Job seekers link up to line up work
 
If you thought interviewing for a job 20 years ago was tough, try doing it in today”™s marketplace. Not only are companies offering fewer jobs, but employers are also expecting more from their staffers.
“In this market, most employers are more demanding. They don”™t have time to train a person to fill the position. You have to be able to hit the ground running,” said Dean Chenarides, a placement specialist with Ethan Allen Personnel Group in Poughkeepsie.
While sending resumes via fax and e-mail are accepted ways of getting your name out to prospective employers, Chenarides said many of his peers search Web sites, particularly LinkedIn and FaceBook, when helping a business fill a position. “Most professionals have a profile, and if you put in a search for a particular field, it will bring up a number of potential candidates.” Chenarides said LinkedIn is the more professionals-oriented of the two, but employers and personnel agencies are also checking FaceBook for potential new hires.
He did have a warning for those who use FaceBook to network: “If you have something on there that is not really professional, just remember that your potential employer is going to see that too. They have not even met you, so if there is something on there you would not want someone to misconstrue about the kind of person you are, it is best to stick to being professional and not post personal pictures or comments you wouldn”™t ordinarily share with people you don”™t know.”
People who are answering ads on Craigslist and other free sites should take precautions when giving out personal information, he said. “Your name and a cell phone number should suffice. After all, you don”™t know who is putting that ”˜help wanted”™ post on the site. It is best to protect your personal history as much as possible. It is not advisable to put your home address or home telephone number on a resume you are sending out to a total stranger. There is a double-edged sword to today”™s technology ”“ remember what you are putting on the Internet is public information ”“ it can help you as well as hurt you.”
Chambers of commerce in the region are also inundated with requests for help in finding employment. Carol Smith, vice president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery, said many people are using “any type of networking they can, whether it is on the Web, coming to chamber breakfasts or meetings or calling on friends and family members. Younger workers are more Web-savvy and use it a lot more, but you do have to be careful. From my perspective, the personal approach tends to be better. We do know one thing, there are more people out there looking for work than there are positions to fill, and those who are working are grateful to have a job.”
Charles North, president of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce in Poughkeepsie, said he”™s “never had so many invitations to join Web-based networking sites. Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn are among several that are growing in popularity. It”™s really too early to tell if it is helping anyone get a job … it might be good for keeping in touch. I”™m also not sure if it really is a positive way to get a job. There is no personal contact. E-mail has also killed personal contact. When an employer puts in an ad for a position, they ask candidates to e-mail a resume. It takes a lot longer for the employer to respond and in this market, it is even longer. With the ease of pushing a button, human resources people are inundated with resumes … then they have to wade through them to find perhaps five or six potential candidates that may fit the bill.”
Chenarides agreed: “When I went on Career Builder a few years ago, there might have been be 60 to 80 resumes posted for a job. Now, there 2- or 300.”