Free eBook- Using the Social Web to Find Work

Yet again you step up to the mark and offer hope for the future - nice gift, big guy, Obama should have a look this way sometime ;-)

@shellerae Timely! Good call Chris!

I am enjoying it; just browsing so far; but I have a few people I plan to send this out to.

Thanks for the effort that you are putting forth to help anyone in need during this economic time. I agree that nobody is safe. It just hasn't hit everyone yet but it will. Looking forward to reading this book!

Thanks again!
@kylereddoch

thanks so much for the generous gift and will pass the word! Happy holidays to you and yours.

Hi Chris -

Haven't read it yet, but your stuff is always good so I'll go retweet now :)

The idea of nrturing your social networks online before you need them made me think of Harvey MacKay's book about networking offline, "Dig Your Well Before You're Thrsty" - one of the best books I ever read on the subject - could've been the timing but he's a story teller and we know how that works. It just does.

Appreciate you,
Andrea

Again, Mr. Brogan, in the short time I have been appended to you via twitter.com/grayzhouse I have been overwhelmed with the productivity that you conjure up in short spurts. I am one of the estimated 533,000 laid off in November 2008 due to the economical downturn.

Merry Christmas!

Chris,
Thanks for sharing this. Your appreciate for the times we are in is well known and this just proves it out.

May this bless many people.

Awesome. Thanks for the holiday gift.

Can't wait to read every word! Thank you!!!

Hi Chris - Thanks for the resource and effort on this. Recently I left a job, started a new one only to be laid off, and thus last week I spent much time working on LinkedIN, VisualCV and other sites to try to brand and network for employement....I am sure your ebook will lend a hand in that area this week!

Thanks for putting together this primer on leveraging the 2.0 tools we use for chit chat and information gathering into something that can get us even more.

I'll be passing this along to a number of people.

Happy holidays to you and your family!

Thanks for putting this out right now, Chris. Not only is a great holiday gift from you but it is good timing for many who are trying to find a way to survive in today's economy. Using this insightful information will certainly be of help to many of us.

Happy Holidays,
Kimberly
@jkvirtualoffice

Whenever I try to download and open it from Chrome, I'm told that the file is damaged and could not be repaired. I got it to work in Internet Explorer though. Thought you (or anyone else having problems downloading from Chrome) might want to know about that issue.

Great points in the ebook. Thanks for sharing with us all.

Thanks Chris. I've just downloaded this and I am looking forward to reading it. I just started reading your stuff yesterday via Chris Garrett. I've been trying to figure out how to use SM to network and make contacts. There is so much out there that it is overwhelming so I'm glad that you guys are sharing the knowledge that you've accumulated.

Great gift to the community.

Something to add to my "to read" list for the weekend. Thanks for adding more "value"! I don't know where you find the time.

This was a great resource. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for putting it together.

Thanks Chris,

P.S. I miss your previous blog design :(

Just to let you know I will be putting this on my site :-)

Since I work online, it makes sense for me to 'network online' too - and I'm a much bigger fan of 'virtual' networking than the offline 'get togethers'. I've personally found a few freelancers by coming across them on Twitter and Facebook and liking who they are and what they write.

Thanks
Adele

I'm a newbie to social media networks and I want to thank you, Chris, for an excellent overview of how all these pieces can fit together.

Chris,

A great read as always... and a wonderful Christmas gift to all.

I realize I need to get my LinkedIn strategy working a little more now... and will get rocking on that soon! Feeling lucky at the moment that I am self employed and work is coming in... but I really do see that many businesses are cutting back. It is a good idea to work these steps you put in front of us now because one never knows when the well will run dry!

Thanks again Chris, and Happy Holidays!

- Doc

This is a great resource, and a wonderful Gift Chris! Thanks for putting it together and sharing. I will put it to use and share with my community.

Cheers
peju

Chris,

VERY NICE WORK!!! I'm also glad that you stated in the title finding "work" and not a job! To me this Christmas gift you have given is going to be another defining moment in someone's life as jobs are being redefined as we speak, disruptive job creation is happening now.

I, too, have sent this to others in the hope of igniting someone's long lost dream and passion. I came across the comment about "personal branding" ( @gylonj ) that I can now do for myself versus how previous companies I have worked for have "branded" me into what they wanted. Powerful stuff and you've just added more more surgical tools to my tool belt that will help myself change and grow.

