Five Mistakes Online Job Hunters Make

1. Forgetting Manners

If you use Twitter or you write a blog, you should assume that hiring managers and recruiters will read your updates and your posts. A December 2009 study by Microsoft Corp. found that 79% of hiring managers and job recruiters review online information about job applicants before making a hiring decision. Of those, 70% said that they have rejected candidates based on information that they found online. Top reasons listed? Concerns about lifestyle, inappropriate comments, and unsuitable photos and videos.

"Everything is indexed and able to be searched," says Miriam Salpeter, an Atlanta-based job search and social media coach. "Even Facebook, which many people consider a more private network, can easily become a trap for job seekers who post things they would not want a prospective boss to see."

Don't be lulled into thinking your privacy settings are foolproof. "All it takes is one person sharing information you might not want shared, forwarding a post, or otherwise breaching a trust for the illusion of privacy in a closed network to be eliminated," says Ms. Salpeter, who recommends not posting anything illegal (even if it's a joke), criticism of a boss, coworker or client, information about an interviewer, or anything sexual or discriminatory. "Assume your future boss is reading everything you share online," she says.

2. Overkill

Blanketing social media networks with half-done profiles accomplishes nothing except to annoy the exact people you want to impress: prospective employees trying to find out more about on you.

One online profile done well is far more effective than several unpolished and incomplete ones, says Sree Sreenivasan, dean of students at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He made the decision early on to limit himself to three social-networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. "There is just not enough time," he says. "Pick two or three, then cultivate a presence there."

Many people make the mistake of joining LinkedIn and other social media sites and then just letting their profiles sit publicly unfinished, says Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokesperson. "Just signing up for an account simply isn't enough," she says. "At a bare minimum, make sure you're connected to at least 35 people and make sure your profile is 100 percent complete. Members with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn."

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the three most popular social networking sites for human resources managers to use for recruiting, according to a survey released last month by JobVite, a maker of recruiting software.

3. Not Getting the Word Out

When accounting firm Dixon Hughes recently had an opening for a business development executive, Emily Bennington, the company's director of marketing and development, posted a link to the opportunity on her Facebook page. "I immediately got private emails from a host of people in my network, none of whom I knew were in the market for a new job," she says. " I understand that there are privacy concerns when it comes to job hunting, but if no one knows you're looking, that's a problem, too."

Changing this can be as simple as updating your status on LinkedIn and other social networking sites to let people know that you are open to new positions. If you're currently employed and don't want your boss to find out that you're looking, you'll need to be more subtle. One way to do this is to give prospective employers a sense of how you might fit in, says Dan Schawbel, author of "Me 2.0" and founder of Millennial Branding. "I recommend a positioning, or personal brand statement, that depicts who you are, what you do, and what audience you serve, so that people get a feeling for how you can benefit their company."

4. Quantity Over Quality

Choose connections wisely; only add people you actually know or with whom you've done business. Whether it's on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other networking site, "it's much more of a quality game than a quantity game," says Ms. Canfield. A recruiter may choose to contact one of your connections to ask about you; make sure that person is someone you know and trust.

And there's really no excuse for sending an automated, generic introduction, says Ms. Canfield. "Taking the extra five to 10 seconds to write a line or two about how you know the other person and why'd you'd like to connect to them can make the difference between them accepting or declining your connection request," she says. "It also doesn't hurt to mention that you're more than willing to help them or introduce them to other people in your network."

5. Online Exclusivity

Early last year, Washington's Tacoma Public Utilities posted a water meter reader position on its website. The response? More than 1,600 people applied for the $17.76 an hour position.

With the larger number of people currently unemployed (and under-employed), many employers are being inundated with huge numbers of applications for any positions they post. In order to limit the applicant pool, some have stopped posting positions on their websites and job boards, says Tim Schoonover, chairman of career consulting firm OI Partners.

Scouring the Web for a position and doing nothing else is rarely the best way to go. "When job-seekers choose to search for jobs exclusively online -- rather than also include in-person networking -- they may be missing out on 'hidden' opportunities," says Mr. Schoonover. "Higher-level jobs are not posted as often as lower-level jobs online. In-person networking may be needed to uncover these higher-level positions, which may be filled by executive recruiters."

Write to Elizabeth Garone at cjeditor@dowjones.com

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Why NOT you?

So why was someone else hired and you weren't? These five reasons may shed some light on the situation.

1. You're overqualified
It's not just a cliche--you really can be overqualified for a position. It's especially true in a tight economy. A candidate that is more qualified would require a higher salary and benefits package for a competitive offer and for long-term retention. If someone else interviewed who fit the qualifications but didn't overly exceed them, it might be in the company's best interest to hire him and save the cash.

2. You don't know the right people
You may be great on paper, and you may interview really well--but if another candidate is the employer's tennis instructor's daughter, you might be out of luck. This isn't a reason you can't really avoid. Your best bet is to make sure you follow up with a genuinely appreciative phone call or note. Leaving a positive impression will keep you in that employer's mind if other opportunities arise.

3. You hit it off, just not professionally
Having a good rapport with your interviewer is great--however, if you bonded over your love of tequila shooters, you may have made a friend and not an employer. In a less extreme example, you may be very easy to interview but still not right for the position. While being friendly and personable are two very important traits, they won't guarantee you the job.

