After just a few days of being open to the public, Google+ has nearly 3.5 million members and counting! With its multiple features and easy to use platform, you can already tell it’s going to be significant in the future of networking and job searching.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter take some time and patience to learn but Google designed Google+ in a way where it’s clear-cut and self-explanatory—even my mother understood it immediately. There’s also no need to create two profiles, one for your professional life and one for your personal life, since you can separate these in multiple “circles”. Simply drag and drop your contacts into buckets, one at a time or multiple at a time, to form these groups or circles.

Once Google launched this social network a few weeks ago, they also released the +1 button. Google stated: “When you click +1, you’re telling your friends, your family and the rest of the world, ‘this is something you should check out!’” The +1 button is essentially the “Like” button on Facebook, but instead your ‘+1’s’ are collected in your profile and presented to your connections. When you share articles, videos, and other information, you decide who gets to see it—select ‘public’ if you want it to be visible to everyone, or select certain circles to post it to.

Google+ also gives you a chance to network face-to-face with employers, experts, and recruiters, by incorporating the ability to “facechat”. Skype is already a popular form of interviewing, but when you include a profile filled with articles and work history; this gives the interviewer a greater idea of your interests and expertise!

Lastly, make sure your profile is complete and honest since this is what hiring managers and recruiters will be seeing first. Make sure you add a professional profile photo, work history, and links to your current blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Good luck in your Google+ adventures!

Dustin Willoughby

Marketing Department

Last Thursday, June 16th, the most competitive members of The Execu|Search Group gathered in Central Park to participate in the 35th annual J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. Competing against 15,000 other runners and walkers in the 3.5 mile race, Team Execu|Search finished in impressive fashion with the men’s team coming in 25th place, led by Nkrumah Pierre (24 minutes, 21 seconds) and Rob Szymanik (25 minutes, 4 seconds) and the ladies‘ team coming in 29th, led by Chelsea McGorry (31 minutes, 1 second) and Becky Garson (32 minutes, 9 seconds).

This year’s Corporate Challenge donated funds to benefit the Central Park Conservancy and was an exciting opportunity to network and mingle with coworkers and other metro-area professionals, while staying in shape! Check out some pictures from the night below!

Leading male runners Nkrumah Pierre and Rob Szymanik (center, L-R)

Team Execu|Search getting ready to race!

It is Charity Day again at TESG! This month we are supporting Raíces de Esperanza. These individuals seek to inspire young people to think outside the box, and proactively support their young counterparts in Cuba through academic and cultural initiatives guided by three basic principles: amor, amistad y esperanza (love, friendship and hope). If you are interested in learning more about their projects, check out their website here.

One of the simplest ways that you can enhance your resume is through altruistic initiatives. By donating your expertise or time to a worthy cause you can gain serious brownie points with a potential employer. Here are some ways that volunteering can help you with your job search or career advancement:

•  You Will Expand Your Network – When it comes to finding a job you can never have too many people on your team! Volunteering helps you expand that group of people in the most organic way. You never know whom you might make a connection with…

•  You Can Gain New Skills – Even if you feel confident with your present skill set there are always things that can be improved upon. Volunteering allows you the opportunity to enhance those existing skills or learn new ones to augment your current proficiencies.

•  It Looks Good On Your Resume – A volunteer position might not be an exact match for what you aspire to do career wise but, it is beneficial to show that you are keeping active professionally even if you are not currently working. If you are currently employed volunteering might give your resume the boost it needs if you are looking for new business contacts or a new career.

•  You Feel Good – You might be going though some tough times finding a job right now but, working in a place where you are making a difference can be it’s own reward. It is also a welcomed and necessary break from the minutia of your job search.

Iris Colon

Internal Recruiting and Training Coordinator

On Wednesday evening, June 1, 2011, Amanda Bleakney, Director of Health Services and I hosted the second segment of our 3-part “Building your Brand” series at New York Association for Ambulatory Care (NYAAC). The keynote speaker was Marc Cenedella, CEO and Founder of TheLadders and he provided the health industry members and attendees with strategy and advice on “Building their personal brands.”

Marc shared his approach when formulating an elevator pitch about your job background and skill sets. He advised job seekers to refrain from using “$5 words” which are exhaustive and unnatural phrases. Instead, he encouraged people to try the “The Bud Test.” Would you say your elevator pitch to friends and acquaintances over a beer at a backyard barbeque? If your answer is yes, your pitch should be effective. It’s important to speak naturally and relay information about your personal brand as you would to a peer.

Marc also suggested preparing three main talking points prior to going in to an interview. If the conversation gets sidetracked, you can always come back to the three talking points of what you can do for them and their organization. Also, he emphasized the importance of not speaking about “you.” Rather, explain what you can accomplish for the Hiring Manager and organization. Marc suggested asking ”How do I help you get a gold star on your review next year?“

One important element of building your personal brand that Marc spoke about was to think of your personal brand as the modern small business. With a small business you have to devote time and effort to marketing the message of your brand.

Marc recently published a book, You’re Better Than Your Job Search, in which he conveys techniques on how to relay your personal brand to others.

We are looking forward to launching our third and final part of our series, with “Building Your Brand through Social Media.” This event will take place on Monday, June 20th and including a networking event! Jason Seiden and Vincent Gatti, Co-Founders of Ajax Social Media will speak to NYAAC about adopting social media into their corporate and personal brands. You can register for the event by clicking here!

We’re looking forward to the event, so sign up now and we’ll see you there!

  Allison Klass
  Director – Healthcare, Temporary Division

Career expert Barbara Safani responds to job seekers‘ most common questions about post-interview Thank You letters.

