How Your Social Media Profile Can Make Or Break Your Next Job Opportunity

Social networking is a recent invention that has the Internet still at the edge of its seat due to its popularity with people. This is mostly because it really is for the people. If you do not utilize any of the several forms of Social Media you risk falling behind your competitors who use Social Media. A survey conducted in the US last year revealed that close to 90% of employers either recruited, or were planning to recruit, through social media. According to the 2012 annual technology market survey conducted by Eurocom Worldwide, “Almost one in five technology industry executives say that a candidate’s social media profile has influenced their recruiting decision. Managing your social media profile has become even more important as it can make or break your chances of being hired.

Social media can give you an opportunity to hunt down the job of your dreams, but they won’t do it on their own. You need to be strategic and proactive in how you use them.

Here are some ways by which Social Media can be utilized:

• Highlight your professional self on social media: LinkedIn is undoubtedly a great tool to showcase your professional aspect as well as network with other professionals. Twitter can be used to talk about relevant subjects, follow industry experts and engage in conversations with them.  You can also follow organizations that interest you and stay updated with their activities, in case you are planning to apply for them.

• Connect with Right People/Organization: Becoming friends with any company that you are looking to work for or already working for is another smart use of social media. It also becomes an added advantage if the HR Executive or CEO of the firm which you are thinking to apply is already in your network.

• Keep your Eyes Open: Don’t overlook any opportunity that may come across in any form. Be it a question, advice, Discussions etc. make sure you participate in all conversations that can fetch you eye balls.

• Create your professional profile on LinkedIn: Many recruiters now use LinkedIn as their primary tool for sourcing candidates, so having a well-written and keyword-rich LinkedIn profile is essential. Make sure your profile reflects your area of expertise.

•Build a recruiter-friendly Twitter bio: Twitter is a force to be reckoned with, and both employers and recruiters now use Twitter on a regular basis to search for candidates and advertise vacancies.

•Network: The great thing about social media is that they let you communicate with people you might not meet in real life. Create your own networks by making contact with people who work at companies you’re interested in. Building networks is a long-term process but it is worth investing the time. Interact with people, learn from them, and show what you can contribute. You can join LinkedIn groups or specialist forums and share knowledge, have conversations with like-minded people and build virtual relationships – in fact, this is often easier online than in person.

However, if you want to ensure a potential employer never rejects you, make sure your online social profile depicts the type of employee a company would want to hire.

Finally, if you plan to use social media as part of your job search, remember that recruiters regularly carry out internet searches on the names of potential employees. So, keep your personal life private and make sure that all your online content is positive and professional and it depicts you as the type of employee a company would want to hire.
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Break into Bartending

Double-digit job growth is expected in food services and drinking places during the next six years, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. That includes restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs and taverns. This is great news for wannabe bartenders and servers. Polishing your act with the right look and skill set will help you mix up a potent career in the restaurant, bar or nightclub scene.

Certification and Training Are Key

If you want to work for a national chain, a bartending certificate is a must, emphasizes Chad Ryan, manager of New York City-based nightclub Therapy.

At Vintage Wine Bar & Restaurant in St. Paul, drink servers and pourers are expected to learn 20 wines served by the glass and mix all of the martinis on its extensive list. Fortunately for servers with limited experience, menus can serve as cheat sheets. And the restaurant provides beverage training to exceptional candidates, according to general manager Dan Nelsen.

Mixing Drinks Just One Part of the Job

Bars and clubs across the country are looking for a key element in potential employees: Talent. Ryan believes only 25 percent of bartending is about making drinks. Other skills he seeks include an ability to handle large amounts of money, confidence with clients, intelligence and wit.

"We also look for candidates who are more willing and flexible [to work when needed] but not desperate, and we consider the size and notoriety of their previous employer," Ryan says.

Check Out the Bar Before Applying

If you don't have experience serving drinks at a popular venue, fear not. You can get a jump on the competition if you know something about the establishment you'd like to work for and its clientele before walking through the door.

For example, the granite tabletops and elegance of the Vintage Wine Bar & Restaurant's old mansion suggests an upscale ambience, but Nelsen describes the horseshoe-shaped bar on the first floor as cozy and says the clientele varies as much as the drink list. We'd like to think we're serving everyone who lives in the neighborhood as well as people who are coming out for a special evening, he says. It's casual elegance.

