Central Valley Jobs Blog

I’ve posted about social media and its use in a job search before along with an infographic that contains some pretty staggering statistics.  Social media is a giant pool that is becoming an ocean.  While Twitter and Facebook are mainly for personal use, sites like LinkedIn lean more toward the professional side of things.  You may think you have your LinkedIn profile wired for sound, but the do you really?

Employers are utilizing all sorts of different software to find likely candidates these days and these programs include scouring social media sites like LinkedIn.  First of all, if you don’t have a LinkedIn account and you’re looking for work, step number one is getting a profile set up.  That means including all of your work history since you never know who’s connected to who and what could result in your efforts.

The second thing is to make sure all of your profile settings will enhance your chances of getting noticed, and not hinder them.  Blogging4Jobs posted an article about this very topic.  The article talks about three settings every active job-seeking LinkedIn account should have and why.  Head over to Blogging4Jobs site to read the post in its entirety, then be sure to check your settings.

I take a lot of guff from family and friends when they see me hunched over my phone.  They know I’m not about the make a call and they know I’m not sending a text.  I’m either catching up on Facebook, or catching up on Twitter.  The admission to what I’m doing normally results in an eye roll followed by a verbal cease and desist, but I just continue about my business.

We live in the age of social media.  There’s no disputing that fact.  With the advances of technology, and having the far reaches of the globe at a finger swipe away, it’s not surprising to find out that the way people search for jobs is changing along with the digital landscape.  The days of sending out hard-copies of resumes, cover letters and references is slowly going the way of the dinosaur.  It’s not extinct yet, but with the advent of email, online resume submission and good old fashioned networking, it very well could be some day.

I came across a very interesting piece of information today.  That is that 36.6 million people found a job by way of social media.  That figure stopped me in my tracks.  Blogging 4 Jobs posted an in depth infographic showing the figures and even though it may take a few looks to really absorb, it’s pretty darned impressive.  Click the image below to enlarge it and be sure to head over the Blogging 4 Jobs to check out the full post.

When you’re looking for a job you’ve no doubt had people tell you how to go about the process. People feel free to give advice on every little thing, but someone who’s been in the same industry for the past 20 years tells you the best way to go about looking for a job may not be the best source of information. You can spend hours on the Internet going through advice articles and reading anything and everything on the subject until your eyeballs pop out of your head. Parents love to throw advice to their kids when they’re looking for a job. Do this, don’t do that. I’ve been there, I know how it is. That standards that held true 20 years ago, don’t necessarily apply in today’s climate. With the dawn of the electronic and social media age, everything has changed, even job hunting.

MSN posted an article a while back about this very topic. It outlines things that applies back in 1991 that may not hold true in 2011. Scary to think that 1991 was a whopping 20 years ago, but it was, and things have most definitely changed. Head on over to MSN Careers to read the entire article and brush up on those job hunting skills.

Sometimes reading through all of the different job descriptions out there can be a nightmare.  Sometimes even job descriptions for the same position at different companies can be vastly different.  Eventually your eye glaze over and they all start to look the same.  It’s helpful to understand just the meaning behind those cryptic sayings.  It can be frustrating and feel like you’re trying to piece together a puzzle, but you’re missing a few pieces.

According to this Monster.com article, one should be wary of sayings like “Lots of growth opportunity” or “Flexibility on Work Hours.”  Most of the time, the job seeker would think that these phrases refer to the person taking the job.  Even though a job description is worded to sound appealing to the job seeker, sometimes it’s to benefit the employer.  Check out the full article for a list of job description terms and the hidden meaning behind them.

Did you know that CentralValleyJobs.com has a Resume Database?  As a job seeker, you able to enter all of your resume information and be part of the database that employers use to find qualified candidates.  The steps to do this are easy.  All you have to do is set up a job seeker account with us and enter your info at no charge.

If you don’t already have a resume on file with us, or don’t already have an account, just click on “Upload Resume” under the job seeker section in the left sidebar.  From there the system will prompt you on what information you need to enter.  One question we get asked is regarding uploading an actual Word or PDF doc file.  At this time our system does not support those.  The reason for this is because of the search function.  We want to give you the best opportunity to have your resume viewed by searching employers and the system we have in place now is best served for that purpose.

By setting up a job seeker account and entering your resume information, you will be able to submit the resume on our system to ads where the employer has enabled that function.  That save you from having to draft a separate email.  You can also save jobs to your Jobs Inbox to go back and apply to them at a later time.  The jobs in your inbox will also show you which jobs you have already applied to and when.

