Deciphering the Jobs Bracket Just in Time for March Madness (Three Ways to Focus Your Job Search Today)

Deciphering the Jobs Bracket Just in Time for March Madness (Three Ways to Focus Your Job Search Today) (www.clicktogethired.com)

If you've tuned in to ESPN in the last week or so, much of what you've heard is heated debate on who will emerge as the national champion in the NCAA basketball tournament--better known as March Madness. Will it be a Cinderella team like 15th seeded Florida Gulf Coast, who shamed perennial favorite Georgetown in the opening round, or a stalwart like Indiana, who hopes to cap a lustrous season by taking home the big prize? Step away from the TV a moment and take a look at the actual bracket or chart displaying all of the  teams and the various match ups. How many of us can accurately predict a winner when so many factors are at play?

Did you know the US government supplies its own bracket each month in something called the Jobs Report?  And its equally as confusing and difficult to predict a winner. Will hiring pick up? Will the long-term unemployed rate fall? What does it mean that the  national unemployment rate rose one percentage point this month?  Take a look at the  Bureau of Labor Statistics chart below and see how much it resembles the basketball bracket in complexity:

What can you as a job seeker, or one who knows someone who is looking for work, take away from either this chart or the NCAA bracket? 

Just because something is as complex and unpredictable as US employment, doesn't mean you can't take charge and change the state you are in now.

Here's 3 things you can do online today to focus your job search:

1. Explore the new features available in LinkedIn's new job search tool (finding jobs on LinkedIn is a more social experience than other career boards and you can more easily obtain contact information about who the hiring manger is.
2. Join a new social media site besides Twitter or Facebook. Try Pinterest or Tumblr or Google+ to add more variety and exposure to the online profile employers are looking at when searching for qualified candidates. Just remember to only post items you wouldn't mind sharing with that hiring manager--be professional.
3. When using traditional job search services like CareerBuilder or Monster, make sure you use the Advanced Features options on these sites to filter your search for jobs only posted within the last 30 days and within 25 miles of where you  wish to work. This will go a long way to excluding jobs that are not current or will be too far out of your range.

Take charge of your Saturday and between watching basketball or CNN, go online and continue your  job search using these proven techniques.

Find more at www.clicktogethired.com.

Until next time,