Whether you are new to the job market or are looking for your next employment opportunity, it is important to recognize how social media and communication can play an integral role in a successful job search plan.

Social Media is a simple equation. Let me clarify. Social Media = communication. Communication = relationship building. Relationship building = job leads and opportunities.

In order to successfully communicate, we need to look at methods of communication. We have lots of communication tools available to us: telephones, email, texting, instant messaging and social media. If you are serious about your job search, you will incorporate all of these methods of communication when trying to cultivate job leads.

It is not a secret that employers like to hire who they know or a referral from a present employee. With that understanding, it is very important that people looking for jobs communicate the following information to those individuals who have the ability to lead you to your next job contact:

1. What skills you have

2. What kind of job opportunities you are looking for

3. Asking for job search assistance from family, friends, friends of friends and your third cousin three times removed!

One of the most popular forms of communication is online social media. Platforms such as Facebook and Linkedin make it easy to broadcast your message to the largest audience possible. Whether you have one "friend" or 1000 "friends" the more eyes and ears you have looking for and passing on job opportunities the better off you are!

The Winchester Workforce Center/Virginia Employment Commission offers informative workshops on Networking Through the Hidden Job Market. This workshop elaborates on the importance of communication methods and how to best market your skills in today's hidden job market. Our next workshop on this subject will be offered at 9 a.m. Nov. 20.

Please RSVP to Samantha Greenfield if you are interested in attending.

Kind regards,
Sam

Additional November workshops:

Samantha Greenfield, re-employment specialist with the Virginia Employment Commission/Winchester Workforce Center, offers guidance on your journey to re-employment and remaining competitive in the job market. You may post comments or questions in each blog post at nvdaily.com/vec, or e-mail her at Samantha.Greenfield@vec.virginia.gov

For more information, please call Mike Barnes/Veterans Representative at 540-535-2874 or michael.barnes@vec.virginia.gov. Virginia Employment Commission 100 Premier Place Winchester, VA 22602.

The Winchester Workforce Center/VEC offers free workshops and resume reviews to job seekers who may be unaware of the best methods used today to find gainful employment. You do not even need to be receiving unemployment benefits to take advantage of our services! People young and old as well as professionals and trade workers all make comments like "Gosh, I wish I knew about this class a years ago!"

9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14: Preparing for the Interview with emphasis on Behavioral Interview Questions

Job interviews are a nerve-racking experience for most people. The key to a successful job interview is preparation, preparation and preparing some more! Our interviewing workshop will help you to get ready to ace your next job interview and get you one step closer a job offer.

Workshops held at the Virginia Employment Commission are free to everyone. We kindly appreciate you calling 540-722-3215 or emailing Samantha.greenfield@vec.virginia.gov ahead of time to reserve a seat in our classes.

Some people have been laid off once or even twice within a relatively short period of time. While this was once viewed as taboo, employers have become more understanding when it comes to this type of circumstance.

In a functional or hybrid resume, consider listing your work experience and explaining the reason for leaving the job. If you have worked for companies that have closed or downsized, explaining this situation can help you.

In order to fill the need for income, have you covered for someone on medical leave, held a freelance or contract position? If so, it is a good idea to note this information in the job description. It explains to the hiring manager why you didn't stay where you were. You should keep the explanation on the resume brief, only a few words. Provide just enough for the hiring manager to understand the cause. In the cover letter, you can explain the circumstances in greater detail: Your previous employers had to make some hard decisions due to the economy - one of which resulted in you losing your job or you took a .temporary position for extra income.

A few examples of how to format a short-term job:

SCHEDULING COORDINATOR (Feb-June Maternity Coverage) 2009
Smith Community College/Anytown, VA

Coordination of daily and monthly facility reservations and state vehicle reservations for entire staff at Community College.
• State Vehicles - scheduled vehicle reservations for staff and faculty. Maintained weekly and monthly mileage and service spreadsheets.
• Administrative Duties- Updated and emailed weekly event schedule, meeting minutes, ordered tags and signage, maintained VP of Facilities and Administration meeting calendar

Or

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT 2009 Tri-State Printing Press - Anytown, Va.

• Assited with the production of weekly and monthly print productions
• Directly fed materials into a binding machinery
• Trained new hires in proper company policies and procedures
• Prepared products for shipping
• Laid off due to corporate downsize

Some jobs you may have held for such a short period of time you may not think it necessary to add them to your resume. If the job you vacated does not relate to the position you are applying for, it may not be crucial to add it to your resume. You may run a risk of being passed over if you look like a job hopper, but on the other hand, honesty is the best policy. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide on how to best market yourself on your resume.

Winchester Workforce Connection Schedule for May 14-18 2012:

• May 15 @ 9 a.m. - Finding the Hidden Job Market & Marketing Yourself in a Highly Competitive Job Market


• May 16 @ 11 a.m. : Basic Resume Writing

Please call ahead to pre-register. 540-722-3415

Sincerely-
Sam

If you are not using Facebook as a job search tool, you could be overlooking a prime networking opportunity. With 85 percent of job openings filled through networking of one kind or another, what better place to connect with friends, family and colleagues.

Pros of using Facebook as a job search tool: Informing people you know that you are looking for a specific type of job opening can considerably increase the number of eyes and ears out in the real word helping you discover more job opportunities. It is important for you to post specific information about the type of job you are looking for (job types, company name, vicinity to travel, FT/PT). People are much more likely to have their radars tuned in if they know what kind of position you are looking for. It is not enough to post your "job search SOS" just once. Remember, people need to hear/see/read things multiple times in order for things to sink in! This means it is probably a good idea to send out reminder posts on Facebook every couple of weeks. Anther type of post you should consider is stating what kinds of skills and experience you have.

