Career Lessons from TV

A genius move by the folks at USA Network highlights a new trend in today’s job search. The “Royal Pains” website now features a real-life doctor blogging about the medical conditions featured on the show and questions from the fans. If you’re in the job hunt, you could use blogging to show off your expertise, as well as your writing and communication skills.

Dr. Irving blogs for "Royal Pains"

I wish they would’ve gotten a real spy to blog for “Burn Notice”, but I guess they’d get into trouble for sharing the recipe for explosives using fertilizer and toothpaste. Anyway, Dr. Irving’s Blog on the “Royal Pains” website is a great way to bring the entertaining aspects of the show into real life for the fans to enjoy and connect with.

Strutting Your Stuff With a Blog

Whether you’re entering the job market for the first time, or back in the market after a long stint of employment, you know something. Sharing that knowledge through a blog can give potential employers a better idea of your knowledge, experience, and personality. It also shows off really important soft skills such as writing and clear communication. Tara Weiss can help you with some starter tips for your blog in “Blogging Your Way Into A Job“.

One thing to remember when writing your posts is to have fun with it. It doesn’t matter if you’re an actuary or a Colorado River guide, let your passion and enthusiasm about what you do come out in your writing (in a natural way, don’t force it).

Already have a blog for your job hunt? Post it here.

The show tackles the subject of networking for a job from a couple of angles. First, in the latest episode, Artie makes a few calls for a former colleague recently rescued from another dimension. Secondly, the “Warehouse 13” website utiltizes social media strategies that you can use in your online networking efforts.

Saul Rubinek as Artie on "Warehouse 13"

In the last episode, Artie makes amends to a former colleague Joshua Donovan (played by Tyler Hynes) who he lost to an alternate dimension in a botched experiment 12 years ago. After Artie rescues Joshua, he hooks him up with a job in Switzerland doing atomic research. Classic example(minus the Sci-Fi) of networking for a job, right? These days networking face-to-face isn’t the only way to network. Hopefully most of you already know online social networking can be a more efficient way of connecting to the right people. Karen Burns provides some beginner tips on using social media for your job hunt in “Can Social Media Get You a Job?” One tip she writes about I can personally confirm is offering something of value.

Yesterday, I participated in a lively discussion on Twitter moderated by MarketingProfs (discussion hashtag #socialmedia). The main topic was the importance between good content and good conversation. One of the takeaways was that good content can drive good conversation and ultimately connections, one of your main goals in social networking. The “Warehouse 13″ website has a pretty good example of good content. It has a section called “Consign Object.” For the uninitiated, the show is about acquiring and guarding “supernatural” objects in America’s attic. To consign your object, you submit a description of your object and what “supernatural” effect it has. Once you’ve consigned your item, you can see what other items real fans have consigned to the warehouse. Great way to share common interests and more importantly spark conversation. Fans can connect with each other on SyFy’s message board.

It’s a no brainer that you should be networking online for a job. Just remember to provide something of value to your prospective connections before hitting ‘em up for a position.

What valuable content are you providing in your networking efforts to get a job? Post it here.