Today, if you don’t show up in Google, you don’t exist. You may be looking for work and want to see what comes up when the recruiter checks you on Google.  Or you may be single (or not) and you are trying to get a date.  Whatever …  you can count on being “Googled”

Knowing what Google “says” about you and proactively managing your personal brand online is critical to success.
You will be able to know instantly how you appear digitally online…

Online Identity Calculator results

… it is a cool tool that will help you make sense of your Google results and give you advice on how to build a stellar online identity that’s aligned with your real-world personal brand.

This extremely popular and first-of-its-kind tool was designed by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson, authors of Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand.  Together, they are partners in Reach, the pioneering personal branding firm with global presence.

Here is the link to the calculator: http://www.onlineidcalculator.com/index.php

REACH

Note:

Your search results may determine whether or not an executive recruiter calls you in for an interview, you land your next job or attract the best professionals to your organization.

Given the extent to which people use search engines as research tools today, building and managing your identity online is no longer a luxury. It’s a requirement

So regularly monitor your online identity. That way, if something or concern pops up … you can address it quickly, before it gets out of hand!

iGoogle is a Web browser start page tool for combining many Google resources for ease-of-use on your online desktop. Tabs are used with iGoogle to have multiple views of your content.  For example, you can include – on one tab – email, your calendar,  the phases of the moon, various Twitter “gadgets” …  well, your get the idea.

In summary, iGoogle is a “personal homepage” where you  have immediate access to content of your choosing; example: your RSS feeds, news headlines, weather forecasts, etc.

It’s a “one-stop-shop” for access all kind of information.

Set up a Tab in iGoogle for job searching.

Although I use Google Reader for most of my casual blog reading, I use an iGoogle tab specifically for Job Searching:

• Every job search result is available to me in one place!
• Easy, one-click access to the latest openings.

All your job seaching activities at a glance, w

hat a deal!  Just a quick set of gadgets to set up and you’re done!

How to set it up:

Technology today allows you to receive current, up-to-the-second results (RSS feeds) that are specific to your job search …every hour of any day … when you open my browser.

Everything you add to iGoogle shows up as a draggable widget, so you can design your own layout, organize your content into one Tab.  Setting up a dashboard page in a tab on your iGoogle page to create a custom job searching page – all in one screen!

Step 1) Add Your Favorite Job Boards to iGoogle

Note: I will be featuring a Human Resources – Project Manager targeted search theme as an example, but you can follow along with any industry, topic, or job type that you want.  Go to a job board that you frequently use; for example:  SimplyHired

Step 2) Look for the RSS feeds ICON.

Right click and copy the RSS feed via “Copy link location”. That RSS link is now on your computer’s clipboard.

Step 3) Open your iGoogle dashboard, and in the upper right hand side click on the “Add Stuff” link.

Click on “Add feed or gadget” in the lower part of the left column.  You will see an open box screen where you can paste in the RSS url that in in your computer clipboard.

Repeat for each of job board (with an RSS feed option) you want to be part of your iGoogle Search screen.

Add a gadget or two. There are a lot of other gadgets out there made specifically for iGoogle, and you can find all of them with the “Add Stuff” link. Some of them can help with your job search, like the Indeed.com job search gadget

Add Custom Twitter Search

The first step is to go to search.twitter.com and test a few search phrases to see which results work well.

Copy the RSS link for your search. In the upper right corner of twitter search results page you’ll see a link that says “Feed for this query.”   Right click on that link and copy it to your clipboard, like we did with each of the job boards.

Done!

Now you’ve got both customized job board feeds and specific twitter search results showing in one place.

Bonus Information

A link to refer to for more information:    http://tinyurl.com/yzsv85l … this “How To”  link for help is an excellent blog post with superb detail on how to create a job-search dashboard, from setting up a new dedicated tab to adding searches for everywhere from your favorite job boards to Twitter.

Many people outside of the online marketing realm, unless they are under 25 years old, have difficultly understanding the concept.

In a nutshell, Social media is Web 2.0, or interacting with others online.  Web 1.0 was all about showcasing oneself, while Web 2.0 involves a sense of community and openness in which the line between author and reader is blurred.

