How to get a job in 2009...

I was talking to one of my really good friends the other day about his current job search. We were talking about his resume and I asked him if he minded hearing all of my thoughts. Since he seemed to like them, I typed them up and thought I’d share.

This is my advice when searching for a job…

1 - Establish and/or tweak your web presence. By this I mean a few things.

First, tidy up all of the areas where potential employers will search and/or find your social networking profiles AND establish the ones you are missing. If this is too much effort, just work on the staple ones that you’d prefer to keep (or create). If I were you I’d focus on LinkedIn and Facebook. But these might vary by industry.

Next, monitor and post comments on forums, blogs and similar online public spaces. Use your time online to grow within your specific field or niche. Or take the time to create the new space you want to be in. Read, share, and comment on articles and blog posts. If are not already familiar with the social networking community, you will be surprised with the their nature to reciprocate.

2 - Get out there…I mean this literally.

Put yourself in a position to meet others and future employers. Sit down and think about where your future employer or employees from your ideal company hang out after work or on the weekends. Simply increase your chances. Think of this in a dating context…we all know the guy or gal who complains that they never meet anyone, but yet they never leave their apartment. Put yourself out there and remember to put on a smile and keep a positive attitude.

Do some searches on local conference and training venues. Find out who’s coming to town and what is being offered. You could put yourself in surrounding areas for next to nothing or you could go the extra mile and actually attend – this could depend on costs but is likely tax deductible.

3 - Make sure your resume is up to date.

Let’s be real, is there anyone out there that actually reads every last word on a resume? I guess there might be, but it's probably very rare. So I think you should focus on 3 things. Here's were your marketing skills come in. How well does it represent me? What is the immediate take away for a potential reader/employer? And is it searchable?

Start by doing some resume research online. No, do a lot of research online. Find the articles that focus on the different types of resumes and who each type applies to. Find the one that fits and work on it. And almost more important – get as many resume examples that you can get your hands on.

After you get a really good draft going, have your friends review it. In the past, this is the part that taught me the most lessons. Not about searching for a job, but who your real friends really are. If you call a friend and ask them to take a few minutes out of their day and review the resume you are using and they look it over and respond back with, “It looks pretty good.” You should rethink your friendship with them. And I mean that in all seriousness. If they are your friend and don’t have enough time to help you out with your job search…you can figure out the rest.

Your goal with your resume needs to be similar to a product on a store shelf. The intended reader should be interested from the start. I'm not saying that it needs to be completely crazy good, but I am saying that it needs to get someone's attention. Additionally, when someone reviews your resume, what is their immediate reaction? Is it unprofessional, I want to meet this person, or they must be really old to have accomplished this much. Give it to someone and find out.

In addition to your resume, have some samples of your work ready. This would of course depend on industry but applies almost across the board.

Make sure the contents of your resume are searchable. Try it out. Sit down with a blank piece of paper and pretend you were a recruiter or potential employer seeking to hire “a C++ coder, a HRIS implementation consultant, or a database developer”. Write down all of the phrases, job titles, job responsibilities, and anything else that would describe a well qualified candidate with experience should have. Now how does this list compare with your resume? When you search for each of these in your resume, what do you find? Guess what, in many cases this will be the only chance you have.

4 - Create a baseline.

My last point on resumes is to post a copy. Make sure you have at least one copy out there somewhere. An online classified site or one or more of the big job sites for starters. I’d say this approach is like fishing…it’s a lot harder to catch a fish without having a bait in the water.

Good Luck. And what I didn't say is that it is all about networking. Talk to your friends, acquaintances, past colleagues, and anyone else that may be of help.