I forgot to mention how I got the lead for the new job I start next Monday. A couple of weeks ago a local recruiter with JD Resources found me on LinkedIn, and contacted me about a position. She didn’t even know I was job hunting. The position she had was heavy on graphic design, which isn’t my strong point, so I told her I’d pass, but that I was looking and would be happy to hear about other opportunities.
The next week, her boss contacted me with the position I ended up taking – the one located Downtown, where everyone is super-cool and wears jeans to work. So the reason I found such an awesome job is because I was on LinkedIn. If you don’t know what LinkedIn is, it’s a form of social networking (similar to MySpace and Facebook) but geared toward professionals. As with the other services, you can befriend people on LinkedIn. You can write recommendations for them, and you can view opportunities that they have posted. You can also search profiles for people who have particular skills you’re looking for. Whether you’re job hunting or not, if you’re a professional you need to be on LinkedIn.
Big thanks to fellow blogger AngieDawn who got me started on LinkedIn about a year and a half ago. I met Angie five years ago through Mpact Memphis and she has become one of my most important professional contacts in town, and a good friend as well.
MySpace also played a role in my job hunt. A couple of months ago a recruiter from Vaco Technologies here in town asked to add me as a friend. She told me she was using MySpace to make connections here in Memphis, and that she’d like to take me to lunch sometime. I was busy with consulting projects, so I didn’t have time then, but when it came time to job hunt, she was one of the first people I contacted.
Even though JDR got me the job, I must also commend the people at Vaco for treating me VERY well. When I told them I was looking, two of them asked to take me to lunch, and told me to pick the place. I picked Sauces and we had a great time getting to know each other. A few days later, they contacted me saying a client wanted to interview me. So I drove out to their office and they gave me a really nice looking black portfolio so I’d look like a pro in the interview. They briefed me about the company and then drove me out there. I ended up not taking that one, but I was very, very impressed with Vaco and recommend them highly to anyone looking for an IT job. I’ve promoted the recruiter who I talked with – Diane T – to one of my Top Friends on MySpace, so you can get in touch with her there.
Tonight: Pint Nite. Don’t know if I’m feelin’ MN MF’N F @ G.D. EP’s this week. Probably I’ll just hang at the Saucer. I’d probably leave and go hang out at Hoop’s Bar at some point, except that HOOPER HASN’T GOT THE BLASTED PLACE OPEN YET!!!!! Hurry up!