Job Search Tips

1. Clarify the goal of your search – It may seem straightforward enough: “I want a new job.” But take a deeper look at the skills you want to use, the environment in which you want to work, and the career path you want to pursue. By being clear and specific on what kind of job you’re looking for and why, you’ll be able to define your value for a potential employer, create a sales-oriented resume that positions you appropriately, and expand your network in the right direction.

2. Plan a daily schedule – Have specific hours during the day when you are at your desk working on finding a new job. If you’re presently out of work, establishing a consistent routine reduces the number of decisions you have to make each morning and helps structure your day. If you’re working and also looking for a job, set aside an hour every day to make calls, set up networking meetings, or research potential employers. When planning your schedule, be sure to leave time for exercise and being with friends. By scheduling time for your job search, you can stay focused on moving forward all aspects of your search strategy.

3. Set aside enough time to do the job search well – A solid job search involves a lot of research, making contacts, and follow-up correspondence. Be realistic about the time you need to do these tasks. If you do not allot enough time you will be careless about job applications and feel frustrated about the lack of progress. It takes time to cultivate networking contacts and expand your network sufficiently to uncover “hidden” job opportunities.

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4. Treat your job search as a business – In a job search, you are operating as a sales executive and the product you are selling is you. As with any sales situation, you have to foster a lot of prospects before you make one “sale.” Have lots of balls in the air. Ask any sales person about his/her sales funnel.

5. Keep a good record keeper – Keep track of the jobs you have applied for – where, when, and with whom you have interviewed. Follow up will be easier if you have the information all in one place, for example, in a 3-ring binder or electronic organizer. Take notes during all phone conversations and interviews.

6. Have other meaningful work – Do some volunteer or contract work. It gives you something to talk about when you interview and makes you feel productive and useful.

7. Stay positive – Do what it takes to keep happy and optimistic during your search. No one wants to hire someone who is angry or sad. This may mean splurging on dessert, letting go of the frustration you feel about the job search process, buying a new outfit, and/or taking the weekend off. Denial or holding a grudge will not make you happy. Do not put your life on hold.

8. Find a partner to work with – A job search can be very isolating. Find a friend or a coach to talk to you regularly. Tell him/her what is happening in your search. Brainstorm and strategize with your friend or coach. Rehearse with the person when you have an interview or when you are going to make an important call.

9. Work to objectives – Set realistic goals that you are able to accomplish – for example, the number of networking contacts established or informational interviews conducted – It feels good when you do!

10. Strengthen your confidence – Do whatever it takes to make you feel confident and happy during your job search. This may mean part time work or being with people who recognize you as the capable person you are. You must exude confidence and energy to be hirable.

11. Join a group for support – Exchanging ideas with others is helpful. A job opportunity that is not right for one member of the group may be right for you. You might look to the group for social activities too. If there is no existing group in your area, how about starting one?

Today’s job market is a whirlwind of wonderfully skilled and qualified people, resumes and job leads that seem to go on into forever.

The job market evolves and changes often, as does the skills required in certain careers; and as people themselves evolve and move to careers that fit their skills, abilities and lifestyle, a job search can sometimes become a full time job in itself!

Anyone who has looked for a job has likely run the gamut of job search rituals. From poring over your resume to practicing interview etiquette, sometimes it feels like there’s nothing left to do but offer a prayer to the gods and hope that someone gives you a call!

Resume Re-rewrite

You probably know your resume by heart. You want your resume to be a good showcase of your talents and abilities so each potential employer can see that you are the right person for the job. But then, so does everyone else. What can you truly do during your job search to get your resume on top of the pile- or even onto the right desk? First you need to slip into the shoes of the person who is doing the hiring.

How many resumes do you think this person is seeing for the same position? Lots! So your best bet is to keep your resume and cover letter short and sweet! Too much information could mean you will get passed over simply because there isn’t enough time to read it all!

It’s good that you were captain of your sports team in high school or in charge of office supplies at your last job but the person doing the hiring is wondering what’s in it for them if they hire you. During your job search, study up on the requirements for the position you are applying for and adjust the skills on your resume to fit perfectly with the position. Do not exaggerate your skills. Simply use the skills that are there.

Avoid the Scams

Online job search sites are a blessing and a curse for those in the job search market. Where there is a wealth of information and opportunity available there are also the predators that look to take advantage of numerous hopefuls who are just trying to find employment.

This can involve everything from ‘Work from Home!’ ruses that amount to nothing to actual phishing and identity theft. Avoid ‘cold call emails’ (emails from ‘companies’ that contact you even though you did not send them your resume) that ask you to click on a link taking you to another site and asking for personal information.

Do your own investigation by entering the company’s name into your browser instead and visit their website. Contact the company and if they are still asking for personal information right off the bat- such as your social security number- step away.

Predators also will send fake emails that look as though they come from legitimate job search sites asking for credit card information. Legitimate and reputable job search sites such as these job sites will never send an email asking for that type of valuable information because they know this is how the scammers work.

Just the Facts: Researching a Potential Employer

It’s been said before and rightly so: knowledge is power. Companies spend lots of time and money on research and development to give them the competitive edge over their competition; and to make your job search a success, you should, too.

The good news is, you don’t have to spend millions or an extensive amount of time just to find out what industry the company is in or the names of the senior executives (including the one in charge of hiring).

Most of that information can be found on the company’s website. Do a little background reading on the company and find out who its big name clients are, for example, or even if it has had any financial or legal problems of late.

Should you be given an interview, then it is a good idea to do get into a more detailed search about the company. When the prospective employer asks what you know about the company or the position, you’ll be able to give an intelligent answer. You will also be able to ask intelligent questions. Employers like that.

Keeping Yourself in the Loop

When up to 80% of jobs never get advertised because the positions are usually filled by ‘someone who knows someone’ who is currently in their own job search, you know networking is a great way to find a job.

Even though it helps to an extent, you don’t necessarily have to sign up for a program that blasts your name through a network or attend every job search fair. Just talking to others is a reliable way to keep your job search going in the right direction. Giving the heads up to others as well when you find information that might be useful makes networking a two way street that will benefit you in the long run.

One author, very experienced in resume writing and has helped thousands find jobs has blogged this little tidbit:

What can Leonardo da Vinci and Will Rogers tell you about finding a job?

Plenty, it turns out.

Read on for some new twists on timeless advice that might help you get hired faster …

1. “Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most active.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Does this mean sloth-like behavior can make you a productive job hunter?

Not quite.

In fact, much work is done by your subconscious mind while the rest of your brain and body are doing other things, like sleeping, eating an apple, or shampooing your hair.

Example: remembering seeing the name of your target employer on the Facebook profile of a guy you sat next to in 10th grade history.

Inspiration can strike any time, anywhere, so be ready to capture ideas “from the blue” that can change your job search rapidly. Two ways to do it: a portable voice recorder (there’s probably one in your cell phone) or a portable notebook.

Sure, most may ultimately fail, but you could be just one good idea away from a new job. You’ll never know unless you test them out.

2. “You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” – Alvin Toffler

The average job search takes 29.1 weeks — 203 days — according to Dec. 2009 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

That means the #1 Big Thing in your life must be finding a job. And every small thing you do each day must point in the direction of employment.

Any time you’re not sure whether you should be doing something, ask yourself: Is this moving me closer to a new job? If not, stop doing it.

Examples of small things to analyze with your employment goal in mind:

* Email. Do you really need to check it every hour? Are employers contacting you that often? Would two or three email checks per day suffice instead?
* Errands. Yes, it’s good to get out of the house, but couldn’t you do your banking or shopping after first having a networking lunch or coffee with a person in your target industry?
* News from TV, print, or online. Do you really need to sit through 30-60 minutes of bad news on TV each morning and night? How will it make you more employable?

