Your online image

Your online imageYour online imageMake sure your online image helps, not hurts, your job search. It used to be that employers only had resumes, cover letters, and interviews to go by when making hiring decisions. That changed with increased use of the Internet and social networking. Many employers check profiles on popular online sites before making interviewing and hiring decisions. And someposted material can leave employers wondering what schrift of employee you would be. This includes Inappropriate photos, such as photos of you and your friends drinking or wearing inappropriate clothes Inappropriate comments by your friends - remember you can delete comments under your photos Discussions about alcohol or drug use Talking poorly about previous employers Discriminatory comments, for instance, using slang terms for racial or ethnic minorities Lying about qualifications Sharing confidential information about past, current, or prospective employers You r online identity can help or hurt you. If an employer is considering you seriously enough to research you online, make sure that your own words or photographs dont come back to haunt you. Do an online search of your name to see what information and/or images of you come up. This will help you catch potential red flags. Clean up your online identity. Dont list personal information or post comments, photos, or videos that you wouldnt want an employer to see. Think of everything you put online as public information. Remove any swear words, gripes about old employers, or discriminatory comments. Create a professional online identity. Join LinkedIn and other online professional groups that are related to your career or industry. Ask someone to recommend you on LinkedIn. Create an online portfolio using work samples to market yourself. Blog about your professional interests. Be choosy about who you friend. Your profile may be squeaky clean, but make sure you dont suffer fr om guilt by association. Check your grammar, spelling, and writing. Many employers reject job applicants because they show poor communication skills. Consider your online presence as partee of your portfolio. Read through any of your postings to catch errors.Improve interviews by preparing answers to common interview questions. Get ready for interviews with common questions, questions to ask the employer, and illegal interview questions. Common interview questions Tell me about yourself. Why are you interested in working for this company? Tell me about your education. Why have you chosen this particular field? Describe your best/worst boss. In a job, what interests you most/least? What is your major weakness? Give an example of how you solved a problem in the past. What are your strengths? How do others describe you? What do you consider your best accomplishment in your last job? Where do you see yourself in three years? Think about something you consider a failure in your life, and tell me why you think it happened. How do you think you will fit into this operation? If you were hired, what ideas/talents could you contribute to the punkt or our company? Give an example where you showed leadership and initiative. Give an example of when you were able to contribute to a team project. What have you done to develop or change in the last few years? Do you have any questions for me? Questions to ask the employer What are the responsibilities and accountabilities of this position? How well is the position defined? Can its duties be expanded? Please describe an average day on this job. What is the history of the position? Why is it vacant? What aspects of this job would you like to see performed better? What are the key challenges or problems of this position? Where can I go from here, assuming that I meet/exceed the job responsibilities? How would you describe the i deal candidate? What are the employers short- and long-range objectives? What are some outside influences that affect company growth? Where does the company excel? What are its limitations? When and how will I be evaluated? What are the performance standards? With whom would I be working? Who would be my supervisor? Who would I supervise? What is the departments environment like? When will you make the hiring decision? May I call you for the decision? When is a good time? Illegal questions What is or was your spouses name or line of work? Have you ever filed a Workers Compensation claim or been injured on the job? Do you have any physical conditions that would prevent you from performing the job? Have you ever been arrested? What is your hair/eye color? What is your height/weight? Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, for what condition? Have you ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist? If so, for w hat condition? How many days were you absent from work because of illness last year? Are you taking any prescribed drugs? Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism? Source Creative Job Search, a publication of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.Why network?Networking is a key part of job hunting. All it means is talking to others- either formally or informally- about your job search and career goals. Networking facts It is not the same as asking for a job. Usually your networking contacts will not be potential employers. It helps you learn inside information about jobs that are being created. It lets you tap into the hidden network- the many jobs that are never advertised. Its helpful for ongoing professional and personal development. An employer who is not hiring today may be looking for someone like you tomorrow. Before you begin networking, be clear about your job search goals. Think about what yo u want to say to others about yourself, and what you want to know from them. What kind(s) of job(s) are you looking for? What skills and experience prepared you for these jobs? Are you focused on a particular industry? Do you want to find a job at a particular company? Do you want to look for jobs in one local area? Next steps are to develop your elevator speech and make your contact list.