​The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made employers double down on online recruiting, whether that’s job boards or virtual career fairs. For job seekers, it pays to invest time and energy to find a match. Here are tips to maximize a digital job search.Look for new job titles It might be time to audit and add keywords to your job search. Today, a growing number of people are opting for alternative models over traditional, full-time, permanent roles. One of the main findings of ManpowerGroup’s Skills Revolution 4.0 report reveals that the jobs of tomorrow won’t look exactly like yesterday, so workers need to keep an eye out for job descriptions that weren’t previously on their radar. Organizations are investing in digital, shifting tasks to robots and creating new jobs. ​Build your digital brandYou probably have a resume or CV, but a digital brand like a personal website or LinkedIn profile can add another dimension to your personal brand. Your digital footprint gives you an opportunity to have a living career story, complete with career details, accomplishments, skills, recommendations, work samples and more; much more than a normal resume can offer.​Network onlineDigital connections can help you get jobs. You can connect/network with people you know, people you want to know, industry leaders, others with similar skills and interest, and the list goes on. There are networking groups on just about every career, industry and topic imaginable. Join a few and contribute to the discussion. You never know who you will meet. These contacts can be your link to your next job.​Research target companies Technology can help you learn all about a company, its values before you apply or interview. As ManpowerGroup’s What Workers Want report found, workers are looking for more trust and balance from an employer, and a digital job search can help uncover these traits. Follow the company across social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, and also follow competitors and peers how it compares to others. Sites like Glassdoor can provide reviews and a window into culture. Finally, set up Google alerts to get daily emails of relevant keywords when the company is mentioned in the news, which can show interest and engagement in an interview.  ​Finally, make sure you prioritize and make a plan. You’re much more likely to achieve your goals when you write things down. Managing your career with the help of a concrete goal will help you succeed and find your right path. 

​Gyms fill up. Healthy recipe books fly off the shelves. Diets get started.Motivation runs high in the window of New Year’s resolutions. It’s also no secret that this focus tends to dissipate as we move into the year.But if the goal is a fresh start, you can harness this productive window to land a new job, get a promotion or expand your role. Unlike a lapsed diet, channeling this energy to develop your career at the beginning of the year can pay off for years to come. Here are tips to maximize your job search in the new year.Dream bigNew year’s resolutions are a time to shamelessly dream big. So what’s your dream career? Some questions to guide your career dream include: Think back to when you were a child, what were your career aspirations? When time seems to fly, what activities are you engaged in? What activities do you both enjoy and are good at? What activities feed your soul? If you could work in any field, in any role, what would you choose?Set specific goalsAny personal trainer will tell you that “get in shape” or “lose weight” are bound to fail, because they have no clear end point or path to succeed. The same is true with career goals. Write down and visualize exactly what outcome you are seeking, such as gaining a leadership role, increasingly your salary or relocating to another part of the country. With a clear end in mind, work backwards and create a route to achieve what you want with a route such as a 30-60-90 day plan to make progress each step of the way.Lay the groundworkNew Year’s resolutions can’t get off the ground without the basics – joining a gym, setting up a workout schedule or hiring a personal trainer. In the same way, a new job search shouldn’t overlook the basics of updating your resume, contacting connections in your network and searching job boards for open positions. Make a checklist of all the legwork you need for “quick wins” to build momentum such as sending out resumes, contacting recruiters and other basic steps.Finally, make sure you don’t just dream it – do it. You’re much more likely to achieve your goals when you write things down. Managing your career with the help of new year’s resolutions is a great way to set clear goals. Good luck, and happy new year!

​Make your job search work for you by leveraging technology to promote yourself. Maximize your marketability through means of your resume, social channels such as LinkedIn, networking and applying for new roles. If you are seeking to make a move, here are 5 tips to help kickstart your job search. Expand your network  Research has shown that while we rely on our strong ties in our everyday lives, but it’s our weak ties (also called an “open network”) that help make leaps when it comes to finding new careers and positions.  That may sound counterintuitive since we’re so close to our strong ties. But because weak ties are farther removed, they know about opportunities we aren’t likely to know about. By getting slightly outside your comfort zone, you can extend your open network dramatically.   Leverage social media  LinkedIn may be the first social network most people think of when it comes to a job search. However, branding through social media can take place on any platform, from Instagram to Twitter. You may want to make certain profiles private, create secondary accounts or start purposefully sharing content that matches the job you are seeking.   Update your resume for digital  There are many tools to take your standard paper resume and turn it into a digital version, such as VisualCV. This online tool allows users to add photos or graphics to their resume, select sample templates based on industry type, or outsource their design to a team that will format a CV or resume. Once the resume is finished, VisualCV will generate a URL for the design that can be shared in social media and indexed by search engines.   Know your strengths and weaknesses  Bring what you are truly qualified to do to a new role by considering your training, soft skills and personality. To get an objective view of your strengths and weaknesses, consider both getting feedback from peers and managers, as well as taking an online assessment. ManpowerGroup, for example, provides online assessments so candidates can work with informed data when putting themselves into the job market.   Spread your search  ManpowerGroup identified a group of candidates known as Early HR Technology Adopters who use at least three technologies in their job search. This includes a smartphone app, social media advertisement, virtual job fair, text message, video interview, website chat, game or skills challenge test, or voice search via a virtual assistant. This new group of candidates represents the next wave of applicants who leave no digital rock unturned.  The task of finding a new job takes many paths, from crafting the cover letter to casting a wide net when searching. It’s less overwhelming when you start to break down the end goal into smaller, individual parts of a routine. Tackle the above categories one by one, and you’ll be able to build on the momentum of each to accelerate your job search.  

​How to create a blog to establish your personal brand, build your network and benefit your career.​You’ve updated your resume, tweaked your LinkedIn profile and combed over your cover letter. But you still might be missing out on a powerful career booster: Blogging. Writing on an ongoing basis is another tool in your job search toolkit. Here are tips for how to create a blog to get the most out of this format.Start writing on Medium or LinkedInIn the past, you had to know at least something about technology and design to create a blog on Wordpress, Blogger or a similar service. Today, the website Medium.com lets you sign up and start writing with a few clicks. Then you can share your posts on LinkedIn, Twitter or your other social networks. LinkedIn also provides users with the option to post directly through the platform - providing a great opportunity to amplify your expertise to other professionals in your network.Organize your thoughtsWhen you’ve been in the same job for awhile, it’s all too easy to fall into the same routines and go through the motions. Blogging helps you break out of that complacency by forcing you to brainstorm blog topics, pay attention to trends, and organize your thoughts through writing. It creates a free professional development opportunity. When you start blogging, create a publishing schedule and stick to it to stay fresh.Comment on current eventsBlogging gives you the opportunity to make yourself relevant every time there are headlines in your industry. If you are an expert on a topic that’s in the news, writing your own take can make you visible to colleagues in your network and people searching for this topic on Google. Resumes stay the same for long periods of time, but blogging helps you be more dynamic.Use blogging as networkingHaving a blog doesn’t mean you need to do all the writing. Invite a colleague to write a guest post on your blog to help strengthen your connections. You can also ask to be a guest writer on other people’s blogs, which will help expand your visibility inside more networks.Expand into book publishingAfter you’ve built up a body of blogging work, you can take the next step by compiling your work into book or booklet-length content. To become a published author, there’s no need to have contacts in the book publishing industry anymore. You can self-publish with tools such as iBooks or Amazon Kindle Direct. Whether you sell this content or give it away for free, having a book or eBook can elevate your credibility and open up new opportunities like business speaking, consulting or promotions. This article is contributed by Right Management, www.rightmanagement.sg, the global career experts within the ManpowerGroup.