3. “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” – Will Rogers

If you’ve been taking the same actions for months and not getting job offers, stop.

Examples of tasks that may not be working:

* Applying only for advertised jobs … instead of having business discussions with decision makers who can create positions for you or introduce you to other hiring managers.
* Networking with a stale “elevator pitch” … instead of offering to be useful to others — busy people won’t take calls from desperate job seekers, but they will take calls from folks who are helpful.
* Sending cover letters that read like IRS tax forms … instead of sending sales letters that sell employers on the specific benefits they will enjoy by hiring you.

Still stumped on what to do? Ask five people who have great jobs what they did to find their last three positions. Not only will you get 15 potentially useful ideas, you’ll be networking with five successful people — not a bad use of your time.

4. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

When it comes to writing a cover letter or a networking message to friends, few things are more daunting than a blank computer screen.

Yet, to get ahead — and get hired — you have to get through some grunt work. If you can break complex undertakings into smaller ones, you can get started — and get done — faster.

Example: Cover letters. They can be a royal pain to write.

But what if you start with a simple task first? Ask yourself: “If I were on the phone with this employer, what would I say?”

Write down your answer, no matter how illiterate it may appear. Do not edit. Simply write.

This “dictated” cover letter may run for one sentence … or three pages. But somewhere in it is a main idea — the key reason you deserve the job. Find it.

Then, build the rest of your cover letter around that main idea, like a sculptor adding pieces of clay to a wire frame, until a recognizable form appears.

This has to be one of the most common questions we hear as professional résumé writers. My answer to our clients is that one size does not fit all. Traditionally, résumés are one, two and three pages (In some industries and countries more than three pages are acceptable, even expected!). While I don’t have a concrete answer I’ll provide you with the information you need to decide which length works best for you.

What works for one person may not work for the next as everyone has a unique set of professional circumstances and experiences. Typically, one page résumés are most common for entry-level or recent graduates. Someone with little experience or just starting out would probably have no need to go beyond one page. If you don’t have enough for two pages stick to one. Don’t include irrelevant information to try and get two full pages because you heard that was the best length. You will make more of an impact if you stick to one page of high-impact information.

A two page résumé is probably the most common. Most mid-career level job seekers should easily be able fill two pages. In the space of two pages you should be able to clearly show your experience, qualifications and accomplishments to give a prospective employer a clear picture of your professional history. If you don’t have enough information to fill two full pages, or one page and three-quarters of the second page you may want to reformat the style and content of your résumé to get it all onto one page.

The third page of a résumé is usually reserved for publications, extensive education or awards and accomplishments that aren’t listed in the body of the résumé. If your résumé is stretching onto a third page because you are going back 30 years you may want to rethink that. Some professions or positions might require a more comprehensive overview going beyond the typical ten year job history but that is not the norm for most positions.

In today’s job market you need an edge. You need to place every powerful job search tool in your arsenal. The emergence of social media has altered the job search landscape. Likewise, over the next couple of weeks I will discuss how to use Twitter and Facebook during your job search. For this article, I will discuss how to uncover job leads, locate companies of interest, and establish a company list.

1. Go to www.twitterjobsearch.com, log in to Twitter, and select the Allow Access button (if you are prompted to).

2. Create your TwitterJobSearch profile by listing your contact information, your competencies, and links to your LinkedIn profile and online resume. To acquire your LinkedIn URL, sign in to LinkedIn and click on “View My Profile.” It will be located above the Summary.

3. To uncover job leads, select the Browse button in the upper right of the screen, and in the search field, type your job function. I typed “corporate strategy” and received over 3500 search results. From TwitterJobSearch’s home page, you can also utilize the categories and subcategories located under Browse Jobs.

4. Narrow your search results using the filters on the right of your screen which include: Date, Country, Salary, and a few more. I selected “United States” under the Country filter and then selected “Dallas” under the City filter.

5. Once you are satisfied with your search results, click on the Subscribe button (on the right of your screen) to have future job leads automatically sent to your RSS reader.

6. While you are viewing the search results, follow individuals of interest who tweeted jobs (by clicking on their twitter name and afterwards the follow button) for networking purposes.

7. To follow companies of interest that are posting jobs and recruiting on Twitter, click on the two links below:

Whatever the length of your résumé, it is crucial to use the one that will benefit you the most. If you’re still unsure as to what résumé length is right for you it might be time to call a professional.

Deselect the companies you are not interested in, click on the “Sign in on Twitter” button at the bottom of the screen, and click on the Allow Access button. In a future article I will provide instructions to determine if specific companies are on Twitter.

8. Place your companies of interest in a list. Sign in to your regular Twitter account, select the Create a new list button in the upper left of your screen, enter the name of this list, select the appropriate privacy setting, and click on the Create list button.

Click on the following link to view everyone you are following. For each company, click on the manage list icon under actions, and select the company list (you just created).

Click on the Home link and under the Lists section (on the middle right of your screen) select your company list. You will only see the tweets from the companies in this list.

Searching for a job can suck if you constrain yourself to the typical tools such as online jobs boards, trade publications, CraigsList, and networking with only your close friends. In these kinds of times, you need to use all the weapons that you can, and one that many people don’t—or at least don’t use to the fullest extent, is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has over thirty-five million members in over 140 industries. Most of them are adults, employed, and not looking to post something on your Wall or date you. Executives from all the Fortune 500 companies are on LinkedIn. Most have disclosed what they do, where they work now, and where they’ve worked in the past. Talk about a target-rich environment, and the service is free.

Here are ten tips to help use LinkedIn to find a job. If you know someone who’s looking for a job, forward them these tips along with an invitation to connect on LinkedIn. Before trying these tips, make sure you’ve filled out your profile and added at least twenty connections

1.

Get the word out. Tell your network that you’re looking for a new position because a job search these days requires the “law of big numbers” There is no stigma that you’re looking right now, so the more people who know you’re looking, the more likely you’ll find a job. Recently, LinkedIn added “status updates” which you can use to let your network know about your newly emancipated status.
2. Get LinkedIn recommendations from your colleagues. A strong recommendation from your manager highlights your strengths and shows that you were a valued employee. This is especially helpful if you were recently laid off, and there is no better time to ask for this than when your manager is feeling bad because she laid you off. If you were a manager yourself, recommendations from your employees can also highlight leadership qualities.
3.

Find out where people with your backgrounds are working. Find companies that employ people like you by doing an advanced search for people in your area who have your skills. For example, if you’re a web developer in Seattle, search profiles in your zip code using keywords with your skills (for example, JavaScript, XHTML, Ruby on Rails) to see which companies employ people like you.
4.

Find out where people at a company came from. LinkedIn “Company Profiles” show the career path of people before they began work there. This is very useful data to figure out what a company is looking for in new hires. For example, Microsoft employees worked at Hewlett-Packard and Oracle.
5.

Find out where people from a company go next. LinkedIn’s “Company Profiles” also tell you where people go after leaving the company. You can use this to track where people go after leaving your company as well as employees of other companies in your sector. (You could make the case that this feature also enables to figure out which companies to avoid, but I digress.)
6.

Check if a company is still hiring. Company pages on LinkedIn include a section called “New Hires” that lists people who have recently joined the company. If you have real chutzpah, you can ask these new hires how they got their new job. At the very least you can examine their backgrounds to surmise what made them attractive to the new employer.
7.

Get to the hiring manager. LinkedIn’s job search engine allows you to search for any kind of job you want. However, when you view the results, pay close attention to the ones that you’re no more than two degrees away from. This means that you know someone who knows the person that posted the job—it can’t get much better than that. (Power tip: two degrees is about the limit for getting to hiring managers. I never help friends of friends of friends.) Another way to find companies that you have ties to is by looking at the “Companies in Your Network” section on LinkedIn’s Job Search page.

8.

Get to the right HR person. The best case is getting to the hiring manager via someone who knows him, but if that isn’t possible you can still use LinkedIn to find someone inside the company to walk your resume to the hiring manager or HR department. When someone receives a resume from a coworker even if she doesn’t know the coworker, she almost always pays attention to it.
9.

Find out the secret job requirements. Job listings rarely spell out entirely or exactly what a hiring manager is seeking. Find a connection at the company who can get the inside scoop on what really matters for the job. You can do this by searching for the company name; the results will show you who in your network connects you to the company. If you don’t have an inside connection, look at profiles of the people who work at the company to get an idea of their backgrounds and important skills.
10.

Find startups to join. Maybe this recession is God telling you it’s time to try a startup. But great startups are hard to find. Play around with LinkedIn’s advanced search engine using “startup” or “stealth” in the keyword or company field. You can also narrow by industry (for example, startups in the Web 2.0, wireless, or biotech sectors). If large companies can’t offer “job security,” open up your search to include startups.
11.

Build your network before you need it. As a last tip, no matter how the economy or your career is doing, having a strong network is a good form of job security. Don’t wait until times are tough to nurture your network. The key to networking (or “schmozing”), however, is filled with counter-intuitiveness. First, it’s not who you know—it’s who knows of you. Second, Great schmoozers are not thinking “What can this person do for me?” To the contrary, they are thinking, “What can I do for this person?”

Here are two more ways I can help you in your job search. First, for an aggregation of hundreds of newly posted jobs, check out Jobs.alltop. Second, to really stay on top of what’s the latest news about LinkedIn, go to Linkedin.alltop; this will turn you in a true LinkedIn power user.

Between current economic conditions and the technological evolution of the Internet, the traditional approach most job seekers have taken in the past is no longer viable.

The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact.
The current environment

In 2008, there were 1.2 million job losses, unemployment is currently at 6.5%, and the largest companies are shedding as much as 10% of their workforces. There will be 1.5 million college graduates this year, yet the job growth rate is at a six year low, at 1.3%! The amount of jobs posted online is decreasing at over 13%, which has all led to the ratio of 3.3 job seekers per each job.

Social networks are starting to become part of the criteria that both hiring managers and college admissions officers are using to weed out applicants. One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.

It’s time for you to be open-minded and think differently about how you’re going to get your next job and keep it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t submit your resume to job banks, corporate websites, vertical job agents (Simply Hired/Indeed) or attend job fairs, but these should only consume 10% of your time. The other 90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets, which will not only get you a job, but help you create your own dream job!

1. Conduct a people search instead of a job search

The majority of jobs aren’t posted online. Hiring managers get a list of employee referral candidates before they even bother to view resumes from those who submit them online. Sometimes the listed jobs aren’t available or never existed in the first place. Many studies have noted that 80% of jobs are taken through networking, but few have sought to use the web to search and locate people they would actually enjoy working for at companies that they get excited about.

The 3-step people search:

1. Identify the top five companies that you would like to work for.
Use a focused approach instead of flooding thousands of inboxes with spam. You want to brand yourself, not just as the person of best fit for a job, but as someone who is eager and ecstatic to work for the company.

Between current economic conditions and the technological evolution of the Internet, the traditional approach most job seekers have taken in the past is no longer viable.

The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact.
The current environment

In 2008, there were 1.2 million job losses, unemployment is currently at 6.5%, and the largest companies are shedding as much as 10% of their workforces. There will be 1.5 million college graduates this year, yet the job growth rate is at a six year low, at 1.3%! The amount of jobs posted online is decreasing at over 13%, which has all led to the ratio of 3.3 job seekers per each job.

Social networks are starting to become part of the criteria that both hiring managers and college admissions officers are using to weed out applicants. One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.

It’s time for you to be open-minded and think differently about how you’re going to get your next job and keep it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t submit your resume to job banks, corporate websites, vertical job agents (Simply Hired/Indeed) or attend job fairs, but these should only consume 10% of your time. The other 90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets, which will not only get you a job, but help you create your own dream job!
1. Conduct a people search instead of a job search

The majority of jobs aren’t posted online. Hiring managers get a list of employee referral candidates before they even bother to view resumes from those who submit them online. Sometimes the listed jobs aren’t available or never existed in the first place. Many studies have noted that 80% of jobs are taken through networking, but few have sought to use the web to search and locate people they would actually enjoy working for at companies that they get excited about.

The 3-step people search:

1. Identify the top five companies that you would like to work for.
Use a focused approach instead of flooding thousands of inboxes with spam. You want to brand yourself, not just as the person of best fit for a job, but as someone who is eager and ecstatic to work for the company.

wink

2. Use search engines to track employees that currently work there.
There are over 130 million blogs in Technorati and you can search through them to possibly find someone who works at one of your top five companies. You can search through corporate groups, pages and people on Facebook (Facebook). You can even do the same on Twitter. Then there are people search engines such as pipl, peek you, and wink. Once you find a contact name, try googling it to see if there is any additional information about that person.

3. Connect with the person directly.
Social media has broken down barriers, to a point where you can message someone you aren’t friends with and don’t have contact information for, without any hassles. Before you message a target employee, realize that they receive messages from people asking for jobs all the time and that they might not want to be bothered on Facebook, where their true friends are. As long as you’ve done your homework on the company and them, tailor a message that states who you are and your interest, without asking for a job at first. Get to know them and then by the 3rd or 4th messages, ask if there is an available opportunity.
2. Use attraction-based marketing to get job offers

The traditional way of searching for a job was proactive, forcing you to start a job that you might not have enjoyed. The new approach is about building a powerful personal brand and attracting job opportunities directly into your doorstep. How do you do this? You become a content producer instead of just a consumer and the number one way to do that on the web is to launch a blog that centers around both your expertise and passions.

You need to be passionate to be committed to this project because it requires a lot of writing, creativity and consistency in order for it to actually help you. A blog is a non-intrusive, harmless and generous way of getting recruiters interested in your brand, without you even asking for a job! Make the recruiters fall in love with you and only send you opportunities that are related to your blog content, so you end up happy in the end.

This works a lot and is expected for new-age marketing jobs that require experience in social media and can even help you jump-start a new business off of your blog platform. By pulling recruiters into your world, you are able to impress them with what you want them to see and they can make a quick decision whether to hire you or not, without you hearing about rejection. Start a blog today using Wordpress.com (WordPress.com) (for beginners) or install Wordpress.org onto your own host (such as GoDaddy or Bluehost).
3. Be proactive on Twitter

Twitter (Twitter) has become the ultimate utility to connect directly with recruiters and employees at companies you want to work for. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the “@” sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will start to learn a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you HAVE TO have a completed profile. This means, you should have a short bio, the location where you’re from, a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information (I recommend your blog or your LinkedIn profile) and an avatar of yourself (not a clown or Homer Simpson please). This way, you stand a better chance of securing an opportunity or a relationship with people who care enough to read your profile.

Most people get jobs on Twitter by already having hundreds or thousands of followers. For example, I’ve heard of at least ten people getting a job by tweeting “just got laid off, looking for a job in finance” and then receiving a few direct messages with people who want to help them. Of course, these individuals had built trust, credibility and relationships with their followers over time, so they were more inclined to come to their rescue. You can do the same, just start right now!
4. Capitalize on LinkedIn

It’s no surprise that LinkedIn (LinkedIn) has been extremely profitable and successful as of late. Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as the main place for sourcing candidates because it’s free and the top professionals are on there. Many people don’t use LinkedIn to the best of their ability and fail to complete their entire profile, such that it says “100% complete.”

