Social Networking is certainly the current and perhaps best way to land your next job or inquire about new careers. To capitalize on this current trend, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) has launched GoDental. a new interactive multimedia web resource to enhance the dental education experience.

Interested in a Dental career? GoDental’s mission is to help students navigate their way through the experience of becoming a dentist by providing information directly from dental professionals. GoDental goes straight to the source in finding the latest and greatest trends and information on the world of dentistry through interactive media including:

• DentNetworks – an interactive forum that allows students to engage with peers, dental students and others about applying to dental school, what it means to be a dental student and what a career in dentistry offers.
• Blogistry – which allows GoDental members to read and comment about current news and issues affecting the dental community. Blogs, written by dental professionals and students, cover everything from tips on applying to dental school and how to finance a dental education to perspectives on current news and viewpoints.
• DenTube – an online channel with videos on current events, what dental school is like and tips for successfully completing an application to dental school.

There is even a section for future students, whether in high school or college, that provides information and resources on career options, preparing for dental school and even dental school curriculum.

“ADEA is excited to offer students, prospective students, residents and fellows the opportunity to come together under an inventive combination of multimedia, forums and community development,” said ADEA President Leo E. Rouse, D.D.S.

GoDental membership is free and members can even follow GoDental on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Go to www.godental.org for more information and to sign up.

The American Dental Education Association is the voice of dental education. Its members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools and many allied and postdoctoral dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the health of the public.

Hospital Dream Jobs provides not only resources to your next job in health care but also news and insight on today’s latest trends and the information you need to get your career started.

It’s a tough economy right now and certainly not the easiest time to find employment.

Take for instance, two close family members of mine. They are both well-educated and experienced in the film production industry. But six years ago, they moved from California to Oregon. This year, they moved back to California and are struggling immensely to find jobs in their arena. After four months, one of them finally found a starter position in administration in the industry but it is low-pay and his entire paycheck won’t even cover their rent. And she found herself interviewing for a barista position the other day-discouraged that her Dream Job in the film industry is not yet to be found. I stress that they are very experienced in their arenas. But apparently six years out of state was detrimental to getting their Dream Jobs back-in spite of the networking and industry volunteering they are doing while there.

I encourage you to keep your job skills and networking current-even if you are gainfully employed and think you will be there forever. If this economy has taught us anything-it is that no job is truly secure. We’ve seen huge companies take losses and close and people with twenty years plus seniority kicked to the curb. Our economy and employment rates may improve-but no one else will watch your back better than you.

Although the biggest argument I hear against this is the lack of time to network, etc, I want to stress the priority of it to you. If the unthinkable happens, you will regret not finding the time to keep current. So make it a goal and invest some time in this now by:

1. Remain educated in your field. Don’t hesitate to take continuing education workshops or even take classes toward an upper degree in your field. If the time comes, someone with current education is much more valuable than someone who hasn’t continued their education in many years. Education, of course, will benefit you personally too.

2. Stay online. Odd, I know. But while you’ve likely been happily employed for the past several years, the job search has moved mostly online. Familiarize yourself with job listings, who is hiring in your industry and don’t hesitate to look at the financials of public companies. Scour industry websites, newsletters and blogs. Learn as much as you can.

3. Improve your platform online. When a Twitter friend I know was laid off from his insurance position, he held over 50 “informational interviews” with various companies. Basically, he messaged us and asked for one to learn more about the companies we are with. Many of us gave him some time and due to this network, he has had several job offers. So dig up that old Twitter account and start making yourself valuable to your followers online. Already on Facebook or Linked In? Find friends in your industry and become a resource to them. Join the groups and answer questions when you can. Also consider other social sites in your industry.

4. Make some contacts. Remember that doctor you met at a conference last year? You still have his business card in your briefcase. Set aside a couple of hours each month to connect with people via email or phone, even if you just leave a voicemail. Or send them a card in the mail with your business card and thank them for the time they spent with you/class they taught, etc.

5. Stay technologically current. This can be difficult, but is important. You will be at an extreme disadvantage in future job searching if you don’t use email, know how to navigate a website, can’t use Microsoft Excel etc. What’s an I-Pad? Find out, if you don’t know. For good technical advice, read some tech blogs and keep up with the changes in the industry. Also consider learning software specific to your industry.

6. Keep your resume and references current. Keep your resume on the computer and add to it as you increase your learning, skills and job duties. And remember that someone who was a reference when you were job searching six years ago may not remember you well today. Find current references who can and will give a glowing report.

Following these tips will serve you well when and if you need to find a new job. You will already be halfway to your goal.

Twitter is another social site that can be helpful when job searching. With the wonders of modern technology, those who list job openings can automatically post each job to twitter as they are listed, giving you the heads up that something has become available within the category that you are searching. In addition, job posts are a popular retweet-meaning that people often pass on information about jobs posted to their own followers.

If you don’t have a Twitter account yet, go to Twitter and sign up using your email. Once you activate your account, log in with your information. You will already be following people as Twitter has this set up automatically, and if you want to you can easily unfollow them by clicking on their name and then using the option to unfollow under the sunshine. Click on “profile” to see the page that other people see when clicking on your username.

To change your background, choose “settings” and then “design”. Twitter provides several optional backgrounds, or you can upload a photo for your background. You can also change the colors of font for your links and your sidebar colors. Experiment until you find options that you like and then click on “home” to see the results.

We do recommend that you both upload a small picture (60 pix) for your avatar and that you also include a one-line bio. To do this, go to “settings” and then choose “profile”. If you have a website, list that there as well.

Now you are on Twitter and it’s a great time to search job listings and also develop relationships with people who can recommend you for job positions. To start this, use the “find people” tab at the top of your page. Search for the words in your specialty and follow those people who might be a resource in your job search. You also have the ability to create a list if you want to place different accounts in various categories. Also follow our list of 176 (and growing) health organizations/recruiters that regularly post jobs and check it on a regular basis.

Here are some accounts of ours to follow for job listings:

RadiologyJob

StaffNurseJob

TravelNurse_Job

Pharmacy_Job

NursingMgmtJobs

Surgery_Jobs

RadTechJobs

BioTech_Job

Physicians_Job

Hospital_Jobs

Nursing_Job

If you want to connect with us on other news in addition to job listings, follow us on our main account at HospitalDrmJobs. See you on Twitter!