Enhancing your career potential in the Web 2.0 world

Posted on July 16, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

Enhancing your career potential in the Web 2.0 world

Is your resume new media ready? Do you know what makes a curriculum vitae (CV) tick in the social media space? Are you sending the right messages for recruiters trawling the web? Is your career Web 2.0 proof?.

RECENT SHIFTS in the Web 2.0 world like content co-creation, transparency and individualised information impacts the way job searches and careers are defined. Trends indicate the need to adopt and leverage new media or social media channels for improving accessibility, creating a brand image and enhancing the potential of getting a job. Blogs, podcasting, wikis and social networking are no more mere buzz words but effective tools to get a head start in a complex web world. Jobs opportunities are also varied and exciting as compared to few years ago. Instead of regular 9-6 assignments, you have options of flexible timings, earning revenue from blogging, syndicating content, selling digital photographs, person-to-person outsourcing ventures among others.

For a management student, it opens up numerous opportunities to build awareness, cultivate communities, contribute to relevant discussions and improve chances of a long term career growth.

A recent study by McCann Universal shows that new media platforms are gaining momentum. 57 per cent have joined a social network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content. Blogs are a mainstream media world-wide and a collective rival to traditional media. Video clips are the quickest growing among the platforms. In India, new or social media has caught on well and the medium cannot be overlooked anymore. According to a leading Internet consulting research firm, “Google’s (GOOG) Orkut is the most popular social networking site in India, with a 64 per cent market share. Facebook is also winning many Indian fans, especially students. By 2010, the total number of Internet users in India will grow to 100 million, from 42 million now. This will surely enhance virtual hangout plays like the social networking sites.”

The Internet will continue to dominate how recruiters search for potential candidates. A United Kingdom Job Forecast survey found that 60 per cent of recruiters will start or continue to utilise the web as part of their recruitment strategy. A survey by CareerBuilder.com indicates that two-thirds of these employers have rejected candidates on the basis of what they have found. So, it is vital to have a presence online and be aware of the image you are portraying.

As students, there new tools are an asset if leveraged wisely. So the question is: what should be the way forward? Do we start a blog? Can we open pages on social networking sites? Should we create Web 2.0 Curriculum Vitae (CV) ?

Getting started with New Media needs clear thinking and careful action.

To ensure success, you need to begin by introspecting on your career goals, what you want to achieve, your core strengths and attributes, your image among stakeholders and what you stand for. This evaluation helps you define your career new media strategy and outline the success metrics.

Building your career new media strategy

In today’s world, the ubiquitous CV is not necessary anymore! Rather, it needs to blend elements from new media to enable better search results and for impressing recruiters. A simple online link on Google pages works well. Your CV can extend itself as a blog, but again think before you use this medium. Blogs require brevity, relevance and regular updating do you have the time to spare and do you have an audience in mind? YouTube video CVs are another good idea if you are sure of how to present yourself on camera and carry a crisp message on your offerings. Increase your web presence and tagging to keywords, which relate closely to your image and expected job preference. Remember, a Web 2.0 CV is a value-add to your existing profile and not a replacement.

While social networking choose your sites carefully. Having a page on Orkut provides a different picture than being viewed on say Linkedin, a business networking forum. Similarly, Xing has a unique audience profile as compared to Facebook.

On the web, collaboration is a sure way to improve your chances of better opportunities. Be useful and relevant to others; maintain decorum while communicating online, help others get successful and it adds up in the long run. Sites like Linkedin have options to ask and respond to questions, an excellent opportunity to showcase your knowledge and potential.

Be credible online. Do not post information which is ambiguous or not verified. Know yourself and be yourself.

Test your strategy with your peers and stakeholders before you go public. Get feedback on how it matches with your objectives.

Finally, market your profile through social networking sites which align to your image, alumni networks and collaboration tools among others. Do not miss an opportunity to talk about it offline either!

Remember, it takes time to shape a new media strategy; be willing to experiment and be patient.

© %FIRST Vick - visit the resume help area for more great content.


Five Things You Should Never Put in Your Resume

Posted on July 15, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

So much has been written about what you should include in your resume that it’s easy to overlook the things you should not put in your resume. These can send your resume to the trash can just as fast as the things you omit.

Here are five things to never put in your resume.

One

Any statement about a “job objective” or “career objective”.

I know this is completely counterintuitive and contradicts much of what you’ve read about how to write a good resume, but hear me out. I’ve been a hiring manager for over 25 years at several Fortune 500 corporations and have interviewed and hired hundreds of people in my career.

My advice to you is don’t bother putting an objective on your resume - it’s meaningless to the hiring manager who will be reading your resume and simply takes up space without contributing anything. Instead, focus your efforts on customizing your resume for the specific job to which you’re applying.

Read the job description in the job posting. Pay attention to the experience and qualifications they are seeking and highlight those things in your resume. What the hiring manager wants to read is how good a fit you will be for their job opening, not what your general “objective” is for a job. Including a job objective will not help and may very well hurt your resume. Your time is better spent tailoring your resume for each job.

Two

The date you graduated from college.

By all means, include the fact that you did graduate, the school you attended, and any honors you received. But leave your graduation date off. If it’s too far in the past, you may be stereotyped as being too old. If it’s too recent, you may be stereotyped as being too young. Yes, questions about age can’t be asked in an interview and age discrimination is illegal, but let’s face it: if you give a big clue about your age in your resume you run the risk of being typecast.

It’s better to sell your experience and accomplishments and take age out of the equation.

Three

Personal information such as hobbies, how you like to spend you time, etc.

The hiring manager only wants to know about your education, experience and accomplishments as they relate to the job for which you’re interviewing. Personal information adds nothing to your resume and you run the risk of stating something that the hiring manager doesn’t like. For example, if you state that you’re an avid hunter and the hiring manager is into animal rights, you are sunk before you even leave the dock.

Four

Experience that isn’t backed up with accomplishments.

Yes, the hiring manager wants to know you have the specific experience the job requires. But simply listing your experience without also giving example of accomplishments that show that the experience was successful puts you into the same league as all the other mediocre applicants.

It’s one thing to say that you have five years of marketing experience. It’s quite another thing to say you have five years experience at XYZ company and increased sales in your territory by thirty percent. Which statement do you think will lead to an interview?

Five

Page three and any page after that.

Your resume should never be more than two pages. And it should only be two pages if you have more than ten years of experience at more than three employers. Then, it’s okay to have a second page, but never more.

Actually, the hiring manager will almost always make a decision as to if your resume warrants an interview after the first page, usually after the first half of the first page. If you can’t convince me you are the right person for the job in two pages or less, I won’t be convinced by the third or fourth page and in fact will probably not read that far. I’ll usually have dozens of resumes to read and long resumes are absolute deal killers.

Force yourself to make your resume no longer than two pages, preferably one. Your resume will be much more focused and powerful.

Tom McBroom has been a Hiring Manager for over 25 years and manages the website http://www.job-search-steps.com, which is dedicated to helping you find a job quickly. Visit his site for complete information about conducting a job search, writing resumes and cover letters, and interviewing.

© %FIRST Vick - visit the resume help area for more great content.


Want to Find and Contact Recruiters? Try These 5 Techniques

Posted on July 14, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

If you’re conducting an active job hunt, you’re probably aware that working with a recruiter can be an effective method for your search. However, finding a recruiter that specializes in your field can be a daunting prospect.

Where should you look? How do you know what to expect? And what precisely should you be prepared to provide?

Finding and effectively collaborating with recruiters is mostly a matter of sharpening your networking skills (which is a good idea during any phase of a job search!).

Read on for some ways to expand your options and locate key professional recruiting contacts that may also be looking for YOUR expertise:

1 - Avail yourself of professional organizations in your industry. These associations can be a boon to the active job hunter, as they frequently offer job postings, member networking events, and other resources that can help you tap into unadvertised positions.

Recruiters who source candidates from a particular industry will often attend professional association meetings. Where allowed, recruiters may introduce themselves with the idea to stay in touch, although most won’t solicit members directly.

If you don’t attend association meetings, there’s never been a better time to start. Perform an Internet search for organizations in your industry, and attend some of their events in order to familiarize yourself with potential new resources for your transitions.

2 - Consider automating part of your search. Recruiter distribution services abound on the Internet and elsewhere. What do they offer? For most, this is a combination of fast access to recruiters, plus ease of use.

When evaluating different distribution services (such as ResumeRabbit, ResumeMachine, Resume Zapper, and ResumePromotion), be sure to compare distribution coverage (as in the number of major metropolitan areas), plus the number of recruiters that the service claims to have in their network.

Two caveats should be mentioned in conjunction with resume distribution: first, not all recruiters appreciate receiving an emailed resume, and may not respond, and second, if your resume isn’t a fit for current openings, you may not receive the same level of personal consideration had you contacted the recruiter personally.

In addition, if you aren’t a great candidate for the requirements of the market, distributing your resume to recruiters won’t increase your chances of success. However, in terms of time savings, this type of mass distribution can definitely cut some corners.

3 - Use online social networks to find additional contacts. This method also allows you to view recruiter qualifications and specializations. For example, if you’re concentrating on getting out of the mortgage industry, contacting a recruiter who works exclusively with technical sales professionals would not be a fit.

Conversely, most recruiters who maintain profiles on LinkedIn or other social networking sites will delineate what they are looking for in a candidate, and this can save you some time.

4 - Build your own online profile to make it easy for recruiters to find YOU. If you don’t already maintain your own LinkedIn profile, this is a great time to jump on board. Visit www.LinkedIn.com to build an online presence, add connections from your email address book, and start looking around to see what else is offered, including plenty of job postings and professional advice.

5 - Send a brief query that indicates your interest, and then follow up. After you’ve identified recruiters that specialize in your field, it’s best to attach a resume for perusal, or point to your online profile to give the recruiter more information. Follow up with a phone call to gauge the level of interest and start building a relationship.

I recommend sending out a short, pointed letter of inquiry, rather than a wordy description of your skills. Recruiters are by definition quite busy, and they’ll appreciate your brevity.

To summarize, finding recruiters takes the same type of activity that you would typically engage in for a job search. Be prepared, just as you would be to approach an employer, to review your goals in some detail and decide if there’s a collaborative fit.

A unique resume authority on executive and IT career search, with experience as a former corporate recruiter, Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC of An Expert Resume has attained a 98% success rate winning interviews. Visit An Expert Resume to get Laura’s FREE E-Course, The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From Your Dream Job… and How to Avoid Them.

© %FIRST Vick - visit the resume help area for more great content.


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