Month: June 2011

Categories
Workplace

How to Find the Best Paid Jobs Online


Social media is more than just playing games on Facebook or tweeting every bit and part of your mundane life. Do you know that proper use of social media can enhance your chance of getting a well paid job? In this article I will be sharing some tips that might be useful when it comes to landing the job of your dream.

   
LinkedIn

   
The first site that you will want to consider is LinkedIn. If there is a site that recruiters may use to uncover their next employee it will be this one. This is why it is important that you spend some time to create a good and accurate profile on the site. Do not forget to insert a picture of yourself on your profile-nothing fancy though.

What you need to remember is that the real power of a network is in the second degree, i.e. you should make the most of the network of your network. If there is someone within your network that is friend with someone influential you might want to ask for an introduction from a friend.
   
If you need help moving on, check out the Guerilla LinkedIn Makeover which has helped thousands of job seekers already.

     
Blogging

     
Although blog may have lost its original influence, it can still be helpful when it comes to choosing a job if you know how to use it properly. One idea will be to start a blog where you will cover the latest developments in your field and at the same time share it with your networks on LinkedIn or any other social network. This will put you under the radar of some of the influential person within your industry.

Make sure that your posts are really pertinent and do not hesitate to share your own views and ideas to show your prospective employers how knowledgeable you might be in your niche.
     
For more on blogging, check out How Blogging Will Boost Your Career and Personal Brand.

   

Twitter

      
Twitter is another important tool when it comes to finding a job. Again you will need to make sure that you have a completed bio with a link to your online resume to give a good image of yourself. Again you should make everything sound professional-no silly avatars or background please.
   
Just as with your blog you will want to make use of this site to establish yourself as an expert in your field. To achieve this you will need to ensure that your tweets are relevant and really add value for all your followers. You might also want to follow all the leaders and influential person within your niche. This is where the advanced search features of Twitter might be really useful.
   
For more on Twitter, see 10 Hot Twitter Job Search Tips.

      
Facebook

        
This article will be incomplete without mentioning Facebook. Although many people seem to be using Facebook casually, it can also have some influences on your job searching endeavors.

First of all you will want to ensure that you do not have some compromising photos lurking on your Facebook account that will hinder your chances of getting your dream jobs. It might therefore be important that you monitor your privacy settings closely to ensure that sensitive information is not available on the internet.

There are a lot of companies that post job openings on their Facebook fan page and having a professional-looking Facebook account can really make your life easier when it comes to applying for these positions.
   
More on Facebook at 10 Useful Personal Branding Tips on Facebook.

       
Final word: Be Bold

     
Sometimes it may pay off to be bold. Whatever social media site you might be using, it might be useful to post a status update that will let your followers know that you are looking for a job. There are many people that have got their dream job via social media sites and this might also be the case for you.

Robert Bellarmine is a writer for Visitask.com where he deals with the subject of project management and other hot topics for career management.

Categories
Employer Branding

How to Escape From Management Hell

Are you frustrated with your job or has your workplace become unbearable because of your overly-demanding, demeaning, controlling, intrusive, ineffective, criticizing and ultimately bad boss?

Bad bosses or managers are those that create a divide within the team, intimidate, bully, mistrust or disrespect employees and are the main culprit for job dissatisfaction and low morale.
These behaviours are defeating and demoralizing, eroding employee self-esteem, physical and psychological wellbeing, and lead us to question and doubt our self-worth, personal and professional skills and aptitudes.

However, although bad bosses can loosely fit into two categories: those who know they are bad and continue the behaviour intentionally and those who are oblivious to just how bad they are – it is not always easy to bring up into discussion how our boss’s behaviour or leadership style is affecting us, inside and outside the workplace.

But what are some leadership styles and how do employees respond to these?

 

The laissez-faire leadership

 

This is one that embraces a hands-off approach. Bosses and managers that adopt this way of working tend to fail to provide employees with any direction and underemphasise the importance of performance and progress feedback. These bosses and managers often fail to empower their employees and expect them to thrive or succeed with minimal management support or involvement.

 

Categories
Workplace

7 Ways to Accelerate Your Job Search

Considering the tough competition of the job market, jobseekers need to be smart enough to perform their job search smoothly. A slow start to your job search may increase the period of unemployment. Many times, jobseekers also get stuck with their job hunting process. While searching for jobs, it is important to save time and speed up the process of finding jobs as much as possible.
 
To expedite the process of job hunt, you need to be equipped with some essential pieces of advice. Given below are eight essential tips to help you.
 

#1. Get Prepared

If you are starting a job search, you need to set up a couple of things. Make sure you are ready with a professional email address, a telephone answering machine or voice messaging system. Always remember to put your cellular phone number in the job resume, so that you are easily contactable by the employers. There are various job search toolkits available online as well to prepare yourself for searching jobs.
 

More tips at How to Create a Professional Email for Your Career or Job Search.

 

#2. Keep Your Resume Up-to-date

Nothing can be more frustrating than not having an up-to-date resume when it comes to finding a new job. You never know when an opportunity will strike. So, you should always keep your resume current and updated. Continue including new skills and experience in your resume as soon as your acquire them.
 

More at Top 10 Signs Your Resume Needs Updating.

 

#3. Keep Templates Ready to Edit

Have multiple copies of your job resume and cover letter ready to edit. If you are ready with the templates, you can immediately tailor the same according to the job application requirements. You won’t need to change the contact information, opening and closing paragraphs for applying to different job positions. Rest of the content can be optimized according to the requirements.
 

Also check out the LinkedIn Resume Builder for a quick way to send a resume.

