Finding Opportunities

The days of looking in the newspaper want ads are long gone. And while the hundreds of job search Web sites are helpful, they shouldn’t be the only place you look.

The Social Media Advantage

Sure, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites are fun ways to catch up with friends and family, but they’re also a great way to market yourself and find potential employment connections.

If you haven’t started your own blog yet, now’s the time to start. Talk about your education, job and volunteer experience, or anything else you think could help you peak someone’s interest. Then, link your blog entries to any of the social sites you participate in. Sometimes, if you’re lucky and have enough followers or friends, just posting that you’re job hunting in a specific industry is enough to open some doors.

When online, become a follower or make a friend request to the leaders of the companies and fields you’re interested in. Don’t forget the more professional-specific sites out there like LinkedIn—which lets you search by company or individual and even has a section for employment ads.

Other Online Tips

It’s good to not only write your own blog, but subscribe to the blogs of others who are experts in your field. Plus, some larger blogs have integrated job banks into their Web sites.

Finally, if there are companies you’re truly interested in working for, bookmark their Web sites and check their job openings section often. Many companies don’t bother listing their opening on the bigger sites and keep expenses down by listing it on their own Web site instead.

Don’t Forget

Now that you’re about to enter or have recently entered the job market, anything you attach your name to online could come back to haunt you. Even seemingly innocent updates, photos or postings could be taken the wrong way. So become your own editor and think twice before posting.