LinkedIn is the 800 lb gorilla of job hunting. This is the key place to keep your profile current and informative. It can also be a place to find leads or to reach out. Recruiters spend countless hours searching LinkedIn for candidates. You can post there, as well. Have something to say about your area of concentration? Write it and post it on LinkedIn. Don’t be shy
A fellow I know here in NY used Twitter to get a job a few years back. He tweeted that he was job hunting. Someone saw it, had been aware of him from his tweets, and sent him a DM to come in for a chat. Neither of them knew at that point that the recruiter’s resume software had rejected him. He went in, interviewed, and got the job.
Post your job hunt on Facebook. Let friends and acquaintances know you’re looking. In the digital era, the opportunity and the power of word of mouth is better than ever. Referrals of openings and contacts are almost always better than cold calls.
Use a spreadsheet program to create a job hunt database. Enter the company name, contact, when you emailed your resume, and keep a log of phone and email contact. You might speak to many companies. Rather than risk confusion, use the database to keep things straight. You’ll have a record of when you spoke to whom about what.
Getting close to some openings, or approaching negotiations? Give the company a look-see at GlassDoor to see what employees have to say about their companies and the workplace. You can find up to date salary data to be sure you’re in the ballpark.
Use Internet job sites. Dice and Monster are general job sites. Many industries have dedicated recruiters or job listings. Go to Google and Bing to look up everything you can find. Those are the digital tools of the trade. Put them to good use, and good luck finding that next job!
Dean Landsman, Principal, Landsman Communications Group, New York City