Many job-seekers lack the basic skills needed for today’s tough job market. Some are fresh out of college or graduate school and have never looked for a job before. Others have not had to seek a job in many years. While many younger job-seekers are comfortable with the Internet and social networking sites, older workers may not understand how to use web 2.0 to their advantage. This situation has created a demand for training dedicated to the skills needed to compete for a job in today’s job marketplace.
In response to this need for training, many websites now focus on providing job-seekers with improved job-search skills. While not job boards, these sites are career-training marketplaces that offer convenient, video-based learning and/or live one-on-one career coaching over the Internet. These sites also generally provide a number of other support services, such as networking tips and other job resources to help individuals with career-related issues.
Examples of the types of services these sites provide include help with the following important job-seeking areas:
• Resumes. This is a crucial tool for the job-hunter; however, many job-seekers have no idea how to bring out resumes' full potential as a selling tool. Many resumes are overly general or unfocused on the potential employer’s needs. A well-written resume will set you apart from the competition. Because of the specific skills needed to prepare a resume correctly, it provides a perfect opportunity for online training. For the job-seeker, an experienced online résumé coach can pass along invaluable tips via video and/or live coaching. It is also essential that people posting resumes online understand how to make their resume “stand out” from millions of online resumes. The answer to this challenge is training by experts who teach the tricks – such as key words or phrases – that make resumes highly visible to electronic searches by employers.
• Interviewing. Because of technology offered on the Internet, people can now practice interviewing and get feedback from a professional coach via a webcam – without leaving home. This type of feedback can be invaluable for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the job-seeker. An online coach can provide feedback on subtle defects in the job-seekers’ interview behavior, such as unusual or distracting body language or personal habits (eg, hair-twirling, failing to make eye contact, etc). An online video or live career coach can train the job-seeker to approach the all-important interview with professionalism and confidence, thereby increasing the chances of a good interview and a job offer.
• Web 2.0. This refers to web-based communities and social-networking sites that allow users to interact with each other. While many younger workers are comfortable using social networking sites – such as Facebook– many older workers are not. And people of any age may not be fully aware how to use social networking sites effectively when searching for a job. This situation presents an excellent training opportunity for teaching the value of social networking sites for making professional contacts and identifying job opportunities.
One example of a career-coaching site that offers these services is
GoSavant.com. This training marketplace, started in 2009, features both video-based learning and live coaching. The video courses include seven lessons by Martin Yates, author of the
New York Times best-selling book “
The Knock ‘em Dead Way”. These courses can be purchased separately or all together and have titles such as “Job Search Strategy,” “The Resume,” “Job Interviews” and “The Post-Interview Plan”. In “The Resume,” for example, Yates provides a detailed review of each part of the resume and how it can be used to make this “the most valuable document you own”. He also highlights common mistakes and wasted opportunities common to many job-seekers’ resumes. The GoSavant video courses can be stopped and started multiple times, and many of them include a workbook for job-seekers. The site also offers a wide variety of live career coaches who are available on demand via webcam.
Bottom line: Job applicants can increase the odds of getting a good new job by learning from professionals how to best “market” themselves. This training is available online, using the technologies of video-on-demand and webcams to pass knowledge from savvy job gurus on such essential job skills as writing effective resumes and cover letters, interviewing successfully, and using web 2.0 skills to achieve professional objectives. Sites like
GoSavant.com are providing powerful new training tools for the timeless problem of finding a job.