5 Tips for Finding a Job on Social Media

5 Tips for Finding a Job on Social Media As a job seeker, you have probably researched all there is to know about cover letters, resumes, and interviews. However, are you familiar with the latest technique of job searching â€" social media? Yes, social media is not all about posting cute  photographs of your cat  or silly videos. Nowadays, more and more companies have turned to social media to fill their vacant posts, and about three out of four hiring managers actually check out a potential candidate’s social media profiles before they make their hiring decision. So how do you go about finding jobs on social media? 1. Spread the word. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn, let your friends and followers know that you are actively looking for a job. Let them know what type of work you are looking for, and one of them may just know that someone is hiring. Please note, only do this if you are currently unemployed. If youre looking to change jobs while still in a job its much more sensible to keep it on the down low, as you never know who people know and you may find yourself unintentionally unemployed as a result! 2. Engage with a prospective employer. Find out if a company that you would like to work for is on social media. If so you can follow them to learn of any opportunities within the organisation and keep yourself updated on any changes. You can also use social media to engage with the company and communicate your knowledge and passion for a job in the field. LinkedIn is particularly good for getting yourself known by the hiring manager. Do your research to identify the relevant individual  on LinkedIn and introduce yourself and explain your intention. Hopefully they will think of you when there is a vacancy in the company. 3. Network with people who work in the field of your interest. Social media is a great place to network with other industry professionals. Track down individuals who are working in the fields you are interested in, whether it be on LinkedIn, Twitter or even Google+ and connect with  them. You can then engage with their posts and build a relationship with them online. It’s even better if they work in companies that you are targeting. You never know, they may be willing to refer you, which offers you  a much better chance of landing a job in the company. 4. Make your social media profiles “employer-friendly”. Make sure that your profile picture is  professional. Its probably best to avoid late night party snaps or overly posed selfies, or at least keep them on a network with your settings set to private! On your profile its a good idea to include a short bio about yourself, your work background and what kind of role youre looking for. You can also include a link to your resume or online portfolio on your profile.   5. Establish yourself as an expert in your  field of interest. Keep up to date  with news and updates  about companies in your  field of interest. Try to engage with their social updates or articles, by commenting on or sharing  them, and make sure that your comments are relevant. The more you do the better, as it will help to get yourself known. Be helpful because you never know if a potential employer could be reading.  

4 Ways Women Can Boost Their Financial Confidence - Classy Career Girl

4 Ways Women Can Boost Their Financial Confidence March 8 marked a worldwide celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This years theme is #BeBoldforChange, and there are plenty of ways to get involved, not least of which is to take a pledge and commit to being bold for change. Once youve done that, why not move your fearlessness one step further down the line? Lets commit to boosting our financial confidence together. Heres how. 4 Ways Women Can Boost Their Financial Confidence 1. Start Building Your Emergency Fund As the name describes, an emergency fund is just that: money that you can access in case of an emergency. It is your ticket to financial freedom. In 2016, freelance writer Paulette Perhach wrote a story for The Billfold about the importance of building an emergency fund. By doing this she started an economic revolution for many women. In summary, the article encourages women everywhere to make sure they have enough money saved that they can make a hasty exit from any situation in life that may require it. An emotionally abusive boyfriend? Say goodbye. A terrible boss? Again, say goodbye. The sooner you start building your Emergency Fund, the sooner you can feel financially safe. You don’t have to start big either. $500 is a good starting point and then beef it up from there. Aim to have between 3-6 months saved. If you’re a freelancer or an entrepreneur, try to build your fund higher. 2. Get Comfortable with Money   For reasons well never fully understand, money is a taboo topic. We dont like to share the details of our salaries. We dont like to reveal what we spend. We hate talking about our debts and our budget issues. But if money equals freedom, then there is no better way to get there than educating yourself. Start by talking to a financial planner and laying out your current situation. Theyll be able to advise you on what you should be focusing on right now and what you should focus on next. [RELATED: Womens Role in The Finance Industry: How Is It Changing?] 3. Get Insured Woody Allen once famously said: There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman? Despite the many jokes about insurance, its there for a reason. Insurance will have you covered in (almost) any situation. This rule doesnt just apply to health insurance, either, although health insurance is a must-have. You may want to consider income insurance, which will partially cover your salary if youre injured or suffer an illness that puts you out of work. Also, life insurance may be worth it for you, depending on your lifestyle. Life insurance is especially a good idea if you have children or dependents. 4. Prepare for The Future Change is inevitable, but its also really scary. If you want to feel confident when big changes arrive in your life, the best thing you can do is be ready. For example, think about your career path. Technology is changing the way we work. Many jobs will soon be fully automated. If you work in an industry that will change as technology evolves further, you may want to future-proof your career by looking down the line and figuring out your backup plan.

Top 6 Facebook Recruiting Applications #TechTuesday

Top 6 Facebook Recruiting Applications #TechTuesday The recruitment industry is becoming increasingly reliant on social media for sourcing candidates and Facebook is something which a lot of companies are trying now with differing success it is definitely a place where active and passive talent both hang out. There are a number of applications available for download through your Facebook account, of varying quality and effectiveness and catering for different recruitment needs. Here are some of the top applications that could assist you in your hunt for the best talent: 1. Work4 Labs: Work4 Labs is the global leader in terms of social recruiting and their aim is to help to connect  companies with the best talent, through  social media channels. This app makes it possible for companies  to directly target  the most suitable  candidates, based on criteria such as their location, education or work history and using this information they can post job ads, events and company news on the selected individuals news feeds. Another key feature of Work4  is a careers  tab, appearing on the navigation bar of a companys  Facebook page.  Current job openings can be listed  here, allowing candidates to  apply with a simple 1-click application system, using information that they have previously entered. An upgraded version of the app, called Work4 Recruiter Solution, is also available and works similarly to LinkedIn, functioning as a database of potential talent and users have  access to source from any one of Facebooks 1.23 billion users.  The solution adapts Facebook’s Graph Search for recruiting, by syncing it to any applicant tracking system and adding automated search, referrals and tracking so recruiters can easily find and contact exactly the right talent for their jobs. Alongside the simple design, with the ability to share and Like jobs as well as applying, Work4 Labs offer detailed metrics of the recruiters progress including number of views, applicants and likes for each posting an interesting element which may help discover which is the most popular job. 2. Jobcast: The Jobcast app  is sold on the basis  that not everyone are on job boards, but they are on Facebook and therefore opens up their reach to passive candidates, which are highly regarded by a lot of recruiters. The application is one of the most popular available, used by the likes of Samsung and Pizza Hut and enables companies to transform their Facebook page into a career site, by posting job listings directly to their Facebook timeline, also making it possible for  users to like, comment on and share job listings. Jobcast also makes it even quicker and easier to broadcast jobs on multiple platforms with its automated sharing feature, which will broadcast your jobs across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, saving the time and effort of having to create separate listings. You can additionally add notes about  candidates to share with your team, tracking hires, and rating applicants. There are three membership plans available   free,  premium($39/month) and enterprise($149/month). The free version allows recruiters to post an unlimited amount of jobs, with additional options, such as the publish duration and all the standards fields including an applicant routing option whether the recruiter wants the application to actively collect all the applications, or redirect applicants to an external site to apply. The upgraded versions offer  Jobcast branding removal, a customised banner, an embeddable YouTube option, a brandable colour scheme and the more expensive plan being the only one to offer automatic job synchronisation with the recruiters career site. 3. Jobvite: Jobvite offer two Facebook apps, Work With Us and Jobvite Facebook Application. Much like Work4, the Work With Us app enables users to add a Jobs  tab to any Facebook page. The tab can be used to display current job listings directly within the company Facebook