Category Archives: Job Search Tools

Son of What Color is Your Parachute author Richard Bolles expands his father’s work with eParachute

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eParachuteAlthough Richard Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute, passed away more than a year ago, his book continues to be published and his work continues to be honored by his son Gary.

Bolles operates the website eparachute.com, which, like the book which inspired it, can help you learn more about yourself and what you’d like to do with your work life. You will be able to discover your strengths, explore hundreds of career paths and see how well certain careers match what you most love to do.

The site, which costs $4.95 per year to access, will take you through a series of exercises that only take a few minutes to complete. You will choose:

  • The type of people you’d like to be around if you were at a party
  • Fields you love – from building and construction and sales and marketing to geography and public safety and security and many, many others in between
  • Skills you like to use

After completing the exercises, eparachute will give you a list of featured ideas for possible types of work. You can explore each of your chosen fields, skills and people types for more work ideas.

For those leaving prison

Bolles has some advice on how to make the most of your days in prison, as far as a future job or career is concerned:

“The time in prison can be well spent by doing homework on yourself – understanding your favorite skills, knowledge, and other unique things about yourself,” says Bolles. “It’s also a great time to study new topics that can be useful to you in the work you want to do when you’re back in society.”

“Of course, society isn’t always as welcoming as we’d like to those who were formerly incarcerated, so you’ll need to be really creative in your search. Doing small projects and part-time work through various online markets, like TaskRabbit and UpWork, can provide a way to do work without having to immediately find a full-time job.”

He also recommends being entrepreneurial and possibly starting your own business. That way you can build a work track record.

“But if you’ve done your homework on yourself, and you can describe your best-loved skills, including ways you’ve used them before, you’ll be in a far better position to tell a prospective employer why you can be the one to help solve their particular problems,” Bolles adds.

Those in reentry have a very special skill

It may not be easy to find a job if you have a record, but Bolles is convinced that many of those leaving jail or prison have a very useful skill.

“Especially for those who were formerly incarcerated, it’s important to know that the world of work is changing rapidly. The people who will be successful are those who are very proactive, constantly adapting to do new kinds of work. If you’ve been in prison, you know how to hustle. Put that hustle to good use in the work you do, working hard to solve problems for the people you work for and with, and you’ll do well,” Bolles says.

But before you get to that point, you still need to figure out what kind of work you’d like to do and find employment. Eparachute is one way to jump start your job search. It’s an introduction to the process of discovering what you like to do. Those who want to go one step further can take a more extensive course on Udemy.

Note: While Bolles mentioned TaskRabbit as a way to ease into the job market, TaskRabbit does require a background check. We’re not sure what types of crimes would prohibit people from working TaskRabbit gigs, however.

You may also want to check the Gigs section of Craigslist or other part-time work opportunities. Another way to work your way into employment is to register with a temp agency, many of which are ex-offender friendly.

Step Ahead offers job search help for ex-offenders, encourages them to discover their work options

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Step AheadWe’re always delighted to discover a new resource for previously incarcerated job seekers, and we’ve found another one.

It’s called Step Ahead and is hosted by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and funded by Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota. Although developed for use within Minnesota prisons and jails, it is a valuable tool that anyone can use. Some of the resources are Minnesota focused, but the information and exercises are applicable to anyone anywhere.

Written in clear, concise language, the various sections of the website will help you learn what you need to know to assess yourself and organize your job search. By completing the exercises, you will have a better idea of your skills and abilities and how to apply those to your job search.

Useful exercises help job seekers learn what they have to offer

Some of the exercises that will help you focus on what is important to you and what you have to offer a potential employer include:

A strength worksheet that helps you learn more about yourself and prepares you for the inevitable “What are your strengths?” interview question that a hiring manager is likely to ask.

The matching interests to work options exercise that will allow you to match your interests to a variety of careers, some of which you may have not considered.

A value rating sheet encourages you to examine what’s important to you in a job in the way of achievement, independence, recognition, relationships, support or working conditions.

And then there’s a spreadsheet to put these all together, so you can apply what you’ve learned about yourself to your job search.

In addition, the website offers tips and info on:

  • Setting goals and creating a career plan.
  • Expanding your skills and evaluating the skills you developed from work assignments and training programs in prison.
  • Developing job search strategies.
  • Dealing with your record.
  • Determining the various types of interviews and how to deal with each one.
  • Creating a resume.
  • Learning how to network.