With this gift, you sure know about abundance versus scarcity!!

Thank you for this gift. I will be tweeting your link and sharing via social tools to my Detroit network, many of whom could use these tools to find a new gig. When my husband was laid off, I dug up some of your posts that you cite in the e-book, esp about Linked In and he received 12 glowing recommendations over a 2-day period. Great wisdom about building a small, powerful network too. These strategies work.

You are AWESOME, Chris. Have a great Christmas.

With best wishes for you in 2009.

Great and very timely ebook Chris.

I just wrote a post on my recent situation & experience and listed out some tips to adhere to before the economy hits home. Biggest thing is to build a positive mutually-beneficial network around you. A solid network around me (not to mention my friends & family) has undoubtedly helped me through this time and am truly thankful for them.

Looking forward to digging into this ebook.

Thanks so much! I am already using social media for this, but I still have a lot to learn! I can't wait to read it.

Very timely. Thanks Chris!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday with friends and family

Great information Chris! Thank you for organizing and sharing it.

@Matthew No problem here with Chrome (154.36) although I have seen pdf weirdness with Chrome as you described that just seemed to fix itself.

Chris - Great document, thanks!

Thank you Santa - this is so perfect right about now that I'm job hunting

Happy Holidays!

PS) I laughed out loud on Page 5 regarding "Add a photo...worried about discrimination?...they'll figure it out eventually" good one, Chris. As a latina I do think about that in the back of my head (I wonder if...)

Got me thinking about hiring, as opposed to getting a job. Hiring someone with your readers' smarts is in the best interests of many businesses. Encouraging businesses to provide a place for applicants to list their online presence on job applications is a good start. If you are looking to hire, how inviting is your application to these Web savvy social media mavens.

This is a great gift for the holidays. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

social networking site- Facebook. helpful information. enjoy Christmas...

Hey Chris, I downloaded the e-book earlier today and just got a chance to read through. Awesome. I feel like I read so much these days that most of it's pretty repetitive, but this one really hit me where I live. I've pretty much let my linkedin profile lapse into oblivion. Every time I get a request, the thought is always "Ugh. Another f'n social network to maintain. Whatever, sure I'll accept it."

Your e-book opened my eyes to new opportunities for my profile. I've got several days off at Christmas and plan to tend to it then. I feel blessed to be working for a company that's actually thriving in these down times. Fortunately, we all realize that it's not a permanent situation and we all need to double our efforts to keep the win streak alive. I think I'll be passing this around the office and encouraging everyone to follow suit, who knows what it will lead to.

Thanks!

This is a great ebook Chris and comes at a perfect time for many.

I find the subject very interesting because the social web is how I'm keeping customers in my restaurant when other restaurants are closing up. The social web is also how I have my new position with a pretty cool new company you might know of ;-)

It would be great if you added all of your ebooks to the "Best Of" section...

Thanks for the ebook =D

Thanks Chris!

Recently laid off with a bleak and uncertain future.. man, I need to do SOMETHING. Every little bit helps.

Hi Chris,

I have just read your ebook. Quite interesting but I have some doubts about using social media for have an online resumee can help workers to get a job... expecially in this economy.

I used social media to find my actual job... but with a different approach!

First of all, with Hoovers or LinkedIn I filled in a list of company where I could fit. With LinkedIn and Facebook I found out who is in charge of Marketing, HR and for small companies who is the Director. Blogs and again linkedin helped me understand who are their clients and important developments.
And again with all the above tools I can contact directly these people and instead of sending out a resumee, with all the information gathered I can explain why I could be the perfect (or nearly) one for them.

Results: I contacted 50 companies in this way, 20 ignored me, 20 negative but polite answers (I.e. let's connect for now), 10 job interviews and 1 job.

Chris what a great christmas present. Writing a social media ebook or mini course is on my list of to do once my interent marketing ecourse and starting a va business ebook is complete. I look forward to reading the ebook and adding to my expertise. Like they say you learn something new everyday!

Thank you once again for your kindness and great knowledge. Happy holidays everyone and my 2009 start off with great success for us all!


Serena Carcasole
www.vbsondemand.com
Your 1STOP Business Service Shop
Outsource your way to success!

