July « 2009 « The Jobs Free Forum

Know Your Digital Footprint

July 30, 2009

For matters of personal security, as well as promoting your personal brand, every jobseeker should know their digital footprint.

Very simply – try googling yourself. What comes up when you search your name (maiden name) or email address? Recruiters are googling you so you should know what they could potentially find.

How to conduct a search:

1. Search your name in quotes — this will refine the number of results.
2. Search your name and your region (“Jane Doe” and Hawaii)
3. Search your email address that you distribute or use with recruiters.

To better drive “the good” results you want when you’re googled, David Teten and Scott Allen authors of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online suggest the following tactics.

By using an HTML signature in web-based discussion forums, every message you post becomes a link to your site for the search engines to add to their index. Essentially, your signature is another entry point for your name to act as a hyperlink to your website.
Publish articles anywhere and everywhere you can to position yourself as an expert in your career field. Make sure each article always includes an extended byline that links to your website, preferably with your name as the text for the link.
Get blogging. You can easily create a business weblog (or “blog”) with free tools and take advantage of many automated technologies. In addition to increasing link popularity, this will drive direct traffic from other bloggers, usually experts and leaders themselves.

If some negative items turn up in your search, be sure that you are prepared to set the record straight or respond to it if needed.

Leave a Comment » | Employer, Jobseeker | Tagged: blog, google, html signature, personal brand | Permalink
Posted by Social Maven

Top 10 Strategies for Keeping Your Job

July 28, 2009

Unfortunately, Hawaii’s unemployment rate is still at 7.4 percent so here are the top 10 simple strategies to help you do your job well so you don’t increase that statistic.

Arrive to work on time and report to work late or absent only if absolutely necessary. Repeatedly showing up late for work may jeopardize future pay increases and may be subject for dismissal.
Be professional in dress and in attitude. A professional appearance presents a confident image of being able to perform your job.
Come to work with a positive attitude. Be a happy employee who is willing to share ideas with others and show enthusiasm.
Complete tasks beyond your job description. Help co-workers finish their projects and volunteer to assist with future assignments.
Learn new skills and/or pursue certifications/education relevant to your field or company’s industry. Take a class, read a book, and keep up with trade publications related to your industry.
If you like your job, SAY you like it. Make sure your supervisor knows you enjoy what you do and respect the company you work for.
Be flexible. This may include taking on additional duties, being able to be “cross trained” in other areas. People who are demanding or difficult take too much time and energy, and supervisors will use downsizing as a chance to rid themselves of those employees with bad attitudes.
Be visible. Be sure your manager knows what you are doing and how you are contributing.
Help your company cut costs and increase business. Suggest ways of efficient spending in the workplace and increase revenue/production/service level in your position, department and overall in your company.
Look for ways to align your goals with your organization’s goals. You should meet with your manager and find out what the goals and directions is for the company and help align what they do on a daily basis to help the company achieve the goals. Ask, “How does what I do help the company get where it wants to be? How can I be more effective and help the company be more effective?” This will make you and your work even more valuable to the company.

Leave a Comment » | Jobseeker | Tagged: good employee, interview attire, job, job tips, keeping your job, top ten | Permalink
Posted by HR Diva

Interview Success for the Fashionista

July 25, 2009

When going to a job interview, first impressions are critical. You are marketing yourself to potential employers and the first thing they will judge when meeting you is your attire. Dressing appropriately will create a positive first impression and a competitive edge.

Today’s focus for fashion is for the ladies and appropriate attire for office or industrial positions.

1. General Tips

Dress for the right part. Don’t go to an interview for a landscaping position in a suit and tie, or interview for a finance position in casual pants and a polo shirt.
Remember, the interview is about you, not your clothes. Stay away from loud, distracting colors and patterns that make it difficult to concentrate on your qualifications.

2. Be well-groomed

Make sure your hair is neatly trimmed and groomed. (This includes facial hair such as beards and mustaches.)
No excessive cologne
No big handbags
No excessive jewelry that makes noise when you move
Make sure you dress comfortably
Don’t have gum, candy or any other object in your mouth
Turn off your cell phone or pagers or leave them in the car

3. Attire for Professional/Office Positions:

Make sure your clothes are neatly pressed
Socks should coordinate with suit/pants
Aloha shirts are OK as long as they are crisp and tucked in
Belt should match shoes
Wear nicely polished dress shoes
No visible body piercing (nose rings, eyebrow rings, etc.)

4. Attire for Industrial Positions:

Wear appropriate work shoes or boots
No tank tops
No jeans or clothes that have holes
No slippers
No t-shirts with logos or sayings
No hats
No sunglasses
Make sure outfit is neatly pressed
Make sure the outfit “fits” - Not too tight, not too baggy… just right!

Watch ALTRES on KITV4 for more about dressing for success
Fashion Tips For Women Going To A Job Interview

Taking the time to follow these simple rules will ensure your fashionista style has you looking great from head to toe.

Leave a Comment » | Jobseeker | Tagged: dress code, interview, interview attire, job hunting, job search | Permalink
Posted by HR Diva

JobsFreeForAll Gets Social

July 24, 2009

In an effort to reach out to the community, JobsFreeForAll is signing up on some of the big social websites, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We are just getting started, but have already begun tweeting all new JobsFreeForAll Hawaii jobs here:

http://twitter.com/jffa_HI or @jffa_hi

Every job posted to this account will contain the hashtags: #hawaii #jobs. We plan on encouraging other Hawaii job sites that use Twitter to also use these hashtags, so if you do a Twitter search using both of these tags, you will find not only get jobs from JobsFreeForAll, but other Hawaii jobs as well.

