Jobs Online Fall in June

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate rose 0.1 percent in June from May’s 9.4 percent to 9.5 percent. Considering the increase in joblessness across the country, it makes sense that there were fewer job listings advertised online during the month.

The Monster Employment Index, put out by job search giant Monster.com, dropped one percentage point in June. This means that there was a small decline in the number of jobs online last month. According to a recent press release from Monster, this loss of advertised positions was expected.

Job markets across the country have seasonal trends. On average, online recruitment slows during the month of June. Businesses that increase their staff during the summer months, such as employers in the leisure and hospitality industry, have already completed the majority of their hiring. Add to this the fact that places like school districts have not begun to hire new employees and you have a large part of the reason hiring is slower during the month of June.

According to Monster Worldwide, the year-over-year decline in jobs listed online that has been noted since the onset of the nationally experienced recession is showing some signs of slowing. Currently, the Index is down 28 percent, which is a note-worthy improvement from the rate of decline experienced in April and May.

“While U.S. online job availability has remained largely flat since January, the annual pace improved during the second quarter, suggesting some expansion in underlying employer demand for workers,” said senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide Jesse Harriott in the company’s recent report. “Still, current levels of online job vacancies are at their lowest since January 2005, illustrating the extent to which hiring has slowed during this recession.”

Monster fond that online job availability increased in 8 of the 20 industry sectors monitored by the Index and 12 of the 23 occupational categories during the month of June. The largest increase in jobs listed online occurred in the real estate, rental and leasing area of employment. Representatives from Monster believe this shows signs that the industry is beginning to stabilize.

According to the report, the increased data in this area of employment occurred around the same time as the National Association of Realtors put out improved statistics on residential sales. This shows that the housing sector might be registering an increase in activity.

As far as occupations monitored by Monster go, the legal and protective services showed the greatest increase in jobs online. During the same period, Monster noted ease in demand for technically skilled positions.

According to Monster, the states with the largest of number of jobs online in relation to their populations were: 1.) Alaska 2.) Maryland 3.) Vermont 4.) Delaware 5.) Rhode Island 6.) Montana 7.) Virginia 8.) Connecticut 9.) Massachusetts and 10.) Wyoming.

Online job scams

In the business world it's all about networking. The internet is filled with social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, which have opened the gates for online job hunting. However, it is difficult for one to decipher between what's real and what isn't.

The Better Business Bureau says that job scams are on the rise. Since so many are unemployed and searching for a job, people take advantage of this. Scam artists could walk away with your money and your identity for you're not careful.

Eastern Illinois University had an issue with fake job opportunities earlier this month. The university's Career Services warned students of fake job offers and scam companies attempting to use the online job recruiting service.

So what can a job hunter do to avoid becoming a victim? According the better business bureau signs of a job scam:

• Grammatical errors in the ad or email,
• A request to send money to a foreign country,
• Jobs that offer work at home,
• Jobs that ask you to pay money up front.

Always be weary of jobs that seem too good to be true. In this economy, no one needs to add an identity and money scam to their problems.

See what Cheezhead can do for you

With all the different recruiting sites on the web, everyone needs help in the job search. Cheezhead, a notable recruiting blog, formed a group of sites to write about jobs and changes in the market around the country, while linking to job finding sites.

On the job search page, Cheezhead not only posts available jobs in different fields, upcoming career fairs in the areas are as well. If the site can't help a job seeker find a job, they provide other opportunities for job fulfillment.

For example, when searching a marketing job in Cleveland, one is given a listing of related positions in field. These range from sales and advertising to management.

Numerous listings are linked to the TopUSAJobs site. In addition to the job description, related job postions are linked to. It is helpful to take advantage of these sites, when looking for a new job.

Check out the Cheezhead job page and see what it can do for you.

Where The Jobs Are

The national unemployment rate rose from 7.2 percent in December to 7.6 percent in January – 2.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier, in what continues to be a tough market for jobs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• The largest over-the month decreases in the level of employment were recorded in California, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas.
  
  
• Michigan, Arizona, and Ohio reported the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment, followed by Arizona and Ohio.
  
  
• The largest over-the-month increases in the level of employment were reported by Maryland, Washington DC, and New Hampshire.
  
  
• Washington DC, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Maryland, and Montana experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment.
  
  
• The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported by Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Florida, and Ohio.
  
