According to Paul Bernard, a veteran executive coach and career management adviser who runs his own firm, many job seekers make the mistake of relying too heavily on online job boards, particularly at the start of their search.

Bernard advises job seekers to begin to network immediately. Not only can networking expand your possibilities but it can also build and demonstrate skills, he said.

“Networking builds confidence and gets you into the hidden job market,” he explained, referring to unadvertised job openings.

You really need to have a network that you can rely on. Let people you know, from professional associates to relatives to high school buddies, understand that you are looking for a job. This way you will come to mind if someone you know hears anything. Additionally, you can attend networking events and get to know new people.

This even works online. You may scoff at social media’s usefulness, but the truth is that some social networking sites are great places to find jobs. LinkedIn is an especially helpful place for professionals to network. Twitter and Facebook can also provide you with job hunt connections.

Post from: EveryJoe

Job Hunt Tips: Don’t Forget to Network

It appears that Google will be adding some social search functionality to their toolbox. Currently in development in the Google Labs, we’re told it should be coming publicly available soon.

The idea is that when you search, there will be results offered from those in your social networks as well. So, if you’re searching for images, you can bet that your friends images on flickr will come up in the results if they fit your search terms.

Looking for something on a hot topic floating around the web? If your friends are talking about it on twitter, then those tweets will show-up in the results as well.

The hooks into your social networks will come from those networks you’ve tied to your own Google Profile. I guess the downside of that, or upside depending on your viewpoint, is that you’ll now have to setup a Google Profile for yourself as well.

All in all a pretty powerful feature to have at your finger tips if you’ve built up a strong and connected social network of friends. I truly believe that taking advantage of the networks we’ve built with each other, trusted friendships and tight integration between our various online presences will become the key to the future of search.

Post from: EveryJoe

Google Releasing Social Search Functionality

The other nice thing they’ve added is the ability to immediately show LinkedIn profile information for anyone you receive an e-mail from. VERY NICE! I’ve already used it to connect with a few more people on the LinkedIn site that I didn’t realize were users.

One more feature worth mentioning is that you can now specifically tell Xobni what folders and files to keep under review for searching purposes later.

There you go, in case you hadn’t heard enough from me about Xobni, now there’s more. I’ve got a number invites available if you’re interested. Just let me know in the comments and I’ll send an email to the e-mail address you use for your comment.

Post from: EveryJoe

Xobni Now Faster and Integrates with LinkedIn