Monthly Archives: October 2010

Would you reverse the job hunt and make employers come to you?


Posted by ajlovesya

This morning I came across The Reverse Job Application by Andrew Horner.  Frustrated by an unsuccessful two year job hunt after graduating from college, he created a website that highlights his skills and why he decided to approach job hunting in this way.

This is a reverse job application. I am done asking people to hire me, for several reasons. First and foremost, it clearly doesn’t work. Second, it closes me off to a lot of potentially amazing opportunities; I can only find and apply to so many jobs, and there are doubtlessly hundreds of thousands out there that I would be a great fit for. Third and finally, the application process undermines my value as a worker. I have gone my entire life consistently producing excellent results at every task I set my mind to, and quite frankly, employers should be coming to me, not the other way around.

What I like is that he is drawing attention to himself, in an easy, clear, and funny way.  I also like that he is stating what he is looking for in a company and opening himself to different opportunities.   Finding the right *fit* for any job is important to both the employer and employee and by laying out expectations and interests, that aspect of the hiring process may be easier for him.

Additionally, I think we take a similar approach, albeit in more subtle ways, when utilize social media for career advancement purposes. We try to make ourselves stand out, push content that showcases our skills, and develop relationships that could eventually be beneficial.

At the same, this makes me wonder, aside from tone–is what he doing really that unique?  Who isn’t online talking about how awesome they are and looking for offers (check out the hire me tab above)?  And as an employer I would have to wonder: Why haven’t you been hired?  Surely it just cant be because you didn’t have a website up, yes?  Calling attention to numerous rejections is, in my opinion, a bad move (especially when, unfortunately, employers have he upper hand in this economy).

And whatever happened to creating a job?  Of course entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, yet something must be said for refining your skills by doing side projects where you can showcase and refine your talent and are more compelling than a website telling folks to hire you.  Indeed, saying you should be hired is very different from demonstrating why you should be hired.

Hopefully he’ll update the website and let us know of his progress and experiences.

So what do you think?  Should you get employers to come to you?

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Blog action day: What’s your relationship with water?


Posted by ajlovesya

I used to hate drinking tap water. Whenever I turned on the faucet the water was either brown or gray, not the crisp clear water found in cute bottles at the grocery store.  We would often buy bottles of water or just wait for the color to change and the “gunk,” as my grandmother called it, to disappear so we could drink it.  Repulsed and impatient I would pour a cup of water and promptly toss it out only to hear my grandmother scream, “don’t waste water.  do you realize how many people don’t even get a chance to drink water?”

Don’t waste water.  Similar to the cries of “dont waste food, there are starving children in Africa/China/our neighbor’s house,” I paid it little attention. The concept was too abstract and therefore insignificant.  Afterall, water is every where, right?  And what do other people not having drinking water have to do with the crud coming out of our faucet?

In high school, shunning tap water all together wasn’t just a necessity to avoid the taste of garbage down my throat; it became cool.  While the water running through the pipes of my New York City apartment improved (and NYC began celebrating the fact that it has the best tap water in the world), it was cool to drink bottled water.  Poland Spring was basic, standard.  Fancier people got Evian or any one of the new brands popping up during the bottled water craze.  I happily bought a bottle of water to show my love of this new trend.

Now folks proudly carry water reusable water bottles and fill it with tap water or filtered water.  The emphasis was first cost (did you know you could save $1400/year by refilling a reusable water bottle!) to impact (1.5 million tons of plastic are used each year to make plastic water bottles).  Again I followed along yet still ignored why paying attention to water was so important in the first place.

So when the theme was announced for Blog Action Day, I took it as an opportunity to examine why water is such an urgent issue.  Then I realized, I dont just drink water; I eat it, I bathe and clean in it, I travel in it, I wear it, and I waste it. The result is an unsustainable habit with worldwide implications.  In fact, I think my grandmother understated the problem.  It isn’t just about the faucet.  It’s about the choices I make and how those choices affect others around the world, including people in my own household.

Given the scope taking action seems impossible.  We are encouraged to take shorter showers or not leave the water running. Though this may seem too small what these steps encourage us to do is to stop and think.  In other words, instead of living and consuming mindlessly, let’s be deliberate about what we use, especially water.

I encourage you to check out the various blogs and topics on this issue over at Blog Action Day. To start, calculate your water foot print.

What is your relationship to water?  What changes are you making to reduce water waste?

I like to use blog action day to encourage introspection.  I believe in the importance of taking action in the form of volunteering or donating or even blogging, yet these actions seem in vain if we don’t recognize the ways we contribute to inequality and injustice on a regular basis.  With simple changes we can influence our friends and families to make better choices and our collective action can and will make a difference.

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Making the Most of Your Entry Level Nonprofit Job


Posted by ajlovesya

I’ve never met a person who loved their entry level job.  Most of these jobs are administrative and you are often on call for senior or mid level managers.  It isn’t easy to see or appreciate the importance of your work (even more so if people treat you as if the work you do doesn’t matter).  Your job may not make the most of your skills and your spend most of your time staring off into space.

So there are many reasons not to love your entry level job.  Yet I think there are enormous benefits that are easy to overlook:

  • You get a bird’s eye view of your organization and the many people, skills, and resources it takes to keep it running smoothly;
  • You are exposed to different people and positions in that organization and the sector in general (I had no idea what development was until my first non-profit job);
  • You have many different tasks that are small pieces of larger responsibilities, such as doing background research on a foundation for a potential grant is a great skill to have should you want to get into fundraising/grant writing;
  • You have more time and flexibility to focus on what you want to do once it is time to move beyond your entry level job.

So the bigger question is how can you take advantage of the flexibility and openness of your job and position yourself to learn more and grow professionally?

1.  Reflect on what you’re doing: What do you enjoy most?  What do you enjoy least? What do you excel in or struggle with? Do you enjoy chatting with people?  Organizing projects from start to finish?  Writing or doing research?  Do you struggle with following up and finalizing events?  Managing files and systems?

2.  Meet people at your job and ask questions: What departments and positions look interesting to you?  Email folks in those departments and ask to chat with them about what they do, how they got there, and what they love about their job.

3.  Figure out what you want to learn: You’ve got a sense of what you enjoy and have a better understanding of different jobs.  What skills do you need to obtain some of the jobs you explored?  Which of your responsibilities is helpful to preparing you for a better position?

4.  Make yourself a new job description: After understanding what you do, what you want to do, and what others do, create a position that incorporates more opportunities and stretch assignments. Work with your supervisor on setting new goals.  This will help you develop the skills and network you need to eventually have the job you want.

There are also low-cost or free resources outside of work that you can take advantage of to push yourself even more.   Consider taking up a part time job or volunteer position in a field you are interested in.  Use social media to connect with your peers and leaders so that you always building a network while staying on top of trend in your field.

How else can we make the most of an entry level position?

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What type of social media for social change user are you?


Posted by ajlovesya

Sometimes in conversations about social media and social change, I don’t always think we are talking about the same thing.  Certainly, we agree that the goal is to use social media to drive action yet what we don’t always acknowledge is that there is a spectrum of engagement when it comes to social media and social change.  In other words, how we individually use social media for social change varies as people have different needs when it comes to taking action.


I’ve noticed four types of social media for social change users.  Which applies to you?

The Network Weaver
Often heard saying: “Let me introduce you to…”  “You and ___ should totally connect.”
Example: Steve Jennings, Founder, Zyozy: Humanity Empowerment Project

Human capital is one of the most important resources we have in social change work.  The Network Weaver often has a wide range of friends and is excellent at spotting promising relationships and making introductions.

——–

The Resource Maven
Often heard saying: “Have you heard of this….?”  “You should look into….”
Example: Rosetta Thurman, Principal, Rosetta Thurman Consulting

Ever have those moments where you need an article, website, or organization to help you complete something you are working on, yet cant seem to find it?  Enter the Resource Maven who can point you in the right direction to get you what you need.

——–

The Technology Powerhouse
Often heard saying: “I wonder how [insert social media tool] can help organizations reach more people?”  “Who is using [this particular tool] and is sharing their experiences?”
Example: Beth Kanter, Beth’s Blog

This person is not only on top of technology trends but she also knows how and why such technology might be useful for folks doing social change work.  It is easy to get overwhelmed by the many new tools popping up every day–yet the technology powerhouse seems to effortlessly filter what is useful and what is noise.

——–

The Mobilizer
Often heard saying: “Take action–contact these people now.”  “We have to do something about this today.”
Example: Gina McCauley, What About Our Daughters

The Mobilizer often has a close relationship with supporters, deep insight into their cause, and utilizes a combination of the aforementioned social media-social change personalities in a way that makes it compelling and easy for folks to take action.  The ability to connect people who are passionate about a cause and move them to take action is often what we envision when it comes to using social media for social change.


How else have you seen people using social media for social change?

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