Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, which aims to enrich interaction between job seekers and employers by integrating a cloud-based video platform with an online job board. Connect with him and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.

There is extensive competition in today’s job market in almost every profession. However, the outlook for job availability in 2012 looks promising according to an infographic by Course Hero. It illustrates that 50 percent of the 8,000 employers surveyed plan to hire in 2012. That is fantastic news if you’re on the job hunt. But the question still rings true, if jobs are on the rise, how will you stand out among the competition? When Google posted a few job listings last year they received 75,000 resumes in one week! How would you expect them to find your lone resume out of that many? How about jumping into the new age of resumes with online portfolios? There are some different ways of creating an online portfolio, depending on the type of industry you are in; here are three key components of building a strong portfolio:

1. Build a website. If you don’t already have your own personal website, get one (i.e. www.johndoe.com) because your name will most likely rank higher when the recruiter types you into a search engine. When they see that you have taken the time to create a branding website, you can seriously wow them! For example if you are a website developer, you can showcase your talent by creating your own site entirely, or if you are a writer, you can develop a blog to guide a recruiter through your published work. But you don’t have to be a developer or blogger to showcase your talents. Be creative in deciding what you should use to best showcase your skills.
2. Make a video. In addition to the above-mentioned online portfolio options, you will also want to create an online video resume. This will provide a more complete self-portrait of your achievements and expertise as well as let your personality shine through to prospective employers. The focus here is to sell yourself! Take the guess work out of the equation by demonstrating your charisma and communication skills via an online video. In addition to using the video to compliment your resume, research the company culture and echo that through your work experience, values, and ethical standards. If you appeal to the person who is doing the hiring, you will most likely stand a really good chance of landing an interview. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you want to radiate a positive upbeat attitude in your video to give you the likability factor companies are always looking for.
3. Leverage your social networks. Ninety-one percent of recruiters will look at your social networks according to a study by Reppler. So you need to integrate your social networks into your online portfolio to streamline the process for the prospective employer. Keep in mind it is crucial to ensure that all of your profiles are up-to-date and to not have anything on them that will make you appear unprofessional. Take precautions by checking each site’s settings, and if possible make it so you have to approve anything that anyone wants to post to your page. This will protect you from friends putting incriminating or embarrassing information up that you do not want an employer to see.

By utilizing these three tips, you can differentiate yourself from the other candidates competing for your dream position and be more accessible to employers. And who knows, by taking pride in your personal brand, you may just land the job of your dreams!

What do you need to do to get started on your online portfolio? Do you already have one? What tips would you share for those looking to get started?

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Returning to work in January may mean a return to a substantially different work environment for many in 2012. The economy, demographics, technology, and new recruiting strategies are defining workplace trends that will change the way jobs are done and how the workplace looks. Here are just a few:

1. Telecommuting. Always popular among employees, but employers are also recognizing cost savings in both office expenses and salary expectations, since workers are often willing to make a trade-off for more flexibility and control of their work/life balance. Technology has enabled an international virtual workplace with partners around the globe, and a greater diversity of telecommuting possibilities. Even jobs requiring face-to-face interactions, such as doctors, counselors, and court reporters, now work virtually.

2. The flexible office space. Shared workspaces are not just for telecommuting employees andco-workers, but could include workers from another company entirely. One business offers a database of available desks in locations around the world. An employee or independent contractor can rent a desk in an office, with all amenities, technology, and support staff, for a few hours or days at a time. Not just sharing job opportunities, employees referrals will expand to a dynamic exchange of ideas, new collaborations, and global networking.

3. Online collaboration and instant communication. In addition to email and video camera, companies are using instant messaging, electronic boardrooms and social media tools to collaborate, research, and share job opportunities through employees referrals. The social recruiting campaign and employees referrals are becoming the most efficient recruitment methods.

4. Corporate culture. Companies are recognizing value in practices that speak to the passions and interests of their employees across all demographics. These can include social responsibility initiatives, supporting employees in community service, personal betterment, or interest in artistic/sporting activities.

