Alison Doyle

Vois Virtual Outsourcing

Need work? Or do you have a project you need someone to work on? Vois is virtual social sourcing site that helps people find and do business with buyers and sellers around the world.

Vois is free for both those who want to find work or those who need to hire someone.  You can take a look without registering to see if it might work for you:

• Vois Sellers
• Vois Projects
• Vois Networking

You can also follow Vois on Twitter to get updates on new projects that are posted.

Job and Career Videos

TD Money Lounge's The Hunt, a five part series on findind a job, is a great video series for job seekers.  Segments include Building a Personal Brand,  Creating Your Resume and Nailing the Interview, Options in a Slumping Economy, Job Search, and Student Success Stories. 

On another video note, Mindopia is a brand new career video site with 1500 videos about 35+ careers. You'll see interviews with everyone from Mike Myers to Medical Assistants to US Army soldiers to Paralegals.  It's got some interesting videos, too.

More: About.com Jobs and Career Videos

New Job Sites: Good, Bad or Useless?

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not referring specifically to the job sites mentioned in CNN's article on a job finding people jobs.  Rather, it's the concept of everyone and his or her brother jumping on the career space bandwagon that is bothering me.

My In Box is way too full of pitches for the newest, latest greatest, job site that's going to revolutionize something or other.  Granted, there are a few good ones, but seperating the good from the junk is getting to be a lot like looking for a needle in a haystack. 

Most of these new sites aren't helping anyone. All they are doing is adding to the clutter and confusion of resources available to job seekers, many of whom don't have a clue where to start.  And many of these sites are just looking to make a buck from those who can least afford it.

Useless Job Sites

It's not enough to create a new job site - that's easy.  What takes work is to create a site that provides value - real substantial value, is new and different, and doesn't charge job seekers for what they can get free.

Many of these sites, at best, don't offer anything new or anything different - or anything of value that isn't already available. At worst, they take advantage of job seekers who are already in a difficult situation, and, who, in some cases, are in the direst straits of their working lives.

I wrote about what makes a job site good a few weeks ago: provide value, don't reinvent the wheel, don't remix, don't charge for what's available for free.  If a site doesn't do those things then it may not be bad, but it's goes in the useless category. The bad ones, I'll save for another day.

Paying for Job Listings

Just as a point of comparison, (disclaimer - I haven't used Hound because I don't pay for job listings), I wonder why anyone would pay $72.95 to access job postings for 3 months from employer web sites when you can access jobs posted on company web sites free on LinkUp, as well as on the other job search engine sites?

That's only one of the sites that charges and it's important for job seekers to know that they can find all the job listings they need without paying a dime.  Before you consider paying for anything carefully check out the site to see what you're getting for your money.

Free Job Searching

Job seekers don't need to pay to access job positings, pay for video resumes, pay to post your resume, pay to apply for a job, or pay for the other things that some of these sites say you absolutely have to have to find a new job.

There are a wealth of free resources available to find job postings, manage your job search, network, and to do everything else you need to do to find a job. Job searching can, and should be, free for the job seeker.

Of course, there are resources that can add value to your job search (I have a list of sites worth the investment), but carefully check out any site or service  with a fee attached to see what value it can add to your job search and whether you can find a similar resource free.  Google it, ask about it, and get recommendations, before you spend any money.

More: How to Promote Your Job Site | Job Listings

LaidOffCamp NY

LaidOffCampNY is a free two-day gathering of individuals in career transition who are looking to gain perspective, discover new passions, or reinvent their careers.

 

It's also a perfect place for hiring managers, recruiters and startups to mingle with talented folks.

 

You're invited to attend, or even better, to come lead a discussion. It's a user- generated conference, so attendees are also the presenters. 

 

LaidOffCampNY is community generated and organized. They expect to have 350 registrants for each day, and registration is already on a record pace. The events will reach capacity so be sure to reserve your spot.

 

Friday, May 1 from 4:30 - 7:30pm at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) Saturday, May 2 from 8am - 6pm at the Pace University NYC Downtown campus .

Here are the details, directions and the registration form:

http://laidoffcamp.pbwiki.com/NewYork

 

Civilian Opportunities With the Department of Defense

The Department of Defense employs more than 700,000 civilians in an array of jobs around the world and they're hiring.

Professionals are in particular need in medicine, linguistics, math, engineering-science, and science in a variety of locations, both in the US and abroad.

