Think of Yourself as a Brand

admin — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:09:55 +0000

Even in the best of economic times, job hunts can be brutally competitive. Skip to a recession with high unemployment rates, and suddenly you’re vying for a job against not just other locals, but applicants across the country. To outshine your job opponents, you can’t simply cross your fingers and hope for the best, you have to — as the cliché goes — set yourself apart from the competition.
You can look at your job search as a way to sell “You" Inc. One effective way to do this is to set up your own Web site highlighting your skills, talents and professional experience. This will provide potential employers with a one-stop location to learn everything about you that they might otherwise have to request and sift through: your references, accomplishments, portfolio and more.
Consider your Web site as sort of a LinkedIn-plus. You’ll list your job history and skills, of course. But you should also consider posting recommendations from colleagues, examples from your portfolio, awards you’ve achieved and links to professional associations to which you belong. Just make sure the site is professional, contemporary and easy to navigate. If you know little to nothing about Web design, consider enlisting a friend’s help or hiring a professional. The last thing you want is for your site to look amateurish.
The Web is a powerful job-search tool, but on the next page we’ll show you how it can work against you as well.

How to target your Industry

admin — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 10:47:34 +0000

Go to any online job search engine, and you’ll be able to select employment advertisements by industry or job type. But you should be aware that many companies in your industry don’t advertise on these one-size-fits-all job sites. Think of it like this: If you were going to start a home improvement project, you could go to a discount department store like Walmart and find plenty of basic items. However, if you really wanted a wide selection and hard-to-find items for your project, you’d go to a hardware store. Look at industry-specific sites as the hardware stores of your job search. Whether your career is in publishing, information technology, healthcare, human resources, financial services or any other large industry, you can find job search sites specific to it. In addition to searching for jobs on these sites, you often can post your résumé on them as well.
Another way you can target jobs in your industry is to visit the corporate Web sites of companies that you’re interested in within your industry. Many will post job openings on the “careers" section of their Web site. If you don’t find the specific job opening you’re looking for, find out who runs the department you’d like to work in, then send your résumé directly to that person.
One more option is to work with a headhunter or job recruitment specialist. Often, these people will work for companies to bring in stand-out candidates for a job. However, you can hire one yourself to help you find jobs within your industry. Just be sure to ask around before hiring — you want to make sure you’re working with someone effective and legitimate.
On the next page, we’ll show you a way to go from targeting an industry to targeting specific employers.

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Think of Yourself as a Brand

How to target your Industry