Career Lessons from TV

I know I know. The show is on mid-season hiatus now, but the story line holds timely lessons for your job search. Like many, I’ve been looking for new career opportunities for some time. With all the effort  I’m putting in to continue my career, it’s not easy staying focused and motivated.

Jeffrey Donovan as Micahel Westen on "Burn Notice"

As I’ve said before, Michael Westen is a very driven individual. He knows how to balance pursuing his goals with biding his time until he can make his next move. No matter who he’s helping, or how many times he’s geting beat up or nearly killed, he stays motivated in the pursuit of his goals. Like Michael, the only way you’ll get anywhere is to stay motivated in your job hunt.

Eye On Th Prize

John Gordon shares some tips on staying motivated in your job search in “From Fired…to Fired Up“. Aside from losing the anger, having clear goals to pursue, staying humble and staying open minded as Gordon writes, I can also add that it’s really hard looking for a job on your own. If you don’t have friends and family members who can help you network and get referrals, try social networking sites like Linkedin and Twitter to meet people in the same boat, as well contacts that can get you hired. Like Michael Westen says in the series, you won’t live for very long unless you put your trust in somebody.

If you know that you’re not alone and that others are interested in your success, the hunt goes a lot smoother.

Got a tip trick to stay motivated? 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.

She doesn’t give out job advice, or retweet job postings, but she is noteworthy for being a FICTIONAL smart house on SyFy’s “Eureka” that just happens to be on Twitter. Yes, the REAL Twitter. If a fictional TV character is on Twitter, then why aren’t you, looking for a job?

S.A.R.A.H. - Sheriff Jack Carter's Artificially Intelligent Residence on "Eureka"

When I was growing up, the only way to truly emerse yourself in your favorite TV shows and movies was to go to Universal Studios to take the tour. Now, it’s as simple as a fictional character posting on Twitter to make fans feel like part of the show. While SyFy is using S.A.R.A.H. (Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat) to keep a fan base, you can use Twitter to find job postings and network your way to a new job. Needless to say there are numerous resources on Twitter job hunting. Tara Weiss provides a few tips on getting started on finding a job on Twitter in “Twitter To Find A Job“. Adam Ostrow writes about a relatively new job search engine for Twitter in “TwitterJobSearch: Find A Job On Twitter“.

In the end, Twitter is yet another social networking site that you can leverage to network with your next boss or find a posting about your next job. Since your limited to 140 characters anyway, it’s quick, it’s easy (with some use and practice), and surprisingly fun.

Did you find your new job on Twitter? Post your story here.