If you’ve been reading about careers and jobs over the past several years, you will no doubt have read that the best jobs never find their way to the newspaper want ads, or even online job boards. That’s because they are filled by people who are referred by friends and colleagues.

Put yourself in the place of the person looking for a job candidate. If you place an ad in the paper or online, you may get hundreds of replies, just a few of which might be a fit for the job. But to find those few, you have to wade through all the others and that can take up a lot of your time. And even when you do find a resume that looks promising, that person is still a stranger to you and you have no idea what kind of person or worker he or she might be.

On the other hand, what if a candidate is recommended to you by a trusted friend or colleague? Right away you are more inclined towards that person because of who recommended them. And you don’t have to do all that tedious reading of hundreds of unsuitable resumes.

So where does that leave you, the job seeker? Well, you want to be the candidate being recommended!

Read the entire Career Realism Networking Article.

Apply for jobs with Kohl’s on SnagAJob.com

Networking with your Friends to land a Job

CNN.com and Careerbuilder has a great article for everyone that spends plenty of time each day updating your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Ustream, Linkedin, MySpace, Jobster, Friendster, Ning or another social media page. If you know how to Podcast, Design and Develop Websites and Media, knowledge of RSS Feeds and there potential, get Twitter traffic and followers, then you may be the SOCIAL MEDIA GURU that some employers are in need. Social Media is a great way to locate jobs, but if you are a specialist, like I believe I’m starting to become, then here are some possible jobs that you can apply for:

Jobs for Facebook Addicts

If you’re a social media guru, here are five jobs to consider in your next job search:

1. Recruiter

Candidates have been on social networks for years now, and it’s about time recruiters joined them. Daniel says Dan Temps’ recruiters can find candidates faster, screen them better and reach out to individuals they wouldn’t see otherwise.

“Dan Temps believes that the environment candidates are accustomed to in a social network will keep the conversations and information real,” Daniel says. “Candidates don’t feel they are being pressured in that environment like they would in a more formal interview or screening process and are more likely to get real with our recruiters.”

2. Strategist

Many companies are seeking social media strategists to find the best way to interact within various social sites and online communities. In this role, you would be the face of social media for your company, creating and maintaining an effective social media strategy by interacting with users, growing brand awareness, creating buzz, increasing traffic and providing valuable information. To thrive in this position, Durbin says you must have a proven track record of achieving goals, or companies will be hesitant to hire you.

3. Enterprise architect

“This is the most exciting job in social media and requires someone with broad experience in networks, multiple platforms, development, security and political infighting,” Durbin says. “This is a very rare find. It’s for companies looking to completely revamp their content management strategy and internal networks. It could be the most important role in a company in the next five years.”

4. User operations analyst

For any company with an online presence, user experience is one of the most vital parts of the business. The only way to monitor that is to have someone in charge of the experience themselves. No matter if the company is blogging, has a Web site or pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, user operations analysts interact with users, answer queries, investigate problems and keep track of user habits.

5. Director of social media

Similar to a strategist, companies need someone to organize company blogging, viral marketing, podcasting, etc. This person has a background in building teams and who really gets the promise and the purpose of social media, Durbin says. These folks should be wary of new technologies and be all over blogs, RSS, have Facebook and Twitter accounts, and know the difference between his or her employees playing and researching on MySpace and YouTube.

So if you can’t get a job in your “chosen” profession, it might be time for you apply your Social Media skills to “today’s hottest market”; therefore, rework your resume and APPLY, APPLY, and APPLY!

Searching for social media jobs

You might think that finding social media jobs is difficult but many of these positions under a variety of job titles that don’t include “social media.”

Try searching job boards and the Internet for “social media,” “interactive marketing,” “new media” or “branding manager” and you should get a good start in the right direction.

Remember, use your “Job Skills”, Luke!

Kyle T. Mosley – Consultant

Source: CNN.com

Five Jobs for Social Media Gurus – Like YOU!