Although the Job Search Help section is geared towards jobseekers living in Minnesota who can seek assistance from the organizations listed, those from other states can get similar information by visiting their local American Job Center.

Here are a few additional resources that may help you:

New Beginners Job Search Handbook

My Next Move

Career One-Stop website for ex-offenders

My Skills My Future

 

Career OneStop video library offers insight into jobs and industries to help you decide a career path

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Careeronestop video libraryRecently released from jail or prison and not sure what kind of work to look for?

You’re not alone.

Many people who have been out of the work force for a while – or who have never really been in it – may have a difficult time trying to figure out the job that might be suitable for them.

There’s an excellent resource to help you in your efforts. CareerOneStop, a free career counseling service sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, offers the CareerOneStop video library, a collection of hundreds of videos where you can learn about careers and industries and the skills and abilities they require.

Videos divided into clusters based on type of work

The videos are divided into 16 clusters that include similar types of work — from agricultural and natural resources to architecture and construction, hospitality and tourism to transportation and logistics. Each cluster has an overview video and then videos for particular types of jobs.

Each video is just a minute or two and gives an overview of a type of career, what’s required in terms of ability, how to train for it and what workers do on a day-to-day basis. All of the videos also have transcripts.

A few examples from the CareerOneStop video libary
  • Take for an example a wind turbine technician or wind tech. The video explains that people with this job install, repair and monitor wind turbines. They also do maintenance. Most people in this field earn a certificate at a technical institute or community college.
  • How about the possibility of a flooring installer? This is someone who lays and finishes carpeting and tile, linoleum and wood flooring, although a person would normally specialize in only one of these. Most people learn on the job but there are some formal apprenticeships available. This is an excellent choice for someone who wants to have their own business.
  • Or you might be interested in getting into the hospitality industry. A good start is to work as a hotel or resort front desk clerk. This job requires excellent people skills, since clerks are the first person that guests usually deal with. It’s a good learning experience and could lead to a hotel management position.
  • Another possibility, among many others, is a home health care aide or someone who provides in-home health care services to the elderly, or those who are sick or disabled. They may administer medications or help clients get dressed or bathed. They may also prepare meals or do light housekeeping. This job usually requires a high school diploma and some sort of formal training and certificate.
Information on pay and job opportunities also included

Some of the pages where the videos are displayed also include average pay, a job outlook rating – or how many job opportunities should be available in the future – and a link to a searchable database of training programs across the U.S. And there’s an entirely separate section of videos in Spanish.

So if you’re unsure what direction to take work wise, spend a few hours exploring the website and its clusters of videos, and watch as many as you can. Afterwards you’ll have a better idea of the kind of work you may be qualified for and interested in doing. Then you’ll be able to use the site to find a training program near you, if one is required. With a bit of initiative and perseverance you may soon be training for or finding a job that will help you with your new life.

New Beginners Job Search Handbook offers unique tips to ex-offender job seekers

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New Beginnings Job Search Handbook

Ken Bailor

Think you’ve heard it all when it comes to job search tips for previously incarcerated job seekers?

We did too, but we learned a few new things from Ken Bailor, the reentry services coordinator for Riverside County (Calif.) ReEntry Services, part of the county’s economic development agency.

During the past 11 years, he has presented job search workshops to more than 25,000 people incarcerated at four of Riverside County’s five correctional facilities.

Bailor calls his students “new beginners,” who by his definition seek to put the past – along with attitudes, actions and negative behavior that led to their incarceration – far behind them, so they can achieve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual success in life.

And to educate them, Bailor developed the New Beginners Job Search Handbook. It offers a step-by-step process that can lead to a new beginning in the lives of those in reentry, as well as a few unique ideas.

Along with resume writing and interview tips, the handbook offers tips on how to improve one’s attitude and approach to life, as well as ability to look for work.

Talking positively

He includes a chart on how to reframe what people need to say to make it positive.

  • For example, instead of this:

“I just got out of jail and need a job.”

  • Tell the hiring manager:

“Jail was a wake-up call for me. I learned new things about myself and my life. I completed my GED and developed new skills. I’m ready to prove that I can be a productive employee.”

Because what people say and how they say it is so important, the handbook includes a vocabulary list for successful New Beginners. It recommends using green flag words like “I can” instead of red flag words like “I can’t.” “I take action” instead of “I should.” “And” instead of “but,” etc.

Understanding the impression you might make

One section of the handbook analyzes what an employer would think about certain behavior or actions when completing a job application, creating a resume or during a job interview that will help students become more aware of how they might come across.

Putting together a personal commercial

Bailor divides jobs into four families – those concerned with ideas, things, people and data – and includes an extensive list of words defining personal assets related to those types of jobs. Using those assets and words for skills chosen from another list, job seekers can put together what he calls a personal commercial and what others might refer to as an elevator pitch.

Also included are a practice application and resume worksheet and examples of different types of resumes and cover letters, as well as advice on where to look for jobs and a job fair attendance checklist. In addition, there’s a list of interview questions, how to explain a felony conviction and information about expungement, certificates of rehabilitation and pardons.

How the handbook is used

Although the book is a self-teaching tool, Bailor and three volunteers take it into the facilities and do a basic introduction. The inmates go through all the exercises, and when they’re finished contact Bailor who asks them an interview question and administers an open-book test. A week later he returns for a closed book final and those who pass receive a certificate.

When they’re about to be released Bailor tells them, ”If you go after those jobs the same way you went after drugs, you’ll be successful. And when you get out, do three things – call your ride, talk to probation and call me.” Only about 10% of the people who leave actually call him, but for those that do he has some solid advice.

He tells his New Beginners:

  • Look forward not back to the troubles you’ve had.
  • Stay positive and find resources. Be proactive.
  • Don’t rely on the jobs that are on the Internet. Visit employers. Tell them about yourself and drop off a resume or JIST card. If you don’t hear back from them in a week, call again. Eventually someone will hire you.
  • Go out and talk to people. Some of the best jobs you’ll find out about are through people in your AA and NA meetings.
  • Stay away from the old places and things, and find new beginnings.

You may view the latest edition of the New Beginners Job Search Handbook, which is included as a resource on Ken Bailor’s Jerry Jobseeker’s Resources website.

 

Jails to Jobs creates a new job search training toolkit for those who want to help ex-offenders find employment

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Job Search Training ToolkitWorking with people about to leave prison or those in reentry who are trying to find jobs? Nonprofit Jails to Jobs, Inc. has a brand new resource to help you do that more effectively.

Its new Jails to Jobs: Job Search Training Toolkit is designed to give people who present job search workshops in jails and prisons, and job developers who work with previously incarcerated individuals the resource they need. And it’s all here and ready to go.

The kit includes 20 copies of an all-inclusive job search handbook, Jails to Jobs: Seven Steps to Becoming Employed, published by the organization. It also includes a 73-slide PowerPoint presentation, which was developed as the result of delivering workshops to more than 3,000 soon-to-be-released men and women and is based on the book. The presentation can be used to conduct a two- to three-hour workshop in one or multiple sittings, making it easier to schedule.

All presenters need to do is familiarize themselves with the material in the book, as well as the PowerPoint slides, and they’re ready to offer the workshop. Corresponding page numbers from the job search handbook are listed on slides making it easier for both presenter and participants to use slides along with the book. Optional slides can be added, or existing slides edited, to include local resources and other unique details furthering the value of the workshop.

Participants will receive a copy of the handbook that they can read and study further and use as a guide through the job search process to find and land a job and stay out of prison.

The PowerPoint presentation and the book offer advice, instructions and exercises to teach participants just about everything they need to do to conduct a job search.

Why order a job search training toolkit? Here are 25 reasons!
Putting the tools together

Workshop participants will learn how to:

  • Record an effective voice-mail message, standout and be remembered.
  • Create a unique card that may work better than a resume.
  • Prepare an elevator pitch, helping to make a very favorable first impression.
  • Put together a master application and resume, saving time and increasing productivity in their search.
  • Develop a targeted list of potential employers who they can contact and visit.
Once they begin their search

They’ll learn how to:

  • Use a proven technique, integrating the telephone and email for the best job search success results.
  • Find the person who has the power to extend a job offer.
  • Just walk into places of employment and know what to tell the hiring managers that will increase their chances of getting a job offer.
  • Create and use a circle of contacts chart to identify people who can help them in their job search including offering job leads.
  • Make their parole officer a part of their network.
  • Carry out an informational interview and gain inside knowledge.
Dealing effectively with their record

They’ll learn how to:

  • Create a convincing argument that hiring previously incarcerated individuals increases an employers’ talent pool and makes economic sense.
  • Encourage a job offer by knowing how and when to present hiring incentives that employers can take advantage of to benefit their bottom line.
  • Create a turnaround talk and package to convince employers that they have changed.
  • Highlight useful work skills developed in prison, helping to make the prison experience a strength rather than a negative.
  • Deal with their record on the job application form and increase the likelihood of being hired.
  • Understand and utilize two of the most effective job search methods that work for ex-offenders.
Resources and things they may not have thought of

They’ll learn how to:

  • Integrate volunteering into their efforts as a method to increase possible job leads and offers.
  • Use a temp employment agency as a stepping stone to full time regular work. Includes a list of 12 agencies we’ve heard good things about.
  • Employ unorthodox methods to get the attention of hiring managers.
  • Find free interview clothing and work attire.
  • Find free or low-cost tattoo removal programs to get visible anti-social or gang-related job stopping tattoos taken off.
  • Take advantage of job training and apprenticeship programs.
  • Implement 10 key tips from surveyed employers that will make ex-offenders more marketable.

The cost of the training toolkit is $240 and includes shipping within the continental United States. Additional copies of the book are available at a discounted rate of $12 each. We invite you to take a look at our book reviews on Amazon and email us with any questions and to place your order.

 

 

 

Use My Next Move to explore a multitude of job opportunities

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My Next MoveGetting out of prison or jail and need help deciding what to do work wise?

We highly recommend checking out My Next Move as a first step in the process. This free easy-to-use tool will allow you to explore more than 900 occupations to see which of them might be right for you.

And it includes information about the knowledge, skills and abilities required for these jobs; how much they pay, potential apprenticeships and job openings, among other things. There’s just about everything you might need to know to decide whether you might want to explore any of them further.

Although it was specially designed for students, young people and those new to the workforce, it could be very useful to anyone, including those in reentry who are also exploring a new possibly uncharted life. The site is part of O*NET, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.

Here’s how it works:

Go to the My Next Move website and try out the three options.

Tool No. 1. A tool to search careers with key words. These key words can be either the name of a type of worker or something you like to do. Take for example, carpenter, build houses.

Those key words bring up about 20 different types of jobs, including construction carpenters, construction laborers, drywall and ceiling tile installers, and roofers.

Click on one of those jobs, and you’ll find a vast amount of information, including what they do, the knowledge and skills required and even the type of personality that makes a person good at this type of work. It also includes education required, average salary paid and link where you can search for jobs by state and find out how to apply for them. (Some can be applied for online and others require showing up in person.)

Tool No. 2. A tool to browse careers by industry. This is just another way to find the same information about jobs as with Tool No. 1, but you will get a broader sense of what types of jobs are available in a particular industry. For example, using construction as an example brings up more than 40 types of construction jobs and another nearly 40 jobs that may work in construction.

Tool No. 3. This tool is an interest profiler, or “tell us what you like to do,” and by answering a set of 60 questions can help you pinpoint what type of work might be appropriate for you. When answering the questions, you’re not supposed to think about whether you have the education to do a particular job or how much money you might make. Just whether you would like to do the things it asks. After you complete the questionnaire you will discover your interests and what type of work might require these interests.

Once you determine what type of job you might be interested in, the site also includes links to sections on jobs that are:

  • likely to have apprenticeship programs.
  • ranked by the amount of preparation and training involved,
  • expected to grow rapidly, have large numbers of openings or are new opportunities
  • in the green economy

Spending time on the My Next Move website will help you gain insight into new possibilities that you may have not considered. My Next Move, along with some of the resources on the Jails to Jobs website, will give you a head start as you begin to search for employment. We hope they will help you in your efforts.

 

Jails to Jobs book out on Amazon

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PrintAt long last our book, Jails to Jobs: Seven Steps to Becoming Employed, is out and available on Amazon.

Since 2008, Jails to Jobs’ workshops and job search and restorative materials have reached more than 3,000 inmates. In our workshops, we help soon-to-be-released inmates explore meaning and purpose in their lives while they learn about job search strategies. This book is a direct result of our workshops, the materials we disseminate and the feedback we have received from inmates and other experts in the field.