4. You came with conditions
You may be a good fit for the job, but if you come with strings attached, you may not get hired. If you can't see yourself sticking to the position long-term, or if prior commitments mean you'll have to work odd hours, it could take you out of the running. If possible, come in condition-free or at least willing to compromise. However, if you have a restriction that is non-negotiable, it's only fair to both of you to bring it up in the interview--there's no sense in wasting time if the situation won't work out.

5. An unpredictable reason
Often, the reason is one you may never know. You may get an unrelated job simply for having a shared interest with the interviewer, or perhaps because you have a skill the employer hopes to learn from you. It may be as simple as two or more candidates being equally qualified, and you lost the coin toss.

It may also be a simple reason like an off-the-cuff comment you probably shouldn't have made, or a more blatant reason like answering your cell phone during an interview (never a good move, no matter how friendly you are with the interviewer!). Be honest with yourself about the interview process--if you can think of a slip up, learn from your mistake and keep it in mind for your next interview.

The bottom line
Whatever the reason, do your best to learn from it and apply it to your next interview. Don't be afraid to politely follow up and inquire about why you weren't right for the position--just make sure you don't come off as sulking. Be professional, and thank them for helping you to understand what you did wrong, or where you can improve. After all, if you made it to the interview stage once, you're likely to do it again.

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Help Prevent a Catastrophic War for America and the World!

Help Prevent a Catastrophic War for America and the World!

By David Duke

The Zionists are at it again. The Jewish extremists in the American media and government told us the colossal lie that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction” and that Saddam posed a threat to the United States. In truth, he had ten years earlier destroyed such weapons and had never hurt a single American.(unlike Israel)

In fact, at America’s urging, Saddam Hussein went to war against Iran. He was our ally. But, Israel considered him a dangerous enemy and he supported the Palestinians in their fight for freedom. So, the Jewish-dominated media and political establishment filled us with lies about Iraq and made him out to be an enemy of America.

Of course, there were no weapons of mass destruction. Anyone with intelligence could discern that before the war. In the months before the war I showed how after a U.S. sponsored team searched for months and found no weapons, that the whole story was nothing but a big lie to justify war for Israel. It turned out I was right. A special American task force costing $1 billion US dollars found nothing, and found proof that Iraq had destroyed its weapons years earlier.

We went to war for a lie. Thousands of our brave men were killed for this lie. Hundreds of thousands have been harmed for this lie. In truth, America is far more hated and in far more danger from terrorists because of this lie that hundreds of millions of people around the world saw as totally unjust, a war that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children in the name of “freedom.” And it will cost America trillions of dollars at time when many Americans are economically suffering.

And now the Zionists Power Matrix is at it again, telling us that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, even after our own intelligence agency issued a report saying that there is no evidence that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Israel is the nation that has violated dozens of UN sanctions. Israel is the nation that won’t allow weapons inspections. Israel is the nation that won’t sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that has a vast horde of chemical, biological, conventional and nuclear weapons. Israel is the nation that has committed terrorism against America in the Lavon Affair and the Attack on the Liberty…who has spied on us in the Pollard Case. Israel is nation that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, invaded its neighbors repeatedly, has tortured hundreds of thousands in its prisons, and has brutally stolen the land – and now brutally occupies Palestinian land.

In the height of Chutzpah, Israel does this horrendous evil and then demands sanctions against Iran, a nation that has not invaded its neighbors, has not stolen the land of hundreds of thousands of people, nor murdered and bombed women and children in beautiful cities like Beirut and even in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. And Obama and Clinton, plus the Jewish controlled media scream to the world of the evil of Iran all while Israel maintains a brutal occupation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, routinely kills Palestinians children, and steals their homes and lands!

Every American has heard, a thousand times, that Iran’s President, Ahmadinejad, threatens to “Wipe Israel off the map.” That quote is an outright lie repeated every day by the media. I was present at an international conference in Tehran when he supposedly said this. He only said that he believed the Zionist regime will fall just as the communist regime fell in Russia. His speech was boring in that he repeated, probably twenty times, the need for peace in the region and the fact that all people, Christians, Muslims and Jews must be accorded their human rights and dignity. But the media, just as before the Iraq War, didn’t let the American people, and few of the world’s people, know the truth of his statements. You didn’t hear any of his words for peace and human decency, just the lie that he would somehow “wipe Israel off the map!”

One of the best ways we can help prevent a catastrophic war with Iran is to distribute and spread my new video: No War for Israel in Iran. I spent a hundred hours of my time and effort in making this video for you, and for my fellow Americans, free of any charge. I hope you will spend a few short hours in helping the world to see this video which has the power to wake people up to the evil of this planned Zionist war.

Please be sure to watch this video, “favorite” it, rate it, and comment on it — as that helps the video rise in ratings and thus be seen by more people. Send the link to everyone on your email contact list, talk about the video in chat rooms and in Internet forums, and tell your friends, family and neighbors about this powerful video.

Thank you very much for your dedication and your unselfish efforts to help America and the world avoid what would be a catastrophic war!

The truth is that every day we come closer to this catastrophic war. We all face incredible loss if this war goes ahead. Let’s stand together to prevent it!

Dr. David Duke

Mandeville, La

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New Hiring!

1. Nippon Oil, Malaysia.

- seeking Drilling Engineer. Onshore drilling in Miri.

2. Qserv, Malaysia

- Coiled tubing operator, Slickline operator.

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