  
• The largest over-the-year percent-age increases in employment were reported by Wyoming, Washington DC, Alaska, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.

U.S. Department of Labor announces boost in weekly unemployment benefit amounts

Good news for unemployed workers looking for jobs. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced a weekly increase in unemployment compensation, as provided for in the stimulus legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, enacted on Feb. 17.

The new temporary Federal Additional Compensation program will provide a $25 weekly increase in unemployment compensation for eligible workers. These extra benefits are 100 percent federally-funded.

The stimulus legislation also extended the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which was scheduled to expire on Aug. 27, 2009. "The program has been extended to Dec. 31, 2009, for new applications, with a 'phase-out' period ending May 31, 2010," said Secretary Solis. "Both the Emergency Unemployment Compensation and the Federal Additional Compensation programs provide temporary financial support to unemployed workers to help them pay for basic necessities such as food, clothing, medicine and gasoline while they look for new jobs."

To qualify for these benefits, unemployed workers must first be determined eligible for unemployment benefits by the appropriate state workforce agency. Workers must have earned sufficient wages from prior recent employment and have been separated from employment for non-disqualifying reasons (as determined under state law). Eligible workers must also be able to work and be available for work while receiving these unemployment benefits.

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have executed agreements with the U.S. Department of Labor to administer these programs.

U.S. Lost 3.6 Million Jobs Within One Year

Bleak news continues across the job market, underscored by government reports and responses. Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Edward C. Hugler issued the following statement on the January 2009 Employment Situation report:

"The Employment Situation report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today underscores the seriousness of the economic situation. As these numbers show, the labor market continues to contract across American industries. The unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent or 11.6 million unemployed workers. January's decline in payroll employment reached 598,000, bringing total job loss to 3.6 million since the recession began in December 2007."

Simply Hired Brings Job Search to Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies List

Simply Hired, the largest job search engine and recruitment advertising network, has announced a content sharing agreement with CNNMoney.com to provide job listings on Fortune Magazine online for its annual, "100 Best Companies to Work For" feature. Visitors will be able to view current job openings at the employers that ranked on Fortune's special report, released January 22, 2009.

Job seekers visiting the "Best Companies to Work For" report will have access to jobs at top employers and Simply Hired's database of over 5 million jobs globally. In addition, Simply Hired will provide "100 Best Companies" and "Fortune 500" job search filters for all job seekers its site.

"The job listings provided through this partnership will complement the content of this special report, allowing highly qualified visitors to the site to potentially fill the open roles at these top companies," said Gautam Godhwani, Co-founder and CEO of Simply Hired. "It is a great distribution point for employers to reach into such an attractive audience."

Through this partnership, CNNMoney.com joins Simply Hired’s recruitment advertising network, which consists of over 5,000 social networks, blogs and content sites, including LinkedIn, Fox Television Stations, CNET, US News and World Report.

Job Search Tips: What Not To Do

When searching the Internet for job search advice, it’s easy to find an abundance of information on what you should do. Finding out what common mistakes to avoid can take a little more effort.

One of the worst things you can do is be late for the interview. In order to avoid this, leave thirty minutes early. This will usually give enough time to get through unexpected traffic problems or other unforeseen issues. If you simply can’t help showing up late, then you haven’t necessarily missed out on a chance for employment. In these cases it’s best to call ahead of time and let someone know. During the interview you should apologize to make sure that they known you are aware of the mistake. This will show that you take responsibility when you mess up.

Another thing you want to avoid after your job search yields a possibility is bad mouthing past employers. No matter what the circumstances, this is viewed very negatively by most hiring managers. Since you’re by no means close enough to confide in the person in charge of the interview, you should always use tact when discussing those you have worked with and for. After all, you have no idea who they know personally.

Many people also make the mistake of being rude to the receptionist they have to deal with when first coming in for the interview. Since many hiring mangers ask these individuals how the person behaved before they came in the room, this can completely change their opinion of you. After all, anyone can be polite for the length of one conversation.

Although these mistakes don’t necessarily mean that your job search won’t end successfully, they can cause you to take much longer to find work. Avoiding these errors is always the best bet, but if you catch yourself making one of these mistakes, a polite explanation will often suffice.

New Job Trends to Watch in 2009

Popular online career site, Jobfox, has released a report predicting the top Obama-inspired new job trends to watch in 2009. The list includes the job sectors and key professions that are most likely to grow as a result of Obama's economic stimulus policies.

