Organize your job search & land a job faster!

Staff Writer, The Career News

SAN DIEGO, CA -- While the job market is very competitive right now, there are still millions of jobs being offered by hiring managers who search all of the top career sites. Sure it may take some time, but posting your resume on all the top career sites and niche job boards will give you better exposure than your competition.

If you want the benefit of maximum exposure, but don't want to spend 60 hours researching and filling out website forms consider letting a service like Resume Rabbit do the work for you. This useful tool helps you organize your search efforts and saves you time, while allowing you to focus on networking strategies. Just fill out one easy form and in about 15 minutes you'll be posted on 85 top career sites like Job.com, CareerBuilder, Net-Temps, Dice and more.

If confidentiality is a concern, use Resume Rabbit's new confidentiality feature. Your resume can be seen, however, no one will see your name, street address or phone number. Whether you do it by hand or use a service like Resume Rabbit, creating accounts on all the best career sites will give you access to millions of jobs and exposure to 1.5 million employers and recruiters daily. To get your resume posted confidentially on all the top career sites and niche job boards, just go to: Resume Rabbit.

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Can LinkedIn help you land a new job?

Robin Ryan, America's Top Job Search Expert

LOWELL, MA -- Social networking is all the rage, but can LinkedIn really help you get hired? Yes - with an emphasis on the word "help." LinkedIn is a great social media networking tool that if utilized effectively, it will assist you in your job search. LinkedIn is widely used by internal staffing departments in most high tech companies and in many Fortune 1000 companies.

You may hear more about Twitter or Facebook, but if you seek a promotion or a new job, LinkedIn is a much more useful network to use. Why? Two important reasons. First, there are more than 70 million users on LinkedIn. It's has become more social, easier to use, and a recruiting resource that many headhunters and employers are using. Second, 63% of all jobs are found through networking, according to the Department of Labor. Expanding your network of contacts is essential. And LinkedIn is an ideal tool for job hunters to add to their job search arsenals.

But just going online and signing up for LinkedIn won't do it. Utilizing this resource takes a little time, effort and some savvy direction. The benefits of networking are well-documented. Someone may tell you about a job opening or new company that may need your skills. Another connection may send your resume on through internal channels to reach the decision maker. Expanding your digital rolodex is essential for career success in today's job market.

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Is your job search well balanced?

Abridged: California Job Journal

SACRAMENTO, CA -- For most job seekers, such traditional techniques as answering want-ads, registering with employment agencies, seeking referrals from family and friends, and making cold calls have given way to using the Internet. In fact, a significant number of people are using Web job sites as their primary source of leads and applications, which - according to Ken Kuznia, career catalyst at Dig Your Work - can be a major mistake.

"Although I never discourage anyone from this job-search method, I strongly encourage them to make it only 10 to 15 percent of their job search. My experience has shown that the ratio is typically inverted; most job eekers are spending 85 to 90 percent of their time looking for a job online" Kuznia says. The key to cutting down the time spent is to use some of the numerous tools online designed to make your internet job search tasks easier to accomplish and leave you more time for networking.

Kuznia further advises job seekers to take a more active role in contacting potential employers on their own. "Engage in more proactive avenues, such as calling the companies directly, which many job seekers have found to dramatically increase the number of interviews."

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Personal Branding, Seni Mempromosikan Diri

What's in a name? Petikan kalimat legendaris yang mempertanyakan arti penting sebuah nama ini mungkin saja menurut Anda sudah tidak relevan dengan perkembangan jaman. Sebab saat ini, nama bukan sekedar penunjuk identitas diri semata, melainkan bisa menjadi aset bernilai tinggi, yang jika dimanfaatkan sebaik-baiknya dapat mendatangkan keuntungan bagi pemiliknya.

Dengan personal branding, seorang individu membangun citra (image) dan identitas diri tertentu untuk mempengaruhi orang lain agar memiliki persepsi dan emosi yang positif terhadap karakter, kepribadian, kemampuan, kompetensi dan nilai yang ditampilkan. Jika brand image ini telah melekat kuat, dengan sendirinya sebuah nama akan menjadi simbol dan terkenal sehingga menjadi referensi utama manakala hal-hal yang berkaitan dengannya disebutkan.

Personal branding juga diperlukan dalam kepemimpinan, terutama untuk menciptakan efek penokohan atau figure pada diri seorang leader. Prosesnya diawali dengan mengenali siapa diri Anda yang sebenarnya dan bagaimana Anda ingin dikenal. Selanjutnya adalah membangun reputasi dengan mengoptimalkan kekuatan dan keunikan diri yang dimiliki lalu mempromosikannya kepada publik.

Kesuksesan mengelola brand bukan ditentukan oleh seberapa familiar masyarakat terhadap nama Anda, sebab itu baru tahap membangun awareness saja. Personal branding Anda dianggap berhasil manakala Anda berhasil tampil lebih menonjol atau stand out diantara pemimpin lain sehingga publik pun menjatuhkan pilihannya hanya kepada Anda.

Sama halnya dengan produk yang memiliki nilai unik dan dipasarkan dengan strategi yang jitu, Anda juga membutuhkan dua hal penting tersebut dalam membangun personal branding. Masih ada beberapa hal lainnya yang harus diperhatikan untuk menciptakan brand diri yang sukses, seperti cara yang disebutkan di bawah ini:

Kenali kelebihan dan kekuatan diri. Tanyakan pada diri sendiri, "What am I good at?" Cari tahu minat, bakat, keahlian, kemampuan, dan keunggulan Anda yang dapat ditonjolkan. Jika Anda bingung atau tidak yakin, coba ingat-ingat kembali penghargaan apa yang pernah Anda dapatkan atau apreasiasi seperti apa yang pernah diberikan oleh orang lain pada Anda. Personal branding Anda haruslah mencerminkan kekuatan dan kepribadian Anda yang sesungguhnya.

Be unique and different. Secara alamiah, keunikan selalu dapat menarik perhatian. Manfaatkan keunikan yang Anda miliki sebagai ciri khas Anda yang tidak dimiliki orang lain. Kekhasan Anda dapat berupa cara berbusana, cara berbicara, gaya menulis, gaya memimpin, kepribadian, kebiasaan tertentu, dan sebagainya yang sebaiknya dipatenkan menjadi trademark Anda.

Bangun persepsi positif. Dengan modal kemampuan dan keunikan Anda, mulailah bangun persepsi positif tentang diri Anda di mata publik. Selalu ada harapan yang terbentuk di benak publik manakala muncul seorang calon pemimpin, dan tugas Anda adalah memenuhi harapan itu. Tanamkan pada publik bahwa Anda memiliki solusi, memberikan nilai tambah, bermanfaat bagi mereka. Rebutlah kepercayaan publik agar senantiasa tercipta emosi positif tentang diri Anda.

Promosikan diri Anda. Tulis artikel, membuat buku, nge-blog, menjadi pembicara, ikut organisasi profesi, menjalin networking secara online maupun offline. Lakukan berbagai cara agar sosok Anda lebih exist dan dikenal luas. Buat diri Anda populer karena kualitas.

Manfaatkan popularitas untuk kebaikan. Tujuannya, mendapatkan simpati dari publik. Personal branding Anda sebaiknya di-share untuk membantu orang lain. Semakin sering Anda melakukannya, brand Anda akan semakin kuat.

Bersabarlah. Yang ingin Anda capai adalah personal branding yang long-lasting, bukan popularitas instan. Diperlukan kerja keras untuk membangun image sejak dari nol bahkan akan lebih sulit lagi untuk mempertahankannya. Jika Anda telah memiliki brand image yang cukup kuat namun tidak tergerak untuk meningkatkan kualitas diri, bersiaplah karena lambat laun kebintangan Anda akan meredup.

Jadi diri Anda sendiri. Akan sangat melelahkan menjadi seseorang yang bukan diri Anda. Demi popularitas, Anda rela berpura-pura menjadi orang lain dan melakukan sesuatu yang tidak Anda sukai dan kuasai. Personal branding adalah tentang bagaimana menjadi diri Anda sendiri. So, show them the truth within yourself!

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Benefits of Temporary Jobs

by Nathan Newberger

To many people, a temporary position does not sound very appealing. Some consider temp jobs to be unskilled labor, tedious work, or just a waste of time. People with this negative attitude towards temporary positions all share one common characteristic: THEY ARE WRONG. Temp jobs are not a waste of time. Besides providing income, temp jobs can be used as valuable career tools.

This article discusses the many benefits of temporary positions. Once you recognize the advantages of temp jobs, you can then begin to use them to enhance or build your career.