Just like any other search engine recruiters are using, keywords are extremely important. You want to fill out your entire profile, just like you would a resume, but include the same avatar you are using on Twitter (see above) and ensure that the summary section is complete. You’ll also want to get at least one recommendation from a supervisor or friend, which will give you a “1″ next to a “thumbs up” graphic when people search for you.

Then, you should import all your contacts from Outlook, Gmail (Gmail), etc, so that you can start to build your network or grow your existing network. The more people you’re connected to the better because you’re only able to reach other people in your network (1st, 2nd & 3rd degrees) by having these connections. You may want to pay for a premium account, so you can contact other recruiters that may help you. Finally, you should conduct searches on there for jobs that you may be interested in and reach out to those individuals that may supply you with an interview or referral.
5. Advertise your brand using AdWords and Facebook Social Ads

Google AdWords is Google (Google)’s advertising platform, which offers CPC (cost-per-click) and CPI (cost-per-impression) pricing for advertisements on Google and partner sites. Some of their partner sites are newspapers, radio and TV.

Between current economic conditions and the technological evolution of the Internet, the traditional approach most job seekers have taken in the past is no longer viable.

The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact.

The current environment

In 2008, there were 1.2 million job losses, unemployment is currently at 6.5%, and the largest companies are shedding as much as 10% of their workforces. There will be 1.5 million college graduates this year, yet the job growth rate is at a six year low, at 1.3%! The amount of jobs posted online is decreasing at over 13%, which has all led to the ratio of 3.3 job seekers per each job.

Social networks are starting to become part of the criteria that both hiring managers and college admissions officers are using to weed out applicants. One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.

It’s time for you to be open-minded and think differently about how you’re going to get your next job and keep it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t submit your resume to job banks, corporate websites, vertical job agents (Simply Hired/Indeed) or attend job fairs, but these should only consume 10% of your time. The other 90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets, which will not only get you a job, but help you create your own dream job!
1. Conduct a people search instead of a job search

The majority of jobs aren’t posted online. Hiring managers get a list of employee referral candidates before they even bother to view resumes from those who submit them online. Sometimes the listed jobs aren’t available or never existed in the first place. Many studies have noted that 80% of jobs are taken through networking, but few have sought to use the web to search and locate people they would actually enjoy working for at companies that they get excited about.

The 3-step people search:

1. Identify the top five companies that you would like to work for.
Use a focused approach instead of flooding thousands of inboxes with spam. You want to brand yourself, not just as the person of best fit for a job, but as someone who is eager and ecstatic to work for the company.

wink

2. Use search engines to track employees that currently work there.
There are over 130 million blogs in Technorati and you can search through them to possibly find someone who works at one of your top five companies. You can search through corporate groups, pages and people on Facebook (Facebook). You can even do the same on Twitter. Then there are people search engines such as pipl, peek you, and wink. Once you find a contact name, try googling it to see if there is any additional information about that person.

3. Connect with the person directly.
Social media has broken down barriers, to a point where you can message someone you aren’t friends with and don’t have contact information for, without any hassles. Before you message a target employee, realize that they receive messages from people asking for jobs all the time and that they might not want to be bothered on Facebook, where their true friends are. As long as you’ve done your homework on the company and them, tailor a message that states who you are and your interest, without asking for a job at first. Get to know them and then by the 3rd or 4th messages, ask if there is an available opportunity.
2. Use attraction-based marketing to get job offers

The traditional way of searching for a job was proactive, forcing you to start a job that you might not have enjoyed. The new approach is about building a powerful personal brand and attracting job opportunities directly into your doorstep. How do you do this? You become a content producer instead of just a consumer and the number one way to do that on the web is to launch a blog that centers around both your expertise and passions.

You need to be passionate to be committed to this project because it requires a lot of writing, creativity and consistency in order for it to actually help you. A blog is a non-intrusive, harmless and generous way of getting recruiters interested in your brand, without you even asking for a job! Make the recruiters fall in love with you and only send you opportunities that are related to your blog content, so you end up happy in the end.

This works a lot and is expected for new-age marketing jobs that require experience in social media and can even help you jump-start a new business off of your blog platform. By pulling recruiters into your world, you are able to impress them with what you want them to see and they can make a quick decision whether to hire you or not, without you hearing about rejection. Start a blog today using Wordpress.com (WordPress.com) (for beginners) or install Wordpress.org onto your own host (such as GoDaddy or Bluehost).
3. Be proactive on Twitter

Twitter (Twitter) has become the ultimate utility to connect directly with recruiters and employees at companies you want to work for. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the “@” sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will start to learn a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you HAVE TO have a completed profile. This means, you should have a short bio, the location where you’re from, a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information (I recommend your blog or your LinkedIn profile) and an avatar of yourself (not a clown or Homer Simpson please). This way, you stand a better chance of securing an opportunity or a relationship with people who care enough to read your profile.

Most people get jobs on Twitter by already having hundreds or thousands of followers. For example, I’ve heard of at least ten people getting a job by tweeting “just got laid off, looking for a job in finance” and then receiving a few direct messages with people who want to help them. Of course, these individuals had built trust, credibility and relationships with their followers over time, so they were more inclined to come to their rescue. You can do the same, just start right now!
4. Capitalize on LinkedIn

It’s no surprise that LinkedIn (LinkedIn) has been extremely profitable and successful as of late. Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as the main place for sourcing candidates because it’s free and the top professionals are on there. Many people don’t use LinkedIn to the best of their ability and fail to complete their entire profile, such that it says “100% complete.”

Just like any other search engine recruiters are using, keywords are extremely important. You want to fill out your entire profile, just like you would a resume, but include the same avatar you are using on Twitter (see above) and ensure that the summary section is complete. You’ll also want to get at least one recommendation from a supervisor or friend, which will give you a “1″ next to a “thumbs up” graphic when people search for you.

Then, you should import all your contacts from Outlook, Gmail (Gmail), etc, so that you can start to build your network or grow your existing network. The more people you’re connected to the better because you’re only able to reach other people in your network (1st, 2nd & 3rd degrees) by having these connections. You may want to pay for a premium account, so you can contact other recruiters that may help you. Finally, you should conduct searches on there for jobs that you may be interested in and reach out to those individuals that may supply you with an interview or referral.
5. Advertise your brand using AdWords and Facebook Social Ads

Google AdWords is Google (Google)’s advertising platform, which offers CPC (cost-per-click) and CPI (cost-per-impression) pricing for advertisements on Google and partner sites. Some of their partner sites are newspapers, radio and TV.

google-adwords

Before running your advertisement, you need a landing page. If you have a website or blog, then use the resume page within it to display through advertising. This works beautifully because recruiters can see that single resume page and notice all the other pages/options on your website, to get a better sense of your brand.

Here’s how to create your ad:

1. Title. When you create your ad, label yourself as a specialist, expert or guru on the title tag. You might want to state the fact that it’s your resume first.
2. Description. In the next two description tags, pull out your biggest achievements in 6 words or less and list your personal brand statement or a few descriptors.
3. URL. For your URL, don’t use the URL for your resume page. Instead use yourname.com for personal branding purposes. Drop the “www” from the domain you want to promote because it’s unnecessary.

Facebook Social Ads allow businesses and individuals to advertise using Facebook’s news feed or left rail (will change to 2 ad spots on the right when the new interface swaps over). This program works similar to Google’s but you can use a picture and it’s more “word-of-mouth friendly” because ads travel through the news feed of friends.

About 1 year ago Dan Schawbel 60
7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media
email
share

job-searchDan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog.

Between current economic conditions and the technological evolution of the Internet, the traditional approach most job seekers have taken in the past is no longer viable.