To find out what look and attitude are expected, hang out at the bar and talk to the staff before you apply for the job. You can also peruse reviews of the venue.

Presentation Counts

If you're afraid you're not sassy enough to be successful in big-city venues, Ryan recommends making your look more contemporary to get noticed.

"The look is always important," Ryan says. "If someone is approached by an overwhelming presence behind the bar, the customer's focus shifts away from what [she is paying to] eat or drink.

Nelsen says bartenders "have to present themselves neatly and look good. We want someone who looks professional."

Some hot spots commonly hire based on looks alone. Staff who hire drink servers at trendy 10,000-square-foot SBNY Splash Bar New York, a dance club and bar that boasts performances by Britney Spears and Cyndi Lauper, say better-looking bartenders sell more drinks. Rather than expecting potential job applicants to have bar experience, the club teaches new employees pouring and serving techniques on the job.

Returning to work after a career break

Getting back to work after a significant break can seem very daunting. Many people who find themselves in this position just don't know where to begin and are often faced with barriers that other jobseekers don't come across.

There are many reasons for taking a break from your career, but generally they fall under voluntary, such as taking an extended holiday, or involuntary, for example experiencing redundancy. The third category contains women looking to resume a career after maternity leave.

All situations require slightly adapted job search tactics, so take a look below to see how to make your return to the market a successful one.

Voluntary breaks
It's likely you've made the decision to return either because you're run out of money or you're finished your soul searching and are now ready to dive head first into your career. It's up to you to show potential employers that you're now ready to commit to a job as initially they may be thinking you're likely to disappear again a few months into the role.

This is pretty easy to get across in a CV – you'll need to make it very clear in your opening statement that your intention is to find a job in which you can grow and that your time off has confirmed that this is the direction you want your career to take. Whether you're telling the truth or not is a different matter. If you are just planning to work until you save up for a flight back to Bondi Beach, it's up to you and your morals whether you go for a temporary or permanent job.

If your voluntary time off was to undertake a new qualification this should go a long way to persuading an employer you have a thirst for knowledge and will be of value to their company. If there's no obvious connection, be sure to point out how the course you took will help you succeed in the role you're applying for.

Involuntary breaks
As with anything you do that wasn't your decision, there's a good chance that you'll be feeling pretty unenthusiastic about the time you had off. Try and look at the positives as there's nothing worse for recruiters that reading a CV that comes across as negative or apologetic – they're looking to hire people with the energy to drive their business forward, not dwell on past problems or difficulties.

Explain how you overcame whatever situation caused you to take time off. Did you find an added inner strength that you never knew existed? Did you use your time off to learn a new skill that will be of benefit to the job? Unless you spent months on a sofa flicking channels, you're likely to have achieved something during your time off that will impress a new employer so make sure you focus on that area.

If redundancy or a sacking was the reason you were out of work, be straight (but not over-descriptive) with the reasons. It's very easy for any lies to be uncovered when your references are checked and you could find yourself being unemployed for much longer than originally expected if you're found out.

Returning after maternity
Whether you've just had your first child, have a couple of young children at primary school, or have older children that have flown the nest, you're personal situation is unique - as are your reasons for wanting to get back to work.

One thing many women returners often have to overcome is a lack of confidence, which is surprising considering childbirth and looking after young children are two of the hardest tasks anyone will ever have to undertake.

The key to making sure you're a first class applicant for the jobs you want is matching your skills with the ones requested in the job description, and these skills don't necessarily have to have been developed in a business environment. Communication, time management, negotiation and organisation are all vital attributes in the workplace and you will have had no better practice than when you were bringing up a child.

These, and other transferable skills, mean there's no reason why you can't have the job you want, and the fact you may have to fit your working hours around your child shouldn't deter you. Many companies make allowances for parents with flexible hours, subsidised nurseries and job shares just some of the many ways they try to make your work:life balance easier.

Whatever your reason for getting back to work, there's only one person who can make it happen – you. Make sure your skill set is up to speed and you're aware of the latest goings on in your chosen field. The longer you've been away, the scarier it will probably be to start a new job, but it really doesn't take long to get back in the groove.