Networking Can Jump-Start Your Career

There are a number of ways that you can acquire the job you want. You can go the traditional route of finding an ad and applying for the job, or going through the temp agency where you can get your feet wet in certain fields.
But another great way to get a job is through networking. Whether you have a family member who can make recommendations for you, or you join an organization where you get inside tips on companies, meeting the right people help you get you the job you want. Let’s look at some ways you can make networking work for you.
Talk to Your Friends and Family
If you’re really looking to find work and the want ads haven’t been very good to you then you may want to start networking with people that you trust the most: your friends and family. Not only can they surprise you with the information they know, they have your best interest at heart, which is always a plus.
Since your relationship with them is more likely to be casual, you can simply ask if they know of any job leads or people that you can link with for opportunities, without having to worry about being professional. You may just find that by networking close to home, you can find your next job lead in no time.
Join Clubs, Organizations or Advisory Boards
Making strides in a local or national club is another route that you can take to network your way to a great job. For instance, if you’re in the IT field, you might want to join The Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) to make connections and learn the ins and outs of your field. And if you career choice is accounting, you might want to join the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
If you’re already a professional in your field and are looking for new opportunities, you can always join the advisory board of one of your local organizations. For instance, if you’re working in the field of communication and want to raise your stakes as a professional, you can vie for a spot on the advisory board of Girl Scouts of America where you will be able to show your community service efforts and meet important people at the same time.
Try Online Networking
A newer form of networking that has proven to be successful in acquiring employment is online social networking. Whether you’re participating in fun sites like Myspace and Facebook, or professional sites like LinkedIn, you will find that many recruiters are locating candidates through this online vehicle. It’s good to research sites that recruiters visit most, check out blogs, and learn the culture before diving in. That way, if you set up a website profile or participate on message boards, you will be able to make the best first impression possible every time.
Networking is a great way to create new opportunities in your field. So conduct your research, make your connections, and get those opportunities started. In no time at all, you’ll see that your efforts will begin to pay off.
About the Author:
Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Looking for resume writers? Check out reviews of the top resume services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

New-Age Recruiting: Using Online Social Networks to Secure Employment

The world of job recruiting has changed drastically in recent years. Whereas in the past, the route to securing employment was simply getting your resume together and responding to help-wanted ads – or even getting approached by a headhunter – now much of the recruitment process is taken care of on the Internet.
Both recruiters and job seekers are finding that by mingling with one another through mediums like online social networks, they can accomplish their combined goal of getting a person employed. It is for this reason that taking the time to understand social networks is beneficial, especially if you’re actively seeking employment. So let’s take a closer look at this new and exciting aspect of job recruiting.

What are Online Social Networks?
Very similar to the idea of the traditional social network, an online social network offers a space on the Internet where individuals with similar interests or agendas can congregate to share ideas, insights, and help one another achieve goals. Before, you may have found yourself joining a national collegiate fraternity or sorority, or even a club or organization in your community, to achieve this type of networking experience. But now, organizations and groups with a similar purpose have moved onto the Internet, affording more people from around the country the opportunity to network.
Utilizing Online Social Networks to Your Benefit
So what can an online social network do for you? Along with fraternizing with your peers, they are great for helping you find employment. Job seekers are becoming increasingly aware that many recruiters spend time searching popular social networking websites like LinkedIn, Myspace, Plaxo and Facebook to interact with and often times recruit new job candidates. So to make themselves findable for recruitment, they congregate in those places.
If you are serious about finding employment, it is in your best interest to join one or more of these online social networking sites. There you can post your resume and give other useful information about yourself that will offer insight into your qualifications. Once you’ve posted your resume, you can visit field-specific blogs on these sites or in other places. Just like with social networking sites, recruiters often choose this avenue to seek out candidates and make employment invitations.
Carefully Monitor Your Social Networking Behavior
While online social networks are great places to find career opportunities, you should definitely be aware of your actions while there. Fun-filled sites like Myspace and Facebook can easily lure you into their excitement; however, if your purpose is to be seen by recruiters, you might find yourself projecting a non-professional image. To avoid this from happening, remember not to post unflattering pictures of activities you partake in with your buddies on your profile. And ask your friends to refrain from leaving risqué comments on your page. Since your main goal is to make your profile as professional as possible, you don’t want to give recruiters any reason to second-guess your qualifications.
The opportunities to secure employment with the click of a mouse are better than ever. So before you print off you next resume or think about going to a job fair, consider joining a professional online social network. You may just find that your next employment connection will be right on the other side of your computer screen.
Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Check out reviews of the top resume services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

College Admissions Officers Using Facebook, MySpace, and Other Social Networking Sites to Block Students

It has been pretty well documented that about 75 percent of employers admit to looking at information that candidates post to Facebook, MySpace, and other web pages as part of the hiring process. In other words, today’s college students and recent graduates are often finding in their race to find career opportunities that the finish line is being blocked by the risqué photos or stories about drunken parties that they or their friends posted on-line. What has not been as well documented is that the this same generation is often finding that the starting line is also blocked.
A recent study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that 25 percent of college admissions offices admit to using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN to research potential students and that 20 percent look for the same information on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. The reality is that the percentages must be even higher because colleges and universities have little incentive to overstate their reliance on these digital dirt web searches but they have a significant incentive to understate their use due to a fear of negative public relations and likely backlash from many Gen Y candidates who view information that they post to MySpace and some of the other social networking sites as somehow being private even though it is accessible through a quick Google search.

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Social Networking Your Way to a Better Job

Social networking websites, such as Myspace and Facebook, have managed to connect Individuals across the globe. Life now moves at the speed of a high powered internet connection, allowing coeds in Vegas to keep track of their townie friends in Austin.
With so many people logged in, the advertising industry had to take notice. Pushing products from ringtones to Internet-based college degrees, the power of social networking sites has been duly noted. It was only a matter of time before recruiters noticed this untapped resource.
With the recent addition of job board applications to Facebook, these websites have become more than an entertaining way to figure out what an ex is up to. They are now a gateway to the future of this technologically obsessed generation.

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