How are you looking for your new job?

Need a new job?

A question job seekers often ask is: What job board can help me?

As a professional resume writer and career coach, as much as you should use all avenues when you are in a job search, job boards are not your solution to all your problems. Don’t ignore them, just don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

I just saw a question on Quora: “Are there reverse job boards?” This person wants to post their resume and have people find them. In fact, LinkedIn, Monster, Career Builder all let you post your resume publicly. You can even create your own web portfolio and host it on your own site. There are products like Visual CV and all of them give you an online identity and a place to market your talents.

Why you have to create your own visibility for your new job

This article was originally written during the economic recession in the United States. At the time, I heard from Christine Livingston, it wasn’t any different in the UK:

And it’s not difficult to understand why. There’s so much negativity about the world of employment, so much uncertainty. Changing jobs is a key way to demonstrate, if only to yourself, that you still have some control over your career.

But with the CIPD saying that this is going to be “the worst year for jobs”, and the prediction that 1 in 10 people will be unemployed by year end, you could well be fearing that your desire to change your work in some way is a completely futile dream.

She ran a Recession-Proof Your Career series on her blog and had a companion coaching package available for those who wanted to explore the concept one-on-one with her.

You cannot expect employers to find you on any mysterious reverse job boards.

There are far too many people applying for most jobs today for employers to be scouring the universe to find you a new job. Be proactive, scout companies YOU want to work for and then find back doors into the hidden job market will help you land the new job.

Debra Feldman, renown as the “JobWhiz” writes about ways into the Hidden Job Market in her article, Converting Gatekeepers to Greeters:

Here are 6 ways you can increase your personal odds that gatekeepers will grant you access. Start with the premise that the gatekeeper is not an enemy but, like yourself, is a professional trying their best to fulfill an assignment, keep the boss happy and get rewarded for a job well done.

Find your new job by looking where everyone isn’t looking

I can preach networking to you too but I am assuming you already understand that positive networking is the key to finding new positions in the hidden job market.

The lazy way out is to keep wondering if you can post your resume somewhere and the employers will come to find you. Unless you have amazing talent so exclusive that makes you in demand, this won’t happen. So stop wishing opportunities in and start stalking those elusive new careers!