Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Best New Tool for Online Job Search If Managed the Right Way!

Remember the old job hunting days when you had to actually call and visit the company offices yourself to fill out an application or drop your CV? Not to say that these days are long gone, but the attention nowadays is shifting towards Social Media – the new player in today’s job market. While finding a job through social media won't replace traditional methods anytime soon, but it certainly has its perks. More and more employers these days are making the most of their social media presence to drive brand awareness and attract job seekers to their businesses. With that in mind, social media networks can be your best friend and your worst enemy. If you don’t manage your social profiles in a smart way, it can actually hinder your efforts in landing a job and even cost you your current job. Akhtaboot is here to the rescue with career-saving tricks to help you effectively manage your online presence.

Take Control of your Online Image


Whether you are currently employed or seeking a job, having a digital presence on the web is a valuable chance to create your personal brand and affect how people who don’t know you think of you. Let’s face it; no matter how professional you really are on the job, you can actually lose a whole lot of respect by how you handle yourself online. When it comes to your social profiles use neutral pictures that do not show detail into your personal life. Be careful what you write about yourself in your status updates, tweets and blog posts. Publishing inappropriate content about yourself or your employer may be detrimental when seen by a potential or current employer.

Be Proactive

Social Media has made it acceptable to connect with companies and professionals you don’t actually know. Conduct periodic searches to identify the top companies you’d like to work for. Follow recruiters on your account and address them directly for a few times before you actually inquire about any potential vacancies. Doing so will help you learn a lot about them and their companies, but make sure that you don’t spam them with too many inquiries. Twitter has become the leading platform to directly connect with companies to communicate with them on specific topics and to find jobs. Follow online recruitment portals on Twitter such as @Akhtaboot and stay up to date with the latest job openings and career-related articles and news.

Produce Content to Attract Industry Attention


An excellent way to use your online presence to your advantage is to post things that will make your network of professionals think highly of you and help you position yourself as the go-to expert in your business landscape. Use your network to share news and information about industry-related topics with great commentaries. Try to be the first to publish relevant news and articles and don’t ignore the importance of speed when it comes to replying to comments and questions. Recognizing the importance of social engagement to the recruitment process, Akhtaboot developed its Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/akhtaboot) to include a social recommendations feature to boost your Akhtaboot profile in front of employers. By linking your Akhtaboot account to your Facebook profile, you will now be able to give and receive personal recommendations about your top personal traits within a career context, in addition to searching for and applying to jobs directly from within Facebook.

Integrate your Online and Offline Efforts

No matter how social media savvy you are, there’s still a very strong chance that you will need to complement your online job hunt with some offline measures. Every time you apply for a job, there's a big chance that someone with the power to affect a hiring decision will be seeking you out online. Bearing that in mind, perhaps it's worth taking the time to sort out and tailor exactly what those people can discover about you. A smart way to do so is to add links to your blog, LinkedIn profile and Twitter ID on your CV. Before a job interview, learn about a potential employer by following the company Twitter stream. Google your name before you go in. If anything shady comes up, be ready to address it in the interview.

All job seekers want to stand out from the crowd that is filled with many good candidates who are eyeing similar positions. This is where social media can tip the scales to your advantage. In many industries, a lot of employers are making the most of social media to fill their positions and find potential candidates that have the necessary requirements. With that in mind, what may be okay to share with friends is possibly not employer-friendly in the professional atmosphere. Whenever you share or tweet anything, keep in the back of your mind: "Who is going to see this?"
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