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How to Leverage Social Networking Sites to Enhance Your Job Search

Social Networking has opened many doors in the career world and has taken even the most serious professions by storm. Doctors and CEOs are tweeting; Lawyers and Politicians are Facebooking; and anybody who is anybody in the career world wouldn’t be caught dead without a LinkedIn profile. So where have you been?

If you are just beginning a new job hunt, it’s time to jump on the social networking bandwagon. Social networking sites offer far more benefits than just reconnecting with old high school classmates or socializing with your friends. Here are a few ways to utilize social networking sites to benefit your job search:

Master the Art of Salary Negotiation

Imagine you’ve just received a job offer that you are very interested in accepting.  The benefits are better than expected, the commute is ideal, but the salary is sheer disappointment. How can you take this job offer from good to great?

 

• Do your Homework - The key to salary negotiation is preparation.  Research your market worth to figure out what a person with your qualifications is earning in your demographic area.
• Wait to Talk Numbers - Wait and gauge the employer’s interest in you before you start talking numbers.  If the employer is interested in you they will reveal the level of compensation they are willing to offer.  The salary you’ve received in the past is your bargaining chip, so don’t disclose these numbers too soon.  If the interviewer does bring up the question of salary before you have received an offer try to return the question to them by asking what they are expecting to pay someone with your qualifications.  If that doesn’t work give them a range that you are comfortable with based on the homework you’ve already done.
• Create an Internal Strategy – Set guidelines and know how far you’re willing to risk things.  Be realistic and be ready to comprise when considering an offer.  Have your limits in mind and know what you want, what you expect, and what you’ll settle for.

Top 5 Tips on How to Create an Effective Cover Letter

You may be asking yourself whether or not a cover letter is still important in today's job market.  Well the answer is YES!  A cover letter is often times considered the gate keeper to securing an interview with a potential employer. It is typically the first communication that potential employers receive and can directly impact whether or not they choose to read your resume and ultimately call you for an interview.

Your cover letter should engage employers to want to know more about you and should showcase your personality and passion for your career.  It should also focus on the attributes that make you uniquely qualified for the job and describe your skills and how they would be applied to add value in the position. Here are the top 5 tips on how to create an effective cover letter:

Intern Your Way to Career Success

The thought of diving right into a career after college is enough to make even the most successful student anxious. An effective solution to this apprehension is to complete an internship.  Today, internships are much more than befriending the copy machine and making countless Starbucks runs. Employers today rely on interns, who are cost-effective and highly productive, to work on real projects around the office. If you are looking for a way to increase your marketability, internship experience is an essential qualification to land your first job after college.

Internships allow you to:

• Learn the ropes. Internships provide you with an inside perspective on your chosen field and help you reinforce your career decision before it’s too late. By working alongside professionals in your industry, it allows you to gain great insight into your career that can only be accessed through personal experiences.

Tight Economy Forces Seasoned Professionals to Compete Closely with Younger Generation

In a thriving economy, there is a higher demand for management-level candidates, but in a down economy many employers shift their recruiting efforts to attract and retain less experienced professionals that will be highly productive and cost-effective for their business.  While many employers in certain industries, such as customer service and retail, typically tend to attract and foster a higher concentration of lower-level professionals, current data shows that many top industries are following suit to tap into this segment of the talent pool.  

According to Beyond.com, the top three industries for jobs in Q1 2009 have reported an increase in demand for candidates with less than five years of experience; and with more experienced professionals out of work, many seasoned professionals will be forced to more directly compete with this younger workforce.  The following highlights the top three industries in Q1 2009:

Engineering Industry Makes a Come Back

Engineering jobs, although historically a stable career choice, were not nearly as appealing or “sexy” as Wall Street gigs over the past decade.  Although Wall Street jobs may have been one of the most highly sought after careers for the past few years, the economic recession has completely changed everything.  After witnessing first-hand how easily the financial industry can crumble in times of economic downturn, many students are becoming less concerned with making a “quick buck” and are more focused on choosing and industry that can provide stability and longevity throughout their entire career.

Real Simple Magazine Ranks Beyond.com Among Best Job Search Websites

Real Simple magazine, a publication with nearly 2 million readers, ranked Beyond.com among their list of “The Best Job Search Websites” which was published on their website to supplement the article, "The New Rules of Finding a Job" from their May issue. 

According to Real Simple, the Nielsen Company reported a 20 percent year-over-year increase in visitors to job sites. Yes, more people are unemployed, but job sites offer a quick (and free) way to find out what’s available in your industry. The following sites have been recommended by the top human-resource specialists and career counselors in the field.