3 Things Jobseekers In South Africa Should Think About In 2016

Jobseekers have to invest in taking time to review various aspects of their life and career as they seek new employment. The ever-evolving digital landscape reveals evidence that your online reputation is fast-becoming a pivotal part of determining how fit you are to work within a certain organisation. Here are 7 pointers from Zigo’s own CEO, Charles Edelstein on how to ensure that candidate maintain a positive image and attract prospective employers.

  1. Actively monitor your online reputation.

Monitoring and managing your online reputation goes a long way as the first thing most recruiters will do is Google who you are when they receive your application. Try to Google your own name and observe what comes up. Usually social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter turn up alongside professional social sites like LinkedIn. LinkedIn is noted as a leader in establishing a positive reputation. If you feel as though your LinkedIn profile could use an update but you’re not sure where to start; Executive Placements offers a LinkedIn rewrite for ZARR599.

70% of South African recruiters use LinkedIn to track candidates and ensure that they are the ideal candidate for their organisation. Many people view LinkedIn as a nuisance but this is an important part of the job search; an updated profile makes more visible to potential employers.Because this is a free tool, you can update your profile as you develop you career as frequently as you wish.

  1. Know your career goals.

This is a pivotal part of acing an interview, knowing what’s next in your career ensures that a potential employer is aware of your career goals and whether you are the right candidate. This should be a question you can answer in your sleep so it’s important to rehearse it in the mirror and condense it into an elevator pitch; meaning you should be able to answer it in a matter of minutes within a matter of seconds.

  1. Develop a list of potential employers.

Get to know employers in your industry and target them effectively; the best strategy is use a job aggregator like Zigo to find out more about your employer. You can also setup an alert for employers in this industry, which are sent straight to your email to give you an idea of the type of employment available in the organisation and where you can fit in. Job aggregators like Zigo.co.za feature thousands of jobs from leading South African Job Portals, niche job portals, professional associations and recruiters.