The official JobsFreeForAll Facebook page has not been released yet, but I have my own page up. Add me as a friend and you can stay up to date with the latest JobsFreeForAll news.

Leave a Comment » | Employer, Jobseeker | Tagged: job, job hunting, job postings, job search, social media, social-networking, twitter | Permalink
Posted by Lamp Genie

In the Spotlight: DFS Hawaii

July 23, 2009

DFS Hawaii began using JobsFreeForAll this past April, the second month of the site’s launch. As part of DFS Group Limited, the world’s leading luxury retailer catering to the traveling public, DFS Hawaii currently has five new openings on JobsFreeForAll. It’s interesting to note that the company takes pride in offering their employees the opportunity for growth. The DFS Hawaii website states its most successful candidates possess the following:

Qualities

Passion for luxury retail
Results oriented and able to manage ambiguity
High achiever with proven leadership skills
Strong interpersonal skills with sensitivity and savvy in working in a multi-cultural environment
Ability to perform well in a cross-functional team environment
Ability to effectively cope with change
Experience at problem solving and able to handle multiple priorities
Excellent communication skills

Qualifications/Experience

Merchandising, stores operations or travel-related experience
Bachelor’s Degree

If it sounds like you fit the bill, visit the DFS Hawaii Profile on JobsFreeForAll.com for more specific job titles and details.

Leave a Comment » | Employer, In The Spotlight, Jobseeker | Tagged: company profile, hiring, retail, testimonial | Permalink
Posted by HR Hawaii Kawaii

One Tweet Away from My Next Job

July 22, 2009

Everywhere you turn, you hear about it – the little bird known as Twitter. The micro-blogging site continues to grow at a staggering rate with new people exploring the Twitterverse on a daily basis. More companies are jumping on the bandwagon and using Twitter as their corporate collective consciousness and it is quckly becoming the most popular way to engage and build relationships with customers. The recruiting industry and corporate HR departments are leveraging this tool too - building corporate culture, seeking candidates for fit, and promoting sometimes unadvertised new job openings on Twitter first.

So what is a jobseeker to do in this 2.0 world of Tweets?

1. Search for Jobs
A quick search on the Twitter search bar for “jobs” or “#jobs” will return hundreds if not thousands of opportunities. Add a regional tag like “#hawaii” or industry tag like “#nursing” to the search and you can refine to exactly the types of opportunities you’re seeking.

2. Learn the in’s & out’s of an industry
Use search and directory tools like WeFollow or Twellow to find companies in an industry you’d like to learn more about. Follow a few for fresh industry information, to network with, and build relationships.

3. Post your skills, qualifications and unique attributes
Your Tweets can tell more about you than just what you ate for lunch. Utilize your Tweets to talk about your unique skills and experiences. Link back to a blog for longer entries or just keep it Twitterific 140 characters at a time. Share links to your CV or LinkedIn profiles.

4. Find a Mentor
The Twitterverse is full of citizens who genuinely want to help. Find someone in the position you want and engage in conversation with them. Even be so bold as to let them know you think of them as a mentor (flattery gets you places). At a minimum, you can follow someone like @tonyrobbins for great motivation.

5. Clean it up
Remember every Tweet creates a first impression to someone in the Twitterverse. So if you’re in the market to market yourself – think twice before you Tweet. A Tweet like “I’m for hire” or Tweeting “just got laid off, looking for a job in advertising” just might get the attention you need. Recruiters are searching and you could get a DM (direct message) from a potential new employer who wants to learn more.

6. “Employer-Friendly” Profile
Is your job pitch in your bio.? Have you got a link to your CV or blog for the website? Are you using a professional avatar?

The job market is tight with 47,000 unemployed in Hawaii alone. Staffing agencies say there are 100 applicants to every one job. So you need to standout, stay fresh and smell Tweet to a recruiter.

Leave a Comment » | Jobseeker | Tagged: social media, social-networking, twitter | Permalink
Posted by Social Maven

Job meets tech

July 21, 2009

As a web developer for JobsFreeForAll.com, my interests naturally focus on the intersection of jobs and technology and their relationship to each other. In the tech world, we are quite used to abandoning the old and trying out the new. The old way to find a job was to wait for Sunday to roll around, find the Jobs section, squint at a few precious tiny uninformative ads, fold your resumes and coverletters into business envelopes, pull up the red flag on your mailbox, and wait for next Sunday. Next came the classic job board websites like monster, hotjobs, and careerbuilder. The problem with these sites is: where are the jobs? It is as expensive and archaic to pay money to post jobs on these websites as it is to post a job in your local newspapers classifieds. So naturally employers flock to less expensive options, such as Craigslist. But craigslist is a mess, hard to search, and full of scams.

Our answer to this is JobsFreeForAll.com, which is rapidly rising in Hawaii as the top job site in terms of number of quality job postings. Our business model is simple: freemium. Additional premium services will have a modest fee, but don’t worry, our core services, namely, the searching for and posting of jobs, will always be free.

Leave a Comment » | Jobseeker | Tagged: freemium, job, job postings, job search, technology | Permalink
Posted by Kode Kommando

The Jobs Free Forum

Know Your Digital Footprint

Top 10 Strategies for Keeping Your Job

Interview Success for the Fashionista

In the Spotlight: DFS Hawaii

Job meets tech

Top 10 reasons to read The Jobs Free Forum

jffa_jobs Jobs Twitter

JobsFreeForAll Twitter

Archives

Blogroll

JobsFreeForAll Links

The Free Team

Tags

Follow “The Jobs Free Forum”