Looking into my foggy crystal ball, these are the trends I see for  2011, or “to infinity and beyond!” as our friend Buzz Lightyear would have described it.  I have 3 predictions to make and 2 fervent wishes.

First, the 3 predictions:

1.  Increasing use of mobile apps – iPad, iPhone, Droid, BlackBerry, etc.

If you have an iPhone, iPad, Droid, BlackBerry, etc., you can job search on the bus, in the dentist’s waiting room, in a restaurant while you wait for a friend or the check, etc.  You can also edit and send your resume, write a LinkedIn Recommendation for your colleague, check for local MeetUps, and on and on and on.

LinkedIn and Twitter have free mobile apps for iPad, iPhone, etc.  Two of my favorite job posting sources, Indeed and LinkUp for example, now have free mobile apps, so you can still job search even when you’re not at your computer.

And, the mapping app will help you find the location of that interview, while the traffic app helps you avoid the traffic jams and construction and the weather app keeps you informed of the latest blizzard or drenching rain storms. Plus, of course, the email and browser apps will keep you up to date on what’s going on in your digital world.

2.  Increasing dominance of LinkedIn for job search.

Reflecting its growth in popularity with recruiters, LinkedIn will become an even greater force in online job search in 2011. Be on LinkedIn or be invisible.  And, make no mistake, in the future, being invisible is deadly for your job search and your career (see # 3 below for more).

In 2011, you’ll have many options available for transforming your LinkedIn Profile into a resume when you need one to hand out at an interview or to impress your friends.  At a minimum, these will help your LinkedIn Profile stay in synch with your resume and vice versa. Check out these two I found:

• LinkedIn Labs own resume builder application – http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/
• And SnapPages.com’s Resume builder – http://www.snappages.com/resume

[Soon there will probably be LinkedIn Profile resume builder apps for your iPhone/iPad/etc., combining predictions # 1 and #2!]

3.  Increasing importance of reputation management.

If you don’t have a Google Alert established for your name, you are taking a big chance unless you have a one-in-a-million name like Barack Obama.  So, set one up.  NOW!  [Here's how.]

According to a late 2009 study by Microsoft, 79% of employers Google a job applicant “always or most of the time.”  You need to know what they will find when they Google your name.

In 2011, you must be aware of what is ”out there” attached to your name  because:

• Someone with the same name may have done something bad, and an employer won’t know it isn’t you.  Better to know about it so you can figure out how to avoid it or how to handle it.
• A search on your name which has no relevant results makes you look out-of-date and out-of touch with current technology and how we communicate in the 2nd decade of the 21st century.
• You may have created some of your own “digital dirt” through Facebook, Twitter, etc. – the usual ways people create CLM’s (Career-Limiting Moves) with the Internet and social media.

Reputation management is certainly possible, and so is damage control, if necessary, but you must know in advance that you need it.  So start paying attention by simply setting up that Google Alert.

For more help with reputation management, check out Jacob Share’s amazing JobMob post – 200+ Resources & Tips to Help Manage Your Reputation Online – he’s going to continue to add to it.  Great job, Jacob! wish I’d done that!

Now, those 2 wishes:

1.  Job seekers & bloggers: less blind trust; more verification!

Job seekers, “expert” (?) bloggers, and amateur ”journalists” – stop being so darned trusting!  Take a better look at what you are recommending.  I’ve just read a blog post in a fairly reputable blog about top new job boards, and one of the sites that were recommended is completely anonymous, including a private domain registration. YIKES!

Please, peek under the hood just a little bit more before you recommend that kind of site, and then DON’T recommend it if you don’t find good, solid information.  A Contact Us  or About Us webpage should have a physical address and a phone number.  Read 15 Criteria for Choosing a Job Site for more detailed information.

When I find one of these completely anonymous sites, I wonder:  Why don’t they want us to know who they are?  What are they hiding?

Job seekers – poke around a little on a new site before you post your resume or give out your email address. Don’t trust a site because it looks pretty and professional.

