what is #careergravity

Don’t hold ques�ons un�l end – interac�ve How many sales/marke�ng? How many business owners?

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In his book Linchpin, Seth Godin describes what he views as a completely new workplace paradigm. When we transi�oned from an agrarian economy to an industrial one back in the early 20th century, many of our ins�tu�ons were developed in order to fill America’s factories with efficient workers. He calls these workers “cogs”: They show up on �me, do as they’re told, follow a script, don’t speak up and get paid an honest wage for an honest day’s work. Unfortunately, they also get replaced.

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This model worked well for over a hundred years, but as we transi�on from an industrial economy to an informa�on economy a different type of employee is required. These, Godin calls “linchpins.” A linchpin doesn’t need a map because they blaze their own trail. They create art, which means doing their job in a way such that it is a gi� to those around them. They defeat the lizard brain (which is constantly telling us to conform and not be different). And finally, a Linchpin ships (i.e. delivers). Instead of being replaceable, linchpins are indispensable. And today is a great �me to be a linchpin. Why? For that answer, let’s look to an obscure publica�on from 1968.

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The Whole Earth Catalog was founded by Stewart Brand and published between 1968 and 1972. It combined dedica�on to the six�es counter-‐culture with a love of technology and a belief that “the most empowering tool of the century” was the personal computer. The back cover of the final issue is where Steve Jobs read the quote, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” It inspired him to embark on a quest to fuse humanity and technology. Today, combining the PC (or Mac) with the Internet has fulfilled this prophecy and gives us all access to tools for personal empowerment. Brand published this catalog because, in his words: A realm of in�mate, personal power is developing – power of the individual to conduct his own educa�on, find his own inspira�on, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested. Today’s Internet finally gives us that personal power predicted so long ago. We are all fully empowered by free and low-‐cost Web 2.0 tools to take greater control over our own des�nies, conduct our own educa�ons and shape our environment. Career Gravity is all about using that power to give your career some weight.

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Each year, so�ware company Jobvite posts an annual social recrui�ng survey. They ask employers how they plan to use social media for talent recruitment. Here are a few interes�ng data points: 89% of employers said they did or would be using social media for recrui�ng talent:

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There you have it. Nearly nine out of every ten employers are looking to social media to find employees and almost three-‐quarters of them will search for your online profile before you come in for an interview. What will they find?

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In this new world of linchpins and social recrui�ng, having a strong online presence is not op�onal. #CareerGravity is a process that results in an online footprint that is large, permanent and disrup�ve. #CareerGravity allows you to be found by people looking for your skills and to develop a strong online network that supports and enhances your career. Crea�ng a gravita�onal field for your career involves three steps:

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Build a home base. By registering your own domain name and building a personal website, you have an online “home base” where you can build and expand your digital assets. Establish outposts. Social media sites and search engines act as outposts where you can engage with other professionals and drive traffic back to your home base. Measure and improve. It’s important to monitor the size and effec�veness of your footprint so that you can constantly strengthen your career's gravita�onal field.

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Point out differences b/t Wordpress-‐direct hos�ng vs. HostGator hos�ng. Wordpress more expensive and less flexibility – fewer plug-‐ins, too.

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Devote areas of your website to images, head shots, videos…. Discuss the importance of the profile shot on FB, etc. – professional

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Pay a�en�on to the ways that you’re drawing people in further, a�er you’ve drawn them in ini�ally. Conversion pages (i.e., landing pages) are important – headline that speaks about what you can do for someone – what’s in it for THEM + have tes�monial Think about SELLING yourself. Think ad copy, in a way – this is where you’re a li�le less resume, a li�le more adver�ser (of yourself) Be available via as many channels as possible – let them contact you the way THEY want, not just the way you prefer. Tells you how effec�ve your value proposi�on is…fine tune, tailor, etc.

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Landing page also helps you to monitor the effec�veness of your traffic-‐drawing efforts. Three things you can learn from analy�cs: 1)  Where’s traffic coming from—e.g., LinkedIn, etc. 2)  Where are ppl spending their �me? You can actually spy on ppl—what’s

resona�ng…because each page is dedicated to a diff area of exper�se 3)  What search keywords are bringing ppl to your page…do these jive with what you

thought they’d be? Are they what you want them to be? 1)  40 percent of all Google searches have never been performed before—

brand new, for the first �me ever searched, says Google.

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