| CAREERS NOW 02-24-08 |
| Gaining an Edge with Web 2.0 Job Search |
DEAR JOYCE: It seems to me that as an over-50 individual trying to survive
in a time of higher unemployment and greater competition for fewer job openings, I need to take a page from the
younger generation's playbook and smarten up on how I use the Internet to find a new job. I'm already networking
and reading job ads and plan to continue along that portion of the spectrum. Am I wrong? - V.C.
You're right. A smart search is a wide search. A dozen years ago, in the day of Web 1.0, a prime-timer who could
strum a computer well enough to compose and send an e-resume cast an image of being out in front of the pack.
LOOKING YOUNGER. The same thing is true right now for prime-timers who've gotten the hang of using Web 2.0
interactive strategies that are deeper, richer, more complex and, in some respects, more time-consuming than job-chasing
as we've known it. As to how long the new and still novel technology's shine will last is anyone's guess. But embracing
interactivity at this time offers an edge to practitioners of the newer art. So what is it?
Although Web 2.0 is gaining buzz as a term, clarity among the general population about what it means hasn't caught
up. Try this definition from one of the smartest consultants in the recruiting world:
"Simply put, Web 2.0 is the evolution from text-based, online brochure-like Web sites to Web sites that are
interactive, allow control and input from the candidate, and provide information in a variety of formats, including
video, audio, graphics and text. They often focus on blogs, wikis and chat." That's the word from Kevin Wheeler,
president of Global Learning Resources, writing on ERE Daily, a leading Web site for recruitment professionals.
"Another aspect of Web 2.0 is giving the candidate control over the experience and allowing choices. Social
networking sites give a clue as to what will emerge over the next couple of years for recruiting sites," Wheeler
adds.
TELLING HOW. You can dig deeper on Web 2.0 quickly by using these two resources:
- If you're on the job-seeking end, an important new book is about to pop that steps you 1-2-3 through Web 2.0
techniques that you probably haven't thought about before, a sentiment echoed by a couple of friends "in transition,"
(a cool term that means looking for a job) who saw an advance copy. "Internet Your Way to a New Job"
by Alison Doyle will be out soon in paperback and downloadable e-book; look it up on www.happyabout.info/InternetYourWaytoaNewJob.php.
- If you're on the hiring end, find tips on how to use the new technology in recruiting activities by hopping on
www.ere.net and searching for "Web 2.0 Recruiting is Here."
WIDE-ANGLE HUNT. I'm glad you're continuing a 360-degree search, in which you don't overlook hand-to-hand
networking through friends, Uncle Charlie and professional and affinity groups. Or skip checking for both job ads
and developing business news in newspapers, job boards and professional journals. Or slack off dialing for job
leads, ending each call with "Who else should I be talking to?"
At minimum in your daily life, try to take an action a day to move your job search forward because you never know
what will work and what won't. To illustrate, consider what happened to my friend Jeff who uses Web 2.0 but doesn't
neglect reaching out in traditional ways.
Jeff lives in the Washington, D.C., area and for the past year, he's worked for a private start-up company as a
well-paid consultant, a job he found through another parent at his son's school. Great gig, he thought, but the
commute was a killer. Last month Jeff hosted an annual get-together of his former colleagues at a well-known company.
Linda was one of 30 people attending the reunion at Jeff's home.
Two weeks later, disaster stuck when the start-up hit a financial wall and Jeff's consulting job disappeared overnight.
But Jeff didn't have long to sweat his situation. In a stroke of great timing, Linda called him the very next day
with news about a consulting job at a young but established company with a great future. Linda told Jeff that he
sprang to mind after seeing him at the reunion.
Jeff immediately zipped off his excellent resume and was quickly hired at an even higher rate of pay than he'd
been earning. The icing on the cake: the new job is 10 minutes from Jeff's home.
Email Joyce
Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.