Though the job search if often treated like a 9-to-5 position, it becomes more difficult to manage when you already have a full-time job. More often than not, job seekers face discrimination for being unemployed, which may lead to finding job openings while gainfully employed.

Whatever your reasons may be for leaving, job searching in this situation requires walking on a fine line between being proactive yet watchful of your boundaries. In fact, 88 percent job seekers agree that keeping your job search private is very important – and even while employed, some would be reluctant if coworkers found out instances of their job search process.

While being covert of the process in general, what etiquette should an employee practice while job searching? An article by Jenny Foss on The Daily Muse offers tips for being both respectful yet careful about your search. Consider below the do’s and don’ts:

Do use discretion. On social networking sites, on job boards, and within the office – be mindful of what you communicate on all levels.

Do interviews before or after work. Schedule your interviews, follow ups, and phone calls away from your current work schedule.

Do be honest if confronted. If asked by your employer, be straightforward about your intentions.

Don’t use company time or tools. For you efforts, you should completely rely on the use of email, Internet, etc.– but not while on the job. Not only is it disrespectful, but also can easily be traced to you when you’re trying to be confidential.

Don’t forget about your current job. Within your work hours, stay focused on the responsibilities you have now. You owe it to your employer that you can remain to be a productive employee for the time you’re still there. If you’re about to put in your notice soon, wrap up projects to make your transition as smooth as possible.

Be aware that you do have the right to keep your job search under wraps. Be sure to exercise caution and give your employer plenty of notice if you’re accepting an offer. Most employers will understand and be willing to cooperate if you’ve continued to be focused.

Do you agree with these tips? How would you be discrete in your job search? What tips would you add?

Article by

Katie Lewis is currently a senior at Florida State University and will graduate in May 2012 with a B.A. in Editing, Writing, and Media. Minoring in Communications and attending her first meeting of the Florida Public Relations Association Student Chapter inspired her to pursue a career in public relations.

Social media has become a major player in recruitment (and well, everything else), so it is important to understand how companies are using it today.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released a survey today titled “An Examination of How Social Media Is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations”. This is their fourth survey in a series looking into the role of social media for employers.

This survey found that more than half of employers will increase their social media outreach in 2012. So if you haven’t already, now is definitely time to hop on the bandwagon and utilize social media to educate yourself and maybe even find some hidden job opportunities.

Here are some highlights:

• 40% of organizations have a formal social media policy, and 56% of these policies include a statement regarding the organization’s right to monitor social media usage. More than a third (39%) of companies monitor their employees social media use on company-owned computers and handheld devices.
• 52% of organizations include social media as part of their marketing strategies. Besides marketing departments, information technology (17%), HR (14%) and management (14%) lead social media efforts. HR is the often the department in charge of creating and enforcing social media policies.
• 21% of organizations use analytics or reporting tools to measure the return-on-investment for their social media efforts.

The previous surveys and more information can be found at http://www.shrm.org/surveys.

For more information on social networking at work, check out this infographic.

Does your company have a social media policy? What do you think about it?

Article by Dana Schwartz

Dana Schwartz is a senior studying public relations and management at Syracuse University. She has previous internship experience with a small New York City public relations firm, as a communications intern for the Special Olympics in London, and in healthcare marketing. She is looking forward to starting a career in public relations upon her graduation in May.

Are you dating your boss? No, not actually dating your boss- silly, but are you searching for the right company, the right employer, the right boss? Searching for a new job, a new company, and a new boss to establish a long-term relationship can be emotionally draining. It is like trying to find that perfect boyfriend or girlfriend by asking your friends in your network for help. And when your friends don’t have someone to recommend, or the blind date they set you up with goes horrifically bad, you then create a profile on an online dating site. Creating an account in hopes that someone will recognize you and ask you out for a date or in this case an interview.

Submitting your resume to an employer is like sending them a “wink” or “poke” and then waiting for their reply. As you wait, you start to wonder if they are going to “wink” back, find your profile attractive or better yet are they going to like you enough to write you an email and invite you out for a date i.e. an interview.

And how about feeling discouraged after you make a commitment to your new relationship? Spending months dating your employer monogamously to later learn that you and your boss were never compatible — what do you do? Do you reach out to your friends/network and explain to them that you made a mistake and ask for their help, discreetly? Maybe you go back to your online account and contact other prospects that have viewed your profile and have sent you a “wink.” After talking and connecting with the prospects you now find yourself becoming a hot commodity with tons of offers on the table from employers that are more compatible than your last relationship.

Now you have a new employer that treats you better than your last boss. They take good care of you because they value all the hard work you’ve done to maintain a healthy “employer-employee” relationship and you’re so happy because you’re now in a long-term relationship.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a job site that pairs you up with employers just like an online dating site? A site that will help you eliminate all the incompatible job postings and employers from your search. Well look no further because ResumeBear has developed an online candidate to employer matching system.

ResumeBear feeds you job postings that not only will fit your skill level, but your personality as well. How cool is that? Currently in beta, ResumeBear will “connect you” with your future mate aka employer. During the registration process you will fill out a smart-questionnaire that’s designed to match you with the right job and the right employer. In the meantime get started with your job search at ResumeBear. Who knows if your next date/interview via ResumeBear  might be the one to sweep you off your feet?

Although the economy is showing signs of recovering, many people are still out of work or are about to be. And as the labor market improves, large numbers of workers are again considering making a job change. So, in this highly competitive market with lots of people vying for the same opportunities, how do you get that edge over the other job seekers? How can you make sure your candidacy stands out?

Having a great presentation of your credentials is still one of the best and most effective methods, whether that presentation is a profile on a networking site, a resume, a CV, or an executive bio. Recruiters and company executives continue to look at written sources for candidate information even though the methods may have changed from just mail to mail, fax, email, and online application.

Here, then, are the top 10 reasons (and there are many more) why using a professional resume writer will be well worth the investment and will give you that competitive advantage:

1. Looks matter: The very first impression you give may be your only one if you do not appear to meet the employer’s needs and expectations. Executive-level resumes should have a polished, professional appearance that is free of errors and clearly displays your most important and compelling information.

2. An Objective View: Most people find it difficult, if not impossible, to take an objective look at their education and career. What to include, what to leave out, what to emphasize – all good questions. Having an experienced career professional look at your work history will enable you to trim the excess while adding in what matters most to prospective employers.

3. Identifying Your Value: Quite often we undervalue what we have done in our jobs. We think that everyone does that – no big deal. Resume writers will solicit the necessary details of your career in order to craft an accomplishment/outcome-based document that demonstrates your past and future value to a company.

4. Don’t Be a Do-It-Yourselfer: Just as most of us shouldn’t be our own doctor, lawyer, plumber, or mechanic, we shouldn’t write our own job search documents. No one expects you to be an expert at something you do once every two to five years or more. There is no way for you to have the skill and knowledge to create the best job search materials. Some things are best left to professionals who do this every day.

5. Save Yourself Time: We frequently hear from job seekers who spent weeks and even months fine tuning their resume. Instead of delaying the start of your job search AND the start of a new job, hire a pro to help you in preparing the best product in a reasonable time frame.

6. Have the Inside Track: Career professionals and resume writers are in the know about what recruiters and hiring authorities want in a resume. We’ve surveyed them on their preferences and pet peeves. We write resumes that are appropriate for various industries, as well as career levels.

7. Times Change: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean your old resume style will still work. Resume writers keep current on the state of their art through certifications, professional affiliations, and ongoing training. You’ve kept up-to-date on your industry and so have we.

8. Save Money: Let’s face it, the job search process costs money to conduct in addition to the lost income while you are out of work or underemployed Paying a resume service may seem like more money going out the door; however, this is definitely a worthwhile investment. We hear almost daily from clients who have found jobs that were professionally and financially rewarding. If you compare the salary lost from a prolonged job search with the cost of job search documents that will expedite the process, you will find yourself financially far ahead.

9. Partner with a Professional: All too often we are uncomfortable discussing our career concerns and uncertainties with family and friends. How fortunate to have someone who not only understands what you are going through, doesn’t judge you, and actually has very helpful advice to guide you to the next step in your professional life. That’s what you get with a resume writer.

10. A Great Product: Let’s face it. We are very good at what we do. We know how to write, we are excellent wordsmiths, we are whizzes at word processing, and our resumes get results. This is our business, we do it extremely well, and we all have hundreds of satisfied customers to support that claim.

In summary, this is one of those times where it pays to go to an expert. As I always say: If your resume isn’t a Winner, it’s a Killer. Do it right.

ResumeBear’s  new state-of-the-art job board is going live soon, and we are really excited about this new chapter in ResumeBear’s story.

We will be charging employers just $99 per post, per city, and we will be donating $25 of that fee to help veterans find jobs.

We would like to donate another $25 of that fee to help children with life threatening diseases, but there are so many wonderful organizations, we don’t know where to begin! We are now looking for a charitable organization that helps children with life threatening diseases, and this is where you come in.

Which organization would YOU recommend to receive ResumeBear’s donations?

We really want to hear why you think a certain charity stands out above the rest. Leave your answer in the comments, and don’t forget to tell us why you think ResumeBear should choose them!

Job seekers love to diss corporate recruiters. Why? Because corporate recruiters don’t pay enough attention to job seekers. That’s “enough” as defined by job seekers, of course.

Have you ever wondered why recruiters don’t pay enough attention to job seekers? Talking with you is their job, isn’t it?

Well, it could be that they’re:

1. Talking with hiring managers about any bit of the multi-step hiring process.
2. Figuring out candidate sourcing strategies for their open specs.
3. Designing and launching ad campaigns for their open specs.
4. Reading resumes that their ATS “liked.”
5. Talking to IT about their crappy ATS.
6. Interviewing candidates who came in via employee referrals.
7. Interviewing other candidates who appear to match their open specs.
8. Checking references.
9. Negotiating offers.
10. Writing offer letters.
11. Arranging relocation’s for new hires.
12. Arranging on boarding for new hires.
13. Selecting, negotiating with, and supervising vendors and service providers.
14. Playing buzzword bingo in very important meetings.
15. Preparing and defending their key performance indicator reports.

And therein, beyond numbers 1 through 14 above and more, is the actual million dollar issue.

Do you know the Top Two Key Performance Indicators for most corporate recruiters? You won’t believe it:

1. Cost per hire.
2. Time to fill.

Remember, management gets the behavior they measure. Thus, unless a corporate recruiter believes that you will somehow cut their “cost per hire” or “time to fill” numbers (see 6 and 7 above), good luck getting a meeting! They have a few other balls in the air.

Social intelligence has historically referred to one’s ability to interact with others socially in an intelligent way. Simply put, it is akin to emotional intelligence, and is most definitely an important aspect for job seekers.

The capacity to interact on the job in an appropriate social manner is critical to career success. The newer meaning of social intelligence is QUITE different.

Move over Big Brother – there is another type of social intelligence that has recently risen out of the social media explosion. This variety of ‘social intelligence’ is being provided by a research company seeking to capitalize on vast amounts of social media information available in the public domain that can be used to screen potential job applicants – think background check on steroids!

Have you participated in any forums or users groups related to a medical condition you have? Did you make your political views known anywhere publicly on the web? Are you on any free access dating websites? Do you mention your religious views on your Facebook page? If so, this information may be available to potential employers.

To conduct a social intelligence investigation, a corporation must ask a prospective candidate to sign off on the information they obtain from their research.  On the one hand, this sort of background check can be quite helpful to potential companies who might unknowingly hire someone who is involved in criminal activities.  On the other hand, it could lead to massive amounts of covert discrimination.

According to a recent article in the New York Times entitled Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle, a young and growing company has automated the process of scouring the web for content related to social media posts.  Companies can gain intelligence related to racism, drug involvement, sexual conduct, and interest in weaponry. The FTC has determined that this is not in violation of laws in the US, but privacy advocates are concerned.

• While it may be disheartening for job seekers, and those who wish to advance their career, the wisest thing to do is to carefully disguise your identity when it comes to personal forum participation. Protect your personal brand.
• Avoid putting anything that can be considered incriminating or objectionable on the internet.  Establish strict privacy settings on all of your personal social media sites.
• Do not let friends and family post photos or videos of you that would be objectionable.

If you have already put information out there that could impact your career, see if you can have it removed by the website administrators. If something comes up that is inappropriate, it could be someone else that posted it with a name identical to your own.  In this case, you can let the company know that you are not responsible.  However, if there is a photo of you, you will have to acknowledge your involvement.

I see this new practice as being fraught with problems for both companies and candidates.  While obtaining good intelligence and conducting due diligence background checks may be vital to corporate security, there is a fine line between using this sort of information for good rather than for discrimination. The potential for abuse is Orwellian, to say the least.

For this blog post, ResumeBear thanks our friends at Glassdoor.com!