The Obama administration has said it will "hit the ground running" with what experts project to be a $700 billion job stimulus package. The new administration's goals are to create or save 2.5 million jobs over the next two years.

According to Jobfox, the most wanted new jobs, listed by major Obama initiatives, will include the following:

Initiative: Construction of Roads, Bridges, Transit and Rural Broadband
Key Jobs:

• Construction managers
• Project managers
• Civil engineers
• Computer-aided drafting specialists
• Telecommunications engineers

Initiative: Greater Oversight of Financial Markets
Key Jobs:

• Compliance accountants
• Internal auditors
• Tax accountants
• Government regulators

Initiative: Energy Independence
Key Jobs:

• Electrical engineers
• Mechanical engineers
• Power grid managers
• Biofuels chemists
• Sales and marketing

Initiative: Healthcare Modernization
Key Jobs:

• Nurses
• Information technology specialists
• Bioinformatics specialists
• Information security specialists
• Software developers

Initiative: Volunteerism and Community Involvement
Key Jobs:

• Social workers
• Administrators
• Translators

"Epic changes are ahead throughout the professional landscape," said Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox. "It's just like 1991, when we didn't know the Internet was coming. New job titles will emerge, many of which haven't been invented yet. Savvy professionals will be prepared to take advantage of new opportunities."

American’s Turning to Online Education In Order To Further Job Skills

“People are losing jobs every day,” notes Dr. Michael K. Clifford, whose firm, SignificantFederation, LLC, creates strategies based on confidential relationships with entrepreneurs and CEOs in order to help people find their dreams and succeed. Its strategic approach has created hundreds of millions of dollars in value for its co-investors, management teams and entrepreneurial ventures.

"[Job loss] is driving their need to refresh existing skills and develop new ones," said Clifford. "Online education, with its financial aid options and non-linear learning model, offers adult learners the opportunity for intellectual and professional improvement."

Clifford was an evangelist for online education long before the recession tightened its grip on the United States last fall. Now he's an even bigger proponent, given its potential for helping the country recover its footing.

"Being enrolled in online education gives adult learners the flexibility to leverage a student loan for living expenses, gain new skills, and continue searching for an even better employment situation than the one lost," said Clifford. "Being engaged in learning engenders a positive attitude, allowing the adult learner to say: 'I am in school improving myself. I would like to add value to your company.' It demonstrates the individual's desire to grow, learn, and be productive."

Clifford went on to point out that "during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the U.S. Government created public works in order to create jobs. In this most recent economic downturn some are comparing to the Great Depression, the new frontier is the Internet. Digital education is just beginning to revolutionize post-secondary education outside the traditional bricks-and-mortar setting.

"Thanks to the careful regulatory oversight from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as state and regional accrediting commissions, the delivery of rigorous, relevant, real-world education via the Internet on a global basis is increasing at an astonishing speed."

Making up a truly "green industry," online degree-granting institutions may provide the single most important product to America's ability to compete in the world economy: affordable relevant education accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time, according to Clifford.

Job Searching Tips in Times of Recession

With fast rising unemployment rates across the country, many professionals are looking for new ideas on how to be proactive and leverage technology in the job search process. Responding to accounting jobs ads and waiting for the phone to ring is simply not proactive enough in a deepening recession. This article provides a starting point for thinking outside the box with your job search.

"I have sent out hundreds of resumes and the phone isn't ringing!” is common feedback Atlanta-based SearchLogic Recruiting is hearing right now from marketable candidates, notes owner Nate Rozell.

"We saw this last back at the end of 2001 and 2002. From all the available data and our own observations it appears the job cuts will be deeper and the unemployment rate will be higher this time but it isn't permanent and things could be a lot worse. Job seekers looking for work in the Greater Atlanta area have the advantage of sheer volume of companies including the number of corporate headquarters and diversity of industries."

The company is encouraging people to leverage technology in a way that they never have in the past. One example is the use of social networking sites. In the past few years sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have reached a tipping point for entertainment and business use. LinkedIn has over 20 million users now and Facebook has almost 700,000 people in the Atlanta Network alone. These sites facilitate networking which is so critical without ever leaving the house.

