Use Your Skills and Contacts to Find a Great Job

Jobs are difficult to come by, right?  So they say, but one of the good things about living in the day and age that we do is that technology has made it easier to connect with others.  And that goes for those who are looking for employment.  With many jobs posted online, you can search for a job with just a few clicks of a mouse.  And you do not have to have your own computer; you can go to the local library and use a public computer.

But before you begin the process, look at ways to use your existing skills to land you a good job.  Here is what is meant by this.

Personal assessment.  What skills do you have that you can use to make you a valuable employee?  These might be things such as your organization skills, your ability to perform certain tasks that others might not be able to – for example if you are a plumber or an electrician.  You might find that your career experience has helped you become good at managing others.  Your skill set is one of the things that makes you valuable for employment.

Get linked.  Now, using that list of skills, begin to get yourself linked to people and groups to which your skills can help.  Use the Internet to connect to people via social networking sites such as facebook.com, twitter.com and even linkedin.com.  These are sites that can help you build a network of people who might know of where to apply for jobs that are available immediately.  But, be sure to heed these suggestions.

Be professional.  Use proper “netiquette” in contacting people and adding them to your circle of contacts.  In other words, build up a rapport with them in casual conversational communications.  Do not be demanding or demeaning.  Never say things that might cause irritation or might be construed as harassment of ANY kind.

Be in interview mode always.  You never know who might be a potential employer or who might know someone who needs an employee.  Treat contacts with strangers as an opportunity to learn about them and then present yourself in a positive way just as if you were being interviewed for a job.

Update your information.  Keep your profile on all social networking sites up to date.  Your contact information is especially important if people are going to contact you about a job.

Recommend and be recommended.  Be generous with recommendations of those you know and have worked with.  Ask them to do the same for you.  These can help you get your foot in the door and give the potential employers a small picture of what kind of worker you can be for them.

Spend a short amount of time every day looking for jobs.  Most places have email alerts about openings and that can help.  Check those out and see if the openings are right for you.  Use your online information and persona to create your resume and information with which you can look for local jobs, too.

Get your mindset right and watch as job openings and even offers come to you.