Category: Online presence

Keywords: What They Are and How to Use Them

One of the biggest tricks to being “found” by recruiters is to make your resume and online profile keyword-rich. If you’re a bit baffled by the term, you’re not alone. Keywords can be a source of confusion to the point where they are sometimes just ignored by job seekers. Ignoring them may mean your resume never makes its way to an actual hiring manager.

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Googling Yourself: How Google Can Change Your Job Search

Google may play a more important role in your pre-employment screening than you realize. Your background check might come back clean, but that’s not the only kind of “background check” employers are doing these days.  It’s increasingly common for hiring managers to Google prospective hires. It’s important for job seekers to not only be aware of what employers will find, but to make sure the results of a Google search will positively represent you. Read More

Cleaning up Facebook for Your Job Search

An article published in HR Magazine (the most widely read and respected human resources publication in the world) told the story of a physician who didn’t get a job at a small mid-west town hospital because she liked books on witchcraft on her Facebook page. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of Facebook content resulting in lost job opportunities. In today’s age of social media, looking up future employees is the common trend for hiring managers, and as the article in HR Magazine stated, “There is nothing that screams more accurately who you are than a Facebook page.” So how can you clean up your Facebook so it’s appropriate? Read More

Help! I Have No Online Presence!

A job seeker asks “What is online presence and why do I need it to find a job?”   In today’s job search, you can have great qualifications and excellent connections, but without online presence, you may be overlooked.  Online presence is your value displayed and expressed online. It’s what people find when they search on your name. It’s how recruiters and hiring managers notice your expertise and how you show your value to others in your industry. Read More

Why Social Media Matters

Job boards may soon become a thing of the past. According to a recent report published by The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), only a third of companies used social media to locate passive candidates in 2008, compared to 56% in 2011. In addition, 63% recruiters have successfully hired candidates via social media. So, instead of using job boards, where are companies looking for talents?  The answer is social media channels, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Read More

Twitter and Your Next Job

Twitter is very hot these days, and it can be a very powerful tool in your job search.  Last week we shared the mysteries of Twitter . This week, we go in depth on what Twitter can do for you. For the uninitiated, Twitter is a social networking service for people to stay connected.  Twitter is different than the other sites for a couple of reasons.

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Social Media 101 for Job Seekers

Many job seekers, especially mature workers, struggle to understand the role social media can play in a successful job search. Back in the day, resumes were printed and sent by mail and jobs were found in the local paper. Today it’s Twitter, LinkedIn and more. Ignoring these “new fangled” methods can greatly hinder a job search. So, for those of us born before 1970 (and some of you born after) here’s a quick rundown of the most important social media channels for your job search.

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Recruiting via Social Networks is Booming

Are you looking for recruiters who have an urgent need to hire now? The way to find them just may be through social media. A new survey shows recruiters are using social networks ahead of all other forms of recruiting and are most likely to increase use of it this year. More than a third of the recruiters surveyed say they need to make immediate hires. Recruiters reported finding higher quality candidates via social networking and rated job boards last for quality of candidates.

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Action Items for New College Grads Looking for Work

In our last blog, we went over some food for thoughts for new college graduates to identify a clear and focused entry into the job market.  Today, we will talk about what actions new college graduate can take once they have a good idea on what they are looking for in today’s job market.

Sanitize web image. Potential employers are increasingly Goggling candidates, looking at their Facebook pages and LinkedIn profile. College students are particularly vulnerable to getting a bad “web reputation”. As job seekers, they must do everything possible to clean up their web image, removing or privatizing photos and other content and also creating a positive web presence through a LinkedIn Profile, a professional blog or a professional web page.

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Using Facebook In Your Job Search

To use Facebook in your job search, you must first define your Facebook presence and page as personal, professional or both.  Beyond that critical decision, there are several important ways you can use Facebook to advance your job search.

Your Friends, Your Network
If you are using Facebook as a personal social network, your Facebook friends are your inner-circle network. As such, they care about your success and are likely to want to help you.  To use this resource in a respectful way:

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