R U under 30? (Or trying to act like it?)

If so, don’t let your texting and IM habits affect your written communications with employers.

Because doing so can be a real turnoff to hiring managers … and keep you unemployed for long stretches, as an excellent article in the WSJ points out.

Lots of folks tell me that they use Google to look for job openings online.

I ask, “Do you use the advanced search features to get everything you can out of Google?”

“What do you mean?” is the inevitable reply.

Well, here’s the answer — a fine article that shows you how to unlock Google’s hidden potential as a job-search tool.

Read it. Bookmark it. Use it.

Here’s an uber-clever job search tip that got one woman hired for a director-level position she found on Monster.

Yes, that’s right, Monster, where you only have to worry about 23 skadillion other resumes competing against yours for every job opening posted.

How did she do it?

Simple. She found a way to humanize Monster. You can, too.

Here’s her story in brief …

For the job I have now, a search on Monster turned up the opening I wanted. I then used my network to find people who’d refer me. I timed submitting my resume through the job board with the referrals. A confluence of resources got me on the top of the pile, and I was later hired as Director of Product Marketing. 

And here are your takeaway lessons …

1) When you find a job posted online that you really want to apply for, don’t. First, use your network, especially your contacts at LinkedIn, to make contact with people who work where you want to apply.

2)  Ask folks to refer your resume on to the hiring manager of the department you want to work for. Give them a specific day to do so, say, Tuesday.

3) On Tuesday, submit your resume to the job posting online.

4) This confluence of contacts made at your target employer, from you submitting your resume via the job board and the people in your network contacting the hiring manager, will generate so much buzz that your name and resume will rise to the top of the pile.

5) From there, it’s up to you to interview and follow up smartly. But getting noticed this way is half the battle.

If you have a similar story, of you or someone you know “humanizing” an online job posting by making contact at the employer first, please comment below and share it with others!

From an article on MarketWatch.com, my favorite are:

1. Be indispensable
2. Speak up
3. Stay in touch

Excerpts below …

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My favorite 3-6 hours every week in summer are spent playing center field for my over-35 baseball team, the Braemar Bees.

There’s no better feeling than coming home covered in dirt and blood after a hard-fought win. It brings out the 12-year-old in me.

Which is what happened on Sunday, when we beat our rivals, the Union Hill Pitbulls, 6-3, in a battle for second place in our 17-team league.

In the third inning, I reached first on a headfirst slide (after a pathetic bunt), stole second and third, then scored on a sacrifice fly.

Wait a minute.

What in the world does this have to do with your job search?

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