Be The Expert They Want to Hire

You already know that most employers will use Google to research your background before hiring you, right?
If hiring managers find nothing online about you, you won’t stand out from the crowd. That’s bad.
If they find photos on MySpace of you table dancing in a fur bikini or videos of you on YouTube doing keg stands … that’s worse.
But, what if, during their Google search, a hiring committee finds that you’ve written several industry-related articles and you’ve been published all over the Internet? You’ll look like an expert in their eyes — and be much more likely to get a job offer.
Sound farfetched?

Actually, it can be easy to do, according to Adam Waxler, the president of www.TeacherInterviewTips.com.
“By writing and submitting industry-related articles to a few key Web sites, you can get your name all over the first pages of Google search results. When employers search for you, they will find content written by you that’s related to your profession, which will definitely impress them,” says Waxler.
Best of all, this won’t cost you a penny.
Now, don’t worry about the writing part. If you’ve ever written a book report or a coherent email, you can write an article that positions you as knowledgeable in your field — and makes you more attractive to employers.
You can do it by following these five steps …

1. Go back through your past jobs or college days and dig up any reports, memos and papers you wrote over the years. “Basically, you’re looking for anything you have written that’s related to your field,” says Waxler.
2. If you’ve already written 450-550 words on a work-related topic, great! That’s enough for an article. If not, combine or break apart your writings until you get roughly 500 words. Then, edit and clean up the language so that it reads well.
3. Still can’t find anything relevant you’ve written? No problem. You can write something now.
   Visit Google, Wikipedia, industry Web sites, online magazines, etc., until you’ve gathered enough raw data for an article. Write fast and don’t censor yourself. Put your draft article away for at least 24 hours. Then come back and revise slowly. For extra editing, show it to two or three friends for input.

4. Write a short bio, also called a resource box, to insert at the end of your article. “Obviously, you want to write this with an eye toward the job you’re seeking,” says Waxler.
   Example bio: “John Smith is a first grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in Chicago, IL. He has a BA in History from Ohio State University and a passion for helping students reach their full potential.”
   Note: If your name happens to be Stephen King, Edith Wharton, or something else that’s already “taken” on Google, be sure to use your middle name or initial to create a unique moniker for the search engines.

5. Now, the fun part. Get published by uploading your article(s) to free online article directories that share your work with multiple Web sites — this is how Google finds you.

Waxler recommends you submit to three directories: EzineArticles.com, GoArticles.com and SearchWarp.com. “You can send the same article to all three, but definitely be sure to use EzineArticles.com — it’s well-liked by Google and will get you found the fastest,” says Waxler.
Bonus: While you’re waiting for Web sites to find your articles, why not set up a free blog and self-publish immediately? Blogger.com is an especially useful blogging tool, because it’s owned by Google, which means your writing — and your name — are likely to be found by employers faster.
If you’ve never been published before, you’ll get a kick out of seeing your name in print. And your job search will get a kick, too, when employers find your name in Google — for all the right reasons.
Remember: Everyone wants to hire an expert. That expert could be you, if you write and publish articles about your industry.
Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Instant Job Search System, is available at www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes