In the name of finding a job, job seekers are often instructed to “ignore” poor interviewer experiences, wait to hear back from recruiters or hiring managers, and take the best offer on the table — no questions asked. But over the last few years, the power has slowly shifted. According to MRINetwork’s 2014 Recruiter Sentiment Survey 83 percent of recruiters acknowledge that candidates hold the power in today’s job market. This new candidate-driven job market puts job seekers in the driver’s seat, allowing them more freedom to make the first move, negotiate and find their ideal jobs.

If you are looking for a position in this candidate-driven job market, consider taking advantage of these 6 strategies, to help you find the right position for you:

If you are a recent college graduate or have spent any time looking for a job, you know how difficult it can be to figure out exactly what hiring managers are looking for. Even when a job description lays out what skills are necessary to land the position, your personality still plays a huge role in whether or not you succeed. Understanding what character traits employers are looking for could bring you one step closer to landing the position of your dreams.

Here are five personality traits to emphasize on your resume, and in your interviews, in 2015:

If you told your relatives about your job search over this past holiday season, you probably heard these great pieces of advice, at every meal: “Just go to the office and ask to meet with the hiring manager,” “Why don’t you just call and ask if they are hiring?”

These “old-school” job hunting tactics may sound ridiculous, now that technology and social media have changed the job search landscape, but several old school tactics can still be very effective in a modern-day job hunting.

A job search can be a long and difficult process. If your search is dragging on and you see no end in sight, review your efforts and make sure you’re not making any of these seven common job search mistakes.

Almost every job seeker knows they should be on LinkedIn. But do they really know how to use it to their advantage?

To get started, here’s what your profile should contain:

• A professional headshot
• Contact information, including social media profiles
• A link to your resume
• Your educational background
• Details about your job experience
• Relevant industry skills
• Any volunteer experience you have

Once you have your profile created, you can use it to your advantage in your job search. Here’s how:

This post was updated to bring you the most up-to-date tips, October 2020.

More employers than ever are using video to interview candidates from across the country. Students and job seekers are tweeting links to their portfolios to employers. The modern digital world is moving fast, and it’s changing the rules for employers and job seekers. The same goes for those who give career advice to professional and student job seekers, too.

Whether it’s news, the latest music video or an answer to a burning question, most of today’s information is accessed online. People search for answers 5.8 billion times each day on Google alone.

It seems fit that career counselors should also hang out in this space to help do what they do best — advise others. One of the best ways to do this is to use blogs and social media to build a personal brand and become online thought leaders.

Use your online presence to relate to those whom you advise. Chances are, they are on social media trying to establish a following, too. If not, they may need to get out there for the sake of networking for a career.

Here are some tips for building your personal brand through today’s online tools:

What you say in an interview is important, but so is how you carry yourself. How is your body language helping or hindering your job search?

A large portion of our communication is nonverbal, and most of them time we’re unaware of it. However, you can use body language to your advantage during the interview process to subtly impress your interviewer and convey confidence.

Here are five aspects of body language to consider when preparing for your next interview:

You prepared your resume. Invested in a closet full of professional clothing. Brushed up on your interview skills.

But you still feel like one in a large crowd of other job seekers. How do you stand out from the competition and distance yourself from all of the other job seekers out there?

Check out these five ways to stand out from the job-seeking crowd:

Congratulations! You successfully applied for a job and landed an interview.

There’s only one catch — it’s a panel interview. Instead of one person conducting the interview, there will be multiple people, sometimes as many as four or five. As a job seeker, interviews are bad enough without the idea of multiple people being present.

Here’s how to survive a panel interview:

(This post was updated on 6/22/2020)

Using alumni networks is an ideal starting point for any college student’s career.

Whether you’re a professor, adviser, or career counselor, you serve as an excellent resource for your students when it comes to networking. Because of your position, you have access to a vast network of alumni who can help your current students advance their careers.

Alumni networks serve as a crucial pool of advice and career opportunities for college students. According to a 2020 Jobvite survey, 45% of job seekers found out about job openings through friends, and 31% found out through their professional networks. Networking is an excellent way for college students to break into their industries. Most college students are searching for ways to network into internships and jobs; and alumni can serve as the first stepping stone.

When helping students connect with alumni, it’s important to be strategic. Ideally, you should connect your current students with students you have a good relationship with. This way, you serve as a mutual connection between the student and alum, and you avoid putting your current student in an awkward situation. 

To help students tap into alumni networks, consider these ideas for connecting current and past students: