by Orrin Konheim

According to this article from Imperial Valley News (found here), the job market might be evolving with internet 2.0 because as the economy gets tighter, managers need to streamline the hiring process and web 2.0 can provide the much needed assist.

According to the article:
"Managers use it to eliminate useless - and costly - interviews and prescreen candidates before bringing them in for in-person interviews. And job hunters can use technology to distinguish themselves from the pack.

By using a Web-based video interviewing system, hiring managers can view video clips of job candidates, any time, any place, and share them with other decision makers."

A video or virtrual resume can create interest in a candidate and can be used as a tool for job hunters to get a quicker read on elements such as personality and job interest. This is clearly a growing trend and they already fall in with established practices that we do every day, such as log into facebook, linkedin or myspace.

In short, it is a saver of both time and resources for both parties, and with that, it looks to be a trend that will continue to grow. Networking is also a key to streamlining the process as job employers will continue to trade applications with each other.

by Logan Stewart

It seems like we can't even watch a simple television show these days without a barrage of political ads harping on the terminally bad state of the nation's economy. Candidates and the media like to latch on to snippets of news about recession and down times; in particular, those newer, headline-making doomsday pieces.  Those nuggets of information then get funneled across the AP wire and splashed across newspapers and magazines, and likewise make their way into TV and radio chatter.  
 
So where does all of this desolate heresey leave you, the job seeker?  The US Labor Department reported earlier this year that the US economy had a net loss of 20,000 jobs in April 2008.  While this was the fourth consecutive month that the number of lost jobs had increased, it was actually an improvement over the three previous months. That's right; the situation is NOT as bad as it comes across.
 
Realistically, some industries are no doubt in a rut right now.  We've all heard about the mortgage crisis, the banks and financial services situations, and goodness knows the talk about the rising cost of gas never stops.  Right now, these are not particularly good sectors in which to seek a job.  Yet despite these seemingly huge crises, our nation's employment rate is still hovering at 94%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.  
 
The key to finding a job right now is to strategize and streamline your efforts.  Here are some key steps you can take to keep your career search stable and on the right path:   

Tell Everyone!  Being unemployed is nothing to be ashamed of.  You would be amazed at how many people have been in your situation and will actually want to share their stories of trial and triumph with you.  The more people you keep in your network and keep in the loop about your job hunt, the more likely they will be to remember you when they hear about an opportunity.
 
Spend Less time on Job Websites. Hiring managers are generally swamped with tens, even hundreds, of resumes from job search engines.  Many of those applications are irrelevant and get tossed. While it's okay to apply for a few jobs you see that really interest you, make the bulk of your job search networking through people you know.

Seek Out Specific Companies.  Make a list of the top ten or twenty companies that you would like to work for.  Then get on their websites and browse their career or employment sections.  If you know people within the industry, by all means get in touch with them for the inside scoop.
 
Talk to Headhunters.  In case you're not familiar with them, headhunters are recruiting firms that specialize in niche professions such as law, banking, or human resources.  Get in touch with a local staffing firm that seeks employees for the sector you want to work in.  The resulting jobs may not be the most glamorous, but they are steady.  Note:  there is actually a need for professional skills right now, particularly in finance and accounting, science and engineering, healthcare, nursing, and technology and IT fields.

Finding a job takes time, even in the best of economic situations.  So don't despair yet; there's no need to feel like your days at the unemployment office will never end.  The upside of all the negative talk?  History has shown us time and time again that recessions are only temporary and the economy will eventually always turn back around.

by Logan Stewart

 

I got my very first real professional job by accident, while I was checking out at the grocery store. 

 

Well, that's not entirely true.  I didn't actually get the job until a few months later.  I simply happened to mention to the woman in line in front of me that I really liked her palm-tree print, reusable grocery bags.  (This happened at a time when such items were still somewhat of a rarity; before the recent explosion of eco-friendly, go-green accessories.)   I was senior in college, and at the time caught up in a trendy tidal wave of veganism and environmental sustainability. 

