Here are some effective strategies for increasing and improving your OIO:

Own your name.

The first strategy is to own your name. Go to a domain registrar such as GoDaddy.com or Register.com and for less than $10.00 register a domain in your name – www.yourname.com. Note: your name may already be registered, particularly if you have a common name. If this is true in your case, try registering a domain with your middle name or middle initial. Once you have a “yourname” domain, you can build a web site, establish an online career portfolio, or write a blog – all of which are easily searchable by your name.

Refine and expand your online networking.

Having an extensive list of professional contacts is a well-established job search and career management strategy. Moving your contact list online, establishing a visible (searchable) professional profile, and expanding your network are important OIO strategies. The larger and more established networking sites makes this quick and inexpensive. In fact, most are free. Today the best web sites for professionals are LinkedIn and Zoominfo. Facebook and Myspace are also moving toward providing a more professional presence. Once you have registered on these web sites, develop a robust and professional profile. Your online profile is every bit as important as your paper resume, perhaps more so. Also, look for helpful tools that will identify how you are connected to jobs in which you are interested, and how to quickly upload and link to contacts in your contact management software.

Upgrade your resume to the online world.

Posting your text resume online at major job sites is still important, but it is no longer sufficient for a good OIO strategy. Internet technology enables your career management strategy to include a visual and engaging “portfolio” about your career. This portfolio includes and supplements your printed resume. A comprehensive web portfolio can include your work history (including links to the companies for which you’ve worked), significant career achievements, links to articles, presentations, case studies, recommendations, references, awards, and so on. Also, by using graphics, video, and audio, your portfolio will become a more engaging representation of your skills, experience and work history. Check-out www.visualcv.com for an excellent online portfolio site, or contact Career Potential to discuss our Career Web Portfolio service.

Write your way to the top.

In the online world, an individual has to establish a virtual self and a “home base” from which to connect to others. Either a blog or a web site is the most powerful vehicle to develop a recognizable personality, and it provides a home base from which you can initiate your connections. Profiles on social networking web sites can also achieve this goal. However, social networking web sites are getting very crowded, so it is hard to stand out. Once you establish a web site or a blog, it must be constantly updated (Google likes fresh, new information). Blogs and web sites with stale, outdated information won’t do much for your online identity.

Keep your online identity clean.

An ExecuNet survey found that 35 percent of recruiters had ruled out job candidates based on what they found on a Google search. Be constantly vigilant about what you do that may end-up online, and about what you actually do online. Recently, an executive was visiting his son at college. He was walking by a frat house and impulsively drank a beer from a beer bong (a long tube with a funnel at one end and the drinker at the other end). One week later, his beer bong picture appeared online and it eventually “came back to haunt him.” Once a picture gets loose on the internet, it is virtually impossible to capture it. In today’s camera-on-every-phone society, one constantly has to be cautious. Similarly, think of the possible repercussions of articles you write, blogs to which you contribute, and newsgroups in which you participate. Anything you write online becomes permanent, and when someone searches your name, this information will be found.

Track your OIO strategy.

A simple, quick and free way to evaluate your OIO strategy is to set up a “Google alert” to notify you each time your name is found on the internet. Simply list your name in an alert, and Google will send you an e-mail message when it finds your name online. How often are you found today? Over time, are you being found more often? When you Google yourself, how high-up in the listings are you found? Does your OIO move you up in those listings? These are effective methods to monitor and measure your own OIO.

Conclusion.

Your online identity is a form of capital, much like your intellectual capital, financial capital, or social capital (your network). It can be acquired, earned, diminished, damaged, or lost. As is true with the other forms of capital, your online identity is a critical part of your ongoing career management strategy. And, similar to your other types of capital, it can be grown slowly and steadily over time – which will produce the positive results you really want. The time to start accumulating and managing your OIO capital is now!

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Of all the subjects we cover in career management and job search, the one that seems to cause clients the most anxiety is INTERVIEWING. To ease my clients’ concerns, I often simplify the topic by reducing it to a handful of basic elements.

