Did you know that Twitter is one of the 50 most-visited websites, the fastest-growing website and the 3rd most-used social network? If you are a jobseeker, you’ll be interested to know that 45% of hiring companies in all sectors are using Twitter. And if you use Twitter well, you will have an advantage in connecting with companies and recruiters — you can be a First Responder!

I’ve recently taken a 3-part course on Twitter (Jessica Pierce, Career Transition Expert, Founding Partner of JobSeekersAZ and Owner of Accelerated Team Dynamics) and now truly understand the value. With the use of some Twitter tools such as TweetDeck, Hootsuite or TweetMyJobs, you only need invest a few minutes per day to monitor the job announcements in your field.

You can’t avoid it any longer if  want to make things happen with your job search — Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook — they’re the places to be!

Many of us have come into the social media age kicking and screaming. And some of you are not using social media at all. If you’re one of the latter and you’re a job seeker, you’ve got to get on the band wagon and use LinkedIn, use Facebook, use Twitter to get back to work.

Employers are posting their job openings on social media well before they pay the big bucks to post on Monster or Careerbuilder. And recruiters are mining the social media sites to find qualified candidates for their job openings.

But most of all, successful candidates are using LinkedIn, for instance, to find contacts / hiring managers at the companies they’ve targeted — and come in through a side door to get interviews.

Be sure your profiles are strong and demonstrate your value. Be sure you include a picture and that it is a professional pose. Be sure all your digital dirt is covered wtih positive references.

Make social media work for you.

I’ve been getting a lot of calls lately from people who insist they want a generic resume. “I don’t care what kind of job I get. I just need a job” or “I’m going to be applying for all kinds of jubs. Do I have to have a different resume each time I apply?”

Yup. ‘Fraid so. Maybe not a totally rewritten resume, but certaining a targeted focus. Can you imagine how many resumes employers are getting for each job posting? Do you think those employers have the time, the energy or the inclination to read between the lines as they skim over your qualifications? You’ll be lucky if they spend as much as 15 seconds on your resume initially.

Therefore, you’ve got to make that resume prove that you are the answer to all their employee dreams. Make the resume focused on the employer’s needs — not your history.

Sure, this all takes work. What? Did you think the job search process should be easy?

Washington Post today: “The unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983. Nearly 16 million people can’t find jobs and employers cut a net total of 190,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department says.”

But jobs are out there — and good ones. I just heard the story of the salesman from San Francisco who accepted a job in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with salary boost and sign-on bonus — with cost of living comparison, he will be making double his old salary.

How did he get so “lucky”? It wasn’t luck. He planned, contracted a professional resume writer, conducted extensive research and practiced his interviewing technique. He made it happen.

Too many of these 16 million people are so busy whining and crying that they aren’t working their job search. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but the job seeker has got to work hard to find the new opportunity.

Why will they take a chance on a poor resume presentation? They need to stand out from the other 15,999,999 people applying for the same jobs.

Can’t afford it? Ha! You can’t afford not to. If a professionally prepared resume gets you back to work 2 or 3 months sooner, isn’t it worth the investment?

You received help from your local One Stop? Oh dear. Most of those government employees (I didn’t say all) have not been trained as a Certified Professional Resume Writer has. Most professional resume writers participate in continuing education on a monthly (if not weekly) basis to be sure they are able to present you with the greatest impact.

The Washington Post doesn’t report how many people have gotten good jobs in the last few months, but I’d be willing to bet there are many who have. And, I’d also be willing to bet that the majority of them used a professionally developed resume to get those jobs.

You know, the unemployment rate may be nearing 10%, but that also means that there is a 90+% employment rate.  The glass is more than half FULL!

There are lots of jobs out there, you just have to present yourself so the employers will see the value in hiring you. That’s where a certified professional resume writer comes in.

Don’t try to take the easy way out. Invest in yourself. If you’ve been laid off and you can get back to work even a couple of weeks sooner, will a $300-500 investment be worth it?

Be sure to re-post your resume on job boards and company Web sites every two weeks.

This situation is not unusual today. Employers are checking on your Internet presence. If you have negative information out there, clean it up. Now! How crushing it could be to have your career derailed because of damaging personal information on the Internet.

But in the opposite respect the Internet can boost your image as well. Demonstrate your business or industry savvy by posting well-thought-out blog contributions (don’t forget grammar and punctuation!). Highlight personal and professional accomplishments on your Web site or on networking sites; showcase your creativity and resourcefulness to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

And the more positive items you submit, the deeper you can bury any negative information you are not able to purge. The Internet is a wonderful tool. Make sure you leverage it to your advantage.

 Donna Tucker

CareerPRO Resume Center

Phoenix, Arizona