Hey Chris,

Haven't read the download yet, but I personally know how important all of this networking is for job search. I was let go from my previous job on Oct. 6; immediately changed (that evening when I got home) my FB and LI status to "Murray is looking for a new job." Got about 50 immediate - "Hey, sorry to hear that - what can I do messages." I then sent out an email merge to about 200 or so contacts on Linked In and Facebook that I thought could truly help, and through one of those contacts, had an initial email from the management of an agency literally 5 minutes later, and 2 1/2 weeks later started my new job there, which I totally love. In today's economy. Can't stress enough the importance and validity of all of the hours spent Social Networking, especially in today's economy.

Wow; I just skimmed the pdf, and wanted to leave you a comment to say thanks, and that I can't wait to get into it more this week.

And then I read Murray's comment — wowza! Amazing testimonial for what you're preaching here.

And hey, while I'm here... it was great to see you at SOBCon08 again; you were swamped, otherwise, I'd have talked you up more.

Thanks, Chris. This is very generous and couldn't come at a better time. I'm going to update my Linkedin profile now. If I haven't found work within the next couple of months, I'll come a-knockin'.

Thank you for the download! Looks like a great read.

We are living in the age of the free agent, meaning we only get paid for results. Warren Buffett says to young folks "invest in yourself." Probably the best advice in these times. Here is an interview with The Job Search Guy, hope it helps.
http://www.mysuccessgateway.com/guru/podcasts.p...
@jimpeake

Chris, you're right...I should have posted comment/quesiton here (not Twitter), As mdy suggested, since every time I try downloading "Using the Social Web to Find Work" and attempt to open the PDF, this error message in Adobe Acrobat 7.0 comes up: "The file is damaged and could not be repaired." I noticed another post on this blog from someone else who had same problem. Is it possible fo you to make the pdf available for download in some other way? Thanks!

Hi Chris- What a nice thing to do!
I had hoped to share this with members of the Scottsdale Job Network as a holiday "gift" but the file's been corrupted and won't open. Perhaps the traffic volume crashed it! In any case, this is much needed, and appreciated, so I hope you'll be able to fix the issue and post this again.
Thanks again, Pat

To those who have problems opening the Using the Social Web to Find Work PDF, try the copy here:

http://www.google.com/base/a/1600278/D490433833...

If you can't open the original or this one, please list what browser, acrobat reader, and computer you are using.

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Joyce

http://www.videophonesguide.com

Chris,
This was a great e book, thanks for doing it. One place to find new, un advertised jobs is at www.linkup.com. We present ONLY jobs from company websites, NOT job boards.
keep up the good work,
gl hoffman
author of DIG YOUR JOB

Thanks for the free ebook. I want to check it out over new years day! :)

Chris

Impressive, thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to reading it. :) I'm currently working on an ebook to be released next year. Thanks for all your hard work and enjoy your New Year. Happy New Year!
-Mig

This is great for the folks in Michigan. Which has the nation's highest unemployment rate at 9.6 percent.

Agree, this is an info-rich, year-end gift from a pro who knows. Thank you, Chris. However I am eager to turn the page on all the doom talk about job loss ahead. Would rather we position 2009 more as a year of re-balance for all. Re-thinking priorities and revising goals. That may mean less materialism (but more sustainability), job loss (which might force a shift to try an indie business he/she dreamed about), and more networking (which means re-learning our local community places). You said something in your PDF: "thousands of great minds all plugged in to the same conversation." Let's hope we can use that power for substantial good, strengthening ourselves, our communities, our earth. Yes, happy new year.

Check out this video for a different way to live and work.

http://video.funkmeyers.com/

Great timing Chris,
I'm in the market for a new role and this information is really going to be useful in my search.

Many thanks,
Karl
Training in the Midlands, UK

Thanks for the ebook Chris.
Happy New Year.

Thanks for the Free Pdf Chris. Happy New Year !!! :)

hi chris,
it says the pdf file is corrupted/damaged.

@Anirudh:
Try this copy
-Scott

Wow! Thank you for the ebook!
Love your blog and just subscribed to the email feed.
Also, Congratulations on almost 5 YEARS of this blog!

All the best,

Dan

Bang on, Chris!

A Treasure Trove of Timely Tips!

As usual ... you've over-delivered,
~Melanie

Awesome!