page, allowing users  to search the listings and apply for jobs through Facebook. Alternatively, they can send jobvites to other users who may be interested in the ad, working as  job referrals. This activity is all tracked, making it possible for the recruiter to monitor the progress and interest in all job openings. The Jobvite Facebook Application app creates a large network of all of their Facebook friends connections, enabling recruiters or employees to easily search for potential matches to available jobs, using the apps matching technology. Users are then free to privately invite matches to apply for jobs using Facebook and when employees refer a connection, theyll be awarded with  credit as an incentive. 4. LinkUp: The LinkUp app  searches over 40,000+ company websites, building an up-to-date list  of current job openings. The fundamental purpose of this app is to  customize your page and give your employment brand a boost and LinkUp  enables users to post job ads directly to Facebook, in order for them to be accessible to all 800 million + Facebook users. Jobs are automatically updated on your Facebook page and an application tracking system incorporated into the app, enables you to monitor the activity surrounding your ads, such as number of clicks, applications and shares. LinkUp  offer a 30 day trial to test out the software and determine whether it is the right app for your needs.  Once this is up, there are three different pricing plans to choose from, varying according  to your companys requirements.  The most basic package,starting at $99 a month, involves unlimited jobs, ATS integration and search and share; however additional features such as email updates, post to wall and multiple pages/brands can be added for a slightly higher price. 5. Bullhorn Reach: The Bullhorn Reach Facebook app is only available with the Bullhorn Reach Team product. The app lists the available jobs in a simple fashion on  social networks and job boards of your choice, giving visitors the option to read more, share or apply and it will automatically re-port until your jobs are filled. The app will also source a shortlist of social media connections who may be suitable for your current job openings.  A very simple design makes this application each to use, with other features such as Brand Customisation and Silent Follow (a feature that allows Passive Candidates to not alert their Facebook friends to their action on the app). The Reach Radar feature helps you to filter through posts to find updates that are relevant to your business, such as professionals in your networks who may be looking for jobs. 6. Smart JobBoard: The Smart Jobboard app  allows you to create you to list your current job openings on you own personally branded Facebook page. The app will automatically sync your job board with Facebook so that listings are up to date, whenever posts are added, removed or edited. Jobseekers can search the listings using keywords and by location and if they wish to apply,  they will then be redirected to your main job board. The app is quick and easy to install and maintain and is available for purchase for $150. Conclusion: The best application is difficult to choose each differs in some way and offers a different service. It all depends on your budget, and whether it is active or passive candidates you are targeting. Most of the apps offer a free basic plan which offer some good features, however if additional features are required there are a range of options, catering for different needs and budgets. Its all down to how many you need to recruit, and how much youre willing to spend. Have you tried any of these? Any good/bad points? Please let us know! [This post  has been updated, the older version of this article included the app BranchOut, which you may remember as one  of the original recruitment applications on Facebook. However, with shifting focus and new applications on the market, BranchOut failed to be a success and is no longer available.]

