What Color Is Your Parachute?

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:

1. LinkedIn allows you to post a mini-version of your resume, which they call your Profile. (Be sure it is as complete as you can possibly make it! LinkedIn says you are 40 times more likely to be approached if your profile is complete, than if it is not.)

2. LinkedIn allows you to have recommendations from any of your links. So, don’t just sit there; encourage those who know you well to post a recommendation of you or your work: 85 percent of employers say a positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions.

3. LinkedIn enables you to click on “Companies,” and then elect to “follow” particular companies that interest you.

4. LinkedIn has “Jobs” at the top of its homepage. Click on it, and see what openings LinkedIn knows about, currently.

5. LinkedIn lets you search for particular job vacancies, using the Advanced Search Option, by keyword, location—country, postal code, miles from a location—experience level, industry, company, job-title, job function, and date posted.

6. LinkedIn allows you to search for people in particular business fields where you are, regardless of whether you know them or not.

7. LinkedIn tells you who might be “bridge-people” (they call them “inside connections” here) for particular companies. How? JobInsider, which is part of the Browser Toolbar for Firefox, or Internet Explorer. If you have access to either of these Web browsers, click on “Tools” at the bottom of any LinkedIn page, and choose JobInsider. Then when you are browsing Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, Dice, Vault, and the like, if you click on a particular company’s ad, it will identify people you are linked to, who work at that company, or people in your groups, whom you can ask to be introduced to. This is explained in a video at http://tinyurl.com/3kt5mv8.

8. While LinkedIn is free, they have a Premium membership (of course), where—for either $30 or $50 a month (choose one)—you get extra attention and privileges.

9. For more detailed ideas on LinkedIn and job search, the best article IMHO is by Guy Kawasaki, which you can find at http://tinyurl.com/3thvknr. He has a related blog for small businesses on LinkedIn, at http://tinyurl.com/yevgehz.

LinkUp

Website url: http://linkup.com

Background: This is a job-search engine, not to be confused with LinkedIn.

General Description: This site pulls job openings only from employers’ websites (21,000 at current count).

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:

If you live in areas covered by LinkUp, you may find a job opening here.

Facebook

Website url: www.facebook.com

Background: Hugely popular; 600 million users worldwide.

General Description: The world’s largest social media site (but you probably already knew that).

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:

1. Facebook lets you sign up on pages devoted to Job-hunting and Careers. For example, www.facebook.com/jobhunting.

2. Facebook has an app that enables you to hunt for people who work at a particular company or organization, or who share a particular interest of yours: www.facebook.com/profile-search.

3. Facebook has an app that enables you to see where your friends work, and helps you build a professional network, plus discover job openings: http://apps.facebook.com/careeramp.

4. Facebook has an app that enables you to do networking, find friends of friends, and search millions of job listings: http://branchout.com.

Twitter

Website url: http://twitter.com

Background: A social networking and micro-blogging site; 8 percent of Internet users are on Twitter.

General Description: Allows you to send micro-messages using 140 characters or fewer.

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:

1. Twitter will take a background. When you are out of work, you can convey your status in that background (tastefully, professionally).

2. Twitter will take a bio. Mention what you’re looking for, there. You have 160 characters, so practice the art of succinctness. Put a link to an online resume in your bio.

3. Twitter will take an avatar. Make it professional looking.

4. Twitter has a “follow” option. Follow anyone who is helpful to your job-hunt. If you don’t have a clue, follow Susan Joyce of job-hunt.org, Internet expert Joel Cheesman of http://cheesman.typepad.com, and/or Guy Kawasaki (you can follow his top ten per day from @guykawasaki10).

5. Tweet about your job search. Be sure you know you’ve done your homework first, and can state exactly what kind of work you’re looking for.

6. Put a link in some of your tweets to your website, if you have one.

If you don’t have one, and you are an expert in some area of knowledge or performance, start your own website. See http://bravenet.com for free help, or www.bluehost.com for inexpensive hosting ($6 a month). Establish yourself as an expert in your field on Twitter.

7. Sign up at www.twitjobsearch.com to locate various job-opportunities around the world. Choose what they call “channels” and then receive instant notification of jobs thereafter. Also sign up at http://tweetmyjobs.com.

Texting

Website url: None. You choose a phone number on your contacts list, and then select “Send text.”

Background: Wildly popular.

General Description: Text messaging between mobile phone users. Allows you to send brief text messages (160 English characters or less) using the Short Message Service (SMS) or more ambitious messages containing image, video, and sound content (known as MMS messages).

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:

Infinite number of occasions where you need instant help, texting is very useful. For example, you’re on your way to an interview and you suddenly think of a question you might be asked, that you don’t know how to answer. You can text a more experienced friend and get the answer before you even arrive at the door of the interview. Moreover, it’s helpful to have that answer spelled out on your mobile screen, as you go up in the elevator (tall building??) so you can practice.

Yelp

Website url: https://yelp.com (https as opposed to http in any site’s url, means their information is heavily encrypted [128 bit], which is considered unhackable).

Background: Has more than 40 million unique visitors per month.

General Description: Community reviews of various businesses.

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:

If there is a particular business or organization you are interested in, you may find feedback about it, here.