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Searching for a Job

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With the advent of social media and an increasingly digital society, job hunting today isn’t just about writing cover letters and filing out the usual template-style resumes.

Modern-day job hunting – that is, job-hunting in the digital age – is all about creating a personal brand and selling that brand to prospective employers using a variety of media.

Job hunting has also turned into a constant activity for most people. Even people who have already have jobs continue to job hunt.

Today’s job market is more fluid than it used to be, and that affects the job-hunting process. Staying involved in your current industry and cultivating multiple job options will keep you out of debt if you suddenly find yourself unemployed.

For some people that haven’t had to job hunt in years, the new job market may seem daunting. But, the good news is that keeping yourself in the employment loop can be just as easy as updating your Facebook status.

The Modern Resume

One rule that hasn’t changed about job hunting is that you still have to have a professional, well-written resume. What has changed is the method of delivery. In many cases, HTML – the language of the Internet – has taken the place of ink.

Many employers prefer an online resume that can easily be accessed at the click of a mouse – or, the tap of a finger on a tablet.

The easiest way to create an online resume is to start a blog. Many blogging sites available today are free to create and have a lot of drag and drop tools that allow the average user with little knowledge of HTML or web design to make a website.

A great place to start is WordPress. The basic WordPress blog is free to create and is customizable with a variety of templates. A blog created on WordPress can also function as a website, and there are plenty of user-friendly tutorials to help you along.

With these great tools, you can showcase your resume and accomplishments as well as link to a Facebook page, Twitter account and LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have accounts in these three social media applications, you should take some time to create them.

Social Media Sites for Job Hunting

Most people may regard “updating a status” as a frivolous pastime. However, as more and more people spend more time on the web, updating a status is becoming part of our social culture. Potential employers are turning to social media to help them recruit.

A 2010 report from recruiting company Career Xroads reveals that 43.7 percent of new job positions were filled by online candidates and 27.5 percent of jobs were filled by referrals.

This makes social networking online an even more powerful tool. It simultaneously creates an online presence and expands your contact base.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are considered the top three must-have social media accounts for job hunters. According to Career Enlightenment, 92 percent of all hiring managers use or plan to use social media to hire employees, and 86 percent of hiring managers use LinkedIn, 60 percent use Facebook and 50 percent use Twitter to recruit employees.Your credentials are important to employers, but they also want to see if your personality will be a good fit for the company.

Remember to get involved in professional groups in each social media community. For instance, LinkedIn has multiple interest groups for specific industries. Keeping your accounts updated will also ensure that your profile is more likely to show up in searches.

Having profiles on social media sites also means that employers have access to anything that is placed on the web.

Google Yourself

With information so readily available online, job candidates who use social media to promote themselves to employers also need to be aware of what sort of digital footprint they are leaving. One of the best ways to check your internet presence is to do an internet search on your name.

For example, type your name into Google and go through all the items that show up on the search. This can help you eliminate anything that may reflect poorly on you.

The Interview

Being called in for an interview in today’s competitive job hunting climate is even more of a milestone than it once was. But, getting the interview doesn’t mean you have the job, and you shouldn’t stop job hunting until you are offered the job no matter how well you think the interview went.

Depending on the industry you intend to work in, the interview process can be short or extremely lengthy. It isn’t uncommon for an employer to ask you to come back for several rounds of interviews. For example, in the airline industry, there is often a telephone interview followed by an individual interview as well as a group interview where employers can observe how you work with others.

When preparing for an interview, make sure you do some research on the company. Find out about the company culture and what the company has recently accomplished. This will show the interviewer that you are truly interested in the position.

The most important part of modern day job hunting is to be persistent. Continue to maintain your social networks and blogs so you stay visible to potential employers.

If you don’t get the position you are after, don’t be discouraged. If possible, keep in touch with hiring managers. The job market changes on a daily basis and you may be considered for a position with the company at a later date.

About The Author

Bill Fay

Bill “No Pay” Fay has lived a meager financial existence his entire life. He started writing/bragging about it in 2012, helping birth Debt.org into existence as the site’s original “Frugal Man.” Prior to that, he spent more than 30 years covering the high finance world of college and professional sports for major publications, including the Associated Press, New York Times and Sports Illustrated. His interest in sports has waned some, but he is as passionate as ever about not reaching for his wallet. Bill can be reached at [email protected].