Want a Job? Stand Out – Create a Web CV

Let’s face it, there is the credit crunch, combine it with employers Googling potential candidates, the incursion of My Space, the invasion of Facebook by recruiters etc., so what’s a job seeker to do?

You have to ensure that you stay ahead of the game. To do this, you have to differentiate your self by having more than just a paper CV. In this day and age of Web 2.0, some employers want something techy. Getting a professional online identity or. your own online Career portfolio is a new path for students to market themselves, their skills and get hired. Your professional online identity includes your blog, articles, portfolio, online resume and even testimonials.

Believe it or not, about 80% of recruiters use search engines to check out prospective employees, and 40% eliminate candidates based on the results. Think about it, what are recruiters going to find when they Google you? So, Google yourself first and see what comes up. If it is not clean or good, then, clean up your online image first if you are seeking employment.

Here are the top 5 reasons you need a Web CV or an online portfolio:

1. It is easy to Google – Recruiters Google every day for an inside look at the next generation of eager potential employers, and they’re influenced by what they read or see. Let your professional CV be what recruiters see first.
2. Stand out from the crowd. Get noticed and build a professional online page with a portfolio and custom url in your web signature to boost your credibility when sending out your job application.
3. Networking on the web – Social networking may help you find friends, but it is your professional networking that’ll help you find your next gig. Marketing yourself as an employable, career-minded individual means maintaining professional visibility and transparency online to build those career-friendly relationships.
4. Recruiters are looking for you – The game of sending out dozens of CVs and watching paint dry as you wait by the phone has hit a new low level. Web 2.0-flashy recruiters are on the prowl to purge non-professionalism from their applicant pool, and transparency is key. If you’re not listed online you can’t be found. It’s that simple!
5. The current economy – The scare of a nationwide recession simply means you need to be more aggressive about marketing yourself. As an employer’s stack of CVs grows, you need a way to jump off the page in less than 15 seconds. A url on your CV automatically buys you more of a recruiter’s attention span

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Thanks,

Catherine