Is Your Job Search Secret Weapon Ready?

Everyone has a job search secret weapon. You just have to choose to use it.

The Internet is an amazing thing. Whether you work from your home office in San Francisco, log-in at a public library in rural Alaska, tap in a web search on your smart phone in Rocky Mountain National Park, or visit an Internet cafe in Costa Rica, the Internet is always there. Nearly anything you could ever want to look up is online. From cookie recipes to car specifications to emails to useless trivia – it’s all just a few clicks away.

If you’re not online, you’re way behind the times. In today’s modern world, technology rules. Email, social media, video conferences, blogs, websites, e-commerce, job boards, television – it’s all online. Even you. Go ahead and try to Google yourself. Something will come up. It could be your professional LinkedIn profile, pictures of debauchery on your Facebook page, #yourbesttweets, a criminal record, news, your blog, or something you don’t even know about yet. It’s all there for the world to see.

It’s a bit nerve-wracking that people can learn so much about you so easily, but don’t fret. The Internet is also your job search secret weapon. Creating a web presence is the absolute best thing you can do for your job search. Take advantage of what is available to you online. Do it right now before someone Googles you with unimpressive results.

When you use the Internet as your job search secret weapon, be sure to:

Sign-Up For Social Media – Sign up and log-in to social media. You need a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+. Take the time to create a professional profile on all of these sites even if you don’t use them regularly. Establish yourself and monitor what goes onto your pages.

Buy A Domain – A domain is something like https://www.jobmonkey.com/. If you want a website or blog you will need a domain. You can purchase your own domain for around $10 per year. You can search for domain names and purchase them from sites like GoDaddy or HostMonster. This is a minimal cost for a website that highlights your resume, portfolio, friends and much more. Purchase your domain now before someone else does. You can use your name or get creative.

Start A Blog – Blogging is a great way to establish your professional reputation. It makes you stay on top of your industry, develop a following, and impress recruiters. You can even use that domain that you just bought. If you’re really good at blogging you can even make money as a blogger. Choose a niche and treat your blog as a business – with enough fans and followers it could become your career.

Network – You’ll be amazed at who finds you, follows you, likes you, shares your posts, and tweets your ideas. The world is an amazingly small place and all sorts of acquaintances will want to reconnect. That’s fine, but keep it pro at all time.

Management – Now that you have blogs, social media outlets, contacts, and websites you have to constantly manage what goes on them. Spam comments, inappropriate pictures, and update as necessary to keep your web presence up-to-date. An out-of-date web presence doesn’t look good to a recruiter.

You can create and manage your web presence for cheap. If you want to kickstart your job search, establish who you are and what your personal brand is via the Internet. People will find you. If you can impress them, you’ll be one step closer to landing a job.

Most people do not take advantage of this job search secret weapon. With today’s current competitive job market, having a web presence is no longer an option. It’s mandatory and it’s the only way to skyrocket your chances of getting hired. Create your web presence today. It will make a difference in your job search.