Boost Your Chances In The Digital Workplace

If you are finding it difficult to get hired, perhaps you are not in tune with the times. Nowadays, being Internet savvy is a great advantage for those looking for their ideal job. Check out the tips below to boost your employment chances:

When applying online in job websites, make your resume as complete as possible. It is very possible that a particular skill or experience that seems unimportant may be just what an employer is looking for.

Include a picture of yourself when applying online. You may think that your looks are not impressive. However, unless you really look horrible, then having a picture will greatly improve your chances. The reason for this is that some employers may assume that you really look terrible if you did not include your photo. The truth is people often have too low an opinion of their looks.

Avoid being tagged as a no-show in job portals. Sometimes, in the eagerness to find employment, a person applies to several companies with the same schedule of interviews and then fails to come to one or more of the companies to which he committed to. If the application was not through an Internet job site, it may have no effect. Normally the employer gets more applicants than she can handle and your non-arrival is of no consequence. However, Internet job sites may have an option to mark you as a no-show to an interview. Other employers can see that you have failed to attend a scheduled interview and so may decide not to give you another chance. It would be best to honor your commitments. If you fail to do this, you should call the employer to explain the reason why and to request that they do not mark you as a no show. If the employer has already tagged you, it still may be possible to persuade the employer to take away the tag.

Use professional networks. While everyone knows about Facebook and Twitter, it is more important to have a good presence in professional networks. Currently, the dominant professional social medial is LinkedIn. In professional networks, you are more than welcome to pursue contacts that may improve your employment status since that is the point of the website in the first place.

Ask for endorsements. Most social networks have a way to get positive feedback from other site users. In LinkedIn, you can get endorsements from other members. This is like a testimonial. The more people who endorse you, the better is your credibility especially if those persons are in prominent positions.

Have a separate personal and professional social media account. There are things that you want only people close to you to see. It is advisable to have a separate account for your personal life. This will make it easier to control what potential employers may see.

Screen carefully the pictures you upload. There are so many kinds of pictures that may harm your employment chances. The most common blunders are posting pictures of yourself in skimpy attire or holding a deadly weapon. You may think this just a joke but employers may not want to take their chances. Think twice before uploading.

Be careful of your likes and comments as well. It is too easy to make a careless comment or to like something that is not politically correct. Remember that in cyber space, such blunders could become viral and inerasable.

Consider the kind of friends you have in social media. A lot of people believe that your circle of friends is a reflection of your personality. This may not be true as you simply may just be friendly to everyone. Also, most people have a tendency in social media to accept friend requests from those who may just be acquaintances. Regardless of the lack of conclusiveness, if a potential employer sees that you have too many friends that he/she does not like, then it may be a point against you.

Put up a blog to showcase your capabilities. There are countless ways to promote your career in a blog. If you are a visual artist, you can post your finest works on your blog. If you are a writer, you could upload excerpts of your work. If your skill cannot be shown, then you can write articles about your field of expertise.

To get the job you want, you must not forget to tap the power of the Internet. The techniques mentioned above are just a small part of what you could do to improve your chances of getting hired in this digital age.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. SS-2, Sunday, August 11, 2013. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.