.

The “appliance” in my son’s mouth is an obstacle right now. But he will overcome it…the kid’s gotta eat! Job seekers face obstacles everyday. But with some thought, preparation, and a commitment to do things differently they can overcome these obstacles and savor the taste of a sweet new job.

My daughter is addicted to the musical comedy Glee and I’ve started to become a fan myself. Last week, two students on the show competed in the school’s first “Diva-off” and the competition required that they sing the song Defying Gravity from the Broadway show Wicked. Since watching the show, I can’t seem to get the song out of my head and I’ve been thinking about the importance of defying gravity in a job search ever since.

I think that everyone who is in a job search has to defy gravity in order to gain traction, particularly in a competitive job market such as the one we are facing right now. You need to take a leap of faith, step outside your comfort zone, and do things differently. Because techniques that worked during your last job search might not work today. So here are my five gravity defying recommendations to help you take that leap and still land safely.

• Don’t pull out your most recent resume, slap on your last position, and call that an update. Stop treating your resume like another piece of paper that needs to be in your briefcase when you start interviewing and start acknowledging it for what it is…a marketing tool and advertisement for “brand you”. Forget about what you think are the rules around resume writing…I have news for you…there really aren’t any. The goal is to make a powerful and memorable impression…quickly…and with whatever it takes. This can be achieved by communicating your impact on the organizations you have supported and it can be proven with stories, visuals, case studies, testimonials, or links to podcasts, whitepapers, and even YouTube videos. Resumes that read like job descriptions won’t cut it…they will never defy gravity, but instead will fall flat with the hiring manager.

• Get off the job boards. Job boards cater to the most complacent of job seekers. The ones who expect the jobs to come to them. The ones who think that if they throw enough resumes against the job board wall, one of them is bound to stick. But it doesn’t really work that way. Because the person on the other side of that job board is getting resumes hurled at them much faster than they can catch them. So they are forced to use applicant tracking software to parse the data in your resume and reduce its substance down to a few keywords. And keywords don’t really communicate success. In addition, while that hiring manager is trying to field all the applicants from the job boards, they are also building relationships via other channels. And let’s face it; if someone they know introduces them to a candidate, there is a much greater likelihood that they will check out that candidate first and actually look at their resume while the applicant tracking system does all the grunt work parsing data on the other 500 applicants. Which set of eyes would you rather be in front of…the human eye or the computer one?

• Don’t expect a recruiter to find you your next job. Even a recruiter will tell you that you are more likely to find your next position through a connection than through them. Just because you found your last job via a recruiter, it doesn’t mean you will land your next job the same way. Recruiters are inundated with prospects but don’t necessarily have the inventory of job openings to match the demand. Build your network by becoming an active member of professional and personal communities to extend your visibility and circle of influence. Break away from a reliance on recruiters and start making things happen on your own.

• Don’t turn your back on social media. I’ve heard all the excuses…If you don’t think that social media is relevant to you in a job search, watch how quickly you become irrelevant to the many decision makers using it to find top talent. Dip your toe in the social media water, start some conversations, support others, and learn how to protect your privacy to alleviate any concerns you have about using these tools.

• Don’t purchase a book on interviewing and expect to interview well. Interview books can help you lay the foundation for your interview strategy, but they can’t tell you how you should answer the interview questions. A strong interview strategy is one that communicates your unique value proposition through stories of success. Review interview questions to determine the underlying competency the hiring manager is searching for. Then showcase an example of something you did in the past that proves you have that competency. This strategy builds your credibility and helps the hiring manager gain trust in your abilities. You will never wow a hiring manager by regurgitating the pat answer listed on page 23 of some interview book.

Defying gravity in your job search takes a lot of work and it requires some risk. But if the old methods of job search aren’t working for you, then you need to try something new. And while you are planning your gravity defying job search strategy, here’s the song to get you motivated.