Facebook is also popular with recruiters and employers, so this means you have to "put yourself out there" in order to be found! Facebook can also be a great research tool. Search for people using keywords; for instance, if you are looking for jobs related to "animation" you can simply search for that term and connect with people in that particular field. You can search for people who are animators, join groups and pages or simply find links that have the term "animation" in them. This allows you to connect with like-minded people and build a relationship with them that can help you find a job later. Also, if you are searching for links, you might find a job where someone is looking for an animator.

Cons of using Facebook include every inappropriate, negative or potentially damaging post and photo. I tell people to ask themselves, "Is this something I would want grandma to know?" BEFORE you post it. If the answer is no...do something to clean up your act! Hopefully, you do not have anything on Facebook that could cost you a job opportunity. Trust me; employers and recruiters are looking you up on Facebook before they are calling you for an interview. Make sure that what they find is going to be positive!

Additional tips about Facebook: You may want to check out "Facebook Pages" and "Facebook Groups." These features allow you to join a group and network with people with similar interests. There is also an application called "Easy CV" that allows you to add a short summary of your resume on your Facebook Profile and a dedicated page for the complete CV. People can then download your resume directly from your Facebook profile.

I hope you have found these Facebook tips helpful and will consider adding Facebook to your job search toolbox!

"Thanks to you, I am now working at Virginia Department of Health! I was polished on my interview skills and did all the homework I was supposed to do!

"I reviewed the organizations site, was prepared with successful stories, evidence on hand and sticking only with the questions answered. After accepting the job offer, I asked the panel what sold them. They stated that my preparation, sticking to the interview questions, having my own questions ready and the extra research that I did really came across and demonstrated my interest in their mission and goals.

"Through networking, I made contact with the department manager and shared my interest ahead of time. I even scoped the people out online. I am happy to let you know that all this work paid off and I accepted a full time, temporary job with the hope that the position will likely be extended.

"Oh well, just another successful story because of all the helpful information you provided me through the VEC!"

Geetha Berry
March 26, 2012

• Winchester Workforce Center Schedule of Events:


• Tuesday, March 27 at 9 a.m.: mastering the Electronic Job Search and "The Mature Job Seeker"


• Thursday, March 28 at 2 p.m.: How to Write the new "High Definition" Resume

Have great week!

• Professional resume writing and plain text conversion (Tuesday, April 3)
• Preparing for a behavioral interview and group participation mock interview (Tuesday, April 10)
• Finding the hidden job market and marketing yourself in a highly competitive job market (Tuesday, April 17)
• Mastering the electronic job search and the mature job seeker (Tuesday, April 24).

It is our hope that this schedule will make it easier for folks to come spend the morning at the VEC and stay for two workshops instead of spreading them out over the month.

As an additional convenience to our clients, a resume writing workshop is also offered every Thursday at 2 p.m.

The Winchester Workforce Center now has a Facebook page on which we will post tips and special events. Please "friend" us to keep updated! Click here to visit it.

I encourage you to please pass the workshop schedule on to those in need of re-employment assistance. All workshops are free, open to the public and do not require a RSVP.

Thank you!

Money - if you are willing to settle for a substantially lower paying job, employers worry that you will jump ship at the first time a higher paying opportunity presents itself to you.

More competition --- there is more competition then ever for jobs. You may have the skills, but a lower level position means that the number of applicants who are also qualified is much greater than if you were applying to a higher-level position

Culture -- If you have more experience than management, existing staff may feel threatened or awkward.

There are a few things to consider and change on your resume if you are willing to apply for an entry or mid-level job when you are overly qualified with years of experience:

Tone down executive sounding titles -- if you were in management, consider a job title of "project team leader."

Instead of saying you have 25 years of experience, reword your phrase to "highly experienced." Utilize your cover letter to express your over qualifications. It could pay to get the issue on the table and address why hiring an over-qualified individual will be to their advantage.

By understanding what employers are skeptical of gives you a chance to put a positive spin on what they perceive to be a negative. Good luck!

It is so important that ex-offenders are at the top of their game when it comes to job search strategies. From having the best resume possible (without gaps, yes it is possible!), Federal programs to help appeal to employers and how to handle discussing your past, the Virginia Employment Commission is prepared to help.

"Job Search Strategies for Ex-Offenders" is a workshop that is geared toward helping people with this employment barrier. Our next free workshop will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, March 16 at The Virginia Employment Commissio,n 100 Premier Place, Winchester.

For additional information, please contact Samantha Greenfield 540-722-3415 or Samantha.greenfield@vec.virginia.gov

The Virginia Employment Commission has partnered with Lord Fairfax Community College to host a seminar/open lab session to help individuals learn more about linkedin.com as well as hands-on computer time to work on completing your profile on this professional social media networking website.

Staff will be available for questions and help navigate through the website.

This workshop can benefit those who may already be registered on linkedin.com but have an incomplete profile or not using linkedin.com to it fullest potential. You will need to have proficient computer skills for this workshop.

Subject matter: learn the importance of marketing yourself in 2012, prepare a basic linkedIn.com strategy, craft a strong profile, build a network, learn how to effectively and efficiently expand your network, plus hands on computer time!

• When: 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 21
• Where: Lord Fairfax Community College Middletown Campus, Corron Building, Room 105

Important! Bring your flash drive, a professional photo of yourself and your resume! Please RSVP as soon as possible as seating is limited!

Please call Samantha Greenfield/Virginia Employment Commission 540-722-3415 Samantha.Greenfield@vec.virginia.gov for additional details.