newfangled condign: More than 1,000 London job hunters have posted ads on Kijiji’s resume page

Find me, recognize me, pick me.

In London, more than 1,000 people have thrown an ad on Kijiji?s resume page in hopes of finding a job.

University grads, young moms and high school students are jumping on the online self-advertising train to help land them a job.

?With the onset of technology, they are going to try different, creative ways to get attention,? said Raymond Pirouz, lecturer in the marketing facultyat the Ivey Business School at Western University.

Self-advertising isn?t a new phenomenon, but using sites such as Kijiji, Craigslist and Twitter to promote your job skills is.

?Technology enables potential candidates to reach a number of employers in a short timeframe ? extending their reach for opportunities,? said Darlene O?Neill, manager of career services at Fanshawe College.

?Anyone can place an ad. That?s not a very creative way to position yourself out there, that?s not differentiating you from anyone else that can do the exact same thing,? Pirouz said.

But it may just be the easiness of it that attracts so many job hunters like 33-year-old Maria-Jose Nino to use the service.

?If you?re more creative, you can do some more creative things but, for me, I work full time and this is so easy and it can be free.?

Nino has a full-time job in London working as an administrator for the director of the National Research Council but is looking for part-time administrative work on the side.

On June 2, she paid $8.99 to post a top ad on Kijiji to assist in her search.

?I didn?t want to put too much ? I just wanted people to want to converse with me and see what I have to offer and then if I can help their needs, to contact me.?

So far, it?s been a positive experience for Nino. She has received two email responses to her ad that could turn into potential work opportunities.

Jeff Hodgins, 35, has worked in the automotive industry for 11 years. He?s been unemployed for two months and turned to Kijiji as one method of job searching.

?I put a fairly wordy ad on there and basically just tried to sell myself a little bit . . . it?s a great way to try and promote yourself a little bit and it doesn?t cost anything.?

Hodgins has received a few responses to his ad but no job offers.

?Unfortunately, I had a company on there that was doing secret shopper work, and it ended up being false company.?

Pirouz said that placing an ad online is not going to be the best way to land a meaningful job.

Hodgins said he has to sift through spam and unrelated responses to find some potential employers.

?The first time I did it, I got a lot of sales and promotion type offers and a lot of things outside of my field that I decided not to respond to.?

Hodgins is staying hopeful as he looks for anything from service adviser work to becoming an automotive assistant at Canadian Tire.

?Yes, absolutely I?m very hopeful ? I also use the job ad section to look for jobs ? I use Kijiji on a daily basis.?

To separate yourself from the crowd, Pirouz recommends being as creative as possible.

?The attempts that will be most successful will be ones that exhibit some sort of unique creativity that are in context with the kind of job they?re looking for.?

O?Neill suggests using as many avenues to job hunt as possible.

?Any way that someone can promote themselves as a potential valuable employee works. Having said that, I believe a multi-pronged self-promotional approach is important but needs to be targeted towards the field that the individual is seeking employment in.?

melanie.anderson@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/MelatLFPress

WHAT NOT TO DO

- Ads with spelling and grammatical errors like this one are a big no-no, says Darlene O?Neill, manager of career services at Fanshawe. The spelling and grammar mistakes will turn off potential employers.

?Me, logan 18 years old and my brother brandon 20 years old, are looking for some work just to get some money we are able to do most things just contact me with what the job is, our hours are competely flexable and you can contact me any day of the week, both me and my brother have experience with laubour both working summers for PNR.

Just text or call me at 226-xxx-xxxx?

O?Neill also advises job seekers not to put their photo and Google map in postings for safety reasons

Friday, July 5, 2013