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Before you
get hired for a new job, you have to get found by a
hiring manager.
That's
obvious.
But how do
you get found? How can you get on the radar of top
employers and make them call you for an interview?
That's not
so obvious.
You could
troll the Web and apply for posted jobs, but those are
just the tip of the iceberg. For every advertised
opening there may be five or more "hidden" ones.
To solve
this problem, here are three simple ways to get noticed
-- and get hired -- by your next boss.
1) Temp is Not a
Four-Letter Word
If you've
never considered taking a temporary or contract
position, you should rethink that attitude, according to
Jackie Engmark, Executive Director of the Minnesota
Recruiting & Staffing Association (www.mnrsa.org).
The 75 firms
in the MNRSA fill positions ranging from entry-level to
executive, with up to 70-75% of those jobs being
temp-to-hire positions, according to Engmark.
"Businesses
look to staffing firms as a good source for permanent
employees. Regardless of whether they need the talent on
a temporary, contract, or permanent basis, businesses
tap staffing companies for that talent," says Engmark.
Approximately 35% of people who take a temp job end up
getting hired full-time, according to Engmark. That's a
.350 batting average -- not bad.
And smart
employers will create a full-time job for the right temp
worker. "With the current talent shortage, if a company
brings in someone who catches on fast and has the right
attitude, more often than not they will find a place for
you," says Engmark.
She says the
secret lies in having the right attitude and work ethic
-- two traits that can't be taught. "Employers can
invest in training you other skills. If you are
outgoing, friendly and work hard, jobs will find you."
To find
staffing and recruiting firms near you, Google the
following phrase: "YOUR STATE staffing firms."
2) Get Connected
You may
use LinkedIn.com,
Facebook.com and MySpace.com. But are you getting
all that you can out of these social networking sites?
One way
to get found faster by employers is to enhance your
profile. For a dramatic before-and-after example, take a
look at the Extreme Makeover that marketing guru Guy
Kawasaki got for his LinkedIn.com profile -
blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/linkedin_profil.html.
Tip: The
more high-quality connections you make on sites like
LinkedIn.com, the more likely you are to get found by
employers. On his blog, Kawasaki writes: "People with
more than 20 connections are 34 times more likely to be
approached with a job opportunity than people with less
than five."
3) Keep Your Dirt
to Yourself
According to
NBC news, 77% of employers will search the Internet to
check your background, and 35% of employers have
eliminated a candidate for consideration after finding
"digital dirt" about them online.
That
means you have to be extra careful about what you post
in your profile on LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and other
sites.
"My
advice is to post only information online that you would
feel comfortable sharing with your grandmother. If you
wouldn't want her to see your photos or learn about your
drunken behavior, don't post it anywhere online,"
advises Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of
CollegeRecruiter.com.
One
hiring professional, posting on a CollegeRecruiter blog,
wrote: "My team and I use sources such as
facebook.com and
myspace.com
on a regular basis to screen candidates. We have on many
occasions stopped the interview process with candidates
based on their online profiles. Think twice before you
post anything out there for us to see."
So, to find
your next job, you might want to take another look at
temping, get connected online, and get smart.
Kevin
Donlin is creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996,
he has provided job-search help to more than 11,000
people. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The
Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His free
report, The Simple Job Search Manifesto, is found at
www.TheSimpleJobSearch.com.
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