Savvy businesses and organizations are beginning to utilize social networks to interact with current and prospective clients or customers, introduce new products and services, and launch viral campaigns to involve its market.  Businesses are able to communicate directly with target markets and monitor what others are communicating about its brand or service.

Most organizations are recognizing the value of social media but clueless how to use it.  A job seeker who understands Web 2.0 automatically can have an edge over the competition.  If a company is on Twitter or Facebook, job seekers can get a pulse on what that company values.

To understand what social media is, consider the six main categories:

• Social Networks. In general, these sites allow users to build a profile, connect with friends, and interact with others who have similar interests on the site.  The most popular social networks are MySpace and Facebook.  For business use, LinkedIn is a rapidly growing network of professionals.
• Blogs and Micro-blogs. Blogs are probably the most popular form of social media because they existed before Web 2.0.  Many people write blogs to convey their expertise on a subject, review products, report news, or simply as a diary for all to see.  On the flip side, blogs have become a recognized news source.  The social aspect of blogs involves reader comments and sharing.  Micro-blogs, like Twitter, allow for immediate posting and more interaction.
• Social Bookmarking. Social bookmarking sites such as Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon and Diigo, allow users to access their bookmarks from any computer and share them with others.  Rather than bookmarking a Web page in your Internet browser, you can save it on Delicious to access it from anywhere and give your network access to your favorite articles and Web sites.
• Video Sharing. Popular video site, YouTube, has become almost synonymous with online videos.  Not only are videos entertaining, they are also highly searchable.  Other video sharing networks include Blip.tv, Dailymotion, Hulu and Yahoo! video.
• Podcasts. These include audio or visual files that are available through subscriptions.  Podcasts can be live presentations, webinars, teleseminars, radio shows or anything that contains and audio or video file.  iTunes is a hub for all genres of podcasts and anyone can submit a file to be heard around the world.
• Wikis. These websites contain user-generated content and allow people to add or revise information about a given subject.  Pages become communal documents in an online database.  The best know wiki is Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.  Other wikis include About.com and Squidoo.

The common thread in each of these social mediums is content creation and distribution.  New media users are not selfish with their ideas or work, instead they share their work with all of their networks through syndication.   Applications like Ping.fm make the distribution process simple, so that content can be disseminated to a number of networks at once.

You can become new media savvy if you remember the following steps: Create, Syndicate, Comment, Repeat.  Use this to your advantage during the job hunt to connect directly with your prospective employers or blow them away with your knowledge during an interview.

Source: Anne Carr, Account and Social Media Director at Bolt Public Relations

Check this short video!  Jennifer Braunschweiger, editor at More Magazine recently appeared (May 21, 2009) on ABC News Now – and spoke on the topic: How To Master the Digital Job Hunt.

Topics included resume preparation, developing your own personal website and managing your online identity.

To view the video go to http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7649307

Contents of the Video selection: Resume, Website, manipulate your Google Results

1-Resume:

• Need 3 forms of Resume:  PDF (snapshot version), Word, TXT file (unformatted)
• Need a professional e-mail address
• Do not include a photo of yourself on resume, only put your photo on your Linkedin page

2-Create your own website:

• Key tip -  register a domain name; for $20 / year  (domain name suggestion: firstname, lastname)
• Build a website yourself (many free options) or hire someone to do it
• Organize the content on your website; not just your resume; include samples of your work; a video of you
• Consider including a blog feature; on your website, but you need something to say;  for example: your thoughts about your industry – can be very useful.

3-Google Tips to manipulate your results

• Note that 83% of employers look at you via a Google search and 43% – have dropped the applicant due to the results
• Check your results on Google – just “Google” yourself to see what comes up!
• If you are a member of Linkedin your should see the Linkedin page when you do your Google search

It’s true, so much of the job search process happens online… the most common complaint – as you know – is the “black hole” — that mysterious place to which resumes seem to travel from the moment an applicant hits the “send” key.  If you’re involved in a job search where you feel like you repeatedly send out resumes in response to ads and rarely hear back, then it might be time for some new online search techniques.

