Networking and online job search

Networking is one of the most important if not the most important job skill you can have. In order to ensure that you are maximizing your networking remember to:

• Before you beat the path to people you don’t know, ask the people that you do know about any jobs available.
• Don’t waste anyone’s time when speaking to them. It will set a bad example and it will waste your time also.
• Find someone in the business that you would like to be in and ask them for advice.
• Make sure that you have plenty of business cards available to give out.
• Join a club or organization the plan is to meet people.

Consider a video resume as a tool in your job search

You don’t have to throw away your hard copy resume or delete your online resume but you might want to consider a video resume as a tool in your job search.

What is in a video resume? Basically the same things that go in other resumes: job skills, experience, achievements and education. Instead of you reading you resume to your hopefully future employer you will talk about yourself, sell yourself on camera.

Of course you have to practice delivering your message many times before you will get the final product. Remember that this is for business, not something that you would send to your friends. Wear business clothes and speak in a friendly and business like manner. Don’t film your video in your garage or outside where there might be a lot of background noise. Film it somewhere where the background doesn’t stand out.

Where do you send the video when you are done? If you have a resume post it there. Or you can post it on professional job sites like LinkIn. And if you send a hard copy of your resume first write down your web address and where you can find the video resume.

job search help news

The number of online jobs listed is still going down.
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=108949&catid=2

Learning SEO will help in looking for a job
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10496361/1/five-skills-to-learn-if-youre-looking-for-a-job.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN

A Portland man starts a nonprofit organization after unsuccessful job hunt
http://www.komonews.com/economy/44417747.html

good news about job openings at monster.com
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2310049/

Why the internet is the place to look for a job

You have just been laid off and now you are wondering what to do about finding a job. Twenty years ago you found your current job in the want ads. It was easy. You also went to the unemployment office and registered there just in case you wouldn’t find anything in the paper.
So are you going to change your strategy?

Of course you are. Have you looked at the want ads in the paper lately? There isn’t much there. You still have to go to the unemployment office especially to sign up for unemployment. But now the best ways to look for a job or career is to network and to use the internet.
This post is just about the internet but networking is still very important.

There are jobs sites everywhere on the internet, not just the big companies like monster, or careerbuilder but sites that cater to certain professions and even age groups. On an earlier post I discussed something called job aggregator that drives employees to employers. Indeed and simplyhired are two examples.

Companies, big or small, usually have job openings listed on their websites. It is a perfect opportunity to look at companies that you have always wanted to work for to see if they have any openings.

Years ago you had to print out many, many resumes and send them out with a personalized cover letter. This was tedious and probably not that successful. Now online resumes can be sent directly to the company along with a cover letter making it easier to customize the process to fit the employer.

You can still look in the paper for a job but I wouldn't spend that much time there.