Establishing a Professional Online Presence
Create a LinkedIn profile. This is one of the main social networking sites used by employers looking for future employees. Crafting a profile is relatively easy and LinkedIn provides online instructions and prompts to help users. After you’ve filled out your profile, start to send out connection invitations to friends, family, and professional associates. You can also ask your LinkedIn connections to introduce you to other people, which will expand your potential job pool even more. It’s important that your profile be 100% complete. Spend some time filling out all of the website questionnaires and uploading any professional documents that you have available. Every time that you make a major update to your resume, go ahead and upload the new document to your page. As you see who is viewing your LinkedIn page, don’t be afraid to reach out to them for advice or assistance. This is how many online connections are made. ZoomInfo is another site that can be beneficial for an online job search. If you create an account, it will give you access to updated contact information for companies.
Remove or bury any negative search engine hits. Enter your full name and initials into various search engines to see what they pull up. Many potential employers will do this as well, so it’s a great way to determine what they may be seeing. Make note of any negative hits, so that you can work to remove or bury them. The best way to do this is to post additional positive news about yourself on social media or other website and then wait for it to get hits. If you don’t pull up at all on search engines, this can also be a problem. Keep monitoring these searches as you add your resume to job search sites.
Remove any negative information about yourself on social media. Open up each of the social media sites, such as Facebook, and work your way through your profile from top to bottom. Delete anything that is even borderline unprofessional.
Adjust your social media settings to “Private.” Open the “Settings” menu of each of your social media profiles. Move any privacy options to “Private” or “Not Public.” This will limit the amount of personal information that is available about you online.
Comment on or create your own professional blog or website. Go to professional blogs or websites in your area of interest and make a habit of commenting or even submitting full entries. Try to establish connections with other people that you find online who share your ambitions. You can also upload videos of any professional presentations that you’ve done. You might even consider starting your own blog or creating your own website. This will allow you to shape what information shows up in search results about you. Keep the information focused on your professional life and use it as an opportunity to reach out to others in your field.
Mastering the Job Search
Target jobs that align with your past work experiences and skill set. Use this information to create a list of job types that you would qualify for and are interested in doing. Being unfocused in an online job search can cost you valuable time, so the sooner that you narrow your focus, the better you’ll do. For example, it’s probably too broad to say that you are interested in “sales.” Start to target your search by asking yourself what type of sales you enjoy, what kind of sales environment do you want, and what are your pay requirements. Once you narrow your search, start to develop a list of keyword terms that you can enter into job search databases. For example, instead of “sales” you might put “auto sales.”
Try the generic job hunting websites. Sites such as Monster, Askalo or Indeed include mass listings of jobs. Their benefit lies in the large numbers of jobs that are posted from a wide variety of professions. The downside is that you are competing with many other people for every single posting. Many of these larger sites will also let you post your resume online for employers to look at. If this is an option, go ahead and do so. It’s also a good idea to agree to have the site email you a notice whenever a job in a certain category is posted.
Network on social media sites. As soon as you start your job search, create a post for each of your social media sites that lets your contacts know that you are on the market. Mention your general qualifications and the types of jobs that might catch your interest. Close your post by asking for their assistance with your search, whether this means sharing your post or talking to their friends/colleagues. For example, you might write, “As you all know, I resigned my position at the MTC, Inc. about a week ago. I’m now in the process of looking for a job in print marketing. I’d love to stay in the Denver area, if possible. Please let me know if you can think of any good contacts or leads for me to pursue. Thank you!” Don’t be shy about sharing your job search on social media. Most people have been in a similar position and will understand your motives. You can also share photos showing you “in action” in a workplace environment. If you are a teacher, for example, you might post photos of you working with students or standing at the front of your former classroom. However, some people prefer to keep Facebook and Instagram just for personal, not professional, use and that is a fine option as well.
Browse government websites. These sites range from ones that cover a large number of federal positions, such as usajobs.gov, to smaller search engines devoted just to a certain type of government job or positions in a particular city. Unlike some private industry search sites, these listings are usually free of scammers as well.
Check out professional organization websites. Make a list of all of the professional groups that you can think of that are connected to your future job field. Go to their websites to see if they offer any type of professional job search assistance to either their members or the public on the whole. In addition, many of these organizations will offer mentors to persons new to the field. For example, the American Historical Association (AHA) posts a job board on their website that lists new jobs with brief descriptions and contact information. Other organizations, like Playbill, offer a more informal listing of job opportunities.
Make use of college and university websites. If you graduated from a school, then don’t be afraid to reach out to alumni connections during your online job search. Many universities and colleges have very active online organizations and some even post job listings. If you become an active member, you might also make professional connections that can help you find opportunities, too.
Check local business websites. Most companies will post job vacancies on their own sites before spreading this information around to generic job boards. It’s also likely that company job postings will include more detailed descriptions than elsewhere. If nothing else, if you have your sights set on a certain company, browsing their website will let you know how to reach out to their human resources division.
Applying Successfully for a Job
Write a comprehensive resume. Create a resume that includes your current job position, any prior work experience, your professional skills, and educational background. Your name and contact information should appear at the very top of the document. Save your resume in a number of different formats, like PDF and doc, to make it easy to email out. It’s also helpful if you tailor your resume to any particular job ads that catch your interest. For example, if you the job ad states that they are looking for an “experienced technician,” then you can use these exact words in your job description, too. Make sure that your contact information, your email in particular, is professional. Most employers are not looking to hire “funnyface19.”
Write an outstanding cover letter. Most jobs will ask that you upload an introductory letter along with your resume and contact information. In your cover letter spend some time expanding on the qualifications listed on your resume. Your goal should be to have your letter express both your personality and your professional skills.
Apply only if you are qualified. It’s a good idea to apply quickly to any jobs that fit your interests and qualifications. However, make sure that you don’t waste time sending out information for jobs where you may not truly be in the running. Instead, spend your energy improving your resume and deepening your online search.
Follow up on an application after 2 to 3 weeks. If you submitted your application through a website, then you can likely log back in to the site and check the status of your submission. If you emailed or mailed in your application, then wait 2 to 3 weeks before reaching out to your potential employer. It’s best to either call or email their human resources department. When you ask for information about your application status, make sure to include your full name, reference number (if any), and the date of your original submission. It’s important to adhere to any specific instructions that a potential employer gives you regarding following up on your application. For example, some employers request that you don’t reach out at all. Others may ask you to wait until a certain amount of time has passed.
Watch out for hiring scams. It’s a good idea to keep your guard up a bit while searching online for a job. Avoid applying for any job that asks that you provide a downpayment in order to be considered. Also, be careful with the information that you provide on online applications and never send along your banking or credit card data. As a general rule, if a job ad strikes you as too good to be true, make sure to think about it carefully before applying.
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