The Palo Alto City Library is currently running a 5 program series called Help for Job Seekers. Every program is unique and it tackles a few modern tools to give you the edge in looking for a job. The kick off program was held Oct 20 on looking for the right employer using one of the library’s databases called Reference USA. The presenter demonstrated to the attendees how to search for companies or employers on the database of Reference USA and customize your search based on a wide range of options that can personalize the search to what you want in a company. Reference USA is one of the major players in terms of business and residential research. The database contains information on 22 million businesses or potential employers. Let us say, you are passionate about green technologies or sustainable practices, you can use those words as keywords and search the database for companies that are into that. You can customize your searches to limit it by business type, geography, business size, ownership, financial data, etc.
The 2nd program was held Oct 27, and it dealt with using the social networking tool LinkedIn to leverage your online reputation. Irene Koehler, the presenter, talked about the importance of taking control of your online presence in today’s job market. More than your resume, it is what people are saying about you, or what can be found about you that might spell the difference between being hired or being passed over. She said that it is common for HR personnel to do searches of job candidates’ reputation online and it is to your interest to take charge and manage the information that can be found. LinkedIn is a social networking web application that offers its users a chance to build a profile of their professional and personal interests and experiences and allows its user to connect to others within the network. Relationship matters, and in LinkedIn it means building connections and also getting recommendations, as the web application offers its users a way to use your connection to boost your professional reputation. Koehler offered a lot of good advice in using and managing a LinkedIn profile. Among them are making a good impression, presenting your other interests beyond just what the resume holds to draw a complete picture of your potential, using keywords that head hunters are using to make your profile searchable, to not use the default language on sending out invitations, and many more. You can check out her site for more tips on leveraging social media to take control of your online reputation.
There are three more programs in the Help for Job Seekers series. The next one is on the Employment Development Department web site (EDD) on Nov 6 and will be on what other resources are available for job seekers on the EDD. The 4th program is called Applying Online Made Easier and it will be on Nov 10. And the last one is Prepare for your Interview Using Company Research on Nov 17.
All programs are from 10 AM to 12PM at the Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium. Laptops are made available after the presentation for those who want to try out what they have just learned. You can register to attend by going to this page.