Job Search in the Digital Age workshop

Remember pouring over the “Help Wanted” section of the classified ads in the newspaper when looking for a job? Remember typing a resume on a typewriter and mailing it to dozens of prospective employers?

Forget about it.

Just as the medium for job hunting has changed from print to electronic, so have the methods and resources for finding a job in the digital age. But one thing that hasn’t changed: the need to network.

“Resumes do not get you a job,” said Katherine Ponds, a community ambassador with AARP Virginia who conducts the Job Search in the Digital Age workshop. “People hire people; people do not hire off of a resume.”

Speaking to about 50 people recently at a workshop at the Arlington Central Library, Ponds reviewed how to find jobs, how to make resumes more effective and how to use networking sites such as LinkedIn to increase your potential for getting hired.

Job search engines – sites that list jobs and aggregate types of positions locally and nationally—are the digital version of the classified ads, but they go much further. There are thousands of job search engines, Ponds listed Indeed, Glass Door, Career Builder, Idealist, and USAJobs as among the most useful.

Some job sites provide a wide range of listings, while others serve a particular niche. For example, Idealist focuses on non-profit opportunities, and USAJobs focuses on federal openings.

Ponds warned against paying any search engine. She noted that legitimate job search engines charge their fees to the entity placing the job listing, not the applicants.

Resumes by themselves may not be enough to get a person hired, but they are essential for getting a person noticed. In today’s digital age, any job listing may result in hundreds of applications. So how can you stand out? Ponds offered several suggestions for a professional resume:

• Most resumes should be two pages. It’s rare today to submit a one-page resume and three pages or more may put off employers.

• Resumes must be error-free. That means the job seeker should proofread the pages many times, including reading the entire document backward on hard (printed) copy to validate each word.

• Use active language. Instead of listing the positions held, describe duties such as “developed, created, directed.”

• Quantify accomplishments and show the value you added to your previous jobs.

• Use “keywords” that precisely mirror the job description. For example, if a job listing uses the words “residential and commercial,” don’t write “homes and businesses.” Ponds noted that many employers use software programs to review resumes and they are more likely to look for the same words as used in the job listing. That often means developing different resumes for different jobs.

Speaking to a crowd of mostly 50-plus attendees, Ponds noted that “age discrimination is alive and well,” in the job market. That means job seekers should “age-proof” their resumes as much as possible.

To minimize employers’ focus on age, job seekers should not list jobs held more than 15 years ago, Ponds said. They should also remove dates from activities such as educational degrees.

Job seekers should list their email addresses on every resume, but Ponds warned against using an AOL account for an email because “it is dating you.”

One age-proofing method is to develop a “functional resume” which lists accomplishments and types of responsibilities rather than a chronological recitation of jobs held. Such a functional resume should list five to seven significant accomplishments, Ponds said.

One audience member said functional resumes often raise a red flag among employers and Ponds agreed that they could be ineffective if the accomplishments are weak.

Networking can overcome weaknesses in a person’s work background – such as long gaps between employment.

“I hope you all have LinkedIn accounts,” Ponds said, launching a lengthy discussion of the networking site. She noted that many places, such as public libraries, offer classes in how to use LinkedIn. “It’s worth the time to sit in a class dedicated just to LinkedIn.”

Unlike resumes, some sites such as LinkedIn require a photograph to accompany a person’s listing. Ponds warned that such photos should be professionally done and that applicants should be well-dressed and well-groomed for their portraits.

While some older people are reluctant to create an electronic presence, Ponds urged attendees to “put it out there,” by using sites such as LinkedIn. Failure to do so, she warned, may result in employers perceiving you as “reluctant to engage with social media.”

Ponds called LinkedIn a “fabulous way to expand your network. The more you build and grow your network, the more successful you will be.”

The Job Search in the Digital Age workshop is part of a month-long program in Arlington County on finances. Ponds also taught a workshop Sept. 17 on Sharpening Your Networking Skill. Ridge Multop, another AARP volunteer, will be presenting a workshop on Understanding Your Social Security Benefits at 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 21 at the Arlington Public Library Central Branch. These workshops are free and open to the public.

To find our upcoming Job Search in the Digital Age workshop visit our events page.