About the Author: Debra Wheatman, is an experienced human capital management strategist with both Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) designations. She is a globally recognized expert in advanced career search techniques with over 18 years’ corporate human resource experience. She posts regularly on her own site at careersdonewrite.com/blog, and has been featured on Fox Business News, WNYW with Brian Lehrer, and quoted in leading online, print, and trade publications, including Forbes.com, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. Debra is the featured career columnist for The Epoch Times. You can reach Debra on Twitter: @DebraWheatman

Executive Career Moves
10 Tips on Acing Your Next Telephone Interview
©Irene Becker, www.justcoachit.com

Focus on developing rapport and credibility, and understanding next step in the employer’s interviewing/hiring process

1. Position yourself for success. Relax. Get ready. Remember to talk directly into the mouthpiece. Hold the receiver approximately three inches from the mouth, not below your chin or above your nose. Speak in a relaxed, conversational style as though the other person were in the same room.

2. Get empowered. Be confident, not cocky. Avoid sitting in a hunched position, grasping the phone in a vise-like grip. Before your interview you need to feel empowered, think about and feel your strengths, focus on why you are a terrific fit for the position.

3. Set your three intentions for the telephone interview: Developing rapport, developing credibility, asking about next steps. Remember rapport is critical at this stage. Listen for statements that will give you clues about what the interviewer is looking for, problems you can solve, functional areas that you will excel at, behavioral strengths that will help you help the organization achieve its goals and objectives.

4. Make sure that you have done due diligence and understand how you are a great fit with the job description. Remember the initial stages of the interview process are all about demonstrating that you fit within the box of the job description.

5. Pay attention to the interviewer’s voice patterns; does he/she speak slowly or rapidly? Try to match the cadence so that the conversion flows smoothly and you develop rapport. Adjust your speaking rate, voice volume and phrasing to be more in rhythm with the interviewer.

6. Sound upbeat, attentive, engaged, interested. Genuine enthusiasm is contagious. Smile to show a sense of humor. Smiling oxygenates your brain, raises your mood. Stay focused an up, because you only have three goals: 1. Develop rapport 2. Develop Credibility 3. Find out about next steps.

7. Listen, listen well, listen carefully to get the big picture, and to avoid saying something that indicates any momentary mental distraction. Allow the interviewer to complete questions without you finishing his train of thought or blurting out answers prematurely.

8. Respond do not react. The interviewer may throw in several to test your alertness or mental keenness. Showing verbal adeptness is a sign of how quickly you can “think on your feet.” Be cautious: the interviewer may say something that puzzles you or that you firmly disagree with. Voice your thoughts in a professional manner. Whenever someone raises an objection, the tension level rises. What you want to achieve in step one is to reduce the tension level.

A= Acknowledge the objection because you need to lower tension, while coming to the middle of the table by acknowledging what the interviewer thinks is important (his/her opinion). Example: “I understand your concern. You have brought up a point that is important, and I would like to address it.”

R – Redirect the person’s concern by focusing on how you can handle the situation.

T – Test to be sure you’ve removed the concern.

S – Use a story to make your point; a story the interviewer can relate to, and that will engage him/her.

©Irene Becker, www.justcoachit.com

Are You Prepared to Network When the Time Comes?

“I can always tell when someone’s looking for a new job because they suddenly send me an invite to connect on LinkedIn, along with a whole bunch of our former coworkers.”  I hear this sentiment all the time.

It’s a little late to start reaching out for connections *after* receiving that pink slip, reaching that final straw at work or deciding to launch your new business.  It takes time to build your network and it looks a little self-serving to only connect once you actually need something from your former colleagues.

Instead of sending an invite to connect followed by an immediate “Do you know of any job openings?” or “Can you help introduce me to so-and-so?”, it’s much wiser (and polite, in my opinion) to connect with these folks up front and begin the networking process *before* you find yourself behind the proverbial eight ball.

A strategic LinkedIn networker builds his/her network when times are good and is available to help his/her connections if those folks happen to have a need.  After all, it’s much easier to ask for help when you’ve already done so for others.  I’m not saying that there’s a need for quid pro quo necessarily, but if you’re the type that helps others, it will all come back to you.  As I always say, “Pay it forward!”

Bonus Tip:  Join relevant (local, industry or profession-specific) LinkedIn groups and participate in the discussions periodically. You will establish yourself as an expert in your field and build a great network of your peers if you should ever find yourself in need down the road!

Stacy Donovan Zapar San Diego, CA, United States Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn ~ Blogging about Social Media, Recruiting, Networking and Job Search Tips & Tricks… Pay It Forward