Using LinkedIn and Twitter in Your Job Search

It is often said that when it comes to finding a job, it's not what you know, but who you know.  With the explosion of social networking in the past few years, the pool of people who know you, and what they know about you, is expanding everyday.  If you are not already out there on the Internet networking for a job, you should be.  Not only does it help you find jobs, but getting your name out on networking sites and blogs will help you meet people and is an opportunity to show off what you know.  Here are a two helpful networking websites and tips for using them:

LinkedIn

     LinkedIn is a social networking site that allows you to connect with people you know on a professional level.  In the past year LinkedIn's company recruiting feature has seen a huge expansion in usage.  LinkedIn's recruiting revenues are now greater than Taleo and could reach the size of Monster.com within a year (forbes.com).  You can upload job skills, work experience, education and a resume. From the information that you upload, the more than 9,000 corporations on LinkedIn can recruit you.  Some tips:

• The more compete your profile, the more likely it is that an employer will find you.  This means you should include education, experience, skills, current job title, career goal, a profile picture, and get a few recommendations if possible. 
• LinkedIn is NOT Facebook.  Everything you put on LinkedIn should be as professional as possible.  This means no check your spelling and don't use slang,
• Make sure you add an e-mail address and a blog or Twitter is you have one and they are work-friendly.  This will give a chance to show what you know.

If you don't want to wait around to be recruited, LinkedIn also makes it possible for you to search for jobs.

Twitter

     Twitter is a great forum to search for jobs, network with people in your field and stay informed.  Some tips for using Twitter as an engine for job searching:

• Make sure your profile and usernames are professional.  This should really go without saying
• Don't misrepresent yourself. 
• Use hashtags (#) so people that are interested in your field can find you.
• Follow online job boards for constant updates on new positions and general job searching tips. Try:
• Indeed (@indeed)
• Simply Hired (@simplyhired)
• Upload a tasteful profile picture so your profile looks professional and complete.  Customize your profile design to show that have savvy with navigating websites.

Good luck!

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) is a website dedicated to making public domain writings (generally anything published before 1923) freely available as ebooks. Founded in 1971, it is the oldest digital library, as well as the largest, with over 38,000 items. Books are available in various open formats, including EPUB for Nook and other ereaders, as well as MOBI for Kindle. To help ensure accuracy, Project Gutenberg ebooks go through a lengthy proofreading regimen provided by volunteers at Distributed Proofreaders. Downloading these books to an ereader is a simple process of just a few steps.

1. Go to the Project Gutenberg home page and search for a book by author or title.

2. Click on the title and format to be downloaded.






3. Click on the desired format to download it to your computer. Use EPUB (no images) for Nooks and Kindle (no images) for Kindles.

4. In Internet Explorer, there will be a popup box that gives the option to Save as so that the book will be easier to find later when transferring to the ereader.

5. Connect the ereader to the computer with the USB cord. Then click on the Start menu and go to Computer. The ereader should show up as a device. Drag and drop the book to the ereader. If you're using a Nook, you're done. There's one more step for Kindle users.

6. Double click to open the Kindle. Drag and drop the book into the documents folder.

Always remember to safely eject your ereader from the computer before you start reading!

Downloading/Installing the Kindle app to your mobile device

Downloading/Installing the Kindle app to your mobile device requires a mobile device with an active app store and wireless connection.

1. Locate the Kindle app in your device app store

2. It is a free app but will still require an active app store account to download

3. Follow the prompts for installing the app on your device

4. Once installation is complete, check your device apps for the Kindle icon

5. Now you may read a Kindle ebook on your mobile device using the Ohio eBook Project and an Amazon account.

Look for more information about Downloading Kindle eBooks in future posts.

Dee

Fotopedia.com

HTTP://Fotopedia.com
I found this site while researching sites that would benefit our children's librarians' public programs. The site is filled with beautiful images that may be simply viewed or used for a project. But there is more than just photos, in the magazine portion are articles about the subjects in the photos. No registration necessary to view the photos or articles. So, take a moment and view the content and read about the site and its community of contributors. You may decide you want to be a contributor yourself!