If you are a regular reader of our blog or visitor to our website, you will find even more tips and information that will help you or the formerly incarcerated individuals you work with achieve job search success.

From adjusting attitudes and finding a free tattoo-removal program to creating a job search team and using a JIST card instead of a resume, the 176-page book suggests unconventional strategies that you may not have considered before. It even includes ways to highlight the skills you or your clients developed in prison rehabilitation and reentry.

Jails to Jobs: Seven Steps to Becoming Employed offers insight into how to deal with your “record,” recommending an approach that can be very effective if handled sincerely and honestly.

In addition, Jails to Jobs: Seven Steps to Becoming Employed shows applicants how to convince employers that hiring them makes financial sense – based on tax credits and a government bonding program. It also includes job-training resources for those who need an extra boost and information on self-employment for those who prefer a different path.

One reviewer on Amazon wrote, “There are so many specific suggestions in this book, if you do any 10 of them you’ll improve your chances of finding a job. If you seriously follow through the seven steps, you can be confident your growing job search skills will present your best self to the right potential employers. And – here’s a secret – you don’t have to be in reentry from detention to benefit from the sound advice in these pages.”

Yes, the book could work for anyone, and we’d be happy if people in the wider population find it useful. But it is those with criminal records who may need extra support, and for them this book has been written.

Although only recently released online, it is already being used to create a job training program in at least one state prison, and several others are interested in using it as well.

Whether you’re a formerly incarcerated job seeker, a job developer, a prison official or volunteer, or anyone who has a connection with those who have been released from prison and are looking for a job, we hope you’ll find this book useful.

To order a copy, please visit Amazon.com.

 

New Career One Stop site provides help for ex-offender job seekers

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careeronestoplogo_tcm24-129Career One Stop – sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration – has created Job Search Help for Ex-offenders, an excellent resource for anyone with a record who is looking for work.

The site is basically a one-stop shop for just about everything one would need to know about conducting a job search, with tips and advice on how to find one.

Know your interests

The site is organized in several sections. People may want to start with Know Your skills. It includes a chart that matches various interests with job opportunities. Click on a job type, and you’ll find out how many people are employed in that job, wages they receive and the duties of the job, as well as typical training and also a link to job listings for each particular job which can be sorted by Zip Code.

Not exactly sure what your interests are? The site has you covered with a link to an interest assessment you can take online. It only includes 60 questions and can be completed in about five minutes.

Explore opportunities based on your interest

The assessment is just the beginning. A personalized profile will be generated and then you’ll be asked to decide how much job preparation you have or would like to have. Once you determine that, you can click on a link that will give a list of jobs. Each one has information concerning the knowledge and skills needed for that job, personality traits that make someone good at the work and the technology they might need to know how to use to do it.

Skills developed in prison

A job skills section highlights skills that one might have developed in the type of work that prisons offer – things like food service, welding, machining and sewing. A skills checklist covers soft skills like dependable, creative, flexible, honest, friendly and hard working, all skills that will be appreciated in any employment situation.

Learn about careers

The section on learning about careers talks about the difference between a job and a career and how to decide the steps to take in pursuing a career. An explanation on work restrictions gives general information about what types of jobs might be off limits to those with criminal records.

A useful link to the National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction, a state-by-state database of laws related to criminal convictions and employment. Just click on your state on the map and you can find out what laws apply to specific job types.

Another list provides ideas of common jobs that one might be able to obtain after being released from prison.

Setting career goals

A section on setting career goals offers tips on how to create short-term and long-term goals to set you on the pathway of long-term employment. A downloadable goal terminal with things to do and dates they should be completed is a way to keep on track.

A database to help ex-offenders find training in community college settings is searchable by occupation, school or program, as well as Zip Code to find the programs nearest you.

Those who would like help from a professional job counselor can search a database for the American Job Center (formerly Career One-Stop Center), which has free counseling, workshops, and skills training and testing, nearest you.

 

New job board for ex-offenders and people who want to hire them

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MP900400225There’s a new kid on the job board block. Before you think – “Forget it. Just one more place my resume will sink into a black hole” – take a few minutes to check it out. This is a job board with a difference.