Although many of these changes are driven by hiring managers seeking more effective recruiting strategies, these workplace trends also play a role in employee retention and job appeal. These factors are important when relying on employees referrals for recruiting employees and as a way to enhance a company’s reputation.

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Michelle Suiter is a contributing writer at Katz & Phillips, P.A. If you need advice from an Orlando DUI Lawyer or want details about Florida DUI penalties please visit their website.

With the rise of social media sites and the access they provide to customers, many companies are now seeking new employees that have a good track of being socially responsible. Businesses these days need employees they can trust and, as such, are conducting more thorough background checks than before. What can seem like a minor mistake in judgment, such as drinking while driving, can have serious ramifications later when it comes time to search for a new job.

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Due to the recent economic downturn, there are lots of seasoned workers who lost jobs that are seeking to get back into the workforce. This makes it even more difficult for the younger generation, often with little or no work experience, to break into a career. Finding a DUI on an employee’s background check could negatively impact the chances of landing the ideal job.

*Perception – If the DUI charge was recent, the potential employer could see this as a sign of immaturity and being irresponsible. Business managers also know people who have problems with alcohol can be a liability to the company because as a group they have more lost days of work and injuries while on the job. Many times it would just be easier for a company to skip over a job applicant with a DUI and go to the next person on the list.

*Careers – Certain professions, especially those in the health fields and involving schools, will not hire someone with a DUI on their record. Other jobs, such as those that require driving or even a CDL license, are not allowed to be held by someone previously convicted of a DUI. Government jobs frequently have more strenuous requirements, meaning it may be impossible to work in the public sector until the charge is off the record. This could severely limit the number and types of positions that are available.

*Scheduling – A driver’s license will often be suspended for a period of time, between several months to a few years, by the court in DUI cases. If the license has not been reinstated, this could cause problems finding a job that fits into the schedule permitted by the judge. Normally, the court will be flexible in order to allow someone privileges to drive to and from work, but it may require another visit before the judge. If the charge is more severe than normal, driving privileges may be revoked completely, which limits job prospects to those nearby or that can be reached using public transportation.

Social responsibility is being seen by more companies as an important quality for employees to possess. While some professions refuse to hire someone with a DUI charge on their record, others will simply decide not to hire them for the sake of convenience. While a DUI conviction will not make it impossible to gain entry into the workforce, it certainly will make it more difficult. It’s never too early to show some social responsibility, and the best solution would be to avoid driving under the influence in the first place.

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Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, which provides aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a

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Applying to college and looking for a job are not as straightforward as they once were. Individuals, schools and companies all have a presence on social media, which means more information is available to everyone. All of this additional information is incredibly valuable to job seekers and college applicants, but also poses its own set of challenges around applicants’ privacy and what they make available to those evaluating them.

For high school students applying to college, social media can be a tremendous resource. Most colleges maintain Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and blogs that prospective students can follow to gain a different perspective on a school. These constantly updated resources provide a glimpse into daily life at a college that you would not find in normal admissions materials. In addition to each university’s own resources, sites like Zinch help high school students connect with admissions offices and scholarships, and make the process more personal.

Beyond research, social media can be a great way to make your college application shine. One expert recommends making a brief video explaining why you want to go to a particular school, uploading it to YouTube and linking to it on your application as a way to make yourself stand out. Tufts University even added video submissions to their application recently. If you want to show that you have a strong interest in a certain area, consider starting a blog to showcase not only your passion but your writing skills and including a link to it on your application.

Social media is useful in similar ways during a job search, and using these tools as ways to engage with possible employers is even more important. The first step is creating a LinkedIn profile and filling it out, but savvy social media users can put Twitter, Facebook and blogs to use, too. Both Twitter and Facebook are useful for reaching a wide audience, beginning with notifying your friends and acquaintances that you are looking for a job, which might produce leads or referrals. Tools like In The Door and BranchOut work on top of Facebook to help job seekers find open positions and connect with those opportunities through existing relationships.

