Career Savvy: Job Hunting? Put Technology to Good Use

By Troy Behrens, Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center

"If e-mail had been invented before the telephone, everyone would be saying: 'This new telephone thing is great! You can actually TALK to people with it!' "

- Anonymous

Trends in communications technology have led us to more frequent but impersonal interactions. Until the virtual meeting room becomes commonplace and mobile, we have to maintain our assertive, conscientious and professional character traits - especially when job hunting.

Power of blogs

Many blogs are dedicated to job searches and career building, including on Monster and a variety of mainstream and niche sites. Regularly read these blogs, review the advice and pick up tips that will aid your search.

Blogging can become a passion, but don't let that passion hinder your employment prospects. Blog securely and carefully, so your current or future career opportunities aren't jeopardized.

A better way to network

For those who want to network on a clean, "mature" site, LinkedIn is the way to go.

It's been reported that the jackpot in recruiting is finding "passive candidates" - people who are happy and productive working with their current employers. LinkedIn, with its 7 million-plus members, is a gold mine for these types of hidden job market gems.

That's why executive-level job hunters and hiring managers are jumping on the bandwagon and using online networking sites to promote their businesses or making alumni connections.

Not to be outdone, Facebook has countered with two cleaner, more mature versions of employment networking: One Day, One Job and Jobster.

Worth noting: Your Facebook profile will not be seen by employers. When you sign up for Jobster Talent Networks, only information you choose will be provided to desired employers.

Whether you're joining résumé databases, posting on social or professional networks or blogging your way to your next job, here's a link that will keep your search organized and effective:

Beware technology traps

Developing an overreliance on the "magic" of online job hunting can trap us into:

a.) Hiding behind impersonal mass communications

b.) Numbing ourselves behind an electronic buffer to the pain of rejection

c.) Applying to anything and everything at our fingertips

Succumbing to these traps will lend themselves to some interesting, difficult and sticky situations. They also can become bad habits - leading to complacency or overzealousness - and can weaken your interpersonal and communications skills, which are the top skills recruiters at all levels require of their new hires.

At this point, when it comes to résumé databases, blogs or social networks, most of us are aware of the need to "Post Responsibly." We're inundated by "heads-up" messages from You Tube, college career centers and the mainstream media.

Still, not everyone is as careful as they should be. Here's a real-life example of how one job searcher's technical difficulties got the worst of him:

A case study

"Jason" was the epitome of lazy - he threw his résumé to the wind on every site imaginable and let RSS feeds email him job openings instead of actively searching for them. When he did take the initiative to respond to an online ad, he paid little or no attention to job requirements.

As you can imagine, he didn't have much luck. But the law of averages works in favor even of long shots from time to time, and he did get an interview now and then.

Astonishingly enough, there was a time when he was "not really feeling like going all the way down to an employer's office," so he requested to be interviewed via "texting"! He wanted simple yes/no questions, and he didn't think complicating the process with formal meetings was necessary.

He also thought that follow-up phone calls or screenings were a waste of time and inconvenient. Instead of returning calls, he e-mailed employers in response to their voice mails and referred recruiters to his MySpace site for more information.

When a few employers pursued him more seriously, Jason was more brazen, due to the impersonal buffer of e-mails and texts. He often demanded salary information upfront, and under no uncertain terms would he continue with the application process if the employer didn't disclose wages immediately.

With all of his technical shenanigans, Jason led many employers astray. One afternoon, Jason's online applying, declining, reapplying and redeclining offers were so fast, furious and disorganized, that disaster struck. He had applied for a one-in-a-million job - one he had been waiting for - and the recruiter sent an e-mail to inform him that he was going to be called. But first the company did a quick background check.

The employer Googled Jason and discovered that he had a questionable background - including the acceptance of a recent offer job offer! Jason was as surprised as they were to learn of his other offer. Apparently, he had agreed to a sales job in Cleveland and his name was posted on the company site as a new hire!

His chances at the dream job were gone.

"Bummer!" was all Jason could say.

SMU Hegi Family Career Development Center counselors, who are now blogging at smuhegi.blogspot.com, remind you to Post Responsibly!