Job Seeking 2.0
This post is the third of five in a series on this blog called "Career Survival Week." See the end of this post for links to the others.
When it comes to looking for a new job, the rules are different to what they once were. Of course we all realize the power of technology to bring us job listings from sites like Monster or CareerBuilder, but when it comes to finding your new role - if you're still relying on a resume to get you in the door then you're stuck in the old way of doing things. To help progress, here are some tips on job seeking in the social media era.
- Kill your resume, get a social media bio. Anyone who thinks they can still get a job with a traditional one or two page resume is living in a fantasy land. Instead, think in terms of creating your social media bio to explain what you can bring to an employer.
- Apply for nonexistent jobs. When I started working at Ogilvy, there wasn't a specific posted job opening. Instead of waiting for one, I found out who the right people were and sent a link to my website and information about my background to them. It took two months, but I ended up getting that nonexistent job - because when they did have an opening I was already in line.
- Answer user generated challenges. Depending on what kind of job you do, there are many emerging sites that allow you to create content or answer some type of challenge in return for money or connections. Crowdspring is a site where designers can answer challenges posted by people, for example. Using sites like this can keep your skills fresh, and also give you an introduction to someone who may be able to help in your job search.
- Join interest based networks and mailing lists. Often jobs are posted on affinity based networks. So, for example, a PR community on ning may have job listings not included anywhere else. Or a free newsletter from an industry trade association may have a job postings section that again has less promoted roles
- Get a reputation with the recommenders/influencers. There are people in any industry who are always asked to recommend people for jobs. These are often professors, bloggers, or people with the same job you are seeking on LinkedIn. The more of them who know you and what you can do, the more referrals you can get.
- Waive your fee. I'm not a big advocate of working for free. Free means you're cheap. If, however, you choose to "waive" your regular fee ... then you're not really working for free. It's a subtle difference, but one that lets you give away some of your time without compromising your reputation. And by giving away your time, you might be able to find the perfect paid position.
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