How to Fast-Track Your Job Hunt with InsideJobs

ResumeBear Blog

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How to Fast-Track Your Job Hunt with InsideJobs Posted: 25 Jul 2011 05:20 AM PDT Job hunting is tough, no question. And the hardest part can be figuring out where to begin. With career exploration sites like Inside Jobs, you can find that direction, replacing the uncertainty of change with the clarity of knowing what you want to do and how to get there. EXPAND: Career exploration sites allow you to do just that…explore. They can open your mind to a range of possibilities, which increases your chance of finding a job that's costume-tailored to your skills and situation. At Inside Jobs, we've written thousands of job profiles and How to Become articles you can search by keyword, career type, or salary level. Each job description links to other similar roles, so you won't spend hours online trying to find information on related positions. Plus, we've tracked hundreds of thousands of resumes and job posting to figure out general career trajectories—i.e., which jobs most commonly precede and follow a given position. Love your job, but need to make more money? Or want a more social work atmosphere? Our "Show me Jobs…" tool allows you to enter a job title you're interested in, then search for positions that use similar skills, but are more lucrative, more interactive, etc. This in-depth database is a great way of figuring out what specific opportunities are out there. FOCUS: Once you've found an area you're interested in, dig deep. Using our job profiles as a jumping off point, learn as much as you can about the specific position you want. Why? If you're only looking at the surface level of an industry, you'll only find the most visible opportunities. That means you'll be competing with the maximum number of other job applicants.  As such, the more specific your job hunt, the better your chances are of securing an interview. NEXT STEP: When you've identified where you want to go, we'll show you how to get into the field. For instance, if a degree could help you gain a competitive edge, we'll point out schools that offer programs in your area of interest. Job searching can be a hard process—but with the right tools, you'll gain in-depth knowledge and career clarity that will put you on the fast-track to landing your next position. Annie Favreau writes and works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site "where people can explore what opportunities exist and learn what paths can take them there." Where all to find the latest about/from InsideJobs.com: Check out our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook

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Your LinkedIn Profile Picture Maybe Killing Your Job Prospects

ResumeBear Blog

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Your LinkedIn Profile Picture Maybe Killing Your Job Prospects Posted: 15 Jul 2011 06:28 AM PDT I don't really consider myself an HR person. I like to think I'm a practical technologist. However, I do occasionally attend HR related training. Yesterday was one such occasion and inevitably, I had a shock. The discussion moved from hiring techniques, to LinkedIn photos. Many of the folks in the room would agree with us that LinkedIn photos should be professional. No argument. But someone told us a story that made us cringe. And if you are in HR, you may cringe as well. This recruiter was working with a candidate, who had hired her to position him for a job. He had a fabulous resume. Literally, she had trouble finding anything to change. But then she took one look at his LinkedIn profile photo. The guy looked like an axe murder. She said, "No wonder he wasn't getting any interviews, despite his killer credentials, no pun intended". So he retook his photo, and I kid you not, within a week, he had several opportunities arise. (Lets just ignore the more frightening social implications of that for now, and accept the fact that your photo makes a big impact). So I ask you, does your photo strive too hard to be what you think professional is supposed to be? Or are you using it as an opportunity to convey personality? I'm not a photographer, but I would like to offer some profile photo tips. Don't be afraid to show personality. You can have personality and be professional at the same time. Experiment with action shots. There isn't a lot of room, but the more you can demonstrate YOU in action the better. Can you fit yourself giving a presentation in the photo, shaking hands, or even leaning on a hand? Play with the negative space. You notice the first photo in this post has uniform negative space around the guy's head. The second photo is visually more interesting. He accomplished this by turning his body and tilting his head. Smile and think inviting thoughts. That's my armature photography advice. If you have some more ideas, please share them in the comments below. Joshua Waldman Portland, OR Owner, Trainer, Speaker, Author, Career Enlightenment Career/Life Coaching Helping Job Seekers Make Sense of Social Media

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