However, there are jobs for all levels of job seekers from student internships to entry level jobs to top executives. Here's more information on Careers in National Defense.

LinkedIn Help for Grads

When you're a college student or graduate, it can be tough to get started with professional networking.  Just about everyone is using Facebook, but upping it a notch to professional networking can be a bit of a challenge.

It's a different level of networking - you're not talking to your friends as much as you are building (and utilizing) a network of professionals who can help you start and grow a career.

LinkedIn Seek Week

There are terrific resources available from LinkedIn for students and grads who are getting started.  This week (and next) as part of Seek Week, LinkedIn will be providing expert advice on how grads and their parents can launch new grads’ careers during this tough economy.

LinkedIn Grad Guide

Also take advantage of the  LinkedIn '09 Grad Guide. It will help you get started on LinkedIn, and show you how create your profile, make connections, get recommendations, and build a network.

Groups for Grads

Check out LinkedIn Groups to see if your college has a group of alumni you can network with and join the join the LinkedIn '09 Group which has special advice and guidance for grads (and recent grads) on the best ways to network your way to a job.

The LinkedIn About.com Careers and Job Search Group is another excellent source of advice from career experts, discussion on job search topics, and job leads.

In addition, these ten tips on using LinkedIn to enhance your job search (a guest blog post I wrote for LinkedIn) will help you get the most out of LinkedIn when you're job searching.

Job Searching in All the Right Places

Are you job searching in the right places? It's not enough to post your resume online and hope for the best, even though that used to be a strategy, in a different job market and economy, that worked for some people.

Instead, job seekers need to be proactive and to actively job search where companies are recruiting. That includes niche and local job boards, social and professional networking sites, especially LinkedIn, and company web sites.

In addition, take it a step further and tweak your resume so it gets selected by those employers when you are apply.  Here's more on how to job search where companies are hiring.

More: Job Search  | Job Search Discussion Forum | Follow Me on Twitter

The Best Sites to Find Job Listings

Are you looking for job listings in all the right places?  In this very competitive job market looking for jobs isn't as easy as it used to be.  It's not simply a question of uploading your resume to a job site and waiting to hear back about an interview.

The job market has changed so much that one hiring manager, for example, told me that he got 5 applications for a job he posted in 2007.  When hiring for a similar position this year, he got 300+ resumes.  Another company told me that they got thousands of resumes for a job they posted on a major job site.

It's important to cover all the bases - use the job search engines to find positions that are a good match for your skills, experience and where you want to work.   Then, spend some time on the niche and local job sites for your geographic location, industry, level of position, and/or career field.

Don't forget the social media sites - they are becoming increasingly important for anyone job searching today.

More: Job Listings | Job Search Engines

Cover Letters, Pantyhose, Resumes, and Scams

What do you think? What's the best way to job search? Should you include a cover letter when you apply for a job? Should you bug HR after sending your resume? How about wearing pantyhose to a job interview? Or giving notice when you quit your job?

Take a minute to let me know what you think:

• Do you need a cover letter?
• Should you follow up after sending a resume?
• Should you wear pantyhose to a job interview?
• Do appearances matter when job searching?
• Are job search scams increasing?
• Would you quit without notice?
• Where did you find your last job?
• What's the toughest job?

What to Do When You're Unemployed

It's a really tough time to be unemployed.  Unemployment hasn't been this bad in 25 years - it' now at 8.1% and expected to go higher.  To complicate matters, the unemployment extension is confusing and unemployment offices are understaffed and overwhelmed. 

Help for the Unemployed

In order to help those who are out of work, I've set up a new section of my About.com Discussion Forum for unemployed workers to get help and advice.

Filing for Unemployment

It's important to file for unemployment as soon as you lose your job.  You'll be able to apply online in many states, but before you file a claim be sure you have all the information you need ready.  Check with your state unemployment office ahead of time, so you're prepared.

• Filing for Unemployment
• Who is Eligible for Unemployment

Unemployment Issues

If you're having trouble claiming unemployment or difficulty navigating the unemployment system to get answers, these frequently asked questions and answers on unemployment claim issues, from career and employment experts, that will help you collect unemployment benefits and handle glitches in the process.

• Unemployment Claims Question / Answers

Extended Unemployment Benefits

Also, there are extended unemployment benefits available in many states for unemployed workers.  Check with your state unemployment office for details.