Career 2.0 Review

If you're a bit older, maybe you look fondly back on your first job. You remember that first interview and the cold sweat that broke out during it. You remember the soreness of an honest day’s work. The dismay at that meager paycheck. The hard work it took to get that job in the first place.Nowadays, young people have this newfangled thing called the Internet to help them out. And there's no shortage of Websites clamoring over themselves offering their services.Myfirstpaycheck.com hopes to fill a void by developing a "job posting website for teens, by teens."Right now, it's not much of a job posting website, as jobs are only posted in three cities (DC, New York, Philly). However, it does have some great resources for teens looking to explore work.Let’s go to some pros and cons to simplify things:Pros* Simple, clear website layout* Valuable resources such as a résumé builder, cover letter tips, and practical advice from those in the workforce* Easy to … [Read more...] about Helping Teens Find First Jobs

Like a high school career test, but with more ads.Choosing a career is one of those horribly stressful choices in life that can take a lot of time, energy and thought. And whenever something takes so much effort, human beings have this habit of looking for an easier way. Thus career tests were born. You probably remember these tests from a high school career class. If you're like me you thought they were a waste of time, and manipulated the answers to see what kind of crazy career you could make it come up with. The career test at Project Career is a lot like those tests, except with a ton of annoying ads imploring you to sign up for some online university. The test asks you 105 questions about your interests and then provides an assessment that ranks your interest in certain fields such as Social Services, Finance/Accounting and Health Care. Here are some pros and cons with the test:Pros* Fairly straightforward interface* Lots of good information about the careers that match your … [Read more...] about Review: Career Test at Project Career

Site: SnapTalentSlogan: Hire the BestPros: Fine-tuned ads; Hire away from specific organizations Cons: Steep out-of-the-gate price; current jobs are primarily high-tech Along with the paper resume, the online job boards of yesterday continue to teeter on the verge of extinction.  OK, not really.  But newcomer SnapTalent certainly hopes their progressive spin will lure job seekers and top-notch employers alike.At its core, the Y Combinator startup operates similarly to Google AdSense, placing customized help wanted ads on participating Websites.  Rather than simple text displays, ads can be customized to include images and video.  This will allow employers to offer a more global view of the job and the organization.  Publishers who decide to participate simply indicate their URL, identify descriptive keywords and include a JavaScript snippet on their Website.  Ads are highly customizable, giving site owners impressive flexibility when creating … [Read more...] about Target Top Talent, Find Niche-Specific Jobs

Site: The Career MoleSlogan: Meet. Refer. ProgressPros: Targeted networking; receive inside informationCons: Pay per connection; Moles' motives are not made clearOne of the best ways to increase your odds of landing a job is to tailor your resume, interview responses and appearance to the company's culture.  Of course, more often than not, you might not have any contacts within the organization. That leaves you at the mercy of information posted on the employer's Website. Until now.Thanks to The Career Mole you can access unfiltered and unadulterated information from people who work at companies you are targeting.  Unlike many job vent Websites, the 'Moles'' goal is to deliver insight (both good and bad) and give you the inside track on job vacancies, all while preparing you for the interview process.A Mole can chat with you, look over your resume/cover letter and help you prepare your application.  The major downside to this is that, in reality, you don't know much … [Read more...] about Company Insiders Help You Land Jobs

This is a guest post by Kate Gatto.Company: Razume.comSlogan: Your Resume Review CompanyPros: Resume rating scales; information blackouts for privacy.Cons: Anonymity; inability to ask follow up questions; weak profile pagesRazume is an online community that lets you upload your resume and get it reviewed by a community of users who have also submitted their resumes. This lets you get comments and suggestions for improvements on your resume in an entirely anonymous atmosphere. Your privacy on Razume is 100% guaranteed.  As a matter of fact, it's mandatory.  You are forced to block out any identifying information on your resume when you submit them for review.  Which is great if you don't want your boss to know that you're getting ready to go back on the market. However, it's lousy if you're hoping to do your search under the radar while making connections.Razume might want to consider hiring the Resume Hunter.The anonymity of your commenter's is a double-edged sword: … [Read more...] about Free Resume Feedback From Your Peers