​Top 10 Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile 1. Make the most of your professional headline.The most important part of your LinkedIn Profile is the section directly below your name. Get the most out of this space by writing a compelling and concise professional headline sharing who you are and what you do. This is a recruiter’s first indicator if you’re a potential fit for a position. Example: Contact Center Representative in Seattle area.2. Make your profile 100% complete.A complete profile improves your LinkedIn search ability. Make sure to include the following critical information:Accomplishments: Don’t be shy about your accomplishments. If you’ve received awards or other recognition, include this in your profile under the Awards section.Contact Information: Be sure to include your email address within this section. Most recruiters will contact you via email.History: Add all relevant positions you’ve held throughout your career, highlighting your contributions and accomplishments (avoid just a laundry list of duties), along with your educational background. Also be sure to upload a current resume. Don’t forget to include any professional organizations or volunteer work that you may be involved with.Skills: When listing skills, include keywords that would increase your chance of being found by a recruiter. Examples: Customer service skills, data management, outbound sales, etc.Summary: Fill out the summary to include key highlights of your professional self. Include hard skills (i.e., Excel proficiency), soft skills (i.e., communication strengths) and any examples that show the impact you had on the organizations you’ve worked forDon’t forget personal branding! Since your LinkedIn profile is your only online representation, take time to make your best impression and draw attention to what sets you apart from others.3. Build your network.The more connections you establish, the more likely your name shows up to those key decision makers as someone they should be in touch with. Ideally, you want your number of connections as close to 500 as possible, but make sure you are getting quality connections. That means connecting with your “Real World” network, or those people you’ve worked with closely, know your work ethic or can vouch for your soft skills.4. Get recommended.Recommendations are invaluable to enhance and add credibility to your profile. To get recommendations, you’ll most likely have to recommend someone first. When selecting the recommenders, it’s ideal to ask individuals with solid knowledge about you professionally and personally, so they can provide a relevant, insightful recommendation.5. Connect with companies.By following companies you’re interested in, you’ll be able to see updates on open positions, as well as view who works within that company. This gives you the opportunity to connect with key decision makers.6. Connect with professional groups.LinkedIn Groups are one of the best ways to make connections and find actual jobs. Join groups in your niche, as well as groups that are specific to careers and job searching.7. Be active.The more effort you put into your LinkedIn presence, the more you’ll get out of the social site. Whether you’re adding connections or providing updates, you’ll increase your chances of showing up on network pages.8. Add a photo.Upload a photo that presents you professionally. This helps add to your social media credibility.9. Share status updates.Whether it’s a link to a business article or a bit of your own wisdom, your thoughts should be shared on your LinkedIn profile. Any updates should place you in a respectable light, so keep them professional. An update rule of thumb is to share a posting up to three times a week.10. Establish your own URL.Set up your own URL on LinkedIn to make it easy for recruiters to find your profile. You can accomplish this by going to the settings tab within your profile. You can add this URL to your resume as well. An example of a custom URL is http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/johnsmith./li>Why is a LinkedIn profile important?LinkedIn has gained major traction over the last few years within the social media industry, becoming the world’s largest professional network with over 120 million members in over 200 countries and territories. Because of this. LinkedIn has changed the landscape for recruiters and job seekers forever. Now over 80% of companies use social media for recruitment, with 95% of those organization using LinkedIn.Still not convinced that you have to create a LinkedIn profile? Hopefully the following will help you out.LinkedIn standardizes job search information to make it easy for recruiters to find your profile. Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.LinkedIn creates your first online impression with a potential employerHave you ever Googled your name? Hiring managers and recruiters usually do. By joining LinkedIn, your LinkedIn profile will show up as one of the first search links, guaranteeing accurate (and professional) information.With over 900,000 LinkedIn groups, you can participate in discussions covering a range of topics, peruse job boards and get regular news updates.If you relocate or change phone numbers, you can frequently update LinkedIn to ensure that you are always aware of any potential job opportunities.Connect with us on LinkedIn

​Put your best digital foot forward in your job search by making sure social media is an asset, not a liability.​In the past decade, social media has slowly but surely blurred the line between personal life with professional life. This can be easy to forget, until you start a new job search. While you may be comfortable with your social life overlapping, you may also want to make sure you are putting your best professional foot forward with your online accounts. Here are five tips to cleaning up your profiles.Check your privacy settingsFacebook provides a range of settings to allow your profile to be completely public to totally hidden. Most people will seek something in the middle, which allows their profile to be found in their network while keeping your posts private. On Facebook’s homepage, click on “privacy check-up” to see how your posts appear to others and adjust your settings accordingly. Other accounts such as Twitter and Instagram don’t allow this range of privacy settings, but allow you to make your public accounts private.Consider secondary professional accountsSocial networks were originally created to connect with friends and family, but have since made their way to include colleagues and business associates. If you prefer to keep these worlds separate, you can create secondary social media accounts for “friendly” business associates. If you do use a professional account, fill out the profile with your work information and include a professional headshot.Scan your historyEven if you choose to keep your accounts public, it’s a good idea to scan your social media history for any posts you may have forgotten about. You can do this by searching for your name with the “+” sign and any keywords. There’s also an app for that. The service Scrubber will look up your history and flag any potential posts that you may want to delete, such as ones with profanity or politics.Use workplace social tools to communicate in the officeBecause social media is convenient, it has replaced email for some everyday forms of communication in the workplace, which creates further blurring of the lines. Fortunately, there is an alternative for those who wish to keep the convenience of social media with the workplace focus of email. Interoffice communication tools such as Slack, Basecamp, Google Drive and Facebook for Work provide the group collaboration and familiar design interface of social media, while creating a place just for work.Share for the job you wantThe adage “dress for the job you want” also applies to social media: Share for the job you want. Social media can be an asset in this regard, not a liability. Use your platforms to follow the companies you’re interested in and share their content if it’s interesting to you. To help you decide what to share, use the “So what?” test: Is this helpful? Is it entertaining? Is it something I’d be comfortable with my boss or mother seeing?” If yes, share it.This article is contributed by Right Management, www.rightmanagement.sg, the global career experts within the ManpowerGroup.