Searching for a job through employment ads – once known as the want ads – used to be THE way to find a job. Today surfing job boards should only be one part of a multidimensional job search plan. 

In this session, you’ll learn 5 ways to modernize your job search. 

#1 Stop Relying On Ads

Combing the job ads used to be the way you found a job. Today, searching employment ads and applying for jobs online should be only one part of your job-search strategy. 

#2 Target Companies

Create a list of employers you’d most like to work for. These are your target companies. Review their websites. Set up a Google alert for each organization so you’ll know whenever they are in the news. Follow them on social media. 

#3 Update Your Email

Nothing screams outdated more than your old @aol email address. That goes for @yahoo email addresses too. Open an @gmail account to use for your job search. Updating your resume with this new email address will instantly make your resume and other career marketing documents look more current. 

#4 Prep for Virtual Interviews         

Increasingly employers are using virtual emails, either phone or Skype, for initial rounds of interviews even for local candidates. While you’ll need to prep as you would for a face-to-face meeting, you’ll also need to plan where you’re going to take the call. 

#5 Use LinkedIn Strategically

Fill in that LinkedIn profile you halfheartedly put up a few years ago. Complete the Summary section, even if it’s brief. Fill in the job sections with more than a job title and employer. Robust, optimized LinkedIn profiles will get more attention and better results. Use the Status Update feature to share articles that might interest your connections. Join a few groups and start participating.

Although many things have changed, others have not. People still prefer to hire people they know and like. So while you may be connecting with people on LinkedIn the way to grow your relationships is to take them offline. You may not be meeting an employer in person, but you still need to make a great impression. 

No need to throw out everything you learned. Just change things up a bit to incorporate the new.