LinkedIn has reached a point where you may be considered unprofessional if you don’t have a profile.  It’s easy to create – you’re visible on LinkedIn simply by registering and entering a few brief details about yourself.  However you must also demonstrate that you are fully invested and become engaged with LinkedIn as a social networking tool, to reap any kind of rewards from becoming a member.  Many LinkedIn users have duly filled out a LinkedIn profile, applied for jobs and then found they are not getting any interviews.  Using LinkedIn as a job board can work extremely well, but only if you are utilizing the tool well and to its full potential.

An assertive approach is key

If you are using LinkedIn as a Job Board, you cannot apply the same techniques used with a traditional job board.  You must network, be tenacious and be aggressive if you want to get your foot in the door.

First of all, bring value to your profile and to the network.  Be active and update your status.  What are you reading?  What seminars are you attending?  Which interesting industry people did you meet?  The more you put in, the more you get out.  If an active recruiter does connect with you on LinkedIn, they will expect you to be an active user and be able to read about your recent – and relevant – endeavors, not just past employment history.

Secondly, don’t limit yourself to networking amongst existing friends, colleagues and acquaintances.  Extend your reach.  For example, if you’re interested in the pharmaceutical industry, try searching with some pharmaceutical keywords – and connecting with some of the many small to medium businesses that pop up.

LinkedIn is your real estate on the internet. If you put the time in to maintain it and keep it looking fresh and up-to-date, you will reap the rewards.  If you don’t, you will find there is no benefit to owning your profile on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is Changing

LinkedIn has changed a lot over the last 18 months – and you have to keep up.  The good thing is that amongst all the changes, the usability of the site has improved.  The dashboard has evolved, and it’s useful to stay up-to-date when changes are made.  As many new fields and functions have been added and irregular users have fallen behind, creating gaping holes in many established profiles.  That just doesn’t look professional.  LinkedIn is sure to evolve further and it’s imperative to keep up appearances and not let your profile slide.

Some of the new tools added are great visibility-boosters, such as ‘Answers’.  Ask questions if there’s something you want to know about, but more importantly respond to questions and your profile will become more noticeable.  ‘Skills’ is another more recent key addition.  LinkedIn even suggests skills for you based on your resume and keywords in your profile – but you have to actively select those skills for employers to come across your profile in their search for a good candidate.

Now You’re Ready

If you’re satisfied your profile is the most up to date, populated and connected it can be, you’re ready to use ‘Apply with LinkedIn’. It’s worth noting that companies add this button to increase applications for a position – and you want to be the candidate that stands out for all the right reasons.  Impressive recommendations, established contacts, and a professional, well-written profile.  You’ll be sitting in that new role in no time!

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Join our open group on LinkedIn for more career tips > Resume Target – A Resume Writing and Job Search Strategy Company

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Our ideal candidate must have:

A strong work ethic
A tenacious hunger to succeed
A need to have ownership in their role
A good track record in sales
Technical and business savvy

Typically, the ISS directs the entire sales process from initial account identification and on-going customer relationship. ISS represents the company to the customer (partner) and retains overall client responsibility. ISS are the primary contact and engagement point between the client and must be self-governing.

Our ideal candidate is a highly motivated, result driven and dynamic leader that can influence and drive new and renewal business of Service Solutions and Offerings to our customers helping them realize the potential use of their our programs.

The Role is also expected to continuously adapt the organization’s changing conditions, evolving priorities and ensuring readiness to meet future demand. The ISS will personally drive interaction with key clients

Primary Responsibilities include:

Manager coaching and development, and maintaining highly successful report that produce a healthy Services pipeline; Driving development of business growth in cooperation with Analyst Teams; Increasing customer satisfaction; Meeting services revenue commitments; Refining existing and developing new sales processes to improve efficiency; Partnering closely with the all directors, HQ Sales and Marketing team.

The ISS adds value to customers by providing an executive/professional presence and continuity to interface with customers at every level. Success in this regard is measured by customer satisfaction scores and anecdotal feedback, an expanded # of customer contacts and increased Services penetration into other areas of the customer’s network.

The ISS candidate must have proven experience in growing and managing a services pipeline utilizing CRM technologies. The candidate must have superior, business development and business management skills. The candidate should demonstrate an senior level of proficiency in conflict and negotiation management with a proven ability to provide timely feedback and influence direction. Depth of experience in a variety of applicable solutions sales is recommended and strong services business knowledge is needed. This individual must be able to understand and articulate vision to a variety of audiences.

Primary Commitments (Goals first year)
Services Quota Attainment
Services Strategy Target Attainment

Qualifications:

The candidate will have a minimum of 3+ years or more of proven experience in Solutions Sales/Services selling, with a minimum of 1 year proven Sales Management experience, preferably Services Sales Management, combined with a BA/BS degree or equivalent professional development and work experiences.

+++ CRM knowledge is a must (salesforce, zoho, Infusionsoft)
Desired Skills & Experience

Proven track record of sales success, meeting and exceeding sales targets, and penetrating new accounts/markets/competitive through proficiency in prospecting, lead qualification, sales and negotiations

· Highly motivated goal-oriented self starter with ability to work autonomously and as part of a team, takes initiative to make things happen, identifies what needs to be done and does it.

· Exceptional interpersonal skills strong verbal phone communication, effective benefit-oriented presentation skills and robust influencing skills with persistence to overcome objectives.

· Excellent organizational, project management and time management skills, including multitasking and ability to prioritize and meet deadlines, follow up and attention to detail. Adaptable to multiple requests and daily changes.

· Ability to interact effectively with all levels of an organization, both internally and with external customers.

· Creative Problem Solving –Strong analytical skills demonstrating ability to identify root causes of problems; generate and evaluate creative alternative solutions; implement problem resolutions quickly and effectively with fact-based decisions.

· Dependable: Being reliable, responsible, dedicated, committed, and fulfilling obligations

· Adaptable/Flexible: Being open to change (positive or negative) in response to new information, different or unexpected circumstances, and/or to work in ambiguous situations in a high paced environment with changing needs

· High Integrity: Accepting and adhering to high ethical, moral, and personal values in decisions, communications, actions, and when dealing with others

· Experience with Customer Relationship Management tools

Please forward your resume in confidence to: amos@resumetarget.com

A recent survey done by ResumeTarget.com on LinkedIn confirmed what entry-level professionals already know when looking for a job and going to job interviews: the biggest problem breaking into the market nowadays is a lack of experience. According to the numbers, 61% of the participants believe this to be the biggest issue.

“I am going to be a new grad in April 2012, so I have begun my professional job search just recently. Most of the job postings I have found require at least a year of experience. I don’t understand how entry-level positions can require that much experience. You would need at least four internships to get a year’s worth of experience”, says Curtis Denos, Math tutor at BYU-Idaho.

The survey also showed that (12%) chose lack of confidence as the other biggest issue.

11% of the survey’s participants pinpointed lack of information about the opportunity when they apply and read job descriptions. Lack of coaching for job interviews –  received 10% of the votes – and “difficulty in building a resume” came in at 7%.

The majority (60%) that answered the survey were men between 18 to 29 years old. The survey was done between September 19^th and October 4^th.

Because of the recession, young people have been finding it difficult to break into the corporate world. A degree is no longer a certainty of getting a good job after all. “School brilliance does not necessarily translate into real life applicability. I think those grads that have real work experience or solid volunteer experience demonstrating their skills and abilities will have a leg up when it comes to getting a first chance”, says Stephanie Douglas, owner and operator at Culture & Diversity Consulting for Our Colourful World.

For Hardik Jogani, Senior Design Capstone Project at Rutgers University, lack of networking skills can also be a problem. “There is a big emphasis on who you know and not only what you know. If a student builds his or her network early, he or she will be able to gain plenty of experience through internships and extracurricular activities.”

Sarah Gayer, owner of Sare and Associates, believes this is the key to success, be it for new grads or more experienced workers. “You need to start networking as soon as possible. While in school or employed. There is nothing like being approached by someone, who is all of a sudden asking you for a job when they could not be bothered before to even give you the time of day. Networking is something that needs to be done every day and it is ongoing, it never ends”.

She believes everybody should have a management plan and not only applying to job boards once in a while. For Sarah, the jobs are there, but, as they are not being advertised, you have to get known by the company.

But how do you get the employers’ attention if you don’t have enough experience? Deborah Rooney, who is the owner of Power Resumes & Coaching, suggests looking to the resume first. “The challenge for my new grads has been how to build a sharp resume and cover letter, how to navigate their job search, along with the important fact that many of their parents have been downsized. These parents have been unemployed at length and those jobs were eventually divided into multiple opportunities for grads.”