We also have an Email Notifications function in place.  If you check the box in this section, you’ll be alerted when a position is posted in the same category that your resume is listed under.  Stay on top of the newest jobs that may suit you by signing up.

If your work history covers several different categories we have given you the option to enter multiple copies of your resume.  Most advice columns will tell you it’s good to tailor your resume for each position you apply for.  Our system lets you do that by supporting more than one copy.

We hope you find this information useful and will consider placing your resume on our system.   Get started today by clicking here.

CentralValleyJobs.com in partnership with CommonWealth Modesto is proud to introduce you to IgniteU, a new section of our website that is devoted to internship and job shadowing opportunities.

IgniteU’s Mission is to connect students and local businesses through job-shadowing and internship opportunities that will help students gain the “real world” experience necessary to ignite their career in the Central Valley. One of the most valuable experiences we can offer to students to help them realize their future career goal is to bring a glimpse of the future to them…to give them an opportunity to experience their future career first hand…and to help illuminate the steps they need to take to reach that brilliant future.

What this means for employers is CentralValleyJobs.com now offers an outlet, that is free of charge, to post your internship positions.  Not only will we serve as a one stop shop for your regular job postings, you can now place your internship and job shadowing positions in the same place and you still get that excellent customer service you have become accustomed to.

What this means for job seekers is with more employers offering paid internships, unpaid internships and job shadowing positions,  you’ll be able to test the waters of different career paths to see which one suits you best.  You may think you have a career in mind, but aren’t 100% sure and this program will give you the opportunity to try it out first to see if that’s where your passion lies.  You may even find a new passion.

We are very excited by this new service and hope that you are too.  To find out more information, please visit us at www.CentralValleyJobs.com/igniteu.

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles by it.” -Margaret Fuller

Looking for a job can be pretty stressful.  Add to that the stress of having to fill out endless applications as well as having to write or update your resume and you’re looking at colossal mountains of stress.  If you read through all of the different articles on the web regarding resumes and how to write them, you’ll see a common theme.  A lot of the articles I’ve read all say that resume customization is key.  The thought of altering your resume for each position to apply to may seem daunting, but it’s necessary.  The goal in submitting a resume at all is to stand out from the other applicants, i.e. the competition, and get yourself noticed.  Hopefully even get a call for an interview.

With all of the different automated resume sorting programs, it’s also necessary to be mindful of certain keywords that pertain to the specific position you are applying for.  Thinking about all of the different things you need to be aware of can make your head spin.  Fortunately The Wall Street Journal has some pointers for fine tuning your resume.  Click here for the full article.

It’s becoming more and more common for those job seekers who have recently been hired to have to explain a gap in employment on their resume. For some, having to explain to others that they were laid off can be a source of discomfort. Not everyone is comfortable airing their personal information to complete strangers. While having a lay off on your resume is nothing to be ashamed about, some may feel embarrassment or just plain uncomfortable about having to talk about it.

The Wall Street Journal has a great post that gives tips of what you can do to make the transition from unemployed, to employed with the least amount of discomfort. You can read the entire post here.

When it comes to the workplace you may have heard the phrase that no one is irreplaceable. In today’s current job market, job security is even more important than what it was a few years ago if that’s possible. There are companies out there where the possibility of layoffs are looming and employees are still sweating it out.

Competition out there is fierce. Not just for the job seekers, but for those trying to hold on to the positions they currently have. In order to keep those jobs, the employees might need to demonstrate just how invaluable they really are. Careerbuilder has a great article posted on how you can be that one employee that your company will want to keep. Read the whole article here.

Job hunting today is more like a game of Survivor than ever before. You have to constantly be looking at ways to enhance your resume so your pertinent skills are highlighted and make sure you are the one that stand out from all of the other competition. It’s a daunting task but a necessary one too.

Sometimes it takes some serious out of the box thinking in order to make that impression both on paper and in person. Hiring managers have to field so many phone calls, walk ins, cover letters, resumes and applications that by the time they get to the in person interviews, their eyes are crossing. If you stand out enough to make it through to the in person interview, there’s a few things you can do to really stand out and show the interviewer that you’re the right person.

The Wall Street Journal posted an article on this topic and in it, it lists some key points to really consider. Head on over here, and check it out.