Paul Jury, Managing Director - Recruitment, Australia & New Zealand We've all done it…made a controversial 'wall' comment, written a cheeky blog post or suffered as friends tag questionable photos of a big night out. It's a bit of harmless fun - until your intentions turn professional and you begin approaching prospective employers and contacts for a new job. Have you ever considered they might be sneaking a peek at your online profile? Can your professional network find your personal details on Facebook? Is your LinkedIn profile true to your professional resume? And, how can your online activity impact your career potential? The Privacy Issue Online privacy is a controversial issue in Australia and not just for the sporting world or celebrities! It is well acknowledged that our legislation is having trouble keeping up with the pace of new technology. Right now, unless it is considered 'defamatory,' there is little you can do to offset the publishing of your personal information; once it's there, it's there. So, should prospective employers be privy to your personal or social information? The simple answer is no; your job application should be based on merit and all other factors discounted; however if you do publish personal information on the internet and it is easily accessible, hiring managers can and might learn more than you want them to know. This includes content posted on personal websites, blogs, social sites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace), Twitter, old resumes and out-of-date information on professional sites and comments in forums. Also consider content on your friends' forums as on some websites your information can be viewed via the activity of others, despite your privacy settings. What Should You Do? Online and social media tools can be critical to your job search, whether you are a member of niche job boards or blogs, are making the most out of career networking sites, or are receiving Twitter updates about the latest contract opportunities. However, it is important that you consider the personal/ professional divide carefully and are aware of the pitfalls of being social media savvy. Not all publicity is good publicity and while you are actively job seeking, it is worth carefully considering the type of information that is out there and the potential impact of your online footprint. Google Do a quick online 'health check' by conducting a Google search on yourself. Whatever you find is pretty much what your prospective employer will see. If there's something potentially embarrassing or inappropriate (like that tagged photo), try to get rid of it. If there is a media article that is contentious that you cannot remove, be prepared to cover it off in your interview as chances are your prospective employer has seen it. Facebook Review your privacy settings. You can determine who sees your status, photos and posts and even your political and religious views. During your job search, it's probably a good idea to restrict all permissions to 'Friends' only. LinkedIn If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, get one, or if it's incomplete, update it. Most employers and recruiters are now using LinkedIn to find potential job candidates. A LinkedIn profile will give you the opportunity to post a professional photo of yourself, write a respectable bio, and connect with other industry professionals. Remember to make sure your profile information is consistent with your current resume. Blogs A blog is an extremely effective way to demonstrate your expertise on your profession's subject matter. By posting relevant content and educated opinions, this establishes your commitment to (and interest in) your industry, builds your credibility and also enhances your chances of being found by a headhunter. A professional blog also allows you to effectively build your own 'brand', encourages dialogue with like-minded professionals, and gives you an 'industry expert' reputation. TOP TIPS » Do review and adjust your social media privacy settings whilst job hunting. » Do try to clean up anything that's potentially embarrassing or inappropriate. » Do use professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to create a professional online profile. » Do consider posting anonymously or using a 'nickname' if you contribute to a blog or site that you don't want 'published' professionally. » Do post a decent profile picture. » Don't include a link on your resume to sites or blogs which include inappropriate/ personal content. By performing some basic searches and cleaning up anything that might not be appropriate for your professional network, you can avoid being discounted for a job for which you are otherwise qualified.

Have you been out of work for an extended period of time? Perhaps you have been on maternity leave and now ready to jump back into the job force. Maybe you took a "time out" to travel and explore different parts of the world. Whatever the reason, it is never too late to get back into the job market successfully, and we have a few suggestions for helping you to do so. Research your options: One of the first things you might consider doing is actually thinking about what it is you want to do. Do you have a specific field or industry in mind? Do you know what relevant qualifications/skills are required for that position? What have you done in your past that is relevant to that position? These are all good things to think about, and will help you with our next step. Re-write your resume: If you've been out of the workforce for an extended period of time, chances are that your resume is probably a bit out of date and needs to be more relevant to the present. Now that you have a good idea of what you want to do, you can now re-write your resume so it is more targeted toward that industry. Research the skills that are in demand for that industry, and make sure your resume includes these (if they are relevant to your experience). Think of the transferrable skills that you may have learned in your previous positions and incorporate these into your resume as well. You might also want to think about addressing your employment gap somewhere in your resume. A good tip is to write a "qualifications profile" at the very start of their resume, where you can summarize and promote your experience and qualifications. Most importantly don't forget to include keywords. A well resume will include the use of strategic keywords. Many times recruiters or hiring managers will often skim over the resume looking for keywords or use software programs to find key words. These key words can be changed depending on the job you are applying for. A keyword rich resume will help highlight your resume and cover letter. Learn new skills: It is never too late to learn something new that might assist you in a job position, so you might want to consider taking some classes that are relevant to the industry you're looking to get into. Look into some relevant certificate programs or brush up your skills in customer service or sales (industry dependant, of course). If you don't have time, there are always online courses available that you can take at your own pace. Apply! You will never know unless you try! After you've considered the above steps, start applying for jobs and see what happens... you never know. If you find that you aren't finding success, you can at least get a better idea into what hiring managers are looking for specifically, and you can work toward meeting those qualifications.