Steve Gallison, master team member at Career Management Alliance and founding director at POAC, believes you have to think out of the box sometimes. For his son, who graduated with a dual degree in business and marketing, the alternative was to open a large restaurant chain and create a plan to open a 40-seat restaurant/bar. “My son says ‘Since the ship wasn’t coming in, I was acquiring the skills and stamina to swim out to the ship’. Starting a restaurant business in this economy is iffy, but he will be poised to take advantage of the business when the economy gets back on its feet”.

In fact there are three things entry level professionals can do to compensate for the lack of experience. The first thing is to create a professional profile on social media websites.

The other two are networking and volunteering, and they can also be related.

Tip: Entry level professionals have to be more social and start networking early. Find places where they can meet people in their industry and start building out relationships. Another good alternative is to network through volunteering. This way, you can be referred you to other people, opening possible new opportunities of engagement with potential employers and hiring authorities.

I encourage entry-level candidates to stay tenacious, but also humble. You have to know how to use your transferable skills and know your personal professional pitch. You have to be able to communicate your value with clarity and without mumbling.

Got a question: amos@resumetarget.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tayts

Connect with me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Staff_MD

I explain LinkedIn to my clients and friends in one sentence: “LinkedIn is Facebook for Professionals only”. It’s a social networking tool designed specifically for business professionals, companies, job-seekers and employers. It has over 110 million members in a plethora of industries. A majority are white collar workers hoping to further their career through this enhanced networking tool.

 So, how can you make the most of this increasingly popular professional networking tool? Let’s go through nine ways you can use LinkedIn to enhance your job search strategy.

 1.      Get the word out – Let people know that you’re looking for a new opportunity by updating your status. This tells your network of connections that you’re interested in new career opportunities. This will be even better if you beef up your network with more connections – colleagues, professors (if you’re a new graduate) or former colleagues.  

 2.      Get recommendations from your colleagues – LinkedIn is a great resource to share your references virally. It enables you to ask your connections for recommendations and post them on your LinkedIn page. Having your colleagues, peers and vendors to vouch for your track record can go a long way in advancing your credibility. Make sure your recommendations are not fluffy or sound fake, potential hiring authorities view solid recommendations as insights to the way you operate.

 3.      Find out where people with your background are working – Scope out companies in your industry and find out which people are working there. You can even do an advanced search to see if anybody you know works for those companies. If there are, this is a good opportunity for you to connect with them and ask them if their company is recruiting new talent. This is a great way to tap into the hidden job market.

 4.      Find out where people at a company came from – LinkedIn offers a special tool that allows you to see the career paths of individuals who’ve worked for a particular company.  It’s called “Company Profiles” and it’s a very useful application to find out what kind of experience a company is looking for in new hires as well as job Functions, Years of Experience, Educational Degree and even the university they attended. Here is a good example of statistics: http://www.linkedin.com/company/mckesson-provider-technologies/statistics

 5.      Find out where people at a company go next – LinkedIn’s “Company Profiles” tool also lets you see where people at a certain company go next after leaving the company. You can track down exactly where employees go after working for one company and find out where other people go from other companies in your sector. This could help you decide which places to work for and which to avoid.

 6.      Check to see if a company is hiring – You can optimize your job search by going to the company pages on LinkedIn and accessing the “New Hires” section. It lists all the people who’ve joined a company and if you’re really curious, you can ask these new employees how they managed to get their first job. Activate your Sherlock Holmes-like qualities to learn the backgrounds of these people that made them so attractive to the manager.

 7.      Contact the hiring manager – Not only does LinkedIn provide the option of searching for jobs, but you can also see who posted the job. Pay close attention to the ones who live two degrees away from you. You may even know the person who posted the job! If you’re unable get in touch with the hiring manager, you can also use LinkedIn to find someone inside the company and ask them to deliver your resume to the hiring manager or HR department. Hiring managers are likely to pay more attention to resumes when they get it from internal co-workers. A great way to become your own headhunter!

 8.      Find out the secret job requirements – Job postings rarely list all the skills a hiring manager is seeking in a new employee. LinkedIn is a great way for you to find an in within a particular company to get the inside scoop on what’s required. To do this, search for the company name and looking up the people in your network who connect you to that company. If you don’t have an inside connection, just view the profiles of the people who work for that company to get an idea of their specific background and skills.

 9.      Find start-up companies to join – Widen your spectrum of opportunities, there’s always great start-up companies. You can try working for a new company especially if you’re just starting out in your job search. It’s a great opportunity especially for new graduates to gain some experience before jumping in with the bigwigs. Use LinkedIn’s advanced search engine and enter keywords like “start-up” in the company field. You can also narrow your job search by industry (e.g. start-up in Web 2.0, wireless or biotech sectors).

