This is a guest post by Craig Kessler, a recent college grad (07) and marketing director of BudgetPulse, a free online personal budgeting software. Craig also manages the BudgetPulse blog and you can reach him on Twitter.
Graduating seniors from college have such a bigger advantage getting a job now than those in previous years, much less generations. I know you must be scratching your head in confusion since the country is in the worst economic crisis in decades with unemployment rates high. “With jobs being scarce, how could this be true?” you may be thinking.
The reason for the optimism for recent grads is because there are so many useful tools on the internet to gain exposure and network.
Everyone in college is most likely on at least one social network. Well why not utilize these networks to network to try to find job opportunities.
Sites like Monster and CareerBuilder may have a lot of positions, but from personal experience, most are too good to be true, and not fulfilling opportunities. Or your resume just gets placed on a stack of hundreds of other resumes, never being read.
But what if recruiters found you? Or you could utilize your skills and knowledge to try to reach people and network to find openings where you can contact a specific persona directly?
Here are some tips using Web 2.0 tools:
1. Blogs: Set up a blog in a topic you have knowledge in or like. A blog is a great resume builder because it incorporates all aspects of running a small business such as building content, customer service, PR, marketing, site maintenance, networking and more. If you build your audience, a recruiter may notice your blog and contact you.
2. LinkedIn: Set up a profile and join groups and discussions related to your topic. Network with those you connect with, help others out, and you may be able to find job opportunities through your network.
3. Twitter: Twitter is a great way to network with professionals. I personally hired a web designer I connected with on Twitter.
4. Online Resume: Byy your domain name. Build an online resume featuring your resume, video resume, links to social networks, any projects or awards you have completed or received. Basically anything that you would want a recruiter to learn about you and your skills and personality. When a recruiter Google’s your name, they will find this great content revolving around you, giving you a huge edge over others.
And because I suggest connecting with professionals online, feel free to connect with me.
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Thank you for the opportunity. If anyone would like to connect or has any questions, please feel free to contact me.