The Web 2.0 Revolution, blogging, and social media tools like Linkedin and Twitter allow all of us to become our own marketing machine, brand identity, and valuable resource. The following are 10 New Year’s Resolutions and steps any job seeker can take to begin to differentiate themselves and stand apart from the rest of their competition.
10 New Year’s Career Resolutions for Job Seekers
1. Direction: You can not begin a job search with passion and intention if you do not know what you truly want to do. Without direction there is no forward progress. Assessment testing, research, and networking can help bring clarity.
2. Declare Your Intentions: Let the world know that you are open to new opportunities and you are actively seeking new opportunities. One of the biggest mistakes we see people make in their job search is to not declare their availability for new opportunities.
3. Clarify Your Message: Simply put if you are looking for a position in engineering, then make the focus of your message in your linkedin profile, on your blog, or on any other social media site your abilities as an engineer. Do NOT make the mistake of listing a “consulting” job or a job in a completely different field because you fear a gap in employment. Nothing hurts your ability to find new opportunities than the wrong message.
4. The Job of Finding a Job: Take the job of finding a job as serious as a job. Structure your day at home like a work day in an office setting. Create a routine, schedule and instill discipline in your day. Listing and creating structure provides a job seeker with the frame work to move forward. Without this structure, days float into weeks which can turn into months without results.
5. Research: You can’t find what you don’t understand. In order to find the job you desire it is necessary to research your industry of interest, the job market, the companies, and the hiring managers involved in your search. Compiling lists through your research becomes the “intelligence” that moves employment efforts forward; without research your efforts will stall.
6. Obsolete Methodology: Resumes are not a strategy or proactive method of finding a job. Resumes are simply a listing of your accomplishments meant as a “calling card” snapshot of your value to the potential employer. If you simply rely upon sending resumes, your efforts in finding a job will be nearly impossible in today’s job market.
7. Linkedin Profiles: Linkedin is the most important tool for job seekers today-yet very few truly understand how to utilize Linkedin. Your profile on linkedin is MORE IMPORTANT than your resume. It should be written so that anyone can understand you are open for new opportunities, you have value to give, and you have current skill sets that bring value. Updating your Linkedin profile must be a manditory once per week activity.
8. Blogging: Blogging is the most powerful marketing tool, broadcasting tool, and branding tool a job seeker can utilize. A blog is the centerpiece of any employment campaign designed to deliver your message of value to strategically targeted hiring managers, companies, and industry associations.
9. Understand the New Trend: Due to Web 2.0 social media tools now is the most amazing time in human history for communication, connectivity, networking, collaboration, and branding “you.” Tools such as Linkedin.com, twitter.com, facebook.com, and blogs support a global conversation. We now have the ability, as individuals, to create our message of value and deliver it to a global, national. local, or niche level. The mass media no longer controls the flow of information. We all have a chance to brand and deliver our message; simply put, this is the biggest development in job search in the last 50+ years. The tipping point for change is not far away.
10. First Adopter Rule: Is what you are doing now in trying to find a job working? If it is not then consider adopting social media tools, blogging, and employment campaigning as your new strategy in finding the right job for you.
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Great list of job seeker resolutions! IF more people did as you suggest, I am sure they would have more success during this frustrating time. The big problem is that most job seekers seldom have to go through this process, and there are things to learn and act upon.
Nicely done,
GL HOFFMAN
Minneapolis, MN
Hi GL,
You have a fantastic and well done site! Thank you for the kind words and feedback. I agree it is a frustrating time for most job seekers. I also agree that most job seekers are completely unfamiliar with what we are calling the new trend in job search.
I am hoping that people understand that they must continue to educate themselves. I am also hoping that people begin to realize that they need a differentiating factor which helps them stand out from the competition.
What do you think is the answer to moving people to adoption of Web 2.0 social media tools and blogging for their employment campaign? Thanks again for your consideration.
Dean
Hi Dave,
The answer is probably just more information and educational-type information being available and accessible to them from people like you.
There have been so many cliche driven career sites out there that many current job searchers think they are not relevant.
At http://www.whatwoulddadsay.com I write about some real world job-related experiences I have had as well as just random thoughts from someone who, most likely, is older than what they are…wow, what a sentence! My hope is that along with my randomness and humor, they pick up an idea or two.
As far as blogging as a resume or as part of their employment campaign, I think you may be on to something, too. If HR people only spend 20 seconds on each resume, will they likely find and read blogs in order to understand the candidate better? They should, because this is a very interesting media in that it allows people to almost look inside a candidate and see how she or he thinks. And writes.
I just wrote a book, Dean, called DIG YOUR JOB. I would be happy to email you the pdf version if you need a new resource in your work or writing. Let me know.
GL,
I would love to see your book pdf. Please do email me a copy. I appreciate the offer and look forward to learning more about you.
I am in agreement that more hiring managers, HR people, and OD professionals should avail themselves of blogs and Linkedin networking. The key here is that more companies are launching blogs than ever before and more are on the way. If a company blogs and builds community via social media they should be utilizing the same tools in their search for human capital.
As more hiring managers go online to find their next job candidate, we are seeing a shift in the importance and credibility of the resume. Resumes are still a part of the process but they are no longer the most important part of the process of finding a job.
The sea change is coming. It will be interesting to see how the first adopters compare against people who resist the changes we are witnessing today. Thanks again GL!