• Do hiring authorities really read thank-you letters? Some do, some don’t. Some hiring managers feel that the thank-you letter is a good indicator of the candidate’s professionalism and proof of their interest in the open position. Others don’t read the letter, but still expect one. Some don’t expect them or read them, but it doesn’t hurt to send one. Since you never know what type of hiring manager you are dealing with, it’s always best to send one.

• What information should be included in a thank-you letter and how long should it be?
  • The first paragraph should communicate gratitude for the opportunity to meet.
  • The second paragraph should recap your strengths and draw a connection between those strengths and the needs of the employer.
  • The third paragraph should reference something specific from the conversation with the hiring manager that shows your interest in what the person said and proves that you understand their hiring needs.
  • The fourth paragraph should reiterate your continued interest in the job and express that you look forward to hearing from the employer regarding the next steps in the employment process.
  Keep the thank-you letter to four paragraphs and approximately a half page in length.

• Should I send the thank you letter via email or snail mail? While both methods are acceptable, I recommend sending the thank-you letter by email. It’s best to write the thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. By using e-mail you expedite the delivery process and create another touchpoint with the hiring manager while you are still “fresh in their mind.” In addition, the email serves as an “electronic breadcrumb” that can be easily and quickly shared with others in the organization.

• Which is more appropriate: a typed or a handwritten thank-you? I recommend sending a typed thank-you letter. This way you can be sure that the receiver can clearly read and understand your message. I recognize that some hiring managers do like the personal touch of a handwritten note, but in general the typed note is a more effective strategy.

• If I interview with more than one person, do I have to send them all a thank-you letter? Yes! Send a thank you note to anyone who assists you in your job search, including networking contacts and recruiters. If you meet with several people for interviews related to the same position, try to pick out one specific highlight from your conversation that personalizes the letter. For example, you might write, “I appreciate the information you shared with me regarding the company’s global expansion plans and I am confident that my background is a strong match for your company’s future goals.”

If you have a question about your job search for Barbara or any of our recruiters, ask us in the comment section below or visit us on Facebook!

  Barbara Safani
  Career Solvers

This article originally appeared on the AOL Jobs Blog. Career Solvers is a career counseling service in partnership with The Execu|Search Group. Learn more about Career Solvers here!

The New York Association for Ambulatory Care held the first part of a three part series titled “Building Your Brand” on Thursday, May 5. The first program focused on developing organizational brands of patient care and further building those brands through an organization’s employees.

We invited prominent Human Resources and Healthcare professional speakers to share their insights and expertise on building organizational and personal brands.

The first speaker was Mark Dumoff, Founder and CEO of Docinsight. Docinsight is committed to improving the quality of healthcare and reducing costs by enhancing doctor-patient relationships. Dumoff’s presentation covered developing an organization brand of patient-centered care and finding Dr. Right.

“Our health care system is evolving quickly and we as health care leaders, have to assess our current medical practice. Quality health care requires strong communication and follow-up between patients and their providers during the course of their care,” said Allison Klass, NYAAC committee member and Director of Health Services at The Execu|Search Group.

“In addition, the staff you hire must reflect these same principles. Another way to ensure organizational branding is to make sure the staff you hire is reflecting your organizational brand,” said Klass. “A key way to make sure this happens is to focus on retaining members that share that mission.”

Terri Klass of Terri Klass Consulting presented a comprehensive lesson on understanding generational differences in the workplace and incorporating them into an organization’s business model. Klass encouraged the leaders of today to give the future leaders of healthcare the resources and understanding they need per generation.

The second part of the Building Your Brand series will focus on Personal Branding. Marc Cenedella, President and CEO of TheLadders, will speak about the history of job search and climbing the ladders of success. The program is slated for Wednesday, June 1 at 5:45 p.m. at Beth Israel’s Phillips Ambulatory Center; find out more about it by clicking here!

Amanda Bleakney
Director – Healthcare, Temporary Division

We all know how important it is to correctly represent yourself in today’s tough job market. As a Program Coordinator within The New York Association for Ambulatory Care‘s series on “Building Your Brand,” I wanted to extend the invitation to any professional looking to learn a bit more about social networking in healthcare from the employee, job seeker, employer, and human resources perspectives!

Session one of the series is on Thursday, May 5th and you can read more about it below:

Organizational Strategies

“The people you hire are a direct reflection of your organizational brand.”

• • • • • • •

If you are interested, click here to register for the program or contact me at 212.204.5164 if you have any questions!

Amanda Bleakney
Director – Healthcare, Temporary Division

This past Friday, April 15th 2011, I had the honor of speaking to 9th and 10th grade students of Democracy Prep Charter School in Harlem about my college experiences, career path, and my current role at The Execu|Search Group. The experience was truly fulfilling, and gave me the opportunity to give back to students in my Harlem community. The students were quite receptive to spending time with me and discussing their career and college aspirations.

Democracy Prep Charter School strives to prepare students for successful futures in higher education and in their careers. This opportunity came to fruition thanks to a good friend of mine who sits on the DPCS Board; all in all my fellow volunteers and NYC professionals who participated were able to make College Day a true success!

Nkrumah Pierre

Account Executive, Temporary Division

We know how important networking is for your job search, but now networking can get you free coffee too! Professional networking site LinkedIn is offering free coffee and news while promoting LinkedIn Today, its new social news product for professionals. The trucks will be handing out free, locally-brewed coffee and the latest industry news between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m for the remainder of the week at different locations throughout Manhattan.

You can follow the LinkedIn Today Twitter account or the #LinkedInTruck_NY hashtag to track down the truck! The trucks’ schedules are fairly flexible, LinkedIn’s Mario Sundar told Mashable.

Today, the truck will be located outside of LinkedIn’s office following the company’s all-hands meeting in the Empire State building.

Enjoy a cup and continue networking!