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Good Monday morning, Guest,

The internet has dramatically reshaped the business world. Consider:

• the car buyer that shows up with "Manufacturer's Invoice" prices in hand
• the Midwest manufacturer that can source cheap components from all points of the world via email
• the software competitor that can trace all of your successful sales via simple Google searches

You know -- we all know, really -- that internet technology has unleashed a tidal wave of innovation and changing business practices as the result of massively simpler information sharing.

But did you realize that it's also changed your job hunt? Forever?

Consider:

• a recruiter who used to receive a few dozen resumes per job now receives thousands
• a company's open job listing that used to appear only in the local paper now appear on dozens, if not hundreds, of websites
• your ability to stand out from the crowd in a stack of resumes is more important than ever, because the stack is so big

You see, the upside of the internet has been the ease with which it has made information sharing and communications widely available.

And, you might also know, the downside of the internet has been the ease with which it has made information sharing and communications widely available.

When I made this point at the big HR recruiter's conference in San Diego this spring, you should've seen all the heads bobbing up and down.

Recruiters know it, and you know it.

So what are we going to do, dear Readers, to overcome this challenge?

I've studied this "Online Recruitment" industry for a long time. I was the SVP, Finance & Operations at HotJobs.com, the #2 job board, when we sold the company to Yahoo! in 2002.

And when you look into it, it turns out that recruiters just don't care about how many resumes they get, but they do care about the quality of the candidates they get from different sources, whether that be newspaper ads, or referrals, or online job boards.

And the better the source, the more attention they'll pay to the candidates that come from that source.

So how can we turn this fact to our advantage, Readers? How can we make this simple truth a weapon for our side, TheLadders.com's 900,000 loyal, high-end professionals? How can we get all the benefits of the upside of the internet, while ameliorating the downside of the internet for the $100k+ job hunt?

Here's what we've done:

• We only let in true $100k+ jobs and true, high-end candidates that are right for those positions.
• We hand-screen every bio. As you know if you filled out your bio in haste and received a note requesting further info, we take the quality of information we provide to recruiters very seriously. And by ensuring that we're only providing high-quality information on high-caliber candidates to recruiters, we keep our standards very high.
• We charge a cover charge. The best way to keep a professional association, well, professional, is to make sure that all of its members feel they belong there. Our reasonable annual membership fee keeps TheLadders.com accessible to our community, while discouraging those who are not at the $100k+ level from signing up and challenging the quality of our community.
• We segment by function. When you signed up for TheLadders.com, we asked you your primary function, so that sales professionals are on SalesLadder, marketing professionals are on MarketingLadder, etc. And while you can always search through all of the Ladders with advanced search, we've found that this segmentation helps prevent candidates from accidentally applying to jobs outside of their field.

And because all these steps make the quality of our candidates so much higher, recruiters pay more attention to the source of all these great candidates; they pay more attention to the fantastic community we're building together here at TheLadders.com.

So while the internet has forever changed your job hunt, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, I hope you'll join me in making TheLadders.com the number one source for $100k+ jobs, and great, talented, $100k+ candidates.

Spread the word. Get the job. Turn the internet to our advantage.

Together, I know we can make it happen.

Thanks, Readers! Enjoy this last shining week of summer!

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Successful Career Management in the New World of Work

Five Emerging Trends and How You Can Prepare for Them

By William Arruda

It's no secret that the world of work is rapidly changing. The professionals who'll succeed are those who embrace these changes and prepare for them. Here are five key trends that are redefining both how we find jobs and how we advance our careers.

1. Job seekers will be sought after.

In the future, open jobs won't be posted. As a professional, you'll no longer hunt for a job, but will be "hunted". Don't worry, this is not as scary as it sounds!

Hiring managers will use their social networks (real and virtual) and even Google to find you. No matter how impressive your credentials, if you can't be found, you'll miss out on opportunities. Resumes will be a marketing tool of the past replaced by branded bios that paint a more differentiated picture of your credentials and your unique personality characteristics. The quality and visibility of your bio on networking sites (and on your own personal web site) will have a major impact on your career.