Founded by Jeff Burke, an ex-offender himself, Haphire was created to help other ex-offenders find employment and to benefit companies by supplying candidates that will be hard-working, motivated employees. Its beta version is being launched this week.

Although he served one-year probation instead of a prison term for his crime, Burke encountered many of the same challenges all ex-offenders face when job hunting. Inspired by a desire to help others, he founded Haphire, coming up with the name by combining hire with hap, which means chance or giving people a second chance.

The difference between Haphire and other job boards will be in the increased level of confidentiality. “When an employer goes to look at a profile for a candidate they’ll see a reference number. They’ll see the job seeker’s education and resume but not their name and contact info,” says Burke. Employers will, however, see the applicant’s conviction and hopefully much more. Haphire’s goal is also to have each job seeker put together a packet of references and examples of the good things they’ve done for employers to examine.

The job listings will include the name of the hiring company and what type of criminal record they’re willing to accept, whether misdemeanors only, felonies or nonviolent felonies. Burke said that they’re currently putting together a database of employers through cold calling and Internet searches.

So far interested companies are all over the board as far as types of businesses, but most of them are small or medium in size. There’s not a charge for the job seeker, but companies must pay a fee. Nonprofits get up to 100 listings at one time for free.

“The selling point is motivated workers, tax incentives and the federal bonding program,” he says.  “Further goals we’re looking into are partnering with online or community colleges to provide discounted training for employees, so employers will get qualified employees.”

Although plans call for helping companies apply for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Haphire now just points them in the right direction. The WOTC is a federal tax credit of up to $2,400 given to companies for each employee hired from certain target groups that encounter serious barriers to employment. These include ex-offenders.

“I was surprised at the number of people we’ve talked to who didn’t know about the WOTC, as well as the Federal Bonding Program (that protects employers from losses due to dishonesty on the part of employees and is paid for by the federal government),” says Burke. “That opened up a lot more opportunities.”

Although Haphire is not vetting job seekers at this point, that may change in a few months, when it plans to add a program it will call Verified by Haphire. In return for a fee paid by the job seeker, Haphire will have a background check done and provide the report to employers. Burke says he is currently searching for partnerships with background-check services.

It’s only the beginning, but if things progress as planned, ex-offender job seekers will have a place to go where employers are actually looking for applicants just like them, record and all.

For more information or to search employment opportunities, check out www.haphire.com

 

Career Sonar: a new tool to tap your social network for jobs

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careersonar-connectionsIn today’s competitive employment market, job seekers need to constantly look for new ways to get an edge.

For many people, online job boards like monster.com, indeed.com and even craigslist have become black holes through which companies suck in hundreds of resumes, never to be heard from again.

These job boards are not as effective as they once were even just a few years ago, and savvy job seekers need to employ tools and tactics that will work better for them in a rapidly changing environment.

And one of these might be Career Sonar, a brand new “job discovery website” that is different than anything else out there. After a year of beta testing, Career Sonar launched in mid-January as a job-search platform that not only informs users of what jobs are open in a particular area but also lets them know who in their social networks – LinkedIn and Facebook – is employed there.

In other words, it uses the power of your social network to help you find a job. You no longer have to search through LinkedIn to see who works at a company that has a job opening you’re interested in. Career Sonar does it for you automatically.

How it works:

  1. Create an account by registering with your email address and creating a password.
  2. Allow access to your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts.
  3. Type in a relevant job title or key words, which will be saved as your “sonar” and be used to search for job openings, both at the time you first register and when you visit the site in the future.
  4. Click on the search button, and it will bring up a list of the types of jobs you selected in the area of the country you indicated. Currently Career Sonar only displays jobs in the U.S.
  5. Add friends to your Career Sonar network, because when a friend joins Career Sonar all of their friends are added as well.

That’s a basic how-to, but here’s how the site works. To the right of each job listing, it shows all of your social media contacts who work at that company currently or did so in the past. It even tells you what their title is, how longed they’ve worked there and when.

If it’s not a first-degree connection, it will tell you who in your network is connected to them. It also ranks the job openings according to which would provide the best opportunities based on the strength of connections to that company through members of your social networks.

Career Sonar is a new concept but one worth trying. It even won the about.com 2013 Reader’s Choice, Best Career Networking Site, beating out LinkedIn and Facebook, among others.

To check it out yourself, visit www.careersonar.com