As a jobseeker, you know you need to polish up your resume, so let’s skip that tired line. Instead, let’s turn “how to get a job” into “how to establish a network!” When jobseekers target getting a job as his or her main focus, the job hunt many times becomes frustrating and difficult to keep motivated. Whether unemployed by choice, laid off, or unhappily employed there are many steps a jobseeker can take to naturally find a new position without a lot of stress.
- Twitter and job seeking go hand-in-hand. Make an effort to create a professional Twitter profile. Set a mandatory regimen that every day you will create an original tweet, retweet something relevant, and reply to someone else’s tweet within your industry niche. Focus on the industry niche you want to break into. By participating in the Twitter universe you will slowly begin to understand what is trending, who is influencing, and which companies promote the talents you possess.
Claim a domain. For $10 you can claim your own domain or a professional domain that fits your industry niche. GoDaddy gives every domain a free “Instant Page.” Set up the free Instant Page with a high quality photo of yourself and contact information. Use the free tools to write a stunning biography of yourself. List your website on your resume for added impact.
Meet-up. Meetup.com is revolutionizing the way people network. If you find yourself wanting to meet new and different people, this site is something you can easily participate in. Meet-up’s are established for just about any commonality and are flexible without any fees or rules. If you are interested in web development – there is a meet-up. If you are interested in starting a business – there is a meet-up. The reminders are helpful and Meet-up.com promotes organic networking.
Find a mentor. Mentoring is the single best thing a person can do whether it is mentoring with a fellow colleague, contact from the industry you hope to break into, or becoming the mentor yourself – it will open doors you never imagined. The mentoring relationship is somewhere between romantic and best friend, it is unique. Typically people are flattered to be asked to mentor, and, if the relationship is established well, the mentoring dynamic can lead to industry experience not found elsewhere.
Get LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the heavy-weight champion on how to get a job. If there was a single place to spend time perfecting and thoroughly completing a profile, it is LinkedIn. It is a recruiting universe and free to jobseekers. Once you join LinkedIn, headhunters abound and you learn how to get a job from big name influencers. The LinkedIn platform is innovative as it is efficient.
Use Indeed.com. Indeed.com brings every publicly listed online job into one place. The site allows jobseekers to set search criteria and have results pushed to his or her inbox daily. Indeed.com connects millions of jobseekers to new careers monthly.
In today’s social media laced economy, jobseekers must stay ahead of the trends. No longer can a jobseeker avoid technology and hope to find a job easily. Word-of-mouth still counts for something, but if jobseekers employ technology to their advantage, his or her voice carries much farther.
