Transition Insight

Prepare Your Facebook Profile For Job Search

By Hannah Morgan | Career Sherpa - ©2020 Reprinted with permission

Have you wondered about how to prepare your Facebook profile for job search? Your profile provides one more opportunity for you to share the best professional information and create the right online reputation.

Prepare Facebook Profile For Job Search

Is your Facebook profile job search ready?

If you are actively and openly looking for a new job, then one of your first steps should be to clean up your Facebook profile.

Facebook has a job board and if you intend to use this new feature, there are things you will want to do to your profile to enhance your work qualifications and lock down certain sections.

Even if you don't intend to use Facebook's job board, many recruiters use Facebook to find and research candidates.

When you have filled your profile with the best information, it is more likely to show up in search results when recruiters search Facebook.

You shouldn't set up a separate Facebook profile for your job search, in fact, it is against Facebook's terms of use to do so.

Where To Find Jobs On Facebook

Technically, companies have been posting jobs on Facebook for awhile, either as targeted ads or on their careers page. And now there is a Facebook job board: facebook.com/jobs

Based on an article on Recruiting Headlines, there are some things you need to understand about how this new functionality works.

• The only way to apply to these types of jobs is through Facebook.
• Facebook pre-populates the application form with information from your About profile.
• You will have to enter all your employment history in your profile
• Your application will pop up in the company's Messenger chat box and it is up to them to respond to you.

From here, each person reviewing applications will look at/evaluate different parts of your profile.

You will want to make sure your profile is job search ready.

What Do Employers See

Your Public Facebook profile is viewable to anyone and you can control most of this information. (Scroll down to the bottom of this article to learn how you can see your public profile.)

When you apply for a job using Facebook, the information in your "About" section is visible to the employer. Here's what you want them to see:

How To Clean Up Facebook For Job Search

Overview

This pulls information from various parts of your profile (which you can edit and change who can view).

Work and Education

Complete this the same way you completed your LinkedIn profile. List jobs and education the same way you've listed them on LinkedIn. Remember the importance of consistency and keywords.

Places you've lived

There are advantages and disadvantages to allowing this to be public. For example, if you are relocating to a new city, including where you live could potentially eliminate you if the company wants to hire someone local.

Contact and Basic Info

Here you can add your phone number, email address, websites and social media outlets, birth date, languages, religious and political views.

PLUS you can set who can view this information.

I recommend setting your websites and social media profile links to public so anyone can see them (especially LinkedIn). But make sure you only list accounts you want a potential employer to look at.

Be extra careful in specifying your religious and political views. Even this could potentially cause employers to shy away from certain candidates.

Family and Relationships

You can use this section, but since none of it relates to your job search, I would recommend setting your relationship so that only you can see it.

Details About You

The About section is another opportunity to write a bio or provide your pitch.

Name pronunciation and other names (such as a maiden name) can make it easier for people you used to know to find you.

Favorite quote is another field you can use to show your personality. Pick a quote that fits well with your career goals and style.

Life Events

There are many options for life events (see below). Focus on adding information to your Work & Education.

You can list new jobs, published books or papers, volunteer work or add your own, such as certifications or professional development classes.

The other section you may want to pay attention to is the Travel & Experiences. This allows you to add a new hobby, achievement or award, new language or travel.

As you determine what sections to fill in and who can see it, always use the filter of how your future employer may perceive the information.

Get The Most From Your Facebook Profile

As mentioned before and I wrote about here, employers are searching Facebook for potential candidates.

They can search by many different fields (as can you). Using the right keywords and terminology can help your profile show up in search results.

When someone does find your profile, you want to make sure you've highlighted the necessary professional information.

This is what they can see (and you should test your own profile to see how others view your profile).

Use Your Intro Section Wisely

This is an important personal branding opportunity. When someone views your profile, they will see whatever you have put in your Intro (it used to be called Bio) Facebook tells you how to edit this section here.

If you are actively and publicly job searching, use your Intro section! In your intro, include your personal branding statement, Value Proposition, Pitch or a list of skills.

DO NOT state you are "actively seeking new job" or "in transition". That sounds desperate. You only have 100 characters, so use them wisely.

Feature 3 Photos

On your profile page you can select 3 photos you want to feature. You can upload or select ones from your Facebook feed.

Use photos that show you in a professional way, such as attending a career-related event, volunteering, winning an award or doing something you would gladly discuss during an interview.

Review All Public Posts and Know Your Privacy Settings

Now is a great time to learn how to adjust your settings and monitor your account more closely.

Any status update you share and set as public will show up on your public profile as well as comments you post to Facebook pages and public groups.

Other sections of your profile that are public include your

• profile picture
• cover photo
• schools
• workplaces you've listed

To learn more about using cover photos check out, Cover Photos That Capture Your Personal Brand

How To View Your Public Profile

Go to your Facebook profile and look for the three dots near your cover photo and select the "View As" option under "Who can see my stuff?"

