The nation faces yet another week of  job losses. The term job losses is another term for lay off. In 2008, the number of job cuts in the United States was about 2.6 million. At the close of January 2009, more job cuts have been announced. The industries facing job cuts includes major employers. Among those announcing job cuts are:

Sprint-8,000

Boeing 10,000

Starbucks-6,700

IBM-2800

Cessna-2000

Kodak-1500

Ford Credit-1200

With the massive amounts of job cuts, those who lost positions will be seeking employment. In the new global marketplace, the question arises as to how best to search for prepare for such a lay off and search for jobs in such circumstances?

One of the ways to find your dream job or even a jog consists of finding the opportunities. Since employment is rarely handed to people on a silver platter, it is important for those who are seeking jobs to find the opportunities in the fields that they are interested or qualified for.  With the increased competition from other job seekers, it will be important to position yourself in the job market better than your competition.  Dealing with the competition means you will need an excellent resume. Your resume needs to be appropriate for the field you are interested in. Besides having a good resume you will need to utilize social media to put your resume in front of people. Social network media can provide the edge you need in marketing yourself better than your competition.

In using social media to find jobs, the first thing to consider is which social media tools you use. Posting your resume on facebook or MySpace will not result in job offers. In using social media, you will need to use social networking such as LinkedIn, Ryze or Plaxo for seeking job offers. These are the sites used by businesses and doing business. Since you are seriously seeking a job, you will need a serious profile and connect with the business community.

An old saying that rings true in such times is “It is not what you know, but rather who you know”. This adage will help you when using social network sites. The sites will allow you to connect with former employers, work associates, classmates and with peers who share a similar interest. Although these people may not make you an offer, the relationships with them may introduce you to someone who is in a position to make you a job offer.

Using resume services such as Monster is a way to distribute your resume. With the competition that currently exists, it is important to have relationships along with a strong resume. Someone who knows you and can recommend you will set you apart from your competition. The connections you have may make a difference as to whether or not your resume is even looked at. Having the employer look at your resume is the first step in the job seeking process. A recommendation will see to it that your resume is looked at with a favorable impression. The recommendation will also help bring your resume to life.

Obtaining connections and recommendations requires time and effort. If you are facing the possibility of a lay off, you needed to have made some connections before you are out of work. If you wait until the lay off, the quality of your connections will be weak. Sites like LinkedIn, Ryze and Plaxo allow you to connect with businesses. Social networking is no longer a way to stay in touch with high school companions. In this new economy, it is one of the best ways to obtain exposure of your resume and obtain job offers. Social network media offers great opportunities to those who are skilled at using such tools. Waiting until you are out of work will be too late. Now is the time to start making connections.

You will need to not only connect with people, you will need to sell your skills and abilities to them. They will need to see evidence that you are a person that they want in their company. Your profile and the activities you participate in on the social network sites will serve as a resume broadcasting your abilities on the internet 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Likewise, it your activity and profile indicate that you are more about play and posing than substance, the image you portray will also be broadcast round the clock.