Desktop: Job hunt 2.0

You can post your on-line resum? at hundreds of sites, but unfortunately so can everyone else.

By DAVID SHAMAH
computer 88 (photo credit: )
computer 88
(photo credit: )
It's a job to find a job, as so many of us are finding out these days. And while talking a new employer into hiring you is never an easy task, in today's market it's become much tougher, to say the least. Usually, we feel a little better when others are sharing our burden, but in the case of unemployment, every new member of "the club" is a potential competitor for your next job. But there's a bright side to being unemployed this round - or a less dark one, at least. Today, Internet networking tools have evolved as never before, meaning that you have more opportunities to reach more potential employers than ever. Between on-line job lists, LinkedIn forums, resumé sites and all sorts of other tools, you have more of a chance of seeing the jobs that are out there - and being seen by employers. Only one problem: If you can post an on-line resumé at hundreds of sites, so can everyone else. Any good HR person or recruiter will tell you that there's little benefit in just shooting off your resumé at random. The name of the game today is "branding," being able to differentiate yourself from the crowd and getting the attention of the person who has the power to hire you. There are lots of tools for that too, but a very interesting one that you may find helpful is VisualCV (www.visualcv.com), a site that gives you tools to put together an on-line resumé, consisting of text, graphics and even video. The tools are easy to use, and you can mix, match, and arrange elements until you're satisfied with your presentation. Once done, you get your own link, which you can distribute to all and sundry as your on-line resumé. And VisualCV will even advertise your resumé among employers that use the site, too. VisualCV is free, and you get to build a professional on-line resumé, perfectly formatted with advanced elements, like videos and slideshows. And, you don't have to know any Web programming languages. And, if you need some guidance, the good folks at VisualCV will take your current paper resumé and set it up in electronic format, so you have something to work with. With 40 million or so resumés out there, you really need some help standing out - and that's what VisualCV does. www.newzgeek.com