Rozell encourages candidates to make their LinkedIn profile read like a well crafted resume and marketing presentation so as to make a lasting impression. Site members can even insert examples of work or presentations using a new Google application that integrates with Linkedin. The point is make the investment of time to learn how to use these sites effectively.

Furthermore, once you have a list of companies looking to hire, use the LinkedIn People search to find hiring manager contacts at these organizations. It is ok to send your resume directly to Human Resources or the Corporate Recruiter but you may get further faster if your resume lands in the inbox of the person doing the hiring. Make it a goal to reach multiple contacts within an organization because maybe one person finds interest where another does not.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports 3.1 Million Job Openings

According to a release from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, on the last business day of October, there were 3.1 million job openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.2 percent.

The job openings rate, while little changed, continued to trend downward. The hires rate decreased slightly to 3.0 percent in October.

Although the month-to-month changes in job openings, hires, and turnover data are often small, the trends over time are notable. The job openings rate has declined for the past 13 months after remaining essentially flat from August 2006 through September 2007.

Over the last 12 months, the job openings rate rose significantly only in the federal government (to 2.5 percent). The rate fell over the year in most industries, including construction; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; information; finance and insurance; professional and business services; health care and social assistance; accommodation and food services; other services; and state
and local government. The job openings rate also fell significantly over the year in three of the four regions—Northeast, South, and West.

The hires rate decreased in October to 3.0 percent due to small declines in the rate for several industries. Only accommodation and food services experienced a significant decrease in the hires rate in October; no industry or region experienced a significant increase in the hires rate in October. The hires rate dropped significantly over the past 12 months in three of the four regions—Midwest, South, and West.

The turnover rate ticked upward to 3.1 percent in October, but the change was not statistically significant.

California Career Day for Veterans’ Job Search

On December 5, CPEhr, a California HR Consulting firm, and New Directions, a non-profit providing services to U.S. veterans, conducted a joint Career Day training event to assist veterans in their job search.

New Directions was founded in 1989 and is housed on the campus of the Veterans Administration in West Los Angeles. Its mission is to empower veterans and to facilitate their successful return to families and society; they have teamed with CPEhr to provide their residents with free training to assist them in finding employment.

“We wanted to give our veterans an edge and get them more competitive in this tough economy,” says Brigitte Slayton, New Direction’s Vocational Program Manager. “Since CPEhr has HR professionals who have worked in many different industries, we felt they were the best choice to give our veterans advice from the employer’s perspective, help them overcome obstacles, and help build their self esteem.”

The training curriculum includes workshops on various topics, geared towards assisting veterans successfully locate and get a job. Workshop topics include: How to Look For a Job, Putting Your Best Foot Forward, Grooming and Interviewing Etiquette, and How to Keep Your Job. The curriculum was designed by CPEhr, a professional human resources consulting firm that has provided training for California employers since 1982.

“For over 25 years, we have helped local businesses manage their employees, and have helped employees be more successful in their jobs,” explains Ari Rosenstein, Director of Marketing at CPEhr. “We wanted to offer that expertise back to the community, and felt that supporting our veterans find jobs would be the perfect way to do it.”

Job Search Tips

Looking for a new job is never easy, but trying to find employment while the economy is struggling makes things even more complicated. Although there maybe positions out there, the real problem comes from the fact that so many people looking for work at the moment. Many employers who advertise that they are hiring have found themselves swamped with an overwhelming number of resumes.

Because of this, it is important for job seekers to focus on why they are the best person for the job. In order to properly get this point across, one has to be completely honest with their self about their best qualities and then figure out how these can come into play in the workplace. Understanding these things makes it a lot easier for an individual to convince an employer that they are the best person for the job during an interview.

During times like these, one quality can make it much easier to find work. Job seekers that are flexible have a much large chance of getting hired. Those who don’t put limitations on their schedules, are willing to move or are comfortable trying their hand in a different industry will find that many more opportunities are available to them.

Those looking for a new job right now may not be able to find work with the employer of their dreams. Despite this, bills do have to be paid so these individuals may have to take a less desirable position. This does not mean that the search for the perfect job should end after finding a so-so position. Instead, job seekers should continue to try to find the perfect opportunity, which could become available at any time.

Job seekers who can not afford to wait to find work should consider contacting a temp agency or employment recruiter while they continue to look for a new positions through other avenues. This drastically increases there chance of finding work quickly. Currently many have found that the struggling economy has made it normal for job seekers to have to look for work for six months or more before being hired.

The European Privacy Partnership warns that consumers may lose more that their credit rating if they default on loans; jobs are at stake

This month's UK bankruptcy figures show that UK business and individuals are still choosing bankruptcy as a seemingly easy way out of debt problems. However many people fail to realize that defaulting on debts not only damages your credit rating but may also prevent you from renting (not just buying) a home and may even stop you getting certain types of employment.

All bad debt typically remains on an individual's record for six years from the date of the default. During this time those with a history of debt can expect to be refused not just credit but also rented accommodation and even some types of employment.

Rental agencies and employers often check credit history to ascertain an applicant's reliability or risk rating. In many industries, such as financial services or other jobs where staff have access to sensitive data, applicants may be refused employment due to a bad credit rating.

"In the current climate perfectly honest individuals who struggle to meet re-payments on debt may find that more than just their credit rating is at stake," commented Nicola McKilligan a Senior Partner at the European Privacy Partnership.

"Many employers use credit reference agency data to make decisions about employment. This comes as a surprise to many people. The UK Data Protection Act says we should be told how our information is to be used, but how many of us remember reading on our credit applications that adverse credit records could be used to deny us employment or rented accommodation?" continued McKilligan.

"This is a privacy and data protection issue," argues McKilligan, "credit reference agencies should take more responsibility before passing on personal information which might be used to make non-credit related decisions. Lenders should also provide clearer information about what credit information will be used for. This should happen at the point when people sign up for a loan."

EPP is advising all those who have been refused employment or rented accommodation on the basis of credit reference data, but who feel that they were not informed properly that their information would be used for these purposes, to complain direct to the Information Commissioner who enforces the Data Protection Act 1998.

EPP is also calling for the government to make it illegal to refuse someone employment or housing just because they are a bankrupt or have a poor credit history.

Job Search Tips from Experts

While the economy continues to dwindle and more jobs are lost, there is some advice experts have to offer those on a job search.

The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics states the country lost 240,000 jobs during October, while the unemployment rate increased from 6.1 percent to 6.5 percent. This means the country has lost 1.2 million jobs so far this year. According to an article by the Boston Herald, some experts are taking this time to offer advice to job seekers.

First, it's helpful to use professional networking sites such as LinkedIn. These sites can help you identify what kind of job you're looking for and what your skills are, as well as connect you with important resources, potential references and possible employers.

You also can offer to work on a temporary basis if you're not currently employed. This is a good way to gain experience, keep your current skills up-to-date and learn new skills. A move like this also can help get you in the door. Another option is to work with a recruiting firm that offers free job placement services.

"We're going to have a stronger network," Bill Driscoll, New England district president at Robert Half International, said in the article. "We're going to know what companies are hiring and the skills that are in demand."

Job seekers can volunteer for nonprofit groups, which allows them to make valuable networking contacts that can help find a new job or career while performing a valuable service. Also, nonprofits are more likely to give people looking to switch careers useful experience in jobs where they currently lack necessary skills or credentials to be hired for paid positions.

One tried and true tactic is to network through professional associations, friends and colleagues. If you know your skills, you can seek out private career coaches or institutions offering career counseling.

"If you're lucky, you might hear of something before it gets posted somewhere," Maria Stein, director of Career Services at Northeastern University in Boston, said in the article, adding job sites are a passive way of looking for work. "You post your resume and post your profile, and then you sit back and wait for someone to contact you. I wouldn't necessarily put all my eggs in that basket and assume that's the most effective way to find a job.

Job seekers should network as much as possible, which will increase the odds of your resume being read. It's also important to be flexible.

"It's a good time to be more flexible," Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University, said in the article. "In a tough economy, you may not be able to get your dream job at your dream company. But there are jobs, and so it's finding an opportunity that helps you develop skills and experience that will better-qualify you for that dream job down the road.

"The other caveat that I give to students is flawless execution," Sarikas added. "There's absolutely no tolerance in this economy for mistakes on your resume, mistakes on your cover letter and not following up after an interview."

Company Jobs

Checkout a list of some company links for job search purposes, including some of the top Fortune 500:

• IBM Jobs
  
- Job Type; City, State, Countries

• Xerox Jobs
- Job Type; City, State, Countries

• Janus Capital Group Jobs
- Job Type; City, State, Countries

• Deloitte Jobs
- Job Type; City, States

• Vanguard Car Rental Jobs
- Job Type; City, State

• Kodak Jobs
- Job Type; City, State, Countries

All sites and others can be found at JobCentral.com along with hundreds more direct employers.

