"It's a whole different ballgame out there right now," said job seeker Karin Gorenick.
New ballgame, new rules, new equipment -- which is why Marin County resident Karin Gorenick was on the Peninsula learning how to better compete in a tight job market.
"You have got to think of the first impression you are going to make, before they see your resume, before they see your application," said Jobvite CEO Dan Finnigan.
Karin was at the Burlingame headquarters of Jobvite -- an online firm that helps companies recruit new hires through the web. CEO Dan Finnigan is explaining how hiring managers are turning away from the old typed-up paper resume in favor of social and business networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
"And if you're not on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter or other social networks, you won't be found," said Finnigan.
Careerbuilder.com says the web is now the primary way 70 percent of businesses look for new employees. That doesn't mean you stop snail-mailing out resumes. But, it does mean that your online resume should be constantly updated. And if you have a blog or website, your resume should be easy to view there, and your LinkedIn or Twitter profiles should drive people to your website. Karin says that was an important lesson to learn.
"In order to be an effective jobseeker, you really have to be an online socialite, and utilize LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to maximize the number of eyeballs that are going to see your profile," said Gorenick.
And be careful with your profile. Finnigan reminds that those embarrassing pictures posted after in good fun after the last office party can come back to haunt you. And don't even think about listing jobs you never had or degrees you never earned in your resume.
"If there ever was resume inflation, I think now the act of putting public and making it public means that people need to be -- instead of fudging their resume, they need to be assertive and pro-active about their strengths," said Finnigan.
Getting feedback from friends and trustworthy co-workers can be helpful. Many job fairs also offer free critiques if you're not sure about the quality of your resume.