When you boil it all down, job interviews are made-up of only five statements from the interviewer, which include four questions and one sentence. Sure, you’ll be asked more than five questions, but they ALL seem to be variations on the items listed below. Each of these questions has to be “nailed” in a job interview, and each has a different strategy to answer it. “Winging it” just won’t do!

Here is some simple, sound advice for responding to the five basic interview questions:

No. 1: Tell me about yourself.

This is the open-ended question that on the surface seems harmless, yet how you answer it may spell the difference between landing a job, or being pushed out the door to seek another position. You have to know yourself first – your strengths, your weaknesses, your likes, your talents and your goals. The best way to answer this question is to give your “Positioning Statement,” which is a one-paragraph summary of your career background, strengths, expertise and objective.

No. 2: Why do you want to work here?

This question seeks to determine if you know anything about the job and company. The goal here is to connect your talents, contributions and attributes to the employer’s needs, problems and challenges. You can only do this if you’ve done your homework, and have gathered all the necessary research. The best way to respond is to tell several relevant Accomplishment Stories that prove you have the right kind of experience for the job.

No. 3: What’s wrong with you?

Of course, the interviewer will not actually use these words. She might couch the question in more polite terms, but what she is actually trying to find out is why you’re unemployed, or underemployed, or why you’ve had so many jobs, etc. As the candidate, you need to acknowledge these sorts of career challenges in advance; then prepare and practice your responses. Your answers must be worded in such a way that they are fully positive, and elicit the responses you desire.

No. 4: What are your salary expectations?

When it comes to “the salary question,” you want the other guy to make the first move. Do thorough research in advance to determine what the likely salary range is. Make it clear that the job is not all about pay. Say that you’d be happy to discuss compensation once a mutual interest has been established, and get back to discussing your relevant accomplishments. Tell the interviewer that you want the opportunity, and that you expect the company will make a fair salary offer. This doesn’t mean you will necessarily accept that offer, but it means they will have to “draw” first. Once you receive the initial offer, always negotiate up from there.

No. 5: Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

Take an active stance, not a passive one. Be sure to discuss “next steps” before you leave the interview. Ask the interviewer directly how your qualifications compare to those of the other candidates. Display your excitement about the job and the challenges it poses. Let the interviewer know how and when you’ll be back in touch. Don’t leave all the power in the hands of the interviewer; this should be a mutual decision-making process.

Since almost every interview question is a variation of the themes listed above, there’s no need to worry about the hundreds of questions you MIGHT be asked. If you go into the interview focused on addressing just these five basic areas, you’ll feel more confident and less overwhelmed.

The more practiced and articulate you are in responding to these five items, the better chance you’ll have of landing the job. But even if you don’t get the offer, you’ll still be well-prepared for the NEXT interview!

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The truth is that, even in this climate, you have more control over your career circumstances than you might think. There are specific strategies and tactics you can follow that will bring you stronger results in a bad job market. How do I know this? Because I’ve been working as a Career Coach for many years, through several economic downturns. I’ve taught hundreds of people these powerful strategies, so they could find better jobs, advance their careers, and earn higher compensation. Even now, our clients continue to land great jobs every week!

So here’s a question for you. Given how difficult things are now, how do YOU want to react and what do you want to do to improve YOUR career situation? I believe that you have a choice, and that the choice you make will determine how you fare in this market crisis. Some people will panic and “sit on the sidelines” – waiting for the job market to change. Others will remain in a state of denial, acting as though world events don’t affect them. Still others will assess the situation for what it is, and then do whatever it takes to rise above external circumstances to create success!

What’s needed to move your career forward is ACTION, and you don’t have to take on the challenge alone! All the guidance, tools and resources you need are available to you. When money is tight, the natural inclination is NOT to invest in getting help with your career. I’ve heard so many people say, “I’m just going to wait it out, and see what happens with my career.” Or, “I’ll handle my job search alone, and if I can’t find what I’m looking for, I’ll get career help in 6 months or so.”

Frankly, these are NOT smart decisions. In this bleak job market, you need all the help you can get! The time to reach out for career support is NOW. You can contact a non-profit job center, hire a career coach, participate in job search support groups, take advantage of local government employment programs, register for re-training in a new field, and so on. It’s NEVER a mistake to invest in your own career, because the investment always pays-off in multiples.