 

#4. Use Job Search Engines

There are plenty of useful job search engines available on the internet. There are many job search engines that are global while there are other job boards that are regional. Prepare a list of all the major job boards, company websites and associations that you want to use. Use a number of job search engines and job banks to speed up the process of searching jobs.
 

Check out the Top 5 Job Search Aggregators out there.

 

#5. Let Job Information Come to You

There are several job banks and job sites that will send you job listings by email. Find out such job search agents that can send you current job information. There are various websites that specialize in sending job opening announcement to jobseekers. This step is very useful for speeding up the process of job hunting.
 

Read more at How to Use Google Alerts for a Live Job Search.

 

#6. Time Saver Tips

If you want to speed up the process even more, you can take help from resume writing and resume editing services online. There are plenty of online resume posting services that can immediately post your job resume to multiple job boards at one. This can save you ample time.
 

And in the meantime you can watch Speedy Gonzales Cannery Woe.

 

#7. Keep Your References Ready

Another most important job search tip is to be ready with the references that you want to include in your resume or want to send to the interviewers. Make sure you have complete informational details of the references you want to send. While creating the list of references, remember to include their full name, job title, company name, phone number and email address where they can be contacted.
 

See more at References Available Upon Request.

 

#8. Leverage Your Network

Jobseekers should be advised that not all job vacancies are advertised. Most of the job openings are filled through networking. Ensure that everyone in your professional networking loop is aware that you are searching for a job. Ask your contacts if they can provide your some valuable job information. Keep expanding your professional network as well.
  

Check out 7 Brilliant Ways to Use Your Network to Get a New Job.
 
 
James Tomerson writes regularly on career, education and latest job trends. To read more from him, you can visit Jobdiagnosis.com, which also offers jobseekers a free career test to choose a career which is in tune with their career, aptitude and skills.

Categories
Timebound

What’s All This Twitter Twitter Really About?

Is Twitter a mystery to you as well? Do you pretend to ‘get it’? Well join the club! Thanks to Cheryl Lawson (@PartyAficianado) we now know what Twitter is all about and how to actually use it. Enjoy this infographic and be sure to check out 5 Ways to Boost Your Twitter Bio as well:

Categories
Workplace

4 Ways Freelancers Can Promote Themselves on Social

The freelance life is really catching on these days. From workplace-weary professionals to recent college graduates, many are excited by the prospect of setting their own schedule and working from the comfort of home.

 

In the past, the best ways for freelancers to get their names in front of potential clients were non-digital. Cold calls, query letters, and in-person networking were all ways the would-be freelancer could try and land a gig. Those methods worked, and they still can – sometimes.

 

But social media is shaking things up. Freelancers like me are now finding new business without making nerve-wracking phone calls or even leaving the house. Whether you are looking to freelance full-time or just want a few projects you can tackle on the side, the following tips will help you market yourself through social networks, build connections, and get new clients.

 

1. Make time for social networking.

 

If there’s one thing all freelancers know, it’s that they can spend just as much time marketing their services as they can practicing their craft, especially when they’re starting out. Work social networking into your regular marketing regimen. For every query letter you write, for example, you might reach out to two new contacts on Twitter. This alone can get you hundreds of contacts every year, and it takes very little effort.

 

For those worried about the time investment needed to utilize social media, consider how much time is spent attending face-to-face networking events and banking phone numbers for cold call lists. Setting a goal of just one new contact per day via Twitter or LinkedIn takes much less time and energy than either of those traditional marketing methods, and it’s a much less intrusive way to reach your audience.

 

2. Know your audience.

 

Who are you trying to reach? Answering that question should tell you who you need to target on the social networks. It’s certainly possible to start following as many people as possible on Twitter, get several to follow back, and breathe a sigh of relief at all the “social proof” provided by your new arsenal of Twitter followers.

 

But lots of connections might not a happy freelancer make. It’s important to focus your efforts on those people and industries that are likely to generate new leads for you. Following the tweets of 200 professionals in your niche is much more valuable than following just anybody.

 

Freelancers who know their audience are able to forge relevant business relationships through social media, and one high-quality contact is worth far more than a million who will never bring you any business.

 

3. Build your brand.

 

If you’re a full-time or part-time freelancer, you’re also a small business owner. While creating and maintaining a personal brand is necessary for every professional, remember that freelancers who market through social media also have a professional brand – their business – which is inseparable from their personal brand.

 

When you freelance, you are your business and your business is you.

 

Does that mean you’re not free to “be yourself” when using social media? Of course not! On the contrary, you will have the opportunity to display your business to the world with every digital interaction – no matter how “personal” that interaction is. Just be sure the message you send to friends, family, and professional contacts on the social web is one you’re not afraid to associate with your freelance efforts.

 

4. Utilize multiple channels.

 

If your results from Twitter are so-so at best, add another network to your social media repertoire. You might be the type of freelancer whose audience is less active on Twitter than LinkedIn, Facebook, or another network. What’s more, you may find your style is more suited to one network than it is to another. The only way to know which ones are best is to try several.

 

But before you decide one network isn’t best for your business, make sure you’re using it to its fullest potential. Don’t discount LinkedIn, for instance, if you haven’t asked for recommendations and haven’t mingled in several group discussions over an extended period of time. If you’re not taking advantage of what each network offers, you’re unlikely to see results.

 

Whether it’s full-time or part-time, freelancing has always held professional advantages. Doing great work on behalf of a variety of organizations allows you to connect with scores of contacts who could be helpful down the line. Social media, when properly utilized, lets us freelancers turn our networking up a notch.

Related: 7 Reasons Personal Branding is Important for Freelancers.

 

Adam Green is a freelance copywriter and