 Keep in mind that in this day and age, professional networking tools like LinkedIn can be great assets. It’s all about marketability. So, optimize your profile, connect with professionals in your industry and get yourself out there!

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Join our open group on LinkedIn > Resume Target – A Resume Writing and Job Search Strategy Company

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Need help developing a job search strategy and professional public profile on LinkedIn?

Get a Free Comprehensive Resume & Job Search Strategy Analysis, with a Professional Career Coach

This is the beginning of a series of articles I will be writing for anyone who is looking to build a stronger presence on LinkedIn and utilize the site to forge new opportunities.

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As an executive recruiter and head hunter, let me start by saying that I have helped clients use just about every means of social media in their quest for a fulfilling career. It is the modern-day job fair that never ends. I have always viewed the two icons of social media, Facebook and Twitter, as such. Facebook is the place where you reconnect with friends from school and share stories or hear about their marvellous jobs. Twitter is the place for the creative and the motivated to share information instantly; this is where ideas and advice are exchanged.

Now one might ask, surely there must be a place that would merge the two ideas into a unified experience?

In walks LinkedIn.com with its swagger and charm.

LinkedIn is like Facebook dressed in a suit and Twitter carrying a briefcase. The emphasis of LinkedIn is on making the network of professional contacts visible. It helps you see who you know and suggests new connections for you to forge. It follows the familiar “friending method” of Facebook. Using a streamlined interface, which mirrors aspects of the social icons, LinkedIn offers a forum and online community of thousands of employers, large and small, from Microsoft and Nike to your local home town poutine truck simply trying to do business. In my opinion, LinkedIn is like facebook but for professionals only.

I  posed the question on Recruitingblogs.com about other recruiters’ impression of LinkedIn and how would they explain linkedIn to people who might not have heard of it using just one sentence. While most recruiters agree on LinkedIn being the most relevant professional networking platform of our times, others like Tony Palm liken it to “going to a business after hours event on line.” Katrina Collier writes, “LinkedIn allows you to reach hiring managers without going via HR or an agent.” Recruiting Animal sums it up as “an online database of professional profiles” – Read more here: http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/how-do-you-explain-linkedin-to

LinkedIn is aggressively trying to have the white collar workers everywhere make LinkedIn their number one choice. In the past 7 years, LinkedIn has grown to over a hundred million users. LinkedIn gives you options on how deep you want to expand your connections, offering a variety of packages to increase your modes of communication with existing and new connections. The value in these packages is unmatchable and crucial for success. If you are just starting out and want to connect to someone you have no connection with, Bill gates for example, it says to that potential new connection, “I would like to do business with you,” but it doesn’t say that half-heartedly at a bar over drinks. It says it with a pressed (electronic) business card and a firm handshake. So, if you are starting out your career, LinkedIn for you can be like an exclusive contact list in a brand new smart phone.

Speaking of smart phones, LinkedIn also has a mobile app. This allows you and the new connections you make to instantly connect via LinkedIn. The mobile app has a very intuitive interface that allows you to navigate many of the common features of LinkedIn. Just like the twitter and Facebooks apps, it is free. As a result, you are not only on the market for a professional social setting, you now also have the ability to find and access your online community anywhere you go, plane, train or long commute, and you can keep your LinkedIn account with you at all times.

And of course, the most important thing to remember is that this is not the place to share your every thought or opinion; you have Twitter and Facebook for that. Nobody on LinkedIn needs to know what you did last night, in fact, it might even harm your chances of getting that new opportunity. This is the place where you share advice on anything and everything concerning your career, including resume tips. So no sharing pictures of your “exciting” weekend.

Be prepared, LinkedIn could be the ticket to your next interview.

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Need help developing a job search strategy and professional public profile on LinkedIn?

Get a Free Comprehensive Resume & Job Search Strategy Analysis, with a Professional Resume Writer.

Instead of feeling crushed by the negative experience, Earl began updating his portfolio, which included getting his cover letter and resume done professionally. He decided to build a blog, customized it to his personality and posted his resume, cover letter, and samples of his work on his blog. Earl knew building a blog is one thing, “but getting people to read it is another.”

Earl began searching his favorite social media sites for groups, fan pages, and notable people in his industry.  He approached social media as he would an interaction at a coffee shop – a polite introduction, honest and respectful conversation, and above all authenticity.  By researching people’s online profiles, Earl felt encouraged by the fact that even the top CEOs once started further down on the ladder.

E‌arl followed not just CEOs, but also the people the CEOs followed. This at times ended up being staff members and crew, who gave very helpful advice to everyone about making it in the industry. Earl took their advice, and every month updated his blog with a new project he had started. With multiple projects on the go, Earl was updating every day. Thanks to his good sense of blog organization, he kept the projects grouped together.

Earl also changed the way he used Facebook and Twitter. Earl knew potential employers were watching.  He changed his online profile to reflect a more professional look. Earl updated his Facebook and Twitter status whenever he posted to his blog.  He would receive re-tweets and shared links galore. Earl enjoyed being engaged with this online community.

What Earl didn’t realize just yet was the magnitude of his network. With his blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts, he had made quality connections with people in his industry and one day caught the eye of a recruiter at Google.  Referred by Earl’s friend from school, Marcus, the recruiter called and requested to meet Earl over coffee to discuss his blog.  Earl thought he was going to meet a student or a teacher from his school to discuss his projects.

The coffee date was more formal then Earl had expected. He was asked a wide variety of questions about his projects and career goals. Earl answered all questions in a definitive manner and spoke honestly. If something did not go right, he admitted to it and explained the solution that he was working on to fix the problem. Earl was genuinely surprised when the “student” offered him valuable solutions to some of the challenges. However, the true shock came when Earl learned that his new friend represented Google, and he had just passed his first interview. Earl was then invited for a  follow up interview.

Why was Earl shocked when he found himself in a job interview with Google?

Earl did not directly follow this person on Twitter nor did he know he existed in the capacity of a recruiter. However Earl’s friend Marcus retweeted Earl’s work constantly, and it so happened that the recruiter followed Marcus on Twitter.

Earl arrived early to the second interview and was promptly taken to meet the project manager Eric. Eric liked to hold his interviews over games of chance in order to gauge a person’s character and interpersonal skills. Much like the recruiter, Eric submitted to Earl a series of problems and asked him  how he would go on to build solutions.

Earl felt lost as he had never been in what was an informal interview with behavioral  questions.  At first, he felt unsure, but managed to calm down quickly as was instructed by his  interview coach in interview review exercises. Eric was impressed by Earl’s composure and integrity and asked Earl to follow him to a conference room. Inside the conference room was a large screen displaying a Google executive.

Earl described what followed as surreal. He was asked one technical question to which he knew the answer. However, then the big wig floored him with a question he did not expect, “Who would win in a fight: Han Solo or Indiana Jones?”  Earl was taken back and answered honestly, he did not know. The big wig smiled and asked Earl to turn to Eric. Eric presented Earl with Non-Disclosure Agreements and an offer of employment.

What happened to Earl can certainly happen to you. 85% percent of Fortune 500 companies have Twitter accounts and update them daily. That is double from 2009. While LinkedIn is a newer company in comparison to the big job boards, its close to 100 million members are there to do business and that business includes hiring top talent.

It’s easy to forget but in the 21st Century, old fashioned courtesy and manners still play a pivotal role in how you are viewed in the eyes of potential employers. Earl had friends review his work, his updates, and especially his resume and cover letter. A good rule of thumb for him was to update his resume quarterly, and update his blog and Twitter accounts daily. He also posed questions every other day to Facebook and Linkedin groups. While it may seem like all Earl did was surf the net, the truth is that he spent about three hours a day implementing a unique career strategy, which eventually paid off.

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Need help developing your job search strategy? We can help. Get a Free Comprehensive Resume & Job Search Strategy Analysis, click here: http://www.resumetarget.com/resume_review.php

If you are a freelancer or contract worker then you are in luck, especially those in the digital design industry. The number of people in the digital and design industry working as freelancers increased five-folds in the UK last year, meaning the self-employed now account for more than a quarter of the British workforce in the digital world. Similar trends are observed in Canada and the US. While Canada saw a decrease in employment in various sectors, including finance and manufacturing, an increase was recorded in the number of self-employed individuals by Statistics Canada.

The Canadian economy is recovering from a recession but companies continue to seek cost-cutting measures, mainly by reducing the size of their workforce. In the US, among the unemployed, the number of jobs lost and persons who completed temporary jobs rose by 390,000 to 9.5 million in November 2010. The number of long-term unemployed – those jobless for 27 weeks or over – remained unchanged at 6.3 million. North of the border, economists say, Canada’s labor market recovery is presently being fuelled by self-employment, temporary work and part-time positions. These figures automatically increase the demand for freelancers and contract workers, meaning, people like you. If in the past you have only worked in full-time capacity, perhaps now is the time to look at your overall job description, extract transferable skills and apply for freelance or contract work. For instance, people experience in web 2.0 may want to apply for freelance work as a webpage designer.

As a freelancer how do you ensure getting noticed? A simple Google search for job sites directs you to Monster, CareerBuilder, and even Craigslist. However, applying to those massive places may not get you noticed. It’s analogous to going to the football stadium and wearing your team’s colors – you blend right in. But what if you showed up in a mascot costume?  That would certainly get you noticed. The point is that even though there has been an increase in contract work, you need to stand out to get employed. The easiest way to get noticed without affecting your credibility is by narrowing the competition.  Independent research shows that certain freelance job websites are making their way to the top of the search engines. So, if you are a freelancer, here are 5 sites you NEED to be on.

FlexJobs – With over 50 career categories and jobs ranging from entry-level to executive, freelance to full-time, FlexJobs offers something for everyone. “FlexJobs is different from 99% of the job services out there in that we focus tirelessly on the quality and professionalism of the job leads you’ll find on our site. You won’t ever see any ads, scams, MLMs, duplicates, or other junk… just great, hand-screened jobs, and all of which offer some kind of work flexibility such as telecommuting, part-time or flextime schedules, or freelance contracts,” says Sarah Fell, CEO of FlexJobs.com. FlexJobs also offers benefits for job-seekers such as Skill Testing, expert tips and resources, excellent customer service, and a satisfaction guarantee. Most of the jobs on their website are US-based, but FlexJobs also have a good handful of jobs in Canada and abroad. FlexJobs offers a full refund policy in case they are unable to find a job that matches your location, interests, or requirements.

Elance – In 2010, Elance saw a stagnant traditional job market and capitalized in the world of online jobs. With a 40 per cent increase in online jobs this year, Elance saw 400,000 new jobs posted on their website, according to Ellen Pack, VP Marketing and Communications for Elance. “Online jobs offer great flexibility to the employer and minimize the overhead charges associated with a new hire and from a potential employee’s perspective, online work not only offers a one-minute-commute but also more independence and control over a project,” says Pack.

Elance welcomes freelancers from all industries, as well as those needing projects completed in all industries. To ensure the quality of both freelancers and project creators, Elance recommends that freelancers and project creators use the escrow system. This system allows project creators to place the payment for the project in an account and keep it there until the freelancer has turned in the work.  When the project creator is satisfied, he or she can release the payment to the freelancer. This system helps prevent conflicts or problems from arising. The feedback system  takes into account the professionalism, speed, expertise, and communication of both the freelancer and the project creator and thus protects the interest of everyone involved.

Elance is expecting at least 50% increase in online jobs in 2011 as more and more professionals  embrace online work, says Ellen Pack.

oDesk – With a clear focus of creating a hub for contract workers, oDesk is a breath of fresh air in the world of online job search. In your profile, you can set the times you are available to work, your rate, business projects and proposals, and off you go. The latest oDesk numbers show employers spending over $12M on contract work, close to 60,000 jobs posted, and overall online work gain of 121%. What does that mean for you? It means, if you are a freelancer or contract worker, your chances of getting hired are increased tremendously irrespective of where you might be in the world. 

The most outstanding feature of oDesk is the transparency of the entire process and Gary Swart, the CEO of oDesk, takes great pride in that. “Employers love oDesk because they can trust that an hour billed is an hour worked, and contractors because an hour worked is an hour paid. oDesk facilitates trust throughout the relationship from hiring, contracting, managing and working together, and payment, regardless of where the contractor is in the world,” says Swart. Once hired, everyone on the project can see the progress being made as oDesk maps out a visual completion date for the project. According to Gary Swart, “the economy, globalization and the internet are creating a greater opportunity for global employment more than any other time in history. oDesk, the largest and fastest growing global work platform is proud of the work we have done to create opportunities for companies to get more work done for less and for contractors to make money regardless of where they live in the world.” In the last few years, oDesk has made its place in the online world and today it is considered ”the largest, fastest growing, and most trusted marketplace for remote work.”

Guru – This site is the world’s largest online marketplace for freelance talent.  Founded in 1998,  Guru.com is free to join and connects businesses with freelancers specializing in over 220 professional categories including:  website design, programming, graphic design, business consulting, and administrative support. Employers seeking professional expertise locally, nationally or globally get quotes from freelancers for free.  While some other sites deal strictly with one type of contract work, this is the hub and the number of projects is doubling each month.

