Conducting a job search many years ago would have involved following up with family members and neighbours or a quick read of the local newspaper. Job listings may have included openings for a typist, stenographer, milkman, elevator operator or perhaps a senior level position that required travelling to another country. Travel that would require weeks, not hours as the mode of transportation was by ship not a jet. Word of mouth was often all that was required to get you in the door or a hand written resume might have been delivered to a local company. A telephone call to your home, the only communication tool available other than postal delivery, might advise of a job interview or simply a start date that would be entered into as a lifetime position!

That was a job search then and now, a paper resume dropped off at a company would likely be refused or recycled! Resumes are now computer files, submitted online at the click of a button to recruiters, online job boards and HR departments at small businesses or large corporations. Online job boards and social media sites present job listings from around the world. Communication through various networking sites, email or mobile is more common than a home phone and out of country travel is a normal occurrence. A job interview may involve a phone interview with a head office located in another country. Or perhaps you’ll be required to use your computer with web cam to engage in an online interview on Skype. Continuous networking and a visible online presence are necessary components in the successful management of any career as today’s job search will be repeated many times. Most careers will consist of many positions throughout numerous organizations.

Whether conducting a job search then or now there is one constant that is still attributable to the success of any job search; word of mouth! Who you know and who will recommend you will transcend time as an influencing factor to decision makers, far outweighing your chances of being noticed by responding to an advertised position without a personal introduction. Networking continues to be the most successful job search tool available and has become a much easier task with the advent of social media sites such as Linkedin. You will be amazed at who knows who, who works where, who knows who’s hiring, who is being promoted and who is hiring to fill the newly opened position.

Do you have a professional Linkedin profile? Have you acquired testimonials from past and current positions? Are you actively involved in Linkedin Groups? Have you targeted specific companies and are you following them on Linkedin? How many connections do you have?Are you actively networking and inviting others with an enticing, customized message that clearly articulates why they should connect with you and your reasons for wanting to add them to your network of professionals?

Follow the Linkedin Group Toronto ExecuNet or register at Elite Resumes to attend an ExecuNet Meeting, facilitated by Martin Buckland since 1999.

As a member of Career Collective we are pleased to provide you with the following professional advice from other members of the Career Collective, Collaboratively Helping Job Seekers: