Tag Archives: LinkedIn

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Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: 05/10/15 to 05/16/15

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Sunday Brunch Newspaper

Photo Credit: Anton Diaz

Hi Social Media ReInvention Community! Here are your share-worthy links for your enjoyment and discussion. Thanks again for your continued support and taking time to read my work. I hope you’ll enjoy these links during your Sunday Brunch!

1. Forbes: How to Succeed Even When You’ve Failed This Year by Dorie Clark. I’m studying Dorie’s remarkable book, Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It, as I build my consulting practice (along with re-reading Michael Hyatt’s Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World). Dorie interviewed Jairek Robbins who runs his own performance coaching consulting practice. You may have heard of his dad, Tony Robbins.  (more…)

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Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: 05/03/15 to 05/09/15

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Sunday Brunch Newspaper

Photo Credit: Anton Diaz

 

Hi, Social Media ReInvention Community! Here are your share-worthy links for your enjoyment and discussion. Thanks again for your continued support and taking time to read my work. I hope you’ll enjoy these links during your Sunday Brunch!

Quick Heads Up: I  moved from Social Media ReInvention from TypePad to WordPress. It’s work-in-progress so please be patient as I continue improving this site.

 

1. The Wall Street Journal: There’s an Uber for Everything Now (by Geoffrey Fowler); ‘Unicorn’ Startups Say High Valuations Justified, Citing Big Growth Ahead (by Lizette Chapman); Mashable: In Silicon Valley, ‘unicorn’ is a dirty word (by JP Mangalindan). The Fowler and Chapman articles show important trends signaling the second coming of The Silicon Valley Tech Bubble: (more…)

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Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: 12/14/14 to 12/20/14

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Sunday Brunch Newspaper

Photo Credit: Anton Diaz 

 

My apologies to subscribers who received this post before it was completed. I’m experimenting with an offline blog editor, and I accidently published my working draft. Thanks for your patience as I continue stumbling my way around a dark room before finding the light switch.

Here are your Sunday Brunch Reads. Enjoy your brunch!

 

1. Forbes.com: Four Secrets from a Super Power Connector. Judy Robinett published an important book this past year titled: How to Be a Power Connector — The 5 + 50 + 100 Rule for Turning Your Business Network Into Profits. I downloaded this book to my Kindle as an professional development investment. I want to learn and improve how I can deliver more value to my vast and growing LinkedIn network. Judy’s premise: the more value you deliver to others in solving their problems, the more value you build for yourself — Give Before You Ask.

Here’s a direct quote from the Forbes article (aka Secret #1): 

The Theory: “My network/superconnect theory begins with the idea that all the tough problems are solved with networking—lack of key critical resources; money, connections, knowledge all are attached to people orbiting specific ecosystems.”

 

2. <re/Code>: A Doc in Your Pocket: Doctor on Demand Gets Smarter by Katherine (Katie) Boehert: This insightful article may be the future of primary care medicine, psychotherapy, and psychiatry. It takes telemedicine to a different level by providing the visual component via your desktop or tablet. It makes scheduling a video visit with a real, board-certified physician or PhD easy. Katie described her experience and conducted the appointment from the convenience of her office.

Think about this for a moment. The real estate, time, and physician office investment implications are disruptive:

  • No waiting rooms
  • No inconvenience of finding a place to park your car
  • No office space 
  • No time implications in leaving work or your with driving to and from the doctor’s office
  • No physician office staff

Check out Katie’s video and article describing her experience with Doctor on Demand: 

 

3.  NYTimes.com: What Happened When Marissa Mayer Tried to Be Steve Jobs. Nicholas Carlson’s book, Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!, will be published in January 2015. Carlson’s article doesn’t paint an enviable picture of Marissa Mayer’s CEO tenure. His piece describes several rookie CEO mistakes:

  • Lack of a strategic focus
  • Inability to delegate
  • A misunderstanding of the media business versus the technology business
  • Poor senior leadership selection for key executive positions 

I’m not a Yahoo shareholder, but I root for Marissa Mayer everyday. She showed HUGE guts to accept Yahoo’s CEO job more than two years ago. She’s always under the microscope and high profile. And, I want her to succeed. I want our daughters and nieces to see more female CEOs not only in the Fortune 500 but also in Silicon Valley. I want our daughters and nieces to see smart and talented women like this:

 

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If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.

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YAY! LinkedIn Pulse Publishes Social Media ReInvention Post About Tim Cook in Big Ideas and Innovation Category!

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Yay Wow Jump for Joy

Photo Credit: Rob Boudon

 

GREAT NEWS!

LinkedIn Pulse selected my latest blog post, "Tim Cook’s Killer Innovation Hack: Diversity in Thought in Apple’s Ecosystem (with a Capital D)," for publication in its "Big Ideas and Innovation Category!” 8,780,062 LinkedIn members follower this category in their LinkedIn News Feed (as of December 3rd).

Wow! 

LinkedIn Pulse Screen Shot 2014 12 01 at 9 14 11 PM

 

Here’s the link to the Tim Cook post on LinkedIn Pulse. As of writing this blog post, the Tim Cook / Apple Ecosystem article earned:

  • 1,052 LinkedIn Views
  • 54 LinkedIn Likes
  • 45 LinkedIn Shares

BuzzSumo analysis showed these social shares late last night:

Buzz Sumo Tim Cook Screen Shot 2014 12 03

 

Third Time Hitting the LinkedIn Pulse Lottery

Fingers Crossed, It Won’t Be the Last. Social Media ReInvention Community Members know of my excitement when LinkedIn Pulse published two other blog posts in the LinkedIn Pulse Social Media Category: 

 

#GRATEFUL

Thank You for Your Continuing Support! I published my first Social Media ReInvention blog post more than five (5) years ago. Time flew by.

Thank you for granting me permission to share with you my love of technology, digital marketing, social media strategy, personal reinvention, and writing.

Here’s a screen shot one of my closest friends sent me from his iPhone. Thank you for taking time to read and support my art:

IPhone LinkedIn Screenshot of Published in Your Network

 

Did You Enjoy This Post?

If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.

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Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: Week of 10/05/14 to 10/12/14

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Sunday Brunch Menu LARGE

Share-worthy links Social Media ReInvention Community Members can enjoy during Sunday brunch:

1) eMarketer: Second Screening During TV Time—It's Not What You Think. The television industry (and myself) thought associating Twitter #hashags with its programming increased higher audience engagement and participation. Wrong.

Check out this Facebook post detailing the Millward Brown Digital Study, From One Screen to Five: The New Way We Watch TV. Facebook collaborated with Millward Brown on the study.

This stat caught me by surprise (maybe it shouldn't). The number one ranked "second screen" competing for our time and attention isn't Facebook, Twitter, another social network, etc.

It's email. 

eMarketer is publishing a detailed report on our television and social media viewing habits called, “Simultaneous Media Use: Screen Fragmentation Complements Traditional Channels.” Here's a direct quote from the eMarketer article:

The takeaway is that a major portion of digital activity during TV shows has nothing to do with the show or the commercials. People simply drift away from the program and do other activities on their devices. This represents a transformation in the role of television from being a focal point to being just one of many screens competing for attention.

We're an iTV and Roku family (dumped cable months ago). Maybe, that's why I don't tweet, like, or post while watching tv. I'm focusing on the show (a rare treat).

2) McKinsey Quarterly: Tom Peters on Leading The 21st Century Organization. I'm a huge Tom Peters fan. At 71, he's still a rebel with a cause. I love and respect his candid and forthright views about developing and understanding an awareness of power, influence, and politics in organizations.

That's how change takes place in The Fortune 500. Change takes place by influencing and developing political allies (one person at a time).

Here are direct quotes from the article:

Change is about recruiting allies and working each other up to have the nerve to try the next experiment. You find allies. You encircle the buggers.

You don’t bring about change in real big meetings or virtual meetings. You bring it about one person at a time, face to face—when we discover we have some common interests and we’re both pissed off, say, at too many CEOs who talk about charts and boxes. And so we create a conspiracy.


Bonus 1: Mitch Joel's recent podcast with Tom Peters.

Bonus 2: My post, Tom Peters Personal Branding Lessons, Part 1: Why YOUR Blog Matters. Mr. Peters linked to this post and cites it on his Media Sightings Page.

3) Brynne Tillman and The LinkedIn Challenge #thelinkedinchallenge. Brynne's LinkedIn Posts on Social Selling and maximizing LinkedIn's utility and power in our professional lives never cease to amaze me. She's a bona fide subject matter expert in her field.

Her creativity to create and initiate #thelinkedinchallenge is genius. It's a clever take on the #ALSChallenge. The purpose: connect and introduce two (2) Linked connections who can benefit from each other.

