Job Searching Today Requires New Vocabulary
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The way we job search has moved to a new frontier. We have expanded our job search beyond the traditional methods of word of mouth, using the phone or mailing our resume. Like a Trekkie, we are moving our job search strategy to "where no one has gone before."

Here is a primer to expand your job search vocabulary.

Netiquette
- network etiquette. This is the Internet merging with Emily Post. The guidelines are a code of conduct for acceptable behavior for online communication.

Wikipedia - a web-based, free encyclopedia written and edited by volunteers. The site combines the word "wiki," a type of collaborative website along with "encyclopedia." Since Wikipedia is a collaboration, be aware that it contains some misinformation and bias. Consider it a starting point for research.

Googling - obtaining information on the Web using the search engine Google. You can google an employer during your research. Google your name. See how you show up.

Digital Dirt - An employer or recruiter can find information about you on the Internet that is not complimentary. It might show you as you lapsed in judgment with your words/actions or were photographed at a party. Remember what happened to Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps? Ouch!

Blog - a contraction of "web log" is a free, shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences, expertise, hobbies, you name it. A blog is frequently updated and meant for public consumption and comment. Today, specific blogs are being created like corporate blogs (internal/external/ceo), video blogs (YouTube) and mp3 blogs (music/audio).

Social Networking - the way users build online networks of contacts and interact with personal or business friends. We have seen our sons and daughters use MySpace (music fans) and college student on Facebook (classmates), though the boundaries have expanded to include all kinds of users. Professionals can meet and be introduced to other business contacts through LinkedIn.

Microblogging - allows the subscriber to broadcast short messages to other subscribers of the Web service. Microposts can appear on a website and/or be distributed to a group of subscribers in real time as an instant message or a cell phone text message.

Microblogging is immediate, portable and brief. Heard of Twitter? Presidential candidate Obama used Twitter on the campaign trail. Now, The New York Times and the BBC are sending headlines and links. There is potential use with traffic and sports updates along with the emergency broadcast system. What possibilities can you create to forward your job search?

JibberJobber - Need to get more organized with your job search? If a spiral notebook or Excel spreadsheet doesn’t work, www.jibberjobber.com could aid your career management.

"E" - in front of any word, means electronic. We know about email, but the list continues with esignature, ezine, ecommerce, etc. Watch for more ewords as our eworld continues into new frontiers!