2.  Employers: enough with the passive job seeker nonsense!

I’ve always thought the recruiting theory lauding the “passive” (employed) candidate as the most desirable hire was largely hogwash.  Yes, sometimes unemployed job seekers will take the first job they are offered, but good recruiters should be able to tell the difference between a candidate who is a good fit versus one who is a bad fit.

Fit for the job and the organization are what should matter – not, for Heaven’s sake, employment status.

Now, I see this recruiting theory is very damaging to our economy and to all of us. Refusing to even consider unemployed job seekers is stupid and cruel.

If those so-wonderful employed job seekers are really “passive,” even the best recruiters won’t lure them away.  So stop trying!

Recruiters & Employers: There are plenty of excellent people
who are unemployed right now through no fault of their own.

Hire them!

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About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce, USMC veteran, has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @JobHuntOrg.

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The Career Collective Posts

More predictions and trends from the other members of the CareerCollective:

This list is almost as interesting for who’s NOT on it at this point.  We had Burger King (until June, 2010), but not McDonald’s (as of July, 2011).  We have PepsiCo, but only in the UK, and Coca-Cola not at all.  We have Microsoft, LinkedIn,  and Twitter, but not Facebook, Oracle, Sybase, Adobe, etc.  We have IBM but not Dell or HP.  We have two accounts from MTV and one for Warner Brothers but nothing for Disney, Pixar, or any of the other studios.  Intel and EMC are the only manufacturers that made the list.

NOTE: We have posted a continuously updated version of this list with 500 active employers  (as of July, 2011) included on Twitter as a Twitter List – JobHuntOrg/Employers Recruiting, one of the top lists on Listorious.com and Mashable.com.

More on Social Media & Job Search: Social Media & Job Search Home Twitter Toolbox 5 Ways Social Media Keeps Skills Up to Date Top 10 Twitter Job Search Lists 101 Best Twitter Career & Job Search Resources 8 Twitter SEO Tips for Job Seekers Top 50 Employers Recruiting on Twitter Top 50 College & University Career Centers Twitter Accounts

None of the big pharmaceutical companies are on this list either because I couldn’t find any of them, and, even though Best Buy has thousands of jobs posted on its Website (here), they are using Twitter only for marketing, so far.  No other large retailer showed up, either.

You’ll find the U.S. Department of State is the only branch of the U.S. Federal Government or ANY U.S.A. government entity, that is recruiting on Twitter.  I very recently discovered that the city of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, also recruits using Twitter.  Interesting…

Researching this list reminded me of slogging through the Fortune 500 ten years ago, looking for the large employers that were smart enough to (1) have a corporate Website with “current” content and (2) use their corporate Website for recruiting (and not hiding the job listings).  If I remember correctly, in 1999, only about 10% of them did that.  Nearly 97% do it now (Fortune 1000 links).  Wonder how long it will take the majority of them to adapt to Twitter for recruiting…

Food for Thought

Part of this (present vs. missing employers) is “the economy” of course, but not all of it.  Look to these employers, below, to find management that pays attention to what’s going on in the marketplace and is smart enough to stake out their claim to the appropriate technological footprint.

The List – The Best and the Brightest?

Many companies have customer service and marketing accounts, but use for recruiting is just beginning and will probably pick up as the economy improves and Twitter becomes more popular.  More Twitter accounts will be integrated into Job-Hunt’s vast collection of resources as employers use them more.

If you find an employer’s Twitter recruiting account that is not included in the list below, please post a comment, linking to that employer.

For now, this list is in alphabetical order within country:

	Employer	Location	Twitter Account
Global:
	Astra Zeneca PLC	HQ in London	@JoinAstraZeneca
	CDC Global Health Jobs	HQ in Atlanta, GA	@CDCGlobalHealth
	Gartner	HQ in Stamford, CT	@gartner_jobs
	Wipro, LTD	HQ in India	@WiproCareers
United States:
	Accenture	HQ in NYC	@Accenture_Jobs
	AON Hewitt	HQ in Lincolnshire, IL	@aonhewittcareer
	Access Communications	San Francisco & NYC	@accesscareers
	ADP	HQ in Roseland, NJ	@ADPCareers
	Allstate Insurance	HQ in Northbrook, IL	@AllstateCareers
	Assurant Solutions	Atlanta, GA	@AssurantCareers
	AT&T	HQ in Dallas, TX	@ATTjobs
	comScore	HQ in Reston, VA	@comScoreCareers
	Deloitte Touche	US HQ in NYC, NY	@JoinDeloitteUS
	Ecolab	St. Paul, MN	@Ecolab_Jobs
	EMC	Hopkinton, MA	@EMCCareers
	Ernst & Young	US HQ in NYC, NY	@Ernst_and_Young
	Follett Software Co.	HQ in McHenry, IL	@FSCCareers
	Forrester Research, Inc.	Cambridge, MA	@forresterjobs
	Gartner, Inc.	HQ in Stamford, CT	@Gartner_Jobs
	General Electric	HQ in Fairfield, CT	@GEConnections
	Hershey Entertainment & Resorts	Hershey, PA	@HersheyJobs
	Hyatt Hotels & Resorts	HQ in Chicago, IL	@Hyattcareers
	Intel	HQ in Santa Clara, CA	@JobsatIntel
	J.B. Hunt	HQ in Lowell, AR	@jbhuntdrivers
	Kaplan Test Prep Services	NYC, NY	@KTPA_Careers
	Keller Williams Realty	HQ in Austin, TX	@KWCareers
	KPMG US	US HQ in NYC, NY	@KPMGUSCareers
	Kroger	HQ in Cincinnati, OH	@KrogerWorks
	Liberty Mutual	HQ in Boston, MA	@WorkAtLiberty
	Mattel	El Segundo, CA	@MattelRecruiter
	Mayo Clinic	HQ in Rochester, MN	@mayoclinic
	McCormick & Schmick	Portland, OR	@Careers_At_MSSR
	Merck	HQ in White Station, NJ	@MerckJobs
	Microsoft Cloud Jobs	HQ in Redmond, WA	@mscloudjobs
	MTV Networks	HQ in NYC, NY	@MTVnetworksjobs
	Netflix	HQ in Los Gatos, CA	@NetflixJobs
	PricewaterhouseCoopers	US HQ in New York City	@PwCUSJobs
	Raytheon	HQ in Waltham, MA	@Raytheon_Jobs
	Razorfish	HQ in Seattle, WA	@RazorfishCareer
	Sears Holdings	Hoffman Estates, IL	@SearsJobs
	Sodexo	HQ in Gaithersburg, MD	@SodexoCareers
	Thomson Reuters	HQ in NYC, NY	@JobsWithUs
	Twitter (of course!)	San Francisco, CA	@jobs
	United Parcel Service	HQ in Atlanta, GA	@UPSjobs
	UPMC	Pittsburgh, PA	@UPMCCareers
	US Dept. of State	HQ in D.C.	@DOScareers
	Verizon	HQ in NYC, NY	@VerizonCareers
	Warner Brothers	HQ in Burbank, CA	@WBCareers
	Winn Dixie	HQ in Jacksonville, FL	@WinnDixie_Jobs
Canada:
	Bank of Canada	HW in Ottawa	@BoC_Jobs
	City of Kingston	Kingston, ON	@KingstonCareers
	International Technology Integration (ITI)	Victoria, BC	@ITICanadaJobs
UK:
	IBM/UK		@IBMUKcareer
	KPMG		@KPMGRecruitment
	PepsiCo	Reading, Berkshire	@PepsiCo_UKjobs
Ireland:
	IBM/Ireland		@IBMIrelandJobs
	Microsoft Ireland		@MSIrishJobs
Australia:
	Deloitte Australia		@Green_Dot
	OBS	HQ in Melbourne	@OBS_Careers
New Zealand:
	KPMG		@kpmgnzjobs
Belgium:
	IBM/Belgium & Luxembourg		@IBMBeluxCareers
South Africa:
	IBM/South Africa		@IBM_CEEMEA_Jobs

Stay tuned for more lists like this, and come back as this one expands.

Good luck with your job search!

(c) Copyright 2009 – 2011.  Job-Hunt.org All rights reserved.

About the author and list compiler…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. For the latest news and updates, follow Susan on Twitter @JobHuntOrg.

CAREEREALISM just published a very interesting blog post, explaining to job seekers “Why HR’s Just Not  That Into You“  Interesting article!  However…

Having worked in HR myself, pre-Internet, I can understand how people in HR feel, at least to a certain degree.  However, I’m not letting HR off the hook for 2 reasons, both of which are really in the self-interest of every employer to consider:

1.)  Today, it’s very easy to use technology to manage many of the problems that technology creates.

Like using an autoresponder. It automatically sends out email in response to an action:

*  Receive a resume or application, triger an autoreply that thanks the person for their interest and acknowledges receipt.

In these days of spam filters and technical glitches, it’s nice to know that something was received, rather than just wondering or, perhaps worse, following up ad nauseum to find out if the resume/application was received.  Just take the uncertainty out of the equation.

*  Send out a message when a job is filled. “Sorry you weren’t the candidate chosen, but the position has been filled. Thank you for your interest.  Your resume will be on file…” 

Not personal but also not leaving the job seeker hanging out there wondering what happened, still hoping for a good outcome.

There are inexpensive autoresponder solutions out there, and they have been there for years.  Yes, they require some set-up and management.  Ask anyone on your ecommerce Web team how to find one and set one up.

Autoresponders are MUCH better than ignoring job seekers, again, removing the uncertainty, because… (see # 2)

2.)  Technology can create a much bigger problem for the employers who treat job seekers so carelessly and rudely. 

Customer service, including the way an employer treats job applicants, isn’t much of a secret any more, and it will become less of a secret in the future.

Be rude to applicants, and they have many tools and venues to “out” that rudeness, very publicly, causing great damage to an employer’s image in the marketplace.  Hasn’t happened yet, but it will.

Bottom Line

Employers who treat job seekers with casual rudeness are making a mistake that will be very expensive for them some day soon.

The State of Nevada may soon be recruiting several new construction workers for projects that will create Reno jobs.

The Reno-Sparks area is waiting on the fate of a voter-approved advisory question making its way through the state Legislature. If approved, the advisory would help jump start several road construction projects in the area, according to an article by the Nevada Appeal.

Current construction workers in Reno and those looking for construction work in the area find this welcome news, as the state government has put many major projects on hold because of the economy. If the advisory measure is approved, Washoe County‘s gas tax would be adjusted to count in the costs of building streets and highways.

Once approved by the Legislature, the Regional Transportation Commission would spend about $250 million during the next three years, a move that would create about 3,000 construction jobs.

“It is very important,” Kyle Larkin, manager of construction for Granite Construction, said in the article. “I think that it is going to get those projects put in place early and potentially create jobs in our community as early as May of this year. We have some good backlog in place that will last us another year or two locally, but if it doesn’t pass it will have an impact on everyone’s budgets.”

Some of the projects Reno plans to focus on include:

In a time when there are many job seekers looking for employment, what are companies doing to make sure they can recruit and maintain employees?

According to an article by Harvard Business Publishing, many employers are offering incentives or finding ways to assure potential employees their organization is the best to work for.

For instance, some organizations are catering to younger prospects by ensuring parents that employment with their company will be a good experience for the child. One example is the U.S. Army, whose slogan states, “You made them strong. We’ll make them Army strong.”

Along the same lines, other employers offer incentives to employees and their families. SkyWest Airlines is a good example of this tactic, as they promise, “Our employees and their parents have access to worldwide travel discounts on airfare, rental cars, hotels, all inclusive resorts and cruises. So, go ahead, tell your kids to apply … And have them give you the world for a change.”

Some firms are catering to employee’s needs by offering special amenities, such as on-site fitness facilities, free lunches and massages. Other companies are sticking by the age old adage of giving employees new and exciting opportunities, such as running their own business.

“Time-related policies – whether the job has flexible hours and locations – are big elements of most recruiting pitches,” the article notes. “Even more importantly, some discretion around the use of one’s time can be a powerful incentive. Google has a policy of letting all employees devote one day a week to developing new ideas.”

Opportunities for advancement also are important factors to consider when recruiting. Most recently, some employers are offering employees opportunities to participate in community service.