The Truth Behind My Own Salary Negotiation Experiences

The Truth Behind My Own Salary Negotiation Experiences No one teaches you salary negotiation in college or business school. It is one of those things you just have to figure out on your own. But, what you negotiate at your first job will affect the salary of all of your future jobs. I wish I knew that. That is why I am sharing my own salary negotiation experiences. My first real professional job was when I was still in my junior year of college.   I felt very lucky to even have a job not to mention the fact that they were paying part  of my tuition in exchange for my 105-20 hours per work each week. Score! So when the salary of $26,000 annually was offered to me, I thought great! That was more than I ever made before and I was really not working full time there anyways so it didnt really matter. Any money was better than no money, right. So there was absolutely no negotiating at all. I just said sounds good, took the job and I was happy. Looking back I just shake my head, I mean what was I thinking. I was truly unprepared for my first professional job. Why hadn’t ANYONE told me anything about negotiating and how important that first salary was.  Not my professors, not my parents, and surely not my friends because salary was ALWAYS a taboo subject.   (None of my friends had jobs anyways. so it didn’t really matter). I just had no idea what the right salary was that I was supposed to ask for and so naive to trust that the employer was treating me fairly.   So that was my first experience in salary negotiating. It involved no salary negotiation. A few years later, I decided to stay with the government after graduation and worked my way up to a better salary. (Still at no point in time did I ever ask for a raise, I just took what they gave me every year. What was I thinking!!) After working with the government for three years, I started looking at other options and was particularly interested in consulting. Little did I know, that the experience I gained working with the government was exactly the experience that this consulting firm needed and wanted. Now, I know a little more  about salary negotiations. Having worked for this company for many years and hiring others, I know I was an obvious hire. I was a needle in a haystack because of the experience I had. The problem was, I didn’t do my research so I didn’t know even how insanely awesome I was to this company. Because I was so infatuated with the company and the type of consulting work I would be doing, I didn’t care what they paid me. I was just so excited because it was the perfect job for me. So I did a lot of research on the company but not the real behind the scenes research. In hindsight, I knew someone who worked at the company from my church, so I should have talked to him about it.  Why didn’t I get the details of what exactly they did so I could know how well I fit this opportunity? I am not sure why I didn’t but hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes. When the dreaded question came up from the senior manager  â€œWhat are your salary requirements?”   Keep in mind that this is the same senior manager who had just intimidated me by asking me how many dentists there are in the US. I was flustered and had been great in the interview until that question. So I was already a bit perplexed with her questions and then she asked me what salary I wanted. Well, at that point I thought I might be losing the interview because I didn’t know how many dentists were in the US, I mean who does?   (I later learned that this interview question is just to see how someone handles the question. No one actually expected me to get the right answer. They just wanted to see  my thought process, duh!) So the background of my salary history, I had done a great job at my government job and had steadily received promotions from $24,000 to $40,000 in the couple years I worked there. I was proud of my promotions and I thought I was paid fairly. I mean none of my friends or co-workers talked about what they earn so I really had nothing to compare it to. (Which is exactly why I am sharing numbers with you! I am breaking the taboo!)  So ready for my answer to this question?   I told them, “Well….right now I make $40,000 so I would like to make at least $42,000.”   Yes, that is only a 5% raise in my salary I asked for and I didnt even give them a range! Looking back, I know that when you move from company to company, that is your negotiating time. I had lots of things they wanted and honestly, I think they would have hired me at a much higher salary because of what I brought to the table. Fortunately, I think they felt bad for little old inexperienced salary negotiator me, because they actually ended up starting me at $46,000. They knew I was valuable to them so they gave me more than I even wanted. Smart company, because they made me a really happy employee who has now worked for them for 7 years! But when you think of my seven years at that company, all annual salary negotiations have been based on that initial starting salary. I always wonder what salary I would be at now if I had asked for $50,000-$60,000 instead in the beginning. Who knows! I didn’t ask so I will never know. What I have learned is that it is very uncommon to get those huge jumps in salary. Most annual raises are in the 2-5% unless you are a superstar or change companies and bring a lot of experience and knowledge with you that the new company needs. Fast Forward To Promotion Time Fast forward a few years down the road and I was up for a raise and promotion, or at least I thought I was.   I was shocked to find out that my manager (who hadn’t really seen all the awesome stuff I was doing) wasn’t in agreement with me when I told him I deserved a promotion. So I decided to prove him wrong. During that assessment cycle, I spent hours and hours completing my self-assessment form and highlighting all of the amazing stuff I had been doing over the last year. I asked all my coworkers to provide feedback on how well I was doing. I provided so much detail that my boss told me that he had no other choice but to give me that promotion because of how much information he received that proved my point. It was then that I realized that you have to be in charge of your own success because no one is going to do it for you. You have to show everyone how awesome you are and the amazing things you have been doing. I often see young professional women at my company who are scared to brag about themselves and tell their managers how awesome they are really doing.   You have to get used to that confidence and start believing it for yourself first.   Then others will see it too. I have also worked really hard for my company. I think when you show your managers and co-workers that you work really hard, you will be rewarded in the long run. I remember one time where I had really gone out of my way to make my clients happy, but I didn’t think my manager so I was just expecting a small raise. Boy, was I surprised to get a 17% raise. Sometimes when you aren’t expecting it and you are just working really hard for yourself and your own success, those awesome rewards come when you aren’t even looking. What do you wish you would have known about salary negotiation before your first job?