Excel Jobs

As business and technology have grown, so have the programming tools and processes that support them. Everyone is familiar with Visual Basic (VB) and the impact it has had on the programming world.

But were you aware that programming in Excel has a huge following as well?

Excel jobs are growing in demand as more and more businesses are discovering the unique benefits of this system. As a programmer, you most likely have used the VB (Visual Basics) tools for development. Your ability to use VB tools to create, test, enhance, and execute program enhancements is second-nature to you.

Beyond VB, through Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), you have the experience to leverage Excel as a more valuable and efficient tool for business. And VBA provides the background and experience necessary for filling the need in available Excel jobs.

Now is the time to evaluate the many demanding positions in Excel jobs to find one that is best suited for your skills and expertise. VBA enables you to optimize the capabilities of Excel and create a robust, information-management application that will increase productivity and efficiency for the end-users.

The fun part of Excel jobs is that you are able to change the end-users experience through visualization / appearances, menus, and much more. Creating UserForms and using VBA code to modify Excel menu systems are just a few of the ways your programming skills can enhance the use of this valuable software tool.

And as an expert in Excel jobs, you can showcase your knowledge by creating new worksheet functions to be used in formulas, automate operations, or create other advanced worksheet functions.

Take your VBA skills to a new level through Excel jobs and make spreadsheets sing!

Your value to the organization will be immeasurable.

Jobs in My Area

Everyone has, at one point or another, asked themselves "what kind of jobs are in my area?" Whether actually looking for a new position or not, it is important to keep up to date on this sort of information, especially in times of economic uncertainty. With talk of a national recession, many who fully believe their job are secure could end up unemployed with little to no warning. Those who have kept abreast of what jobs are in their area will have an easier time finding new employment.

Staying well informed about local employers' hiring needs doesn’t mean that you have to constantly Google search "jobs in my area" or anything that time consuming. In fact it can be done almost passively. For starters, Myspace has teamed up with Simply Hired to provide users with a small widget on their each personal main page that lists jobs in their area. Click on edit and type in your industry or specific job title. Now you're all set to be casually reminded about whose hiring in your city. Every now and then, take a few moments to look over what the opportunities surrounding you are. Other social networking sites are also beginning to make this available to their users, so you're not limited to Myspace alone.

Another way to stay on top of what employers are looking for in your area is to sign up for job alerts. Many job search engines allow users to sign up for e-mails that will let them know when job listings for specified industries or titles are posted. Even if you aren't looking for new employment at the moment, these notifications can come in handy later on. It doesn't take much effort to create a separate folder to store them in so that they can be accessed when needed.

Staying in touch with your social network can lend a big hand towards being knowledgeable about your area's job market. Since people love to talk about their lives, which usually involve family and work, many little bits of information will be passes your way simply by carrying on discussions with those whose company you already enjoy. When the topic of work is brought up, simply ask a few questions that direct the conversation in a direction that allows you access to the information you need.

Not only does staying well informed about the jobs available in your area help out when it comes to search for new employment; it can also give you a good idea about your particular career's outlook in your hometown.

Big Job Boards are HUGE

Finding a job via the internet can be an intimidating experience if you’re not savvy to some of the options available to you. Monster.com recently boasted the posting of it's eleven millionth resume! That's a lot of resumes – and a lot of competition for you.

What can you do to find a job via the internet and increase your personal exposure to some of the best companies? Why not go straight to the source and contact the company directly?

Most companies now have a "jobs and careers" section on their websites. This is a great way to review the open jobs and required qualifications. Once you know more about what they are looking for, you can actually tailor your resume and highlight your skills and experience that are most directly related to a specific job online.

When you visit a company’s site directly, it indicates that you are interested in working for that particular company and industry. This could enhance your ability to make a direct contact and receive an invitation for a face-to-face interview, since you have shown your personal interest in them. Taking the time to learn about a company and visiting their website directly shows them you are serious about your job search and you want to be part of their team.

Finding a job via the internet takes some creativity and patience. Don’t just rely on the mega job boards to find the right job. Think like an employer and you'll identify even more creative ways to reach the right person who can connect you to the best job possible.