The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact.
The current environment

In 2008, there were 1.2 million job losses, unemployment is currently at 6.5%, and the largest companies are shedding as much as 10% of their workforces. There will be 1.5 million college graduates this year, yet the job growth rate is at a six year low, at 1.3%! The amount of jobs posted online is decreasing at over 13%, which has all led to the ratio of 3.3 job seekers per each job.

Social networks are starting to become part of the criteria that both hiring managers and college admissions officers are using to weed out applicants. One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.

It’s time for you to be open-minded and think differently about how you’re going to get your next job and keep it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t submit your resume to job banks, corporate websites, vertical job agents (Simply Hired/Indeed) or attend job fairs, but these should only consume 10% of your time. The other 90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets, which will not only get you a job, but help you create your own dream job!
1. Conduct a people search instead of a job search

The majority of jobs aren’t posted online. Hiring managers get a list of employee referral candidates before they even bother to view resumes from those who submit them online. Sometimes the listed jobs aren’t available or never existed in the first place. Many studies have noted that 80% of jobs are taken through networking, but few have sought to use the web to search and locate people they would actually enjoy working for at companies that they get excited about.

The 3-step people search:

1. Identify the top five companies that you would like to work for.
Use a focused approach instead of flooding thousands of inboxes with spam. You want to brand yourself, not just as the person of best fit for a job, but as someone who is eager and ecstatic to work for the company.

wink

2. Use search engines to track employees that currently work there.
There are over 130 million blogs in Technorati and you can search through them to possibly find someone who works at one of your top five companies. You can search through corporate groups, pages and people on Facebook (Facebook). You can even do the same on Twitter. Then there are people search engines such as pipl, peek you, and wink. Once you find a contact name, try googling it to see if there is any additional information about that person.

3. Connect with the person directly.
Social media has broken down barriers, to a point where you can message someone you aren’t friends with and don’t have contact information for, without any hassles. Before you message a target employee, realize that they receive messages from people asking for jobs all the time and that they might not want to be bothered on Facebook, where their true friends are. As long as you’ve done your homework on the company and them, tailor a message that states who you are and your interest, without asking for a job at first. Get to know them and then by the 3rd or 4th messages, ask if there is an available opportunity.
2. Use attraction-based marketing to get job offers

The traditional way of searching for a job was proactive, forcing you to start a job that you might not have enjoyed. The new approach is about building a powerful personal brand and attracting job opportunities directly into your doorstep. How do you do this? You become a content producer instead of just a consumer and the number one way to do that on the web is to launch a blog that centers around both your expertise and passions.

You need to be passionate to be committed to this project because it requires a lot of writing, creativity and consistency in order for it to actually help you. A blog is a non-intrusive, harmless and generous way of getting recruiters interested in your brand, without you even asking for a job! Make the recruiters fall in love with you and only send you opportunities that are related to your blog content, so you end up happy in the end.

This works a lot and is expected for new-age marketing jobs that require experience in social media and can even help you jump-start a new business off of your blog platform. By pulling recruiters into your world, you are able to impress them with what you want them to see and they can make a quick decision whether to hire you or not, without you hearing about rejection. Start a blog today using Wordpress.com (WordPress.com) (for beginners) or install Wordpress.org onto your own host (such as GoDaddy or Bluehost).
3. Be proactive on Twitter

Twitter (Twitter) has become the ultimate utility to connect directly with recruiters and employees at companies you want to work for. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the “@” sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will start to learn a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you HAVE TO have a completed profile. This means, you should have a short bio, the location where you’re from, a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information (I recommend your blog or your LinkedIn profile) and an avatar of yourself (not a clown or Homer Simpson please). This way, you stand a better chance of securing an opportunity or a relationship with people who care enough to read your profile.

Most people get jobs on Twitter by already having hundreds or thousands of followers. For example, I’ve heard of at least ten people getting a job by tweeting “just got laid off, looking for a job in finance” and then receiving a few direct messages with people who want to help them. Of course, these individuals had built trust, credibility and relationships with their followers over time, so they were more inclined to come to their rescue. You can do the same, just start right now!
4. Capitalize on LinkedIn

It’s no surprise that LinkedIn (LinkedIn) has been extremely profitable and successful as of late. Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as the main place for sourcing candidates because it’s free and the top professionals are on there. Many people don’t use LinkedIn to the best of their ability and fail to complete their entire profile, such that it says “100% complete.”

Just like any other search engine recruiters are using, keywords are extremely important. You want to fill out your entire profile, just like you would a resume, but include the same avatar you are using on Twitter (see above) and ensure that the summary section is complete. You’ll also want to get at least one recommendation from a supervisor or friend, which will give you a “1″ next to a “thumbs up” graphic when people search for you.

Then, you should import all your contacts from Outlook, Gmail (Gmail), etc, so that you can start to build your network or grow your existing network. The more people you’re connected to the better because you’re only able to reach other people in your network (1st, 2nd & 3rd degrees) by having these connections. You may want to pay for a premium account, so you can contact other recruiters that may help you. Finally, you should conduct searches on there for jobs that you may be interested in and reach out to those individuals that may supply you with an interview or referral.
5. Advertise your brand using AdWords and Facebook Social Ads

Google AdWords is Google (Google)’s advertising platform, which offers CPC (cost-per-click) and CPI (cost-per-impression) pricing for advertisements on Google and partner sites. Some of their partner sites are newspapers, radio and TV.

google-adwords

Before running your advertisement, you need a landing page. If you have a website or blog, then use the resume page within it to display through advertising. This works beautifully because recruiters can see that single resume page and notice all the other pages/options on your website, to get a better sense of your brand.

Here’s how to create your ad:

1. Title. When you create your ad, label yourself as a specialist, expert or guru on the title tag. You might want to state the fact that it’s your resume first.
2. Description. In the next two description tags, pull out your biggest achievements in 6 words or less and list your personal brand statement or a few descriptors.
3. URL. For your URL, don’t use the URL for your resume page. Instead use yourname.com for personal branding purposes. Drop the “www” from the domain you want to promote because it’s unnecessary.

Facebook Social Ads allow businesses and individuals to advertise using Facebook’s news feed or left rail (will change to 2 ad spots on the right when the new interface swaps over). This program works similar to Google’s but you can use a picture and it’s more “word-of-mouth friendly” because ads travel through the news feed of friends.

Here’s how to create your ad:

advertise-on-facebook

1. Title. What is the ad for? The title is the most important piece of your ad because it has the most “text” emphasis. I would say “I want to work for ” or “Resume for .” Try and be as specific as you can.
2. Picture. Just like your Facebook picture, don’t use a picture that you wouldn’t want shown to your future employer. I would go for a professional yet personal picture.
3. Description. Don’t write your resume, but instead give the viewer a quick description of who you are, what you do and what job you want in 25 words.

Once you create your ad, either link it to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or blog/website. These ads are all about targeting a specific group that would care about your resume or hiring you for that matter. When you select your target audience, keep your major in mind, as well as the company and location.
6. Construct a video resume and upload it to YouTube

A search for “video resume” on YouTube (YouTube) will give you over 1,700 results. Many video resumes are good, while others are so amateur and rehearsed that they subtract from a given candidates marketing program. The key with a video resume is that very few people have actually created one, so they serve as a differentiator in the recruiting process.

About 1 year ago Dan Schawbel 60
7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media
email
share

job-searchDan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog.

Between current economic conditions and the technological evolution of the Internet, the traditional approach most job seekers have taken in the past is no longer viable.

The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact.
The current environment

In 2008, there were 1.2 million job losses, unemployment is currently at 6.5%, and the largest companies are shedding as much as 10% of their workforces. There will be 1.5 million college graduates this year, yet the job growth rate is at a six year low, at 1.3%! The amount of jobs posted online is decreasing at over 13%, which has all led to the ratio of 3.3 job seekers per each job.

Social networks are starting to become part of the criteria that both hiring managers and college admissions officers are using to weed out applicants. One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.

It’s time for you to be open-minded and think differently about how you’re going to get your next job and keep it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t submit your resume to job banks, corporate websites, vertical job agents (Simply Hired/Indeed) or attend job fairs, but these should only consume 10% of your time. The other 90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets, which will not only get you a job, but help you create your own dream job!
1. Conduct a people search instead of a job search

The majority of jobs aren’t posted online. Hiring managers get a list of employee referral candidates before they even bother to view resumes from those who submit them online. Sometimes the listed jobs aren’t available or never existed in the first place. Many studies have noted that 80% of jobs are taken through networking, but few have sought to use the web to search and locate people they would actually enjoy working for at companies that they get excited about.

The 3-step people search:

1. Identify the top five companies that you would like to work for.
Use a focused approach instead of flooding thousands of inboxes with spam. You want to brand yourself, not just as the person of best fit for a job, but as someone who is eager and ecstatic to work for the company.

wink

2. Use search engines to track employees that currently work there.
There are over 130 million blogs in Technorati and you can search through them to possibly find someone who works at one of your top five companies. You can search through corporate groups, pages and people on Facebook (Facebook). You can even do the same on Twitter. Then there are people search engines such as pipl, peek you, and wink. Once you find a contact name, try googling it to see if there is any additional information about that person.

3. Connect with the person directly.
Social media has broken down barriers, to a point where you can message someone you aren’t friends with and don’t have contact information for, without any hassles. Before you message a target employee, realize that they receive messages from people asking for jobs all the time and that they might not want to be bothered on Facebook, where their true friends are. As long as you’ve done your homework on the company and them, tailor a message that states who you are and your interest, without asking for a job at first. Get to know them and then by the 3rd or 4th messages, ask if there is an available opportunity.
2. Use attraction-based marketing to get job offers

The traditional way of searching for a job was proactive, forcing you to start a job that you might not have enjoyed. The new approach is about building a powerful personal brand and attracting job opportunities directly into your doorstep. How do you do this? You become a content producer instead of just a consumer and the number one way to do that on the web is to launch a blog that centers around both your expertise and passions.

You need to be passionate to be committed to this project because it requires a lot of writing, creativity and consistency in order for it to actually help you. A blog is a non-intrusive, harmless and generous way of getting recruiters interested in your brand, without you even asking for a job! Make the recruiters fall in love with you and only send you opportunities that are related to your blog content, so you end up happy in the end.

This works a lot and is expected for new-age marketing jobs that require experience in social media and can even help you jump-start a new business off of your blog platform. By pulling recruiters into your world, you are able to impress them with what you want them to see and they can make a quick decision whether to hire you or not, without you hearing about rejection. Start a blog today using Wordpress.com (WordPress.com) (for beginners) or install Wordpress.org onto your own host (such as GoDaddy or Bluehost).
3. Be proactive on Twitter

Twitter (Twitter) has become the ultimate utility to connect directly with recruiters and employees at companies you want to work for. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the “@” sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will start to learn a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you HAVE TO have a completed profile. This means, you should have a short bio, the location where you’re from, a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information (I recommend your blog or your LinkedIn profile) and an avatar of yourself (not a clown or Homer Simpson please). This way, you stand a better chance of securing an opportunity or a relationship with people who care enough to read your profile.

Most people get jobs on Twitter by already having hundreds or thousands of followers. For example, I’ve heard of at least ten people getting a job by tweeting “just got laid off, looking for a job in finance” and then receiving a few direct messages with people who want to help them. Of course, these individuals had built trust, credibility and relationships with their followers over time, so they were more inclined to come to their rescue. You can do the same, just start right now!
4. Capitalize on LinkedIn

It’s no surprise that LinkedIn (LinkedIn) has been extremely profitable and successful as of late. Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as the main place for sourcing candidates because it’s free and the top professionals are on there. Many people don’t use LinkedIn to the best of their ability and fail to complete their entire profile, such that it says “100% complete.”

Just like any other search engine recruiters are using, keywords are extremely important. You want to fill out your entire profile, just like you would a resume, but include the same avatar you are using on Twitter (see above) and ensure that the summary section is complete. You’ll also want to get at least one recommendation from a supervisor or friend, which will give you a “1″ next to a “thumbs up” graphic when people search for you.

Then, you should import all your contacts from Outlook, Gmail (Gmail), etc, so that you can start to build your network or grow your existing network. The more people you’re connected to the better because you’re only able to reach other people in your network (1st, 2nd & 3rd degrees) by having these connections. You may want to pay for a premium account, so you can contact other recruiters that may help you. Finally, you should conduct searches on there for jobs that you may be interested in and reach out to those individuals that may supply you with an interview or referral.
5. Advertise your brand using AdWords and Facebook Social Ads

Google AdWords is Google (Google)’s advertising platform, which offers CPC (cost-per-click) and CPI (cost-per-impression) pricing for advertisements on Google and partner sites. Some of their partner sites are newspapers, radio and TV.

google-adwords

Before running your advertisement, you need a landing page. If you have a website or blog, then use the resume page within it to display through advertising. This works beautifully because recruiters can see that single resume page and notice all the other pages/options on your website, to get a better sense of your brand.

Here’s how to create your ad:

1. Title. When you create your ad, label yourself as a specialist, expert or guru on the title tag. You might want to state the fact that it’s your resume first.
2. Description. In the next two description tags, pull out your biggest achievements in 6 words or less and list your personal brand statement or a few descriptors.
3. URL. For your URL, don’t use the URL for your resume page. Instead use yourname.com for personal branding purposes. Drop the “www” from the domain you want to promote because it’s unnecessary.

Facebook Social Ads allow businesses and individuals to advertise using Facebook’s news feed or left rail (will change to 2 ad spots on the right when the new interface swaps over). This program works similar to Google’s but you can use a picture and it’s more “word-of-mouth friendly” because ads travel through the news feed of friends.

Here’s how to create your ad:

advertise-on-facebook

1. Title. What is the ad for? The title is the most important piece of your ad because it has the most “text” emphasis. I would say “I want to work for ” or “Resume for .” Try and be as specific as you can.
2. Picture. Just like your Facebook picture, don’t use a picture that you wouldn’t want shown to your future employer. I would go for a professional yet personal picture.
3. Description. Don’t write your resume, but instead give the viewer a quick description of who you are, what you do and what job you want in 25 words.

Once you create your ad, either link it to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or blog/website. These ads are all about targeting a specific group that would care about your resume or hiring you for that matter. When you select your target audience, keep your major in mind, as well as the company and location.
6. Construct a video resume and upload it to YouTube

A search for “video resume” on YouTube (YouTube) will give you over 1,700 results. Many video resumes are good, while others are so amateur and rehearsed that they subtract from a given candidates marketing program. The key with a video resume is that very few people have actually created one, so they serve as a differentiator in the recruiting process.

A good video resume is short, describes the value you can contribute to a given position, explains why you’re the best person for the job and talks about your background in a story-like format. If you aren’t a person with an outgoing and lively personality, then don’t bother creating one. Since you’re filming yourself, don’t rush because you can always try it a hundred times before you upload the final version to YouTube.
7. Subscribe to blogs that have job listings

We all subscribe to blogs to receive information based on our interests, at least I hope. Over time we rely on these sources for information to keep us updated on what is happening in certain industries or different trends that are developing. In the past few years, the larger blogs have started to integrate job banks into their own websites, using software/hosting from companies such as Job-a-matic.

