When I first entered the job market many, many moons ago, having an online presence was as relevant as a hybrid car was in the mid 80’s. Not so now, you must have a coherent online presence & strategy. And as with all things there are correct ways & not so correct ways to go about it. Let’s discuss a few mistakes online job hunters routinely make:1. Exclusively job hunting on the Internet – If this was a mistake a few years ago, it could be catastrophic today. It seems as though thousands of people apply for just a single posting in today’s online market. That’s brutal for the job applicant, but even more so for the job poster. How do companies limit the pool of applicants – well – one guess would be not post the jobs online. Could this be happening, perhaps? Honestly, I don’t know but I have heard comments going in that direction. I do know this; the best jobs are not posted.The best jobs are found through networking & contacts. If you are hunting exclusively online, not only are you going up against brutal odds; you are missing out on much “better” opportunities.
Overdoing it – There are so many social networking outlets today. You could post your profile on all of them but why. Posting a half baked profile on all these social networking sites is not much different than mass mailing generic resumes to whomever (& you know how I feel about generic resumes). A much better approach may be to develop a coherent profile focusing on your transferable skills and experience first. Then, research who & where you want to advertise yourself before committing. But do commit, because…3. Putting yourself out there & waiting – This is a terrible mistake. Let people know you are out there. You build a persuasive profile & then, don’t tell anyone. You must activate all of your network, online & offline, to let them know, so they can help you.4. Lastly, if you tell recruiters or human resources professionals that you have a blog or site, mind what you post – You must always assume that the hiring managers will look at your posts & what you put on Twitter. If you have a Facebook or MySpace site, assume they will look at it. Will you be a job applicant who was rejected because of inappropriate comments or odd photos or unacceptable videos? How would you know? Why would you take the chance? Clean up & make it professional.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4896143