Best Rated Resume Writing Service For the Money

Best Rated Resume Writing Service For the MoneyIf you have been searching for the best rated resume writing service for the money, you will find that in this era, the market is full of companies that would take your hard earned money and throw it away in the bargain. At best, the services of these companies are rendered without giving you any kind of professional advice or professional value. To be able to get a resume that is able to really impress your prospective employer, you need to go for professional resume writing services that offer nothing but excellent value for your money.These companies would find the need to post resume after resume for their clients. Each resume would have their own requirement. The best resume writing service for the money can be found that can match your requirements perfectly.An employer's expectation from the job is more important than the age or status of the employee. If your employer has faith in you, then he can be sure that you will do well in whatever the role is that you are assigned. The best rated resume writing service for the money can also go ahead and provide you with resume samples. You can make use of these sample resumes to help you gauge which of the sample resumes might be ideal for your needs.If you search for the best candidate among the existing applicants, you will be left with few that are really able to meet the expectations of the employer. The best rated resume writing service for the money will be the one that can deliver the best candidates, that means the one that has a high quality resume writing service. They can create a resume that will draw the employer's attention to the most attractive and most meaningful parts of the resume.Employers want to hire the best when it comes to the requirements of their business. They are looking for people who can contribute to the growth of the company. So, if you have a competent resume writer at your service, then you will be assured of getting a job.The bes t rated resume writing service for the money must also be able to provide you with testimonials. One of the major assets of an employer is the reviews that he gets on his products or services. The best rated resume writing service for the money will be the one that has a customer base that can compare the services of the company with the rates charged by other companies. The company should also have a site where it can keep track of how many of its customers have bought from them and who of those customers bought from them.The best way to find out the websites of the various resume writing services is to visit their website's content, and you can expect to see testimonials about their clients. The best rated resume writing service for the money will be the one that is able to give you a list of the various resume writing services and the rates charged for each of them. You can compare the prices and choose the one that has the lowest rate for their services.When you have gone throug h this process, the process of hiring a resume writer will not be very complicated. The best rated resume writing service for the money can deliver the most promising candidate to the employer.

Test Your Assumptions Before You Start a New Job

Test Your Assumptions Before You Start a New Job As an entrepreneur, I’m constantly pushed to grasp new concepts and approaches in order to evolve my business. Heres an example. My leadership team and I have been talking about offering new services as well as discussing industry partnerships we want to form. I have strong ideas of what we could do in these areas but I’m hesitant. Im hesitant because there are a number of untested assumptions. Instead of burying my head in the sand, launching a new service and hoping for the best, I pushed myself to figure out how to gain more confidence about trying something new. In my quest for guidance on how to best validate my assumptions, I came across two very helpful people. Their messages gave me specific steps for realizing and testing my assumptions. I also learned something else: a model for testing the waters before making a career change. Lets discuss both. Lessons from a beef jerky start up I started investigating the founder of a local company, called AppSumo. AppSumo.com has some really helpful website tools which we recently started using. Since they are local I dug a bit more and got some insight into the founder’s approach to new business ideas and “wantrepreneurs”. He has a funny, but very applicable, example of starting a beef jerky business in a matter of hours. He explains more in an interview with Tim Ferris about the process of flushing out and then validating business ideas. I also started reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. I’m about 2/3 of the way through but it has already shifted my paradigm on launching new ideas. His approach focuses on product development but it is still universal advice: conduct the minimum viable tests to confirm your assumptions about your new idea. Throughout my research, two groups came to mind who would benefit the most from this model: business owners and job seekers. So how can you apply these two lessons from Eric and Noah? Business owners: what are your tests? It’s critical to have a plan before starting any major business initiative or change. What if you want to offer a new service? What if you want to change your pricing or billing model? What if you want to start a business? All of these initiatives require a decent understanding of how people will react. Will it turn people off? Will it anger people? Will someone buy this service? At that price? Think of the effort you are potentially putting into each of these initiatives: marketing, sales, support it’s quite a lot. While the out-of-pocket costs may not seem bad, think about the time you are investing. I know you are anxious to get started but do your research and find out: 1) if your idea will achieve your goal 2) how you can make your idea even better 3) what obstacles you will run into You do these things by validating your assumptions with the appropriate test. First, you need to create the tests that will answer those questions. Tests for new services partnerships In the case of launching a new service line, we looked at search engine queries to see if people were looking for these services and if they were using different terms we hadnt considered. We also interviewed some former clients we identified different segments and came up with questions for each. When it came to potential partnerships, we created a list of questions and surveyed potential partners about existing partnerships, existing/former partnerships, and their opinion of our proposal. Those steps validated many of our concerns and forced us to change our model. We were also quite surprised by the number of new ideas we heard for making our proposal better. For example, how our partnership could help find them new business. We also realized it would take a lot more work to build and maintain these relationships. This testing forced us to put some of our plans on hold while we went back to the drawing board. Yes, its a bit disappointing but noting compared to the disappointment of wasting a few months on a model that was doomed from the beginning! Job seekers: what are your assumptions? This approach also works for people considering a career change. What if you want to change your career and become a mobile app developer, for example? What if you want to move into management? If you are considering a career change, ask yourself, will you like the new career? Can developing mobile apps replace your current income? Will you lose your previous position if you arent successful as a manager? Typically companies are better than individuals at understanding the risks of new ventures and trying to mitigate those risks. People seeking new jobs should consider the assumptions behind their desire for something new. Let’s look at an example: you want to change your career and become a mobile app developer. Start writing down your concerns, questions and assumptions. Then devise the simplest tests you can to answer them and, possibly, refine what you really want. Will I like developing mobile apps? Test this assumption by taking a programming class or trying your own project. Are you excited about working on it? Do you enjoy learning it? Are you picking it up quickly? Can I replace my income by developing full-time? Test this assumption by looking at your local market for mobile app developers. Do you have the right skills? Will you have to move to where more jobs are? Is there an experience requirement? What does entry level pay? What prerequisites will you need? Do I want to work as a developer for a company? Test this assumption by networking with developers at large and small companies. Also, talk to the managers of those developers and get their perspective. Will you have the structure you desire? The freedom? Use this research to guide you on what environment you will like the best. Is research just for big companies? As a small business owner, I sometimes felt that traditional research methods didn’t apply to me because they were so expensive that only big companies could. But Eric and Noah are dispelling that misconception and showing you how research doesn’t have to be something long, drawn out, outsourced or costly. Conducting tests to confirm your assumptions is a very worthwhile exercise. Do it before you invest time and money in a new business or in a new career. Focus on simplicity and youll see how easy it is and how valuable. Youll also see ways you can apply this philosophy to other aspects of your life.