About 1 year ago Dan Schawbel 60
7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media
email
share

job-searchDan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog.

Between current economic conditions and the technological evolution of the Internet, the traditional approach most job seekers have taken in the past is no longer viable.

The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact.
The current environment

In 2008, there were 1.2 million job losses, unemployment is currently at 6.5%, and the largest companies are shedding as much as 10% of their workforces. There will be 1.5 million college graduates this year, yet the job growth rate is at a six year low, at 1.3%! The amount of jobs posted online is decreasing at over 13%, which has all led to the ratio of 3.3 job seekers per each job.

Social networks are starting to become part of the criteria that both hiring managers and college admissions officers are using to weed out applicants. One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.

It’s time for you to be open-minded and think differently about how you’re going to get your next job and keep it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t submit your resume to job banks, corporate websites, vertical job agents (Simply Hired/Indeed) or attend job fairs, but these should only consume 10% of your time. The other 90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets, which will not only get you a job, but help you create your own dream job!
1. Conduct a people search instead of a job search

The majority of jobs aren’t posted online. Hiring managers get a list of employee referral candidates before they even bother to view resumes from those who submit them online. Sometimes the listed jobs aren’t available or never existed in the first place. Many studies have noted that 80% of jobs are taken through networking, but few have sought to use the web to search and locate people they would actually enjoy working for at companies that they get excited about.

The 3-step people search:

1. Identify the top five companies that you would like to work for.
Use a focused approach instead of flooding thousands of inboxes with spam. You want to brand yourself, not just as the person of best fit for a job, but as someone who is eager and ecstatic to work for the company.

wink

2. Use search engines to track employees that currently work there.
There are over 130 million blogs in Technorati and you can search through them to possibly find someone who works at one of your top five companies. You can search through corporate groups, pages and people on Facebook (Facebook). You can even do the same on Twitter. Then there are people search engines such as pipl, peek you, and wink. Once you find a contact name, try googling it to see if there is any additional information about that person.

3. Connect with the person directly.
Social media has broken down barriers, to a point where you can message someone you aren’t friends with and don’t have contact information for, without any hassles. Before you message a target employee, realize that they receive messages from people asking for jobs all the time and that they might not want to be bothered on Facebook, where their true friends are. As long as you’ve done your homework on the company and them, tailor a message that states who you are and your interest, without asking for a job at first. Get to know them and then by the 3rd or 4th messages, ask if there is an available opportunity.
2. Use attraction-based marketing to get job offers

The traditional way of searching for a job was proactive, forcing you to start a job that you might not have enjoyed. The new approach is about building a powerful personal brand and attracting job opportunities directly into your doorstep. How do you do this? You become a content producer instead of just a consumer and the number one way to do that on the web is to launch a blog that centers around both your expertise and passions.

You need to be passionate to be committed to this project because it requires a lot of writing, creativity and consistency in order for it to actually help you. A blog is a non-intrusive, harmless and generous way of getting recruiters interested in your brand, without you even asking for a job! Make the recruiters fall in love with you and only send you opportunities that are related to your blog content, so you end up happy in the end.

This works a lot and is expected for new-age marketing jobs that require experience in social media and can even help you jump-start a new business off of your blog platform. By pulling recruiters into your world, you are able to impress them with what you want them to see and they can make a quick decision whether to hire you or not, without you hearing about rejection. Start a blog today using Wordpress.com (WordPress.com) (for beginners) or install Wordpress.org onto your own host (such as GoDaddy or Bluehost).
3. Be proactive on Twitter

Twitter (Twitter) has become the ultimate utility to connect directly with recruiters and employees at companies you want to work for. By conducting Twitter searches, following recruiters on your account and using the “@” sign to communicate with them on occasion, you will start to learn a lot about them and their companies.

Before you follow anyone on Twitter, you HAVE TO have a completed profile. This means, you should have a short bio, the location where you’re from, a link to a site that recruiters can go to for more information (I recommend your blog or your LinkedIn profile) and an avatar of yourself (not a clown or Homer Simpson please). This way, you stand a better chance of securing an opportunity or a relationship with people who care enough to read your profile.

Most people get jobs on Twitter by already having hundreds or thousands of followers. For example, I’ve heard of at least ten people getting a job by tweeting “just got laid off, looking for a job in finance” and then receiving a few direct messages with people who want to help them. Of course, these individuals had built trust, credibility and relationships with their followers over time, so they were more inclined to come to their rescue. You can do the same, just start right now!
4. Capitalize on LinkedIn

It’s no surprise that LinkedIn (LinkedIn) has been extremely profitable and successful as of late. Recruiters are starting to use LinkedIn as the main place for sourcing candidates because it’s free and the top professionals are on there. Many people don’t use LinkedIn to the best of their ability and fail to complete their entire profile, such that it says “100% complete.”

Just like any other search engine recruiters are using, keywords are extremely important. You want to fill out your entire profile, just like you would a resume, but include the same avatar you are using on Twitter (see above) and ensure that the summary section is complete. You’ll also want to get at least one recommendation from a supervisor or friend, which will give you a “1″ next to a “thumbs up” graphic when people search for you.

Then, you should import all your contacts from Outlook, Gmail (Gmail), etc, so that you can start to build your network or grow your existing network. The more people you’re connected to the better because you’re only able to reach other people in your network (1st, 2nd & 3rd degrees) by having these connections. You may want to pay for a premium account, so you can contact other recruiters that may help you. Finally, you should conduct searches on there for jobs that you may be interested in and reach out to those individuals that may supply you with an interview or referral.
5. Advertise your brand using AdWords and Facebook Social Ads

Google AdWords is Google (Google)’s advertising platform, which offers CPC (cost-per-click) and CPI (cost-per-impression) pricing for advertisements on Google and partner sites. Some of their partner sites are newspapers, radio and TV.

google-adwords

Before running your advertisement, you need a landing page. If you have a website or blog, then use the resume page within it to display through advertising. This works beautifully because recruiters can see that single resume page and notice all the other pages/options on your website, to get a better sense of your brand.

Here’s how to create your ad:

1. Title. When you create your ad, label yourself as a specialist, expert or guru on the title tag. You might want to state the fact that it’s your resume first.
2. Description. In the next two description tags, pull out your biggest achievements in 6 words or less and list your personal brand statement or a few descriptors.
3. URL. For your URL, don’t use the URL for your resume page. Instead use yourname.com for personal branding purposes. Drop the “www” from the domain you want to promote because it’s unnecessary.

Facebook Social Ads allow businesses and individuals to advertise using Facebook’s news feed or left rail (will change to 2 ad spots on the right when the new interface swaps over). This program works similar to Google’s but you can use a picture and it’s more “word-of-mouth friendly” because ads travel through the news feed of friends.

Here’s how to create your ad:

advertise-on-facebook

1. Title. What is the ad for? The title is the most important piece of your ad because it has the most “text” emphasis. I would say “I want to work for ” or “Resume for .” Try and be as specific as you can.
2. Picture. Just like your Facebook picture, don’t use a picture that you wouldn’t want shown to your future employer. I would go for a professional yet personal picture.
3. Description. Don’t write your resume, but instead give the viewer a quick description of who you are, what you do and what job you want in 25 words.

Once you create your ad, either link it to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or blog/website. These ads are all about targeting a specific group that would care about your resume or hiring you for that matter. When you select your target audience, keep your major in mind, as well as the company and location.
6. Construct a video resume and upload it to YouTube

A search for “video resume” on YouTube (YouTube) will give you over 1,700 results. Many video resumes are good, while others are so amateur and rehearsed that they subtract from a given candidates marketing program. The key with a video resume is that very few people have actually created one, so they serve as a differentiator in the recruiting process.

