Many of you reading this may be recent or soon to be graduates, and/or you have been looking at the job market with abject terror. You might feel somewhat akin to how a deer must feel as they are staring at an oncoming car. You know that you need to find a job, but you also can’t seem to make any moves to do so. Well don’t let opportunity pass you by! Don’t fall into these technology pitfalls that can make finding a job even harder!
1. Searching websites like Idealist, Indeed, Craigslist
Yes, those websites are great, but they also create several problems:
- They encourage you to apply for job with companies that you don’t know about. Which is fine, but you are far more likely to get a job with a company that you know and love.
- Everyone else is seeing these same jobs, which means you have to stand out in an even bigger crowd
- These websites can be outdated, there is no guarantee that you applying for a job that even exists!
Solution: Find organizations you know and love! Look for jobs on their website, even better call their HR department. Yes, they might just tell you to look at the website, but you have made an impression that you want the job. The person is even more likely to remember your name. You may also hear about a job before it is posted!
2. Not having a complete Linkedin profile
Good job, you made yourself a Linkedin! Oh, you didn’t complete the whole thing. I guess that is fine, I am sure the person hiring you for your dream job will fill in the blanks though it might not be with what you should expect.
If you are going to have a Linkedin you need to complete it and continue to update it.
- A post once a week is good, once a month as a minimum.
- You never really know who is going to look at your profile. You might be missing out on any number of opportunities.
Solution: Complete your Linkedin profile, for those who are not tech savvy and are having a hard time there are many guides out there, call a friend and you can even email me and I will look at your profile and give you some free advice!
3. Mixing Work and Play
- I am all for people using their computers for fun! By all means have a Pinterest about your favorite band, cat pictures etc. Use your twitter to talk about the latest celebrity idiocy, but please, oh please….
- Have separate accounts! The last thing you want an employer to see is your drunken, misspelled political rant on twitter.
Solution: Use an Alias for your personal accounts, or just your first name! Make sure they are not linked to the same email address. Setting things to private is not adequate, as nothing is really private on the internet.
4. Not promoting yourself
Again, we live in an age where you never know who might be looking at your online profile!
- Put your best face on!
- Make sure your contact information is up to date and most of all promote yourself. It is ok to shamelessly ask your friends to share, retweet, and pin your posts because you will do the same for them.
- The point of this whole social media world is to have as many people as possible see your best face.
Solution: Share, share, share: make sure you post once a week at least and share it. If you are in a resume pool and the hiring manager has read your blog and loved it you are going to have a huge advantage over someone they have never heard of before!
Now, you know technology can help you find a job, but it can also hinder you. Make sure you are using it right and remember nothing beats good old fashion legwork!