While we're not quite sure that the world needs another Website that allows employees to spill the beans on their current and former employers, we'll tell you about JobBite anyway.  Cause any career destination that helps put the power back into the hands of the job seeker is a good thing.JobBite is completely anonymous and does not require users to register to read or submit reviews.  The reviews are designed to provide potential employees with insight about an organization that they might otherwise not be privy to.  From corporate culture to the dress code, share any information you feel would be helpful in assisting a job seeker make an educated decision.  Companies are found on the Website via search box or alphabetical listing.As with all sites of this nature, success lies with you, the user.  If JobBite quickly accumulates a mass amount of reviews, they have a fighting chance. … [Read more...] about Know Your Employer Before You Accept a Gig

This is a guest blog post by Sally Lawton. Company: Stickk.com Slogan: Take a Contract Out on Yourself Pro: Provides scientifically backed methods for sticking to commitments Con: Are you really willing to stake money on a resolution? Make a promise to find a new job, finish a degree on time, or learn a new professional skill, and most of the time, it’ll never happen. There is a lot going against simply resolving something for yourself, but Stickk.com is out to change that. Developed by researchers at Yale University, Stickk creates contracts with yourself, and lets you create the incentive to finish. While the focus is on smoking cessation, fitness, and weight loss, users can create a plan to meet professional goals, too. Let’s say your plan is to find a better job. You create either a one-shot contract with a firm dead date to find a job in six months, or an ongoing contract to submit 10 resumes a week. For encouragement, you choose a referee. This person – a close … [Read more...] about Be Held Accountable for Career Goals

This is a guest post by Sally Lawton.Company: StandOutJobsSlogan: Stop Losing Out on Great TalentPros: Easy set up, lots of information, usefulCons: Corporate content is not always interesting Web 2.0 jobseekers used to the instant information of Wikipedia and the relationship building of Facebook demand the same from the companies to which they apply for jobs. StandOutJobs.com, using their Reception software, allows companies to create an informative profile that attracts top talent by delivering the facts required by job seekers. The homepage a company creates features general information such as, job listings, a blog and pictures. Companies set it up easily using an interface similar to other profile-creating Websites such as MySpace. StandOutJobs.com promises that through their profile, a company will build its brand, build relationships with top talent, and come across as friendly and welcoming.From a jobseekers perspective, StandOutJobs does help make the featured companies … [Read more...] about Stop Losing Out on Great Talent

Company: NotchUpSlogan: Opportunity Knocks.Pros: Get paid for your interview time; Improves the talent pool; Incentives the job hunt for passive candidates Cons: Benefits the people who need the least help; System can potentially be gamed;   Stealth startup NotchUp hopes to turn the interview process on its head by having employers reward candidates for their time.  A calculator, that factors in your current position, experience, education and salary helps you determine what price to set.  However, you are free to pull an arbitrary number out of the sky.  Payments are made via Paypal.Sorta like a good faith payment, if a company is willing to pay for your interview time, you can be pretty sure you're not just there to fill some EOE quota. The company also pays NotchUp a fee for each interview that is carried out.What I do like about the concept is that it forces talented workers to shake off some of that complacency dust.  No matter how good a job seems, … [Read more...] about Get Paid to Go on Job Interviews

If you're a "mature" worker living across the pond in Europe, congratulations, you have a new career portal, TalkingAge.com.Seeking the so-called 'grey market,' the Website aims to offer career, financial, HR and social networking opportunities to elder job seekers.According to those spry folks at TalkingAge:"The over 65’s spend the longest amount of time online, and Internet surfers over the age of 50 account for nearly a third of all time spent online by British Web users. Significantly, nearly half of over 50’s want to work beyond retirement age, yet more than 80% have already experienced some kind of ageist rejection by employers. TalkingAge combines jobs, communities and advice for the first time to serve this increasingly crucial segment of the workforce."Of course, targeting jobs to people of a certain age is a legal no-no, so the jobs posted are available to candidates of all ages.Like many of the new Websites we tell you about, this one is in … [Read more...] about Talking Age Targets Mature Job Seekers