Thanks for tweeting about this resource again today! I haven't been using LinkedIn at all, really, and this is great motivation to spend some time tonight beefing up my profile there and elsewhere.

Chris,

Some great tips to be had in this piece, thanks!

http://www.authoritydomains.com/social-media-co...

We just finished our Social Media Strategy eBook. Feel free to download for free and share as you like. Would love to hear from you with feedback. :)

Thank you for always thinking of others, lots of good karma coming back your way as you keep spreading good thoughts ours!

Thank for the eBook Chris. You have a small error on page 14. You say "37 Signals." The company name is 37signals (lowercase s and no space). I made the same mistake and Jason corrected me.

Keep up the great work

You are a very, very generous man Chris!

Thank you for the help!

Thanks, Chris! Great stuff. I work at Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services in Cincinnati. We have been helping thousands of people in job/career transition due to the economic situation. I've started sharing your e-book with others who can benefit from it.

Thanks, Chris! Great stuff. I work at Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services in Cincinnati. We have been helping thousands of people in job/career transition due to the economic situation. I've started sharing your e-book with others who can benefit from it.

Thanks, Chris. I'm sharing your helpful e-book with people through my work at the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services in Cincinnati.

"Using the Social Web to Find Word" finally found its way to me. Thank you for writing it.

I agree with and will use much of what you say. However you comment that you "have a problem with the notion of traditional networking, in the social sense. [You] perceive networking to mean those cocktail gatherings where you stand around and ask each other what you can do for each other." I've found "traditional networking" to be much more valuable and powerful than that. I'll invite a colleague out for coffee and brainstorming over a new challenge. Or I'll sit down with someone who has a job in an industry I want to approach. A few sincere questions to get them started, and the conversation is running. We both learn something before the time is up.

Oh, and it works with folks you met at those cocktail parties or Chamber events. Follow up that initial meeting with a request for a 30-minute conversation. Then close that session with another question: "Who else do you suggest I talk to about this?" Time very well spent.

You the man brogan, you the man!

Chris,

I just finished reviewing your book. And I made sure all links came back to this original post: http://twurl.nl/1m3zuh

Your LinkedIn advice was spot on, but I had some reservations about the Twitter advice.

How would job seekers "collaborate" when what they really want is a chance to speak with a hiring manager. You mention sharing the database. But I had a hard time making the connection for Job Seekers. How would that work, exactly?

Did you know that an applicant has about 36 minutes to submit their application in Craigslist, from the time it was posted? Probably the most intelligent use of Craigslist is to use it to find companies in your area that are hiring. After that, it makes better sense to leverage LinkedIn or Twitter for networking, then to apply.

You mention having a photo on our blogs or LinkedIn profiles. I actually think this is a VERY important point you make. To emphasize it, here is a story:

A recruiter friend had a client with a perfect resume. His LinkedIn profile was in tip-top shape so he was baffled why he wasn't getting call backs.

The recruiter came in to help and took one look at his profile photo. He looked liked an Axe Murderer. I kid you not.

So she had him change his photo to something more dynamic.

Literally, in 7 days he had 3 job offers. Not just call backs or interview. But Offers!

This fact scares a lot of HR folks because of the social implications. But the fact remains that people make emotional decisions about people, just like how we shop for breakfast cereal. We might not know how it tastes, but we like the packaging and buy it.

I offer these 3 tips for making a compelling LinkedIn profile photo:

1- avoid facing the camera strait on. Instead, stand to the side and rotate your head to face the camera. Then tilt. This makes for a more dynamic negative space around our head.

2- Try smiling!

3- There isn't a lot of space to capture background images, but you can still get patterns and color. Choose a background that is suitable to your brand:


Orange: Determination, Vitality
Green: Fresh, natural, Green industries
Red: Power, risk, aggressive
Yellow: Bright, visionary
Purple: Mystery, wealth, spiritual
Blue: Credibility, trust and loyalty

My full review is here: http://twurl.nl/1m3zuh

Great contribution Chris! While you're looking you should also consider what you can do to earn income on your own. If you're not working currently or just want a second income here is an article with some great ideas: http://www.everyjob.com/10-financial-survival-s...

James Todd
Publisher: BuildMySiteforFree.com

That’s something,That's what I was thinking.Brilliant idea.