Mark,
Excellent advice for both job seekers and those currently employed.

It is important to be where hiring managers and recruiters are. Surveys say 80% of all companies use LinkedIn as their primary recruiting tool. I meet many candidates who tell me it is too much work to update their LinkedIn profile. Is the few minutes time you save not updating your profile worth ignoring 80% of companies?

What your hiring manager DON'T find can say volumes about you. They are expecting a seasoned professional to have an online presence: published papers, speaking engagements, quotes by media. You are turning off hiring managers if you don't have a online brand.

Read more about your online brand on my blog:
http://bit.ly/44RKdH

April M. Williams
President CyberLife Tutors
http://www.cyberlifetutors.com

This is a good piece Mark.

In my opinion, the part most job seekers miss is to "Identify Needs". They make a phone call or go into an interview with no real idea of what problems the company is trying to solve with a new hire.

Without an understanding of what the need really is, there is no way to emphasize your related skills, abilities, and experience that can be a solution.

It takes extra work, but makes all the difference in the world when it comes to getting the job.

Thanks for your contribution Mark!

- Harry

Mark,

Great commentary on where most individuals go wrong. Not being where their target companies are, or not even having targeted companies identified. Having a clear plan, executing that plan and building an online and offline brand is key to success in these tough times. Even then, it can be an uphill climb.

Without a doubt most jobs are found through relationships. Establishing a wide and strong network continues to be paramount to success.

Bill Borque
Owner - Zonegig Design, LLC
http://www.zonegig.com

Mark, you make some great points in an easy-to-digest format. Sometimes online tools aren't all that easy for those who might be out of a job and never had the opportunity to use them. But it doesn't have to be, if you just listen to those who are generous enough to share their advice and help you get back up on that horse!!

I knew that I wanted to get a job in digital marketing, particularly in social media, and as a project manager. One month ago, I did just that, using Twitter, my blog (http:/Vickiesoup.Blogspot.com), and most importantly LinkedIn, where my employer found *me* - so if you brand yourself strategically with keywords and comments as you said, you can do it, too.

Thanks for keepin' our chins up and believin', Mark!

Vickie
@Vickie_Smith

A really comprehensive appraisal of the current environment Mark! My wish is for jobseekers to see this article and act on your very sound advice. A recent client of mine--a CIO--was expert in finding out "pain points" of organizations by just having a coffee with friends/former colleagues. Forming a strategy to resolve the issue (using himself of course to lead the solution!) he was able to find out names of decision makers over these casual get togethers and pitch his solution to the right person. By keeping in touch with people who are employed and in industries you want to target, you are given the opportunity keep your ear to the ground. There's probably one piece of advice that's particularly relevant and that is for networking to be effective, the individual must listen to what people are saying. In my case of the CIO client, he was simply having casual chats with old friends. It was when they started to complain about work, or talk about difficult challenges, that his radar started to kick in. These are the ways to leverage yourself into a company and make a job where none exists. A brilliant strategy that certainly worked for my client.