How you can prepare: Know who potential hiring managers are for the positions in which you're interested and remain visible to them. You must create a solid, enduring reputation. To do this, you will need to have an on-line profile so you can be found easily in a Google search. This means you will need your own professional, regularly updated website that conveys your value. Your online profile (bio and everything written about you on the web) will need to be stellar. Consult a professional to write your bio and the copy for your web site.

Self-evaluation: Are you easily found online?

2. Job tenure will continue to decrease.

As companies respond to the rapidly changing needs of the marketplace, your current role will not stay as it is for long. You will need to deliver value each and every day. Your performance must be notable and consistent. In addition, you may have an increasingly shorter time-frame in which to prove yourself. For example, the 100-day plan for new executives may become the 60-day plan, then the 30-day plan.

How you can prepare: You must treat every project, every report, and every meeting as an opportunity to express your worth. It's not bragging if you can prove it. You must be willing to stand out so you don't get lost in the continuous shuffle. That means taking a stand, having an opinion, and consistently delivering value. You need to become even clearer about your personal brand (how your differentiate yourself) and demonstrate it in everything you do. When you take a new job, you must hit the ground running and use every opportunity to build your reputation from the first day.

Self-evaluation: Do you use every opportunity to express your brand?

3. You'll move from "ACME, Inc." to "Me, Inc." and back.

Professionals will move seamlessly in and out of the corporate world. One day, you'll be employed by a company, and the next you'll be working on contract, perhaps with that same employer. You'll have to be adept at being both employed and self-employed. You will need a visible profile so your next gig can find you while you're working on your current one.

How you can prepare: You need to think of yourself as a business. Identify your target market and develop marketing strategies to increase your visibility and create demand for your services. To stand out from the pack, develop a personal communications plan that complements your brand. Then, execute it continuously through the professional organizations you belong to, publications you contribute to, and public speaking. This gives you the credibility and visibility necessary to successfully straddle your two new "modes" -- being employed and being self-employed.

Self-evaluation: When is the last time you wrote an article or delivered a presentation?

4. Specialists and generalists will be in demand.

Companies will need some people who are extremely flexible -- people who can move from finance to R&D, or from developing an ad campaign to measuring its effectiveness. Companies will operate as if they have mini start-ups inside and will need multi-talented individuals to drive these businesses. At the same time, employers will need focused experts who can help deliver innovation and differentiation from the competition. The 'average' employee will have little value in the new world of work.

How you can prepare: Define yourself as either a generalist or a specialist and be that -- always. Being a generalist does not mean that you are average at everything. It means you are exceptional at being flexible. If you're a specialist, be clear about your specialty. 'Me-too' won't work in the future. Your contributions need to be differentiated and unique. If you're an expert, you must flaunt that expertise and express your thought-leadership through what you do both at work and beyond.

Self-evaluation: Are you a generalist or specialist?

5. All companies will be global companies.

As the internet continues to dissolve boundaries, virtually every company will look for growth beyond their typical national or regional borders. As competitors extend beyond their traditional boundaries, all companies will be forced to do the same or risk becoming very small niche players. Employees with international expertise and a passion for all things global will be in greater demand. Xenophobia will not be tolerated.

How you can prepare: Become global. Volunteer for an international assignment. Visit other countries while on vacation. Learn a foreign language. Learn from your international colleagues. Even those who have just a curiosity for all things foreign will have an advantage over those who never look beyond their national comfort zones. Communicate your global reach and think about the international implications of everything you do.

Self-evaluation: How international are you? Take this complimentary quiz to find out.

Just as we look back and barely recognize the workplaces of the 80s, what we see in our professional lives today will soon fade into a memory of what was. Being successful and fulfilled in the new world of work requires being aware of workplace trends and pro-actively staying one step ahead of them. Those who recognize these trends now and behave as if they're already working in this new environment will outshine their peers.

William Arruda is a career coach and one of the world's leading personal branding experts. He, along with his partner, Kirsten Dixson, developed the Reach Branding Club Job Search Edition, a comprehensive on-line executive branding program for career-minded executives.

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By Mike Lynch

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