life@work

JibberJobber Helps You Manage Your Career Contacts

I can't believe that I haven't already written about JibberJobber, which is a great tool for both career managers (i.e., all of us, right?) and job seekers.

Jason Alba created JibberJobber as a result of his own frustrating job search process. So what else is an Internet application design expert to do but invent his own tool set that complements, yet doesn't duplicate, other tools out there.

JibberJobber helps you organize all the information you gather during a job search. Where have you sent your resume? To whom do you owe a follow up call? What is the name and number of the hiring manager your friend told you about? Did you remember to send a thank you note after the last interview? You can have all that data in one place.

The especially smart aspect of the tool set is that has features that help you manage your career on an ongoing basis (I'm talking about networking here), not just when you're looking for a job.

I can't tell you how many people I talk to who need to contact people with whom they've lost touch and feel really awkward about that.

Ideally we're staying connected with the past and meeting new people frequently - you know, keeping up our relationships with others. It's so easy to let a really interesting person or a mentor from years past fall off the radar. But it's also easy to keep in touch, especially if you have some kind of system to help you do it.

You can get a free, basic subscription to JibberJobber, or you can pay about $10 per month for additional features.

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

Linked In Answers as Networking Tool

One of the most brilliant features of LInkedIn has to be "Answers".

Wondering whether an MBA will help your HR career?
Launching a fashion label in Egypt?
Want to know what people look for in a VP of sales candidate?

LinkedIn's Answers feature allows you to pose a business question to your network (and the connections of everyone in your network). People have seven days to respond.

But wait, there's more! You can browse the questions that are "open" by category to find a subject you know something about, and chime in with your two cents. If your response is chosen as the best answer you become flagged as an "expert".

In the meantime you can become more closely acquainted with all sorts of people, as you give information and assistance and receive information and assistance. Virtual networking at its best.

Of course you need to have people in your network to make this an interesting experience.

LinkedIn's recommendation is that you only add people to your network whom you know and trust, and that makes sense. But I also see the value of having new connections who interest you in some way. I don't see the value in "collecting" hundreds of connections whom you couldn't possibly know or care about.

I'm curious about your own experience with LinkedIn Answers and how you believe it stacks up against other social networking sites' features.

Has it been worth your time? What benefits have you received from it?

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

A Different Kind of Business Networking Group

Biznik has been getting buzz.

If you're the owner of a small and/or emerging business, and if you're tired of or disappointed by traditional business networking groups, or if you just want to try out a fresh concept for business networking, take a look at Biznik.

Lifehacker and  WorkHappy.net both have interesting things to say about this community that focuses on both virtual and face-to-face meetings, invites collaboration and participation, and does not charge a fee to join.

Right now all face-to-face meetings are in Seattle, but new members are popping up everywhere, and you could be the first to start events in your area.

I'm giving it a try because I'm ready for something fresh. I have a feeling it will be a better fit for me than groups such as LinkedIn (which is admittedly quite different from this).

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com 
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

LinkedIn - Are You?

Several months ago, a colleague invited me to join her network on LinkedIn. I did, and it's been interesting to see what has happened and hasn't happened with this tool.

If you haven't heard of this tool, check it out. It's not just for the high-techies anymore. If you want to find clients, industry experts, references, reconnect with former colleagues and more, you'll want to know about this.

I am not a natural networker/chit-chatter with strangers, so the opportunity to conenct online was quite appealing!

The design of the tool - a system where through personal referral you can connect with people "several degrees of separation from you" - is a powerful one. No cold calls to make or receive, and as far as I can tell, a lot of good will. So far, so good.

What I'm learning is that even with a powerful online networking tool, I still have to be a networker to get any benefit from it.

To me this means reaching out frequently and creatively and asking for what I want. Gulp.

Oh yeah, and I coach people to do these very things every day! So best to put my money where my mouth is and stretch myself on this one. (I'm not going to bring out that "walk your talk" phrase because that is too corporate cowboy for me).

Smith College, my alma mater, has a group on LinkedIn that I was invited to join this week. I was invited because the creator of the group is connected to one of my connections. Now I am acquainted with more alumnae, some of whom I didn't know and live in Seattle. Pretty cool. I put myself out there with the group and told them what kind of support relative to my business I am looking for.

Where can you put yourself out there today? What connections will you make?

www.dreambigcoaching.com