 

My complimenting her grocery bags led to a longer conversation as we pushed our shopping carts to our cars.  I told her where I was attending school and what I would receive my degree in, and as a matter of fact, I was indeed graduating and searching for a job!  Before we parted, she handed me her business card and told me to give her a call.  She was the executive director of a small regional health agency, and while she wasn't hiring anyone at the moment, she knew someone at a local nonprofit who might be.   Two months later, I joined the development staff of that nonprofit.

 

Networking is a funny thing.  Sometimes, you set out to meet certain people and get in their good graces, in the hopes that doing so will land you in a better spot professionally.  Other times, you network and don't even realize you're doing it.  From my experience, the latter can be where you oftentimes make your best professional connections.  Sure, there are networking groups out there that cater to any of a number of occupational fields.  No doubt about it; these groups can be beneficial because everyone there has a shared set of goals:  meeting people, collecting cards, and expanding their professional network.  But you may just reap the best rewards from connections you make at the gym, at your neighbor's holiday party, or by talking to that guy next to you on the airplane.

 

And even if you already have a job, you should always keep networking.  Why, you ask?  Networking has proven time and again to be the most effective way to develop professional relationships, nurture contacts and keep you in the loop with need-to-know information.  You never know who you might need to hit up for a favor in the future.  Keep an address book of everyone you know, either handwritten, such as a Rolodex, or online, and keep notes on each person with their contact information.  If someone you've met through your network does a favor for you, promptly send a thank you through email or via snail mail.  But make sure to always follow up, and make it a habit to just check in every few months with your contacts to see how they are doing.

 

Bear in mind, you don't want to come off as a phony.  If you aren't sincere and don't show a genuine interest in the people with whom you are networking, most will be able to see through the façade and realize that you see them as little more than another name in your little black book of numbers. 

 

All of this advice is not meant to suggest that you ought to go out of your way to compliment the grocery bags of anyone you meet, in the hopes that it will land you a job.  Just remember that networking isn't a textbook concept, and can happen anytime, anywhere, or anyplace.  The more rungs you continue to add to your network ladder, the closer you will get to landing that next big career opportunity!

by Orrin Konheim    

          Conventional wisdom holds that your only options for a job lie along the traditional channels:

1.     Sending your resume in response to job ads

2.     Subscribing to job search engines and applying through openings there

3.     Going to websites of organizations/companies you would like to work for and seeing what they have open, etc.

In the above-mentioned cases, the process of sending out a lot of resumes usually takes excessive time and effort. There are shortcuts around this through networking. One part of this is just to keep your eyes and ears open.      

Most of my jobs, for example, have come in unconventional ways. When I needed to find an internship in transportation for which I went to grad school, I saw a notice for a town meeting where the possibility of an interstate highway extension was being discussed. I went to the meeting and as I would expect, I found representatives of every major planning firm in the area there. I handed my resume to all of them and landed a couple interviews and got some tips through there.

Going to conventions, lectures, or conferences where people in your desired industry with a few copies of your resumes are great ways to shortcut the process and make connections. The benefits are too numerous to list. You will learn about your field and even better, you will come off as someone who's willing to learn. It will get you out and in contact with people, which is healthy for an unemployed job searcher. Timing is important in these situations. If it's a lecture, wait until the reception, to start talking to people. Go up to people and start a conversation about the lecture and show that you are a thoughtful and knowledgeable person before inquiring who the other person is and asking if his company is hiring. If these people don't have job openings, all is not lost. These people can offer valuable advice as to who might be hiring, what you should do if you're looking, what skill sets might be in vogue, and what working in the industry is like and they will often be glad to help once you take the initiative. They're not human resources people, so usually they'll be less weary about hearing of job applicants all day.

One can find helpful people pretty much anywhere they look, however. You might be seated on an airplane, next to an important person in your industry, for example. The key is simply to capitalize on that situation when you do come across that person. Have a business card or resume handy and failing that, be sure to get their contact number.

-Orrin Konheim is the online content manager for uboast.