By Daryl C. Hannah - Jun 10, 2009
Also read: career advice, find a job, technology, generations in the workplace, mentoring, career fairs, DiversityInc careers
How can the jobless get back onto the career track during this historic economic downturn? More importantly, how can you leverage diversity to help? Here are several ways.
Click here to read "So You've Lost Your Job; Now What?"
Click here to read "How Mentors Can Change Your Career (VIDEO)."
Embrace Technology
Despite your age or technical prowess, now is the time to sharpen your skills and promote your acumen. For starters, that means turning to online job boards versus flipping through newspaper classifieds to search for work.
Social-networking sites are another essential job-seeking tool. "They play a greater role as far as being able to make contacts with people who either have exposure or experience or play a role within the organization, and they give [the job seeker] that additional venue to network," says Daniel Guerrero, a former client manager of the South Central Region at INROADS, an organization dedicated to developing and placing Black, Latino, Asian and other traditionally underrepresented people in corporate and community leadership roles.
But you need to know the do's and don'ts of social networking to land a job.
Make a Good First Impression
Don't think that you can write e-mails, comments or chats in abbreviated words, slang or symbols. Type messages as if you were standing in front of the person speaking face-to-face.
Avoid Personal Comments
If you reached out to a company for a job, for instance, and all you get is an auto-response stating that "we'll keep you on file," don't badmouth the company in cyberspace.
"If you leave a disdaining comment or an inappropriate comment, whether you are using an alias or not, at some point there is a sense of ethic that that behavior begins to carry over through," says Guerrero. "You want to carry yourself as a true professional at all times … because that shows a sense of integrity."
Be Mindful of the Internet Company You Keep
Employers now view applicants' social-networking "friends" as references. Not only are potential employers checking your profile pages on sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, which can easily be found through a Google search, they may also contact your friends. So to be selective as to whom you choose as a friend on these sites, because what they say can determine whether or not you land that job.
In addition, explore various social-networking sites to connect with the type of companies you want to work for. Many executive-level managers have had success posting their profiles to LinkedIn, an easy-to-use mainstream site that connects professionals across a variety of sectors. Entry-level job seekers may have better luck joining diversity-related or ethnic sites such as HBCUConnect.com.
But don't limit your job search to social-networking sites. Nowadays, you can set yourself apart by creating your own web site that showcases samples of your work, references and more. Go to Yahoo Small Business or GoDaddy.com for simple web-design templates. Doing so will not only promote your technical know-how to prospective employers, it'll demonstrate your creativity and critical-thinking skills.
Join Professional Organizations
Becoming a member of professional organizations, such as ASCENT, National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA), PRIMER*, National Organization on Disability (NOD) or USBLN, is a great way to network face to face with individuals in the absence of a corporate employee-resource group. They can also be extremely helpful when trying to explore new careers. If you're thinking about linking up with some organizations, it's important to make sure the group has a mission that aligns with your career goals.
It's also a good idea to join one in which members are of a different race, sexual orientation or gender than you. Why? It will both broaden your professional network and provide valuable insight for working with a diverse team when you do land that new job.
*Click here to watch an exclusive video interview and learn what PRIMER is all about.