Twitter is also useful in a job search as a research tool, a way to build a personal brand and to connect with people at companies you are interested in applying to. It is easy to establish your area of expertise by posting relevant links to articles and engaging with others by responding to their tweets. You can find jobs posted on Twitter by searching hash tags like #jobsearch or #accountingjobs, depending on what you are interested in. Building a following and demonstrating your passion for a field will also help, as employers usually check applicants’ social media presences during the hiring process.

While social media has many positives, it can also adversely affect applicants’ chances when applying to college or jobs. Many admissions officers and hiring managers will search your name on Google as well as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and elsewhere, so it is critical to recognize someone is likely to see whatever information you post publicly online. Knowing this, take care to adjust privacy settings on your social media profiles to restrict what public users can see and think about how you want others to perceive you before writing a post or uploading a photo. Taking simple steps to craft and protect your online presence will insure that social media helps you get into college and land a job, rather than keeping you out of school and out of work.

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Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, which provides aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a

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Word-of-mouth used to be the primary way that a business’s or individual’s reputation could be enhanced or damaged. But with the growth of social media, like Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter, almost anyone has the power to affect the reputation of even the largest companies.

A recent case in point was Bank Transfer Day, which began on September 29, 2011 with Bank of America’s announcement of a new $5 monthly debit-card fee. This prompted Kristen Christian, a 27-year-old art gallery owner from Los Angeles, to log on to Facebook and share an idea with friends: Let’s all withdraw our money from big banks and open new accounts with credit unions and smaller community banks. She even suggested a date: November 5. Next she created a Facebook event page for Bank Transfer Day. Within a month more than 80,000 people had RSVPd.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, approximately $4.5 billion was transferred from big banks to smaller institutions on or before Bank Transfer Day. This amount may be just a drop in the bucket compared to the total assets of the nation’s largest banks, but as a symbolic protest, the impact of Bank Transfer Day was immeasurable. Bank of America has dropped all plans to charge customers for using their debit cards and other banks, like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, have followed suit.

Netflix is another company that recently paid the price for ignoring the power of social media. The company announced its decision to form a new entity called Qwikster, effectively splitting the business in two. Customers would have to join both Netflix and Qwikster and pay nearly double in fees for the same services they were already receiving from Netflix alone. Unfortunately, Netflix seemed to have underestimated the impact of this change on customers as well as neglected to trademark the name Qwikster or check on who owned the Twitter handle. It turns a college student named Jason Castillo already was Tweeting under the name Qwikster and refused to give up the moniker.

Netflix was soon dealing with customer uproar over an increase in fees as well as lack of control over the name Qwikster. Within a few weeks, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced in a blog post that plans for Qwikster had been scrapped. The Huffington Post reports that more than 27,000 people commented on Hasting’s post, leaving disgruntled responses like, “Splitting Netflix in two so that you have Netflix and Qwikster is the worst business decision since New Coke.”

What can members of Generation Y take away from these examples? Simply that social media can be a power for either good or evil when it comes to reputation. When using social media channels, companies need to focus on creating two-way conversations with their customers. Using it as an avenue for electronic press release to announce changes that customers will perceive as negative introduces the risk of a very public backlash. In the future, the social media winners will be companies that maximize the opportunity for opening up a dialogue with customers before making controversial changes. Read more suggestions about the effective use of social media in business on SocialMediaToday.com.

On a personal level, social media can incredibly useful for building networks of friends and professional contacts, but when misused it can damage a reputation in ways that are hard to undo. College admissions offices and employers have started to research candidates by performing Google searches and visiting sites like Facebook and MySpace. Reputation.com, a leading online reputation management company, states that 70 percent of people responsible for hiring in the U.S. have rejected a candidate due to something found online. Guarding your online reputation and keeping  your online image clean can make all the difference in the world when it comes to getting into the college of your choice or landing your dream job.

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