Careerbuilder has listed 20 “BIG SALARY” jobs that do not require a degree. Here is the list:

1. Margin department supervisor
Salary: $83,579/year
Primary duties: Overseeing a company’s credit department, which manages customer credit accounts and approves or denies credit to customers.

2. Air traffic controller
Salary: $74,922/year
Primary duties: Controlling air traffic around airports according to established procedures and policies to ensure flight safety.

3. Automobile service station manager
Salary: $72,246/year
Primary duties: Supervising gas stations and planning and implementing policy and procedure like hours of operation, workers’ duties and prices for products and services.

4. Real estate broker
Salary: $71,994/year
Primary duties: Securing real-estate transactions, selling real estate, renting properties and arranging loans.

5. Web surfer
Salary: $70,604/year
Primary duties: Scouring through multiple Web sites to analyze and compare information and user experiences to collect information to help companies understand online users’ behaviors.

6. Lead carpenter
Salary: $63,345/year
Primary duties: Leading the on-site completion of construction projects and performing all types of carpentry work and finishing.

7. Cable supervisor
Salary: $60,887/year
Primary duties: Supervising the activities of workers engaged in installation, maintenance and cable repair.

8. Chemical supervisor
Salary: $57,472/year
Primary duties: Overseeing workers who make chemical products, verifying that chemical processes are followed.

9. Home-care aide supervisor
Salary: $56,157/year
Primary duties: Directing aides who mind for elderly or disabled people in a home environment, and monitoring the quality and quantity of services provided.

10. Medical facility housekeeping manager
Salary: $55,368/year
Primary duties: Managing the workers and housekeeping program in medical facilities to uphold sanitary and orderly conditions.

11. Flight service manager
Salary: $54,350/year
Primary duties: Ensuring that flight attendants conform to personal appearance and preflight requirements; compiling flight reports.

12. Locomotive engineer
Salary: $54,084/year
Primary duties: Driving electric, diesel-electric or gas-turbine-electric trains to transport passengers or freight.

13. Interior aircraft assembly supervisor
Salary: $53,606/year
Primary duties: Supervising the process of assembling everything for the inside of an aircraft from mechanics to furniture.

14. Painting supervisor
Salary: $51,977/year
Primary duties: Overseeing all painting activities such as mixing paint, preparing surfaces before painting and applying decorative or protective finishes to various structures.

15. Gas plant operator
Salary: $51,676/year
Primary duties: Maintaining certain pressures in pipelines to produce and/or transport natural gas.

16. Payroll supervisor
Salary: $51,410/year
Primary duties: Managing employees working on company payroll, ensuring that pay calculation is in accordance with company policy, government regulations and tax codes.

17. Assembly supervisor
Salary: $50,462/year
Primary duties: Overseeing workers who use power tools and other equipment to assemble products.

18. Credit and collection supervisor
Salary: $50,330/year
Primary duties: Supervising employees engaged in the review of credit risks and collections; may also review client credit history to grant or deny extensions of credit.

19. Data control supervisor
Salary: $50,310/year
Primary duties: Managing data entry workers and assuming responsibility for those workers’ tasks to be complete and accurate; may sometimes assist with assignments.

20. Reimbursement recovery specialist
Salary: $49,246/year
Primary duties: Negotiating cases where third-party liability reimbursement exists by investigating and identifying responsible third parties, then paying out those parties.

Source: CNN and Careerbuilder

20 Big Salaried Jobs: No Degree Required

Many Americans are seeking jobs after layoffs, downsizing, new graduates, or changing careers, here are some 2008′s recession proof jobs in America.

* Education. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has historically shown teaching to be relatively recession-proof. But demographics are important: High-growth areas like the Sun Belt offer much better prospects than the Rust Belt.

* Energy. “This is a major issue for the global economy, and jobs related to oil and gas, alternative energy and even nuclear are likely to see strong growth,” Challenger said.