A good video resume is short, describes the value you can contribute to a given position, explains why you’re the best person for the job and talks about your background in a story-like format. If you aren’t a person with an outgoing and lively personality, then don’t bother creating one. Since you’re filming yourself, don’t rush because you can always try it a hundred times before you upload the final version to YouTube.
7. Subscribe to blogs that have job listings

We all subscribe to blogs to receive information based on our interests, at least I hope. Over time we rely on these sources for information to keep us updated on what is happening in certain industries or different trends that are developing. In the past few years, the larger blogs have started to integrate job banks into their own websites, using software/hosting from companies such as Job-a-matic and the boards on this site.

The New Year — sure, it’s a time to rejoice, be merry and have some fun, but to some folks it is a time to reflect on their lives, and yes (a big sigh here) that means making the ever popular New Year’s resolutions. The most common resolutions are losing weight, paying off debt, saving money and getting a better job. Try looking beyond the recession and the “doom and gloom” of 2009, and make 2010 a bright new year by kicking your job search into high gear.

“No matter the market conditions, there are always companies looking to hire talented professionals, and those people who are prepared will be best positioned to take advantage of new career opportunities as they are uncovered,” says David Sanford, executive vice president of business development at Winter, Wyman. Sanford says that people should always be looking for a new job (hey, you never know what’s out there unless you’re looking) and that the New Year is a great time to go out and make it happen.

If you want to know how to get yourself noticed and find your dream job during the New Year, follow these 10 tips for 2010.

Be ready to move.
As with all of life’s opportunities, you have to be ready to strike when the iron is hot — and sometimes even when it’s heating up. No matter if your plan includes pounding the pavement for a new job or sitting back and waiting for one to come your way, make sure you have all the groundwork in place for a successful job search. Update your résumé, prepare a compelling story to tell about why you would consider a new opportunity and know whom you would use for references. Start becoming mentally and emotionally ready for a change so you are better prepared for when it happens.

Don’t ignore the elephant in the room.
In soft economies, many people think it’s safer to stay with their current employer than to risk taking a position with a new company — and often it is. But don’t ignore the elephant in the room and hope that everything will be OK. Even in the best of times, companies routinely are merged, acquired, imploded and overtaken, sometimes leaving hundreds and thousands of people looking for new jobs. Be prudent and always be aware of your business’s conditions; keep your nose in the wind and your eyes and ears open for when it is the best time to move on to a new job.

Know thyself.
As people age and lives and goals change, so do their career objectives. Spend the time necessary to know what really makes you happy. Is it being an authority at work? Having a schedule flexible enough to see your kids play soccer on a midweek afternoon? Knowing the drug you are researching will someday eradicate a life-threatening disease? Have a heart-to-heart with yourself about what you want from your career and what steps would be necessary to achieve this goal. Have realistic expectations, but know that most career dreams are within our reach.

Step out of your comfort zone.
As human beings, we don’t like to admit that we don’t have all the answers, and it’s uncomfortable for most people to ask for help, especially from those outside their inner circle. Asking for assistance and advice is the heart of networking and the single most important thing a person looking for a new job should do.

Your next opportunity could come via a tip or chance encounter with a former boss, colleague, neighbor, recruiter, barber, golf buddy — but you will never hear about it if they don’t know you are looking (even passively). You need to be courageous enough to talk to people you meet about what you ultimately want instead of regretting that you didn’t mention it sooner.

Devote time to job searching.
Take a hint from the world’s greatest athletes. Succeeding at anything takes practice and hard work. If you are trying to further your career, you need to devote the energy needed to make that change, and that takes time. Find a way to carve out the hours necessary, whether it’s giving up an hour of gym time on Tuesday nights to attend networking meetings, or getting up early on Sunday mornings to search for leads and contacts online, establish some goals and set aside the time it will take to accomplish them.

Focus your résumé.
Most résumés are vanilla — overview, titles, tasks, accomplishments and education. But companies want to see the sizzle and the steak. They want to see progression in experience, skills and responsibility and how you have contributed directly to your employer’s, or former employer’s, success. Make sure your document includes enough substance to explain the strategies and tactics you were responsible for, but also the intangibles where you made a difference. It doesn’t have to be overly long or detailed, but back up any success claims with real facts and examples.

Join in and get connected.
There isn’t a profession or industry on Earth that doesn’t have a trade association, user group, online discussion board or fan club. Find one relevant to you and join it. Whether you are employed or not, opportunities flow from being around like-minded people, and professional associations and communities are where you need to be. They are a great way for uncovering hidden jobs, to further your knowledge and to make new relationships. Investigate which are appropriate for you and join in.

Sell yourself.
Unless you are a pompous, arrogant bore, you are probably not used to — and are uncomfortable with — talking immodestly about yourself, your attributes and shining moments. Get over it. Advancing in your career or finding a new job requires you to balance humility with bravado. Your résumé or a relationship may open a door, but you have to be prepared to march through it with a lot of confidence and a bit of swagger.

Find a way to get over any discomfort when talking about yourself and how wonderful you are. The best job candidate is one who truly believes he has something unique to offer and can articulate his message with words, body language and confidence. A hiring manager wants to fall in love with you; give her a reason to.

Narrow your thinking.
Don’t try to be all things to all people, especially when looking for a job. You are not going to be good at everything you do, so don’t fool yourself into thinking you are. Figure out what you want to do and where you want to do it, and narrow your search to opportunities that fit into your realm. Don’t have interviews or networking meetings where you hope the other person can help you figure out what you want to do. The responsibility is yours; be targeted and specific about the jobs you want, skills you have and the companies for which you want to work.

Get started.
Self-assessment is important but can be paralyzing. Take the time necessary to be introspective and then craft your plan, but don’t let those activities stall you from taking action. Talk is cheap — get out there and take the steps to change or improve your career. Being proactive in your career will open up opportunities you never dreamed of and will start 2010 off right.

The ‘Top Tens’ Job Search Tips:

1. Network, network, network.
2. Strong résumé.
3. Have a clear idea why you are looking and what your short-term goals are.
4. Clearly understand your long-term goals. Do they make sense with your short-term goals?
5. Don’t be negative. The interview process is slow and frustrating. Don’t let this shake you up.
6. Don’t be a name dropper.
7. Listen and engage: Don’t just talk in the interview.
8. Smile—be yourself.
9. Be honest. Don’t try to answer interview question with the answers you think the interviewer wants to hear. Be yourself
and be honest. Don’t exaggerate.
10. Close the interview: Are there objections that need to be overcome?

1. Network, network, and then network some more.
2. Research companies inside and out before you interview.
3. Become an expert in social networking.
4. If you know someone who works at a company you are interviewing with, spend some time with them before
you interview.
5. Get to know the top search professionals in your area.
6. Have informational meetings with people you know in the industry.
7. Join professional and industry organizations.
8. Learn as much as you can about the interviewer before the interview and prepare questions before the meeting.
9. Send follow-up thank-you notes to everyone you meet with.
10. Dress professionally and act professionally. Remember, everything counts!

1. Build a solid résumé—fill in gaps, call out successes, relay your value add, and customize it to cater to the job you
are interviewing for.
2. Be prepared to sell yourself—it’s not a time to be bashful.
3. Ask questions. You need to interview the company just as much as they need to interview you!
4. Keep the conversation focused on the opportunity available.
5. Know your short-term and long-term goals.
6. Don’t be late, dress to impress, and skip the perfume/heavy cologne.
7. Don’t bring up bad experiences or bad-mouth past employers.
8. Do research on the companies you’re seeking employment with.
9. Smile; be honest and engaging.
10. Have solid references and discuss your employment opportunities with them prior to them getting a call.