LinkedIn and Twitter recently announced a partnership that will enable users to simultaneously update their status on both platforms. Doing so can help amplify your message to your followers and real-time search engines. LinkedIn and Twitter have billed the new interface as two great tastes that taste great together. And I think this move is a sweet deal for job seekers as well. By using both platforms on a regular basis, job seekers can improve their visibility and create efficiencies in their online search strategy. So what better way to celebrate than to tweet some tips to help job seekers maximize the value of both LinkedIn and Twitter.

LinkedIn Tweets

1. LinkedIn is like a business meeting…it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the social networking sites, but it’s a great way to connect professionally and share ideas.
2. Take the time to create a robust profile; a complete profile is more “searchable” by recruiters and hiring managers.
3. Keep your connections open. Closed connectors scream “I’m just here to take without giving anything back.”
4. Add a professional headshot. When the photo is missing people wonder why.
5. Don’t use the “invitation to connect” template; be authentic and write an individualized message.
6. Ask for endorsements that are specific about your skills and value; Save “Joe is a great guy” for a wedding toast.
7. Don’t give an endorsement and immediately ask for one from the same person; it lacks authenticity and smacks of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
8. Use the Answers feature to build community and position yourself as a subject matter expert.
9. Don’t add a connection that you would not feel comfortable introducing to someone else. Adding people randomly is kind of creepy.
10. Create a public profile with a vanity url with your first and last name to maximize your exposure.
11. Add your LinkedIn url to your resume.

Twitter Tweets

1. Twitter is like a big noisy party. You can’t listen to every conversation; pick a few related to your profession or industry each time you visit.
2. Retweet tweets from people in your profession sharing great advice and share advice of your own.
3. Link to articles that will prove valuable to those in your profession.
4. Follow the tweets of companies you admire or would like to work for and retweet their tweets.
5. Share job search tips with others that you connect to on Twitter.
6. Use tools like Tweetdeck, Tweettake, MyTweeple, TwitterSnooze, SocialOomph, and Twitsay to better manage your time on Twitter.
7. Check out TwitterJobSearch, TwitterJobFinder, TwitterJobCast, TweetMyJobs, and TwitterBeep to see who’s hiring on Twitter.
8. Research topics relevant to your industry and job function with Twittersearch, Tweetscan, Trendistic, Twubble, Twemes, Twitterholic, and Monitter.

I don’t think about my age too much. People often tell me that I look younger than I am so I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to look older, not younger. But recently, four events occurred within the same day that forced me to think about age and the perception that age can create.

• I saw a lead that a major magazine was offering a job search makeover for women between 25 and 45 years old…I did the math and realized that if I had been interested, I wouldn’t be eligible.
• A colleague posted on Facebook that he was celebrating his 35th birthday. I commented back that I recently celebrated my 35th birthday…for the 11th time.
• I was exercising and monitoring my recommended heart rate and realized that I fall into the category for the oldest exercisers on the chart.
• A client listed her work history on her resume back to 1995 and asked if she should remove that information because it was “ancient.” I didn’t even think my teenage kids thought 1995 was ancient history!

So what happened? I went to bed feeling young and woke up feeling old? I had become Rip Van Winkle overnight? How could this be? I think many boomer job seekers face the same dilemma. Age was never a factor in their job search, but now it is. I have heard stories from clients telling me recruiters have told them they are too old for certain positions. Others, who are often several years younger than me just assume they will be discriminated against based on their age. And everyone seems to have a different cut off for what they think “too old” is. Some say 40, others say 50 or 60.

In a job search there are some things we can control and many things we cannot. I always coach my clients to focus on the aspects of the search they can control. And while we can’t control our age or other people’s perceptions about our age, there are proactive steps all job seekers can take to make sure age bias is minimized.

Resume Development

• Group earlier experience into a category that reads “Additional Experience.” Create an abbreviated overview of the positions you held more than 15 years ago, but include the dates. This allows the hiring manager to focus on more current and more relevant experience. Many people believe that by omitting the dates there is less likelihood that the bias will surface. I think the opposite. When the dates are missing, people wonder why and often assume you are even older than you are. If you chose to leave off certain employment experiences to make you look younger on paper, I say proceed with caution. If you are called in for an interview and it is obvious that you are much older than the information on your resume represents, you run the risk of making the hiring manager believe you are not truthful…not a great way to start out a relationship.
• While I’m not usually a big fan of a “hobbies” section on a resume, the information displayed there can sometimes offset a potential age bias issue. If you regularly participate in a sport that showcases your active lifestyle, this is something I suggest including. And if you have certain technology skills that prove you are current in your field, I recommend adding that information as well.

Online Identity

Some job seekers believe that by not having a picture on online identity and networking sites, they decrease the chance of being discriminated against. Again, I disagree. If you do not post a picture in communities where they are the norm, people will think you have something to hide. Sometimes people post pictures that are 10-15 years old. Another mistake that could damage your credibility when you meet the person who viewed your profile in person. Your picture is part of your brand. Pay as much attention to it as you would your other marketing collateral. Lighting, makeup, clothing choice, an updated hairstyle, and maybe even a wee bit of photo-shopping (shhh) will help you present your best image while still being transparent and authentic.

Interview Strategy

Sometimes when a hiring authority figures out your age, they draw the conclusion that you command a certain salary and that perhaps they won’t be able to afford you. When interviewing, if you detect this feeling, be sure to be able to discuss your interest in the position, your desire for meaningful work, and your flexibility. This can help the hiring manager to understand that salary in not necessarily your main motivator. The reality is that many older workers are not more expensive; if anything they are often behind market value because of longevity with a previous employer. Large salary bumps generally occur by switching jobs more frequently; not by staying with the same employer over many years. So the very thing the employer is concerned about might actually turn out to be a non-issue. Better to explore the issue than let the hiring manager come to their own, and possibly incorrect, conclusion.

Job Search Research

No one is the right fit for every company. Some companies do have a more youth-oriented culture. But many do not and even tout themselves as best places for boomers or people over 50. AARP publishes a list each year called the Best Employers for Workers Over 50. By targeting the companies that embrace older workers you dramatically decrease the potential for encountering age bias.

Attitude

It sounds so cliche but it is true. If you believe you are old, others will believe it as well. If you refuse to put arbitrary limitations on age you increase the chances that others will reject these notions as well. Focus on the value you can bring to an employer, not the longevity of your career history. Leverage the latest social media technologies such as Twitter and Facebook to stay connected in current conversations. Ditch phrases such as “back in the day” and “when I was your age.” Rewrite the rules.

I take my cues on age from my soon to be 79 year “young” mother. She still wears her hair in a ponytail. She knows more about the hardware and software on her computer than most 25 year olds. She has no major health issues. And she can get away with wearing clothes designed for women more than half her age. So that’s my barometer. What’s yours?

Business.com recently conducted a study on social media use by business professionals. Here are some of the findings, (based on close to 3,000 respondents) that I found particularly interesting.

• 69% rated webinars and podcasts as their top social media resources for business information.
• Facebook is the dominant social network for B2C companies, but B2B companies maintain a fairly equal presence on both Facebook and Twitter.
• Among respondents using social media for business purposes, 62% visit company or brand profiles on social networking sites.
• The average company in the study was planning, developing, or running seven different social media initiatives.

When you are in a job search, your role is very similar to that of a business owner. Businesses promote their value through marketing campaigns and relationship building. They need to constantly deliver a message to their customers that they are better than the competition. They leverage past successes to build the trust of their customers and they find others to evangelize their brand and spread the word of their unique service benefits. The same is true for job seekers.

Social media helps businesses deliver this promise of value with greater efficiency and consistency and the reach can be much greater than that achieved by traditional marketing campaigns. Shouldn’t you be doing the same for your customer, the hiring manager? What’s your job search marketing plan? Start building your online profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter and identity profiles on Google Profiles and Zoom Info.

Career Solvers has recently launched a guide to creating a job search social media marketing plan and it is complementary with all online identity packages. Want to learn more? Contact us today.