Before you ask for a raise, the most important thing you need to remember is that you need a reason for asking for one. An employer is not just going to hand out extra money to you because they like you - you need to give them a compelling reason to do so. Basically, you need to give them something that exemplifies your hard work and that shows you are a positive asset to the company. Think of a few ways for doing so - below are just a few examples: Arriving on time on a consistent basis No employer likes workers who show up late - ever. If you consistently come to work early or on time, your boss will definitely take notice of this and will appreciate your punctuality. You've already given yourself a head start. Taking on an extra work load Volunteering to do more than what is expected of you helps to build your reputation within the company. You will be recognized as a leader, as someone willing to help out and as someone who can be counted on. You may also gain some valuable experience within other departments, and extra knowledge never hurts. Employers love this type of employee, and will be more likely to go the extra mile to keep them on board. Keeping track of your performance There is nothing better than being able to show concrete examples of how you have benefited the company. Have sales dramatically increased since you came on board? Do you consistently meet or exceed your targets? Of course, some people argue that taking on an extra work load or working overtime is a negative because you allow the company to take advantage of you. Well, like it or not, this is how the world works. If you want to stay in the same position year after year, do the minimum, but if you want to move up, putting in that extra effort will be required of you. Raises are not free handouts for everyone - they are reserved for the ones who put in the extra effort.

It is NEVER too late for a career change! Sure, you might not have direct experience in a certain industry or job, but you need to prove to any hiring manager that your existing skills are, in fact, transferable skills. If you're debating about making a career change, don't be afraid. Even if a career switch later in life seems like a completely radical change with many possible consequences attached to it, you should still go for it if it's something you really want to do. My best advice is to set up a plan before making the dive. A large-scale transition will not happen overnight, and this is why it's important to ensure you have a "plan of attack." Also, make sure your career change is realistic. Although I encourage everyone to follow their dreams, you also need to stay realistic. If your dream is to become a pilot, but you've worked in banking for the last 15 years, the chances of you becoming a pilot are a lot harder (but not impossible)! Also remember to be flexible. You are making a career change that could involve a lower salary or relocation. These are some of the sacrifices you could be asked to make in the short term. When you begin applying for new roles, you need to ensure your resume is targeted toward this new job. Obviously you are not going to have direct experience, so it's important to highlight not only your current skills and achievements, but also (and most importantly), that you are able to adapt your skills for this new job. In making the career change, your skills are by far your best selling point. Many skills that you use on a day to day basis (such as leading, managing, liaising and communicating, for example) are all transferable skills that you can use to prove to a hiring manager that you are right for a particular job. 5 point plan to making a career change 1) Make sure of your reasons for wanting a career change. One bad day at work or hating your boss do not suggest you want to change careers 2) Brainstorming - sit down and brainstorm ideas of the type of industry/job you really want to do 3) Planning - Set out a plan to follow. Make it realistic. Remember your career change won't happen overnight. Realistically, it can take about 6-12 months. Don't quit your job on day 1. Included in planning is financial planning. How much is this career change going to cost you? How much do you plan to get paid? You need to know these answers! 4) Networking - Talk to friends, speak to recruitment agents and sign up to online networking sites 5) Executing your plan. Speak to an expert in regards to interviewing, resume writing and cover letter writing. Apply directly, and begin to follow the steps of your plan.

With so many social networking sites now available and new sites being developed on a daily basis, it is often hard to know which networking sites are worthwhile especially in helping to find a new job. We have all heard of Facebook and Twitter (If you haven't where have you been hiding!).. however when it comes to job networking in my opinion every person, no matter if your actively seeking a new job or not, needs to have an updated LinkedIn profile. Job hunting has changed so much over the past 5-10 years and social networking websites such as LinkedIn has enabled job seekers to reach out directly to networks which previously were never an option. Even if you are currently not seeking new roles, having an updated LinkedIn account certainly cannot hurt. I have never heard of a person who missed out on a job for having a LinkedIn account (How many people may have missed out on being headhunted for not having an active account?) I recently worked with a young skilled migrant who was in the process of moving from Ireland to Australia. This individual had been granted a skilled migrant visa and was now in the process of trying to find employment before arriving in Australia. Not knowing where to begin or how to start, we began by transferring his resume into a brand new LinkedIn profile highlighting areas such as his expertise, specialities, skills, awards, publications, education and past work history (all areas that are available to fill in on a LinkedIn profile). We optimised his LinkedIn public profile and reached out to his existing contacts asking for recommendations to add further credibility to his online profile. Last but not least we added an up-to-date professional picture (not a picture taken at 3am on a Saturday night) and uploaded this picture onto his profile. When potential hiring managers read through your profile they want to know that there is a face behind the name and adding a picture to your profile humanises the profile. Now that his account had been optimised, he was now ready to network and reach out to new contacts through all the different professional groups that LinkedIn has to offer. This job seeking candidate now had a huge advantage of being able to approach people in his network and potentially open new doors that were previously closed. Rather than applying blind to a company and hoping for the best, he was able to strategically build relationships and at the same time giving himself the greatest opportunity of being identified by recruiters through his new optimised profile. Remember one thing. The more relevant contacts you can build to your network the more exposure you will have to meet potential recruiters, head-hunters and employers. In the twenty first century, where social networking is booming, the LinkedIn platform can allow you to enhance your unique personal brand, connect with hiring authorities and connect with other job seekers who are in the exact same situation as yourself. Networking is key!