Essentially, online profiles on social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are a way to personalize your brand and secure your future career. A few rules apply for all: Your picture speaks volumes. Your picture should be professional. Profanity is out. Remember, you are speaking to your future boss and company. What happens on social media, stays on social media.

There’s one question to ask yourself once your profile is complete: “Are you being authentic?” What you post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter and proclaim on LinkedIn will remain in search engines for months to come. Personal integrity is vital to your brand. Jason Douglas, online marketing manager for Spyder Trap Online Marketing, has often spoke the phrase, “Be who you are, with a filter.”

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Finding a job requires casting a large net over a variety of avenues. Many times jobs come out of the blue, from someone you have never met. Moving past the anger and frustration is a big factor in determining when and how you will find a job. You are your job search. You are marketing your skills, attitude and outlook every day to employers. Doubt and despair can surface when you get few results for your efforts. But remember, what you feel often is the energy others receive from you.

Part of a job search is planning for rejection and how you will cope with it. While in a rush to find employment, don’t skip over the planning stage and rush out to find just any job. The “any job” search plan can easily feel overwhelming and downright discouraging at times. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to rethink your search approach. Put your job search plan in order, utilize job search tools and organize your search efforts to save time and land a job faster.

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However, it works both ways. You can find out about companies, as well, to make sure the company is one you want to work for and the job is a good fit for your experience and skills.

LinkedIn Company Profiles are a good way to find more information on a company you’re interested in working for. You’ll be able see your connections at the company, new hires, promotions, jobs posted, related companies, and company statistics. One Day One Job has good information on digging dirt on employers, as well.

Visit GlassDoor.com to read company reviews, ratings, company information, salaries, CEO approval rating, competitors, content providers, and more company information.

Follow the company on Twitter to find out what information the company is sharing. Also, search Google, Google News, and Twitter using the company name, to see what’s comes up.

Also, there are warning signs to watch for, if you’re having reservations about whether this is the company for you.

Taking the time to research companies is a good idea, because it is as important for you to know that you want to work at a company as it is for the company to know they want to hire you. And it’s better to find out upfront, rather than finding out later that your new job wasn’t anything like you expected and you have to start your job search all over again.

HOME

Essentially, online profiles on social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are a way to personalize your brand and secure your future career. A few rules apply for all: Your picture speaks volumes. Your picture should be professional. Profanity is out. Remember, you are speaking to your future boss and company. What happens on social media, stays on social media.

There’s one question to ask yourself once your profile is complete: “Are you being authentic?” What you post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter and proclaim on LinkedIn will remain in search engines for months to come. Personal integrity is vital to your brand. Jason Douglas, online marketing manager for Spyder Trap Online Marketing, has often spoke the phrase, “Be who you are, with a filter.”

HOME

Finding a job requires casting a large net over a variety of avenues. Many times jobs come out of the blue, from someone you have never met. Moving past the anger and frustration is a big factor in determining when and how you will find a job. You are your job search. You are marketing your skills, attitude and outlook every day to employers. Doubt and despair can surface when you get few results for your efforts. But remember, what you feel often is the energy others receive from you.

Part of a job search is planning for rejection and how you will cope with it. While in a rush to find employment, don’t skip over the planning stage and rush out to find just any job. The “any job” search plan can easily feel overwhelming and downright discouraging at times. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to rethink your search approach. Put your job search plan in order, utilize job search tools and organize your search efforts to save time and land a job faster.

HOME

However, it works both ways. You can find out about companies, as well, to make sure the company is one you want to work for and the job is a good fit for your experience and skills.

LinkedIn Company Profiles are a good way to find more information on a company you’re interested in working for. You’ll be able see your connections at the company, new hires, promotions, jobs posted, related companies, and company statistics. One Day One Job has good information on digging dirt on employers, as well.

Visit GlassDoor.com to read company reviews, ratings, company information, salaries, CEO approval rating, competitors, content providers, and more company information.

Follow the company on Twitter to find out what information the company is sharing. Also, search Google, Google News, and Twitter using the company name, to see what’s comes up.

Also, there are warning signs to watch for, if you’re having reservations about whether this is the company for you.

Taking the time to research companies is a good idea, because it is as important for you to know that you want to work at a company as it is for the company to know they want to hire you. And it’s better to find out upfront, rather than finding out later that your new job wasn’t anything like you expected and you have to start your job search all over again.

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First, reevaluate your resume yourself or consider getting a professional writer to critique it. Make sure you replace expressions like “strong team player” and “possess organizational skills” with strong, active verbs that demonstrate results. Whenever possible, use numbers to indicate performance. Instead of saying “Managed a team of three” say “Managed a team of three employees who interacted with clients and had a 100% client retention rate over two years.”

Include keywords related to your skill set and background, since many big companies use computers to screen resumes for phrases like “analyst” or “financial modeling.” Have a friend double-check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors, and always be honest. “You cannot succeed in this competitive market if your resume isn’t 100% accurate,” says Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, a career coach and former chief operating officer for Merrill Lynch Campus Recruiting.

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Make sure that your online reputation is clean. Choose to post information that presents you in a positive, professional light. Post your resume on LinkedIn. Start a Twitter account and follow human resources people at companies that interest you. After a few weeks of following them, send them a message directly, saying, “I’d love to talk to you about your company. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to work, and I’d love to hear about your experience there.”

Learn as much as you can about the company. Be prepared for common interview questions. Use the time between jobs to keep existing skills fresh and develop new ones. If you have the resources, take a class in a topic that’s relevant to your field. Volunteer or find freelance work through your network. Develop your network, and don’t be shy about broadcasting your resume to cover all your bases and let everyone you know you are looking for a new job.

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First, reevaluate your resume yourself or consider getting a professional writer to critique it. Make sure you replace expressions like “strong team player” and “possess organizational skills” with strong, active verbs that demonstrate results. Whenever possible, use numbers to indicate performance. Instead of saying “Managed a team of three” say “Managed a team of three employees who interacted with clients and had a 100% client retention rate over two years.”

Include keywords related to your skill set and background, since many big companies use computers to screen resumes for phrases like “analyst” or “financial modeling.” Have a friend double-check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors, and always be honest. “You cannot succeed in this competitive market if your resume isn’t 100% accurate,” says Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, a career coach and former chief operating officer for Merrill Lynch Campus Recruiting.

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Anyone who is currently searching for a new job or that doesn’t want to miss out on an excellent opportunity should make sure their professional credentials are readily accessible online. Employers and recruiters are constantly mining the Internet to find the best people to hire, regardless of whether the candidate has expressed interest in their company, or not.

In addition, recruiters and Human Resource managers, are adding their own profiles to sites like LinkedIn, and making connections with potential candidates for employment. So make sure you have your profile filled out and available on LinkedIn and start networking with the people who can land you a job faster.

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