* Health care. Almost half the 30 fastest growing occupations are concentrated in health services — including medical assistants, physical therapists, physician assistants, home health aides, and medical records and health information technicians — according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

* International business. “If you have a strong knowledge of other cultures, and an ability to work in another country, you’ll find plenty of opportunities,” according to John Challenger. “If you’re first generation Chinese, with business skills and Chinese language skills, you’re in good shape.

* Environmental sector. There is a huge and growing industry geared to combat global warming. “Not only will professionals with skills in sustainability issues be in demand through the end of the decade, we are likely to shortages of professionals with ‘green’ skills,” said Rona Fried, president of sustainablebusiness.com, a networking service for sustainable businesses.

* Security. “Crime doesn’t stop during a recession, and police officers, port security specialists and international security experts will continue to be in demand,” Challenger emphasized.

Source: Read the entire article

Forbes had an article in July of 2008. They advised job-seekers to consider, Nursing, Sales Representatives, Networking and Systems Administration, Accounting and others. Read the Forbes story here.

Recession Proof Jobs of 2008

CNN.com’s Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis gives tips on how to handle a job layoff.

Coping with Layoffs – Video

Excellent CNN.com story for job-seekers in this economy to take notes:

If you are getting ready for a job search during troubled times, here are some tips from the experts.

1. Take a closer look at industry data

Research industries and job sectors that are experiencing worker shortages or still experiencing job growth. These are the areas where you may want to focus your search.

CareerBuilder.com produces a quarterly job forecast that indicates hiring manager trends for the next few months, both regionally and across major sectors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases updated figures every month on occupational job growth.

For example, by looking at the BLS data, you will learn that health care, education, government, food services and drinking places, and IT categories have all gained jobs this year.

2. Freshen up your skills

“Don’t give an employer a reason to pass you over because you don’t know the basics,” states Diane Morgan, director of career services at London Business School. Morgan says everyone should know basic office skills like Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel. “Since these are skills you can teach yourself from the Internet or a library book, there are no excuses for not having them.”

Another alternative is CBInstitute.com, which offers easy-to-use online courses at all levels, including business etiquette, project management, foreign languages and typing. You can take courses at times that are convenient for you, so no matter how little time you have to invest, you can make it work. At the same time, the courses are affordable and reasonably priced.

Morgan also suggests brushing up your sales skills (persuasion, negotiating and influencing) even if you aren’t in the sales industry. You need to sell your best product, which is you, so make sure your personal pitch is relevant, timely and effective, she asserts.

3. Try part-time or freelance work

“Rather than one ‘job,’ think in terms of multiple positions. Breaking in [to a new job] may be easier if you aim for part-time work within a company,” advises Katy Piotrowski, career counselor and author of “The Career Coward’s Guides.” “Line up multiple part-time positions and you’ll benefit from more job security; if one position evaporates, you have the others to fall back on.”

Moreover, it will pad your résumé and your wallet.

Rachel Weingarten, author of “Career and Corporate Cool,” recommends job sharing or taking over for someone on maternity leave or during the holiday crunch.

“A lot of people don’t want to commit full-time skills to a part-time or temporary gig. In this economy though, it can allow you to not only try on a job for size, but to also improve your skills, impress a potential long-term employer and network like crazy with people in your chosen industry,” she says. “Instead of nervously waiting for the right full-time career, you can potentially make something better happen in the short term.”

4. Rev up your social networking

Gone are the days of peddling your résumé at anonymous networking events with watered-down drinks and goofy nametags. Now you can have countless opportunities with a few keystrokes and a couple of mouse clicks.

Sure you’ve received those requests to join LinkedIn and BrightFuse, and you certainly use Facebook daily. (Scrabble anyone?) But now is the time to really take of the network you’ve probably casually built over the years.

Networking is easier than in years past because of the easy access to your network and those of your friends and colleagues, Matuson declares. “Now you can go onto [social networking] sites and see who in your network knows someone at a company that you might be interested in working for. You can then ask them to make an introduction on your behalf.”

Read the entire article at CNN.com

How to find a job during a recession