As the Demand for Nursing Jobs Increase, So Do Options for Nurses

As the Demand for Nursing Jobs Increase, So Do Options for Nurses 1 Flares 1 Flares Nursing is hands-down one of the hardest, yet one of the most rewarding professions there is. Ask any group of nurses and they’ll tell you it’s not just a job to them, it’s a life. It’s a calling. And it takes someone very special to answer that call. Nurses are so important, in fact,the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for nurses between 2012 and 2022 will increase 19%. The Baby Boomer population will be in full force with increased health care needs that will need to be met. This increase in demand presents a great opportunity for nurses. Employers are getting increasingly desperate to find good nurses to fill positions in all fields of nursing. What Does this Mean for Nurses? It means nurses can be a lot more selective about what employer they choose to work for and in what field. I think we’ve all been in a job that we didn’t like, or didn’t feel passionate about â€" whether it was the company, the people we worked with, or the actual job itself. I worked 8 years for a company that I was less than enthusiastic about. Why would someone do that, you may ask? Because at the time I didn’t feel like there were many options in my field. This is the opposite case for nurses right now. Nurses not only have options, they have the upper hand. Because of the opportunities available, it may just be the time to examine where you are and what you are doing to determine if there is something better out there for you. After all, it’s not just a job, right? Nursing is one of the hardest jobs out there; you want to make sure you’re in the right environment with a top-notch employer who recognizes that. So here are a few tips from a former recruiter (and daughter of one amazing nurse) on finding the right employer with the right culture for you. Examine Your Nursing Practice Whether you are a seasoned work from home nurse who has spent years caring for patients or a new graduate looking to find your niche, now is the time to examine exactly what it is you really want to do. Look inward. During your studies and career, you’ve already discovered many of your strengths and weaknesses as a nurse. Ask yourself: What do I excel at? What do I enjoy doing the most? What do I enjoy doing the least? Do I prefer working in a technical critical care setting or in a more autonomous field such as home health? Am I considering a change because I am seeking more challenges? Or would I prefer a more laid back environment to concentrate on patient care? Then examine your work environment. If not yet employed in nursing, look at what environment you would like to have: Is this a good employer and a good setting for me? What is the atmosphere like? Is there positive synergy among the employees? Does the management set the tone for good morale? Is there room for advancement? What are the pay and benefits like? Do I generally enjoy going to work every day? The more questions you ask and answer the better prepared you will be to take the next steps. This may be the time to make a switch. Or if you’re just starting out, this is the time to make sure your first job is the very best one for you. Do Your Research Nurses are in demand! You don’t have to apply to just any opening because it fits your specialty or background. Do your research and find the right employer for you. Poke around on their website and social media pages. Google is your friend here! Find out what people are saying about that particular clinic, doctor, or facility you are considering. If you are targeting hospitals, you could research the individual departments and perhaps the specific doctors you would be in contact with. Look up the ratings of facilities and doctors that are available on several reputable websites such as Healthcare.gov and Health Grades, as well as official state sites that also provide valuable information. and ratings. These ratings include all types of health care settings. You may find that a lot of the research that you would do on your own  may have already been done by a staffing  agency for nurses. Talk To Someone Who Has Worked There Talk to a current or former employee â€" preferably more than one since everyone’s experiences and perspectives are different. Ask them what their daily work-life is like. Ask them about the culture, the management, the expectations of their nurses and other staff. People usually love talking about their work. You can find out a lot this way. Enlist a Healthcare Recruiting Agency Whether you are seeking employment locally or across the country, utilizing experts in the job-finding field is very helpful in finding that ideal position. You may find that a lot of the research that you would do on your own may have already been done. Partnering with a national recruiting agency like  De Vore Recruiting can help you not only find nursing openings, but find the employers that have the culture you’re looking for. Nationwide recruiting agencies have relationships with employers all over the U.S. their sole responsibility being to place the right person with the right company. They spend their time building relationships with both the company looking to hire as well as the candidate who is looking. Recruiting agencies also have a wide range of positions available in a variety of settings. There are jobs and niches that you may not even have been aware of. Your dream job is out there. There is no better time to seek it. Take advantage of every option you have. This is your time, nurses! Enjoy it.