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Mine for Your Distinction! Become a Golden Job Candidate

To capture an interview opportunity in this tough job market means you must step up your "game" and work on identifying your unique value offer and how you outdistance other job seekers.

If you have no idea how to even begin the process of analyzing your strengths, uniqueness, or brand... you MUST click on over the my Guest post for JobMob.com Click Here for a great step-by-step. If you like it, be sure to tweet it, share it on Facebook, or Email it!

 

Here is just a snippet of the post. Enjoy!

Imagine you’re a recruiter who was hired today to find a suitable candidate for the most recent job title you’ve held.

Say your success in choosing the best contenders meant a generous bonus or a more rewarding position for you!

Could you find the best candidate?

On a tight deadline?

Even if you were required to whittle the list down to only 5?

Read more at: http://jobmob.co.il/blog/golden-job-candidate-recipe/#ixzz1VG7PAygY

Mid-Year Job-Search Checkup

Part of the Career Collective series…

How is your job search going? Perhaps it is time to fine tune your job search strategy? Revamp it? Overhaul it? Get rid of that strategy all together?

Whatever the situation, I am sure you will benefit from the advice of my colleagues, the Career Collective professionals.

Unfortunately, I was not able to join in the blogging extravaganza this month but that’s no reason why YOU shouldn’t benefit from their great advice—not on my account!

 

Please visit the following post:

 

4 Summer Strategies to Step Up Your Job Search, @DebraWheatman, #careercollective

Putting Your Job Search Up On The Rack For Inspection, @dawnrasmussen, #careercollective

Mid-Year Job Search Checkup: Are you wasting your time? @GayleHoward, #careercollective

What is your unique value proposition? @keppie_careers, #careercollective

It is Time for Your Check-up Ms/Mr Jobseeker, @careersherpa, #careercollective

Mid-Year Career Checkup: Are You "On Your Game?" @KatCareerGal, #careercollective

How to Perform a Mid-Year Job Search Checkup, @heatherhuhman, #careercollective

Reposition your job search for success, @LaurieBerenson, #careercollective

Mid-Year Job Search Checkup: What's working and What's not? @erinkennedycprw, #careercollective

Mid-Year Job Search Check-Up: Getting Un-Stuck, @JobHuntOrg, #careercollective

Mid-Year Check Up: The Full 360, @WalterAkana, #careercollective

5 Tips for Fighting Summer Job Search Blues, @KCCareerCoach, #CareerCollective

Are you positive about your job search? @DawnBugni, #CareerCollective

Where Are The Jobs? @MartinBuckland, @EliteResumes, #CareerCollective

Mid-Year Job-Search Checkup: Get Your Juices Flowing, @ValueIntoWords, #CareerCollective

When Was Your Last Career & Job Search Check Up? @expatcoachmegan, #CareerCollective

Is Summer A Job Search Momentum Killer? @TimsStrategy, #CareerCollective

Is It Time for Your Resume Checkup? @barbarasafani, #CareerCollective

 

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
www.creatingprints.com

Effective Web 2.0 Job Search: Top 5 Secrets

Part of the Career Collective monthly post series. Please see end of this post.

Social networking sites have dramatically changed the job search 'game.' LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and Online Career Sites can help you-- from the comfort of your home--discover new opportunities and tap into the hidden job market.

Why? Because networking, whether it is performed offline or online, is still the most effective way to find a job. However, building a brand, connecting with professionals in your field, and maintaining those relationships is not as easy as just setting up an account (don't we wish!?). Adapting best practices so you cultivate a favorable online presence and earn the trust of those in a position to help you is a strategic endeavor.

For now, allow me to share the following....

1. Keywords Count! Keywords are important online. Keywords are nouns and phrases specific to a career. The same way in which you Google to find a service or product, your social networking account, online resume, blog, etc., should be developed with select keywords. Choose terms you predict employers in your target industry, or recruiters will use to search for you. Yes, make your online content interesting, engaging, but ensure you have strategically attracted your audience.

2. Not all connections are good connections. Cautionary tale: Don't "friend" or link with everyone! Most job seekers launch their web 2.0 job search by accepting all friends on FaceBook, following every one back on Twitter and connecting to as many as they can on LinkedIn. I say...don't. Be selective as to whom you are connected. Your connections help support your brand once you have engaged them. Besides, by strategically connecting to those that are in a position to help you, you are conducting a more targeted networking campaign which will support a more tactical job search. (Please engage, share, and help others. While I encourage a strategic networking initiative-- I do not promote a one-sided strategy.)

