1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Job Searching

Letters of Recommendation

References are more important to a job search than you might realize. Find out who you should ask for a recommendation letter, and how to best ask for their help.

Recommendations and References

Job Searching Spotlight10

Alison's Job Searching Blog

Dream Jobs

Thursday July 29, 2010

Personal chef and writer Danilo Alfaro is About.com's Guide to Culinary Arts. When I talk to culinary school students, Danilo's job as a personal chef is high on their list of dream jobs.

Dream jobs vary though.  During my winter travels, I've spoken to more people than I can count whose dream job is working at a ski resort, doing just about any job - so they can ski.

I've spoken to others whose dream jobs involve getting rich.  And still others who want a job where they can make a difference in the world.

What's your dream job?   If you could have the job of your dreams, what would you do?  Here's how to add your dream job to our list.

Related: Dream Jobs | Top Cool Jobs | Take a Career Quiz

Connect With Alison: FacebookTwitter LinkedIn

Photo Copyright John Hughes

What to Include in a Cover Letter

Wednesday July 28, 2010

cover letterWhen you are writing a cover letter, there is specific information that needs to be included.  

Your cover letter will include a contact section, a salutation, information on why you are qualified for the job, a closing, and your signature.

 Here's what to include in a cover letter to send with a resume when you apply for a job. 

Also review these cover letter tips and techniques for writing top notch cover letters to send with your resume, including cover letter format and presentation, choosing a type of cover letter, writing custom cover letters, and cover letter examples and templates.

More: Resume Tips | Cover Letter Tips | Writing a Cover Letter

Connect With Alison:  Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Image Copyright Copyrigth Pali Rao

Dice Talent Network

Wednesday July 28, 2010

Dice, the top technology job site, has launched a new social recruiting platform where job seekers can connect directly with recruiters.

Candidates are able to create profiles, which can include links to their social networking profiles, including LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs. 

In addition, job seekers can choose which employers will have access to their resumes and unique profiles, so they can maintain confidentiality while job searching.

Companies can offer - at their discretion - a more personal and introspective look at the company and its culture to technology professionals they are interested in connecting with.

To take it a step further, employers and job seekers can directly connect on Dice via a message center, real time chat, an instant message tool, and email. 

For employers, it's a way to find and connect, immediately, with qualified candidates.  For job seekers, it's a way to avoid the resume black hole, where your resume disappears into who knows where, and to get noticed by an actual recruiter.

"Quick and easy access to high-quality, specialized talent remains the basic fabric of recruiting and networking is a critical part of developing talent and managing careers," said Tom Silver, Senior Vice President, North America at Dice.   "By integrating social recruiting features into our established and robust career site, we are expanding communication capabilities to the technology community."

Related: Social Networking Tips | How to Avoid the Resume Black Hole | Social Recruiting and Your Job Search

Connect With Alison:  Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Indeed.com International Expands

Tuesday July 27, 2010

earth

Indeed, with the recent launch of Indeed.com sites in 24 additional countries and 12 new languages, now serves 75% of the world's population, and 88% of its internet users.

Indeed's reach includes 53 countries on 7 continents and 24 languages.

Indeed.com's international sites enable job seekers to search for jobs on thousands of websites, job boards, newspapers, blogs, career pages, and associations specific to the country where they are job searching.

This is really useful if you're searching for jobs from a different country than where you want to work, because you're not going to be able to easily find all available job listings. That's because Google search is customized for a number of different countries and regions.

Using a job search engine will save you job search time and effort, because all the sites you need to check for job postings are already being searched for you. All you need to do is enter the type of job and location you're interested in and review the results for relevant listings.

Releated: International Job Search | International Job Search Engines

Connect With Alison:  Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Image Copyright Jan Rysavy

Explore Job Searching
About.com Special Features

The best places on the web to find job listings and job search help. More

Looking for a new job? Use these tips and put your best foot forward. More

  1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Job Searching

©2010 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.