I participated right off the bat. Here's my Twitter conversation with Brynne:

 

Brynne Tillman #thelinkedinchallenge coversation 2014-10-12 at 2.36.23 PM

4) John Mack and The Pharma Marketing Blog: #mHealtMobile Chat Takeaway: Pharma Must Involve Patients Early on When Developing Mobile Health Apps. Last week, I participated in the #mHealthPharma Tweetchat. John lead and moderated 45 global participants!

And, he performed brilliantly.

I first discovered the initial discussion thread in this LinkedIn Group: Mobile Health Global.  The topic centered on this question: "What stands in the way of pharma developing high quality mobile health apps?" This is the headline of our first debate.Participate in it here since the 25th of September. John Mack will moderate it!

I love discovering LinkedIn Discussion Groups like this one! I virtually met and conversed with smart, passionate, and thought-provoking people in the LinkedIn Group and the #mHealthPharma Tweetchat.

Here are links to their Twitter Profiles:

Check out Teresa Bau's Storify presentation. I have to learn how to do this because it's pretty cool:



 

Did You Enjoy This Post?

If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+. 

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15 Minutes of Fame: I’m a Top Influencer in The Start Up of YOU LinkedIn Discussion Group!

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15 Minutes of Fame Andy Warhol Quote

15 Minutes of Fame Quote by Andy Warhol

 

Please Let Me Enjoy My Fleeting 15 Minutes.  This post is purely self-promotional.  But, I don't know if another similar event will happen again (or how long it will last).

Social MediaReInvention Community Members know I am a huge fan of the book, The Start-Up of YOU and The Start-Up of YOU: A Career Strategy LinkedIn Discussion Group.

A month ago, I posted a discussion topic and poll titled: Parents: Is your son/daughter graduating from college in Spring 2014/2015?  Please describe your confidence level for your child to land a full-time job after graduation.

I monitor this discussion forum daily to see if other Start-Up of YOU group members submitted new comments or votes.  Imagine my pleasant surprise when I read this:

 

Tony Top Influencer Start-Up of You Screenshot 1

November 30, 2013: Tony Faustino is a Top Influencer in Start-Up of YOU LinkedIn Group

 

Here's the question and poll I submitted to The Start-Up of YOU: A Career Strategy Network Discussion Forum:

 

Tony Top Influencer The Start-Up of You Screenshot 2

Tony Faustino's Question and Poll in Start-Up of YOU: A Career Strategy Network Discussion Group

 

The Start-Up of YOU Top Contributor Recognition

Updated December 6, 2013: Tony Faustino is a Top Contributor in LinkedIn The Start-Up of YOU Discussion Group

I know this isn't a big deal to a lot of people.  But, it is to me.  I always wonder if the discussions I participate in and the content I contribute makes an impact.

I must be doing something right.   And, the clock keeps ticking …

Update 1:  When I recently visited the discussion group site, the website described my  "Top Contributor" status.  I captured the screenshot on December 6th. 

Update 2:  I visited the discussion group site on the morning of December 27th.  I also received a "Top Contributor" status for this question / discussion.  Here are the screen shots from that day:

 

The Start-Up of You A Career Strategy Network LinkedIn 12-27-13

December 27th Update: Top Contributor Status in Start-Up of YOU Discussion Group

 

The Start-Up of You A Career Strategy Network LinkedIn 12-27-13 p2

December 27th Update: Top Contributor Status The Start-Up of YOU Discussion Group

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+. 

 

Photo Credit by Lynn Friedman via flickr

 

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Part Two: 4 More Gurus and Their Books Helping Marketing and Communications Graduates Land that First Job
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LinkedIn’s Grad Guide Videos: 13 Pearls to Help Recent College Graduates Find Jobs

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How Confident are You in Finding a Job After Graduation?


This is the second post in a series to help recent college graduates and current undergraduates get jobs.   "Should Recent College Graduates & Current Undergraduates Learn LinkedIn?" is the first in this series.

I reviewed the six videos in the LinkedIn Grad Guide Video Series.  The six (6) LinkedIn Grad Guide videos are in post #1 of this series.  Here are my favorites videos with their key points summarized.

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 2: Building Your Professional Brand

 

 

 

1. Grad school admissions officers and recruiters Google you before deciding to meet you in-person.


2. 70% of employers rejected a job candidate because of information they found on online.


3. 85% of employers say a candidate's positive online reputation influences their decisions.


4. "It's no longer enough to simply have a resume. Students now need a professional online presence." — Holly Paul, former US Recruiting Leader, PriceWaterHouse Coopers (now Chief Human Resources Officer, Vocus).

 

5. Ask you professors, campus job managers, and internship supervisors for LinkedIn Recommendations.

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 4: Building a Professional Network

 

 

 

6. 70% of jobs are found through networking.


7. Write a brief, polite, and personalized "connection request" when asking someone to be part of their LinkedIn network.

  • Don't Use LinkedIn's Generic Invites. The generic invitation message "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn" isn't enough.

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 5: Turning Relationships into Opportunities

 

 

8. A 4-Step Template for Asking Someone to Network with You

This template doesn't guarantee acceptance of your invitation.   But, following these steps helps differentiate your LinkedIn invitation from the generic "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn" requests.

  • Use the Subject Line Wisely. Mention your connection to the person in the subject line.
  • Write a Concise Intro. Keep your introduction to who you are and your reason for connecting.
  • Make Your Ask. Never directly ask someone for a job; Ask for general career advice on a particular industry or company.
  • Say Thank You. Politely thank the person for considering your request.

 

9. Ask Your "1st Degree Connections" for Introductions to "2nd Degree Connections"

Look for mutual connections to a job opening or a person within the targeted company. This is especially important when you don't have a direct link or "an in" with someone connected to an opportunity you're want interested in.

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 6: Researching and Prepping for the Interview

 

This MUST WATCH video is required preparation for informational interviews (e.g., someone who might not be directly connected to a job opportunity), and the all-important first, formal interview.

Why?  Recruiters say knowledge about their company is one of the most important factors in landing a job.

 

10. The 4 Types of Information to Know When Preparing for a Job Interview

  • General Company and Employee Information: the company's mission, products, services, and markets
  • Industry / Competitive knowledge: the company's industry and its competition
  • Insider Secrets: knowledge about the company's culture / mindset that only "an insider" (usually a current or former employee) can provide
  • Ongoing Updates: keeping up-to-date on company news (and its relevant competitors)

11. LinkedIn's Company Pages Can Identify Potential Interviewers

 

 

LinkedIn: Overview | LinkedIn

LinkedIn's Company Page

Along with general company information (what the company does, number of global offices, available jobs that may interest you, etc.), Company Pages can identify important information about your potential interviewers:

 

  • Educational Backgrounds: the interviewer's college major(s) and alma mater
  • Company Career Paths
  • Common LinkedIn 1st Degree Connections Shared with the Employee
  • Social Media Participation (do any of your potential interviewers use Twitter or publish personal blogs)
  • Things You and the Interviewer Share in Common

Demonstrate you did your homework by not only researching the company but also by learning about the people participating in the interviewing process. Identifying things you and your interviewer(s) have in common (and tactfully discussing them at appropriate points during the interview) can positively differentiate you among other applicants.

 

12. LinkedIn Groups Can Help You Learn Important Industry Knowledge

 

 

The Start-Up of You: A Career Strategy Network | LinkedIn

The Start-Up of You LinkedIn Group

 

During the interview, you'll want to be conversant in a number of key topics about the company's industry such as:

  • The "industry lingo" used by people working in that line of work
  • Relevant news events affecting the company (and its competitors)
  • Key people within the industry

Demonstrating your industry knowledge is HUGE.   Leverage LinkedIn Groups to your competitive advantage and further differentiate yourself!

 

13. You May Have a 1st Degree LinkedIn Connection (or a 2nd Degree LinkedIn Connection) Who Can Share Important Insider Secrets

 

 

Connections to LinkedIn

My 1st & 2nd Degree Connections to LinkedIn

Remember, a 1st degree connection is someone you're already directly connected to in LinkedIn. A second degree connection is someone you are not directly connected to (but one of your 1st degree connections may be connected to this person).

2nd degree connections are vitally important because your 1st degree connections may be able to provide a "warm referral" to them. And, that provides you another competitive advantage over other interviewees competing for the same position.

More importantly, 1st and 2nd degree connections can reveal important "tribal knowledge" available only to current or former employees (e.g., valuable "insider secrets") like:


  • Company Culture
  • The Employee Traits the Company Values
  • Company Leaders You Should be Familiar With

 

Conclusion

Reviewing the six (6) videos in the LinkedIn Grad Guide Series can give you a competitive advantage. You'll learn how to fully leverage LinkedIn's features and content.  