Here are the 5 tricks to shake things up for you:

Answer questions on Linkedin
Your strongest chance of being hired is to find ways to show off your expertise and build relationships in your field. One easy way to do this is to troll the “Answers” section on LinkedIn and start responding to questions where you think you can be helpful. People whose answers get high ratings show up on a list of experts. Nabbing one of those spots is a terrific way to ensure that people using the site to fill a position will find your profile.

In addition, use LinkedIn for research, not just reaching out to people. You can search for people who have the job you want or who are at the company you want and view their profile to get a sense for their background and skills.  For smaller companies who may not have a lot of published news about them, learning about who works there may give you a window into the projects they do and the backgrounds they hire

Play around on Twitter
Twitter offers a huge way to search for job postings, interact with recruiters in particular fields or geographic locales, and respond to listings. The beauty of job searching on Twitter is that there is a live person on the other end of a Twitter account and you just might be able to attract that person’s attention and engage in conversation.  Job activity tends to be heaviest in web-related fields, but now that Twitter has gone mainstream, jobs are being posted because companies realize that all kinds of people are showing up on the service.

Find jobs on employer websites
Ever hunt around a web site unable to find the job listings even though it seems like they should be easy to find? Try this method, which should work with nearly any search engine.

Make sure you are looking in the right place
The Web is so big and fluid that it’s easy to get lost.  Alltop.com is a comprehensive blog directory that makes it simple to find scores of blogs on a particular topic. Scan the “careers” and “jobs” categories, where you’ll be able to decide if a blog is relevant to your search based on its 5 most recent posts; you can also look for blogs that cover your industry.

“Key word” your resume
I’m not a big believer in getting jobs through the blind submission of resumes. Still, if you are going to send yours out for any postings where you don’t also have a personal relationship, you’ll want to give yourself the best chance of being noticed. And since most resumes are digitized and scanned by software for screening, it is vital that your resume contain the key words an employer will be searching for in a given job search.

As a starting point, figure out the words your resume should contain by looking at the job description and title given in the posting. But there’s more to it than just plugging in those words. Here’s some additional things to consider to make sure that you are key word optimized. Keep in mind that it’s not just your resume that should pay attention to key words. The same thinking should go into all of your online profiles.

Source: Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy

You can perform a search though Google for companies by type of company or service as opposed to just looking for job openings.

For example, if you are interested in Computer Networking Technologies, you can search, for “Computer Repair” in zip code 94102 by entering in the Google search box:

“Computer Repair” 94102 … you will then be provided with a results page to “Local business results for “Computer Repair” near San Francisco, CA 94104”

Click on the link and see local listings for companies that may have job opportunities for you.

Go to their website to search for job openings, email or send a letter to the hiring manager or call directly to inquire about job vacancies.

_____________________________

More Google usage for job searching

Are you taking advantage of its advanced search features in relation to your job search?

See how to drill down to obtain more meaningful job search results.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Better yet, see how to automate your Google searches via Google Alerts and receive results via email.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Job Search Gadgets and Widgets

There are widgets, gadgets, and tools (courtesy of About.com) that will help expedite your job search and manage your career. If you’re actively job hunting, you can add an application to your Facebook or MySpace profile so you can view the latest job listings without having to search.

The key to successfully using these tools is to pick and choose. Don’t download every widget and gadget that’s available – you’ll clutter up your desktop and your browser, and the jobs will get lost in the shuffle.

Browser, Desktop, and Web Widgets

• Google Gadgets – Google has a selection of handy gadgets you can download and add to your desktop.
• Indeed Email Job Alerts – Sign up to receive new job postings from Indeed via email.
• Indeed Job Search Tools -Indeed has job search plugins for Firefox and for your Google Desktop, an application for Facebook, a button for your Google Toolbar, and more services from Indeed.com.
• my.indeed.com – Create a my.indeed account and access your saved jobs, notes, and searches from any computer.
• SimplyHired Job Search Tools – Add job alerts to MySpace and Facebook, add a job search widget to your iGoogle homepage, your blog, or your desktop, access job listings from your cell phone, or sign up for one of the other services that will help you find jobs fast.
• SimplyHired Email Alerts - Set up an email alerts so you can get new job listings on a daily or weekly basis.
• Yahoo! Widgets – Download widgets to help expedite your job search.