How to Cast a Wide Net in Your Job Search

When clients are just beginning a job search, I frequently tell them to "cast a wide net." This actually has a double meaning. First, it means to use all of your available resources to get the word out that you are looking for new opportunities; including friends, current and former colleagues, family members, old college chums, people with whom you have volunteered for worthy causes, and anyone else who is appropriate. For some clients who are contemplating making a leap into a new, unrelated career, it also means devising different versions of your resume and circulating it to varying types of employers.

In these days of online job search sites and the overwhelming number of social and networking sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, UTube, and the new Twitter of business networking, Twellow) I often get asked what works and what doesn't.

I have had clients get lots of interviews through online job search sites, some leading to employment. It is important to pick and choose which sites you use according to your career, as some are too generalized to find a place you can "fit." The big ones are great if you can easily fit into the common categories such as Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Law, etc. Often if you are a member of a professional association for whatever-you-do they will have a job search service in that field. Definitely pursue those avenues.

But beyond that, do you post a profile on all of the other networking sites and/or do you create a web site resume?

I will give my opinions in a minute, but here is a request: I am currently writing an online career coaching course and I would love to have lots of input on this topic. I have opinions but am open to having them changed. If you have recently undertaken a job search and have either created a resume web site or used networking sites, I would like to hear about your experience. Did it impact your job search either positively or negatively? What would you do the same next time and what would you change? Post your answers in the comments section at the end of this blog.

O.K., here are my opinions. First, the use of networking sites. I think they may be useful if you are in an industry that commonly uses them. Maybe. If your circle of colleagues are all on LinkedIn, then by all means add your profile. I have been on LinkedIn for a few years now and cannot attribute any new business to that, but certainly don't think it hurts and it doesn't cost anything! And I have heard that it can be very successful for those in closely connected professional communities.

I am not a fan of using social networking sites for a career search because my own feeling is that it instantly decreases the perceived level of professionalism. If I were a prospective employer and a candidate told me I could find their profile on FaceBook or My Space, I would hesitate and potentially not even look. I don't think that is a common practice, but if you're thinking about it I would encourage you to try a more mainstream approach first. I'm even hesitant about Twellow, the new "professional" version of Twitter. The site is organized by categories of professions which is nice, but when I have clicked on a category it takes me to a page where the profiles include a picture, one or two sentences of a professional profile, and (here's the downside) the latest comments posted to that profile which are almost always quippy comments from Twitter. So, my overall opinion is go ahead and put your profile on a professional networking site like LinkedIn or similar because it really can't hurt; avoid the social sites as you may appear unprofessional.

Next, do you create a resume web site? Again, it doesn't hurt. When you send a resume to an employer you can give them the link to your online resume instead of an attachment. Or if you are networking in your circle you can do the same thing and it may make it easier when networking in person to say, "If you would like to see my resume it is online at JohnSmith.com." There are some important rules to posting an HTML resume though; don't get carried away with the graphics (it should look like it would on white bond paper and be very organized and readable), use easy-to-read fonts, don't underline words because they will look like hyperlinks, and don't used patterned or colored backgrounds. Also, do keep a word processing file version regardless, because you will use it.

Again, if you have experience with using online networks in your job search or having a web resume, I would like to hear about it. Post those comments!