This allows you to select "Public" view to see how your profile is viewed by someone you don't know.

This only works from the desktop version of Facebook (not your phone).

How To Change Your Privacy Settings

If you decide you do not want to share certain parts of your profile, go to the lock symbol at the top of your screen and select "Privacy Checkup" and Facebook will walk you through the various section settings.

Learn How To Use Lists

If you want to share certain posts with friends, and not publicly, you can use lists to determine who sees which posts you publish.

When you add a status update, you can select who you want to see, or not see, your update. This is a bit like an email distribution list.

You may set up a list for family and another for friends. Facebook sets up several lists for you already.

"Close Friends" are friends you're more likely to share personal information with;

"Acquaintances" are people you know less well and when you want to exclude certain people from seeing your more personal posts, you can choose

"Friends except Acquaintances" in the audience selector;

and for people whom you don't want to see your regular status updates, you can create criteria under "Custom".

There's always more to learn. But the bottom line is, you want to put the best version of you out there and create the right first impression.

More Help For Facebook Job Search

• Facebook May Be Your Ticket To A New Job
• 2 Secret Facebook Tips for Job Seekers

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These four innovations are changing and saving Veteran lives

By a VA Careers | VA.gov - ©2020 All Rights Reserved

VHA Innovation Ecosystem practices are recognized as some of the best innovations in health care

The Gears of Government award-winning VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) works to support, develop, and organize VHA's innovation efforts in a quest to provide the best care for the Veterans we serve. Through portfolios like VHA Diffusion of Excellence and VHA Innovators Network, VHA IE has cultivated ideas and innovations from frontline employees across the nation's largest health care system.

While VHA IE supports hundreds of innovative practices, four of them were honored this year as Gears of Government Award winners. These programs have had a massive impact on the way health care for Veterans, and all of America, is being delivered.

"It is incredible to work alongside the talented front-line employees who are tackling the challenges Veterans and VA employees face," said Allison Amrhein, Director of Operations for the VHA Innovators Network, a portfolio of VHA IE. "We're excited to be recognized for the work we're doing to help Veterans."

Beth Ripley and the VHA 3D Printing Network

Beth Ripley has changed health care for Veterans. By helping establish the VHA 3D Printing Network the Senior Innovation Fellow, Radiologist and Chair of the VHA 3D Printing Advisory Committee has become a national thought leader and innovator in 3D Printing. Her vision to incorporate this technology into VHA with the goal of changing the way health care providers and patients understand and treat disease has resulted in numerous innovations that have impacted the lives of thousands of Veterans. To date the VHA 3D Printing Network has delivered personalized care to 1,000 Veterans through 3D printed pre-surgical planning models, assistive technology devices, orthotics, prosthetics and more. With the number of VHA medical facilities with 3D printing capabilities at 30 and growing, this technology is set to impact all 9 million Veterans that VA serves.

Emergence Delirium: Maintaining Veteran and Employee Safety

Local crisis management and anesthesia experts at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System designed Emergence Delirium: Maintaining Veteran and Employee Safety for staff working in areas that use sedation.

Emergence Delirium is a post-anesthetic phenomenon that occurs immediately after emergence from general anesthesia. It's characterized by agitation, confusion and violent behavior. The three-part training is designed to provide the knowledge required for staff to identify Veterans most at risk for emergence delirium and the skills needed to prevent the dangerous behaviors that may result. The team has increased safety and reduced injuries in both Veterans and staff, with their training program now being mandatory.

VIONE

VIONE has changed the way VA handles prescriptions by implementing a simple and user-friendly medication management methodology. It was developed by Dr. Saraswathy Battar, Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care Services at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, who saw a demand for deprescribing unneeded prescriptions in her facility. Dr. Battar worked through VHA IE to further spread her work, ensuring Veterans only take the medications they need. So far, it has successfully impacted the lives of over 77,000 Veterans by deprescribing 168,000 medications and yielding more than $5.8 million in annualized cost avoidance.

4-Sight

4-Sight, developed and implemented by a team from VISN 22, the Desert Pacific Healthcare Network, has made the process of getting eyeglasses for Veterans faster and more accurate. It also reduces costs for VA by automating an outdated system.

The practice was implemented at multiple sites through VHA Diffusion of Excellence and is now successfully established at 37 facilities and rolling out nationwide. 4-Sight expedited eyeglass delivery for more than 390,000 Veterans. It improves productivity so much that it allows for four full-time employees within the prosthetics department to focus their efforts on complex prosthetic limb orders rather than focus on tedious eyeglass ordering.

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VA medical facilities struggle to cope with the coronavirus

By MICHAEL CASEY and HOPE YEN | APnews.com - Reprinted with permission ©2020 All Rights Reserved

BOSTON (AP) — As she treated patient after patient infected with the coronavirus at a Veterans Affairs medical center in New York City, Heather Espinal saw stark warning signs.

So many nurses had called in sick, she said, that the Bronx facility was woefully understaffed. It lacked specially equipped rooms for infected patients, she said, and didn't have enough masks, gloves and other protective gear to guard against the spread of the contagious disease.

Espinal, a member of the union National Nurses United, says she and her colleagues were told to do the best they could, using a single N95 face mask for an entire shift rather than getting a new one for each patient. In early April, she tested positive for COVID-19.

"I definitely believe it was related to me being at work," said the 34-year-old Espinal, who was out sick for two weeks.

Espinal is one of 1,900 VA health care workers who have become sick with the coronavirus, according to agency documents obtained by The Associated Press. Twenty have died. Another 3,600 of the 300,000-plus VA health care employees are quarantined and unable to work because they have been exposed to the virus, according to VA figures.

As the coronavirus spreads across the U.S., VA health care facilities are struggling with shortages of workers and the equipment necessary to protect employees from the virus, according to VA staff and internal documents obtained by the AP.

"We thought we were doing everything right, even with reusing these N95 respirators. But we still ended up getting sick," Espinal said.

More than 5,700 veterans treated by the VA have been infected by the coronavirus, and nearly 380 have died.

The Labor Department is investigating, and several Democrats in Congress sent a letter Thursday calling on President Donald Trump to take emergency action to get supplies for VA health facilities.

The VA, responsible for the health care of 9 million military veterans, denied it was short of supplies and stressed that it follows federal health guidelines when rationing personal protective equipment like masks and gloves.

"VA's PPE conservation posture is precisely why the department has not encountered any PPE shortages that have negatively impacted patient care or employee safety," said spokeswoman Christina Mandreucci. She said the VA has moved aggressively in recent weeks to add staff, hiring 3,183 people, including 981 nurses, from March 29 to April 11.

But interviews with VA employees at facilities around the country, VA documents, and a March report by the agency's inspector general tell another story.

The facilities were short of staff and equipment like masks, eye shields, hand sanitizer and gowns. Some workers were forced to reuse masks for days or weeks, according to interviews with VA nurses.

The inspector general's staff visited over 230 facilities in March. It found that nearly a third of the medical centers could improve their processing for screening visitors. More than half of the medical centers reported shortages of supplies and equipment including respirator masks, and 10 reported shortages of staffing mostly for nurses in intensive care units.

"There has been a failure of leadership at VA, and veterans, VA employees and the public are suffering as a result," said Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and now host of the podcast "Angry Americans."

Suzanne Gordon, a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, said VA preparations were hampered by inadequate funding and staff, leaving it with nearly 50,000 job openings.

"In VA facilities all over the country, they are doing a really incredible job trying to respond to the crisis in a situation where they have been deliberately crippled by the Trump administration," Gordon said.

As the nation's largest health care system, the VA typically enjoyed preferred status in orders for medical supplies from vendors.

But as the outbreak escalated in the U.S., demand for crucial medical equipment spurred frantic competition for supplies, including from state governments and the National Stockpile. The Federal Emergency Management Agency began buying supplies directly from manufacturers, and VA began submitting its orders to FEMA alongside others.

Not long after, according to people familiar with VA's weekly briefings to Congress, the supply shortages got worse as medical workers burned through 250,000 masks a day.

On April 7, the VA issued guidelines asking workers to ration masks in response to what the department described as "shortages." Citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the VA said employees in direct contact with COVID-19 patients should use N95 masks as protection but may need to reuse them. VA staff working with high-risk elderly or vulnerable patients, such as those in nursing homes or spinal cord facilities, would only get one face mask per work week.

After criticism from staff, and a small increase in supplies, the VA on April 16 said employees working with high-risk elderly or vulnerable veterans could now have one face mask per day.

A complaint filed by the American Federation of Government Employees alleged that VA workers who came in contact with someone suspected of contracting the virus were told on orders of VA Secretary Robert Wilkie that they still had to report to work — ignoring a 14-day quarantine period.

The staff and equipment shortages are creating chaos at the VA medical center in Brooklyn, New York, according to Maria Lobifaro, an intensive care nurse. Lobifaro, another NNU member, says she's forced to juggle five critical ICU patients on ventilators rather than the usual two critical patients.

"It's to the point where ... my hands are trembling because of what I'm going to walk into," she said.

A group of Senate Democrats blames Trump for a "broken procurement and distribution system developed by this administration." They're urging him to invoke the Defense Production Act.

"Those who care for veterans should not be afraid to wake up every morning, go to work and help save veterans' lives," says a letter sent to the White House by Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. More than a dozen senators joined him.

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Tell Me About Yourself

By Hannah Morgan - careersherpa.net - Reprinted with Permission

Possibly one of the most difficult questions to answer is "Tell Me About Yourself?" But if I asked your co-worker to tell me about you, they could easily rattle off several things.

During a job interview, you'll need to overcome the stage-fright associated with answering the "tell me about yourself" question.

Making the best first impression is important. Hiring managers have said they make a decision about a candidate within the first few seconds of a job interview. And an article in Forbes reports "[a] study by the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found 60% of interviewers know within the first 15 minutes if the candidate they're interviewing is suitable for the role."

When networking, you'll also be asked "tell me about yourself" or a similar question, but the answer you use in those circumstances is a bit different. There's not a specific job driving the conversation. To learn how to answer this question while networking, check out Using the Right Pitch at the Right Time.

Why Is This Question Asked?

Recruiters and hiring managers usually ask this question as an icebreaker. Keep in mind, they may not have had a chance to review your resume before you walked in so asking this question also helps them remember which candidate you are.

What Do They Want To Hear?

The answer to this question should help the interviewer understand why you are qualified and interested in the role and their company.

What they don't want to hear is a long story about your career, nor personal information about your family.

They want to know why you are sitting in that chair discussing the job opportunity they have available.

How Long Should It Be?

You have 60 seconds max!

Your answer is just an overview of the most important and relevant information the interviewer needs to know right up front.

You have the rest of the job interview to explain in greater detail the specifics. You'll use STAR stories to answer questions.

Preparing Your Answer

So let's look at how to confidently and concisely answer the question "tell me about yourself" by explaining who you are in less than a minute.

#1 Create Your Script/Key Points

First, create a script or list of bullet points of what you want to cover in 60 seconds or less.

You do this by:

• Thoroughly reviewing the job description, looking for keywords, skills, and knowledge requested.
• Referencing the research you've done so you can explain why you are interested in the company/role.

In the olden days, five years ago, my recommendation on how to answer this question was to complete these 4 key phrases:

I am a...(insert your profession, occupation here)
With expertise in ...(2-3 key skills sets you possess)
My background includes...(list industry experience)
My unique qualities are...(2-3 memorable qualities)

But this needs to be refined a bit for 2020.

The market is competitive which means you have to take the extra time and effort to research the company, it's people and the role to truly understand what the company is looking for and what they need.

This is the advanced recommendation:

I am known for ...(types of problems you solve)
With expertise in ...(1-2 problems you have solved over your career)
My background includes...(specify industries, company cultures, and/or community experience)
One of the things I am most proud of is...(site an example something you were proud to accomplish)
Based on what I know about this opportunity, I believe...

But there's another formula I've seen used. This is particularly helpful if you are changing careers or making a major shift in your career.

What your presently doing that relates to the opportunity
How your past qualifies you for the role
Why your interested in this opportunity/company

#2 Practice Out Loud

Once you've outlined what you want to say, practice using it. Say it outloud.

You want your answer to flow and the only way that can happen is if you practice saying it.

You don't want to sound like you're reading from a script. So avoid using lots of technical terms or acronyms.

Also avoid using words used on your resume, but seldom spoken or sound trite. For example:

• results-driven
• solid history of...
• proven leader/results/etc.
• track record of...

#3 Let Your Passion Show

Speak with enthusiasm. Let the best version of you come across to the interviewer. Put energy into every word, make eye contact and for goodness sake, smile!

Yes, you are probably nervous, but if you know exactly what you're going to say to kick off the interview, that's one less thing to worry about.

The key is make it your own and know it completely. That is best done by practicing! If you have a webcam, you can record it and analyze it.

#4 Don't Dwell On The Irrelevant Past

If you are switching careers do not start your answer by stating what you used to do first. That confuses the interviewer. Focus on the skills that are relevant to the job first. And then you can explain how your background relates to your new career goals. If it doesn't then explain your motivation for making the switch.

Always include information that is relevant and important to the interviewer. Your answer isn't about explaining your work history.

Sample Answers

I've been working in project management roles for over seven years. Most recently I worked as a senior Project Manager for a tech company managing the launch of a new product and oversaw five project managers. I used Agile as well as my PMI certification to manage this project and now that the product has launched, I'm looking to bring my project management experience into fintech, which is why I'm so interested talking to you about this opportunity.

I've been recognized for my analytical skills and ability to interpret data into actionable information. I recently completed my MBA which gave me the opportunity to hone these skills and develop data visualization skills. My experience in consumer packaging and customer service help me understand the customer's needs and I use that knowledge to formulate new products and ideas. I saw XYZ company listed as a top innovator in the consumer goods space and I'm excited to learn more about this opportunty and how my experience will fit.

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