These four topics that will be covered:

1. Money Matters

2. Resume Reinforcement

3. Temp to Impress

4. Career Sampling

1. MONEY MATTERS

Let's be realistic, money is important. No matter how many times you say, "Money isn't everything," you can't change the fact that money matters. There is no shame in taking on a job to obtain needed cash. No matter how negative your attitude towards temp jobs is, it is impossible to deny that they are often a good source of income.

• •   Good jobs don't just grow on trees so that people can come and pick the one they like
      best. When no viable alternatives exist, temporary positions are a fantastic
      way to earn money.
• •   Temp jobs are ideal for students. When you have class during the week a steady job
      can be hard to get, but a temp job might only be for a day. Also, temp jobs often fit
      in well with an evening or weekend class schedule.

2. RESUME REINFORCEMENT

If you are currently out of work, chances are you suffer from a disease that often strikes the unemployed: resume decay. When out of work for an extended period of time, people often concentrate their efforts solely on finding a new job. Unfortunately these people fail to recognize that their free time should also be used for strengthening their resumes.

Temporary positions give a person the opportunity to strengthen his/her resume through experience and education while also providing a source of income.

• •   Temporary positions are a fantastic way to gain experience within a particular industry.
      When full time positions are tight, a temp job may be your best chance at
      learning industry basics. Moreover,you will already be an experienced worker when a
      full time position becomes available.
• •   Temp jobs are a quick way to pick-up new skills or to heighten skills you already
      possess (typing, filing, book-keeping, etc.). More importantly, as a temp
      you may be required to use various professional software. Proficiency in current
      software applications looks great on a resume!
• •   If you are not working full time or are not in school, your resume may look sparse. A
      recruiter evaluating your resume may assume you did nothing during this
      time. Temporary positions are good for filling these time gaps in your resume.

3. TEMP TO IMPRESS

Despite what many people think, a temporary position is NEVER a carefree, zero responsibility job. Though things may be slightly more relaxed as a temp, there is a secret that most people don't realize: a temp job may lead to much more.

If you are working with others or report to a manager, you are being evaluated. People all around you are making mental notes about your knowledge, skills, personality, friendliness, diligence, and behavior. Use this to your advantage:

• •   Occasionally, a temporary position turnsinto a position that needs to be filled
      permanently. Even if you are not explicitly told that your job is temp-to-hire,
      you may have shot at the permanent position if you impress the right people.
• •   Temp jobs give you the opportunity to meet and rub elbows with individuals in a
      particular industry. You never know if a co- worker might someday be in charge of
      recruiting or make a recommendation for a new employee.
• •   Often times, as a person develops their career map he or she realizes that they are far
      off course. This perfectly normal, but it also means that getting on the
      right road will require a change of direction.

4. CAREER SAMPLING

It may seem obvious, but never lose sight of the fact that a temporary job is temporary. This gives a person much more flexibility than one would have in a permanent position. No matter how horrible the job may seem, you can rest easy knowing you are not stuck in one place. More importantly, people often don't know what industry or career they would like to pursue. Temping gives an individual the option to sample a wide array of jobs. It is the perfect way to gain insight into a job or field

CONCLUSION

Temping may not be every person's cup of tea, but it is hardly unskilled labor. Temping is more like a delicate art form. Taking a temporary position provides numerous benefits and opportunities for a person with the right background, knowledge, and attitude. Instead of turning your nose up at the idea, give it some serious consideration. Temping may be just the tool you need to jumpstart your career plans   

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Fostering Success in a New Job

Looking forward to starting your new job? Nervous? You might be joining a company after a brief hiatus from the workforce or transitioning from one job to another. Regardless of the situation it can be challenging to slip into a new role with ease. After all, it’s a new environment; there are new people, processes, and systems; you have a new boss that you will need to get to know; and then of course there is the job itself! To help facilitate your new start and get you off on the right foot, here are some tips to drive your (imminent) success:

Keep Notes: I know I harp on writing things down. I do this for a reason! Writing things down will prevent you from forgetting them! DUH. It seems so obvious. It is a hard thing to do though. I know – really – I know. I try to keep a food journal so I can monitor what I eat. It’s hard. I’m not sure why I can’t just grab it and write down the miniscule amounts I consume. But, for some reason, I don’t like doing it. For the job though – it’s important. That way you don’t have to keep asking the same things over and over of your new coworkers. It’s hard to remember everything. If you write it down you can refer back to the notes. As you get more comfortable you can get rid of the stuff. Five Best Note-Taking Tools , Fifty Ways to Take Notes , and if you want to stay flexible but paper based try the pocket mod .