3. Don't post your entire resume on LinkedIn. I review profiles all the time. One of the things I dislike seeing is a profile that mimics a resume and thus has all of the details outlined. There are three reasons why I am sharing this:

A. No reason to expose your entire resume online so that "content thieves" copy it.

B. Why would a recruiter or employer further contact you for information when it all appears to be there and...

C. It is absolutely boring to read content on a networking site that will be submitted again word-for-word once your resume is requested. Make your networking profile more personal and concise. Do, however, include all your employment history (company, location, etc.) because this will expand your network reach.

4. Your participation is crucial. Don't just set up and go away. You must actively participate in order to leverage social media as a tool. If you don't think you will use it, don't set it up.

5.Revisit your online resume (which you posted on career sites like Monster.com) every 3 weeks. Even if you make just a small change to your resume--update it. Searches are often conducted of candidates who submitted within the last 30 days. You know what that means...

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer
Quadruple Certified Resume Writer
www.creatingprints.com

 

For additional advice on how to use social media to job search, please visit the sites below. My Career Collective colleaguesare full of wisdom. Also, follow our hash tag on Twitter #career Collective

Make Your Career More Social: Show Up and Engage, @WalterAkana, #careercollective

You 2.0: The Brave New World of Social Media and Online Job Searches, @dawnrasmussen #careercollective

How to Get a New Job Using Social Media, @DebraWheatman #careercollective

Social Media: Choosing, Using, and Confusing, @ErinKennedyCPRW #careercollective

How to Use Social Media in Your Job Search, @heatherhuhman #careercollective

Updating: A Social Media Strategy For Job Search, @TimsStrategy #careercollective

Your Career Needs Social Media - Get Started, @EliteResumes @MartinBuckland #careercollective

We Get By With a Little Recs from Our Friends, @chandlee #careercollective

Expat Careers & Social Media: Social Media is Potentially 6 Times more Influential than a CV or Resume, @expatcoachmegan #careercollective

Social-Media Tools and Resources to Maximize Your Personalized Job Search, @KatCareerGal #careercollective

Job Search and Social Media: A Collective Approach, @careersherpa #careercollective

How Having Your Own Website Helps You, @keppie_careers #careercollective

Social Media: So what's the point?, @DawnBugni #CareerCollective

Tools that change your world, @WorkWithIllness #CareerCollective

HOW TO: Meet People IRL via LinkedIn, @AvidCareerist #CareerCollective

Effective Web 2.0 Job Search: Top 5 Secrets, @resumeservice #CareerCollective

Jumping Into the Social Media Sea@ValueIntoWords #CareerCollective

Sink or Swim in Social Media, @KCCareerCoach #CareerCollective

Social Media Primer for Job Seekers, @LaurieBerenson #CareerCollective

Job Seeker, Are You Crazy? American Idol Encourages It!

I have said it many times before and I will say it, here, again…you have to be willing to stand apart from the job search mob by daring to break the norm and differentiate yourself. Try the new, the fresh—take a chance. Will someone think a resume without an Objective is just crazy? Maybe. Will your friends advise you against a personal branding statement on your resume because that is just not done? Perhaps. If you call a company and ask if they are willing to review your resume will they think you are just insane for soliciting them? They might. But these tactics work! Call them crazy if you’d like but ‘crazy’ worked her for Paul McDonald of American Idol. And a little job search ‘craziness’ will work for you too.

Back story: Paul is a contestant on American Idol who has a very unique voice. (God bless his quirky talent.) Some love his voice—others hate it (what can you do? Se la vi). His special voice helped him capture a strong start in the competition. However, his past two performances were not the type that would help him survive much longer. So, what say his advisors Jimmy Lovine and Will.i.am Paul carry out in order to secure a position for next week? “Sing it like you are out of your…mind,” they said to Paul. Of course, upon hearing this most people would think, are these guys serious!? They want me to make a fool of myself? But not Paul. Nope. He did exactly as the EXPERTS advised him—and—his performance was wonderful! (Don’t agree? I bet he is safe from elimination this week and we will see him next week on American Idol.)

Lesson: Next time your job search coach/resume writer advises you go a little ‘crazy’ and, well, let’s see… trash your old, boring, safe, and mundane resume—listen to them. If they ask you to have a little trust in their expertise…you know what you must do? You get out of your comfort zone—and, yes—listen to them.

Check out the ‘crazy’ performance below. Enjoy. (Sometimes ‘crazy’ is not insane but just different enough to spark an unexpected reaction.)

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer
www.creatingprints.com