Many of today’s job seekers are tired, burnt out, and quick to give up on their search after a few months. Their use of traditional methods of finding and applying for jobs seem futile, and there’s a good reason for that. Traditional job search methods simply don’t cut it anymore!

According to Elance, 40 percent of Millennials are turning to social media in their job search. 56 percent say that online resumes and digital profiles are more effective in landing a job than the traditional resume.

So, how can you step “outside the box” and incorporate some new tactics into your job search? Here are five ways you can use the Internet to land your next job.

1. Online job boards. Many local Utah news stations have sections on their websites focused on local jobs, and will list direct contact information for the hiring managers. Search engine-based job boards like SimplyHired, Craigslist and Indeed help you narrow down the list by salary, keyword and location.
2. LinkedIn. A social network for professionals, hiring managers from across the country are using LinkedIn to build connections and recruit their future employees. To begin, simply create your profile by filling in your work history and education. Next, import your email contacts into your profile, and then search for a position or company you’re interested in. Filter those results by a specific location, and find the people within your network who can introduce you to the hiring manager.
3. Twitter. An advanced Twitter search can help you locate jobs using specific criteria such as geolocation and hashtags. Just type search.twitter.com/advanced into your address bar, and you will arrive at a screen with a number of fields. Type a hashtag that you want to search for, like “socialmediajobs”, and manipulate the calendar dates to focus on Tweets within a set time period. In the “other” field, click on the box next to “containing links”. The search results will be a great starting point to find related jobs within that particular industry.
4. Google+. Still a relatively new social network, many social influencers, techies and digital pros are using Google+ on a daily basis, so it’s a great time to stake your claim and build up your profile. Fill out your profile, and start interacting with the people you follow. You can announce your job search in a post, and fill out your “About” section with your qualifications, skills and work history. Organize your contacts into Circles, so you can target your updates to a particular group of people.
5. Facebook. While Facebook isn’t necessarily the best place to put forth a professional identity, there is still an opportunity to network with the right people. You can “like” companies, follow their status updates, participate in contests and create dialogues with the hiring managers.

Companies are increasingly turning to the Internet to look for candidates, and the job seekers who are aggressive, confident and adept to technology are going to be noticed.

In the world of executive job recruiting, headhunters know what they are looking for. They are not seeking multiple candidates who might be good for the job; they are hunting out the one best candidate that could start immediately. There are concrete traits that recruiters seek out when hiring leaders, but for the most part, matchmaking is a gut feeling. Here are some ways you help set yourself apart in a competitive world and become on a headhunter’s radar.

Headhunters look for leaders who have a strong reputation within an industry. If people are talking about you, there must be a reason why, either good or bad. And furthermore if no one has ever heard of you, you’re probably not the type of candidate that recruiters are seeking. One way you can boost your reputation within an industry is write informative, fact based articles for industry publications or start a blog about specific topics within your industry. These articles will help boost your credibility and search engine optimization (SEO).

It’s in your benefit to utilize the Internet because it is the first place a headhunter (or anyone for that matter) will go to learn information about you. It’s important to be careful about the information you share on the internet, but that doesn’t mean opting out of the internet all together, it just means being smarter about you put it out there. You should look at the information you share as a way to brand yourself.

By using your real name and an authoritative voice and commenting on industry specific articles and forums you will help build creditability. Another way to boost your professional SEO is by talking at industry tradeshows. This will not only give you an opportunity to share your industry knowledge but it will also give you a chance to get your name listed associated with the tradeshow that will show up on search engines.

It’s important to keep in mind that a LinkedIn profile will almost always show up on the first page of Goggle when you search your name, so be sure it is up to date and accurate. Headhunters are not interested in “accomplishments,” they are interested in results.  Your work experience on your profile should be quantified in numbers, tangible and provable. For example, state how much new business you brought in and how much revenue was created which increased profitability by how much percent.

Headhunters match very specific talent with very specific job openings. The more specific your expertise is the easier it will be to set yourself apart as a true expert in the field. The biggest thing you can do is focus on being exceptional at what you do. Eventually they’ll hunt you down.

Congratulations to our prize winner:  Steve Wilcox from IT

Picture and details to follow.

Click the link below to view Clue#7..

Clue #7

_______ Station

State of the _______

_______ Pacific

Differing names aside, most colleges have one.

Public access during regular business hours.

No need for a coat!

Stumped by clue #1? Here’s a hint to help you understand:

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue