Social Networking and What it Can do For You

Posted on November 21, 2011 by meghan_ntroduction

There are dozens of social networks out there and all of them have something to offer you. Though each and every one of these social networking can vary to some extreme degrees there is one thing they all have in common. They are all there to help you build a network. Networks not only help rebuild old friendships but nurture new ones. And that goes for connections related to your line of work as well.

One of the greatest parts of having a large social network is how strong and how much it can help you when you least expect it. One of the most important things to remember about building a social network is that it doesn’t grow over night. So it’s important to work at it everyday. You never know when someone in your network is going to come across a job or an opportunity tailor made just for you. And you never know when you may suddenly find yourself out of work and needing to tap into your network to find another job.

Here are four social network sites that you should be actively building a network on.

LinkedIn – This has become one of the go-to sites for professional networking. If you want to stay in synch with folks in your industry or the industry you’d like to break into. With the opportunity to get recommendations from colleagues you find that the stronger your network is the more of an edge you’ll have when performing a job search on LinkedIn. The Q&A section and groups give you other opportunities to network with other people in your field of interest as well.
Facebook – No surprise here. Facebook gives you a much more conversational and casual atmosphere than LinkedIn. It also gives you a broader opportunity to connect with both online friends as well as real life friends. I’ve seen people do everything from sell furniture, get animals to finding work by posting things on Facebook. As people get to know each other on Facebook they create more and more opportunities to open doors for one another when new opportunity arises.
Twitter – Many people consider themselves either Facebook people or Twitter people. But in reality they compliment each other quite well. Twitter is probably the best place to meet new people. And with the ever growing search functions and hash tag system you are really able to comb the world for news and opportunities relating to just about anything. The conversations move fast but the networks built can be tight and help you just when you need them the most.
Ning – Ning networks are do-it-yourself social networks that anyone can create for any topic they have an interest in. GovLoop & Twittermoms are two of the most heavily populated sites that have connected people in thousands of ways. From GovLoop has sprouted job opportunities, conferences, connections, and a much smaller world for Government employees across the country. Sites like “jobs in Social Media” among hundred of others provide numerous opportunities to connect with anyone in any industry.

4 Things You’re Not Doing to Find a Job

Posted on May 24, 2011 by meghan_ntroduction

These days looking for work can require a certain amount of creativity. Not only are the jobs harder to find but also the market is saturated with other people competing for what jobs there are. On top of the fact that with today’s ever evolving use of social networking and technology new jobs are being created every day as well as new ways to find people to do them.

This is why you should always have a job search plan that goes beyond the old job board and newspaper ads. If your reading this blog, it should be safe to assume that you’ve already taken the initial steps in setting up an online presence. You’re on Facebook; maybe Twitter and you have a profile on LinkedIn. If not, you should head over there and do those things now.

I think it’s also safe to assume since you’re here hanging out on Ntroduction.com you’re familiar with the networking services we provide here. And again, if you’re not go check it and come back. Its ok, I’ll wait.

Since you have the basics down here a list of how you can use social networking to put you ahead of the game when it comes to competing for the job.

Facebook- if you suddenly find yourself in need of work one of the first things you should do is put the word out to families and friends on Facebook. You never know who know someone who’s retiring or an opening that will be coming up soon. People won’t no to give you a heads up if they don’t know you’re looking. But take it to the next level, become a fan of companies who are in your field and that you’d like to work with. Be active on their page. Also think about paying for an ad. A few folks have had success with purchasing ads for themselves and targeting the ads for people and companies in the area their looking for work.
Focus on LinkedIn- One of the cool things about you using the job search function on LinkedIn is that you can sort it by “relationship.” So that jobs you already have a connection with show up on top. This is one of the most important reasons to keep your LinkedIn network growing. Join groups that fit your interests and your field. Also, every time you meet someone new in real life or online find him or her on LinkedIn.
Brand yourself – Get a blog and create a YouTube account. A blog is a great way to enhance your online network and allow people to get the chance to know you better. You can set something up on WordPress.com for free with little effort. There you can also create a page for your resume and to list references. On your YouTube account (which you should link to your blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter accounts). Leave regular videos explaining what you have to offer or even examples of what you do and why you’re the best. Make a video resume. Stand out.
Look somewhere else – If you’re not having any luck finding work in your chosen field, think about choosing another field. Sometimes when you find yourself looking for work and closing one chapter of your life, it’s fate’s way of telling to start a whole new book.

As always, good luck!

Tips on Updating Your Resume: A Handy Checklist

Posted on March 11, 2011 by meghan_ntroduction

With the New Year right around the corner, there couldn’t be a better time to go over your resume and get a jump on your 2010 job search. One of the most vital tools to any job search, whether it is online or in person, is your resume. So take a little time over the holidays to revamp your resume and make sure it’s up to date.

Here’s an easy checklist to make sure your resume is got everything you need to get the job you’re looking for.

Make Sure it’s updated. Delete any job that doesn’t have any bearing on the job you’re looking to land. Make sure you ad anything that may be missing. And don’t overlook time spent volunteering or anything else that could help boost your skills.
E.E.S. These three things should be on every resume, no matter what fields you’re looking for work in. Experience, Education, and Skills. The key pieces of information any potential employer is looking for is going to be in these three sections. If they’re missing, you just might miss out on the job.
Grammar. Always run a spell-check and take your time with easily overlooked grammatical and spelling errors. Sometimes a simple grammatical mistake can cost you.
Ask for help. A second pair of eyes is priceless! Ask a friend to take a look and proofread your resume and see of they catch anything you may have missed.
Correct the dates. Take the time to double check the beginning and end dates of your jobs to give any potential employers a correct timeline and idea of your experience.
One page wonder. One of the classic pieces of resume etiquette that still remains to be the norm is keeping your resume at one page. Though this isn’t always possible, always try to keep your resume to one page if you can.
Contact info. It may seem like a no brainer, double check that your name and contact info are correct. If you apply for a job and they can’t get a hold of you to tell you it’s yours, then what?
One thing that becoming more common in resume today’s is listing the results of jobs or projects you’ve worked on. Future employers don’t just want to see what’s you’ve done in the past, but what results you’ve had with those jobs.

Now that you’re resume is in top shape it’s time to start 2010 with the new job you’ve been searching for! Good luck in your New Years job search.

Tips on Finding Job Leads at Your Fingertips

Posted on March 23, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

So you’re making the most of your social network, sending out resumes, going to job fairs, and cold calling businesses. But some day’s it feels like the well of leads is dried up in the never-ending search for work. Well we came up with a list of ways for you to look for job leads, that you might not have realized.

Twitter

Ok so we all know how great Twitter is for networking and meeting people and connecting with likeminded folks in your chosen profession. But there s another set of reasons why twitter is a great job search tool, the apps! Twitter

Has got a number of apps that can help you fins a job based on a number of key factors.

TwitterJobCast–You can use this local job search to find companies that are hiring via Twitter. You can browse for jobs by city, state or zip code.
TwitterJobSearch – This is a search engine that searches for jobs posted on Twitter. A lot of tech jobs, but by using the search function you can look for jobs in your field and in the city of your choice.
TweetMyJobs – TweetMyJobs uses Twitter Channels to connect recruiters, hiring managers and job seekers together on Twitter. There are channels for most major cities and industries. All you have to do it create an account on Twitter and TweetMyJobs, subscribe to the Job Channels you want then have any new openings automatically sent to your cell phone as a text message.

Your Phone

That’s right, your phone. Your iPhone can be more than just a way to kill time; you can actually use it as a convenient job search tool. Here are just three of the many apps created for the iPhone to help you with the job hunt.

Job Compass – Job compass use iPhone’s location to help you search for jobs by radius. You can look as close to your home or as far as you’d like. This app is free.
Now Hiring - This app allows you to search for jobs by every way possible. Miles, date, relevance, full/part-time, contract, internship or temporary plus search by city, state, province, zip code, or postcode. This is app is constantly updated so it’s always got the hottest leads. A mere 99 cents is all this costs.
Job Finder - Job finder rocks because it saves you through the time and trouble of searching the many job sites out sites because it aggregates jobs from those top sites.

Craigslist & LinkedIn

Craigslist is probably the best sources for localized jobs right now. The beauty is you can search by field, location, and temporary or part-time, telecommute, etc. OR uses any key words that might help you narrow down your search. Plus you can incorporate your Craigslist job search with both twitter and your iPhone. You can find your local area craigslist site on twitter and follow the jobs section pus download the Craigslist app for the iPhone so that you can search the jobs and be the first in your neighborhood to see the latest listings.
LinkedIn has one feature that sets it apart from other job boards which is the ability to sort job listing by relationship. As in putting companies that are hiring that have employees in your network jump to the top of the list. You can also connect with LinkedIn on twitter and via the iPhone app, so that once again you stay up to date with the latest job leads.

So the next time your waiting in line at the store or for your car to get an oil change you can turn that wasted time into job search time!