As I mentioned yesterday, I recently decided to switch jobs, and I learned a lot in the process. I will share many of those experiences this week.

Once you are certain you are going to throw your hat into the ring and apply for a job opening, there are a few things you must do to help secure an interview. Besides having all the necessary job skills, take a close look at your resume or CV. Is it current? Is it relevant? Is it visually pleasing (e.g. Is the font readable and modern? If you’re printing it, is it on high-quality paper?)? Ask a trusted colleague – preferably someone who ask looked at many resumes – to review your resume or CV and provide you with constructive criticism. And then take those recommendations!

"dislike button" by smemon87 via Flickr

Your resume is not the only thing that will speak for you, though. There’s a pretty good chance someone is going to Google you. Before they do, do it yourself. Review all your social networks and privacy settings to ensure everything you want to show does and everything you want to remain private does, as well. If you blog or post in largely public forums, hopefully you’ve been cognizant of what you are saying and how you are saying it. Should it influence employers’ hiring? Whether or not it should, it does, so be aware. If there are items you need to delete, delete them, and then try your search again to make sure everything is as you want it. Remember that once you post something online, it is there, so deleting information does not guarantee someone will not view again.

When all else fails, be prepared to answer a question about your Internet activity.