To get back on top, it will take time, energy, discipline – and career help. Despite the pressures you may be feeling, you’ll need to stay focused on your career goals. You’ll want to keep thinking strategically, being “proactive” and not “reactive.”

If you’re willing to adopt a new attitude, shift your assumptions, step outside your comfort zone, try new behaviors, and employ new tools – you’ll be able to get the job you want, even when good jobs seem scarce. While others remain idle, convinced that there are no jobs to be had, you’ll be out there “making it happen.” Instead of passively “waiting things out,” you’ll be taking advantage of vital career resources and support. Rather than feeling helpless about your career, you’ll have a sense of empowerment and control. And you’ll land the job you really want. What a relief!

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These are tough times to be sure. Just as a new President is about to be elected, the U.S. is experiencing the worst economy since the Great Depression. The stock market recently had the largest one-day drop in history. The shockwaves of the “credit crunch” are reverberating across the country and around the globe. Governments are being forced to bail-out entire industries and invest directly into financial institutions to keep them afloat. Millions of U.S. citizens can’t pay their mortgages, or are actually losing their homes. Parents can’t pay their children’s college tuition. Fortunes are being lost on Wall Street and the national debt is spiraling out of control. The job market is extremely weak, with unemployment claims and jobless rates higher than they’ve been since 2001. More than 750,000 jobs have been lost, and this number continues to rise with more layoffs and downsizings.

Previous economic downturns affected specific industries, such as technology, manufacturing or construction. But according toBusiness Week, 10/9/08, “With lending trimmed, and companies and consumers tightening their belts, jobs will be cut across broad swaths of the economy, from the tech sector to investment banking, and from manufacturing to soft drinks.” Worst of all, it seems that no one’s hiring!

The simple fact is that no one knows what’s going to happen to their jobs and careers. Everyone is concerned – even those who still have jobs. Some are terrified – especially those who have been out of work for a long while.

These reactions are understandable, and to be expected. If you’re feeling scared, depressed, lost, disoriented, anxious, helpless – you’re certainly not alone. You might even feel angry or victimized. Perhaps you’re saying things to yourself such as, “This shouldn’t be happening to me! I got a good education. I worked hard. I always did the right thing, and I don’t deserve this! I never thought I’d be in this situation. Maybe this is what OTHER people go through, but not ME!” Sound familiar? This is what I’ve been hearing from many of my career coaching clients in recent months.

In times like these, my clients need comfort and reassurance. My guess is that you do too. So, let me tell you the same things I tell my clients. If your job has been impacted by the current downturn, it’s OK to have all the feelings listed above, and any other emotions you might be experiencing. There’s nothing wrong with you, and you didn’t do anything to bring this fate upon yourself. You’re still a “good person,” and you still have all the qualities and credentials you had before. Although it may be difficult to believe right now, this tough employment situation WILL come to an end, and your career will get back on track eventually.

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There is rarely, if ever, a time when you will be hired following just one interview. You will typically go through multiple rounds of interviews for any position. Conducting your own formal, written debrief after the interview will give you the information you need to refine and improve your performance for the future.

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For a few years now, I’ve been saying, “Stop acting like a job seeker, and start acting like a solution provider! Stop acting like an applicant, and start acting like a consultant!” People usually react in stunned silence when I say this. What I try to convey in these statements is that candidates MUST distinguish themselves by immediately demonstrating how they add value. Their message needs to focus on what they can GIVE to the employer, not on what they want to GET from the employer. Sorry, but the company doesn’t care about you or what you want; they only care about what you can do for them – NOW! It seems so obvious. But only a very, very small percentage of job seekers understand this simple dynamic. It’s all a question of how compellingly you can present yourself and articulate your value.

ExecuNet just featured a short article on this subject, entitled, “Market Up; Competition Up; It’s Now About Presenting Yourself Well.” I really liked the piece, and I urge you to check it out here: http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/comments/market_up_competition_up_its_now_about_presenting_yourself_well/your-career