Freelancer – Freelancer.com is yet another global marketplace for online and freelance jobs where businesses connect with independent service providers and freelancers to outsource their work. The site connects over 1.8 million total users globally from over 234 countries & regions. Through the website, employers can hire freelancers to do work in a wide range of areas, from  software and design to engineering and the sciences, sales and marketing, and accounting & legal services. Since the average job size is under US $200, freelancer.com is extremely cost effective for small businesses, which often need a variety of jobs to be done, but cannot justify the expense of hiring full-time employees. What this means for you is that there is never a shortage of work for you and you can be employed and working from your home office, managing your salary and schedule while enhancing your network and resume at the same time.

Start researching and if you think you have some talents that might be contractible, you have an excellent stepping stone in these sites and major companies will soon start calling. Make sure to read the online reviews and use your own diligence before signing up for a website. The key to your success will be research and preparation. Good luck!

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Need help developing your job search strategy? We can help. Get a Free Comprehensive Resume & Job Search Strategy Analysis, click here: http://www.resumetarget.com/resume_review.php

You might have a social network more sinuous than a spider’s web and an online presence that would impress Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

But when it comes to landing a job, the old-fashioned resume still trumps all.

That’s the opinion of three experts in the recruitment and job-seeking field nationwide. “Until we come up with a way where we can send a hologram of a person,” says Amos Tayts, a Toronto-based former recruiter with offices across Canada and the U.S. helping people looking for work, “the resume is the only way that people will know who you are, and what you bring to the table.”

Although there is industry talk of a ’resume 2.0’ comprising video profiles in which candidates speak about their impact on increasing sales at a company or reducing costs, for instance, the familiar resume is still expected by anyone hiring or recruiters.

“It’s the standby — like the old pair of jeans that people are comfortable with,” says Jeff Aplin, who recruits out of Calgary. He says the importance of a resume cannot be overstated. “It means everything to get to the next step, such as the phone or face-to-face interview.”

Vancouver-based executive search consultant Shaun Carpenter brands a resume the “quintessential jumping-off point.” He says there was speculation it might become redundant with the rise of online sites such as LinkedIn, which lists your career and recommendations among numerous features. “But I don’t believe it will,” adds the associate partner at Pinton Forrest & Madden. “There’s a holistic approach to getting a job. In terms of social media and resumes, one goes with another. The network helps to get your resume seen by the right people, but a resume is still the key starting point.”

Carpenter says most employers want to see no more than two pages, and all want to see them tailored to their corporation and culture. He advises thinking in terms of a full day’s worth of research: Look at everything online on the potential employer and download its financial reports and any news stories about the company.

Those hiring want to see that candidates recognize what the organization is currently going through and the significance of its business. “The resume needs to really prove that you understand what you are looking at and be speaking to the cogent points that are identified in an advertisement,” says Carpenter. “Pull out points and address issues. It really has to be customized — use your knowledge, intuition and research ability — and avoid using formulaic vocabulary, such as ‘team player’ or ‘highly motivated.’ These will not cut it.”

When describing the assets you bring to a job, make sure it is backed up by your working life. “You want to highlight different dimensions of your experience to be congruent with that organization and that specific job,” says Aplin, the COO at David Aplin Recruiting. “Ensure there are no empty words.”

A resume can be a way to show your personality, he suggests. Include a few aspects that are unique to you such as a health or community initiative with which you were involved, for example, if appropriate to the job. “If a typical HR person is filtering through a high volume of resumes, you might be able to add colour or zing to your resume to make it more interesting to read,” he says.

In explaining your career, adds Carpenter, never put the onus on the reader to do further research. “I can’t stand when I get a resume and they have the company name but nothing about size, scope, nature of business, reporting structure, revenue,” he says. “You should be able to look at the resume and get all the information you need to make a decision.”

Employers find it hard to resist “compelling” resumes, according to Tayts. “In order to stand out and get to the top 10 per cent of the talent pool, you need to have a resume that is able to articulate value very quickly,” says the founder of ResumeTarget Inc. He estimates it takes around nine seconds for a hiring manager to propel the applicant to the next stage.

Enlisting professional advice in writing your resume is often the best approach, according to Aplin. “It’s a good thing to polish or make the writing more attractive or engaging,” he says. Carpenter, however, stresses the need for resumes to remain personal to the applicant. “I don’t want resumes to look like they have all been written the same way,” he says, adding: “If you believe this is your dream job, you should be putting in a lot of effort.”

Honestly, who are you kidding? Can you really be objective about your own unique attributes, professional accomplishments and goals? Moreover, can you articulate them in way that is clear and concise yet persuasive to the hiring authority?

Many applicants vie for a single position. And more often than not, the most qualified candidate does not get the job. Why? Because other people better represented themselves in their resumes than him. Because others got professional help and he did not.

What is the current market like in your niche? Who’s hiring, who’s firing and why? Is your market expanding or contracting? How does this affect your employment possibilities, job stability and professional future? What are the key things employers are looking for in your market? What would make you the ideal candidate for the position you are seeking?

All these, and more, are questions that you need to consider when applying for a job. And the answers to these questions? Well, they can be found at ResumeTarget.com. This is what the team at ResumeTarget.com does day in and day out, in over 52 industries across North America, as well as other neighbouring markets and niches.

With their ears to the ground, they are constantly testing the pulse of the marketplace, detecting new hiring trends and soaking in all the insider secrets. Then, armed with this knowledge, they help jobseeker get the professional results they deserve.

ResumeTarget.com professional resume writers conduct in-depth interviews with candidates to extract their core strengths, significant contributions and key accomplishments. Their resume writing service will translate your past work experiences and unique assets into current and future career opportunities.

Most hiring authorities casually discard resumes that do not contain specific niche buzz words, action phrases and industry jargon. ResumeTarget.com professionals speak your language; more importantly, they speak the markets’ language. With more than 10 years of recruiting experience on the team, they will help you clearly define your professional brand and help position you as a top candidate.

For more information on how ResumeTarget.com can improve your marketability and get you hired, visit ResumeTarget.com today!

Résumés attempt to tell stories about who we are and what we did/do, all within the context of the working environment. These stories are told through the words and formats we choose to describe our skills and accomplishments. A compelling resume should clearly, concisely and creatively capture the essence of an individual on one or two sheets of paper.

Résumé and cover letter writing has become a fine art. Hundreds of books have been written on it; thousands of web sites offer advice and services. It’s a profitable business, fuelled by communication technologies and the rapid expansion of small businesses.

It is my contention that due to this evolution and growth of technology and business, résumés have become an aberrant mutation of its original self, now incapable of accurately describing the person behind the paper. Résumés in either ink or bytes, brimming with key words and phrases, and the latest context sensitive corporate or cyberspace buzzwords, fail to properly characterize the person behind the paper—his/her individuality, originality and creativity.

The purpose and origin of the résumé was two-fold. Mainly, it was developed to speed up the hiring process. The goal was to quickly and effortlessly weed out the unqualified and unsuitable applicants before the interview. But more importantly, the design allowed people to set themselves apart from the competition. The resume was the perfect outlet for people to showcase their unique skills and experiences in order to stand out from the masses of other candidates applying for the same job.

The challenge has always been to describe or define oneself—and not just one’s work history—as being exceptional and savvy without sounding the same or similar to someone else. But this ideal is rarely achieved; instead, words within the résumé format have reached their saturation point. Some words have lost their intended purposes and meanings altogether. Ironically, they now serve to create a sameness, an identification, with everyone else. For instance, does the word “sale” really mean anything in retail anymore? It is plastered on everything we see, use and buy these days; it has lost any fragment of meaning.

There are only a limited set of words in the English language that can be used to describe “excellence,” “character,” “achievement,” “individuality,” “direction,” “innovation,” etc. And most people who are résumé savvy use the same or similar descriptors to describe themselves and their accomplishments. The result is that instead of looking different, people describing themselves on paper all begin to look the same.

In our attempt for speed, efficiency, and differentiation within the hiring process, we have inadvertently produced an unexpected sameness and an unforeseen identification with every other candidate applying for the same position. In the words of the almost now forgotten Peter Principle, “it [the resume] has risen to its highest level of incompetence.” It can no longer honestly function as a spokesperson for that rare and special individual behind the piece of paper or electronic byte.

Within just a few more years the résumé will morph into something totally different from what it is today. It will soon become audio- and video-dependent. Our new technologies will make presenting oneself more personalized, intuitive and interactive. Linkedin is just the beginning of one of those tools. It will eventually evolve into a sophisticated pre-programmed hologram of the individual.

Is the résumé on its way out?

Stay connected to find out, as we bring you the latest cutting edge solutions designed to give your unique skill sets greater impact during your job search and get you further into the hiring matrix.

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Got a question: amos@resumetarget.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tayts

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