Interact with your coworkers: Make sure you are social with the other people that work in the office. Introduce yourself; get to know the other people. People like to work with people they like. This is no time to become an introvert. This doesn’t mean you should break out with your rendition of “I Wanna Rock” – I saw Rock of Ages this weekend. For those of you who grew up in the ‘80’s – it’s not to be missed! Interacting with new co-workers will give you the downlow on the place and some of the politics. You will get valuable tidbits of information. The information you gain can help you understand the lay of the land – particularly early on when you need information the most. Also, don’t forget to make friends with the folks that keep the trains running on time – facilities, IT and the cleaning staff – they often know more than everybody else about what actually happens in your new company.

Get the Paperwork Completed: Once you arrive at your new office, there will be a deluge of paperwork for you to fill out – no doubt required by your human resource department. Do it and submit it on time. HR is a valuable resource for you. Don’t neglect the process things. You want benefits, right? You want to participate in the 401(k), right? You want to get PAID, right? I don’t think I need to say anymore about it.

Connect with your Management: Just because you started a new job doesn’t mean your manager is going to come running down the hall to welcome you with a basket of warm muffins and two free passes to The King and I. Check in early. Once you have gotten settled in and have started to do some work, dip your big toe in the water. Get feedback so you know if you are on the straight and narrow. This will keep you poised for success or let you know that you need to take a left turn somewhere to ensure you are performing the job you were hired for.

Socialize Outside of Office Hours: The gang is going out for burgers and beer after hours? Go along. The people you work with can really help you get acclimated. It is an important part of establishing a professional bond. Of course, you have to keep it that way. Leaving the bar at 2am looking like you are a coat with two of your newest coworkers the hangers is not a good idea. Keep it professional and fun. These people will be an important part of the environment – especially if you need to partner with them on projects. It is a lot easier to get things done when you don’t have people internally trying to thwart your efforts.

This one can be controversial – some don’t like to mix work with personal lives and before you know the politics tread lightly – going out with peers that happen to work for the guy that beat out your boss for the last big promotion can be a CLM (career limiting move.)

Get Comfortable in your new Environment: Have a picture of your hubby? Dog? Girlfriend? It’s ok to bring in one or two small personal items. It keeps you human. That’s it though. No bringing in a dump truck worth of stuffed Smurf collectibles. It makes you more approachable to have a personal item in your workspace. Make sure you keep everything neat – especially if you work in an open office environment. Being a slob is frowned upon in an office. (It’s probably frowned upon at home too – but I’m not covering that here.)

It takes a little time to get your bearings and get down to business. Focus on starting some work in between completing orientation, training (if applicable), and filling out your pile o’ forms. It will help you hit the ground running when the gun goes off. The process of adapting to a new environment can be challenging. It doesn’t happen overnight so be patient as you and your new employer get to know each other. Relax and give it your best effort. No doubt, you will be happy you did.

www.resume-resource.com

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Knowing how to negotiate is just one part of the process.

1. Research the company
Comb through every section of the company’s Web site and memorize it as if you were cramming for a test. Unlike a test, though, you won’t have a chance to spout the six facts you learned about the company during the interview. Instead, there will be a random, fleeting moment when a relevant fact you gained from the site will be the perfect response to something the interviewer says. To find the right comment for that moment, you’ll need wide knowledge and good judgment.

2. Prepare stock answers.
Most interview questions are standard and, surprisingly enough, have standard answers. Learn these answers before the interview and be prepared to deliver them with a special flair so they don’t seem rehearsed. There are three or four good books that list interview questions and how you should answer them. Try The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book by Jeffrey B. Allen.

3.Prepare to close the deal.
Leave nothing open-ended when you walk out of the interview. This means saying at the end, “I would really like this job. Do you have any reservations about hiring me?” This is scary to ask, but closers get the contracts, and you need to be a closer in interviews. Risk hearing any reservations because it’s better to confront them and fail than to never try.

4.Practice, practice, practice.
Ask your friends to help you with a mock interview situation. Or try your career counseling office of your college. Career centers are evaluated based on the career success of their graduates, so most centers are happy to field your phone calls, no matter how long ago you graduated. Ask someone there to do a mock interview with you. The feedback you get will be very useful.

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