Remember, it requires a lot of people "to say yes" during the hiring process but only one "to say no."

Therefore, minimize your risk and maximize your opportunity by investing 30 minutes investment to study these videos. 

Please stay tuned for post #3 in this series (around 2 weeks from this post's publication).   I'll summarize books by marketing gurus that can help recent college graduates or current undergraduates build a professional online presence.

Your Turn: What do you think of the advice in the LinkedIn Grad Guide Videos?  How well do you think the LinkedIn Grad Guide Videos can help recent college graduates (or current undergraduates) find full-time jobs and internships?  Let me know in the comments.

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.   

 

Photo Credit: by MAURO CATEB via flickr



Note: This is post two in a series sharing resources to help new college graduates and current students land full-time jobs or internships.  If interested, here are links to other posts in this series:

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Should College Graduates and Current Undergraduates Learn LinkedIn?

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College Students are LinkedIn's Fastest Growing Segment

 

It publicly signaled college students are a critical growth driver by announcing its College Pilot Program in July 2012. At that time, LinkedIn cited 20 million college undergraduates as members of the online service. Even more importantly, college graduates and students represent LinkedIn's fastest growing demographic. The company recently announced two (2) new portals serving this fast-growing customer segment:

In parallel with the release of LinkedIn Student Jobs and LinkedIn University Pages, LinkedIn also launched their "LinkedIn – Now For Education" landing page. The landing page is "a buyer-persona friendly" site serving and targeting the following audiences:

  • Students: Recent Graduates, Current Undergraduates, and effective September 12th, high school students
  • Parents: The Alumni Section can help parents locate their 1st degree connections who may be able to help their child gain valuable insights (or even more valuable connections) during the application or research process
  • Academic Institutions: Top universities can be even more aggressive and selective in the students they target and recruit for admission
  • Prospective Employers: Self explanatory

 

 

35 to 54 Year Olds are LinkedIn's Biggest Membership Base

This Business Insider infographic shows LinkedIn's smallest membership segment is 18-24 year olds (e.g., college students and recent undergraduates). 18% of LinkedIn members's are 18-24 year olds versus 40% who are 35 to 54.

 


 

The LinkedIn Grad Guide Video Series

Want more proof LinkedIn wants to attract and grow this important market segment? Check out this video series — classic, targeted content marketing:

 

LinkedIn: Your Career Starts Here

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 1: What is LinkedIn

 

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 2: Building Your Professional Profile

 

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 3: Finding Your Career Passion

 

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 4: Building a Professional Network

 

 

LinkedIn Grad Guide Video 5: Turning Relationships Into Opportunities

 

 

LInkedIn Grad Guide Video 6: Researching & Prepping For Interviews


Conclusion

I smiled when the "youthful-sounding" voiceover in the LinkedIn: Your Career Starts Here video refers to the predominance of LinkedIn's older members:

"It's (LinkedIn) not just for top executives. It's not just for old people with heavy briefcases. It's (LinkedIn) for you. And, it's the perfect place before you start your professional story."

35-54 year old professionals recognize and understand LinkedIn's value in building and maintaining careers. I would love to find some statistics proving/disproving if this demographic comprised most of the service's first-movers and early adopters.

This is a brutal job market for all ages. Unemployed workers over 50 and recent college graduates are especially impacted by the current economy. 50 year-old executives have to work extra hard to find employment. And, the power of a college degree is dwindling.

Thoughtful, savvy personal branding positively impacts careers. Whether we like it or not, an online world accelerates the competitive pressures shaping our professional lives (including our children in their early high school years).

In about 2 weeks, please stay tuned for my next post in this series. I'll summarize my favorite "pearls of wisdom" LinkedIn shares in the six-part Grad Video Series.

Your Turn:  What do you think of LinkedIn's marketing strategy to grow its membership base?  Is opening their service to younger members a smart move?  Let me know in the comments.

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.   

 

Note: This is post one in a series sharing resources to help new college graduates and current students land full-time jobs or internships.  If interested, here are the respective links for posts two and three:


Photo credit: chrisinplymouth via flickr

 

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If You’re An Over-50 Worker, Are You Too Old For Personal Branding?

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Next Pink Slip Might Be Yours

A Strong Personal Brand Has No Age Limit

But Over-50 Equals The Danger Zone If Your Personal Brand Is Weak.  The AARP Public Policy Institute published this recent Fact Sheet: The Employment Situation, March 2012: Unemployment Rises for Older Workers.  The concluding findings are sobering for people age 55 years to older.

  • The unemployment rate for the aged 55 and over workforce rose from 5.9% to 6.2% 
  • More than half of workers aged 55 and have been looking for work at least a year
  • The long term unemployed are at risk of skills erosion (which decreases the probability of finding work)

Table 3 of the Fact Sheet highlights important statistics for both and average duration of unemployment and the long term unemployed for the 55+ and older group:

AARP March 2012 Long Term Unemployed Over-50

It Gets Harder Every Year for Unemployed, Older Workers
 

AARP March 2012 Long Term Unemployment for Over-50 Graph 2

Last year, AARP Senior Vice President, Jeffrey Davis, released this video statement:

 

 

Older Unemployed Workers Must Overcome Multiple Hiring Perceptions

This Phenemenon Has Been Increasing Since 2005.  I still have the original May 2005 Fortune Magazine issue to this article: 50 and Fired.  The article states how over-50 unemployed workers battle these common hiring objections, perceptions, and responses when searching for jobs:

  • Out-of-touch with today's technology
  • Too expensive to hire (a pheneomenon referred to as tenured compensation)
  • Unable to work for or work with team members half their age (e.g., less flexible)
  • Over-qualified (which is code for you're over-50)
  • Younger workers are less expensive  

Unemployed Status = Uphill Battle.  For whatever reason, companies favor "passive employment candidates" (e.g., currently employed workers who may not be actively looking for a new job).  For older, unemployed workers, it's as if hiring companies deliberately promote a "no unemployed need apply" rule. 

Invest in Your Personal Brand WHILE YOU'RE EMPLOYED

The Rise of The Temporary Gig Economy.  But, it's not all gloom and doom.  There's an emerging trend to hire older, over-50 workers (particularly in the white collar executive segment).   The Huffington Post published an article titled, Patina: Experience Trumps Youth in This Economy.  This Wisconsin-based placement firm specializes in placing older experience executives in temporary global assignments.  Patina Solutions recognized an unmet need and opportunity for older executives:

  • Baby Boomers might approach retirement differently – they prefer to keep working but not necessarily in a part-time job
  • Older experienced executives are a senior management asset when it comese to overseeing projects
  • These executives have no desire to be tied down to one company (though many of their clients lost their jobs do to the ongoing recession)
  • Established firms are moving to on-demand employment models (which allows them to forgo paying health care benefits and vacation packages)

Read These Forbes Magazine Articles By Josh Bersin On Employment Trends.  I follow Mr. Bersin because he identifies important patterns in 21st century career management.  After reading these articles, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand how The Temporary Gig Economy will become the norm versus the exception:

Start Differentiating Yourself (Especially Online).  This means competitive differentiation is vital for older executives.  The competition for these temporary assignments will increase.  

Make It Easy For Company Recruiters and Executive Headhunters to Find You.  The Internet is your friend.  Whether you like it or not, older workers have to deal with extra baggage in a job search.  The key is understanding what you're up against (and a course of action).  

For over-50 workers, use LinkedIn to your advantage by:

  • Emphasizing you passions
  • Showing your tech savvy
  • Networking across generations

Concluding Thoughts

Building a Personal Brand Involves a Significant Time Investment.  I'm entering my third year in blogging.  I love writing (which is why I do it for free).  And, my passion for writing and sharing is yielding returns in important professional and personal opportunities.

The Paradox of Digital Media Is It's Slow (Not Fast).  The results don't happen overnight. Despite a real-time Internet, digital content is an asset that becomes more valuable over time because:

  • Search engines will index it
  • Social media sites will share it and spread it
  • Other websites (including social media networks) will link to it — which increases your Google Authority

This is the In Praise of Slow Factor Mitch Joel refers to in his book, Six Pixels of Separation.

 

Start building your personal brand NOW.  

 

Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist.  He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention.  Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.   

  

Link to Photo Credit by Timothy Krause via flickr

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Older Unemployed Face a Tough Road
Older workers 'being forced into retirement before they're financially ready'
The American Way of Hiring Is Making Long-Term Unemployment Worse
Long-Term Unemployment Doubled 2007 – 2013